Letting myself into Natasha's floor, I noticed that she didn't seem to be there. I peeked into the bedroom and saw her sleeping form curled up to a small black cat. I smiled to myself. After the grueling mission we just completed, she needed the sleep. Actually, she needed the sleep all the time. Out of the 10 of us, she probably slept the least.
My eyes travelled down her stretches out body, and stopped at her slightly exposed mid-drift. She looked impossibly thin. Ribs were visible through the fabric of her tank top. I know she was petite, but never this skinny.
I curled around the foot of the bed, and sat on the edge, putting my hand on her abdomen. "Tasha." I said, slightly waking her. Her eyes snapped open, and she began to defend herself. I avoided the open hand sent in my chin's direction. Swiftly, but gently, I grabbed both of her wrists and pulled them towards me, until they were flat against my chest and her face was inches from mine.
"You're okay Tasha. It's me."
She seemed to stop struggling against me at the sound of my voice. I let her wrists go and she relaxed visibly.
"Hey," she breathed.
I looked at her with concern. "Have you been eating?" My voice was low.
She furrowed her brow. "Yeah." Her voice was dismissive.
"Natasha. Do not lie to me." My voice was stern. "When was the last time you ate?"
She looked away from me. "We had spaghetti."
I shook my head and made a noise. "That was THREE DAYS AGO Tash!" My voice raised a bit, though not enough to be considered yelling.
She kept her head down. "It's fine Clint. I've gone longer." My heart broke. She was talking about the terror she went through in the Red Room. Apparently starvation was a tactic they used to "train". Through talks with Natasha throughout the few months we knew each other, I had learned more than I could swallow about the Red Room and it's ruthless workers.
I dropped my voice. "Come on Tasha. Please come eat with me."
I took her hand and led her out to the kitchen with me. Placing a plate of scrambled eggs and a bagel in front of her, I kissed her forehead and left her to eat. Hopefully one day, I thought sadly, I would be able to break the terrible habits the torturers ingrained in her mind.