Guardian

"We protect each other." –Clint & Natasha

"I can't believe you fell into that." Natasha shook her head with a soft smile.

"You would have done the same thing." Clint teased, knowing her better than anyone, and nudged her.

Natasha side stepped to catch balance from being bumped and huffed a solitary laugh.

Clint caught her by the far shoulder when she staggered from his push and chuckled, "Sorry."

"No you're not." She gave him a crooked smile, knowing him better than anyone, and pushed away from him so he dropped his arm back to his side.

"At least we're alive." He smiled a little wider and spun on one foot before straightening out to keep pace with her.

She tried not to laugh at the light display and dipped her chin with the effort, "Sure. Barely."

"So we're bloodied up. What's new?" He stared at her with easy eyes.

She looked out the corner of her eyes over at his eyes looking at her. Then she looked away, her smile unfading but something buried in the expression.

"Are you okay?" Clint stepped in front of her, walking backwards a few steps to stop her smoothly.

"Better than you." She glanced at his eyes to draw attention to where her gaze went next.

He looked down at the gash on his right side still bleeding and leaving a trail off his shoe. He shrugged, "Can't really feel it yet."

She shook her head and put her hand on his chest, starting to walk again, "Let's just get you to Bruce. You need patched up before that gets too much worse."

He chuckled again at the uncomfortable pressure on his bruised left pectoral and turned to walk even with her again. After a brief silence, he looked at her again, almost shyly, "Thanks for saving me, Tash."

"Of course. What else am I good for?" She winked at him and made him smile again; she was good at that.

"Really, though. I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble this time." Clint looked back ahead of himself, chin held a little higher.

"I'm just surprised that even being male you're willing to admit when you had to have a girl save your ass." Natasha grinned.

"You're not a girl." Clint nearly looked confused and slightly playful. "Not to me."

Natasha rolled her eyes, "A woman, then."

"Well there's that." Clint smirked at the sky, at his idea of what she really was to him, his eyes full of life and a sense of being whole just standing beside her.

She stopped to look at him funny and he stopped a few steps ahead and turned to acknowledge the delay.

"What?"

"'That'?" She quirked a brow at him again.

"Yup. There's that." Clint smiled only a little, holding back for the perfect moment to share with her what she was to him.

"Then what am I to you?" Natasha folded her arms, her face now very confused.

"Bad ass." He couldn't resist the humor in his face anymore.

She laughed. "Hell ya."