So I've worked super hard Friday night and this early Saturday morning to get this done for you guys. I tried to get it finished sooner, but my school is killing me with the homework load. So this is Chapter 8. I hope you like it. Feel free to review and leave me a comment. :) The songs used for inspiration were both versions of Talk by Coldplay (because there are two versions).

I don't own the Avengers sadly. If I did, there would be definite Clintasha. But sadly, that isn't the case. :( So just read and enjoy. :)

Chapter Eight: Talk To Me

Clint

It hadn't been apparent when we'd been out, eating shawarma in the midst of a recovering New York, but now that they were alone, packing our stuff, I knew that something was off with Nat. She was different somehow. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew it was there.

I was lounging on the white couch in the apartment she kept as a standby. Most of the time, we stayed on the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, but we both kept backup apartments in case of emergencies. With what S.H.I.E.L.D. paid us, we were perfectly capable. I watched as she walked around, gathering clothes and things she felt she needed to take with her to our new 'home'. But she was quiet. I mean Nat was always quiet, but this time it was different, wrong in a way. I got up and walked over to where she was actively smoothing a piece of clothing in the bag, pushing the wrinkles away. "Nat," I said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder. She turned to look at me with a still face and withdrawn eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Her tone was perfectly even, the kind of unwavering pitch she'd perfected during her years at the Red Room. I was always impressed how she could manage to appear so devoid of emotion when I knew her emotional spectrum was right there, bubbling just under the surface, so close you could almost touch it.

"Don't lie to me," I whispered. She looked down before meeting my eyes again. "Is this about Stark?" While we'd been out and about, taking a lunch break while other New Yorkers refused to brave the rubble just yet, Tony had presented us with a unique proposal, one that caught all of us off-guard.

"What did you just say?" I'd been the first to express my disbelief at his suggestion. Tony stared at me with that look that only he could manage.

"I thought I was pretty clear." He said, looking around at the others at the table. "We're like a thing now, a team of badass superheroes. All I suggested was us staying together in one place."

"Stark, I don't think that's a good idea," Banner said, quietly, looking down.

"Oh come on Doctor, you can't like being alone all the time," Steve said quietly, being the first to jump on the Iron Man train.

"Whether I like it or not is irrelevant. If I lost control, it's safer for me to be in secluded areas than in the crowded cities."

"You haven't had an incident in over a year!" Tony scoffed.

"That doesn't mean I can control it all the time. If something happened, I don't know if I could ever forgive myself." Everybody was silent after that. Tony was the first one to speak, looking at Banner with sincerity.

"Bruce, if you came and stayed with me, I'd work on finding a way to help you."

Bruce let out a scoff of his own. "You don't think that I've tried to find a cure. I've been searching for years Tony. It's not that easy."

"With all due respect Bruce, I'm not just anyone. I'm – "

"Yeah, yeah, we know: You're Tony Stark: genius billionaire playboy philanthropist," I chimed in. Tony glared at me.

"Well I am," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"The last time I lived in New York, I broke Harlem. What's next: Downtown?"

"What if I agree to beef up security at the Tower? Besides Doctor, with the equipment that I have access to in my lab, who knows what we can do," Tony said. "We can find that cure Doctor. I can feel it."

Banner was quiet for a long time, alternating looking down at the table and looking at Tony, carefully considering the offer and his options. He finally looked up and sighed, a small smile flashing briefly across his face as he looked at Tony. "Okay, I'll stay, but the first time something happens, even if it's small or no one gets hurt, the first time something happens, I'm gone."

Tony threw his arms up in victory. "Yes." God, he could be such a child sometimes. I didn't know much about the billionaire, but I automatically knew what Natasha had meant when she'd been telling me about her time working as Stark's secretary. Natasha, I thought, looking over to her. She hadn't said a word. Even Thor had made some sort of noise after Tony's bizarre suggestion of us living together, but Nat was quiet. I would've expected some smartass comment from her, but she barely acknowledged that he'd said anything. She was just staring at everything and nothing in particular, slowly chewing her food. "What about you Cap," Tony ask, glancing over at Steve.

"I think it's a good idea. Tony's right guys, we're a team now. It only makes sense to stay together, that way if something happens, we're all there, ready to save the world again."

The three of them looked towards Thor. "I must return to Asgrad." They nodded, knowing that it was bound to occur at some point. "But when I return to your planet, I shall reside in your tower." He followed up. That was four down, two to go, I thought as they turned towards Nat and I.

"What about you two?" Tony asked, motioning at both of us. I looked at Natasha, who now focused in on Tony for the first time.

"You want us to come stay at your tower? It got pretty damaged during the battle." She mumbled. I should've known then, but I thought maybe it was just exhaustion. The battle had taken its toll on everyone.

"The plans have already been drawn up to fix that Spidey. If that's all you're worried about…" Tony trailed off momentarily. "There are plenty of rooms that weren't touched by Loki or his alien crew."

She glanced over at me, trying to read my feelings on the issue. Truth be told, I didn't know much about the other Avengers excluding Natasha. I'd been under Loki's control for the majority of the time this team had been assembled. But if Nat thought it was a good idea, then I'd go along with it. She understood exactly what I was thinking from the look on my face and nodded slightly, turning back to Tony. "Come on Spidey, you have to admit this is a good idea. What could go wrong?" He asked, a smug look on his face.

Natasha frowned Tony could really get on her nerves sometimes. I knew that and I'd seen minimal interaction between the two. "Everything," she said in a low voice with a deadly straight face. I had to admit, she was intimidating, and I'd had years to get used to it. Tony managed to keep a neutral face, but his eyes betrayed him. Eyes always gave people away. She looked back at me, and I shrugged at her. It was her choice. I wouldn't agree to it without her. She thought about it for a minute before turning back to Tony. She sighed heavily before glancing at Tony with a serious and straight face. "We're in."

Natasha shook her head and gave me and incredulous look. "No, of course not," she sighed, "If I didn't think staying at Stark Tower was a good thing, I wouldn't have agreed to it."

"Then what's wrong, and don't say nothing's wrong, because I can tell Nat. I know you, and I know when something's wrong." She sighed, something she seemed to be doing a lot of lately and made her way to the couch, plopping down on it, throwing her bag to the floor. I moved to sit down beside her. I put my head in my hands for a moment before looking at her, waiting patiently.

"I just…it's…complicated." She finally said. She looked down, refusing to meet my eyes.

"You know you can tell me anything," I said, almost whispering it. She looked at me finally, a small smile on her lips and a sadness in her eyes.

"Yeah, I know."

"So what aren't you telling me now?" I felt the inner need to find out what was wrong with Natasha. I needed her to be okay. She stared at my face, her eyes the holders of a million mysteries, a million secrets, a million tragedies gained over years of ordered bloodshed. In reality, there were probably a lot of things that she hadn't told me. I knew there were still things I hadn't told her, like how her voice sounds like endearing bells ringing gently in my ears when she speaks or what a beautiful smile she has, its rarity making it even more spectacular.

She shifted towards me and opened her mouth to speak. "Okay," she said softly. She was going to open up and tell me. I inadvertently shifted closer to her, taking one of her hands in mine and giving it an encouraging squeeze. To be honest, I'd never seen Nat this disturbed or bothered by something before. She was usually the perfect example of calm, cool, and collected under any stressful circumstances.

"Nat, what's got you all worked up?" My eyes never left hers. She opened her mouth, but before she could utter a single syllable, her cell phone went off. She answered it, still watching me.

"Romanoff," she said in her business voice. She rolled her eyes and gave a frustrated groan. "Stark, does it look like we're there yet?" I couldn't help but give a silent chuckle. "We'll get there when we get there Tony!" She was exasperated. I gave her hand another squeeze, and she looked back to me, a comforted look in her eyes. This was soon replaced by a death glare at something Tony said. "We'll be there soon." I could hear Tony still talking when she ended the call. She stood from the couch, dragging her hand away from mine in the process. She zipped her bag up and slung it over her shoulder. "We should get going before he has a conniption." I nodded, knowing that she knew our conversation wasn't over. She had to know I wouldn't let this go; I never did when it came to her.

I moved towards the door, holding it open for her. She crossed the room too, before stopping, her eyes lighting up with something she'd forgotten to pack. She motioned for me to wait for just a second as she walked to the kitchen, opening one of the mostly empty cabinets. She pulled out a bottle of something, but I quickly recognized the clear liquid. "Wouldn't wanna forget this," she mused, tucking it into her bag.

"Yeah, definitely don't forget that." It was a joke of sorts between Natasha and I about her 'precious' Russian vodka, her first and foremost drink of choice. I smiled at her as she flipped off the lights in her apartment and let me close the door behind her. We exited the building and found our way to my car in the darkened cityscape of New York, who had slowly begun rebuilding itself after the attack. The night air was cold as it weaved its way gently all around us. But it was nothing compared to the cold feeling I'd felt when she'd pulled her hand away from me, its absence throwing off my center of balance. But I couldn't think about that now. She threw her stuff in the backseat, next to mine as I started the car. She got in the passenger seat and looked over at me. "Ready?" I asked her. This was her last chance to back out. She nodded at me, and I was pretty sure I could make out a small grin of sorts in the darkened car. With that, I drove away and headed towards Stark Tower.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

- Natasha Romanoff

Clint knew, but then again, I shouldn't have been surprised. Clint always knew. It was one of the reasons he was my best friend. I'd been trying to hide it, and no one else seemed to notice, but then again, none of them knew me like Clint. Clint and I had a complicated past to be sure, especially considering the fact that our first meetings revolved around missions and murder, especially considering that the first time he knew he was meeting me was the mission where he was sent to kill me. There were so many twists and turns in our relationship from Barcelona to Bolivia to Budapest. Budapest, that was complicated in its own right. We'd had each other's backs, taken bullets for one another, saved one another, yelled and fought, shared innermost pieces of ourselves with each other over the years…we were connected in most senses of the word. It was the other senses that lingered under the surface…at least for me. And I knew Clint knew that I was hiding something from him, but I don't think he'd ever expect that. I couldn't tell him. How do you tell your partner that you love him when all that would do was put a bigger target on his head? I could never risk Clint's life. It was one thing to risk mine by having feelings, but his was more important.

I knew our conversation was far from over. Clint was a persistent person. He wasn't going to stop until he knew exactly what was bothering me. I would just have to think up a better excuse before that time came. Because, under no circumstances could Clint know what was really getting under my skin: him. I was relieved when he didn't push the subject in the car, focusing instead on the radio music as I watched New York from the window. Eventually Stark Tower came into view, and I couldn't help but shake my head in admiration for the billionaire. "Wow, Stark sure doesn't waste any time," Clint mumbled. Stark Tower, which had been heavily damaged during the battle against the Chitauri and Loki, was almost completely fixed. Tony had really outdone himself this time.

"I guess not." I mumbled back as we neared the building. Tony was standing outside waiting when we pulled up. "Been waiting long?" I sarcastically said, tilting my head to the side.

"Oh not really, I had JARVIS on the lookout. He was monitoring traffic light cameras." Tony said easily. I rolled my eyes. Clint leaned over where he could see Tony.

"Where do you want us?"

"Oh yeah, you can park in the garage," Tony said, pointing towards an open area. "I'll meet you over there." He said, waving Clint on. Clint drove into what turned out to be a massive garage with several fancy cars already parked. I wasn't surprised. Tony Stark was not one for modesty. Clint pulled into the nearest available parking spot and cut the engine.

"Well here we are," he said, opening his door and getting out. I did the same, pulling my bag from the back seat. I'd just slung it over my shoulder when Tony appeared.

"Is that really all the stuff you brought?" He eyed our light bags.

"We're master assassins. It's not like we have a lot of down town Stark," Clint joked. I stared pointedly at him.

"When you're in the business of killing people, you never need to get too grounded. You could easily have to move to protect yourself or your cover." I wasn't trying to be a bitch even though I was probably coming off that way. It was just the truth. I'd learned that the hard way in the Red Room. Our profession suffocates our personal life. We didn't get the privilege of having roots.

"Well, Miss Sunshine," Tony said, raising his eyebrows at me, "that's about to change. I can't think of a safer place for a pair of assassins than Avengers Tower."

"What did you call it?" Clint asked. "I thought it was Stark Tower?"

"Yeah, well after Loki's big showstopper," he wiggled his fingers around for effect, "My tower was pretty wrecked. However, one little letter did manage to survive the scuffle: the long 'A'." Tony pointed upward to where the top of the tower boasted the single letter. "I felt inspired to change the name, considering we're a team now and everything. Plus, Pepper suggested it would make everyone feel more at home here." He added that last part quieter, glancing anyway. I smiled. He was probably irritated that Pepper came up with that and not him. "Anyway, let's get out of the cold and see our new home." Tony turned and walked towards the entrance to the Tower, Clint and I close behind him.

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

Everyone was already there and settled, with the exception of Thor, who had to take Loki back to his home planet. Good riddance, I thought. Steve and Bruce were lounging in the living room with Pepper when we walked in. "Natasha," Pepper smiled when she saw me and got up from her seat to embrace me. I tensed at first before relaxing my muscles and hugging her back. I didn't really do the hugging thing often.

"Be careful Pepper, Spidey's got a killer right hook among other things." Tony said. Pepper shot Tony a death glare of her own before turning her eyes to Clint.

"Pepper, this is my partner at S.H.I.E.L.D.," I said as Clint stepped forward and offered a hand. Pepper took it and shook it.

"Agent Clint Barton," he said.

"Nice to meet you Clint," she smiled warmly, "In case you didn't know me, my name is Pepper Potts."

"You need no introduction Miss Potts. I hear you're the only reason anything gets done around here."

"Hey!" Tony called as he sat down in a chair.

Pepper smiled and winked at Clint. "You heard right."

Doctor Banner and Steve stood up and moved to greet us. I couldn't help but smile inwardly. They were always so polite. I kept my face relaxed and then stood there, unsure of what to do next.

"Tony!" Pepper exclaimed.

"What?" Tony asked from his seat on the couch. He was watching some show on the big screen television.

"Aren't you going to show Clint and Natasha to their rooms?!" She shook her head. Tony looked up at her and let his eyes widen in realization.

"Aw, yes, I almost forgot," he said standing. "Let me show you to your rooms." He rolled his eyes as he made his way to the elevator. We followed close behind him.

"I saw that!" Pepper called after him as we stepped on. When the doors were safely closed, he stuck his tongue out.

"You're such a child," I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"I can't help it. That woman brings it out in me." He said, smiling warmly to himself. Then he turned to Clint and I. "So the layout of Avengers Tower," he started. "Basically you two get to share a floor. Everyone else has their own, but I figured with you two being partners, you'd wanna be close to each other." He was implying something, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of reacting. The elevator stopped on our floor and we stepped out.

The floor was nicely furnished. The far end of the floor held an elaborate kitchen set up, complete with a table for eating. The kitchen melded into the living room. There was a long white couch and plush carpet, complete with a small dangling chandelier and flat screen television. There were a couple of chairs around a pair of white drapes and a bookcase in the corner. I moved down a hallway. There were two bathrooms, each adjacent from one another, a laundry room, and even a mini-gym. I raised an eyebrow at him. "There's a bigger gym on the 63rd floor," he said matter-of-factly as we kept moving. There was an empty room that Tony said he didn't know what to do with, so we could decide what to do with it. At the other end of the floor were our bedrooms. They were directly opposite one another. I took one and Clint took the other.

I went into my room and set my bag down on the bed. I looked around taking in the large bed and soft pillows. The walls were painted a soft shade of blue and there were nightstands on both sides of the bed as well as an awfully large closet and dresser. A television was mounted on the wall and a full length mirror was placed in the corner. I nodded and wondered back out into the hallway where Tony and Clint were waiting. "So what do you think?" Tony asked.

"It's everything I would expect from you Tony," I said, looking around.

"Thanks for inviting us to stay here," Clint said, looking around like me.

"No problem Legolas," he said. Clint turned his attention back to Tony at the nickname. I repressed a laugh. "Well I'll leave you two to get settled. I'll send someone up to get you when dinners ready. I thought we'd all eat together tonight since it's the first night in the tower for everyone. One big happy family," He smirked as he got on the elevator to go down.

We didn't really unpack much. We would have plenty of time to do that later. I did shower and change into a simple pair of jeans and T-shirt. I came out of my room with my damp hair pulled into a short ponytail. Clint was sitting on the couch dressed in a similar outfit. I took a seat next to him and pulled my knees close to me, wrapping my arms around them. He had the TV on, but promptly turned it off and looked at me. "Nat, what's going on with you?" He asked, bringing up our previous conversation. Damn! I hadn't come up with a good enough excuse yet. I looked blankly at him unsure of what to say. He waited and I knew he wasn't going to let this go until I told him something.

"Before this happened, I was in Russia on mission." I said. I didn't know what I was going to say yet, but I figured I could buy time by starting at the beginning.

"Yeah, I remember. You were going in to get information." He said.

"I was in the middle of gathering that information. They thought they were interrogating me, but really it was the other way around. I was in the middle of getting what S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted when I got a phone call." I knew it didn't take much to figure out what phone call I was talking about. Clint wasn't stupid by any means. He looked down. "Do you know what it did to me to hear Coulson say those three words?" They burned in my mind even now. I would probably hear them for the rest of my life, the emotional ties to it enough to keep it etched in my memory. "Barton's been compromised," I whispered into the space between us. I turned to look at Clint who was watching my masked face curiously. I let pieces of it crack, feeling a sadness creep into my eyes. "I have never been so scared in my entire life Clint." I knew he wanted to say something, but words failed him. "And then I had to fight you, but you weren't you. I could've killed you Clint. You could've died. I could've died." I could feel my lips quivering slightly, but I refused to cry. The Black Widow didn't cry.

"Nat," he whispered, scooting closer to me. He took my hands in his and squeezed them. "I'm right here. I mean yeah I could've died and you could've too, but we could've died a lot of times. But you know what, we're still here. Don't let it get to you. You never have before, don't start now."

"It was different this time Clint." I removed my hands from him, ignoring the pang I felt as I did so. I turned my head in the other direction. We were close to each other, too close. I could feel myself being pulled into his gravity. I needed to stop it before something happened we couldn't undo.

"Why?" He asked gently. I closed my eyes and turned back towards him.

"Because you're my best friend," I said. "Look, I know I don't say it a lot, but you're the best friend I've ever had, and I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to you. Okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?" I said, getting frustrated with myself. I could feel my guards lowering and my façade cracking. I struggled to keep it together. With anyone else, I didn't have any problems hiding my emotions, but Clint wasn't anyone else. I could feel my shoulders shaking slightly.

"Hey, come here," he said, scooting even closer and enveloping me into a hug. Like I said before, I didn't really do the hug thing, but as Clint Barton sat there with his arms around me, I allowed myself to melt into the feeling of his touch. I had managed not to shed any tears, but I couldn't last much longer if I was going to have to make any more emotional confessions. We pulled away and stared at each other. We were too close, way past too close. I held my breath as I watched him start to lean closer to me. I didn't dare move. My heart was beating loudly and quickly. I could hear it pumping in my ears. He moved closer and closer and time got slower and slower. Our lips were looming near each other. Another second and we would cross a line that would forever blur our relationship.

And that's when the elevator dinged. I pulled back quickly, putting space in between us in the seconds before the doors opened to reveal Steve. I was still holding my breath. "Hey guys, sorry to bother you," he smiled awkwardly, "but Tony wanted me to come tell you it was time for dinner." I nodded at him and he turned to stumble back into the elevator.

"Yeah, we'll be there in just a second," Clint said as the elevator doors closed on Steve. Once Steve was gone, I finally sharply exhaled. I turned to look at Clint. He looked back. Then I stood up and walked towards the elevator, pressing the button for it to come back up once Steve was gone.

"We should get down to dinner." I said, quickly. Clint stood from his place too.

"Yeah before they start to miss us."

X.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.X

- Clint Barton

Oh shit. What did I just do? What did I just do? How could I do something so stupid? I can't believe I tried to kiss her. I don't know what I was thinking. And the look on her face was enough to make me wriggle in discomfort. I can't believe I put us into this situation.

Oh shit. What the fuck did I just do?