Ch 5: Touch & Go
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The following few weeks for the Avengers were uneventful and restful, but for Tony, completely boring. He prodded Bruce restlessly, trying to get him to lose control and turn into the Hulk. He played practical jokes on Steve, even going as far as to light a flaming bag of dog crap in front of Steve's door. That hadn't worked out for any of them. The sprinklers were set off, and the flaming bag of dog crap became a soggy bag of dog crap that seeped into the original antique oak hardwood floor that had to be replaced. Pepper had let him have it about that one. So, he turned to sciencey wagers. And right now, Banner was about to lose big time. He had $100 bucks that Tony's Iron Man suit couldn't hold up against acid.
"Alright girly, show me what you got." Tony said. He was standing behind Bobbi in the lab as she carried hydrochloric acid in a beaker, over to another table that held a portion of his Iron Man suit. She clenched the tongs tightly.
"If you drop this, we're all dead." Tony told her in her ear.
"Stark, give the girl a break." Bruce said, glancing up from his work station.
"If she drops this, Big Green, I'll bet you'll lick it up off the floor."
Bruce rolled his eyes, "Just take it nice and slow, Bobbi."
Bobbi reached her destination, and held the beaker over the suit, ready. "Okay, guys."
Bruce and Tony slapped goggles on their faces, and joined her at the work station. Ever so slowly, Bobbi let the acid pour onto the suit. It sizzled, and sent off noxious fumes, but it did not crack. There was a click heard overhead, and industrial sized fans began ventilating the room.
"YES!" Tony cried, his arms in the air. "And acid does nothing. What other ideas do you got, Banner?"
Bobbi rubbed Bruce's arm sympathetically. "It was a good theory."
"It doesn't even rust." Bruce said, watching the armor. "What kind of coating do you have on that, Stark?"
"A true magician never reveals his secrets." Tony said. "Pay up. What else ya got?"
Bruce rolled his eyes and stuffed the Benjamin into Tony's hand.
"Sir, Director Fury is on his way." JARVIS announced.
They all looked up when Nick Fury entered the room. "What is going on in here?" He asked. Bobbi looked guilty, Bruce looked mildly surprised, and Tony looked incredibly calm.
"Gambling." Tony replied.
Fury shook his head. "I got a job for you guys."
"Freakin finally. I was thinking you forgot about us." Tony said.
"I have a spear from that alien race Loki led here. I needed specs. I need calibrations. I want to know what makes it tick."
Bruce narrowed his eyes, "You can't be thinking it has anything to do with the Tesseract."
"I don't know what to think, Dr. Banner. That's why I have the smartest minds here in this room."
"Is this the only spear in existence?" Bruce asked.
Fury snapped his head to him, "Why do you ask?"
Tony nodded, "Good point, Hulkamania."
Bruce shrugged, "That was a crazy day. I could see a spear falling into civilian hands."
Fury sighed, "Then you'd be correct. A couple of college kids got their hands on one. We need to see if this is a potential threat. That's why I need those specs, ASAP."
"Can't we just push them down and take it?" Tony asked.
"And risk endangering lives?" Fury shook his head, "I'm having the spear flown in from our Long Island base. It'll be here in an hour. Get me those specs." He said, and left the room.
"Well, that was fun." Tony said.
…...
Steve looked up from his morning paper as Natasha and Clint came out of their room and walked toward the kitchen. They didn't walk hand n- hand, but they slowed their pace to match each other's, and with each stride, their hands momentarily brushed against each other. He felt his eyes cloud over, and his thoughts drift back to one girl. Peggy. No time for that now. That was long ago, and he was sure she lived a happy life without him. He had been told she had.
Steve smiled at them, and they smiled at Natasha and Clint. He was glad that they were so happy, even though they'd never admit it. People around here deserved happiness, besides Stark and Pepper. Steve liked Pepper. She was welcoming and smiling, she had endless patience for Tony's crap, and she got things done.
Clint joined him at the table while Natasha poured them coffee.
"What's for breakfast, Cap?" Clint asked.
"Stark's got an arsenal in the cupboards. Cereal, booze, oatmeal, booze..."
Clint laughed.
"Nothing like Vodka in your Cheerios," Natasha mumbled.
Clint and Steve chuckled.
Natasha placed a cup of coffee before Clint and then gestured the pot to Steve. He waved her off. "Fury said we're having a briefing on China today."
"I heard Thor was coming with us."
"Yeah, he'll be here shortly. He made a pit stop to visit Jane."
"Who's Jane?" Clint asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Well, Stark really did get the best of everything. This coffee tasted like Juan Beldaz had ground the beans himself.
"His... girlfriend, I'd guess you'd say." Natasha answered.
"And how about you, Cap?" Clint asked him, "You should..."
"I should focus on the mission." Steve snapped.
Clint held his hands up defensively. "I was just going to say..."
"Well, don't." Steve said. He slammed his paper down on the table and stormed off.
"He's been through a lot." Natasha said quietly, sitting down next to Clint.
…...
Clint watched as Bobbi got stronger with the bow. Natasha walked in, and sauntered over to him. The girl was more fluid with her movements now, more precise with her attacks.
"How're things going?" She asked.
Clint shrugged, "She's really not bad. She keeps this up, she'll be a contender."
"Has she sparred against a real target yet?"
"No, I..." He caught that look in her eye, and she smiled at him, "Nat, she's just a baby."
"I've got twenty minutes before my briefing."
"She's just a baby, Nat!"
"I'll keep that in mind." Natasha said and walked forward. "JARVIS!"
"Yes, Agent Romanova?"
"Remove the targets. Me and Agent Morse are going to go hand to hand."
Bobbi paused as the targets vanished before her. She turned to Natasha, and glanced at Clint.
"It's alright, I'll walk you through this." Clint said.
"Is that a threat?" Natasha asked him with a smile.
Clint laughed, "Baby, you know it is."
Natasha stood in front of Bobbi and raised her fists.
Bobbi dropped the staff. She raised her fists as well.
"Tuck in low, she's fast." Clint said.
Natasha smiled and started off with a roundhouse that Bobbi blocked with her arm, but the force of Natasha's blow landed her on her ass.
"That's alright, shake it off." Clint said.
Bobbi got back on her feet and came at Natasha with her fists raised. She dodged it easily, and knocked the girl's feet out from under her. Again, Bobbi was knocked to the floor.
"Alright, hold it." Clint said, he walked over, and helped Bobbi to her feet. Natasha crossed her arms as he whispered in her ear tips and pointers. To Bobbi's credit, she did not look shaken, but determined.
"Okay, enough insider trading." Natasha scoffed.
Clint eyeballed her with a smug smile, and whispered one more thing in Bobbi's ear to which she laughed. He backed away then.
Natasha raised her fists once more and Bobbi lunged. She did not attack with her fists, but did a back flip just before Natasha and landed with her thighs around her neck. She sprung Natasha forward to land on her back, and Bobbi put her foot on Natasha's chest. "Yield."
Natasha had been beaten by her own move. She pushed Bobbi's foot off of her and rounded on Clint. He stood there, shaking with laughter. How dare he. He told Bobbi her move! Her move! She jumped to her feet, and poked a finger in Clint's chest. "How... how dare you..."
"She beat you, didn't she?" Clint asked in between laughs.
"That is my move, you can't just go teaching her my move!:
"You insisted on this."
Natasha scowled, grabbed his arm and flipped him over her body. He kicked her leg out, and she fell on top of him. They stared at each other.
And there it was again.
That chemistry. That charged atmosphere. Natasha cleared her throat, and got to her feet. "I have a briefing." she said. She straightened her uniform, and walked out of the room.
…...
meeting about china
"You ship out in the morning." Fury looked between Natasha, Thor, and Cap's faces. This was it. The intel on the nukes had brought them to this point. Natasha would seduce Ling, find out where the nukes were, then let Cap and Thor storm the place. It should be easy. They were the world's best and brightest, and he was thankful for that.
…...
"Natasha, Barton's been compromised."
She didn't sleep well, and when she did, she rarely dreamed. But this night, that one phrase haunted her, and she tossed and turned in the night. She opened her eyes in the darkness, and reached her arm out to the empty cold spot in her bed. He was usually there, snoring softly beside her. But it was okay. He was safe. She had lost so many in her life, especially her husband, Alexei, she couldn't bare to lose Barton too.
Not now, not when the whole Avengers Initiative had finally taken flight. She should feel safe now, but that was a luxury she could never afford. It was the life she led. Usually she'd be able to wind herself down long enough to get a few hours of rest. She was shipping off in the morning with Cap, and Thor. Who know how long she'd be gone this time? What if something happened to him when she wasn't there… what if…
Stop it, Natasha. He was a grown man, highly trained, but still…
Maybe a walk around Stark Tower would clear her head. She got up and fastened a silk robe around her small frame, and slipped into a pair of slippers. What a relief from the tight uniform and boots. The balcony tempted her, until she saw a blur of black out of the corner of her eye.
Clint walked past the open air room, spotted what he thought was Natasha, and doubled back. He gazed at her for a moment longer than he should have in that silk robe. "Nat?" He asked.
She turned to him and gave him a small smile.
"Can't sleep?" He guessed.
She shook her head.
"You never could before a mission." He said.
She shrugged, "You know me well."
"Walk with me," He said.
She was grateful for the company and joined his side without hesitation back into the training room.
She rested against the wall and watched him shoot. Damn, the man was sharp. She watched him move with elite precision, handling his bow like a fine instrument. When she first joined the Avengers, this had been her favorite pastime, though she'd never admit it to him.
"What're you grinning at?" He asked, catching her smile.
"Just thinking of the old days when it was you and me against the world."
He walked over to her, pinched her chin, and flopped next to her. "Now it's a full house."
"It's a good thing, I think." She said.
"That was a time though, wasn't it?" He asked, "You and me…"
"I miss it." She blurted out, and then hung her head. Momentary slip up. That was becoming more common around him now. Before, when it was just the two of them, she found herself more guarded. But now, with everything happening, what had happened to him with Loki, she didn't want to die without him knowing…
"Nat…" He whispered.
"Clint, I…" She turned to him, and found that his deep blue were staring into her grey. The atmosphere was charged between them. They always had a great chemistry, they moved in sync, even finished each others sentences. They were as one.
He reached out and cupped her face, and she found herself cradling into his hand.
"You'll be fine, and you'll come back to me."
Before she could say anything, he pulled away from her and walked back to the practice floor, drawing his bow once more. He turned to her and grinned, "You up for a challenge?"
She grinned in return, slipped out of her slippers and walked to him. She couldn't refuse him. He knew that. Clint punched a panel on the wall, and the ceiling lit up with a dozen targets. She eyed him warily. Where was the challenge?
He grinned again, punched another button, and the target zoomed down, to stop inches from her face. Natasha didn't think. She acted, and answered by clipping the target in two with a roundhouse.
"Nice," Clint said, and stowed his bow. "No weapons. Eleven targets left. Let's do this."
He pushed the button again, ran to her, and placed his back against hers.
Ah, this really was like the good ol days. Natasha grinned, and put her fists up as the target approached. An uppercut smashed that in two, and she ducked as one came in on her right. Clint punched that with a force to knock it into the wall.
Ten minutes later, she was panting against the wall. She hadn't had a workout like that in awhile. Clint grinned, handed her a bottle of water, and slumped beside her.
"Thanks for that," She said, raising her bottle to him. "Cheers."
They walked back to their room, laughing quietly. He put the key in the lock and followed her inside. She laid down on the bed, and he laid next to her. Instead of just curling into his side as she did most every night, she turned her face to him in the darkness, and saw that his eyes were open too. She reached up and ran a finger down his face. When he slept, all of the worry faded from his face. He reached over and kissed her softly on the lips. That was all Natasha needed. She grabbed his face, and kissed him long and hard. Clint took her cue, and rolled on top of her. Natasha opened her legs, letting him get closer to her. He moved to kissing her neck, and Natasha moaned quietly.
"Natasha," He breathed against her neck.
"Mmmm?" She asked.
"Do you... maybe we should..."
"I want this," She said, grabbing his face, and staring directly into his eyes.
"All I needed to hear." Clint said, and covered her lips with his own.
Natasha was curled next to Clint's bare chest, her hand laid upon it. That had been one of the best nights of her life. Clint snored softly beside her, one arm wrapped around her waist. She studied his body in the pale morning light. He was chiseled like a Greek God and the sheet barely covered the lower half of his body. What an amazing man he was. She hated to leave, but she had to go. She wanted to stay here, wrapped in his arms every night. She got up, showered and dressed, and slung her pack over her shoulder. She kissed him softly on the lips as he slept, left a small note on his bedside table, and left the room.