•Из России с любовью• [From Russia With Love] [BuckyNat Series Book 2]

Chapter 15 •Хорошо смазанная машина•

A/N: This is a long chapter. Lots of shit is gonna happen too.

•Хорошо смазанная машина•
[Well-Oiled Machine]

The soldier made no haste in finding the widow. Rushing past guards and other palace workers, Bucky would not stop. He knew she would not be in the fields practicing or shooting, no, not now. He went right by the armory room and exited the palace, descending out into the open savannah.

In the corner of his eye, he saw glorious mountains peaking over each other as wispy clouds wrapped themselves around the snowy tips of the raised ground. He didn't care how far he'd have to travel for her. He would trek into the pits of the deepest oceans if he had to. He pushed aside the tall and thin blades of grass as the hills rolled into a valley resting at the belly of the mountains.

"You can't hide from me forever, Natalia," he said, wishing the wind could carry his message right to her.

Night had soon fallen, spending the entirety of his day voyaging through the Wakandan savannah to find his love. Then, he saw a human-shaped silhouette atop a hill, painting a deep contrast with the purple edges of the horizon. As he took closer looks, squinting his eyes, he could hardly see the smoke eliciting from the silhouette's side.

He walked farther, his feet still not aching, boy, people would kill for that. He reached the climax of his own hill, slightly taller than the one the shadow was on. He then saw a small flame in a rock pit, the enticing, rich smell of the burning wood entering his nostrils. They were cooking something. Perhaps it was a rogue, someone literally living off the land.

The silhouette didn't even move when Bucky made more sounds as his shoes left their mark in the dirt. Then, an angelic, husky voice rung in his ears. He loved it. "You didn't check the armory, Barnes?"

He cracked a smile and stepped forward. "You like mountains," he said, stepping closer. "How'd you know it's me?"

"Okoye doesn't come here this late and I knew eventually your love for me would eat at you and you had to find me," she explained and then turned to him.

He finally saw her face, a soft glow in the dancing flames beside her. Under her eyes had grow dark circles, the wrinkles underneath now present. She had exhausted herself emotionally and it had eaten away at her. Okoye had given her food and clothing and shelter in a deal to keep her whereabouts a secret. "Why do you love me?" She practically scoffed and he started to walk towards her, pulling the widow to her feet.

"Why do I love you? Natalia, that's like asking why do we drink water?"

"You don't need me," she argued, breaking from his grasp.

"Really? Because when we kissed that night, I didn't have a nightmare for once at all. Even the nights I had sessions with Wanda, I still had them, they just weren't as bad. Now, what does that tell you?"

Natasha couldn't speak, she, for once, was at a loss for words. "Natalia, it tells me I do need you. Which is good because I also want you. There's no denying us anymore, no fear, no chains," he assured as tears filled her eyes.

He cupped her cheek as grasped her other hand. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss remained slow, and it needed to be. They needed to feel each other, to cherish each other's love and they knew a pretty good way of doing that. After he parted from her lips, he saw a tear drip from her face as he wiped its track.