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Did you break but never mend? Did it hurt so much you thought it was the end?
. . .
She tries to ignore her pounding heart.
Natasha sneaks her way into the empty living quarters of the compound. She doesn't allow herself to dwell on the hollowness spreading through her. It feels so empty without everyone else here.
She stops by her room first. Quickly grabbing the bag she stores in her closet for this specific occasion. She grabs her hidden weapons, and the personal items she can't bring herself to leave behind. Her favorite pair of pointe shoes, Lila's drawings, and a couple of photos she had collected throughout the years. She grabs another bag from under her bed, one stuffed with cash, so she won't have to risk stopping at any ATMs.
After she gets down, she heads towards the door, but pauses as she catches sight of the bed. The bed they used to cuddle on after nightmares. She sighs, as her fingers trace over the notebook on the nightstand.
It's an unfinished sketch of herself. Her red hair is flowing over her face, and she is clearly asleep. It looks like he has just started drawing the blanket covering her body, the gray fluffy one Clint gave to her during her first year with SHIELD at Christmas.
Natasha tries to ignore the burning in her eyes, as she grabs the book off the nightstand. Her gaze falls to the chair beside her desk, noticing the item that doesn't fit in with the rest. He's left his navy blue hoodie hanging on the side of her chair. She grabs it carefully with her free hand, bringing it up to her face.
God, she misses him.
Natasha doesn't know if she's ever going to be able to see him again. What if she never sees him again? She tries not to let her thoughts flow that way, but it stings in a way she's never felt before. Is this their endgame, all summed up as a pitiful story?
Natasha shakes her head, throwing the hoodie in her bag, before placing the sketchbook on top. She turns around, throwing her bag over her shoulder, before she flips off the lights. The redhead makes it to the garage quickly, making a mental note to hack into Friday and delete all the footage of herself. She places her bag in the back seat of the car, the same car she removed all trackers from, as she mentally catalogs the number of safe houses near.
