Secretive - Bucky Barnes

5 || Making Amends

Taking in a deep breath, I curse Sam in my mind. Идио́т. Who does he think he is? Declaring Nova as dead just because she is not found. I mean, she has not been found since she turned herself over to Hydra and obviously, they have not killed her yet. No, instead, Hydra got to new glory, to so many new technologies they could not effort without her blood, not without her genius. We all agreed to that; Nova as the source of Hydra's recent success. And just because they are silent currently, because there are no news of Hydra, does not mean she is dead. Does not mean she blipped to the wrong spot and pierced herself. Does not mean Hydra's potentially new leader had enough of her and decided to execute her.

Turning around, I face the young woman again. She does not seem half as surprised as I am, not as caught off-guard, her glance down onto the table, lose strands of blonde hair falling forward and covering half her face. Not in a shy way, no, rather in a way that should hide her impatience and her growling stomach.

»I'm sorry.«, I start, getting her attention, her green eyes locking with mine. They remind me of a forest on a rainy day; somewhat spreading comfort, but one should always be cautious, because not every turn leads into the safe direction. »This must be a misunderstanding, Miss Belova. I'm taken.« Her facial expression does not change in the least, just as she, too, had expected this. »And she's not dead.« I add lastly, throwing an angry glance to the door Sam just vanished through. 

»I'm not on search, anyways.« she answers, her first words since I saw her. Her voice is rather low for a woman's, not as harmonic as Nova's and still, thanks to the heavy accent, with her own touch resembling her outer beauty. »But as we won't get out of here any time soon, why don't you take a seat and we have breakfast? I'm, like, starving.«

Tilting my head a little, I scrutinize her one more time up and down along her figure, trying to remember what I know about the girls in the Red Room, and their names. Yelena Belova certainly crossed my path somehow; especially her non-biological mother. I think her name is Melina Vostakoff. She has been teamed up with who was to become the Red Guardian, another Super Soldier for the Soviet Union who really thought a lot about himself, but could not keep a stand in a fistfight with me. Yes, I think I beat that girl's father up at some point. Both her fathers. But the more important one; I think that Alexei Schostakow was his name. Some undercover mission in the States also scratches the back of my conscience, but is soon suppressed by a much more important thought.

Am I betraying Nova? Is this already cheating? I mean, yes, I could have breakfast or dinner or whatsoever with every female on this planet and she would not say a word, but this is obviously and evidently set up as a date. And dating someone else whilst in a relationship theoretically is cheating. 

But I am hungry. »This is no date, just for the protocol. Or else, I am outta here faster than you can blink.«

»Good God, why are you so stiffened? It's just a meal.« she responds, somewhat reminding me of Natasha with the second talk of hers, although I cannot imagine her sister to ever having said something alike.

Sighing internally, I sit down opposite to Yelena, hesitating a second before finally grabbing once of the croissants. The first couple of minutes pass with no disturbance on either side; we eat in utter silence, and for my part, it could stay just that way.

Visibly, not for Yelena's. »Can I ask you something?«

»Sure.« Without looking up from my plate, I know there is a big question mark written all over her face.

»Is it true my father beat up Captain America? Do you know something about it?«

Now, this really draws my attention. She could ask anything she wants, and that is her one and only question? What her mind roams about? I rest my focus on her, receiving no other message than true and blank curiosity. »Red Guardian? Or your biological father?«