#astra valentina yakovna

[lucius-the-literary-lunatic]

16 for the micro stories!💓 anyone you want boo🥰

we're gonna ignore that this took me forever to get out, I rewrote it like four times bc I kept having Ideas. anyways enjoy

16. In Dreams

CW: bombs, murder, canon typical violence but minimal description of it

Astra Age: 19 currently/16 in flashback

Sleeping in general was hard for her, sure some places were a bit easier to relax in but it was damn near impossible for Astra to get a good night's sleep. Whether it be because she couldn't fall asleep or stay asleep, it just never seemed to work out.

Like now, alone in a safe house on a mission, trying desperately to catch up on the days of sleep she missed before it started to affect her ability to not get shot or blow her cover.

It didn't take long for Astra's brain to begin protesting the basic need she was trying to fulfill. It didn't take long for her to go from feeling somewhat safe to completely on edge, back in the nauseatingly rundown building of her first safe house.

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For all intents and purposes, Astra's first assignment went well, from an outside perspective. Astra has snuck into the hotel boiler room as instructed, planting the bomb before moving on to release the carbon monoxide tank into the vents.

Returning to her handler Astra found him by the window looking through the scope of his rifle. "You're late." "I was making sure to block as many exits as I could, giving you only one door to watch." "That wasn't part of your job." "I know, I added it. Is it time?" "Yes." Peering over his shoulder Astra was surprised when he grabbed her wrist, stopping her from trying to sneakily retrieve the phone from his pocket. "Hey-" "Quit it." "I didn't do-" "Valentina." "Winter." "I said don't call me that." "I want to make the call." "No." "I guess neither of us will get what we want." "Good, you're finally learning." "Asshole. So, what? I'm just supposed to sit in the corner now?" "Quit whining and maybe I will. You're my spotter." Giving her the binoculars from the table beside them seemed to calm her down a bit, letting the Soldier set off the bomb in peace.

For a few minutes after the explosion the two of them were quiet, Astra pressed against her Солдат back as she scanned the area around them. With the doors locked, there weren't many people escaping, and if they did it was through the main entrance. Like one man, flailing through the front doors with his body ablaze. Something about this didn't sit right with Astra. She had been around death countless times, been the cause, and seen it up close. She'd been tortured and interrogated, then asked to do the same and did so flawlessly without pause. She was no stranger to harm, but this felt wrong. That wasn't a target, he wasn't their assignment, nor were a majority of the people in that building, and yet they were suffering.

Feeling his student pull back from him broke the Soldier's concentration slightly. "What." When she didn't answer him he turned to her, softening a bit when he saw the horror in her eyes. "Astra." Winter grabbed her arm to get her attention. "Hey, look at me." "They-It's-" "Look at me, not them." "But the mission-" "Your part is over. You're done." Giving him a shakey nod she did as told. "Now are you gonna listen to me and go sit down?" "Да..." "Good. It's better if you don't look, easier to forget the sounds than the sights." Appreciating the kindness he showed her, though limited in its range, Astra went to curl up on the couch in the corner. "... Winter?" "What." "Thank you..."

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As insignificant of a moment as that might be it was one of the greatest lessons Astra could learn in her line of work, it was the reason her nightmares were so tolerable. Even in her dreams, her Soldier protected her. Now it was time for her to return the favor.

#astra valentina yakovna #james buchanan barnes #bucky barnes #marvel comics #marvel cinematic universe #astra x bucky #bucky barnes x oc #project synthesis #winter soldier #otp: cold sin