He was supposed to meet Nat out front ten minutes ago and she was beginning to worry. She had passed Fury on her way out the door, so she knew they weren't still talking, but it wasn't like him to be late. That was when she saw it- a reflection from the roof of the building. It was gone in a second and wouldn't mean a thing to anyone else, but Natasha wasted no time walking back inside and hitting the button for the elevator.
Clint hadn't known where to go. Watching the video, seeing the evil pleasure twisting Loki's features as he hit home, the tears in Nat's eyes... After punching a hole through the wall and cursing for several long minutes he was overcome with exhaustion. He needed perspective, and for perspective he needed the open air and clear view that the roof would provide. He should have known she'd find him there; he barely had time to compose his face as the access door opened and she approached him without hesitation.
"Hey Hawkboy- you aren't planning to fly to Central Park, are you?" She teased, not missing the tension in his posture and confusion in his eyes. When Clint barely cracked a smile, she became concerned. Always the contemplative type, Nat knew there were times that her partner was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even hear the people around him. It made her curious as to what Fury said when she left the room.
Since Clint was choosing to ignore her, she decided to climb up to the ledge he was perching on and get comfortable. Unlike him, Natasha had never loved heights. She liked having solid ground to stand on with a wall to her back, while he was never happy unless there was a chance he could fall to his death. It was one of the many differences between them that made the two such a good team. Without thinking, Natasha slid her hand into Clint's where it was gripping the stone ledge.
That snapped him out of his internal debate. He was torn between simply telling Nat that he had watched the interrogation or waiting. After all, she clearly hadn't wanted him to know about it. It was an extremely vulnerable moment for her, something the Russian avoided at all cost, especially during a mission as important as this one had been. With everyone else Natasha could play that off as her strategy to get Loki talking, but Clint had seen her play the emotional female a million times. This was different; she was genuinely shaken by Loki's words. Suddenly, he knew exactly what Natasha had meant in the infirmary when she said she'd been compromised.
He squeezed her hand gently, letting her know he was back. To himself he concluded that he'd wait. That was his strong suit, after all. Natasha couldn't be swept off her feet like a school girl; if she wasn't ready to tell him about Loki's threat and what it had done to her than he would give her time. It only took Clint a few short minutes after emerging from Loki's control to realize that she was the only thing he couldn't live without, the only person in this world he needed to be okay. For the first time, he had hope that she felt the same way.
"Thanks Nat," he said softly, meeting her eyes so that she could see how much he meant it.
"Any time. Ready to kiss Loki goodbye once and for all?" That got her the smile she was looking for. The smile that never failed to brighten her day just a little bit. She let go of his hand to jump back to the roof, letting a smile of her own slide to her lips.
"Oh, and remember how you owe me one? Well, I'm cashing in. Once that bastard is off our planet, we're going to Coney Island and spending the rest of the day acting like a couple of normal human beings. You will ride the Ferris Wheel, eat fried dough, and win me a giant stuffed something, without mentioning aliens or SHIELD or, and I mean this one, Tony Stark. Are we clear?"
Clint groaned out loud, making a show of jumping back onto the ledge they had just left and contemplating going over the edge. Natasha didn't even bat an eye, though Clint was fairly certain he saw her reach for her holster with a raised eyebrow. He got that message loud and clear.
"Right. Normal human being or you kick my ass into next week. But do I have to ride the Ferris Wheel? I've seen those things put together- it isn't exactly the model of safety. I'd rather catch a ride with Thor and his spinning hammer of doom, to be honest. Did you at least get us a good car? Don't tell me you picked another sporty little toy car. You did, didn't you? Honestly, Nat, we put our lives at risk every day and you can't even pick something with roll bars? Sometimes you worry me."
Their easy banter continued all the way to the park, lightening the mood considerably. They were having so much fun teasing one another and joking around that it must have shown on their faces.
"Hey, trained super-assassins," Tony said upon their arrival, "think you could at least look like you care about the evil genius demigod we're shooting off into space? Hell, for all we know he still has a few alien buddies lurking around to put a dent in my day. Amateurs."
Clint shook his head, "Sorry Irongirl, we'll try to take a leaf out of your book and be a little more serious about this whole thing."
"Ignore him, Clint," Natasha muttered, "he's just cranky cause he isn't in his special robo-suit. But don't you worry, Tony, I'm still armed and dangerous enough for both of us." She flashed him a half smile, trying to thank him for earlier. When he winked in reply, she rolled her eyes, wishing she wasn't being so uncharacteristically nice.
Soon the convoy was rolling up with Loki inside, contained by every precaution they could think to take- including Thor. Clint was relieved to be getting this over with. He wasn't exactly looking forward to spending the day in a crowd of teenagers, but he needed Loki to be off his planet once and for all. Even standing there, completely defeated and facing a punishment he couldn't even imagine, the smug bastard looked amused. It made Clint itch for his bow, or even a throwing knife. He'd even settle for a fork and 5 minutes alone with the cause of all his torment.
Nat must have been thinking along the same lines, because she suddenly turned into him to whisper in his ear.
"You know, there's still time to put an arrow through his eye. A little parting gift from us to him."
Damn, but that woman knew exactly how to get through to him. He made sure to make his smile wide and maybe a little sinister, as Loki had been watching him constantly since being escorted out of the transport van. He wanted that smile to say 'see? You came to tear us down, but we're stronger than ever.'
As Thor and Loki disappeared from sight, Clint was surprised to feel Nat leaning against his side. Not in an obvious way, but almost as if she needed to feel his body next to hers as some sort of reassurance. It was good to know she needed that as much as he did.
As his teammates began to go in their separate directions, Nat wondered when they would all be together again. She was about as far from a team player as any person could get, but this rag-tag group of superfreaks had really grown on her. Did she trust them? No, not yet. But she wanted to give them a chance; the first time she had felt that way since Clint offered to spare her life in exchange for her alliance. She was happy to see Bruce leave with Tony- no doubt they'd be playing mad scientist and blowing up even more of the city before too long. Watching Steve ride off on his motorcycle gave her a pang of nostalgia- how often had that been her? Sad, alone, and more than a little lost in the world. He'd find his way back, though it wouldn't be without his fair share of heartache.
"Nat? You ready to get this day of fun started? Because I'm driving." Clint called from their car- opening the passenger door for him. She had to remind herself that while Clint was unlike any man she knew, he was still a man. So she'd let him drive this time, but she'd be damned if he wasn't going on that Ferris Wheel with her.
So do you want to know my favorite BlackHawk scene from the movie? It's this one! She leans in to whisper in his ear, he doesn't move a muscle except to smile- now that's good stuff! Love their dynamic in the movie!
Expect another update on Monday- I am literally scheduling writing time into my work schedule because all your reviews have made me so happy :D Thanks!
So my next question for all you lovely readers- how long do you want to see this story go on? I have two versions in my head, one that will give you 2-3 more chapters but more instant gratification (if you catch my drift) and one that will play out over a longer period of time with a little more depth/action/original story. Plus gratification of a less instantaneous variety. Thoughts?