Invisible string | Yelena Belova

one

The silence was all Cole heard as he looked out over the water. As he leaned against the railing, he felt the cold wind on his skin. He pulled his jacket tighter around him as he heard footsteps coming towards him. He turned around and saw Natasha walking towards him with a neutral expression. 

Cole looked at her and she nodded at him. He understood immediately and sighed at the thought of still being followed by Secretary Ross. Nat and he placed their cell phones on the railing and dropped them unnoticed into the lake.

They walked to the other end of the ferry, and he leaned over the railing again and Nat positioned herself next to him.

 "Are you okay?", he asked her, eyeing her with a concerned look.

"Yes," she answered curtly and gave him a forced smile. For the rest of the ride, they were quiet and enjoyed the silence. 

The following day, Nat and Cole drove to the small village that was 20 minutes away. Rick's car was not the newest but was not too noticeable.

 They went in and bought only the most necessary stuff, which was mainly canned food and ice cream. They behaved inconspicuously and after paying they immediately went to the car and headed back to their place.

The ride was mostly quiet and after 18 minutes they arrived at the camper. The radio was talking about Nat, Cap, and Cole again because they were still on the run. Cole got out of the car with a sigh and opened the truck to get their groceries when he saw Natasha pull her gun out of the corner of his eye. Cole followed her gaze and noticed that the camper was not as they had left it.

He drew his gun and gestured for her to follow him. He went in quietly and looked around, but then they heard loud snoring and lowered their guns. 

They smirked and went into Nat's bedroom and saw Rick asleep on the bed.

 She kicked his foot and he jerked up, "You're in my bed" she said smiling.

"I'm not even under the covers, and aren't you sharing this bed?" he asked, still sleepy. Cole just laughed, "No, I got the couch" he replied and headed to the kitchen.

"Did you get everything from our list?" Nat asked Rick when they both came into the kitchen.

"I got passports, entry visas, a couple of local driver's licenses. Mix and match, you two should be able to stretch it to 20 or so identities." 

Cole and Nat both looked at their passports until Nat said, "Fanny Longbottom, really? What, are you 12?"

Then Cole spotted one of his names and laughed, "You're not the only one. I mean, Kid Jenkins, did you make them all up?"

"These are legitimate names," he said and chuckled before continuing to explain what he had got them, "We've got a generator outside. It's petrol-powered, and the specific tank will need a flush in a couple of weeks, but you know, I've got a guy coming for that. You have to haul your rubbish into town. It's a 20-minutes drive." 

"Nice" Nat replied.

"Are you two okay?" he asked and eyed them worriedly.

"Why wouldn't we be" Nat replied, and Cole just nodded at him with a gentle smile.

"I hear things. You know, something's about the Avengers getting divorced."

"Ugh, it's fine. I'm actually better on my own.", Nat smirked.

"Hey!", Cole said with played sadness, and Nat laughed.

With a little smile, Rick left, and Cole went into the bathroom to freshen up.