"We'll land and have to go right to the restaurant to catch him." Clint said. He looked over at Natasha sitting across the aisle on the SHIELD jet and they were being flown to India to take out a business man, Aakar Chetan.
Natasha nodded without looking up from her own file. "We need information out of him." She added.
"He'll have documents at his home." Clint said.
"I can just force it out of him after he leaves." She said and looked over at him.
"It would be easier if I just take him out after he leaves. You can sneak into his house and get the information that way."
"No, we'll both watch the restaurant, I'll take the front, you the back, when he comes out I'll lead him off and get information out of him quicker than going to his house. Then I'll take him out."
"Romanoff, he'll have men with him."
"I can get them. Or you can, if you really wanted to."
"Ok fine, this time, keep your comm. on, ok?" She nodded with a shrug as he sighed and looked out the window.
They walked together on the streets like normal people even though they didn't talk or get too close. A slight rain was making the sidewalk a little slippery but in a few minutes the rain stopped. When they reached the restaurant Aakar was in, they scouted out positions.
"I'll stay up there on the roof ok? You can watch the back, make sure he or any of his men don't get away." Natasha said.
Clint learned after a year of being paired together to just go along, she would just do it her way anyways. He nodded and sighed before watching her go. He slipped around back and hoped she wouldn't do anything to stupid.
Natasha climbed the fire escape to the building across the street swiftly.
She stood, balanced on the corner of the rooftop, eyes scanning the inside of the restaurant through the glass wall. She just spotted Aakar as a group of four men approached him and sat at his table. Natasha crouched down and watched him closely. She would wait until he walked outside before she approached. Using her looks and charm to lure him alone just like she was taught. That's when she would pull the information out of him and finish him off. Piece of cake.
Natasha couldn't figure out why Clint was so careful and planned every little detail. She rolled her eyes when she thought of him. He needed to listen to her more.
Natasha furrowed her eyebrows when he yelled something to one of his men and pointed across the street toward her building. She tensed when the door to the stairwell behind her creaked. She whipped around, her eyes taking in her surroundings in a matter of seconds.
That's when she noticed the four men standing on the roof.
Her eyes narrowed as she starred them down. No one moved a muscle. That's when the door leading up to the roof flew open and even more men flooded out. She hadn't known you could access the inside, she thought it was abandoned and locked down.
Shit. Natasha stepped back, her heart was speeding up.
Guns were raised and she pulled out her own gun as she moved.
Natasha ran the way she came, dodging bullets that flew around her. She maneuvered to the side of the group and fired. A few cries of pain later and she was moving closer. She struck out with a high kick that made one man drop his gun. She twisted him in front of her as a bullet struck him and she tossed him to the ground.
She was already on the next man before his body fell.
Clint scanned the roof he was on again before he looked back at the restaurant. A man came out to smoke but other than that all was quiet. He let out a sigh and looked around for something to watch but all was quiet, maybe a little too quiet.
Her body swung around him as she got her legs around his throat. She twisted suddenly and threw his limp body to the group as she landed in a crouch before running and jumping the next one. A man grabbed her from behind and pulled her off. She kicked forward, snapping the man's jaw she was pulled off of before throwing her body up and flipped around the man that was holding her. He was forced to let go as she landed behind him. She pulled out her gun and fired into the back of his head.
More men surround her and she steadily backed away while she fired her guns. She headed for the fire escape slowly, realizing that more men just ran up the stairwell.
She saw the movement to her side a second too late. She was punched and stumbled backwards before someone opened fire. She gasped when a bullet tore through her arm. She flinched when another hit to her head pulled her back to reality. She turned for the fire escape. It was under her, a long drop though. A hand suddenly went up to grip her jaw from behind. She kicked backwards and knew she had to jump. She stood on the ledge and was about to drop when someone shot and it hit near her foot. She turned and shot at the man just as someone from behind came around and grabbed her roughly. She lost her balance and for a moment was being held up by the man before he released her.
She just managed to snag the edge of the landing, her wounded arm screaming before she dropped to the next one down. She landed in an awkward crouch and she felt her ankle roll painfully.
She quickly aimed up and fired at the men peering down to look. They started to fire and she had no choice but to jump again. She eyed the landing two more stories down.
She dropped, landing in a crouch that turned to a fall as she slipped on the wet metal from the earlier rain. She landed on her back hard and blinked a few times as she rubbed the back of her head.
She heard yelling from above her and heard when the few remaining men started down the fire escape. But she had the landing above her to give her a few seconds. She looked down at the remaining ten feet to the ground.
Should be easy enough, She thought but hesitated. She took a gulp and decided to just do it.
"Black Widow." Clint voice came through to her. A little busy right now. She rolled her eyes even though she knew she could use some help right now. She was just stubborn that way.
She made the leap, landed in an uncomfortable roll that left her scratched up and felt a bruise forming on her back.
As she stood and glanced around, a man waiting down for her snatched her up. He grabbed her roughly and threw her into the air but brought her down to land painfully on the pavement under them. Her vision blurred and knew she had seconds to get out of this hold.
She twisted around him, breaking his hold and kicking his knee out. She ran back to the building and put a foot on a ledge. She grabbed another one up and one more before she gripped the stairs to the fire escape. She let out a breath as her sore muscles complained but she ignored them as she heaved herself up to get her feet on the stairs. She pulled out her gun and shot two men waiting under her. She looked above and the last three men were a step behind her. She fired and killed the first who dropped under them before her gun was twisted sharply out of her hand.
Her wrists were gripped as she was pulled roughly up. Her bullet wound screaming in protest. She was in an awkward position that rendered her helpless as he wrapped tight arms around her and held her in open air.
She gasped as he let go.
She cried out when her sore ankle hit one of the bars on her way down and was sure she felt a crack. Just fractured though, she was sure. She couldn't help the small scream when she landed and defiantly felt the bone break. The wind was knocked out of her and she pushed herself back to be able to look up from the ground.
She aimed and fired three bullets and it was done. Natasha leaned back on the ground and tried to catch her breath.
Clint heard the gunshots echo in the quiet night. He perked up and moved around his roof trying to get a better view across the street.
"Black widow." He called and waited but there was no answer. "Widow, where are you?" He heard a breath before she spoke.
"Uh, just taking a stroll." She breathed. "How are you?"
"I'm wonderful," He answered, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Did something go wrong?" He asked a moment later.
Back across the street in an alley Natasha sat up and tried to move her foot. A wave of pain crashed over her. Yup, defiantly broken. "No, everything's fine. Let's finish this."
When Aakar finally walked outside. She didn't care anymore. She aimed from where she was leaning on a wall in the shadows across the street and shot him down right then and there. People screamed and panicked like usual.
"Romanoff. What the hell?" Clint yelled when they met up a few blocks over. He walked to her and that's when he saw her. She had a hole in her arm with blood staining her uniform. Dried blood was on the side of her face and she was covered in scratches and bruises. She was also leaning to her left and staying off her right foot.
"What happened?" He asked, his tone dropping as he walked up to her even closer. "I thought you said you could handle that."
"I could and I did." She shot back.
Cops sped by and they crossed into an alley. Natasha limped along painfully and Clint eyed her with concern.
"We have to get out of here, fast." She said and continued limping until she was ahead of him. He didn't move as he watched her. "Come on, we have to go." She said clenching her teeth from pain.
She stumbled a little but played it off.
"Natasha…" He spoke softly with concern and worry etched into his voice.
Clint hesitated as he looked down at her ankle before meeting her eyes again. Natasha froze as she turned to meet his gaze. He had called her Natasha. She was always known as Romanoff or just the Black Widow. Hell, she didn't remember the last time someone called her Natasha. And no one spoke other variations of her name, fake or code names, with that kind of tone and worry in their eyes.
"No I-I'm fine Barton." She said at last. "Let's keep moving."
"You shouldn't walk."
"What are you gonna do, carry me?" She raised an eyebrow knowing that wasn't an option. He took a moment before looking away then back. "Fine, let's go." He said, his face expressionless again and his eyes hardened as he went back to business as he shut her out.
No matter what, he kept in pace with her. Even helped guide her or support her if she stumbled even though she shot daggers with her gaze that made better men crumble but whatever she did, he wouldn't stop helping her, wouldn't even flinch. She was confused.
Almost halfway back to their safe house hidden on the edge of the city, Natasha tripped over an uneven road and she fell onto her foot painfully. She cried out as she started to fall but Clint caught her and held her against his chest so her shoulder was facing him. She turned to look at him. "I'm fine." She said even though her voice cracked.
"Why don't you let people help you?" He questioned. She studied his face for a moment before looking back ahead.
"No one ever tried." She whispered and turned back toward him. They stayed silent until a beam of light from a flashlight skidded over them. They looked up and saw two cops walking near them.
"Hey!" One called in Hindi.
Natasha looked at him with panic, a look he wasn't used to. He scooped her up bridal style in one swift motion and for once she didn't fight him. He took off with her in his arms.
When they got to the safe house she told him to put her down. He did and she gripped the wall to steady herself before she limped to the couch and sat down.
"Let me call in Shield, I'll be right back." He said and Natasha nodded.
Minutes later he walked in, emergency kit in his hand. She eyed it wearily. "What are you doing?" She asked.
He gave her a warning look. "Stop." She stopped talking in surprise as he sat next to her and opened the kit. She always had to take care of herself and fix herself up when she was hurt. She was nervous about letting him do it but something was telling her she should start trusting him.
She took in a deep breath as she decided to listen to that something. She looked up at him as he concentrated and wondered what he saw in her that she couldn't see herself. She was just glad that someone did.