The Assassin & The Mercenary

Chapter 11

I spent the next couple hours inspecting my room. Carefully scouring every nook and cranny to check for anything that I should mark as suspicious. You never do know when danger could strike.

Or where from.

By the time I finished going through my quarters, the sun had already begun to set. I could hear the foghorns bellow, signaling our departure. I could hear rushing footsteps over the metal walkways as soldiers flocked to the windows and railings so they could say a final goodbye to those who came to see them off.

I sat back on my mattress as I felt the ship start to set off underneath me. I had nothing to do until my luggage was delivered anyways. If it would be delivered on when they said it would that is. I could probably go and search out James but since he's here for a completely different reason, I decide that I'll just find him in the mess hall during breakfast tomorrow.

As the automatic lights outside in the hall flicker on, I lie down on my bed and curl up under the covers before flicking my attention over to Moxis in the corner. I see her ears perk up and I nod to her, signaling that she can come jump up on the bed with me. She perks up and jogs over, jumping right where my legs are curled up, on the mattress.

I let her get comfortable in the crease of my knees before letting sleep overcome me, her body heat keeping me warm enough. With Moxis body heat and the soothing rocking motion of the ship as we set off, it doesnt take long before I get pulled under by a heavy blanket of dreamless sleep.

✭✭✭

A sudden banging on the door wakes me up before a rough voice shouts thats its time for mandatory breakfast. Of course they don't expect all of us to eat, its more to keep on eye on us and make sure everyone stays in line.

My eyes flutter open and I take still for a second to take in my surroundings. I may not ever be in combat, but I'll still be on base. Rule 1 of waking up on the frontlines? Never stretch as you wake up. You wake up like a dead man. No sudden movements, no sudden noises, no sudden breaths. When you sit in the trenches and wake up with a stretch? Congrats. You just made yourself a target for any nearby enemies.

As soon as I realize I'm safe, I nudge Moxis off my legs and untuck myself from the thin blankets I burrowed under. Rolling out of bed, I notice my bags still aren't here. Since I went to sleep in the clothes I wore all day yesterday, I feel super gross now. I hop in the attached en suite to take a shower and sort through what I can wear for the day until I can track down my luggage. Luckily, I spotted an extra dress uniform in the wardrobe that I could make work for today. Until I get my shit back at the very least.

After I towel off and change into the clean uniform, Moxis runs to the cabin door and sits. Very clearly ready to get going for the day. Maybe even as excited to see Bucky in the mess hall as I am. Chuckling at her antics, I towel off the last of my hair and do a once over of my uniform, making sure all the weapons on my person are concealed and that my uniform is up to spec. I really don't want to get picked off for improper wear. I may not be here as an officer shipping out, but I'm still subject to their rules.

Moxis and I get turned around a couple times on our way down to the mess hall, but eventually we find it. As soon as we walk in, I spot James in the line that leads to the food station. He's absorbed in his thoughts as we make our way over to him, our approach going unnoticed to him. As soon as we reach him, I stand on my tip-toes and give a kiss to his cheek to get his attention.

"He-" he starts as he turns his head to me.

"Hi" I say, softly smiling at him as he realizes who it is. "I'm sorry I didnt bid you a good night last night. I figured you would want the time to settle in rather tha-"

I don't get to finish my words before an arm wraps around my waist and he pulls me up to meet his lips. His left arm wraps around my waist, supporting me as he briefly dangles me slightly above the ground, while his right hand finds its way to cup the nape of my neck to bring us closer. My hands find their way to his jaw as I interlace the tips of my fingers behind his head, my thumbs gently resting just in fronts of his ears. I gently smile as we part and he gently lowers me back down while my hands keep their positions.

I see a slight bit of disappointment flicker in his eyes at our separation and that's all it takes me before I'm leaning up on my toes to place my lips on his. I gently nip at his bottom lip shortly before he returns the affection in earnest, snapping out his shocked stupor. Our lips slot against each other like puzzle pieces that have spent years searching for one another, each waiting for its equal to complete the utter beauty that only shows itself when completed.

We spend quite a bit of time there together, amnesia seeming to kick in as our lips glide passionately against each other, forgetting where we stand and all social formalities regarding the situation surrounding us. A whine sounds from my side and we part, lightly gasping for breaths. When I finally start to gain a sense of grounding, we hear a throat being cleared aggressively behind us. It probably wasnt the first time that sound was made but it doesnt really matter when I crave Bucky's taste like lungs are sure to crave their next breath. Addicts on the verge of hitting our withdrawals, we were.

My cheeks burn as I swivel my head around, trying to take in our surroundings and to get a sense of why we were so rudely interrupted. As I finish my visual analysis, my eyes land back on James, standing in front of me with a soft blush tattooed on his cheeks and an even softer smile on his puffy lips as he looks down through his hooded lids to me.

"Hi" he says on a dreamy exhale.

I chuckle before responding "hey?" i nudge him forward to fill the gap in the line we seemed to create with the moment we spent absorbed in each other "we gotta keep up the line. Don't want all the good shit to be gone by the time we get there do we?"

"Oh shit," he says, breaking out of his seemingly drunken stupor "no we really dont. How have you two been since we started sailing?" He kneels down to pet Moxis roughly behind her ears in apology as he talks.

"Well since our stuff hasnt been delivered yet, I can't tell you much," I sighed with frustration "The showers nice at least. I'm glad Howard was able to get me some decent living quarters with a private shower. I don't know if there are any other women on this ship, outside of nurses and such of course, but I doubt theres enough going into service to require the administration on here to designate an "all-womens" shower. I don't even dare to think of the number of dicks I could see if I were forced to use a shower with the rest of the men on here."

Bucky chuckles as he takes me under his arm and we move forward in line, "oh poor Baby. All those foul penises for your eyes to devour. We dont my precious Doll seeing anything so downright awful."

I chuckled at his antics and gently shoved him to the side. "Don't be such a prick."

"Aww but I promise I have such a nice one. It'd be a shame to waste such a quality item."

"James!" I almost shout as my cheeks heat up even further. I quickly look around to see if anyone is paying any attention to us "My god, don't say shit like that! Not at breakfast at least."

"Oh, don't be such a prude Lizzie. No one here can hear us and if they can then they don't care enough to do anything." He chuckles softly, "We'll be alright."

"Alright then," I say, grabbing a tray from the pile at the end of the serving station. "Just don't get us into too much trouble. We're stuck in a metal container in the middle of the ocean for the foreseeable future and I'd prefer not to make any enemies yet." 

"Alright then. I won't stir up too much trouble then. Just for you, pretty girl." he says in loving tone with a gentle smile.

I blush at his words and quickly move through the line, Moxis panting at my heel at all the smells.

Despite what he says, I have a feeling these next few weeks won't be as pleasant a I would like.