Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters. Just the ideas.
A/N: I am so sorry for not posting for so long. We got on our summer break and everywhere I've gone has no wifi so I could never post. But school's starting back soon and it gives me tons of inspiration for my stories. So yeah. I hope you enjoy.
"Tasha." He muttered softly as he leant over her small body. "Tasha, sweetheart, wake up."
Her green eyes blinked open slowly as she rolled lightly in the bed. "Clint?" She asked quietly, rubbing at her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm right here Tasha." He muttered softly, kissing her head. "I just wanted to get you up cause we're gonna leave in a bit."
She nodded with a small groan and a wince as she sat up in the bed.
"How's your back?" He asked as he sat at the edge of the bed, rubbing her leg softly.
She shook her head and her nose wrinkled up. "It stopped bleeding." She said quietly.
"You get it wrapped up?" He tilted his head to look at her. "Cause I swear Tasha, if you didn't, it's gonna get really bad. "
She sighed quietly, biting on her lip gently. "Um… no." She muttered. "I, I didn't want her to, to, to see it…" She whispered.
He nodded softly, kissing her head. "I'm gonna go get some stuff to fix your back. Alright Princess?"
She looked up at him, nodding. "Okay…"
He headed into the bathroom, pulling out the first aide kit before heading back to her, sitting down quietly. He kissed her head again before looking at her. "Alright, I'm gonna push up your shirt. If you get uncomfortable, just tell me." He said softly. "I want you to feel safe, not violated."
"You always make me feel safe Clint.." She whispered quietly, glancing back at him.
He smiled, pushing her shirt up with a small wince. "You mind if I push it all the way off?" He said softly. "If I pull it off?"
She shook her head softly.
He ran his hands along her back quietly, pulling her shirt off carefully before opening the kit, pulling out some cream. "Is it under your bra?" He asked gently as he started to rub the bottom of her back.
"I, I, think so…"
He nodded, looking at her carefully. "I'm gonna unclip it so I can make sure I get every cut, alright?"
She bit her lip before nodding, lowering her head softly.
He kissed the back of her head as he rubbed along her back before unclipping her bra, watching it fall down gently. He rubbed the cream onto her shoulder blades before wiping off his hands. "I'm gonna wrap this gauze around you. And then the wrap. Alright?"
"You don't have to explain everything you're about to do Clint…" She muttered quietly.
"I know, I just want you not to feel violated." He said softly. He placed gauze around her back before he started to wrap her up with the wrap, slowly and carefully. "Mmm… it's almost done princess." He said with a smile.
She didn't speak; she just kept her chest covered with her arm quietly.
"There. Perfect…" He said as he cut the wrap, tucking in the end. "It should be just fine. But if it starts hurting a lot, we'll go to the doctor."
She shook her head, looking back at him. "No, no…" She said softly. "You, you know how I feel about the doctor…" She muttered, her head lowered.
"Well, then I'll take you to Coulson and then he'll take you to the doctor. Because he won't take no for an answer if it's this bad." He explained, taking her bra from the bed and wrapping it around her gently before clipping it together. "There."
She sighed quietly, rubbing at her neck softly. "You wouldn't do that."
"You know I would Natasha." He said, taking her hair in his hands and starting to braid it gently. "I promised Barney I'd take care of you. And this is just," He sighed as he pulled a hair tie from the bedside table, tying the braid together and placing it against her shoulder. "This is just a part of it. I can't let my best friend feel like total shit."
She smiled at him as he got out from behind her, taking the kit back to the bathroom. He headed into the closet, pulling out a bag and handing it to her. "Pick something out. We got to leave before it gets too hot out."
She nodded quietly, looking through the bag before pulling out shorts and a shirt quietly. "Turn around…" She said softly, causing him to chuckle.
"Okay, okay…" He said as he turned around. "I have seen you naked Natasha." He reminded her quietly, causing her to groan. "I'm just saying Princess."
"Don't call me Princess…." She groaned softly as she pulled on her clothes, shaking her head. "You know I don't like that nickname."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh you know you love it when I call you that. You just try to act like you don't because it embarrasses you so much."
She smiled slightly before sighing, pushing back a red curl that had fallen from the braid. "You can turn around now." She muttered softly, biting on her lip.
He turned around and smiled, shaking his head softly, looking at her. "Oh look at the beautiful Natasha Romanoff. My little gingy."
"I'm not a ginger, you jerk!" She groaned softly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't have freckles… I am pale as a ghost. Not freckly."
"Okay, okay…" He grinned at her. "How about baby doll?"
"Seriously?" She muttered quietly. "One, not a baby, not anyone's baby… And not a doll…"
"Well, you're younger than me. And you're small, therefore baby. And doll because you're so pale." He explained. "It's Princess, Gingy or Baby Doll, you pick."
She sighed softly but shaking her head. "Anything but Gingy…" She muttered softly, ducking her head down gently.
"Alright then Princess. Come on. We got a long day ahead of us." He said, taking her bag in his hand, throwing it over his shoulder.
He reached over to her with his bloody palm. "Nat, take my hand."
She reached over and took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers together.
"It's gonna be okay." He said quietly. "Don't worry."
She swallowed hard, tears still running down her face.
"Move your arms." He told her.
"What?" She asked quietly, her chin quivering.
"Just do it." He nodded.
She moved her right arm then her left arm.
"Okay, good. Move your legs." He said.
She moved her left leg and winced as it rubbed against some of the metal of the car. "Shit." She whimpered.
"What about your other leg?" He asked.
She started to move it and started crying harder. "God." She muttered, staring at him. "Barney, I can't move it."
He shifted his body, looking down towards her legs. "Baby, don't look down." He said quietly. "Okay? Just don't look down."
She nodded, her green eyes shutting tightly.
"Listen." He said. "The paramedics are coming. I just need you to hold on, okay baby?"
She opened her eyes and looked at him. She nodded and whimpered as she shifted her neck more. "Why does my leg hurt so bad?"
"Don't worry about it. Just don't think about it." He whispered. The sirens came closer, or sounded closer, the blinking lights were still nowhere to be seen.
She stared over at him, blood starting to cloud her vision.
He clutched onto her hand tightly, running his thumb over the top of it. "Listen Natasha." He whispered, looking over at her. "I love you, so much."
"I love you too baby." She muttered, her chin quivering.
She sat up in the car quickly, a small whimper escaping her lips as she searched around quickly, her green eyes wide.
"Tasha…" She heard someone say, causing her to look towards it. "Hey, hey, it's okay. You're with me. You're with Clint. You're safe."
She nodded quietly, curling up, lowering her head softly as tears started falling down her cheeks.
"Is it about what I think it is?" He asked softly, causing her to nod again. "Hey, hey, it was just, just a memory. In your head. Yes it happened. But in the past. You're safe right now."
"I know…." She whimpered, her voice cracking as she hid her face in her knees.
He glanced over at her gently and sighed. "I know it's hard Tasha. I mean, I lost Barney too." He said softly. "He was my brother. I mean, you know how hard it was after my mom passed. And then what, maybe barely over a year later, I lost my brother. You know…" He smiled at her softly. "And I'm here for you, and you're here for me. That's how we work. Right?"
She nodded quietly, glancing at him. "Yeah. I, I guess you're right. For a change." She whispered as they stopped in a parking spot. "Where are we?"
"The, the um, graveyard." He said quietly, causing her to catch her breath.
"Really?" She asked softly. "Why?"
"We're just stopping by. We'll be in and then out. Five minutes, tops. I tried to do this last year but you didn't let me." He said softly. "It's gonna be okay. I'm right here beside you. I always will be."
She nodded shakily, letting out a breath. "Can we just get this over with?"
"Yeah, yeah of course." He said, unbuckling himself before leaning over to press a kiss to her head. "And when we're done, we're gonna go to Coulson's and eat. All of us. Okay?"
She sighed as she unbuckled, opening the door quietly. "Yeah, okay." She muttered, climbing out of the car.
He climbed out of the car, heading over to her and wrapping an arm over her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her head. "Come on."
She leant into his side, looking down at the ground as they started up the walkway through the grass. "It, it's the eighteenth row, fifteenth in." She muttered quietly, causing him to smile. "I don't know why I remember that, but I do."
He looked down at her softly, shaking his head. "Well, he was eighteen. And his football number was fifteen." He said softly.
"How ironic…" She shook her head gently, looking up at him. "Do… do you think, he, he's here?" She sighed. "Not here, here. But like…. You know what I mean?"
He chuckled softly, smiling. "Yeah, I know what you mean Princess." He said, kissing the top of her head. "Um, I don't know how to answer that Tasha. I guess. He's watching out for us. I mean, yeah. Of course."
She nodded, smiling at him. "I hope so…" She whispered softly. "I, I still remember it all. And, I, I don't think you're supposed to…" She muttered quietly. "I mean, I don't know. I just miss him so much."
He pressed a kiss to her forehead before stopping in front of a headstone, causing her to place her face into his side. "It's alright Baby Doll… I'm right here. I'll always be here…"
She whimpered quietly, her body shaking slightly. "That's what he told me…." She whispered as tears ran down her face. "That's exactly what he told me."
He closed his eyes softly, rocking her gently in his arms. "Shh…." He soothed her quietly, kissing her head. "It's okay… It's alright. I'm right here. And I'm not leaving you. I'm never going to leave you."
She didn't respond, she just shook in his arms, her small fingers curling up in his shirt. "Yes you are. Everyone good leaves. Everyone who cares for me leaves. They don't stay. They never stay…" She sobbed quietly into his shirt.
"I know…" He whispered. "I know our lives have sucked. We go through so much shit and then go to school acting like nothing's wrong. We live different lives around different people. But I know what you're going through… for the most part." He kissed her head. "You just gotta trust that I'm always going to be here for you. I'm gonna be your everything that you need." When she didn't answer him, he pressed another kiss to her head. "I care for you too much to let you go or to let anything happen to change who you are. We're partners in crime and I'm not letting you leave."
She smile up at him quietly, tears staining her cheeks. "I can't lose you either…." She muttered softly, nuzzling against him gently.
He smiled, kissing her head. "Will you at least look at it?" He asked. "Just one look."
She turned around in his arms and pressed herself to him softly. She whimpered quietly, looking down at the headstone, biting on her lips. "Charles Bernard Barton." She whispered, closing her eyes. "I miss him so much." She muttered quietly. "You make it much easier to handle though. Thanks for being here for me as much as you have been."
"I'll always be here for you sweetheart. I promise." He muttered, smiling at her before wrapping his arms around her.
