Natasha parked the beat up old black car with a slight sigh. Final year of high school, she wanted this to be over and done with. She also wanted a new car, one that didn't feel like it would give up living at any moment, but it was rather clear she was not getting her way any time soon. Still the car was better than walking. Bruce sat happily in the passenger seat with his bag on the ground between his legs. He looked over Natasha with a grin on his face; she just shook her head with a slight smile at his excitement. "Do not give me that look."
"Oh come on, final year of high school," Bruce continued to grin, leaning over.
"Yeah, high school the one place I hate with a passion and I'm amazed you don't," Natasha rolled her eyes.
"You like the dance part," Bruce pointed out.
"Yeah I do like that," Natasha nodded in agreement, "that's about it. Let's face it, given my reputation I really don't want to be here."
"Well maybe if you hadn't made the football team your own personal team of enemies…" Bruce trailed off.
"Their captain tried to stuff you in your locker and then had the balls to ask me on a date. What was I supposed to do? Not punch him in the face?"
"Well he doesn't have the balls anymore," Bruce snorted.
"He had that coming when he tried again," Natasha pointed out, "Still I swear I am not dealing with another team trying to ask me out at the same time. I want this year to be done with so we can get out, go to college and maybe find guys who don't think that beating my brother up will turn me on."
"Guys like that exist?" Bruce joked though was suddenly interrupted by something hitting the hood of the car.
Natasha instantly opened the door and yelled, "Clint! Get off my car!"
There was Clint perching on the hood of the car with his giant grin on his face, "You call this a car?"
"I will end you Barton," Natasha threatened.
"It's not my fault it's a piece of junk," Clint jumped backwards off the car when Natasha started to go for him.
"You will not insult my car like that Barton!" Natasha started after him as Bruce got out with his bag. He grabbed Natasha's bag from the back and walked around the driver's side door that was left open, grabbing the keys out and locking the door before closing it and walking after Natasha and Clint. It was a routine with them. Clint would tick off Natasha, Natasha would chase him, Bruce would make sure they didn't leave anything behind and Natasha would come back for him with Clint in a headlock.
Natasha was already starting back with Clint who was trying to get out of her grip. "Oh come on I was just joking!"
"Laugh it up," Natasha replied to Clint as she held out a hand to take her backpack from Bruce.
"You know you're still weird," Clint grumbled as he finally freed himself. His hair was a mess as he escaped from the grip but he simply ran a hand through it in an attempt to fix it before grinning at Natasha and Bruce.
"I know and wouldn't have it any other way," Natasha laughed slightly. Clint had apologized to her the next day and explained that he liked the fact she was different. Overtime the three had become friends and survived this long together. Clint helped watch Bruce's back when Natasha was busy, Bruce kept Clint's grades high enough for him to be on a team and Natasha watched out for both of them while having two guys she could be herself around.
"You've got that right. Final year, and then we're out of here to be as weird as possible," Clint smirked.
"I was hoping for slight normality myself," Bruce laughed lightly, "you two can be as weird as you want though."
"Good to have your blessing there Bruce," Natasha stuck close beside Bruce as they made their way towards the entrance to the school. Some larger boys tried to push past Bruce but received an elbow in their sides as Natasha forced her way past them instead. The hallways were packed tightly with students who were overjoyed to see their friends again causing Natasha to take the lead to force her way through, Bruce behind her and Clint behind him to watch his back.
Natasha reached behind her to grab Bruce's arm and pull him into their first classroom, past a group students chatting away.
"One can only imagine why the center of the hallway is the only place to chat and receive hugs," Bruce muttered.
"We all know they need to flaunt their majestic friendship for all the world to see," Clint joked as Bruce sat down at a desk beside the one Natasha took. When they first started high school Bruce had insisted on the front row but through the fact that Natasha was Natasha she convinced him to move back halfway though they remained at the edge closest to the door. Clint tossed his bag in the desk behind Bruce and sat on Natasha's desk.
"You're going to call what just happened out there, majestic?" Natasha raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, I am. Much like a heard of gazelle prancing across the savannah."
"Clint, they're high school students, not wildlife, there is nothing majestic about their friendship."
"There's a difference between wildlife and high school students?" Clint smirked clearly impressed with his joke.
"In your case, no," Bruce spoke up as he opened up a book he had brought with him.
Natasha snickered slightly and at Clint's frown she just shrugged, "You walked into it."
"There are days when I can't believe you two are my friends with your cruelty towards me," Clint crossed his arms over chest.
"Is that what we are, friends?" Natasha raised an eyebrow, "and here I spent all this time convinced that you were a demonic force that existed only to torment me but it turns out you suck at your job and I instead torment you."
"That's not what friends are?" Bruce raised an eyebrow at Clint, mostly watching to see how he'd respond to that.
"You wound me," Clint made a mocked hurt expression as he looked away from Natasha, "and here I thought for sure that we could one day be friends with benefits."
"Annnnddd for that you're no longer allowed on my desk," Natasha poked Clint's side.
"What does my offer overwhelm you?" Clint questioned as he stood up.
"Under no circumstance are we becoming friends with benefits," Natasha shook her head.
"Well maybe Bruce is interested then," Clint gave a sly grin the Bruce who just shook his head in response. "You both are no fun."
Bruce started to fiddle with a notebook and pencil, just waiting for things to start but that didn't stop him from looking over at Clint and smirking, "and yet you're still here."
"Someone has to keep you two from becoming completely dull, I have taken that job upon myself," Clint finally started moving over to his desk behind Bruce, "It's a hard task but someone has to do it."
"Clint, it's high school, just about everything is dull," Natasha pointed out.
"Hey! Science is not dull. Nor is math," Bruce argued.
Natasha stared dumbfounded at Bruce for a moment, "dear god, Clint's half right, you are dull."
"I am not half right, I am completely right," Clint was quick to interject.
"Half right," Natasha stated again.
"Being half right is how Clint survives everything," Bruce replied, "and I still say it's not dull, you two are just weird."
"Bruce," Natasha did her best at keeping a straight face and serious tone as she spoke, "as your sister I love you, but if most people find it dull then you're not the normal one, you're the weird one."
"Natasha, as your brother I love you," Bruce had learned to imitate Natasha's serious tone and straight face, even if she tended to be better overall at it, "but you're still more weird than I am."
"Only because I hang out with you, I was perfectly normal before I met you two," Natasha stated.
"You hated everything and everyone when I met you and kept speaking Russian," Bruce replied, "you also didn't knock, actually you still don't, and you took on a group of guys who were twice your size with a ball! How is that normal?"
"It's normal for me," Natasha shrugged with a quick smirk.
"She has a point," Clint pointed out quickly.
"Yes but by her point then I am normal and so are you," Bruce grinned.
"Sweet! I'm normal!" Clint called out, possibly a little too loud considering everyone in the room looked at him.
"And like that I take back what I said, you are indeed the weirdest guy in this room," Bruce shook his head as Natasha laughed.
"And I will drag you both down with me. Once again we will be the weirdest group that roams the hallways," Clint ignored the stares he was getting as if no one else was in the room. "We shall attend all of the interesting events that final year students can attend and we will weird people out."
"You are certainly weirding me out," Bruce shook his head again, turning his attention to the front of the classroom as their teacher for the year entered.
"This should be a rather interesting year then," Natasha smiled a bit.
258 Days.
((As I said it jumps to them in high school after everything else. Not sure when the next chapter will come but hopefully it will come. Thanks for the reviews that have been left, I'm glad that there is some interest in the story. This may be a good time to point out that chances are a lot of people are going to notice some weird things about the three of them attending high school, more so in what things are called. I'm actually Canadian and the system I'm used to for high school is different than what it is in the States. I'm trying to keep things neutral but chances are you won't see me use terms like "Seniors" to describe their grade as well as other terms that may be commonly used.))
