How could she possibly contain herself? Had any of her superiors been aware they might well have commended her abilities to conceal such exuberance.
Her performance in training had earned her the notice of many; she would have to be more watchful, more mindful of every action. She could not afford to tarnish either of their reputations by even the hint of impropriety; so Natalia Romanova became the perfect trainee.
Her first covert action was keep up appearances of a normal life training in the program. Nothing was betrayed by glance or action that anything existed beyond her learning. It was then she realized how gifted she was for deceit; even to those in positions of power.
Half a day of training went smoothly and without interruption; until she was given her orders: Trainee Romanov was to escort The Red Guardian for the remainder of the day and see to him. The orders remained vague; no sense of the extent of her duties. To Natalia it seemed she was only there to be there.
There were benefits with such orders, of course.The Red Guardian; Alexi as he insisted she address him, was treated to the finest the program had to offer. Natalia had never tasted the sort of delicacies offered to Alexi. For the rest of the day Natalia enjoyed the privileges of rank; even as a guest among them.
Alexi was actually kind and far more gentle than his size might indicate; he had a soft rolling laugh that rumbled from deep in his throat. Whenever Natalia made a misstep in manner or form he corrected her with that soft chuckle and gentle words. "You will need to be as flawless in social circles as you are in battle, Natalia. There are such plans for you." Plans? For her? She was already as skilled, if not more so, than many of her trainers; one in particular aside.
The one she'd kept in the back of her mind; ever present in her thoughts but safely hidden away. He was her secret, her's alone and she cherished it. Her thoughts drifted to him for one tiny moment; a smile ghosted across her lips until she felt a large warm hand on her shoulder. Alexi had said something she missed, but had taken her smile as reaction; he seemed pleased.
Natalia kept her mind in strict check for the remainder of the day; when she was released to ready herself for her training the following morning she had to prettily demure the Red Guardian's offer to escort her to the dormitory. Some flattering lie of his company making her want to dawdle; the truth was she wanted to be away from them all.
She would have time with him; to be alone and away from the prying eyes of the program. Of course there was the matter of the week preceding it; a week in which they would be in close quarters and yet not alone. She would have to be extra mindful.
Even now her mind was whirling; she felt dizzy with excitement. Natalia, bell full of rich food, warm from a rush of excited blood thrilling through her, flopped across her bed. Red hair spilled in a fan and she finally allowed the smile and look she denied herself all day; lips that felt as though they'd just tasted another's, whispered that other's name.
no subject
Her performance in training had earned her the notice of many; she would have to be more watchful, more mindful of every action. She could not afford to tarnish either of their reputations by even the hint of impropriety; so Natalia Romanova became the perfect trainee.
Her first covert action was keep up appearances of a normal life training in the program. Nothing was betrayed by glance or action that anything existed beyond her learning. It was then she realized how gifted she was for deceit; even to those in positions of power.
Half a day of training went smoothly and without interruption; until she was given her orders: Trainee Romanov was to escort The Red Guardian for the remainder of the day and see to him. The orders remained vague; no sense of the extent of her duties. To Natalia it seemed she was only there to be there.
There were benefits with such orders, of course.The Red Guardian; Alexi as he insisted she address him, was treated to the finest the program had to offer. Natalia had never tasted the sort of delicacies offered to Alexi. For the rest of the day Natalia enjoyed the privileges of rank; even as a guest among them.
Alexi was actually kind and far more gentle than his size might indicate; he had a soft rolling laugh that rumbled from deep in his throat. Whenever Natalia made a misstep in manner or form he corrected her with that soft chuckle and gentle words. "You will need to be as flawless in social circles as you are in battle, Natalia. There are such plans for you." Plans? For her? She was already as skilled, if not more so, than many of her trainers; one in particular aside.
The one she'd kept in the back of her mind; ever present in her thoughts but safely hidden away. He was her secret, her's alone and she cherished it. Her thoughts drifted to him for one tiny moment; a smile ghosted across her lips until she felt a large warm hand on her shoulder. Alexi had said something she missed, but had taken her smile as reaction; he seemed pleased.
Natalia kept her mind in strict check for the remainder of the day; when she was released to ready herself for her training the following morning she had to prettily demure the Red Guardian's offer to escort her to the dormitory. Some flattering lie of his company making her want to dawdle; the truth was she wanted to be away from them all.
She would have time with him; to be alone and away from the prying eyes of the program. Of course there was the matter of the week preceding it; a week in which they would be in close quarters and yet not alone. She would have to be extra mindful.
Even now her mind was whirling; she felt dizzy with excitement. Natalia, bell full of rich food, warm from a rush of excited blood thrilling through her, flopped across her bed. Red hair spilled in a fan and she finally allowed the smile and look she denied herself all day; lips that felt as though they'd just tasted another's, whispered that other's name.
"...James."