HUMAN CONDITION | ❝There's bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway.❞
PRE-CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER | NATASHA ROMANOFF
A HERO OF HEROES BOOK
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THE GOODBYE'S WENT AS WELL AS COULD BE EXPECTED. Fury had told him to be ready by nine in the morning, meaning that everyone in the complex had pulled themselves out of bed, some struggling far worse than others, huddling together to say goodbye to Terran, all of them waking up enough to be present when they said their own personal goodbye, accepting the tight hugs he always gave, wishing him well, but to come back soon.
It had taken him about an hour to say goodbye to everyone, people shuffling in and out of the foyer, some waking up later than others, some unable to stay awake after they said goodbye, and he couldn't blame any of them.
"Bring back a souvenir," one of the tenants said, accepting the bear hug, and Terran wondered if he should get a souvenir for all his tenants when there was a tap on his shoulder.
"They're almost here, I think," Janelle said, showing him the time on her phone, and he nodded, turning back around to make sure he didn't miss anyone; at least, no one who lived in the building itself.
It wasn't as if the people in the building were a family—they hardly spoke most of the time, and Terran had to imagine each apartment door in order to remember the names of most of them—but they saw each other every day and had a vested interest in staying alive, so that came with a certain amount of attachment.
"We can wait outside," Terran said, picking up the suitcase he had packed, "Good thing they're coming early or else it'd be harder for the mirage to get people to just keep on walking."
"This isn't that early," Janelle pointed out, but Terran waved her off, opening the door and stepping out onto the sidewalk.
He shivered as his breath fogged up, wrapping his jacket around him. It hadn't snowed in the past week, so at least there wasn't sludge, but standing around and waiting wasn't necessarily enjoyable, though it beat sneakily checking his phone for messages while saying goodbye to everyone like he had been the entire time he was in the building.
He could feel his hands numbing up even in his pockets, and if he didn't care as much, he would've been overjoyed to see black van with tinted windows making its way down the street. But, unfortunately, he did care, and he could only curse, checking his phone again, frowning at the lack of messages.
"There they are..." Janelle began, squeezing his arm, but Terran caught her hand before she could pull away.
"I'm not leaving yet," he said, squeezing back before picking up his suitcase and walking over to where Fury was climbing out.
"I thought there'd be more people," he commented, motioning from Terran's suitcase to the trunk, opening it for him.
"They're all inside," he explained, craning his neck to try and see if there was anyone else inside the van, "Figured it'd be easier on the defenses if we don't all crowd on the sidewalk. But you know never know."
Fury gave a non-committal hum, and Terran realized the man hadn't actually cared for a response, and he was glad that the cold helped to mask the embarrassed pink of his cheeks. He raised his hands to his mouth to warm them up, looking down the sidewalk.
