Title: Not an addict
Author: Sofia B.
Category: Avengers
Pairing: Natasha & Clint
Rating: T to M (drug use and sexual situations)
Summary: Thought the battle is over, not even Clint in bed with her can make her feel better.
Note: Based on a song by K's Choice. Emotional and full of anguish.
Extra Note: I appreciate all of you that have favorite and added this story to their alerts but PLEASE do me a big favor and REVIEW the story as well. A little motivation goes a LONG WAY :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, Jeremy Renner a.k.a. the hawk would be tied to my bed forever and ever, and obviously he is not (or is he?)
It is wasn't for her stubbornness and sheer inability - or maybe it was just refusal - to admit that they were right, she would tell them that this mandatory down time thing really wasn't THAT bad. But why give them that kind of satisfaction, right?
The first 3 days she spent mostly barricaded in her room, blinds and curtains drawn to keep any light from invading her dark fortress. JARVIS had played her soothing music that had help ease the tension that surged through her entire body. She had slept a fair amount of hours in her solitude, though not quite sure if she was actually sleeping or just falling in and out of consciousness due to complete exhaustion. Either way, her body was grateful for the rest. Somebody, presumably Pepper, had slipped in numerous times a day to bring her some substance to fill her empty body whit nutrition and she suspected that a doctor had stopped by in her unconscious state to make sure her vitals were ok.
By day 4 she slipped into the gym in the middle of the night to stretch her legs and attempt some kind of a work out and by the end of the week she had somewhat returned to the land of the living, being seen by her fellow housemates walking around the house. Yet she hadn't spoken to any of them, she merely acknowledge their greetings as she raided the fridge before disappearing back to her web.
By the end of week 2, most of her bruises had faded and her skin had regained some reasonable color and her eyes were no longer bloodshot. Fatigue however was still very much evident in her whole body stance. Shoulders hunched, feet dragging, bags under her eyes still resembling black eyes lingered on her.
That night she found herself curled up on the chair on the outdoor patio with a book on her lap, covered in a blanket and one of Clint's T-shirts. His scent still lingered on the fabric and Natasha cocooned herself within it, feeling safe and utterly tranquil wrapped in his imaginary body. It had been 2 weeks since he left for Argentina and she missed him and hoped he was alright, but more so that he would be coming back soon.
It had been raining all night and the distant rumbling of thunder and burst of lightning had signaled to Natasha that it probably would not let up anytime soon. Not that it bothered her one bit, rain was soothing to her and truth be told, the pit pattering of the raindrops against the exposed concrete mere feet away from her and the wisp of the cool breeze against her face and messy curls made her feel the most relaxed she had been since Clint left.
The vibrating of her cellphone in her lap momentarily distracted her from gazing at the distant lighting. Her lips curled into the faintest of smiles as her eyes scanned the message.
Hope you are enjoying the rain. I miss you. Meet me in your dreams
She wondered for a brisk moment if Clint had nothing better to do than check the weather update for New York, but the thought just as quickly vanished in the wind and she replied that she missed him as well, wishing he was there with her. If only he was there with her, she sighed deeply at the thought. The first time she was issued a "vacation" in a very long time and the love of her life wasn't even on the same continent to spend it with her. She made a mental note to tweak Fury torture plan for that one.
She was too preoccupied watching the rain that she hadn't noticed the sliding door opening and a visitor joining her on the porch, a plate of cookies in hand.
"I see you have taken over the hawk's nest."
Natasha turned slightly to see that Thor had joined her on the patio dressed in a pair of jeans and a t shirt. She had to say though, he actually looked pretty good in Midgardian clothing. The smile she gave him told him he was given permission to enter, and he took a seat in the empty patio chair beside her and extended the tray of cookies towards her to which she declined.
The silence that lingered was only interrupted by the rumbling thunder. The sound was music to Thor's ears.
"I take it this is your doing," Natasha stated, her finger pointing towards the sky. Thor gave her a chuckle and a guilty look that made her chuckle as well.
"Did Tony blackmail you for a storm so he can turn Bruce into Frankenstein 2.0?"
"He tried, I have not yet conceded. I am uncertain if I wish to engage in a war with the Hulk," Thor answered back with a slight chuckle at the end. Natasha let out an actual laugh that momentarily lit up her face. It was the first time she had laughed in weeks and it truly suited her well. Another comfortable silence fell between them.
The smell of the air brought more calmness to her and she breathed it in deeply, letting the scent take over her body. Being at ease was not something that came easily with her and it was a welcoming feeling.
"I like the rain." The soft confession did not fall on deaf ears.
"I know, I had hoped that the rain would bring you comfort. You do look much better lately," he offered. Natasha wondered if Thor had decided to bestow her with such weather on his own, or if Clint had put him up to it. Either way, she was grateful for the gesture.
"Thank you," the genuine tone made him smile.
"You are beautiful Natasha," Thor's voice was soft and came out almost as a whisper. Odd, she'd never expected Thor of all people to be able to speak at such a decibel, didn't exactly suit someone with the likes of Thunder and Lightning.
"Excuse me?" She tried not to sound too shocked at the statement, yet her face was plastered with disbelief that the God had given her a compliment, especially one where she wasn't compared to some beastly warrior.
"You are an exceptionally gorgeous woman, Natasha. Every man on this planet would boldly go into battle in exchange for your hand, even Tony."
An actual blush flushed over her cheeks and her body went warm as his words sunk in to her. Sure, she was used to men drooling over, but that was lust, they only wanted to devour her body. Thor had called her beautiful, - beautiful - , and she was unable to think on how to respond. His words slashed through her thoughts.
"I am not going to be like the others and ask you what you need or tell you to you what to do to get back to your old self," firm yet compassion was laced in his tone. It was odd to her, she didn't tense at the words but rather drew comfort from them.
"But I will say that you are so beautiful. Don't let whatever is bothering you take that away Natasha." At the conclusion of his statement, he reached over and kissed the back of her hand. He may not know the right human words of comfort and even less of their forms of affection, but his Asgardian instinct told him that a kiss to her hand was what she needed. Triumph plastered his handsome features when Natasha blushed a tomato shade of red at his actions. He was sure this was a good sign.
"Come, Pepper is cooking dinner and your thin frame is offensive to mine eyes," he said in an attempt to cut the tension that he knew was somewhere in the background.
To her own surprise, she gladly let him lead her back inside to the land of the living.
The rest of them all stood around the kitchen helping Pepper cook. Well they were all pretending to help Pepper cook but in all actuality they were drinking and nibbling on whatever they could get their hands on without Pepper whacking them with a spatula. The chit chatter stopped when they all looked up to see Thor and Natasha enter the room.
Tony was the first to speak. "Crap, you are still alive, now I owe Steve $50," he whined which earned a whack at the back of his head. He yowled a bit and was ready to retort, but Pepper pinching his arm signaled him to keep his trap shut.
"Natasha, I am very happy you decided to join, I do hope you are hungry?" Pepper's face was beaming with an ear to ear smile directed at the red head.
"Actually, I am," Natasha said and took a seat on the bar stool that Pepper was gesturing towards. Steve smiled softly at her and offered her a glass of orange juice.
Bruce was hidden behind the New York Times And Steve, Tony and Thor were discussing whatever new armor Tony was concocting to test Thor's hammer. Determination was brooding in Tony to invent something that Thor couldn't break. Pepper had refused to let Natasha help in a culinary fashion, so all Natasha could do was sit back and watch. She took that moment to take in the situation. Other than Clint not being here, the group was pretty much complete. They had turned into something like a family since they moved into the Avengers Tower, and mommy was cooking everybody a home cooked dinner.
"How is your time off going?" Pepper dared ask when they all sat down to eat. All eyes cautiously darted in Natasha's direction. She shrugged in response. "It's ok," she managed to peep out all the while picking carelessly at her asparagus.
"You look much better," Steve offered to which Natasha gave him an uncomfortable look along with an awkward "thanks" mumbled under her breath.
"Sleeping well?" Bruce asked, and she responded with a little nod before forcing some vegetables in her mouth.
"We should get the doctor back up here, make sure you are internally stable," Steve piped in to which Natasha clenched her jaw, still only nodding.
"Get her some Flintstones vitamins, she'll be fine after some of those, and a vibrator," Tony joked which earned him yet another whack to the back of his head. He winced and stared back at his dish when Pepper gave him an impatient look.
"I think I'll call the doctor right now," Steve said.
"I'm fine, no need," Natasha said through gritted teeth, her fist gripping the fork tightly. The ease she had felt earlier on the porch was quickly dissipating and she regretted joining the land of the living at that moment.
"It can wait until the morning Cap. Let's just enjoy dinner," Bruce warned, sensing Natasha's discomfort. They had finally gotten Natasha out of the shadows and he wasn't going to let Steve's ignorance of inability to understand social cues mess that up. Nobody else needed to lose an ear.
"Why wait?" He asked confused, to which Tony rolled his eyes.
"I don't feel the need to have a security breach in my house on a Friday night," Tony added and ducked in case Pepper would whack him again.
"Oh get over it," Steve chided and reached for his cellphone.
"I'm really fine," Natasha stated, trying her best to stay calm, but she felt the anger rising in the pit of her stomach.
"Yes doctor, Steve Rogers here. Your assistance is needed-" he began.
"I'm fine!" Natasha shrieked, the fork in her hands coming down with all her might and being jammed right into Steve's palm. A scream came out of his throat as Natasha took it out and continuously stabbing him mercilessly.
"Holy shit!" Tony exclaimed, pushing himself off the barstool he was occupying.
"Natasha calm down!" someone yelled and placed a hand on her shoulder, presumably to stop her from trying to impale Steve. Uh-oh, big mistake. In instant reflex, Natasha swung her arm back, connecting to the perpetrator's face.
Pepper went flying backwards, her head smashing with a deafening thud against the edge of the granite bar before laying limp on the cold floor. The blood gushing from her forehead gave the illusion that her skull had been split open. Natasha wasn't exactly sure at what point Thor had grabbed her to restrain her.
The room went silent as Tony and Bruce hurried over to Pepper. Natasha was aimlessly trying to fight out of Thor's grasp. She was thrashing about, mumbling russian obscenities and the look in her eye was foreign to them. It was only when she noticed Pepper's unconscious body that some form of humanity returned to her demeanor. She was shocked at what she had done.
Tony stood up, anger deeply rooted in his usually mischievous orbs.
"I have no idea what the fuck is wrong with you, but I have lost every bit of patience for your destructive mannerism IN MY HOUSE!" Tony bellowed.
Natasha didn't even wince at the tone that was clearly directed at her.
"Pack your bags, you're taking the jet tomorrow and you are going somewhere, anywhere to cool off. And don't come back until you are in a much more pleasant mood or else I will give you a high five...to the face...with a chair...made of steel." It took all of Tony's willpower to restrain himself from bashing Natasha's head in. After a few seconds of a stare down, he turned to see Bruce had lifted Pepper into his arms and both of them disappeared to the medical ward.
Steve grabbed a towel to stop the bleeding on his hand before storming of as well. When the kitchen was bare, Thor finally released his grip on Natasha and she in turn yanked away from him.
"Natasha," he called out as she walked off.
"Fuck off," she yelled back, slamming the bedroom door behind her.
Hmm, where is she gonna go? Oh the suspense
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