The team sat around a table, the surface piled high with discarded wrappers and yet to be eaten food. They gladly welcomed the quiet, relaxed feel to the Shawarma place. There wasn't much talking; after the events that had just occurred, they preferred to sit in silence, left to their own thoughts. But they all knew at some stage they would have to address the matters that had been bought to light that day. Tony was the first to speak, bringing up a matter that was probably not high on the list of importance, but certainly was a question on most of the team's minds.
"What happened in Budapest?" He asked, shoving another mouthful of burger into his mouth. The rest of the team averted their gazes, but both Clint and Natasha looked towards Tony, confused as to how he could know about the unspoken about event. "You do realize all our coms were connected right? We could hear everything you spoke about," Tony explained, tapping his ear lightly.
"Including your incessant chattering with Jarvis," Steve directed to Tony, the shadow of a smile on his face.
"At least I don't have to wear your suit," Stark retaliated, a genuine smile on his face so Steve would know he was joking. His face lit up when he mentioned the suit, and he spun around again to face Natasha. "Is that what happened? You ran around shooting the bad guys in your tight black leather suit, while Clint covered your back? Or were you trying to kill him? Please tell me you were trying to kill him," Tony directed at her. Natasha let out a smile, while Clint's face stayed emotionless.
"First option is about right," she replied, causing the group of people around her to laugh, Thor's booming laugh easily heard over the rest.
"You humans amuse me," Thor spoke through a mouthful of food, thumping Tony hard on the back, trying to be friendly.
"She died," Clint said, cutting through the laughter and causing the table to descend into silence. "That's what happened in Budapest. She died," he repeated, averting his gaze from Natasha's. He pushed his chair away from the table hard, ignoring it when it toppled over and hit the ground with a thump and leaving the small food joint.
"Well done Tony. That went well," Bruce said, sighing at the man's stupidity.
"You're an idiot, Tony," Natasha hissed at him, her mood having changed rapidly, before walking out to chase after Clint.
When she finally caught up to him at a small park at the end of the street, she didn't say anything, deciding to stay silent and hear what he had to say first.
"How do you remember Budapest, then?" He asked, his voice quiet, keeping his gaze anywhere but directed at her.
"Still differently to you, apparently," she joked, before closing her eyes, a light smile on her face.
It was one of her earlier missions with Clint, and the pair was still familiarizing themselves with each other's working patterns. S.H.I.E.L.D had tasked them with retrieving a disk that had been stolen from within the agency earlier that week, a disk that according to Fury contained information that could cause another war if it got into the wrong hands. She didn't question the importance of the disk; she was given a task, and she would complete that task no matter what.
"I'm going to need an extraction. I've got the disk and I'm heading out," Natasha spoke into her earpiece, stealthily making her way through the many passages that lined the ground floor of the building. "I'm going to have company very soon," she added upon hearing light footsteps nearby.
"What's your location?" Clint asked, not as quick as Natasha expected, which made her think that he had encountered trouble.
"Ground floor, north side," she replied. "You got trouble?"
"Not anymore," he responded, and Natasha heard a grunt through the earpiece. Coming to the door that led to the exit she peered through, taking a glance at the heavily guarded door that would lead out onto the street.
"ETA?" Natasha asked quietly in the empty room as she pulled her gun out of its holster, before storing the disk safely in a concealed pocket on her leg.
"30 seconds," Clint replied, and Natasha smiled.
"I'm holding you to that," she replied, before kicking open the door, gun at the ready. She let off a warning shot in the direction of the door before vaulting over a bench to her left, hoping to use the row of dividers for cover until Clint could arrive. But a lot can happen in thirty seconds.
The first round slammed into her thigh and she felt her leg collapse under her. Not wanting to give up, she kept on, clenching her teeth against the pain as she moved from divider to divider. The second one tore through her shoulder as she heard Clint shout out, and the sound of shouting and more shots being fired. A third round went through her side, and she shuddered painfully. She heard Clint swear in her ear, and even though all she could feel was pain, she never loosened her grip on her gun. She felt strong arms embrace her, and Clint telling her to stay awake is the last thing she remembers before she blacked out.
She woke up after two weeks in a coma to be told that her heart had stopped a total of four times. To the doctors, she was a miracle patient. She should have died, everyone kept telling her she should have died. And yet, here she was today. Natasha glanced over at Clint who still hadn't said a word.
"That was one of our first missions together," she reminded him, watching a small smile become evident on his face for less than a second before it vanished and his face was stony once again.
"I almost lost you, Tash. You ran headlong into the line of fire. You could have died," Clint whispered, a pained look on his face.
"I knew that you would be there to help me. I felt something with you. I trusted you from the beginning. And because of that, I didn't even think before stepping out from behind that door," she explained simply.
"Because you're insane and rash when it comes to making informed decisions?" Clint offered.
"No. I knew that you would be there to save me."
Clint got what she meant now. He understood the feeling of not knowing someone for long, but trusting them with your life. He was part of a team now, a team full of people who wouldn't hesitate to put themselves in danger if it meant saving him, or anyone from the team. And he knew he would be willing to help any of them. But he knew deep down that if it came to putting his life on the line in order to save someone, there is no one he would be more certain to do it for than Natasha.
"Thankyou. For trusting me," he whispered to her, placing his arm around her shoulders.
"Don't be such a sap," she grinned at him, ruffling his hair affectionately before standing up. Her only response was an annoyed glare at which she gladly smiled. She had her Clint back.
...
Since I posted this last night I have had some people (anonymous) claiming that I have copied this story from another girl who wrote a similar one shot. I read the story this morning as I was curious, and I do admit there are some similarities between mine and hers. The idea and some of the layout is similar, but I CANT have copied her as I had never read her story before. I know the idea is popular on other websites I read fanfiction on, but I swear this is all my original work. I came up with the idea after watching the avengers again over the weekend. Please do not give me hate or tell me to delete a story that is ALL my original work.