Clint's POV
"C'mon Clint, it's been almost a month since Loki . . ." It sent a punch in my gut when she said his name. "What I mean is that I'm a big girl, Clint. I can take care of myself. You have got to stop worrying about me" she said as she continued to pack supplies into her duffle.
"I've always worried about you, Nat. I'll never stop. It's just that . . . I don't want to see you get hurt." I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the bag.
"Clint, you can't protect me from everything." Nat told me. "Look, I compromised with you. You have to return your end of the bargain. You said that if I take a break for a while, you would get off my back. It's been a month, Clint. I have to get back into the world. We have to get back into the world. Now, Fury has sent me on a mission. I have to get back out into the world." I embraced her tightly.
She unraveled herself from my arms and went back to packing. I sat on her bed and observed her. I realized I couldn't stop her from leaving due to her stubbornness and her duties to S.H.I.E.L.D.
I handed her ammo belt. She took it and looked at me with gratitude in her eyes. She stashed the belt in her duffle and sat next to me on the bed. I stared at the floor as she put her hand on my thigh.
"I'll make you a deal, Agent Barton." I lifted my head to acknowledge her. "I'll stay here at Stark Towers with you and the rest of the team, if you would let me live." I looked at her confused. "I'll stay here if you just stop trying to shield me from every little thing on this god forsaken planet."
"I can't promise that I will stop protecting you, because I can't. I care about you too much that guarding you has become a reflex."
"Then at least try. Try to trust me the same way you use to trust me, before Loki. Just try to trust that I can take care of myself out in the field. Please." I looked into her eyes and saw everything. I saw what my worries were doing to her. If I was worried, then she would worry about me more.
"Fine, Nat." I nodded at her. "But, once you get back from this mission, you move immediately into here." She nodded lightly with a smile.
We stayed in silence for a couple of minutes until Nat's phone rang. It was Fury. He was notifying her that the helicopter was waiting on the roof. She grabbed her duffle, hugged me goodbye, and departed from the room. She stopped right before she reached the door. She looked back at me and smiled. I smiled back and she headed for the roof.
Later in the evening, I went to the living room, grabbed a beer and went on my laptop. Just when I was enjoying the silence, Bruce, Tony, and Thor walked into the room.
"So, buddy, whatcha doing?" Tony asked annoyingly me. I replied with silence.