Sweet Like Arsenic (B. Barnes) ✔

20 | rationales

Status update: ok I've disappeared but I'm back— I had a crap ton of coursework (even though I've been having online work for ages!) but since the next two weeks is Easter break, I'll hopefully be more free 🤍

—

   "So it's either... Dublin, London, Shanghai, Singapore or Milan." I said to Leo as we scanned the face recognition app on his computer, back at the Hydra headquarters a few days later. "That really narrows down the search, doesn't it?"

   Leo nodded, leaning back in his seat to look at the world map. "It's going to be hard for us to track them down, but we'll get to them in no time."

   "And that's a good thing... right?"

   He shook his head too quickly, as though he was trying to convince himself that. "I don't want to see Lilith ever again."

   "Who is she? Why did Emerson say that you were the most suitable agent to track her down?"

   Leo sighed, turning away from me. "She's... it's complicated."

   "I like complicated," I replied, leaning forward to whirl his chair so he faced me once again.

   "She's Emerson's daughter," Leo said.

   "We've already established that." I rolled my eyes.

   Leo ignored me. "I sparred with her for a few months until she graduated from the Institute. Then she was my partner for a few missions."

   "The Institute? Isn't it, like, closed? The fire killed everyone inside." I frowned.

   "Do you seriously believe that a fire could kill Hydra's finest?" Leo said with a chuckle. "Yes, some did die in that fire, but many more survived. The fire was just a cover— only the high-level agents know that not all of them died. I'm surprised that you didn't know about this."

   "You trained her at the Institute and fell in love, didn't you?" Typical. Falling in love with a sparring partner isn't something new.

   Leon nodded, his cheeks starting to turn a pale shade of pink.

   "And now you want to find Lilith, to declare your undying love to her," I honestly didn't mind, but this wasn't new. Leo wasn't a player —never was— but he went through several agents before me.

   "You like Lilith way more than you liked me back in the day, don't you? Deep down you want her to get away from Hydra and all the strife that comes with it."

   Leo frowned but didn't reply.

   "I don't want to find my brother for Hydra. You don't want to find Lilith for Hydra either. But we do want to find them, just for ourselves. What if they don't want to be found? She ran away with my brother, not you."

   "I—one more word about defying Hydra and I'll tell Emerson." Leo huffed, turning away from me.

   I took a seat in front of the computer. "You wouldn't dare."

   "Your guilt over Adrianna is eating away at your rationales," Leon said softly.

   I froze up, a cold sense of dread washing over me. "You do not bring up Adrianna. You have no right."

   "You have to admit that she is—" Leo pressed on.

   "She's dead, and I killed her."

   Leo turned to look me in the eyes, his expression stern. "Sentiment doesn't matter in our line of work. You're back in the game, might as well act like it, Morte."

   "Fuck you, Leon Vallis."

   I returned his hard stare with narrowed eyes, not bothering to soften it when an unfamiliar agent walked into the room, oblivious to what was happening.

   "Director Emerson wants to see you," the man said, sensing the thick tension in the room, leaving just as quickly as he entered. Leon stood up and strode out of the door and I followed after him, the door sliding shut with a soft thud.

   Leo practically marched to the elevator lobby, never sparing me a glance. He called the elevator up, the doors sliding open silently. He walked in and was about to shut the doors close in my face when I held it open with an extended leg.

   "Leo, look at me," I said, walking in. He complied.

   "You don't have to see Lilith. We can find them together, then I'll bring them back. You won't have to see either of them."

   Leo simply looked at me blankly.

   "What?"

   "Nothing— it's nothing." Leo finally said as the elevator doors opened. We were still on the same floor as neither of us had pressed on the elevator buttons. "I won't let sentiment get in the way of work. Only cowards like you will."

   "Did you just call me a coward? At least I have the balls to tame the Winter Soldier while you cowered behind me like a pussy."

   "That's not what happened," Leon's jaw twitched. Leo left the lift, not going to Emerson's office. Then neither will I.

   I opened my mouth to retort but decided against doing so. It was no use arguing a Hydra agent trained like I was.

PLEASE LEAVE A VOTE IF YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER, THANKS!!