All the Colors of Earth (Natasha Romanoff)

1.3

Over The next month I did all I could to get rid of Romanoff. Even though she was hardly ever in the room except to sleep, it was still annoying to have to share. Especially since she snores. Thankfully it wasn't loud chainsaw snores, but soft ones. It still made it hard to sleep because with every sound Romanoff made, the echos bounced around my head painting a picture of the room.

The only upside was that it wasn't a bad picture.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, Romanoff was rather beautiful when she was asleep. So I guess deep down I didn't mind as much as I thought when her small snores brought me images of her. I also hated to admit that I'd been watching her more then I'd like. I wish I could play it off as trying to learn her weaknesses so I could get rid of her easier, but I'd be lying.

Not that I'd ever tell her or anyone that. I still wanted her gone, but something about her made me not try as hard as I had with the others.

Since our first fight in the ring I had enlisted Wanda to help me train with my ears plugged. I never realized just how much I relied on the echos to fight, and it was annoying to have to learn how to fight all over again. If Romanoff noticed my extra early departures, she never acknowledged it.

In fact we hadn't said a word to each other since our first fight.

But the twins talked about her all the time. We were in a bookshop in town when Wanda brought her up. "So," she started uncertainly, "Agent Romanoff."

Not looking up from the book in my hand I answer, "what about her?"

"She's still in your room."

Sighing I snap the book closed, "unfortunately, yes." Placing it back on the shelf i trail my fingers lightly down the spines as I go to another shelf.

"Why is that?" Wanda asked as she follows me.

"She's tougher then the others." And she was was but I wasn't exactly trying my hardest either. Wanda tapped her fingers on the books, her rings clinking softly. She only ever got to wear them on the free days and her fingers were covered in them. And she only tapped her fingers when there was something she wanted to say but didn't know how. "Spit it out."

"What?"

My Irritation spiked and I turned to her, "the thing you want to say. Spit it out."

"Ok well, you know how I can read minds?"

"Unfortunately."

"Well, I may or may not have heard something, entirely on accident, one day when you were talking about her," she said hurriedly.

I swear I could feel my entire soul sink at that. "What did you hear?" I ask her slowly, and none too nicely.

She looked around nervously before answering, "uhhh just that you, maybe, kinda like her."

"That I like her?" I repeated, my voice going dangerously low making the shelves rumble slightly. Suddenly there was a woosh of wind and we were standing in the field by the compound. Looking over at the twins I yell, "what the hell P?"

"You were making the shop move," he said.

I scoff slightly, "that wasn't anything more then a shiver."

"Your shiver toppled a shelf," Wanda told me.

Shit, had it? "Sorry," I say, feeling like all my energy had left me. I turn towards the compound and take a few steps, stopping when I hear them start to follow. "It's ok guys, I need some time. Enjoy the rest of the day." I started moving again and this time they didn't follow me.