BE THE CHANGE // BUCKY BARNES X OC

THIRTY-NINE

BUCKY

Sharon seemed extra unsettled today and I found comfort in that tiny fact. There was something about Alexei being around that rubbed her up the wrong way and God did I take pleasure in that. "So when do we get to do something fun?" He asked gruffly as he stuffed his face, waving his fork around.

"When she says we can. Can you please not eat with your mouth full." Sharon sighed as she dropped to the chair opposite me, drinking from her mug. He made her incredibly uncomfortable, her fingertips were white as she held the mug and I could see the twitch in her brow.

Alexei nudged me and laughed, trying to grab my attention as he pointed the fork at Sharon. "I'm a soldier, princess, not some clean cut little bitch...rough around the edges." He was growing on me, I couldn't lie about that. The way he spoke to her, got under her skin. Now I knew where Yelena got her dry, wicked sense of humour from.

"No you're just a big piece of shit." It took everything in me not to sigh in relief or spin to that voice. Alexei did thoug. "YELENA!" He moved to get up but she held him down by his shoulder and moved the seat at the head of the table, throwing her feet up on it as she studied us, looking bored shitless. Alexei pouted, and went back to eating like he'd just been told off. It had been 10 weeks since Serbia, why was she here now?

Yelena was busy cleaning her nails with her dagger, ignoring us all until Valentina came in and smiled widely, hands on her hips like a coach at a football game if we were up. "Look at this beautiful team. Yelena good to have you back...any news?" I watched her look up at Valentina with only her eyes before she finally sat up and grabbed a piece of toast from the centre of the table.

"They are broken...utterly defeated." She said bluntly, taking a bite and I saw the smile widened on Valentinas face, along with Sharon's. "Excellent...so now we can move and they will be too distracted to respond fast enough...you did well Yelena. Glad to have you back. Sharon." She said before disappearing from the room, Sharon in tow.

When both left, well out of earshot, Yelena pointed her finger at Alexei and I watched him sit up straight, pointing to himself with wide eyes, like a child knowing their mother knew they'd done something wrong. They stared at each other in some weird stand off for what felt like hours before Alexei cleared his throat, nodded and left. Yelena stood too and purposely walked behind me. I felt her hand on my jacket and froze before she slipped past. "Soldier." She said quietly before she exited too.

I waited my usual half an hour. Sticking to the routine I had while I was here, seeming like an emotionless robot, as I moved from my room to here for breakfast, an hour here then back to my room for an hour before I went to the gym and trained for 4 hours, then lunch for an hour and back to training until dinner, then bed. It kept me busy when I wasn't out doing jobs for Valentina.

As I entered my room I made for my bathroom, the only room I had any privacy, especially from Sharon. I reached into the pocket of my jacket and pulled out the paper Yelena had slipped in there.

Sorry it took me so long to get back, Sam and T'challa were
pissed. They understand. Give me time. We'll be ready to
move soon.

We never found her body.

I sighed deeply. Yeah, I knew Sam and T'challa would be furious but had they held Yelena for nearly 3 months? I knew she would turn up eventually but 10 weeks was a bit of a stretch, I'm surprised Valentina even welcomed her back after that long and as for Lexy, I knew they wouldn't find her body.

I ate the slip of paper, leave no evidence behind, before I washed my face with cold water and went back to my bed. "Go away Sharon." I grunted, seeing her in my doorway, arms folded with that damn smug look on her face. "Sorry Bucky boy but Val needs you on a job and you get to partner up with Alexei on this one. How fun." She said, trying to bait me but I just grabbed my guns and left my room, going to Val's office to get my orders.