ASHES ↠ b. barnes [II]

twenty nine

       COMPARED TO THE BEGINNING OF the day, Allura was starting to think that this was their moment of peace.

        They had heard each other scream as they were tortured, the loud bullets as they shot from their guns, the sound of whips against skin and electricity buzzing near their heads.

       And yet, the worst news came from one of the people Allura loved the most— who truly just confirmed her own theory about her daughter's survival.

       She didn't even have a name; they had only known of her pregnancy a couple of hours prior. They didn't even know if their parenthood skills would be acceptable....

       ... But they already knew that the chances of her survival were low.

        So, being, officially, on the run from the government, seemed so small compared to the rest of their troublesome life.

       Before Allura could walk into their apartment, she felt James hold her arm. Green met blue, and the soldier's eyes expressed a concern bigger than words ever could.

       "Be careful. We don't know what we'll encounter."

       "Jupiterian babies are protected by our bodies. They don't grow inside the body, they do when they're exposed to the hydrogen environment." She stopped. "With which, we'll deal later."

       "Either way." James said, kissing her forehead as if it were a goodbye— which, they would both ensure, wasn't. "Be careful, doll."

       "Always am, ást." She told him, the man carefully opening the door and checking inside. It looked empty, but Bucky knew better, and his instinct was telling him that there was someone or something inside, and that the quiet of the apartment would not last much longer.

       He held Allura's hand as they both walked deeper into the apartment, their eyes landing on two familiar men that were observing their notebooks where they used to write their memories down. They realized they had let their guard down, which was a huge mistake to make when you were HYDRA's most wanted assets.

       The two other men felt their gazes, and turned around, coming face to face with the people they once knew. They weren't aware that they had their memories back, of course. And James and Allura weren't sure if it was convenient that they knew.

       "Hello, again." Steve told them, remembering the last time they had seen them in 2015. Ezekyel placed the hydrogen cable on the chair and staring at his sister.

       "You two are the hardest people to track down, I swear." Ezekyel spoke, James and Allura exchanging glances and looking back at the two Avengers.

       "I know you're nervous, and you have plenty of reason to be." Steve started speaking, but was interrupted by Allura.

       "We weren't in Vienna. We don't do that anymore." The strawberry blonde told them, her eyes turning a higher shade of green when she made sure more amounts of hydrogen were running through body.

       "The people who think you did are coming here now." Steve told her, his eyes going to Bucky. "And they're not planning on taking either of you alive."

       "That's smart." James said, a hint of sarcasm on his voice. "Good strategy." He moved slowly to protect Allura in case anything happened, the woman noticing and shifting her eyes to the wood where their backpacks were under. Loud steps could be heard from outside, and Allura's jaw started to drop a bit as actual concern ran through her.

       She knew her body would protect her baby. But she wasn't sure how much and that wasn't reassuring.

       "All, come on. This doesn't have to end up in a fight." Ezekyel spoke pleadingly, scanning both of them and furrowing his eyebrows at the look in her eyes.