The third month, things got interesting. I was taking a young new pilot-in-training up in one of the jets for the first time. It had been going alright so far, though at any time I could take over controls. We had flown pretty far out from base at this point, practicing basic maneuvers and tricks. It wasn't until the radar started to ping that he looked even remotely worried. I check the readings, frowning a bit. Whatever it was, it was fast; missile fast. I tensed, until I saw a red and gold object streak past our viewscreen. I gave a laugh as my trainee screamed, and I typed in the commands to take over control.
"You're going to want to hang on for this. Consider it a…advanced crash course." I turned to grin at him, before punching it to chase after the suit. He gave another small squeal as I looped around the flying body, before positioning us upside down below the suit. He was gripping his controls, but looked a bit less scared, and I dipped out of the position. I tapped at the comm. "Unidentified flying object, please identify yourself and your designation." I smirked, waiting for the inevitably snarky answer.
"You know damn well who I am, Agent." I rolled my eyes, glancing to the kid. He looked confused by the message, and I pressed the comm to reply.
"Well, well, Mr. Stark. You'll have to excuse my manners, but we'll need to escort you back to base. Orders and all that." The trainees eyes widened as Stark's laugh came through, but he willingly followed me back to the base. The moment I was full landed and checked, I hurried off the jet and pulled the suit into a big hug. "Stark, you better have plans to leave that suit, or I'm not going to be very happy." A metallic chuckle came through and the visor opened. I pulled away and turned to the group of trainees who'd come over to investigate. "Watch this." I whispered to him, before turning to them. "Detail, attention!" They all snapped to attention, eyes forward and backs straight. He gave a low whistle, and I nodded. "Right?" I raised my voice to be heard by the group. "Trainees, I'd like you to meet Tony Stark of Stark Industries. I assume he's come to discuss some advancements in the jets with the higher ups." He gave me a strange look, and I shrugged. "I will be escorting him, so training is done for today. You're dismissed." They all relaxed and headed off towards the barracks, leaving Tony and I to head towards HQ.
"I'm definitely not here to talk about jets, Raena." He gave me a knowing look, and I stifled a groan.
"Which one sent you to try and drag me back?" I was hoping this would be a social call, just wanting to visit a friend, but it was becoming clear that wasn't the case. He huffed, pushing a few buttons on his arm to release himself from the suit. It flew back towards the jets, and I steered us towards the mess hall.
"Well, take your pick. Cap and Barton both miss running missions with you, Thor is worried he may have driven you away." He turned, stopping me with a hand on my arm. "Seriously, everyone misses you, and it hasn't been pretty."
"You know why I left, Tony. And I left letters for the team explaining my reasons." He shook his head. "It's better if I'm here, and you know it. I'm glad you came to visit, but you can't convince me to request a transfer back to New York." I clapped a hand on his shoulder, and he gave a sigh of defeat. "Now, c'mon. Least I can do is buy you lunch, since you flew all the way out here." He gave a small smile, and I led him off towards the mess, chatting quietly about what had happened since I'd left.
Tony only stayed for the day, leaving around sundown to head back to his Tower in New York. I gave him a final hug, and waved as he took off before heading to my barracks. Kayla had gone on leave to visit her family for awhile, so I finally had the place to myself. I changed quickly into sweats and a tank top before settling onto the small couch for some much needed television time. I only watched for about two hours before I yawned and decided to head to bed.
Around midnight, I woke up again, groggy and confused. I glanced to the clock before laying back down and cursing whatever had woken me from a really good dream. Then, I heard a creak. It only took me a second to realize that was what had woken me up and I was on my feet in the next second. I crept out to the living area, wary and on high alert, when I felt more than saw the figure step up behind me. I threw my elbow back, connecting with a stomach. It was a blur from that point on, my instincts kicking in for this fight. I threw short, jab punches, and each was blocked. My attacker attempted to grab me, and I pushed back to bring us both crashing to the ground. We rolled for a bit, before I gained the upper hand and pressed my forearm to his throat.
"Hey, hey!" The voice was familiar and it took a few minutes for it to cut through the red fog in my mind. I relieved a bit of the pressure, in shock over who the voice belonged to. "Raena, it's me, it's me…" I leaned to turn on a lamp, looking back down to find myself straddling Clint's chest. He was looking up at me warily, while I looked on in shock. After a few moments, he shifted a bit. "Can you, um…can you get off?" I blinked, but nodded, climbing off of him and turning away. I dragged a hand through my hair roughly, trying to make sense of everything.
"What are you doing here, Agent Barton?" I turn to him, keeping my voice level despite the turmoil in my mind. He frowned, standing and taking a step towards me. I matched it with a step back, crossing my arms in front of my chest defensively. He stopped his advance, his frown smoothing into a mask of eerie calm.
"I was hoping to talk to you about your reasons for leaving the team." He was studying me like a target now, and it made my skin crawl. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
"I left letters. I know I left one for you. It explains everything." He shook his head, and I could see a swirling pool of emotion in his eyes. "There's nothing else left to say."
"There is everything else!" I hadn't expected him to yell, and I jumped in surprise. He let the anger and hurt show on his face now, and it caused my heart to fracture. "I thought we were doing alright, that you were enjoying the team. I thought…" He trailed off, shaking his head and turning away a bit. "But then, you just left. Didn't even come to say goodbye, nothing but a goddamned piece of paper!" He collapsed onto the couch and dropped his head into his hands. "I just have to know if you left because of me…" That was what did it, pushed me over. I began to tear up, moving to sit next to him. I hesitated before putting a hand on his shoulder.
"No. I didn't leave because of you, Clint. I left…because of me." He glanced up at me through his hands, and I looked away quickly. "I was causing a divide in the team. I didn't want that to happen, so I left." He was turning to face me now, and I pulled my hand away from his shoulder. He grabbed it quickly, holding it tightly in his hand.
"What divide? Everyone on the team loved you, Raena."
"Except your girlfriend." The words were nearly whispered, but it was enough to stop him in his tracks. I yanked my hand away and stood up again as the feelings I'd had in New York come back at the mention of Agent Romanoff.
"What? What girlfriend?" He stood, looking genuinely confused, but I held a hand up as a warning for him to keep some distance between us.
"Agent Romanoff. Even Steve could see how angry she was to have me around." Clint opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off. "No, it's fine. Tony already explained everything to me. You disobeyed orders to save her." I turned and disappeared into my kitchen to find the secret wine stash Kayla usually had. "I know where I'm not wanted, Barton. Simple as that." I heard him come in behind me just as I found the bottle hidden away. I stood with it in hand, pulling out the corkscrew she kept nearby. I felt him move to stand behind me.
"I don't know who told you that you weren't wanted, but they were wrong." He took the bottle from me and I huffed, turning to face him. He was closer than I had expected, and he leaned down towards me. My breath hitched in my throat, and I ducked my head.
"Clint, come on. This isn't fair to Romanoff, and it definitely isn't fair to me." He brought my gaze back up with his finger and thumb, running his thumb along my chin gently.
"I'm not with Natasha. I never was." My eyes widened a bit just as he brought his lips down to mine, pressing firmly but gently. I hesitated, caught off guard by the information and the kiss itself, but eventually kissed him in return. He pressed close, backing me against the counter and setting the wine down before placing both hands on my waist. It was the best feeling in the world. And it didn't stop there.