One-on-One Masterclass with a Top Spy
Yelena Belova x Robert "Bob" Reynolds
Unspoken Love, Both Ways ๐
You can also read this on my ao3๐น
Bob sat at a table so extravagant it bordered on ridiculous.
He rarely found himself in places like thisโcafรฉs frequented by the idle rich. No, to be precise, he had never been anywhere like this before. A single cup of coffee here probably cost more than he could earn in an afternoon wearing a chicken costume and waving a sign on the street corner. There was absolutely no reason for him to come to a place like this.
Bob glanced across the table at Yelena, who was studying the menu with quiet focus. Her hair had grown a little longer since he last saw her, but she was still beautiful. God, just seeing her did something to him. Like some part of his brain simply short-circuited. His heartbeat surged wildly, no matter how hard he tried to keep it steady.
A waiter passed by with a silver tray, glancing at the two of them with a look Bob couldnโt quite ignoreโsomething like, What are they doing here?
Bob lowered his gaze to his own worn, gray hoodie, then looked again at Yelenaโs black flight jacket. Yeahโฆ they didnโt quite blend in with the designer suits and luxury watches all around them.
โWhat do you want to eat?โ Yelena asked after studying the menu no fewer than five times, deciding to hear Bobโs thoughts first. In return, she was met with a pair of eyes so wet and wide they might as well have belonged to a dog.
โWhat do you want to eat?โ Bob echoed, blinking at her with such earnest innocence that Yelena had to resist the urge to reach out and ruffle his hair.
โI donโt know. Maybe a cappuccino. And a muffin, I guess.โ She raised a hand to call over the waiter, who approached them with the enthusiasm of someone being dragged to his fate. Yelena rolled her eyes. โOne cappuccino and a muffin, please.โ
โIโll have the same,โ Bob said, raising his fingers hesitantly beside his ear, only to lower them again just as quickly. Could he afford this? Maybe. Maybe not. The pay from Valentina was supposed to be enough to get by, but the first monthโs wages hadnโt landed yet.
As if reading his mind, Yelena closed the menu and pulled a card from her wallet, holding it up in front of him with a little flourish. โDonโt worry. Itโs on Valentina.โ
โIs that even allowed?โ Bobโs eyes lit up instantly, as if the idea of such a generous employer was something out of legend.
โI work my ass off for her. The least she can do is buy me a muffin,โ Yelena replied with a lifted brow and a smile that slipped out without her noticing. Being with Bob always feltโฆ natural. As though she wasnโt the ever-serious covert operative, but just another girl her ageโordinary, unremarkable. It was a thought sheโd never allowed herself before.
Once, her life had been nothing but weight and grief. The loss of her sister had torn her apart, left a wound no time could numb. Then came the missions, one after another, relentless as nightfall, swallowing her whole. Somewhere along the way, sheโd lost herself in the rhythm of blood and shadows, killing without pause or feeling. It became as instinctive as breathing. And only in the spray of bloodโthose fleeting, crimson momentsโdid a quiet flicker stir deep within her: a hidden shard of remorse, faint and buried. Not just for the lives she ended, but for what she had become.
But after meeting Bob, things began to shift, quietly but irreversibly. For the first time, she faced the darkness inside her, not with numbness, but with awareness. She was still alone, yes, but no longer lonely. Around her stood a strange kind of family: a ragtag band of not-quite-heroes, stained and scarred, rough around the edges. And in that unlikely mess of broken people, Yelena felt, however faintly, however fleetingly, that she might finally belong.
โYelena? You okay?โ Bob waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her out of the haze sheโd slipped into. She blinked, caught off guard, and looked at the man sitting across from her. The man who, against all logic, made her heart flutter.
โIโm fine. Justโฆ thinking about the mission,โ she replied, the small lie slipping out before she could stop it, masking the sudden rush of adrenaline in her chest. It was for the mission that sheโd come to this ridiculously overpriced cafรฉ today, and yes, she had brought Bob along. Coming here alone wouldโve felt too pitiful, but if she was honest with herself, it was more than that. Ever since Valentina had put together the new Avengers, her time alone with Bob had dwindled to almost nothing. Living in the same building didnโt change the fact that they barely saw each other anymore.
โSo, whoโs your mark today?โ Bob asked, eyes darting around like a curious little owl. Before he could finish a full sweep of the room, Yelena flicked a sugar cube across the table. It hit him square in the forehead.
He winced, pressing his hand to the now-pink spot above his brows. More than pain, it was embarrassment that bloomed on his face.
โTrying to get us blown, are you?โ Yelena said dryly, plucking another sugar cube, but this time dropping it into her coffee cup instead of launching it at him. โFace me. Eyes on the sugar jar. See the guy in the gray suit? Thatโs our target.โ
Bob obediently followed her instructions, letting his gaze slide to the curved surface of the silver sugar bowl. In its polished reflection, tucked neatly into a corner, he spotted the man.
โYouโre amazing!โ Bob whispered with wide-eyed awe, voice low but full of excitement. His eyes lit up like sparklers, as if all those spy movie tropes had just been proven real before him.
Yelenaโs smile curved a little wider at the compliment. She threw him a playful wink, lifting a brow with a flourish. โThatโs nothing. Stick with me, youโll learn a lot more.โ
Bob flushed again. His cheeks, already tomato-red, deepened to a crimson hue. He opened his mouth as if to respond, but no words came. His Adamโs apple bobbed slightly, and he quickly dropped his gaze to his coffee, fingers curling tight around the cup. Even the tips of his ears were burning red now, and the blush had spread all the way down his neck.
It almost felt likeโฆ like this could actually be something, Bob thought. Like they could really have a future. Every look she gave him, every wordโit all felt like a promise. Or maybe a tease. Maybe both. He couldnโt tell. He only knew that heโd fallen, and that terrified him.
Because what if she never meant it the way he did?
Still, he smiled, head bowed, hiding the shine in his eyes.
Bob had always known he wasnโt a brave man. He feared that his feelings might break whatever fragile bond they already had. So he said nothing. He simply gathered all the things he wanted to tell her and tucked them away, pouring them instead into a single, quiet sentence:
โAlright. Iโll wait for your lessons.โ
Yelena didnโt miss that quiet โIโll wait for you.โ
The words were so soft, like a breeze meant to be forgotten the moment it brushed past the ear, yet something in her heart clenched, sharp and sudden.
Did she hear him right? Had he really said that?
She wasnโt blind to Bobโs affection. She knew it, had always known it, had seen it hiding in his gaze and felt it in every small, careful gesture. But she had told herself, again and again, that it wasnโt possible. Not for someone like her. Her past was too heavy, layered in blood, secrets, and shadows. Could someone with hands like hers, stained by so much, ever hope to hold something normal?
But nowโฆ now she wasnโt so sure.
Maybe, just maybe, she could try. Let him in. Just a little.
She lowered her head, unable to hide the smile curling on her lips. โAlright,โ she murmured, voice light but edged with that familiar mischief in her eyes. โBut donโt be scared if I end up being a bit too much for you.โ
โW-why would I be?โ Bob stammered, his gaze flicking up to meet hers for just a second. But the moment their eyes locked, hers bright with something dangerously close to sincerity, he straightened up like heโd been shocked. Fist near his mouth, he gave a little cough, a pitiful attempt to mask the heat blooming across his face and the unmistakable flutter he couldnโt quite push down.
The air between them held a new weight nowโlight, but real. Like something had shifted. Like something had just begun.
The mood shattered like glass at the sound of a chair scraping sharply against the floor, the target had stood up. Yelenaโs focus snapped instantly to his path of movement.
โHold still. We wait until he steps outside, then follow,โ she murmured, barely moving her lips as she leaned slightly toward Bob. Her tone was calm, but edged with tension.
Bob gave a firm nod, his brows drawn together in concentration as he tracked the manโs every move. Only once the target disappeared past the cafรฉ doors did he rise from his seat and follow Yelenaโs lead.
โLetโs go,โ she said crisply. Together, they stepped outside, their pace measured, neither too fast nor too slow, keeping just enough distance to stay unnoticed, yet close enough not to lose sight of him.
But at the second corner, the man abruptly stopped. To any passerby, he looked like he was waiting at the crosswalk. But Yelenaโs eyes narrowed, she caught the subtle flicker in his gaze, the way it swept over the street, windows and reflections. A paranoid man. A professional. He was checking if someone was tailing him.
And just as his eyes began to drift dangerously close to where they stood partially concealed behind a parked car, Yelenaโs hand moved.
Without thinking, she reached out and took Bobโs.
Their palms touched, first a fleeting press, then a firmer clasp. Fingers laced together in one quiet, urgent motion.
She didnโt look at him. Didnโt need to.
But Bob could feel the heat of her skin, a warmth that mirrored the quiet thunder of his own heart.
And even though the world around them was all edges and tension, in that fleeting, silent moment of contact, something in him softened.
โHoney, where was that boutique I mentioned last time?โ Yelena leaned in close to Bobโs cheek, her voice noticeably higher and sweeter than usual.
Bob blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden proximity of her striking eyes. It wasnโt until he felt the subtle squeeze of her hand in his that he snapped out of his daze.
He cleared his throat and mimicked her tone as best he could, โOh, darling, it was on Fifth Avenue, the one with the pink window display. Didnโt you have your eye on a pair of heels?โ
โOh yes! Silly me! What would I do without you?โ Yelena fluttered her lashes at him with a playful wink, catching the faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.
When the light turned green, they resumed their walk, picking up pace behind their target, but their hands, now entwined, never let go.
As they walked, they arrived at the subway station. The target remained unnervingly alert, glancing over his shoulder now and then. Bob kept his head down, pretending to look at his phone, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man turning back toward them from the top of the escalatorโ
โDonโt move,โ Yelena whispered.
Before Bob could react, she rose on her toes, hooked her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
His eyes widened, his mind went completely blank, and even his breath caught for a moment. Just as expected, the target frowned slightly at the sight, then looked away and didnโt glance back again.
Yelenaโs lips were impossibly soft, though her movement was swift and deliberate. Once she was certain the man had turned away, she released him gently and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, disturbed by the wind.
โA kiss diverts attention. Basic spycraft,โ she said coolly. โYou really shouldโve learned that by now.โ
Bob was still frozen in place, the tips of his ears flushed red, and even his breath held a nervous tremor. โโฆI-Iโm not really good at this kind of fieldwork,โ he mumbled.
Yelena lowered her gaze to hide a smile. โThen Iโll just have to teach you more, Bob.โ
She had, of course, felt the way her heart had stumbled out of rhythm after that kiss, the way her breath caught for a beat, but she didnโt show it. She simply let that fleeting spark linger, quietly curling at the corners of her lips.
โLetโs go. Heโs getting on,โ Yelena said as she tugged on Bobโs sleeve, pulling the still-dazed man along and half-guiding, half-shoving him onto the subway.
The carriage was crowded. With a quick sweep of her eyes, Yelena maneuvered into a corner with practiced ease and, in one fluid motion, drew Bobโs arm around her. His hand grasped the pole beside the door, naturally encircling her within his arms.
There were only a few centimeters between them. As the train swayed gently, Bob stood stiff as a board, unsure of where to look. Yelena, on the other hand, leaned against him like it was the most natural thing in the world. She even gave a small tug at his hoodie, quietly telling him to relax.
Truthfully, she was also concentrating on keeping her breathing steady. She was acutely aware of how close they were, close enough to catch the subtle scent clinging to his sweatshirt, but she kept telling herself to stay composed.
Bob, however, was anything but composed. He forced himself to keep his gaze forward, but his eyes kept straying toward her, stealing glances at the curve of her lashes and the soft, lovely contours of her cheek under the trainโs lights. His throat felt dry, his Adamโs apple bobbed with every swallow, and his heartbeat was all over the place.
Just as the tension in him was reaching a boiling point, the subway announcement sounded, calling out the next station. Yelenaโs eyes flicked toward the distant figure of the target. After a few seconds, she spoke softly.
โHeโs transferring.โ
Bob froze. โWhโWeโre not following him?โ
Yelena looked up at him with a grin, eyes glinting with mischief. โNo need. Observation ended a while ago.โ
He blinked, still catching up. โWh-When did it end?โ
โThe moment he entered the subway station.โ She lifted her chin casually, as if she were commenting on the weather.
Bob stood there, lips slightly parted, the last few minutes replaying rapidly in his head. He opened his mouth, voice stumbling over the words. โThenโthenโฆ the thing on the escalatorโฆ when you kissed meโฆ?โ
Yelena tilted her head up at him, the smile on her lips almost impossible to hide. She leaned in slowly, close enough that her breath brushed against the shell of his ear as she lowered her voice like she was sharing a secret. โTactical decision. People instinctively look away when they see a couple kissing.โ
She paused, then added in a murmur, โBut it wasnโt entirely for the mission.โ
The warmth of her breath against his skin made Bobโs entire face flush crimson. And Yelena, looking thoroughly pleased with herself, gave him a sly wink.
โLetโs just call it a one-on-one masterclass with your top-tier spy instructor.โ
Before he could even process what sheโd just said, Yelena suddenly grabbed his hand and darted through the crowd. In the final second before the subway doors slid shut, she tugged him out of the car with her. A gust of cold wind rushed past as the train sped away, leaving them standing on the empty platform.
She let go of his hand, spun lightly in front of him, a small celebratory twirl like she was commemorating the missionโs success. Then she reached out and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
โCongrats, rookie. You passed your first lesson.โ
With that, she left him with a smile and turned toward the exit, her steps light and sure, like every secret of the city lay tucked into her palms.
And Bob, still standing there, could only replay the past hour in his mind, every glance, every touch, that unexpected kiss. What he didnโt realize yet was that he had already started to step into her world, becoming the one exception she never meant to makeโฆ but couldnโt help.
Hello everyone, this is a translation of my own work. The original was written in Chinese, and since I am not a native English speaker, I hope the translation isnโt too difficult to understand. I hope you enjoy my work โค๏ธ
