It has been way too long since I touched this story! This particular arc is complete, but I will be adding more chapters to this fic.
The darkness rested heavily over the pit as Tony slowly rubbed the piece of fabric between his thumb and fingers. Natasha rested against the moist dirt wall, asleep to the casual observer. Tony could tell by her measured breathing and unnatural stillness that she was keeping watch with her other senses.
Steve lay on his back just a few feet from where Natasha sat. He was out, face relaxed in sleep as he quietly snored. It would do him good—his advanced healing seemed to be even more efficient when he slept.
It won't be long now.
Tony rolled his left ankle and curled his toes in an effort to keep the leg from falling asleep. Pins and needles almost distracted him from the changing of the guard. Muffled voices exchanged indistinct words, and suddenly Natasha's eyes were wide awake, glittering in the low moonlight.
Tony met her line of sight and gave a terse nod.
"It's him," he mouthed, nodding his head toward the sleeping super soldier.
Natasha stuck out a hand and gently shook Steve awake, putting her finger in front of her lips and shaking her head as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Hey Stark," a familiar voice drawled. "Even in the dark you look like shit."
"Get us out of here, you son of a bitch," Tony hissed.
Clint peeked over the edge of the pit and grinned, teeth easily visible in the low light.
"Say please."
Steve huffed out a quiet laugh, but Tony let his silence speak for itself – something he very rarely did – and Clint sighed.
"Absolutely no fun at all," he said.
"Something about being interrogated and trapped in a fucking pit will do that to you," Tony said, aiming for snarky. It came out sounding more strained than he had intended, and a thick, heavy rope flopped down against the wall a moment later.
After all three members of the pit had climbed to ground level – with varying levels of difficulty – they quietly made their way over to the tree line.
Natasha was the first to speak, whisper barely carrying enough to be heard.
"What's your assignment here?"
"Information retrieval," Clint said, tugging at the bottom of his uniform shirt. "This HYDRA knock-off needs to die, sooner rather than later. Fury needed a little more info from the inside before he pulled the trigger."
"Theoretical trigger…?" Tony asked, hoping that the heavy artillery of the helicarrier wasn't trained on them currently.
Clint gave him a knowing look.
"Ah," Steve said, glancing nervously at the low cloud cover. Despite the sleep, he was still a little uncertain on his feet, struggling with the remnants of the concussion and the trying not to show the pain from this calf. The bullet hole was beginning to knit back together, but just holding his own weight made the muscles tremble slightly.
Tony sighed, rubbing at this face and then wincing as he pressed on tender skin. "We're not really in fighting shape here, but I need to get my suit before we go."
"Oh, that's already been taken care of," Clint said with a shrug. "I snuck it away to the extraction point after shooting that psychopath in the face."
Events clicked into place in Tony's tired brain, and he felt a brush of anger.
"You could have rescued me then? You asshole."
"Nat, tell him," Clint said, his tone petulant. "I had to figure out how much they knew before I started extraction. You getting beat to a pulp was an unfortunate side effect."
Natasha sighed. "Looks like you've got the explanation covered."
Clint turned, moving some dark foliage to reveal the an assortment of Natasha's weapons and the patriotic gleam of Steve's shield.
"Here you go, Cap."
Steve slid his arm into the worn leather straps, breathing a sigh of relief. He may be beat to hell, but he'd had worse. He took the shield off his arm and secured it to his back, enjoying the comfortable weight.
"Now that Cap has his vibranium security blanket, let's get out of here," Tony said, corner of his mouth pulling up in the ghost of a smile.
Natasha snorted. Clint and Tony got on either side of Steve without comment, giving him support as the group attempted to sneak through the woods. The heavy humidity hung in the air, giving the slightest resistance with every step. The sounds of the sleeping forest mingled with Steve's and Tony's heavy breathing. Despite her injury, Natasha was silent as she pushed forward.
Clint was refreshed and uninjured, but he made an attempt to slow the pace enough for Steve and Tony. It was easier with Steve's arm draped over his shoulders. The archer could feel the unsteadiness and trembling in Steve's form.
When they finally reached a small clearing, Clint fished an earpiece out of an interior pocket, speaking tersely to someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony ducked out from under Steve's arm once he found a tree on the edge of the clearing that would give the other man some support. He took a few steps and fell to his knees next to the partially covered Iron Man suit.
"Hey there, baby," he breathed, hands gently touching the metal of the suit. Repairs would take some time, but he was a genius, after all. It would be back up and running in no time.
Steve limped over and clapped a hand on his shoulder as their ride appeared. He watched the stealth plane lower with distaste.
"I could go my whole life without flying again."
It wasn't meant to be funny, but Tony snorted. He chortled, he guffawed until his ribs hurt. Steve gave him a weird look that melted into a tired grin.
Natasha walked up behind them, silent as ever.
"Let's go home, boys."