The Mimic

175

"Hey! I said no powers!"

Y/n and Natasha were the only two people in the dim training room. The sound of heavy breathing and shuffling of feet echoed throughout the open space. They were the only two people awake. The light of the moon seeped in through the window, creating a cold but calm atmosphere - a complete contrast to what was actually going on.

Their shadows danced gracefully in the light of the moon, flitting from place to place with a feather-like ease. At first glance, it looked like the pair were doing some type of contemporary dance, but they weren't. They were fighting. Complete hand-to-hand combat, no weapons, no powers (well, sometimes some powers). It was aggressive, but it flowed. Every attack had a block, and every block had a counter.

"Oh, so I was supposed to let you choke me out?" Y/n teased with a breathy laugh. She had used her powers to teleport out of Natasha's chokehold. She didn't teleport far, but far enough to break the flow and lead to them both standing still, waiting for the other to make the first attack. Visible clouds puffed out of y/n's mouth with every heavy breath, but they were both far too hot to realise how cold the room actually was.

A glistening sheen of sweat coated both of their faces as they stood opposite one another. One on one side of the large mat in the centre of the room, and one on the other. As much as they wouldn't admit it, the usage of y/n's powers gave them a needed break. They were both so, so out of breath. Every muscle ached from the constant movement, and the tiny bruises and cuts that littered them just seemed to be amplified by the cool light of the moon.

The training sessions that they shared together were never light. They always went full-out, and that was what the pair adored about them. It was gritty, aggressive, and horrible, but they weren't angry at one another. Hell, the amount of times that Natasha had smiled at y/n whilst kicking her in the gut was almost comical. Every training session was an outlet. An outlet for their frustrations with the world. An outlet for the crazy things going on in their minds.

Natasha shrugged with a laugh. She pushed her messed-up hair out of her face using the back of her hand, the other resting on her hip in an exhausted way. "We were both taught on how to get out of chokeholds. You didn't need your powers. Or are you finally going to admit that I'm better than you?" Nat teased with raised eyebrows. She strolled toward one of the many benches in the room, tossing a towel and a water bottle in y/n's direction.

Y/n gasped as she caught the towel and the water bottle. "You see, I'd admit that, but I don't like lying." She teased, her voice muffled by the towel pressed against her face. She patted as much sweat as she possibly could off of her face before she set it over her shoulder, beginning to stroll toward Nat so she could join her on the bench. "You're just jealous that I have an advantage over you." She hummed casually, earning a dramatic scoff from Natasha.

"The only person I'm jealous of is Steve. How the hell is he able to have a better ass than me?"

*****

"Y/n?" A voice called out, but it didn't seem like y/n had heard it.

She was sat on one of the benches in the training room - the exact bench that her and Natasha used to always sit on, except this time she was alone.

If it wasn't for the fluorescent, medical-like lighting that plagued every hall in the compound, y/n would've been sat in the dark. There were no lights on, and the windows had been covered over with curtains. The mat in the centre of the room was covered in a thick layer of dust - just like a lot of the things in the compound. It felt more like an abandoned building than it did a home.