Okay, chapter two. Wow, I'm kind of surprised at the number of hits. But it's cool too. Thanks to those who faved the story and alert and stuff. I think you get it. Anyway, I don't own the Avengers. Yup, that's pretty much all I have to say.
Natasha's eyelids fluttered. They didn't snap right open the way they did when a nightmare would come back to haunt her.
She gout out of bed and checked the bunk below hers. Clint was gone. It seemed strange to her. She was usually the one to get out of bed first.
She checked the clock on the bedside table. 8 AM. She cursed softly in Russian. By this time, she and Clint were usually training. Of course, usually is a term used loosely. Natasha has never been one to stay in one place too long, but usually long enough for her to make a routine.
She freshened up and put on a pair of jeans, a red tank top and her leather jacket. It might have been her birthday, but to her, it was just a day to mark another year in her life. She thought to herself, what is there to celebrate?
She went to the kitchen and saw the usual scene in front of her. Tony and Pepper were discussing something over breakfast, Steve and Bruce spoke to each other while eating bacon and eggs, and Clint leaned against the counter, drinking coffee. It seemed strange for Natasha not to be there beside him. Like she was a ghost floating around, watching him. It surprised her to know how empty it made her feel.
"Good morning Natasha." Steve greeted her in an even but friendly voice. Everyone else greeted her in their usual own special way except Clint. He just grinned at her and sent an unseen wink her way.
Natasha tried to hide the smile that was trying to creep onto her face. She succeeded in doing so of course. After all, what were all those years of practice for?
She got a piece of toast and began to nibble on it while Clint made her a cup of coffee. He knew the way she liked it. They were always more than just partners. They've always been best friends.
"You're up later than usual Natasha." Bruce observed out loud as she took her place beside Clint. She felt better being there beside him. Everything felt a little more right.
She just shrugged. "It's my first good night's sleep in a really long time." She replied as Clint handed her her black and red striped mug.
By the time breakfast was over, Tony and Bruce were in the lab, Steve had hopped onto his motorcycle and went God knows where, and Pepper had gone out to do some errands. Clint and Natasha, however, stayed behind to voluntarily do the dishes.
When all that had been done, Clint grinned at Natasha. She merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Gift twenty-one." He said and grabbed her hand. If anyone else had done such a thing, they would have been lucky to lose just a hand.
He took her to the training room which was basically a gym with targets for Clint and Natasha when she wanted to practice on her knife throwing. To the two of them, it was home. It was more comfortable to be in the training room than in their room itself.
He handed her a box from inside his jacket. It was simple and black, not wrapped because he knew that found wrapping gift a waste of paper.
Natasha eyed the box and Clint rolled his eyes. "Well open it!" He practically yelled. "I swear, it's not a scorpion this time."
She almost laughed. It had been her 25th birthday and they were on a mission in India. He woke her up in the middle of the night with a cardboard box. When she had opened it, it contained three scorpions. She certainly couldn't say it was the best gift, but she'd been glad he'd gotten her a gift anyway.
Natasha lifted the lid. She gasped and almost dropped the box. Clint smiled, ear to ear. He'd rarely ever heard Natasha gasp, and upon hearing it, he knew that the gift was perfect. She took out the dagger, handling the ruby handle gently. He'd always compared the color of her hair to rubies. She knew very well that she'd either stolen money from Tony or had Tony buy the dagger, but it didn't matter. All she really knew was that it left her speechless.
"I knew you'd like it." He said and she stopped staring at the dagger and started staring at him. That stare made him wonder if she'd hug him or if she'd stab him with the dagger. But she was frozen, she didn't move one bit.
She shook her head and smiled. "I love it." She said at last and Clint let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." Only the two of them would ever know how deep those words could go.
"Want to test it out?" He asked her. "I mean, while we're here. I think your fingers are itching just to use it already."
He was right. Natasha couldn't help but want to play with her new "toy". She felt similar to a 5-year old girl on Christmas morning. And Clint was playing Santa Claus.
Without warning, she threw the dagger across the room, right at a target that Clint hadn't noticed. It made him step back a bit. The sight looked amazing. He noticed the way her arm swung perfectly, the perfect form. The way her eyes were filled with excitement and her mouth curled up into a dangerous yet beautiful smile.
She stood up straight, a smile across her lips, and turned to Clint who was smiling back at her. He looked impressed. It wasn't like she hadn't impressed her before, but this time was different. She'd done something that didn't only impress him, but she'd also showed him that she truly did love gift twenty-one.
"Bullseye." Was the only word to come out of her mouth.
Sorry this took a little longer to write than expected. I went to camp and hit people with drumsticks. It was really fun. And my neck hurts. I'm starting to think I headbang too much. No matter. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. REVIEW PLEASE.