COBRA | B. BARNES

VII. IN THE SAFEHOUSE

Aiyla felt like she had slept quite some time when she woke up, and she soon realised that was indeed true. Nobody was in the kitchen and light was coming in through the open windows as she pushed herself up and looked around with a small frown. She groaned slightly as she pushed herself up. Sleeping on the floor certainly wasn't a pleasant experience.

She ran a hand through her hair in an effort to make herself appear presentable and looked around the house, following the sound of quiet humming coming from nearby. It didn't take her long to realise the sound was coming from one of the bedrooms. She made her way there, blinking quickly but as that didn't work, she raised a hand to rub her eyes in order to wake up. She barely managed to stiffle a yawn as she got in the room, smiling slightly as she took in the appearance of the bedroom.

Her eyes rested on her companion who was washing the windows, humming softly as he reached up with the newspaper in hand and reached the highest parts of the glass. Her smile widened a bit as she shifted her weight on her right leg, her gaze falling on his form that seemed to glow as the morning sun showered the room, casting shadows around, his own shadow the longest of them all, covering almost the whole room. She let out a deep breath and his humming abruptly stopped and he tensed for a second before he turned around, his gaze softening as he noticed her, and Aiyla moved to the side, the metal of his arm blinding her.

"Good morning," he mumbled as he turned back to washing the last parts of the window. "I didn't want to wake you up."

"Thank you," she mumbled as she took a step forward, finally bringing herself to look away from him. "You've almost finished with this room."

"Indeed," he confirmed as he moved on to the wardrobe in the room. "You know, I read your file."

Her movements were slow as she turned to face him. "And what do you think?"

"I think you certainly are competent," he admitted without looking up at her. "A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who moved on to work for Stark Industries. They didn't take just anyone in their employment."

"I'm glad you recognise that," she murmured, her head tilting to the side as she watched him closely. "But what? There ought to be a but somewhere."

He nodded slowly as he closed the wardrobe and turned to face her, his expression serious. "But I can't trust you. I can't be - you know what, forget it," he shook his head and his gaze fell to the floor. "If we ever get captured and there's a chance you'll be able to get away by leaving me behind, then do it and run away."

"Is that truly what you think of me, Mr Barnes?" There was a humouring tone in her voice and she had his attention instantly. "I'm rather stubborn, don't you remember? And I don't give up. If we're captured, I'll share your fate."

Bucky looked down at his feet, his lips pursed, his eyes closing slowly as he exhaled, his shoulders dropping. For a moment, she thought he'd speak up but as soon as that moment was gone he turned away. He grabbed a damp cloth and walked over to a small piece of wooden furniture beside the bed. He didn't glance at her again.

Aiyla took that as her cue to leave, and so, with a last look at him, she left, her footsteps light. She headed to the living room and crouched in front of her suitcase, grabbing a hair tie from one of the seaths and then standing up again. She set her hair in a pretty messy bun and now with her hair out of the way, she checked the food Pepper had sent her once more. It didn't take her much time to find the oranges she had recalled seeing before. She had peeled one off and had just started eating when Bucky returned in the room.

"Would you like an orange?" she suggested. At his nod, she grabbed the orange she had set beside her on the counter and tossed it over to him. He grabbed it and sat down on a chair as she jumped on the counter. She didn't look away from him and after a while, he raised his gaze, staring right back at her.