Eternal Winter

VI: Dinner

December 20, 2025

Kemerovo Кемерово, Russia

For the first time, the rest of the drive was not silent. James would put the radio on a random station and try to sing along with the Russian music. Natasha laughed while trying to turn the radio off.

"You sound dreadful." She said while holding back her laugh.

"On a scale of one to ten how dreadful?"

"No number would be equivalent to the horrible sounds that come out of that mouth."

James laughed. "That bad?"

"That bad." She smiled.

When James did not respond she turned her head. He was grinning at her.

She smiled back. "What?"

"I haven't seen you this happy in awhile."

"When was the last time then?"

James' grin turned from lovable to naughty in a split second.

"Oh god James!" She started laughing so hard. "That was so uncalled for!"

"What? Honesty is the best policy." He smiled.

Natasha then started to pay attention to the road. The snow was thicker and rougher. It felt like she was driving through drying cement.

"Looks like we're here."

"Sounds like you've lived here before."

"I have." She said while searching for the entrance to the town.

Once they got in they were welcomed by the smell of fresh bread and rain water. Natasha parked the Jeep behind a building with a back door. James looked at her in both confusion and curiosity as she pulled a pair of keys out of her pocket. As she unlocked it, the door groaned open. It was a two bedroom residence with a couch, TV and a small kitchen. Dust blanketed the whole house, not leaving a single spot of furniture in sight. James put his bag down on the floor and ripples of dust flew in different directions. He opened the fridge to find nothing but rotten milk. He made a disgusted and disappointed face.

"Do you eat or is that something you don't do anymore either?" James said while closing the fridge.

"I haven't been here in decades, sorry I didn't prepare for your arrival."

James looked at her in horror. "So you're saying that carton of milk is almost as old as you?" He made a disgusted sound.

"I'll go to the nearby shop." She said as she threw her beanie on.

"Oh no you don't. You never know what to get!" James stood in front of her.

"Right, cause you've lived with me since day one." She tilted her head. "Makes sense."

"Let me go."

"Ya I'm gonna let a guy with a metal arm go to a shop and give someone a heart attack. Smart."

Natasha swerved past James and opened the front door. "I'll be back in five minutes." And she left.

James took a broom and began to swat the dust infested furniture. Starting with couch and ending with the bed. He peeled his jacket off and laid on the bed, it squeaked as fell onto the mattress. "Great." He said to himself. "Just great."

A few minutes later, Natasha came through the door with three full bags of groceries in her hands. James ran to her like a puppy running to his food. He grabbed the bags and searched through them. He pulled out raw chicken and a few vegetables.

"Where's the junk food?" He said in a dispirited tone.

"We are going to have a real meal James."

A smile grew on his face as if he was never disappointed in the first place. "I'm making dinner!"

"No you're not! You suck at making food. You even burn water, I never knew it was possible until you did it."

"Fine the, we are both making dinner tonight."

"Okay but you aren't coming near the stove. Got it?" She pulled her hand out.

James responded with shaking her hand.

Half an hour later, James came into the kitchen with his hair tied up in a bun. Natasha pulled everything out for their dinner. Her auburn hair falling delicately over her face.

"Am I the only one that's gonna tie their hair back?" He said pointing at his hair.

"Lucky for you I come prepared." He pulled a hair tie off his wrist and came to Natasha. "May I?"

Natasha nodded and turned her back towards him. He picked up her hair, trying to pull all the strands together and twisted it into a low bun. Chills ran down Natasha's spine as James touched her neck with his ice cold metal fingers. Before he can do anymore, Natasha went to the cabinet and pulled out a pan. She did not want to move so fast, she knew she was falling for him but she just could not right now.

"You chop, I cook." She said as she lit the stove with a lighter and placed the pan on top of it.

James began to chop up the vegetables at such speed that by the time Natasha turned around he was already done. Her eyebrow went up.

"What? Did you forget I'm a skilled at knife fighting?" He threw the knife into the air and caught it with his left hand.

He watched as she cooked. She was so beautiful when she was completely focused, not letting her surroundings bother her. Even him. He noticed everything in that moment. The way her green eyes glowed against the fire of the stove, the way her hands gently stirred the soup, and most of all. Her lips. James could not keep his eyes off of them. All he wanted to do was grab her by the waist and slowly but passionately kiss her.

It was driving him insane just looking at her, he wanted so much more.

She can feel his eyes on her for the past hour, he has not said a word but she knows what he is thinking. But she does not want that to break down any of her walls. She can hold this urge until the mission is over right? She did not want a childish love to get in the way of a man she was searching for for years. She needed to find Trikov and once she does, she has all the time in the world for James.

Once the soup was done, they sat on the worn down wooden table. It creaked as they both sat down. They ate their soup silently but quickly. They haven't had a good meal in weeks, not even speaking could get in the way of their hunger.

Natasha finished first, placing her bowl into the sink to clean. James came up behind her.

"Let me." He said as he held her arm. "You cooked it's the least I can do."

She pulled her hand out of the sink and removed her bun. "Okay." Then she paced to the bedroom.

She changed into a baggy t-shirt and shorts and laid on the bed. Natasha could see James' back as he cleaned the dishes and she smiled to herself. Is it possible that they could have a life together? A real life?

She began to walk to him, then the wall shattered.

Natasha flew across the room and everything went black.