Winterwidow One-shots

Punishment

This is the first darker one-shot I've written. I've never been great at writing the conflict, so I hope this turned out okay.

"Hey, kid. How are you doing? How'd training go today?" said the soldier in Russian. He sat down on the cot next to the one I was sitting on. "You know, I'm only three years younger than you. You shouldn't get to call me kid." He didn't smile, but I could tell he wanted to. "Do you remember me?" I asked hopeful. His answer was obviously going to be no. They'd wiped him enough, I'm surprised he still remembered his name.

He sighed. "You know, it's complicated. I don't remember any previous interaction we've had. Yet, every time I'm wiped, I still remember my red ballerina." He reached up and caressed my cheek. "I'll always find you. No matter how long it takes. Moya osen'." I was his autumn. "Moya zima." I said with a tear in my eye. For he was my winter. And winter will always find autumn.

"Zima Soldat." Someone called from the doorway of the empty sleeping quarters. "Der'mo." I muttered. The headmistress had caught us. Any time that the soldier made a connection with someone, we knew what that meant. "Is this the second time that I've caught you too by yourselves?" said the headmistress. We were silent. "Answer me!" she yelled. "...yes ma'am'." I said reluctantly. "You'll both learn your lesson this time. Follow me." she said as she started walking away. We knew better than to not follow orders from her. We got up swiftly and followed her.

I don't know what they'll do to me. Probably wipe me too. We arrived at the room where they wiped people. They had the giant machine and a chair in the middle of it all. I knew better than to show it, but I was terrified. When I walked in, I headed for the chair. "Not you Miss. Romanova." said the headmistress. I turned around and looked at her. She smiled a horrible smile as she snapped and pointed to a folding chair next to her by the door. I suddenly knew. They were going to make me watch.

I sat down. I'm stuck. I can't yell or scream or cry because who knows what the headmistress would do to me. I can't watch because it will trigger those things. I just looked at the ground and tried to fake looking at the soldier getting strapped in the chair. "Look at him!" yelled the headmistress. She slapped me clean across the face. "Don't fight it osen'." called the soldier from the chair. He was promptly hit as well.

I looked up, my lip quivering. My entire body is shaking. He's strapped in and the doctor went to turn the machine on. He flicked a switch and the soldier started screaming nearly instantly. It was so loud. So pained. It was almost too much to bear. "STOP!" I yelled even louder. The headmistress raised her hand to hit me. "He owns what's left of my heart!" I shouted.

I knew it wasn't going to change anything. Sentiment usually doesn't change the headmistress's mind. But she lowered her hand and smiled that terrible smile. "Love..." she said slowly and just loud enough so I could hear her over the soldier. "Is for children. You'll figure that out when you find your place in the world." My mouth was agape, and she was holding my head so that I couldn't look away. "I have no place in the world." I choke out. The headmistress lowers to my ear and whispers "Exactly."