Natasha Romanoff sat curled up on one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s many standard issue couches. She had a blanket pulled tightly around her with a pillow held tightly in her hands. She was staring avidly at a screen, where security footage was displayed. There were noises coming from the room beside her, but she didn't seem to care or even notice it.
Suddenly, Clint Barton walked in, wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s logo printed across them. He plopped down on a couch beside Natasha, offering her the bowl of popcorn while his eyes went to the screen. A man was running from some chick with glowing red skin who seemed quite intent on killing him.
Natasha dug her hand into the bowl, still not tearing her eyes away. The two agents sat there, munching on their popcorn, studying the screen with rapt interest. At one point, one of the glowing red bad guys captured a little kid, and it looked like the man was going to have to give in, when Clint finally spoke up.
"Shouldn't we, uh, I don't know, help him?"
Natasha, still not looking away, smiled.
"Nah, this is getting too good. He's Tony, he'll figure it out. Hopefully."
Clint shrugged, but didn't question it any further. They sat quietly, watching the security feed of the events happening in Rose hill, Tennessee.
"Shouldn't we, you know, help him? He is part of the team you know."
"Nah, we did the same thing with you, Tony. And you turned out fine."
Tony turned to the man sitting beside him wearing purple sunglasses.
"Seriously? You just sat here and watched me? I could have used some help you know!"
Natasha rolled her eyes, while Bruce and Clint snickered.
"He was pretty traumatized though," said Bruce.
Natasha just shook her head.
"You were fine. You're alive, aren't you? Now shut up, because according to the security feed, Thor and his weird little group of scientists are heading to Greenwich."
Clint turned on the T.V. and sure enough, their blonde headed buddy came into view as Bruce secured the feed. They watched as a giant alien ship came moving onto the screen, and Tony rubbed his hands together and muttered, "This should be good."
Bruce, however, looked slightly wary.
"Really guys, I seriously think we should help-"
"Bruce, chill. He'll handle it. It'll be alright. Now Tasha, pass me the popcorn."
"Shouldn't we call Steve and get his opinion on this-"
"Nahh, last I heard, he was heading into the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so he probably won't resurface until tomorrow, which then S.H.I.E.L.D. will have cleaned it all up. Relax, Brucey. This'll be fun."
"Let me GO guys. We need to go help them! Come on! Natasha is in trouble!"
Bruce looked slightly uncomfortable, but Tony just smiled as he tightened Clint's restraints. He struggled as much as he could against them, but Thor just placed his hammer on top of Clint's chest.
"Sorry, man of Hawk's Eyes, but this feed is most amusing. It is like a movie, but live!"
Clint snarled.
"You do understand that as you see our fellow teammates get injured on the screen, they're getting hurt in real life? So, say if Natasha were to get shot. She would actually be getting shot in real life."
Thor looked slightly confused, and turned to Tony.
"But Man of Iron said they would not be harmed, yes?"
Tony shrugged, but said "Oh no Thor, they'll be fine!"
"Uh, guys?" Bruce said over the chattering group. "Fury's been shot."
They all turned to the screen, and watched as Steve pulled Director Fury out of harm's way. Clint yelled bloody murder as the doctor confirmed Fury's death, and as Natasha said goodbye with tears in her eyes. They were all silent, thoroughly shocked at the events.
"Should we go help now?" said Bruce over Clint's sobs.
Tony looked around at the group, then shook his head.
"We wouldn't be able to get there in time to help. We're at least a day away."
"Then we leave now," said Clint, finally calming himself down enough to speak.
Bruce and Tony looked at each other in agreement. They had to help their fellow teammates.
"You still have a visual on them, Clint?" asked Tony from across the isle.
They had been able to secure a private jet, courtesy of Stark, to fly them all the way across the country to Washington D.C.
"Yeah, they're trying to get to New Jersey."
There was a harshness in his voice that Tony had never heard before, and he looked quizzically at the archer.
"You alright there Barton?"
Clint nodded, but his face was stone cold.
"Bruce?"
Tony turned to the scientist who was trying to hold back a laugh.
"Uh, Romanoff, well-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT BRUCE."
"What? What happened?"
"Romanoff, kissed Rodgers."
Silence, then-
"HAHAHAHAHA OH MY GOD YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! OHH!"
Tony screamed with delight for the next thirty minutes, before Bruce was able to explain that it hadn't been for real, just as a cover to get away. Still, Tony still had tears in his eyes when something clicked.
"Wait, Barton, why would that make you upset? Unless... YOU LIKE HER?"
He laughed for another thirty minutes. Barton went slightly red, but he wouldn't deny Tony's claim. Bruce noticed, and zoomed in on the footage he was watching.
"Hey, Tony? Rodgers and Romanoff are in New Jersey, at some old military base, would you like me to change course? Oh, and you might want to see this."
He zoomed in on a silver arrow chained around Natasha's neck. Tony took one glance, then turned to Clint with a devilish grin.
"The spider and the hawk..."
Clint stood up, hurled a glass at Tony with deadly accuracy, then left the room to find Thor.
"Touchy, isn't he? Sure, Bruce, reroute the plane. It'll take us even longer now, but we'll get there eventually."
"Hey, you mind dropping me off at Stark tower? It's nothing personal, it's just that I don't really feel up to uh, hulking out, if you know what I mean."
Tony thought for a moment, then laughed.
"Sure, in fact, I think I'll come with you. Thunder god and Bird Brain can handle it, right?"
He had a glint in his eye that Bruce wasn't too sure about.
Natasha walked briskly from the press room, glad to be out of there. She had to go hand off a file to Steve, and then she was free to go find Clint. She was surprised that he hadn't called her, but then again, she wasn't sure if he had been watching the security footage.
As she left the building, someone shoved her up against a wall. Her immediate reaction was to defend herself and attack this person, but they wrapped her in an air tight hug that left her gasping for a breath. When Clint finally released her, she was almost in tears. After everything, he was here, safe, and completely aware that she wasn't feeling so good. They held hands as they walked to her car.
Natasha handed Steve the file, gave him a fair warning, and was just about to walk away, when Tony, Bruce, Thor, and Clint walked up. She cursed, for she had told Clint to stay in the car.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the dream team. Been wondering when I'd see you guys. Rodgers has been telling me that you all are pretty protective when it comes to your team. Romanoff on the other hand..." Sam Wilson gave Natasha a look, which she returned with an icy glare.
"Tony Stark. This is Thor, Bruce Banner, and Clint Barton. Romanoff's boyfriend."
All eyes went to Natasha and Clint, who were subtly trying to sneak away. They stopped dead in their tracks, and looked up at the group. Steve's mouth hung open, as well as Sam's. Thor was wondering why everyone looked so shocked. Tony had a smug look on his face, while Bruce looked like he was about to punch him.
Sam coughed, trying to break the tension.
"So, uh, you guys want to go get some lunch?"
It was too late. All hell broke loose.
Romanoff lunged at Tony, Clint held her back, Steve turned to yell at Bruce, who argued back, while Thor became confused and tried to break apart Clint from Tony, who had gotten Romanoff off of the billionaire so that he could have a go at him.
"Hey! HEY!" Director Fury stared at them all from behind his shades. Everyone took one glance at him, then continued their bickering. Sam jumped in to help Thor, for now Natasha had jumped in to help Clint.
"HEY. AVENGERS. SHUT THE HELL UP."
That time, everyone separated and stood up, looking around. Tony was nursing a bloody nose and bruised face, Thor's eye was slowly turning black, and Sam had a gash on his cheek that was bleeding steadily. Natasha and Clint were just slightly out of breath.
"I was just on my way out of the cemetery when I heard your familiar voices yelling bloody murder. Now let me live my death in peace, you flipping idiots! If I have to come back here, you'll all be detained until I leave the country, okay? Now SHUT. UP."
He glared at them through his glasses, turned on his heel, then walked away.
Sam rubbed his cheek, then turned to the Avengers.
"So, ya'll still want lunch? I'm gonna regret this, but I'll buy. I mean, if you all, you know, eat food."
Tony looked around at the group, then nodded, and clapped his hand on Sam's shoulder.
"You know any good shawarma restaurants?"
The group slowly walked away, chattering about the events of the past few days. HYDRA could wait another day.