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Yelena had always fought with the grace of a dancer, her movements fluid and light. Perhaps it was her upbringing, in the Red Room, where ballet was the first thing they learned. She never gave it much thought, not wanting to spend too much time dwelling on that part of her life in general. And it’s not like anyone noticed.
Bucky, however, did notice. It was the first time he was really watching her spar. She had gotten injured, and the team was helping her get back into shape. Her movements reminded him of the little dancers in the Red Room, from when he was nothing more than the Asset, used to train and teach the girls. Though when he wasn’t watched closely, he made sure to take care of them, too.
But Yelena reminds him of a specific girl of the same name, which is no surprise; the Red Room often reused only a handful of names. But it’s the determination that really sets her apart, both now and then. He can’t help but speak up when she finally pins John down.
“You’ll have to try harder than this if you want to beat her, John.” He calls out, smirking softly. “Let me work with her a bit. Go get yourself cleaned up.”
Bucky gestures for Yelena to come to him, an idea forming in his head.
“You’re doing good. But you’re not quite there yet,” he starts, but gets interrupted.
“Yes, I know that! I know I’m not ready. I know I’m not good enough yet!”
“Yelena,” Bucky tries again. But she keeps going.
“I know, Bucky! You all don’t need to keep telling me that!”
“мой маленький балерина.” He interrupts, giving her a look. She stops dead in her tracks, eyes wide.
“Surely you remember,” Bucky starts, cocking his head. “The Red Room. I get flashes of memories here and there. The most prominent being of training you girls. You weren’t allowed to call me anything other than the Asset. But you, Yelena, you kept on trying to get some other name out of me. You had this determination in you. It was fierce. You wanted out, but you couldn’t get out, so you played along.”
“Bucky…” Yelena mumbles, tearing up. “What’s the point of this?”
“The point is, I saw that fierce determination in you in everything else you did. But it was especially prominent when you danced. You did it like no other little girl in there. You didn’t let them take that determination, no matter what happened to you. You just got back up and tried again, every time you fell. And I see that determination in you now, when you’re fighting. Or when you’re simply trying to get some peace and quiet. Or anything else you do. But right now, мой маленький балерина… you’re letting it dim. Don’t let it dim, Lena. Don’t let it bring you down. Keep trying and you’ll get right back up.”
Yelena sniffs, tears pricking her eyes. “I remember. You called me that every time I fell. You- You’d pick me up, brush me off, and tell me, ‘keep on going, маленькая балерина.’ You never gave up on me.”
“And I never will, Lena. Can you be that маленькая балерина for me once again? Keep on trying?” He asks. He knows it may sound weird to anyone listening in, but he doesn’t care. It’s theirs.
“Yeah. I’ll be your маленькая балерина again.” She breathes, hands moving to wipe her eyes. But Bucky beats her to it, thumb brushing the tears away before pulling her into him, against his chest.
“Easy. I got you.”
They stand there for a while, Bucky’s arms tight around her. It felt like holding one of his sisters again, and he wanted to savor it for every moment he got. But, of course, the moment she started shifting uncomfortably, obviously done with such closeness, he pulled away.
“Now, how about we try again, huh?” He asks, stepping back. “I had an idea.”
“An idea?” Yelena asks, unable to help but smile. “What is it?”
“Ballet, Lena.” Bucky smirks, cocking his head. “Why not try?”
“Well, for one, I don’t have the proper equipment.”
“We can still do ballet barefoot. It’s possible. Just to practice.”
Yelena sighs, giving in. “Fine, fine.”
“Great.” Bucky smiles, sitting down to tug his sneakers off, and with a disgusted look from Yelena, his socks as well.
Yelena follows suit, keeping her socks on, but shrugs off her sweatshirt, leaving her in a tank top and leggings.
Bucky waits patiently for her to be ready, not wanting to rush her. She hadn’t done this for years, after all.
She ends up putting on music, something she finds herself relaxing to, something she could truly dance to. And then she smiles and grabs Bucky’s hand, tugging him toward the mat against one of the walls. Close enough to a practice bar. Bucky makes a mental note to have mirrors and a bar installed later, if this works.
They get into a rhythm, Bucky guiding her through the steps in a quiet voice, following along.
They do this for hours, until they can barely stand on their toes anymore, and sweat drips from their foreheads.
“Yeah, I’m done.” Yelena huffs with a smile, sliding down to sit against the wall, Bucky following suit. He can’t help but chuckle, head leaning back against the wall.
“Hate to admit it, Lena, but I was done half an hour ago. You’re better than me.”
Yelena laughs, nudging his shoulder with hers. “Maybe I’m just used to it.”
He laughs along, smile wide. He can’t stop laughing, especially since they start joking about more and more.
John finds them half an hour later, still talking and laughing, both of them looking lighter than they ever had before.
“What the hell?” He mumbles, immediately turning to leave, shaking his head.
Yelena and Bucky don’t notice, too busy enjoying each other’s company, telling stories, catching up.
“You know, Lena,” Bucky starts after a long pause. “You remind me of my sisters. So headstrong. Passionate, too. I’m glad we’ve found each other.”
Yelena smiles, glancing over at him. “Would it be too cheesy if I said you’re the older brother I’ve obviously never had?”
Bucky laughs, shaking his head, pulling her into his side, arm over her shoulders. “Nah, it wouldn’t.”
They sit there for a little while longer, until the sweat cools on their skin, making them feel gross and cold.
Yelena’s the first to get up, standing with a groan. “More tomorrow?” She asks, glancing down at Bucky.
“Yeah, we’ll do more tomorrow.” Bucky smiles, getting up. “Go get cleaned up, Lena.”
“You sayin’ I smell, James Barnes?” Yelena retorts, sticking her tongue out at him. Childish, yes. Deserved? Also yes.
“Yeah, like a dead rat in a sewer.” Bucky deadpans, nudging her shoulder with his. “Go on, I’m gonna get cleaned up and start on dinner. No doubt everyone’s hungry.”
“Alright, alright.” Yelena huffs, parting ways with Bucky.
She finds herself happy that she spent that time with Bucky. As she stares in the mirror, she can see some of that determination that he had pointed out. Faint, but there. She cracks a smile and turns away, continuing with her routine.
And Bucky? He’s feeling lighter than he has in months, maybe years. He showers quickly and begins making dinner. He hums to himself as he does, caught up in his own little world. Unfortunately, the uncommon sound of his humming is picked up by the team.
They start to drift into the kitchen one by one, curious as to what’s got their token super soldier so happy. But it’s a question quickly answered when Yelena walks in.
“Hey, you ass.” She says, pulling herself up to sit on the counter by the stove, watching him as he works.
Bucky sighs, rolling his eyes with a smile. “Hey, мой маленький балерина.”
If the team was shocked to hear such a tone change between them, they didn’t show it. Well, John did, since the man can be quite dimwitted at times.
“What did you do in the training room when I left? Last I checked, you’re constantly at each other’s throats. Now you’re acting like damn lovebirds or something.”
“I practically raised her, John. Don’t start.” Bucky snips, not much effort behind his anger. But it doesn’t matter when Yelena reaches over and dips her finger into the sauce he was stirring, licking it off.
“You brat.” Bucky huffs, brushing her hand away when she goes back to double-dip.
“Could use some paprika, y’know. Maybe chili powder.” Yelena suggests, ignoring the comment.
“You want to cook, then?” Bucky retorts, giving her a look, but still grabs the suggested seasonings from the cupboard. He flicks his head over, gesturing for her to season the sauce.
Later on, once it’s complete, he just has to admit that she was right. He doesn’t, however, have to say it to her face. She’d be smug for days.
Over the next few weeks, they become increasingly comfortable with each other. Yelena starts to recall more memories of Bucky, drawing her closer to him. And Bucky accepts it with wide open arms. He thanks every god that may exist for the opportunity to reunite with at least one of his sisters, even if she wasn’t biologically related to him.
She’s always been his маленькая балерина after all.