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"You two, get the fuck out of here." Fury pointed at the door, glaring at them. He then turned to Coulson. "You, stay."
The door shut firmly behind them, and Fury sat down in his chair, cradling his head in his hands.
"Sir?" Coulson asked tentatively.
"Sit," Fury said, pointing at another chair. Coulson sat and Fury looked over at him. "I always knew one of these days that kid would go do something crazy. It's why I put him on this mission."
Coulson stayed quiet, not sure what had happened to Fury's anger. It seemed to have disappeared.
"Orders were to kill her. It was always a possibility that someone would bring in the Black Widow, and if any of our people could do it, it would be Barton. If anyone could kill her, it would also be Barton. Whatever he did, if he came back alive, the mission would be a success."
That was news to Coulson. "So...you're not going to yell at me, sir?"
Fury gave him an amused look. "You did exactly what he asked. Got him out, asked no questions. Why would I yell?" He smiled at Coulson. "She's ours. We've got to get her to stay. You're in charge of the both of them. Get her in line, get her through the coursework, get her in the field, and you've got yourself a steady job."
Coulson blinked. Was Fury suggesting what Coulson thought he was suggesting? A promotion to a supervisory position? Being taken out of active field work? On one hand, a promotion was always a good thing, and less field work meant more time with Audrey. On the other hand, he would be in a direct supervisory position to not only Clint Barton, but the Black Widow he'd just brought home. "I don't suppose there's any sort of room for negotiation on this one?"
Fury laughed. "Let's work out the details. When you leave here, yell at them on my behalf. Make it look good for everyone else."