Work Text:
Sit.
Stay.
Listen.
Be ready for anything, for everything, for every possibility, and always, always keep your eyes open.
Natasha remembered those words, and remembered them well. They were some of the first that she had been taught, some of the first lessons that she had ever learned, back even before she could remember.
She remembered what fear looked like, the feeling of a throat under her hands, and that look of desperation, in the eyes of her target.
She remembered that anticipation, that the moment before death was hers to deal out as she saw fit. As was deemed necessary by her handlers. And just as well, she remembered the voice that had set her free. Clint had helped to draw her out of the darkness, and shown her not only that there could be more to life, but that that more could be hers. If she were willing to fight for it.
Clint had saved her, and now, she would return the favor, no matter what it took. Loki had no place, here, in Clint's mind or in this ship.
She knew what she had to do. And this time, she would do it, gladly. She had always taken pride in her work.