December 1994.
Three years after the serum.
Vivaldi's Winter notes were blasting through her headphones, almost drowning out the sound of gunshots, releasing serotonin throughout her body. Her right arm straight in front of her, held in place by her left hand. Finger on the trigger of her favorite Glock 19.
One. Two. Three. Four. Anya counted in her mind as she hit the targets. One after the other. Never missing one.
She placed the gun back on the table in front of her and headed for another shooting station, this time taking a Vz.61 Skorpion. Anya felt relaxed, completely in her element, as if she were taking a walk. She placed the small machine gun in her hands. Three. Two. One. And the target was pierced with a few 7.65mm holes.
She nodded satisfied to herself, then the sound of the door opening brought her back to reality. It was the Colonel.
Anya took off his headphones and walked over to Karpov.
"Аня." the man called her by the name he had chosen especially for her. Anya. She liked how it was written in Cyrillic.
"I have important news for you." he put his hands on her shoulders. "Tomorrow will be the big day. We will test you and finally decide if you're ready."
She looked at him confused.
"It is necessary to take your place in the world. Now go train, the Asset is waiting for you." he explained.
The girl let out a shaky sigh and nodded.
"Yes, sir." she walked away and down the corridor, past a few doors. Shortly after she entered the room she was looking for, closing the door behind her.
The walls and floor were made of concrete, the furniture was limited by a table and two chairs, one of them was already occupied by the figure of the Soldier. The rest of the room was completely empty, as the space was meant to be used for sparring.
The girl took a seat across the table and watched as he flipped a knife between his fingers.
It was nothing new for the Soldier to train others. It had to be simple. Train her and return to his cell. That's it.
But he was always looking forward to training with Anya. Even if he could never tell her.
"Karpov wants to test me tomorrow." Anya began the conversation.
He nodded slowly. "You'll have to face some exercises. The Colonel and some Hydra leaders will be there to test you." he explained looking at the girl.
"I don't feel ready." she looked down with a frown on her face.
"All I know is that they will test your physical stamina. You will have to prove that you can use various weapons. There will be some fighting." the Soldier clarified.
Anya simply nodded, looking back at him. His blue eyes were locked down to the table, as if he was triggered by something but couldn't say what.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked, resting her elbows on the table and leaning her chin in her hands.
The Soldier brought the knife up to the girl's face, an inch from her nose, and locked his gaze into her wide green eyes.
"Никогда не расслабляйся. (Never let your guard down.)" with an almost disturbing grin, then pierced the table leaving the knife stuck in the wood. Anya looked at him in surprise.
Lately she happened to get easily distracted.
"What happens if I fail?"
The Soldier rolled his eyes and rose from the chair.
"Just because you took longer than the others to train, doesn't mean you failed, or will fail. They're frozen now, but you? Look at you. You won't fail. Remember that."
Anya sighed.
"Besides, I think I've trained you pretty well. Think of it this way, we could go on missions together later." he positioned himself behind the chair she was sitting on, placing his hands on the table on both her sides, trapping her.
"Whoa, literally can't wait." Anya replied, rolling her eyes.
"Head high and shoulders straight. Use your assets. Show your skills." he said, touching her ear with his breath. She closed her eyes for a moment and a sigh slipped from her lips, as she sought concentration.
"Do whatever they say. Speak only if talked to. Be obedient. Don't let them see you scared, even though you will surely be terrified. There will be all exercises you know and have always done. And then I'll be there too." he nuzzled at the skin on the back of her neck.
He certainly knew which buttons to push because Anya closed her eyes as a shiver ran down her spine from the pleasant sensation.
Anya felt strangely reassured. It was clear that he wanted her not to fail. On the other hand, his mission was to train her.
What if he would receive a punishment if I fail?
And what would they do to me, instead?
During these years the pair had gone through many difficulties, still struggled to get along. The Winter Soldier's mission was to train the five boys and guide them. Anya was clearly the best, having developed greater skills after the serum.
She was the strongest, the most intelligent, the most determined, the most precise and -above all- the most obedient of the five, making her stand out in the eyes not only of Karpov.
After the training incident, the other four were placed in cryostasis chambers, due to being unmanageable.
Anya's eyes moved to the blade still pierced in the table. Her hand wrapped around the handle and jumped up straight. She turned to the Soldier and, with all her strength, kicked him in the guts, pushing him back against the nearby wall.
The blade crawled across the Soldier's neck, leaving a white trail behind from the scratch. And for a moment Anya envied the blade that was kissing that skin she secretly craved for.
"Никогда не расслабляйся. (Never let your guard down.)" a grin stood out on her face, mimicking the Soldier's previous actions.
"Хорошая девочка. (Good girl.)" the Soldier whispered and those words caught her off guard. Her gaze went repeatedly from his eyes to the blade, then back to his eyes, locked together.
The Soldier's metal hand wrapped the girl's slender wrist, twisting it, and the knife slipped to the ground. The girl let out a small yelp as she found herself now pinned to the wall. Har cheek against the wall, her arms folded behind her back in a metal grip. He was dangerously close behind her.
She could almost feel the warmth of his body through their combat suits. Her white and his black, opposites like the wearer. Her breath got shaky when she felt him rub against her lower back. Her heartbeat accelerated considerably.
But she didn't want to be overwhelmed by emotions.
God, I hate you.
This was a great time to take control. She knew this was his tactic to distract her.
With a quick movement she slipped out of his grasp, and from the Soldier's surprised look, she could tell he hadn't seen it coming. As the Soldier began to approach, she threw away the knife across the room, looking him in the eye and getting into fighting stance.
This would have been hand-to-hand.
Head high, shoulders straight. Feet parted, legs slightly lowered at the knees.
He delivered the first punch with the metal arm, which Anya managed to dodge by ducking quickly, keeping her arms high to protect her face. Immediately she lifted herself up, punching him from below, under the chin. The sound of teeth chattering together echoed through the room. A series of punches from him followed, most of them were doded and blocked, but some of them hit her straight -reddening her skin, heralding bruises.
She blocked another punch from his flesh hand, then with the other hand she blocked the metal one, finding themselves pushing against each other fighting for supremacy. But neither was able to prevail, they were equally strong. Metallic hums filled the air.
Suddenly she felt her arm being grabbed by the bicep, turned to not face him, and pushed towards the wall. With a kick to the wall, she bounced both of them back, whining from the effort. He took her head between his bicep and chest, with an iron grip from which she struggled to free herself from.
As she panted for air, she managed to wrap one of her legs behind the Soldier's knee, causing them both to fall backwards to the ground. With a somersault she stepped away from him and by the time she jumped up on her feet, he was already standing on his feet too, headed dangerously towards her.
With one kick she managed to hit his right arm, then another kick hit his shoulder, causing him to stagger backwards. But she didn't give up, hitting him with a knee in the stomach.
The Soldier felt at a disadvantage, and he didn't like it, so while parrying an elbow he took the opportunity to grab Anya by her right arm and right leg, throwing her violently against the wall. Anya felt the air leave her lungs as she hit the wall with her back. A groan of pain left her lips as she fought to get up, pressing her left hand to her right side.
Her chest rose and fell frantically, she didn't want to give up. Anya ran towards him, clinging to the harness on his vest. With a little stunt she managed to climb onto his shoulders and wrap her legs around the Soldier's neck, squeezing as hard as she could. He tried to pull her off by her hips as she hit him repeatedly with her elbows, until her back slammed hard on the wooden surface of the table. The pain of the impact caused her to loosen the grip of her legs and he managed to wrap his left hand around the girl's throat, squeezing.
Every single one of Anya's muscles tensed under his touch, gasping for air and wrapping her hands around his metal wrist. He looked into her pleading eyes and squeezed even tighter. Now the metallic whir was louder in Anya's ears. Tears began to form in her eyes, while the Soldier's were absolutely devoid of emotions. If he wanted to, he could've killed her then and there with no regrets.
"Please.." she managed to beg softly. As the metal grip left her neck, she coughed loudly and slid down to the floor, rubbing a hand where the metal held her.
Anya looked up to find the Soldier offering her a hand to get up. She hesitated, thought about it for a moment, and then finally refused. Back on her feet, she realized he was staring at her.
"What?" she asked, nodding once towards him.
"You still don't trust me." he said tilting his head to the side.
"You were this close to snap my neck!" she said incredulously.
He shook his head and looked down. "I could never. And you have to be prepared for anything."
Anya rolled her eyes at him.
"Stop that." the Soldier spat the words out. "You know I hate it."
She bit her lower lip as she slowly approached him.
"Make me." teased looking at his strong figure.
"Anya." he warned. "I suggest you stop."
"Что ты собираешься делать, Зима? (What are you gonna do about it, Winter?)" she continued fearlessly, with a dark grin on her face. With her left hand, Anya stroked his flesh arm up from the wrist to his shoulder, then resting on his chest.
His steel blue irises set into her brilliant greens.
In a quick move, the metal hand wrapped around Anya's neck, pushing her towards the opposite wall, holding her steady.
Anya started gasping for air, parting her lips. Their eyes still locked in each other's.
"You like it, don't you?" he hissed between his teeth and slipped a knee between her thighs. "When I do this.." the Soldier slightly tightened the grip on her throat and Anya swore she could feel herself dripping instantly.
She couldn't help but squeeze her legs together, longing for a little friction, but that thick thigh between hers prevented it.
The Soldier leaned his body completely against Anya's.
He usually had three expressions: the stoic and emotionless one, the angry and stern one, and his iconic mischievous and evil grin.
The latter was the current expression.
He brought his face closer to Anya's, staying a few inches away.
A few brown locks slid down on her rosy cheeks, tickling them. His nose nuzzled her neck, tracing a line from her chin to her ear, letting her sweet scent intoxicate him. Anya was so close to let a moan slip out of her parted lips, when..
What the hell are you doing?
Don't give up.
Suppress.
Suppress.
Suppress. She forced herself when her cheeks flushed violently.
She blinked a couple of times, as if to awaken from the trance she had fallen into. The man wasn't putting up much resistance, in fact she managed to push him away.
She was scared. But not of him, no. Scared of the sensations she was experiencing.
Anya walked to the door, put her hand on the handle and turned to look at him one last time, her chest rising and falling in desperate search for air.
"Nevermind." said the Soldier shrugging.
Anya sighed slightly, pushed the door and left the room.
Here they are, still teasing each other just to reject each other suddenly. Until one of them couldn't take it anymore.
On the one hand, she couldn't keep up with his sudden mood swings. On the other hand, she waited for nothing else when she saw him emotionless.
Anya felt the desperate need inside her to make him feel something. A feeling, good or bad, but a feeling.
✪
Later, that night.
Anya took a deep sigh as she entered the small shower that her room was equipped with. The water fell gently on her body.
Anya loved to shower. It was her favorite time of day, there she could relax with no one giving her orders. Her little piece of heaven inside a concrete hell in the middle of nowhere in Siberia.
But unlike the other times, that night the water was unable to wash away her thoughts. Leaving them sticky on her skin.
What will happen to me if I fail?
What will happen to me if I don't fail?
What will happen to the Soldier instead?
She didn't know what to be most afraid of.
If she failed, would they kill her or put her on cryostasis?
If everything went well, what would happen to her, however? Would she just keep training every day and go on missions with the Winter Soldier?
It all seemed too easy that way.
She turned off the water and wrapped her body in a towel. With her forearm Anya wiped away some of the condensation on the small mirror hanging over the sink.
She studied the image of that woman as she ran a comb through her hair. Feeling like a complete stranger even knowing that this must be her reflection. Yet she did not recognize herself.
Thousands of questions floated in her mind, but no one would've known or wanted to answer.
Anya placed the comb on a shelf and headed for the bathroom door to go out into the rest of the room.
She suddenly stopped.
She could sense she was not alone.
Carefully, she placed a hand on the handle of the retractable door, slowly sliding it to the right to open it.
The light she had left on had been turned off. She crept up to the desk chair, on which Anya had left her suit hanging, searching for the holster attached to her white suit.
As her fingers wrapped around the metal object she was looking for, the light went on. Her instincts led her to quickly point the gun at the intruder and pull the trigger.
The bullet hit the metal surface with a sharp tin.
"Is this the best way you know to welcome a guest?"
In front of her, the Winter Soldier casually slouched on her bed. He lowered the left arm he had used to parry the bullet.
"It's just me, okay? Now put the gun down." He got up and walked slowly towards her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked through gritted teeth without lowering the gun.
"Just wanted to see how you doing. I know you're tormenting yourself with this test thing. I could almost hear your thoughts from my room." he said raising his hands slightly as a sign of peace. "Are we going to calm down now?" he said, tilting his head to the side.
"No. And why you'd worry about me? Am I not just a mission?" Anya narrowed her eyes in two slits, as if to read inside him.
"See, you need to learn to trust me." he sighed. "Start to see me as your ally."
"Mh.. You're not telling me right, Winter. You know that?"
"If this is the game you wanna play.." he shook his head looking down, almost offended. "I came here to give you this. Just a little gift I hope will bring you luck tomorrow." he put something metallic on the table and started walking towards the door.
You bastard.
Not the reverse psychology.
"Soldat. Wait." Anya said. The gun had been carefully stowed back in the holster.
The Soldier only turned his head towards her. Listening.
"Sorry." Anya mumbled with downcast eyes. "I-I need time. I don't remember how I got here, I don't remember anything before all this. I don't know why I can be so strong, so fast.." she said quickly, almost in panic.
Suddenly the Soldier forgot all the effort it had taken to stay away from her and be cold and stern, and was next to her.
"Hey.." he whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder, stroking her.
Their eyes met.
"I need time. I don't know who you are. I don't know who I a-am. I don't know who all these people are. I don't know why I was trained to be a killer."
The Soldier's hand came down and brushed the entire length of her arm, taking her hand in his. Vague memories surfaced of when he had to do that sort of thing -but had he ever done this? He couldn't remember any other hand but hers in his. His skin was burning. Longing to touch and be touched.
"Why me?" Anya asked with tearful eyes.
The Soldier would have preferred to kill himself then and there, rather than watch her suffer. He wanted to answer all her questions so much, but sadly he couldn't.
"Anya.. I'm so sorry. You'll never understand how much." whisper. "But I can't tell you anything except that I understand you. Everything you've been through, I've been through first. That's why you have to trust me." his heart ached.
"I see." Anya said. Sadness tangible in her words.
"Here.." he said, reaching for the object he previously placed on the table. In her hands was placed a matte black dagger, the one they previously used that day. On the handle there was a red star, matching the one he had on his left arm.
"Take it as a gesture of peace."
"Thanks, I-I think.." she said, slightly frowning at the object. She had never received a gift before, but being gifted a knife as a sign of peace.. This seemed kinda strange.
The Soldier collected some courage. Still having his right hand intertwined with Anya's, he raised his left, heavy and metal. Slowly he brought it to the girl's face, starting to gently caress her cheek with the knuckles and then cupping it.
He didn't know he was capable of it. Being able to not just hurt with that hand. That was probably the first non-violent gesture he made with that hand. He moved with such caution, as if every part of him were a weapon. Maybe it was for her.
The girl closed her eyes and leaned in, accepting the gesture of comfort. The skin on her cheek tingled pleasantly.
The two of them were in trance, looking into each other's eyes as if they could read the answers to all their questions.
Their boundaries were slowly falling apart, cracking like ice.
Blue in green. Green in blue.
What you are doing?
How dare you looking at her and thinking of her this way?
You are bad and you're only going to hurt her.
The Soldier heard a voice in the back of his mind that brought him back to reality.
That moment was interrupted when he pulled away quickly, like a child caught with his hands in the jam. And Anya let go of the breath she realized she was holding.
"I-I gotta go." the Soldier said, scratching the back of his neck and looking down.
Anya lunged at him, squeezing him in her arms and burying her face in his chest.
"Thanks, Winter." she said simply.
At this point the Soldier did not know how to react. No one had ever held him like that before.
"It's just a knife.." he frowned, still undecided on how to react. Finally he placed his hands flat against her back.
"It's not about the knife." she chuckled softly, sniffling trying not to cry. "It's just.. No one ever touched me this gently, before. And it might seem strange to you, but I feel like it was a better answer than many words you could've said."
The Soldier just nodded, completely understanding the girl, because he felt the same. But once again he forced himself to repress his emotions and feelings. Putting a stern expression back on his face.
"I better go now. Busy day tomorrow." he nodded to Anya, then turned and walked out of the room without looking back.
In that moment, Anya realized she was still holding the dagger, and that she had squeezed it so tightly that she had gotten a cut in the palm of her hand.
A hiss of pain left her lips and she ran to dress her bleeding hand.
She also realized she was still only in her towel, but that's a different story.
This brutal, animalistic man had moments when he was kind to her, and she never knew when to expect it. Almost like a split personality. Now she was beginning to understand more of his complexity.
--
A/n:
How do you feel about this chapter? Things got quite steamy.
Omg they are so obsessed with each other, I love these two. 😭
Did you get all the references from MCU? 😏
As you can see, the more we go on with the story, the more chapters get longer.
Next few chapters will be a lot to handle.
Btw I wanted to thank all of you for the every sweet and supportive comment you left. I love you babes❤️
Don't forget to vote and share this story if you like it. ❤️
All the love,
Juls xx