Number Neighbors- Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Chapter 25

"Maybe we should give her some time?" You pick up on what she's saying immediately. Realizing she might not be talking about Nat. You only manage a small nod as you slump further into the couch and start eating your ice cream.

"Can we put something on?" Your friend nods and turns the TV on and you're grateful for the temporary distraction but you know the second she leaves you'll probably send Nat another voicemail.

The silence allows you ample time to give in to your anxiety, realizing you don't know as much as you probably should about Nat. You don't know her last name, if she has any siblings, what she does for a living. For all you know, she could be a contract assassin, it would make sense why she disappeared all the time.

You had no idea who you'd been talking to and now that you'd grown an attachment to her she ghosted you. Had that been her plan the whole time? Was this some kind of game to her? Did she even really care about you? Your thoughts swirl and grow into a ball of anxiety and paranoia and you stare blankly at the TV as the cold of the metal spoon presses into your tongue.

~~

Nat lays on the cold pullout couch of her trailer and stares at the ceiling for what feels like days. It's all she can bring herself to do when she's not busying herself with other distractions. When she doesn't distract herself her mind wanders to you.

She promised she'd never make you cry. Her heart squeezes at the thoughts that must be running through your head. She'd had to leave her phone behind at the tower but she'd gotten a glimpse of your worried messages while she was packing. She felt horrible to leave you without an explanation but how would you believe her if she told you over text?

She planned to tell you everything when you met but now she wouldn't get the chance. And all because of the stupid government treaty Stark wanted them to sign. It made her impossibly angry just thinking about Thursday evening.

*The Avengers had all gathered in the meeting room, except Peter who was taking tests at school that he didn't want to miss. The room was tense as Tony flipped through pictures and videos of the destruction their fights often led to, only stopping when Steve told him to. Nat could understand where Tony was coming from, she understood that the wreck that became the city was distressing but if it meant lives were saved wasn't it worth it?

She refused to be under anyone's control ever again now that she had her freedom. She wasn't going to be put on a leash. They already complied with all of the publicity stunts and interviews the government made them do but now they wanted to control their lives? What were they going to do next tell her how to breathe?

Not to mention she didn't want them getting involved in her relationships. She couldn't have them knowing about you- controlling you. She wouldn't let them take you from her. She smiled at the thought of you, glancing at her phone to see your good luck message.

"Well you can tell them your opinions face to face" Natasha's head snaps up at Tony's words and Bucky fixes him with a suspicious glare

"You better not be saying what I think you are Stark" He seeths out and Tony just shrugs, checking his watch

"They'll be here in a few hours, I already agreed to sign it" The room erupts in a flurry of outrage. Wanda is the first to leave, scoffing as she pushes out of her chair and makes her way to the meeting room door. Vision follows after her, worry evident on his features.

Steve is still arguing with Tony trying to reason with him but it seems like it's falling on deaf ears and Nat watches as her family begins crumbling in front of her eyes. She stays stoically silent, unsure of what to say to stop the fighting that's only getting worse. Bucky looks half ready to sock Tony in the face and she wouldn't fault him for it but she doesn't want violence to break out nonetheless.

"They backed me into a corner! We don't have any other options! We don't know what they'll do to us if we don't agree!" She can hear the desperation in Stark's voice; the fear. A man who was always trying to prevent what could happen so much that he became oblivious to what was happening.

"We don't know what they'll do to us if we do!" It's the last thing Bucky says before he storms out of the room, Steve following not soon after. Tony looks to Bruce but he only solemnly shakes his head, sitting quietly in his chair as he tries to think of another solution.

Stark tries to reason with Nat but she just sighs. She doesn't know how to solve this yet but she'll figure out a solution. For now, she needs to do what she assumes the rest of her family is doing: Pack and find a place to hide out for a while. She'd seen what the government does to powerful people they don't trust- she'd been part of some of those missions. She knows it's in their best interest not to stick around unless they want to be thrown onto The Raft until they agree to sign their lives away.*

That's how she ended up here, in the middle of nowhere, cold and alone. She'd had to leave her phone behind so that she couldn't be tracked and that meant she couldn't text you. She briefly considered texting you from a burner phone, she had your number memorized but she didn't want to freak you out and she was worried about how you'd react.

She didn't want to have to tell you the truth over the phone, and what were the chances of you believing it was her? Most of all she was terrified that you'd be angry, that you'd tell her you never wanted to hear from her again. You would be justified in that response but she wasn't ready to face that just yet. So she busied herself with concocting any possible ways to get her family safe and back together again. 

A/n: Sorry for the late chapters I've been rewriting them until they feel good enough to put out. (Also yes this is based on Civil War but it doesn't follow the same outcome)~ Starry