Natasha's eyes traced the ground far below for a long time before she finally sighed in frustration. Fury had called her back in for a solo mission, and while Tony had told her he understood, and that he'd be fine, she still couldn't shake the nagging worry in her gut. She hated to admit that she wasn't as quite as detached from this as she had planned on being originally, but she hated that there wasn't going to be anyone there to watch out and worry over Tony for the next few days even more. He was her friend, and with everything he had been going through lately, where she needed to be was by his side, helping him work through it.
Instead, she was sitting on Tony's jet, pissed off and worried. Stupid freaking Fury.
Bored and thoughtful, Natasha carefully pulled out the wedding ring Tony had gotten for Pepper, and looked at it sadly. She had seen it out of the corner of her eye on her way out of the house, and couldn't resist picking it up. Tony had said she could keep it, but she had no idea what she'd do with it, only that she couldn't let it just be lost.
Natasha turned it around, examining it and trying to repress her awe. The ring was very beautiful. It was golden, cut to look like instead of one loop it would be two, but just curved downward into an intricate heart, a breathtaking diamond in the center of it. It was an amazing ring, and Natasha couldn't stop herself from admiring it, until she saw the delicate engraving in the inside flat of the rings surface.
~Proof Tony Stark has a heart, and that it forever belongs to Virginia Potts. ~
Natasha scowled at the now cruel writing of the once beautiful promise of love and shoved it into a small pocket in her uniform angrily. None of this had been fair on anyone. Breaking up with Clint was her own choice to live with, but she had never expected it to have any effect in Tony and Pepper's relationship. She didn't know if it was for the best or not. If Pepper and Tony had gotten together, Pepper's feelings for Clint could have developed later down the line and broken Tony completely. They could have married and then Pepper discover she was unhappy. Or, the feelings might have never developed at all. Natasha had no way of truly knowing, but she couldn't help wondering if by trying to make the best decision for her life, she'd unintentionally destroyed Tony's.
…..
Clint trudged through the SHEILD hallways, Pepper on his tail and irritation etched into all his features. Today was supposed to be the day he was cleared for active duty, thank god. He needed to get his mind of all the drama going down. Pepper wanted to grill Fury on Tony's location, but Clint highly doubted that even if he did know, the director would tell. That though only served to stress him out more.
"You think he will say anything?" Pepper whispered nervously next to him, gripping his arm tightly. Clint glanced at her and saw her biting her lip and looking around, like Tony and Natasha were magically going to materialize. Her bright blue eyes held that guilty gleam that hadn't left her eyes since Tony left, and it just about broke his heart all over again.
Clint pulled her in close and she sighed, leaning into his touch. He brushed a kiss against the top of her head and then tapped her chin until he could look into her eyes, as his other hand swept soothing fingers through her hair. He smiled gently at her and this time leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I don't know if he'll say anything Pepper, but it can't hurt to try right? Just breathe. Everything will work out, you'll she." Pepper smiled weakly at him and planted a kiss gently on his lips. "I love you." She whispered.
Clint smiled brightly and opened his mouth to respond in kind, when out of the corner of his eye a flash of red drew his attention. His head whipped around to face it and his breath caught when he saw a woman dressed in all black, with short red curls slipping out of Fury's office. He heard Pepper's breath caught as well and they both knew who it had to be.
"N-Natasha?" Clint called warily, his voice coming out shakier than he meant it to. The woman froze at the sound of his voice, tension coiled in her back, and only after years of watching that back did he know she was trying to decide if she should take off or face them. After a few stretched moments of silent tension that Clint swore could have been hours, she turned around, confronting Clint with a different set of familiar blue eyes.
Those blue eyes regarded him with anger, mistrust, and betrayal. They regarded him as she would a stranger who pissed her off and Clint couldn't help the sharp sting of pain it brought. He knew she was probably angry that he hadn't told her about him and Pepper when they use to tell each other everything, but he didn't know how! She had broken it off anyway and for god's sake how do you go to an ex and explain to them you're in love with your best friend's finance?
Natasha's wary gaze shifted from him onto Pepper until she finally gave them a crisp nod. "Clint. Pepper." There wasn't even a beat of siclence before Pepper was breaking free of Clint's hold and across the distance, hugging Natasha feircly. "OH my god, oh my god Natasha where have you been!? Where's Tony!? Is he alright!?" Natasha stepped back out of Pepper's hold, glaring at her and Clint, some of that hidden anger he saw earlier bubbling up to flash menacingly in her eyes. "He's somewhere you'll now never see. You need to stop looking for him. He has to hide from you in the place that hurts him more than you can grasp, and no, okay he's not. How could you think he would be? I'm trying not to be mad at you, but you need to leave him alone and stop rubbing salt in his wounds. You made your choice, now deal with the consequences." The spy's words were harsh, and Clint couldn't help but to be taken aback. It had been on a long time since he had been on the receiving end of that tone.
Pepper took a step back, tears in her eyes, and Clint growled, his protective instincts taking over his hurt ones. He stepped in front of Natasha and looked her in the eye, their hard glares battling for dominance. Without breaking eye contact he tried to reason with her. "Natasha, back off. She still cares about him, we both do! We have every right to want to know if he's alright and where he is!" Natasha's eyebrow went up and her mouth curved in a cruel smile that left a sinking feeling in his gut. "You have a right Clint? Tony planned on a happy life with Pepper. He cared more for her than anything and everything. You want to know where he is? He's at a house in the mountains specially designed for Pepper. Her favorite colors, her style, favorite things, window seats, everything she loves. Why? Because of this!-"
Natasha pulled Tony's ring out of her pocket and threw it at Pepper's feet, her indifference gone and now boiling down into cold anger. Pepper gasped and stepped back, and Clint turned his attention away from Natasha for a moment and then froze, horrified and transfixed on the glittering ring lying on the ground. His mind went into overload trying to decipher what Natasha was telling them when she grabbed his collar and forced him to look her in the eye, so full of emotion it scared him.
"I'm doing my very best not to be angry with you. Really, I am. But I don't care if you meant to hurt him or not, that's what happened. He has given us everything he can and now he has nothing. You talk about rights Clint?! Our FRIEND has a right to be happy. A right to heal in his own time, in his own way, not on your terms. If anything happens that you need to know, I'll tell you. Other than that, I expect you to leave him alone until he's ready. IF you don't, and if you upset him, I WILL hunt you down." With that she released Clint, pushing him back towards Pepper and turning briskly away. She paused for a moment, and whispered over her shoulder at them, her voiced sad and bitter, but sincere.
"I do wish you both real happiness. I hope you have found it in each other."
With that she strode gracefully down the corridor, leaving the other two staring at the cruelly beautiful ring, and her words echoing hauntingly through their minds.