Bad Bitch ⋙ N.Romanoff

s e v e n

BAD BITCH
❝these were the women who knitted pain into glory❞

07. Running to the Moon

(Ahhhhhh okay ITS HAPPENING.)

June 2006

The apartment they were hiding in wasn't exactly what they'd expected.
The worn wood beneath their feet seemed to groan with every step they took and mysterious staining had been splattered over the slightly peeling wallpaper that had been poorly sealed to the concrete walls. The whole room seemed to be dirty, despite how hard it had been scrubbed by the previous tenants, and the only furniture within the small complex seemed to be a off coloured green couch which the cushions deflated when sat on. Paintings hung around the building seemed to only serve as a distraction from the damp staining in the corners of the ceilings and the entire apartment had a strange odour about it. It was a smell that wasn't entirely pleasant but didn't offend the young women's noses too harshly.
Natalia had been the first one to turn on the light above them. It was a dim one, obviously used less as a light than the sun, and swung whenever their neighbours above walked along their hallways above. The lampshade was a tacky brown that reminded Svetlana of poverty, the whole place did, and neither had felt confident enough to approach the bathroom just yet.
As they walked down the hallway, Natalia seemed to glow under the dim light radiated above her. Svetlana allowed her to go first, after all Natalia had been the more excited out of the pair, out of engrained admiration for the woman in front of her - as well as the lovely view she got of Natalia's behind - but she wouldn't admit that in a million years.
The bedroom, single as neither felt the need to waste their limited money on getting two rooms when they'd most likely be sharing most of the nights, wasn't anymore desirable. The tiling had been smashed, horrid chunks spraying over the floor, and there appeared to be only a single mattress. Even Svetlana thought in unwise to go near the bed, entirely convinced that she'd seen tiny bugs scatter into the cheap foam as they'd first investigated, and was certainly not going to be involving in any sexual activity with the woman beside her near the thing. Natalia seemed to be having the same ideas, nose scrunched up slightly as a single flea sprung from the limp sack of bedding and nearly hit Svetlana.
The two stood in silence for a while, taking in the atmosphere of the place, and Svetlana wasn't entirely regretful of their decision to jump the border and hide.
The place was bearable only on the condition that it seemed to evoke a smile out of Natalia constantly, a smile that Svetlana had seen becoming more and more fleeting whilst operating with Hydra, and the red head could only glow with excitement and happiness at their escape. Svetlana would happily live in the worn down apartment until her skin turned leathery to touch if it meant waking up next to Natalia's smile; she swore it could make even herself feel a bloom of optimism.

❝What do you think?❞
The place was god awful. In all her years living with the Red Room and Hydra, she'd never come across a place so distasteful in her life. In fact, Svetlana was almost certain that she'd seen a dead cat on her way past the kitchen and they would eventually have to find work to earn a living. Working was dangerous when on the run. Hydra had databases to every single business in sight so even a small waiting job in the middle of Chile could cost them everything. The situation was impossible to work with but, upon looking at Natalia's face and seeing that smile on her face, Svetlana couldn't bring herself to break them from their fantasy just yet.
❝Eh, not bad choice, Romanova.❞
Svetlana muses in Russian, small smirk playing at her lips to cover her own smile, and Natalia seems to smile even more, if it were possible, at the younger woman.
They were both wearing clothes outside of their usual wear. Natalia had worn a summer dress, a surprising but not entirely unwelcome choice, which complemented the green hues of her eyes that were usually hidden under thick lashes. It seemed as though the elder of the pair had been waiting for a chance to wear the damned thing, as though wearing anything inherently innocent was somehow a taboo between the two, and had managed to entice Svetlana into wearing a dress as well. They would surely bake to death if they even attempted to put on their usual leather bodysuit, the heat of Africa only swelling up as the sun hit its peak, so both women were wearing their hair in high ponytails. They had both planned to dye their hair at some point but neither could bring themselves to leave the safety of their own home and go to the closest market stall.
❝It's not the finest place, I'll admit, but a few house plants here and there and it'll be as good as new.❞
Natalia spoke in her native tongue, letting her eyes shut momentarily as to soak in the sun, and Svetlana could only stare at the beauty of the woman. The younger woman had been one of few words, even from the beginning of her journey to who she was today, but her brain seemed to blank the few words in vocabulary that she knew.
❝Yeah, it'll be beautiful.❞
Svetlana could only mutter out, looking away quickly as to not get caught staring in resemblance to how she usually caught Natalia committing the same crime, and made sure to erase her face of any emotion. Perhaps it was too far engrained in her to ever be considered wild.