The Silent Shadow || marvel

17- viva la vida

EIW: The title translates to "live life" in Spanish (my first language!) I also haven't written this book in two months so I have no idea where we are in the timeline so if u see anything that doesn't make sense time-wise I'm sorry

Romania was a culture shock.

The people there were much more welcoming and kind than the ones one would find on the streets of New York City. Everything was significantly cheaper than in New York as well. It didn't take a lot for Bucky to buy a small apartment on the outskirts of Bucharest.

After they had landed in the country after the long, long journey in that small plane, Bucky had let Svetlana pick what town they would call home.

He handed her a fist full of crappy coffee shop brochures and translated what they said aloud. After he finished, she made a small list in her notebook that she prohibited him from viewing before she took a nibble of her papanasi- a traditional Romanian dessert, and revealed her decision.

Bucharest, Romania.

She claimed she chose Bucharest because it had the word 'rest' in its name and they needed to rest now that they were far away from the States and didn't have to be on such high guard.

They still wore their disguises in public to be safe, but now James didn't feel as though a SHIELD agent would pop out of a random shop and arrest him and his girl.

Now, almost 5 months and a full year since they escaped their oppression, Romania had become home.

James and Lana had discussed that he had no intention of leaving the country unless they needed to which delighted the small girl.

Their lives were slow and steady. It was honestly perfect. James got a nice paying job picking fruits and vegetables in a leafy field in the valley that required him to walk every morning.

He was usually gone by the time Lana woke up, but over time she had gotten used to it. She learned how to make eggs and other small foods, and spent her time teaching herself how to read in English and Romanian and draw.

Romania was good for them, she felt it in her bones. It was different now than it was in Washington. Then they were still in the States and vulnerable, now they were far, far away where no one could hurt them.

✪

Svetlana sat at the kitchen table- which was, in technical terms a small circle of wood on a leg with two folding chairs placed on either side, eating the slices of peach she had prepared herself and reading 'Alice in Wonderland'.

The time was 15 past three and her father was still out at work, per usual. The girl, now at the tall age of 10 spent most of her day watching the television, reading, and munching on the occasional fruit now and then. Just a bit past 5:00 was the normal time for her father's return, and every morning when she woke up, she looked forward to 5 pm.

It had been a year since HYDRA, a whole year. Svetlana still struggled to wrap her mind around it. It seemed hard to believe that they had made it this long, that no one had come to hurt them since side bangs lady. She was almost able to believe that they were safe and this is where she'd get to grow up and eventually have friends.

For now, they still kept a low profile, despite the many months they'd been here already. James and Svet wanted this to last as long as it could and if that meant laying low for a couple of years at most, then so be it.

Svetlana was 10 now, two numbers as opposed to a singular lonely single digit. Despite the small change in age, many things had begun to change in the girl. It was like she blossomed into a flower, a proper flower that isn't still partially closed or slightly discolored no, she was a fully opened, beautifully grown girl.