I didn't mean to take this much time, but college occupies too much of my time.
Hope you guys enjoy it. It's a chapter centered on Natasha (and with Clint too).
Have the initiative but work as a team, it pays off.
"Hey, Tony," Steve called out as soon as he entered the theater. "look what I found." He presented him an old radio that didn't work. "Can you fix it? Maybe we could listen to the Super bowl games."
Tony grabbed the radio and examined it for a little. His eyebrows arched and his mouth twitched a little as he inspected that old and damaged electronic apparatus.
"Yeah, I think it has a fix. I have to tear it apart and check the internal circuits, maybe-"
"Don't explain it." Steve asked. "Just do what you've gotta do."
Natasha walked in the theater with a disquieting expression mirrored on her eyes. "What is Nat?"
"The junkies and homeless upstairs are getting food again and we just have to go pickpocketing to eat. It ain't fair! We're running out of food in here."
For a while, silence settled on the theater so they could listen to the movement upstairs. Social services and charity organizations were giving food away to those who live upstairs, and since no-one knows (and can't ever know) that those kids live on the floor below, they don't get any food. From the little thefts and con acts they do on the streets, they earn money for food and other stuff they may need. Nick doesn't explore them unlike others who demand the kids to hand over the money they make.
Natasha sat on one of the chairs of the parterre and sighed, folding her arms over her chest, feeling bored. Tony was in his own world with his tools and that old radio Steve found on a trash can nearby. Loki and Bruce played freely around the theater, running and jumping around, playing tag. As the other boys arrived one by one their curiosity was driven to that little and apparently so interesting and precious radio. They all sat near Tony, waiting for him to fix it.
After a while, the boys were shouting at the radio as it only emitted a couple of sounds and they couldn't listen to a complete sentence of the sports announcer commenting on the game.
"I'm gonna steal it from them." Natasha's voice broke in the air, breaching through Loki and Bruce's hullabaloo and the other boys' shouts.
"Nick said we can't go to any other floor unless he asks us to." Thor told her.
"Oh, what do you know?" She snapped, getting up. "You've only been here for a couple of weeks!"
Thor, Steve, Tony and Clint looked at each other and almost at the same time they shrugged and turned their attention to the little radio again.
Natasha walked carefully upstairs. She avoided stepping on the steps that let out a cracking sound, and almost tiptoeing she quickly found herself on the first floor of the abandoned hotel. After looking here and there, she started walking more comfortably. Very next to what appeared to be a collapsed man she found a bag with food. Carefully she snatched it from him and ran back to the theater.
Puffing, she placed the bag she had stolen on the stage and stopped to breath. Her heart pumping fast and the adrenaline of scare and excitement of having had such thing was still in her system. But she wasn't satisfied. Perhaps, snatching one more or two. It was too easy and she was beyond bored. The more she could steal, the more food they'd have.
Natasha succeeded on a second snatch. But the third one didn't go as planned. She ran as fast to the theater, but didn't enter. When she passed by the door, she eyed the boys in there. Only one set her eyes on her and realized something was wrong.
Clint got up and quietly walked to her who was ducked on the corner outside the theater.
"Hey. What's the matter?"
"Go away." She said, holding her left arm close to her chest. "Go listen to your stupid game and leave me alone."
"Why are you so angry at me all the sudden?"
"It's nothing, go away." She yelled as got up and she clutched her arm closer to her chest, hiding it from Clint's sight.
"Tasha," He spoke softly, kneeling down. "what happened upstairs?"
The girl, who they have never recognized a weak moment, looked up at her best friend with tears in her eyes. Natasha's voice broke almost into a cry. "A guy stung me with a needle." She finally revealed her arm. She was holding so tight to it that the needle was still stuck in her skin. "Nick said all about the needles and-and the diseases. Go away, Barton, I don't want you to get sick too."
Natasha was now in tears and Clint was helpless, looking at her. He had never seen her like that. So he hugged her, it was the best he could think of at the moment. She tried to break free of his hug but he clenched her so tight that she ended up crying on his shoulder, scared.
"Stay here." He whispered in her ear and left out the hotel, running.
He ran until his legs went numb, until his all strengths were gone. He ran to meet Nick Fury. They only look for him there when there's a problem, and now was the right time to meet him.
Nick Fury walked in a quick pace, and Clint, completely exhausted, tried to keep up with his rhythm. The man asked the kid to lead him to Natasha and then told him to go away, but he didn't move an inch. She was no longer crying, which was something good, but still Clint didn't walk away on her.
Fury ducked, being at the same eye level as Natasha. "Can I see the needle? Clint told me you still had it." The needle was still stung in her arm and she pulled it and showed it to Nick. After carefully looking at it, he said. "It's a new needle. Never used. You're alright. Now, Barton, could you meet with the others? I want to have a word with Natasha alone."
Clint shook his head. "Isn't she okay? You just said she's okay! Why do you need-"
"And she is alright. I just want to know how come she got a needle in her arm. Now go."
"Go Clint," Natasha told him with a head nod. "it's okay."
The boy, very reluctantly, entered the theater, peering over his shoulder on his way inside. When he was out of their sight, Nick kicked off. "I thought I had made it clear about going upstairs."
"You did, but… they were being given food that they spoil and don't want. And we need it."
"Alright, I understand your point." It didn't matter how much effort Nick would put on his lecture. Natasha was the only girl, so the only person he'd scold softer. "But why going alone? As far as I've ever seen, at least Clint goes anywhere with you."
"Yeah, but he didn't. And no one else wanted to go. My father used to say 'When the others won't do it, do it yourself'."
"But not about these kinds of stuff. If this happens again with either of you, I won't be this mild. Understood?"
"Yes." She said, slightly lowering her head.
"Now go in there and eat." He told her, walking out of the hotel.
Natasha entered the theater. A calmer expression lighted her face and she smiled when her eyes met Clint's. They were all having dinner. He signaled her with the head for her to take a seat next to them.
"What did Nick say?" He asked in a low voice.
"He just scolded me for having gone upstairs. Nothing else. And listen, Clint… me having cried-"
"I've never seen you cry." He stated.
Her lips curved on a smile and the two of them never spoke about it again. It was a secret just between those two. One secret among many.
Next chapter has changed. It's now about Bruce, and it's called "Heartbeat".
Leave a review on this one. I know I have readers and followers, so commentaries would be much appreciated.
Oh, btw, this fanfiction will feature a chapter for each character (so, seven) and a last chapter, the epilogue.