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Originally posted on Tumblr
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“This was not what I expected,” Clint Barton said, pacing back in a wooden cabin.
Natasha looked up at him with a raised eyebrow, sitting on the old and dusty couch which had been in there since she could remember. They had been sent on a mission to keep watch on a secluded forest, posted in the cabin. Things had taken an unexpected turn when their communications devices had cut off from S.H.I.E.L.D. and they had been locked inside during the night. Clint had tried to break down the door, and then tried walls while she tried the roof, but with no success.
“Everything never goes like we expect it to,” she replied, standing up and walking to his side. “We work in a world of monsters and magic, nothing makes sense.”
He put an arm around her shoulders, gently at first to see it she would accept, then pulling her to his chest when she didn’t shrug him off. She sighed, clearly not impressed with being locked in, but relieved it was her partner who was with her in that situation.
“I wonder if Phil’s freaking out about the comms, or even Fury and Hill.” The hints of a smile touched Clint’s lips. “Now wouldn’t that be a sight to see?”
She looked her head in amusement. “The only one Fury freaks over is Coulson, but it would be entertaining.”
A rustling outside made then both tense, Natasha looking at the wall where it had come from. She nodded to him and he silently crept away from her, going straight to his bow. She drew a dagger from her belt, annoyed that they hadn’t been allowed to bring any technology besides comms.
When he joined her side again, they looked around the cabin slowly and carefully, straining their ears for a sound. Minutes passed with nothing else happening, making her finally put her weapon back on her belt.
“I think we’re all clear,” she said, voice soft.
Clint nodded, slinging his bow over his arm. “Yeah,” he replied. “But what was that?”
~
Natasha woke to sunlight coming in through the cracks in the roof, lighting the room with a pleasant glow. The candles they had been using had been put out before they went to sleep by Clint, who had been certain nothing else would bother them that night. He had been right.
She stretched by his side on the small bed, the movement making him stir. A smile graced her lips at the sight of him trying to wake up, hair ruffled and eyes heavy.
“Mornin’,” she murmured, slipping out of the bed just as he reached for her.
His reply was a mix between a grunt and groan, causing her to roll her eyes. She hadn’t changed out of her cat-suit, wanting to be ready in case anything had happened. Clint had stripped down to just his boxers, and she knew he trusted her to handle any attacks while he got ready.
Natasha opened her mouth to say something else when the snapping of a twig made them freeze, eyes traveling to the same wall as the previous night. She crept to the table to get her dagger, glancing at him as he slid out of the covers to pull on a shirt and trousers.
She could hear her heart racing in her chest as she stepped into a fighting stance, not entirely sure what was outside their cabin. Numerous things could hide in forests, and they were in a darker one.
When a knock on the wall sounded, she frowned and put a finger to her lips. Clint nodded in response, staying silent. A few seconds later it sounded again, followed by a familiar annoyed sigh.
“Barton? Romanoff? Are you two in there?” Coulson called in. “Sitwell’s bringing something to open the door.”
The two of them relaxed and placed down their weapons. “Took your time, Phil,” Clint replied. “We had to drink cold coffee here, which was terrible.”
Natasha heard the other agent’s laughter as she walked over to her partner, slinging an arm around his shoulder quickly.
“We’re out at last,” she murmured. “But honestly, I wouldn’t have wanted to spend the time with anybody else.”