ostavil | open post

"Naked yoga in the backyard is going to make property values go up," Bucky says. Still, he gives her a half-hearted salute and promises not to get in trouble. He doesn't want to antagonize her right now because she's promising to actually let him get out of the house for a few hours.

He decides to get on her good side by having her tea brewed and ready at five so that when she wakes up, she can go downstairs and immediately have it. He's a coffee guy, himself, but Natalia's too good for coffee apparently. He raps twice at the door and calls out the time.

"Five, Romanova. Tea's been brewed."

In all the insanity of earlier, Natalia had forgotten to set her alarm, so the knock at her bedroom door came as an uninvited intrusion. She grumbled curses as she checked the clock, realized it was indeed five after five pm, and swung out of bed tousled, disheveled, and irritable. Must be something to do with her unwanted houseguest, that.

But she trooped to the door, jerked it open, and blinked blearily at the intruder, uncaring that she was practically naked, preferring to snooze in feminine comfort, and not some stodgy, British pajamas. Leaving Bucky at the door to find her slippers, Natalia tugged her curls out of her face, and gave him a curious look as she slipped her feet into them.

"...you made tea? Seriously?" She shuffled out of her bedroom, absently shoving him aside to head downstairs. "What's the occasion, the world suddenly flip upside down?"

Edited 2020-05-28 05:29 (UTC)

"I figured I'd have a better night if you were in a good mood," Bucky drawls. Her choice is sleepwear isn't lost on him and maybe he hasn't been with anyone since 45 but he's not dead; there's a hell of a lot of things he'd like to do to Natalia Romanova that don't involve taunting her into beating him senseless. She's just not usually in that kind of mood. Besides, he doesn't want his dick bitten off.

"Besides, I mean it. I want to go do sometimes other than pace inside this house. I'm crazy right now. I don't know if it's the same for you or if it's like this for other lycanthropes but it's like...I can't sleep, I can't stop moving, I can't stop thinking. I can't do anything but drive myself insane. If I can go out and do something for a little while that's better than being in here. So you got tea. Don't expect it every time."

Well, as much as she wanted to, Natalia couldn't really argue that point. Seemed the mutt had learned a thing or two, being back among the reasoning species. And she prided herself on being able to keep her temper, keep her more predatory instincts held in check. She was more than some base-minded mosquito, after all. (Although pharmaceuticals played a nice part in keeping her on an even keel, but that was no one's business but her own.)

Preceding Bucky down the stairs, automatically heading straight for the teapot and the mug he'd actually already poured, Natalia picked it up, relishing its warmth, and took a long, slow sip. Hnn, not too bad. "...you did pretty good. Very observant." In that she preferred more cream than sugar, and Earl Grey in the "morning", and lavender at "night".

She sipped her tea, leaning nonchalantly against the counter, not an ounce concerned about her state of dress, or undress with this roguish wolf. She was hardly blind to his rugged good looks, but...well. It was complicated. But Natalia didn't hide her slow appraisal as Bucky slouched against the door frame; she didn't give a damn if he noticed her looking. He wasn't altogether a bad sight to wake up to, really.

"I'll check my email here in a minute, see what needs handling tonight."

"No rush. I'm just glad for the promise of getting out of this cage for the night," Bucky says. He's practically bounding on her like a goddamned Golden Retriever and he tries to rein it in - Rogers is enough of that for anyone. He doesn't need to start up.

He notices Natalia looking at him and he gives her an appraising look of his own, unashamed about finding her attractive. He likes redheads and she's stunning so he imagines he's hardly the first guy to take a second or third look.

"You see something you like over here or are you trying to figure out how best to dismember me and hide the body?"

She returned that steady gaze with one of her own, over her tea mug. "Just make sure you behave, or you'll be back in a literal cage, da?" She'd brought one with her; it waited down in the basement, patient.

Although his sly little quip had one of her eyebrows going up - a common occurrence, she was noticing - and she had to smile behind her mug. And give a shrug. "Why not both? Although if it's the latter, that's not really difficult." A small snort. "It's part of my job, after all." Vampires did clean up a lot easier than humans, that was for damned sure.

"And you're not a bad-looking bloke, Barnes," she informed him a little crisply. "And you know it, just don't let it go to your head." Pushing off of the counter, Natalia sauntered past him to the living room and her laptop. "Either of them," she added as she brushed against him in the doorframe.

"We could probably use the stress relief," Bucky mutters, watching her as she walks past him. He's not shy about looking because why should he be? She knows she's good looking and there's no point in being coy about it. Still - he's keeping his paws to himself just now.

"Check your email. I'm going to get dressed. Are you going to want me to shift or not? It's going to affect the wardrobe choices."

Clothes are a pain in the ass, most of the time, and if he thought he could get away without them he'd just do it. Fuck having to replace everything just because he ripped it shifting.

Stress relief, ha. As if she'd deign to roll around with the likes of this mouthy bastard. Natalia settled on the couch with her computer, logging on and in to check her nights' assignments. There didn't seem to be anything too heavy; an unlicensed strig bothering a few of the locals over in Old Town, a ruckus at one of the plasma distribution facilities near the river, and a suspicious happenstance at one of the wharves, possibly a fang or three smuggled in without proper papers.

Not a bad night, if all went well. If nothing else, she could set Bucky on the strig's trail and let him chase the punk for a while. Until the troublemaker got the hint.

"Mmmm, shifting shouldn't be necessary. But if it crops up for whatever reason, don't worry about. I won't let you muck about naked." Because getting arrested for indecent exposure was the last thing she needed a headache about. "Go change your clothes. It won't take me long, then we'll head out."

Bucky has clothes even if he doesn't usually dress more than a pair of sweats but to go out and actually work a case meant he was going to have to wear something more than that; if he got shredded in human form, it would be nasty and there were parts of him he'd rather keep in pristine condition.

It doesn't take him long to slip back downstairs in a leather jacket, jeans and motorcycle boots that could take a beating. If he doesn't have to shift but has to run, he'll be good in these.

"At Madame Bovary's beck and call," Bucky says, announcing himself. "Brief me on what I need to do to color in the lines."

Shrugging into her knee-length Enforcer coat, Natalia just rolled her eyes at her companion's announcement, opting not to retaliate; it would only make him that much more obnoxious. But she gave him the basics as they headed out, and the sun had thankfully sunk below the horizon line by the time the two reached the rooftops a few streets over.

"The strig probably just needs a beating," she said, crouching on the edge of the roof. "He's a loner, probably expelled from his coven and looking for his own turf. Unfortunately, I'm not going to tolerate that sort of thing, so he'll either move on, or I'll take his head." Enforcers had complete autonomy when it came to the Laws. There was no trial, no jury, no judge. The penalty for breaking the Laws was death. No questions asked.

"But he might choose the better part of valor and take himself elsewhere." She shrugged, rising to her feet. "If he doesn't, then that's that. Come on, let's get moving." Then she was off, running easily over the rooftops like a black and red specter, effortless and graceful.

Lycanthropy meant he could move, too, so Bucky didn't have issues keeping up with Natalia once she got started. His nose was keen for her, too, knowing her scent and vampires had a certain thing that separated them from regular humans. It made her easier to keep track of. He hoped it meant that their quarry would smell different too.

He catches up to her on a parapet and gives her a quick shout. "Smelled something odd to the west. You think it's your strig or is my nose still calibrating?"

Bucky isn't sure, not having done anything like this before, and he's going to have to take her lead on this. He might take the shit out of her at home but he's not going to in the field.

As much as he irritated her in every other aspect, Natalia had to respect Barnes' keen animal senses. Hers were predator-sharp - even sharper than any other vampire; Enforcer training and enhancements had seen to that - but Bucky's nose was something to be reckoned with. She paused at his hail, and followed his suggestion, squinting off into the western dimness.

"It's possible. That's the general area, anyway." Fishing in her pocket, she produced two separate earbuds, holding out one for him. "State of the art communication," she told him, fitting hers into her left ear. "No wrist watch required. Let's split up. I'll take the left flank, you come from the right. I have a photo of the sot, it's not the best, but better than nothing. If you locate him, we'll corral him. Out of sight, I don't want any witnesses for this."

The image depicted a skinny kid with cropped blond hair, punked-out clothing, and a tourist's backpack. "Locate and shadow him, I'll do the same. Got it?"

"Got it. If things go sideways, I'm killing to protect us," Bucky warns her. "I don't play by your rules when it comes to that. You're too good at this shit for it to happen but I'm just warning you in advance."

She might get on his goddamned nerves but he doesn't want anything to happen to her and he's not nihilistic enough to try and end himself over some punk kid. Shoot to kill if he has to but for right now, shadow him and flank him.

"And I mean that," he says, before taking off.

Natalia had just opened her mouth to insist that he had to "play by her rules", as he put it, but the wolf took off before she could. She settled for muttering under her breath and heading off in the opposite direction, wondering just how bad of an idea this had actually been.

London even at this hour was still brightly lit and crowded; tourists and students frequented this part of the city more often than the locals, which was probably why the strig had managed to get himself identified and reported. Canvassing from above was her preferred method, however, so she didn't have to mingle with the crowds and fight the traffic on crowded streets.

"Anything?" she asked over the earpiece, pausing at an intersection to scan the groups below. "I'm coming up on...Bonnet and Chesapeake, what's your location?"

Opposite end of Chesapeake. I've got eyes on him. Chase or attack?

Bucky's been a soldier before and he knows the rules. In this, Natalia is his CO and he's not going to go too far off the plan unless someone is in grave (hah) danger. He has to take her lead on this or otherwise more than just she will be coming down on his ass and she'll probably get heat too.

Ready to comply with orders, Doll.

Doll? Well, at least he was following her direction, in any case. Pet names non-withstanding. "If you have a clean shot, take him. Keep him subdued until I get there. I'm moving out now."

And it wouldn't take her long to arrive. The rooftops were so close together in this particular part of town that it sometimes seemed like flying through the smoggy skies. But this was thrilling; a hunt, with or without blood at the end, and it stirred her blood regardless of her intention.

Part of her even hoped the obnoxious little bastard put up a fight.

Same part of Bucky hoped the punk put up a fight and strig or not, it's easy to circle him and get him cornered down in an alley away from collateral damage. Natalia's on her way and he has plenty to take the guy down if he has to. For now, he's playing, and it feels better than he wants to admit.

"You wanna fuck around and go rogue, that's it? Regret to inform you that I'm the good cop. The bitch that's on her way doesn't care about anything but getting you out of her hair. She's goddamn efficient, too, and you'll be nothing. Might as well just turn yourself in and save us the trouble."

The strig hisses at him and lunges, catching the sleeve of Bucky's jacket, but it's the left arm and he glances off the metal. Bucky shakes his head. "Never go for the left. Don't they teach you anything? I thought everyone knew who I was and everything."

Natalia paused before vaulting off of the roof's edge, just watching her "partner" handle the strig in the alley. Apparently he'd taken her warning to heart; the kid was still breathing and there weren't any civilians gawking nearby. Well and good so far.

So she landed not far from the pair, idly shaking red curls out of her face as she approached. "Been looking for you, lorry," she said to the snarling strig, still held in Bucky's iron grip. "Merry chase you gave me, too." Her glower sharpened. "Reports say you've been threatening the humans." She ignored the strig's evil hiss and dark glare. "And you know that's against the rules, mate."

Before either she or Bucky could blink, the strig had somehow vanished, leaving behind a dripping hunk of flesh in the lycanthrope's large hand. Natalia jerked back, startled, and swore in a few languages, snarling as she spied the goddamned bastard streaking for the main thoroughfare.

"Kill him!" she snarled, jerking into motion. "But only if you catch him first!"

Bucky doesn't need to be told twice. He dashes to cut off the strig from the crowd and nips at him (proverbially) until he can corner him down into a side street away from the people. He slams him against the brick of a building with his left arm, enjoying the squirm of the strig. Still, he needs to finish him off and luckily HYDRA had given him just the tool to do it.

He pins the strig's shoulder with his right arm and shoves his knee into his solar plexus to get leverage to rip off his head. It's messy, yeah, but he gets the job done.

Dead on arrival, darlin', and you didn't have to mess up your nails.

She scented the blood even before she arrived. And when she did, it was to a satisfying scene: Bucky standing over the still-leaking body of a dead strigoi, the git's head lying some yards away, eyes wide and mouth permanently frozen in an O of surprise. Natalia strode past it, inspecting the body with a professional eye, hearing the heartbeat stutter, falter, then soon stop. Good.

"Well done," she approved, prodding the corpse with the toe of one boot. "Idiot might have lived, if he hadn't been so damned stubborn about it." But there was little she could do about it now, save for clean up the mess. Which, thankfully, involved hauling the pieces to a nearby dumpster and setting them alight; the ashes would be disposed of by the morning, thanks to London's never-ending rains and fog.

Then she turned around and...

"--you have blood all over you."

Which wasn't really a surprise, given the happenstance, but...he had blood all over him. Natalia licked her lips, and suddenly hated herself for doing it. "...you should...you should...go back home and get cleaned up.."

"Well, yeah, but I figured we'd go together," Bucky says, giving her a sideways look. She'd licked her lips and he wondered, yet again, how the fuck vampires actually worked. He barely knew how he worked much less how vampires and their hierarchy worked. It's complicated shit and he doesn't have time for it, normally. He kinda wishes he had read up on it now.

"Blood from another vamp makes you hungry? I thought it was human or the shit you normally drink and that's it. This is like...I don't know, I figured it smelled awful like I do to you. I mean, it smells terrible to me and normally I don't mind the scent of blood."

Makes him hungry, usually.

"It's not the blood..."

Without realizing she'd done it, Natalia had wandered a little closer, almost near enough to touch, and it wasn't so much the blood as it was that blood was covering his skin... And her mouth watered. She'd never, in all of her life, fed from a human or any other living source; not even during sex had she pierced skin with her teeth.

There was attraction here; animal magnetism, predatory inclination, or whatever term Darwin might choose, and the sight and scent of blood only acerbated it. The vampire suddenly gripped the lycanthrope's sleeve in sharp claws, held him still, and fastened her lips to his throat, licking a slow stripe through the rivulets of red staining his flesh.

Blood on her tongue, Natalia slowly closed her eyes and hissed in pleasure, sharp fangs pricking her lower lip, and nearly purred as she swallowed. "...it's not the blood," she murmured in an alto gone dark with desire. "...it's the taste.."

Aside from the fact that Natalia could murder him and leave him in the alley with the strig, Bucky thought this was pretty fucking hot. It's clear the blood is doing it for her (or the taste, anyway) and feeling her tongue against his skin makes him want something other than...this.

"Doll, you wanna tap the source later, I'm all for it but we probably need to clean this kill up and get out of here. Clean up now, fang fun later."

Since when is he the rational one?

Disgusted with herself - such a lack of control - Natalia abruptly shoved away, rubbing at her mouth with the back of one hand and shaking her head in firm negation. "Just...fetch the bastard's head, will you?" The corpse she picked up with one hand, dragging the inert mass of flesh and bone to a nearby garbage bin, dumping it in with an inelegant thop.

When the head joined the rest, she lit a rag and tossed it into the heap, taking grim satisfaction in seeing the remains immediately come alight, incinerating the threat and leaving damned little evidence. "They're all so bloody stupid," she muttered, almost to herself, watching the flames leap happily. "Just--obey the damned Laws. Is that so goddamned hard?"

"They think they're the kings of the world," Bucky says quietly, more reflective than he usually is. "They want to piss on everything because they think they're the top of the food chain and that following rules are for the sheep."

He isn't just talking about the strig, unfortunately, and he's suddenly glad he's covered in blood so they have a reason to go home and continue this conversation elsewhere.

"How do you want me to clean myself up? I know you don't want bloodstains in your townhouse. Do I gotta go out back while you hose me down?"

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