Checkmate (BuckyBarnes x OC)

Daymare

Work was fairly boring that day. The cruise ship left town and there weren't many people. I mostly joked around with Masha the whole night. I was surprised I lasted through my whole shift considering I barely even slept the previous day. Masha was very curious of my family and kept asking questions about Bucky, or Thomas as she knew him. I tried to be as neutral as I could talking about him. I gotta say, I lost my assassin touch when something needed to be covered up. It has been a while since I truly needed to use it, not unlike Bucky who hasn't even relaxed properly since he came here. She kept giving these comments about how she wanted to meet this mistery of a man again, but I insisted he was a man who liked his privacy. She complied reluctantly.

It was 5am when I headed back to my apartment. I tried to be quiet when I entered, for I thought I'd see Bucky in deep slumber, but when I opened the door he was already in the kitchen and I smelled a scent of scrambled eggs. I looked at the couch and found it far too tidy for someone sleeping on it the whole night. I glared at Bucky's back. The moron hasn't even slept, I presumed. He had hard work, wasn't he tired? I dropped my bag in my room and walked to the kitchen to greet him.

"Morning," He beat me to it, "How was work?"

He turned to me with a frying pan full of delicious looking scrambled eggs on it. I was unfortunately too tired for wanting to eat right now. I just wanted to scold Bucky and him being awake this whole time.

"Why haven't you slept?" I barked.

His cheerful eyes fell into a frown. He put the pan down and pulled out two plates, only to be met with my shaking head saying I won't eat with him. Then he said, "It's not that I don't want to. I just can't."

His murmur was soft and quiet but I was able to hear it. I waited for him to expand on what he said. "I have these nightmares. Of Hydra, the people I've killed, Steve... you..." he added that last part a little quieter than the other. "They all haunt me every time I close my eyes."

I walked around the counter. "You're saying you can't relax enough," I stated.

"I guess so," he said and looked at me.

I had an idea how I could fix this, but I needed my rest. "Listen, I'll help you with that tonight. Enjoy your eggs, I'm gonna shower and then sleep. Could you wake me up around 1?"

His nod was assuring enough so I walked to the bathroom and let my skin relax under the warm water. Due to being summer, I didn't want to use up too much hot water, but I didn't like the cold one either. After my skin was soaked with rose scented shampoo I rinsed it off and pulled a towel around my body and another one around my hair. I put on shorts and a big gray sweater and threw myself on the bed. I was truly exhausted.

-

I was hiding in an abandoned alley somewhere in the city. I held the gun close to my chest, prepared to fire at any time necessary. A rare amount of people passed by, but no one seemed to notice me, which was good and expected. The alley I was in was dark and sunrays didn't reach it's corners, while the street in front of it was brightly illuminated by the sun. I was waiting for Soldat's sign, so I listened my earpiece unpatiently. I wanted to go already, why does he have to engage first? I was just as good if not better as he was and I left a scar on his thigh to prove it. Finally I heard him say, "Now, Sparrow."

I turned towards the street and waited. Suddenly my target came running past the alleway without noticing me standing in it. I didn't hesitate, I made the shot precisely so my bullet landed in the target's shoulder, going towards her heart. I grinned. The woman I shot collapsed on the sidewalk and I saw red liquid ooze from her left side. "Score," I whispered to myself as I saw Soldat's tall figure appear next to her. He discharged another bullet towards her head and she stopped squirming immediately.