Breaking Free | Natasha x OC

Chapter Thirty-Four

"What is home if not the first place you learn to run from?"
____

A pouding of flesh on fabric. Again and again and again. The sound of panting and the sight of sweat and straining muscles. Gritted teeth and shaking limbs.

Steve watched as Natara went through the cycle. Presumably boxing before he saw her follow through with circuit and weight training.
This was after she'd run, like sprinting, for over eight kilometers. She did this every day, for hours, without fail.

The Avenger had lost weight and trained with a ferocity that could only be driven by desperation to lose oneself.

"Think you could spare the bag?" He asked, looking for the tape to cover his hands.

Natara paused, in a pushup position, sweat shining over her whole body and a few strands of red hair soaked against her temple. Her skin had darkened due to the hours she spent outdoors, exercising and running.
"Go ahead," She breathed, lowering her body down before pushing up, arms shaking with obvious exhaustion.

"Why don't you take a break?" Steve offered.

She knew what that meant. "I'm not having this conversation."

"Tara-"

"What?" She snapped, her voice harsh and angry. She pushed up again but this time stood up afterwards. Standing, she started heading to the next part of her circuit. "What," She repeated.

Steve looked at her with concern. "We're just worried about you. You're pushing yourself too hard-"

"And you aren't?" She asked, voice higher pitched with incredulity. "You say 'we' so I assume you mean yourself and Natasha. And what? You two aren't pushing yourself? You're off doing the Gods know what and we both know she hardly leaves that office. We're all busy. Okay? We're all going through shit." Walking forward and abandoning her training, Natara grabbed the tape and boxing gloves before shoving them into Steve's chest. "Don't project your problems onto me."

Steve let out a shallow sigh as she left. He looked at the gloves and tape in his hand and thought of the permanent bruising on her knuckles. She clearly wasn't using either of the two items.

He wished Nat and her could find a way to get through this together. They'd already lost everything and those two were lucky enough to still have each other. Yet they were more distant than he'd ever seen them.
Their eyes were dull and Tara sneered more than she smiled. Nat isolating more than she spoke.

It had been just over a month... but this would be the end of all of them.

____

"You don't use it anymore?"

Natara paused and looked over her shoulder, suddenly feeling a little awkward in Natasha's presence after so long of hardly speaking and being so busy with everything.

She looked away from the piano in front of them, turning her back on it entirely.

"No... I'm going to get it moved out actually. There's no need for it here."

Natasha nodded, swallowing in a way that let Tara know she felt awkward too. "Right... are you sure you want to get rid of it?"