Clint fell silent, and after several long seconds, Benji realized that he wasn't going to say anything else. It was his move. The only problem was, he didn't know what move to make. Did he forgive Clint for the wrongs he'd done? Could he let him back into his life after the hell he'd been him through? He still loved him, so much that his heart ached in his chest, but he didn't know if things could ever be the same. Almost as soon as he asked himself the questions, he knew the answer. For better or for worse…
Benji exhaled heavily and looked Clint straight in the eyes.
"Well, alright then."
Wait, what?
Clint blinked and after a few seconds, realized his mouth was hanging open. He closed it. Had Benji really said what Clint thought he said?
"Wait, what?"
Benji smiled, and while it was a doleful, sad smile, it was definitely a smile. "I said alright. I understand why you did what you did, and I understand why you had to lie. I think you're an absolute moron for ever thinking I would hate you, but I get it." His expression sobered. "But if you ever lie to me like that again, I'll let Ethan kill you."
Clint cracked a crooked grin. "If I do, I'll ask him to put me out of my misery," he said, and someone who didn't know the brevity of the situation could have mistaken his tone for joking; far from it, he was deadly serious.
With hardened eyes and lips pressed in a line, Benji studied the man sitting across from him. Clint tried not to fidget; he wasn't great at sitting still if he didn't have to. Finally, Benji nodded. "Alright then." He smiled. "Now, have you told anyone else yet?"
Clint winced; oh yeah, he'd faced Zhen and Jane, and he was lucky they'd been handcuffed to the table or he'd have the bruises and broken nose to prove it. "Yeah, I talked to Zhen and Jane, both of whom were ready to tear my head off; actually, Jane tried. Zhen just swore at me in Chinese. Ethan is currently helping me to prove a point." He smirked and added, "Not that he knows it, of course. He thinks he escaped our custody, has no idea he's part of a training exercise."
Natasha chose that moment to call him, and he held up a hand as he tapped the earbud to pick it up. "What is it? I'm kinda in the middle of something, in case you've forgotten." He rolled his eyes at Benji and mouthed, Sorry.
"Sorry to interrupt your kissing ass, but we have a problem."
He straightened, eyes narrowing. If Natasha considered it enough of a problem to call him now, it was urgent. "Define 'problem.'"
"Ethan Hunt dropped in, quite literally, on Laura and I just after you left."
He groaned, closing his eyes. "You have got to be kidding me!" He rubbed his temples. "Tell me she didn't shank him? That's the last thing I need."
Natasha laughed on the other end, but it was a laugh void of humor, and his stomach dropped into the vicinity of his shoes. Benji's eyebrows rose and Clint wanted to groan again; great, another last thing he needed, his (ex?)-boyfriendfinding out his partner/sister/niece(?) had murdered Ethan. "I wouldn't call it shanking, but she did wipe the floor with his ass and he'll have a splendid scar."
"Where is he now?" At least he isn't dead. That's a plus. Oh yeah, it was a plus. Ethan could deal with a scar, and it would be a reminder not to push or underestimate Laura, or try to give her orders; he had a nasty habit of ordering people around. He was a team leader, and he was used to being in control. He couldn't control Clint, or Tasha, or Laura, and the only thing he would accomplish by trying was pissing off and pushing away his allies.
"Strung up like a Christmas present, all we need is a big red bow." He could actually hear the grin, and he found himself grinning to, just at the mental picture. "Oh, please tell me that you have pictures. Scratch that, tell me you have video."
She laughed, and with that, the stress drained out of the atmosphere. "Oh yeah, I have both."
"Damn, darlin'," Benji scowled at the pet name, and Clint made a mental note to explain and apologize, "I knew there was a reason I love you. Get JARVIS to encrypt the crap out of it, 'cause that's some good old fashioned blackmail material. And with Ethan Hunt, we'll need some of that."
He chuckled again, this time at Benji's expression, and explained, "Ethan got his ass kicked by one of my team, and we have it on video." Seeing Benji's blank look, he added, "She's eighteen, I mentioned her earlier."
Realization lit up Benji's features. "Oh. The serial killer."
Clint nodded, and turned his attention back to the call. "Alright, Tash, we'll be right up. Don't let Laura shish kebob him, the Cap would start bitching about unnecessary bloodshed and senseless murder, and then she takes it out on me." He hung up before she could respond, something he knew he'd been hearing about later.
"Okay, quick rundown," he said as he stood and stretched. "That was Natasha Romanoff, my partner and ex-fiancée, before you ask about the 'darlin'.' I also work with the rest of the Avengers: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Hulk, slash Doc Banner. Tasha's the Black Widow," he explained. "Laura joined up a few years ago…well, I say joined, it was more she cooperated or the Director passed down a kill order. Plus side, she's made amazing progress; you'd almost believe she's a model citizen, if it weren't for her nasty habit of losing her temper and beheading people."
He snickered at Benji's face. "Yeah…I'm not joking. But, at least she hasn't killed any S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel this week."
~ MI4 & A ~
It was just as funny as Clint had imagined. He stood above Ethan Hunt and laughed until his sides hurt, and then he laughed some more; Benji made a choking sound. The great and deadly Ethan Hunt was trussed up but good; he wasn't sure if it had been Natasha or Laura's idea, but someone had decided to tie Ethan spread-eagle to the table in the break room…with duct tape, rope, and was that ribbon? Laura was sitting cross-legged on top of the fridge, eating a sandwich and…
"Hey! That's mine!"
She blinked. She looked entirely too pleased with herself, like the rapid wolverine-cat hybrid that tore the poofy canary to bloody, feathery shreds. He sighed and decided not to pursue it. More often than not, it was easier and less painful to just let her be; the only person she listened to was herself, and she actively defied Fury. As long as she hadn't eaten that piece of chocolate cake he was saving… He spotted the dish in the sink.
"Oh, come on!"
Now she outright snickered, and dropped to the floor, landing in a crouch. She tilted her head up towards him, those damn eyes of hers staring up at him in the way that made her look far too innocent. If she was innocent, he was the freaking Tooth Fairy, complete with obnoxiously pink tutu.
"You had way too much fun playing with Hunt, didn't you?" he asked accusingly.
She straightened and shrugged, smirking. "From what you said, I thought he'd be tougher." Of course, she would think that Ethan Hunt was an easy win; she'd kicked Clint's ass and hospitalized him when she was a little girl. Hell, the only time she started breathing hard was when she was fighting the Hulk or Captain American.
Instead of rising to the bait, he poked Ethan in the side. The man groaned and twitched, slowly coming back to consciousness. A bruise roughly the size and shape of Laura's fist was forming on the side of his face, and Clint wouldn't be surprised if the agent's nose was broken. Ethan blinked, and scowled when he focused on Clint.
"You! I—" His voice trailed off as he noticed Benji standing off to the side. "Benji?" Now he didn't sound angry, just confused and mildly pissed.
"Ethan," Clint said as he started on the agent's bindings, "we need to talk."
*LONG STORY STORT EXPLANATION*
"…I need a drink."
~ MI4 & A ~
And there we go. Sorry it took so long, I started another project, and I've kept working on my NaNoWriMo, so I've been busy. This is the final chapter of Infiltrator, I'm afraid, and I'm sorry if the last part seemed rushed (it was). It's been a great run, and this was a lot of fun. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed, and most of all, thank you to everyone who stuck with this story this long. I'm very grateful for the advice and praise, and I'm glad you all enjoyed this.
There won't be a sequel to this, but maybe I'll come back and do a companion piece eventually. That's a big maybe. Anyway, happy belated holidays and a happy new year everyone!
~ Nagi Kokuyo
January 10, 2013