asthehawkflies | [#003] {Violence for fun and profit} Action/Video

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[#003] {Violence for fun and profit} Action/Video

[It's a routine they indulge in whenever they're in the same place for more than a couple of days. This seems like a good enough time to pick it back up, test each other a little, and they claim one of the rooms in the Battle Dome, equipping it with mats and padded walls because while the simulation won't allow them to get really hurt by weapons, Clint isn't sure that it can make getting slammed to the ground any less painful.]

Ready, Tasha?

[He's grinning, as much a mask to hide his intentions as her blank expression. They take up position on the mats opposite each other, and there's no bowing, no politeness, just stillness.

He strikes first, a punch that she blocks, returns with a blow of her own, and then they're fighting in earnest. It's vicious, both of them making use of every move at their disposal, a brutal mix of martial arts and outright brawling, dirty tricks and all.

A throw sends Clint sprawling, hitting the bench where they'd left their stuff, and his journal falls open, starting to record the rest of the fight. To anyone not familiar with them, it does look like they're genuinely trying to kill each other. Neither of them really believe in pulling their punches and they're eerily silent while they fight, neither of them making any noise besides grunts of exertion.

They seemed evenly matched for the most part, Clint's size and strength well matched by Natasha's speed and agility and the training she'd undertaken since childhood. Eventually though, one of them comes out on top, and it's Clint who ends up floored and winded, laid out on his back, Natasha above him, pinning him down and her elbow pressed against his throat.

He groans softly, and then smiles.]

I yield.

[OOC: Responses will be answered by Clint, or Natasha, or more likely, both.]

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[She nudges him again, a frown on her lips.] You've gotta be more careful than that. This is something wholly different from what we're used to.

[She pauses, then glances over at him] I heard mention of another mission coming up in a few days. i take it you're going?

[Natasha gives a quiet snort of amusement.] I wouldn't phrase it that way on the internet if I were you. Otherwise you might get vastly different answers than the ones you intended.

[He meets her gaze for a moment, and there's a grim look in his eyes.]

Not just here. The whole world. Don't know about you but I was never trained to deal with aliens and magic and gods.

[He gives a small nod when she mentions the mission.]

It seemed to require my skills. Doesn't seem too different from SHIELD missions.

[He thinks about that for a moment and then winces.]

That is just... no. Bad. do you think there'll be Avengers stuff online when the chaos has died down a bit?

I'm still not entirely sure we can be trained to deal with aliens and magic and gods. [Still, she leans against his shoulder and pokes him in the ribs.] Although you did alright. You got to blow Loki out of the sky. Did anyone tell you? It was a beautiful shot.

[She studies him a moment, her manner serious.] You be careful. I'm not gonna be there to watch your back. Not this time, at least. I think I arrived too late for this one.

Of course there will be. [She scoffs.] It's New York, there's already posters and graffiti popping up all over the streets. It's on the news. I didn't spend much time looking, but I wouldn't be surprised if it spreads like wildfire. Aliens and superheroes. Who thought that would ever become reality?

True. But we're gonna have to learn anyway. [He catches her hand when she pokes him, squeezing it lightly. He grins widely at the thought of that.] No. No-one told me that. I'm starting to wish they had. It sounds like it was beautiful to watch.

[He takes a moment to indulge in how that must've looked, the expression on Loki's face.]

I'll be careful. Coulson's going, I think. I'll fine a perch somewhere and stay out of unnecessary trouble.

[He lets out a breath at hearing that. That is big. They're used to being covert.]

It does sound like a movie, I admit. There goes anonymity.

It was. You shot him and he caught the arrow. And then it just exploded and sent him plummeting. Nice tactic. [She can't contain a faint grin, because she'd hoped he'd have something like that planned the moment she set him up for that shot.]

You'd better. And is he? I hadn't heard that. Try to keep an eye on him as well, if you can. [She frowns slightly in concern over that.] How is he doing, do you think? Is he ready for something like this? [She's glad he's not there, because she suspects her handler would be highly offended by the question. But it is a worry for her.]

Don't worry, I don;t think you were close enough to most for them to get a good look at you, so you're probably safe, other than maybe your weapon giving you away. There were some videos of me fighting street-level. Who knows, maybe Fury has some master plan to deal with this as well.

[She hoped so. There were some people back home she'd rather not have noticing her face.]

[He sighs happily at that. Alright, that was good revenge.] I'll look forward to coming up with an executing it in future.

[He frowns slightly, thinking back to what he'd seen of Coulson, especially that first day.]

I think he's still having trouble. When I first saw him when he arrived, I thought he was gonna pass out. Chest wound?

I don't know. But I think being kept from work like this might be worse for him than whatever comes up. [Doesn't mean he has to like it.]

I hope so. Not sure I'm ready to step into the limelight.

[Natasha's grin over his delight is short lived and her expression falls, closing off slightly as she looks away.] Yes. He was stabbed. He was all that stood between Loki and escape. I... I was elsewhere and couldn't get there in time.

[She wasn't sure what she could have done, but the fact that she'd been frozen stiff with fear and pain after her encounter with the Hulk still galled her. She should have been there, should have been paying attention to the comms, should have been predicting what was going on quicker than she had. Regrets. Another death she wished she could have prevented. This blood wasn't entirely on her hands, but she still felt as if it were, if only because this one hit her harder than most.]

He never did deal with inactivity very well. Kind of like you. [Not that she was any better.]

And here I thought you loved being the center of attention. [It's said teasingly, because she knows it's not true, not outside of those Clint wants the attention of. But the conversation was turning too heavy for her not to try and lighten it.]

[He tilts his head slightly, looking at her as she pulls away. He can feel it now, the distance between them, things he hasn't done yet.

She was elsewhere. Just before Loki's escape. He goes a little pale at that.]

Elsewhere. That's where I was heading when you...

[Any longer and it could have been... he would have...

He stands up suddenly, moving to start stretching in a proper cool down because if he doesn't move, he might go mad. It feels that way at least.]

It's not your fault, Natasha. You can't be everywhere all the time.

[He manages a small smile at that, glad for the change. And he knows he's proving her point about inactivity.]

No point in a weapon if it isn't used.

And hey, maybe it'll be good. Take in a few premieres, dinner at one of those restaurants you need to reserve three years in advance, stay a few nights at the Walford-Astoria, best suite in the place...

...and then go back to SHIELD barracks and order in take-out because I will never be comfortable with that much luxury.

No.

[Her interruption was swift and left no room for argument as she shook her head at him.]

No, it wasn't you. When you and I found each other, I suspect it was already too late. His entire plan was to trigger the Hulk and it worked. Banner and I got separated from the others. It was just us when he... changed. Thor got there eventually, drew him off. I think out of all of us, he was the only one that could stand a chance, and even he wasn't having an easy time of it.

[She'd frozen. And her moment of weakness might have cost Coulson his life. It wasn't until Clint's name had sunk in, reported in Fury's frustrated voice, demanding a response in her ear, that she'd come back to herself, uncurled from that little ball.

Maybe she should have gone after Loki, but that choice... she couldn't regret going after Clint instead. She suspected Coulson would agree with her.

She watches him stretch, knows what's fueling the sudden need for movement, gives him a small smile.]

Neither can you.

[Natasha's lips quirk when he describes how he'd use his fame, then laughs softly at his conclusion because yes, she's the same way. While she can blend seamlessly into just about any scene, if given the choice, she'd probably be curled up on a couch with him, eating take-out and watching bad movies on his tv. Or trying to out-cheat him in poker.]

No, it doesn't really seem your style. We can break into Stark's giant tower and have a picnic on the top. You'd like the view.

[The sharp word forces him to stop and look over at her, his expression hard and grim.]

I know what his plan was. I came up with most of it. The sceptre... we were tracking it. Get it on board and it didn't matter where the helicarrier was, I could find it.

[He doesn't like hearing about how close it had been though when he knows how very badly she could have been hurt. That she'd been there when he changed...

He walks back over to her, meeting her gaze.]

No-one would have. None of us anyway. The Hulk is... You came out of it.

[It could have gone so much worse.

He gives a soft huff of laughter and nods.]

No, I can't be everywhere either.

[His smile widens when she laughs and he can relax a little.]

Oh, I like that idea. We should do that. And then confuse the hell out of Stark when he finds us there without setting off his alarms.

[Her expression is wry and her eyes hold dark shadows, but she lifts her shoulders in a halfhearted shrug.] I did. Eventually. It scared me, though. More than I anticipated. More than when I saw him two years ago. This was up close and personal, one-on-one. It was... let's just say it's been a very long time since I felt that kind of fear.

[And that was hard to admit, to voice the words out loud. She wasn't one who let fear cripple her. She was the one who acted, did what needed to be done. And if she fell apart afterwards, in the silence and privacy of her own dark quarters, that was always her secret, or so she assumed. She was the Black Widow. She couldn't afford weaknesses like that.

Still, she meets his gaze, because he knows her better than most, and she doesn't want to lie to him, not about something like this. The experience had shaken her, was responsible in part for why she'd waded into a war with an unknown enemy, and she knew he'd understand that. Had understood that, even though he couldn't remember the softly exchanged conversation on his bunk. And when he huffs out a laugh, she gives him a crooked smile, because it's good to hear him laugh, to see him smile. That much, it makes some of it feel like it was worth it.]

It would. I'd enjoy the challenge of it. Besides, baffling Stark sounds like a fun new pastime.

[His eyed widen at the frank honesty in what she says, and in the way that she looks at him. She had been scared. Anyone would have been, but for her to admit it, that's not something that happens. Ever. And even after all this time, it hits him on the rare occasions when it does happen.

And it's not everything that he wants to know, but it helps him piece things together. Why she'd walk into a war like she had.

He brushes his fingers against her shoulder lightly, as much affection as either of them will usually permit when there's a chance they could be seen.]

I'll add Stark Baiting to the list along with duping new recruits, pissing off Hill and Poker Night.

[She knows she surprised him - she surprised herself, because she hadn't planned on giving those thoughts voice. But this was Clint, and he was an exception to almost all her rules, had been, since he'd dragged her in out of the cold. Made her a home, whether she'd wanted one or not. And she hadn't, not in those first days. It hadn't been easy to trust, to change. To accept.

She owed him a debt she could never repay. She'd never even come close. but she'd spend every day trying, all the same.

Natasha gives him a faint smile and nudges his ankle with her foot.] That sounds like a plan. Maybe we should invite the Captain and make it Strip Poker Night. I'm sure Coulson will thank us.

Edited 2012-11-20 01:03 (UTC)

[Of course to Clint's mind, any debt she might have owed had been repaid long ago. Not that Clint had ever assumed there was any debt at all. She'd saved his life before, more than once. She'd broken him free of Loki's control.

He gives her a lopsided smile and nods.]

I think between the two of us we can manage to get him down to underwear before Coulson expires of fanboy glee.

[Natasha's head falls back as she laughs, a genuine unguarded sound, because this topic is always one that will send her into near giggles, their firm and straight-laced handler's adoration of his childhood hero]

Remind me to acquire a camera before then.

[That laugh is something that he always takes the time to appreciate. It's rare to hear her so unguarded.]

I'll remember. If we don't get photographic evidence, no-one will ever believe that it happened.

That and the memento would be nice.

[She's grinning still, in a good mood, because despite everything, she'd been missing this and it had things feeling... almost normal again. Even if they weren't. Even if they might never be again.

At least this was still the same. Familiar. Comfortable.]

We could frame it. Have to make sure it's being bullet proof glass. I think Fury would support us in this venture.

[It's easy to relax like this, to push aside everything that has happened recently. She's always been like that.]

You know he would. He might even supply the glass and frame.

[She glances over at him, flashing him a grin.]

We did say we were going to drag him into mischief.

He could have it mounted in his office.

[It'd be like pinning a kid's crayon drawing to the fridge.]

We did. You're right. SHIELD isn't here. He has the wicked soul of a prankster waiting to get out.

Now you just have to convince him of that.

We're the best spies and assassins and general badasses that SHIELD has. How hard can it be?

[Very, very hard, but Coulson obviously wants to.]

[Natasha snickers and pats him on the shoulder before gathering up her things.]

That's the spirit. Good luck with that. I'm sure he'll be no match for you and your deadly sad-puppy eyes.

I've brought down regimes with these eyes, Tasha. Dictators have fallen, unable to stand up to me.

Are you sure that wasn't because they were laughing themselves silly on the floor?

[#003] {Violence for fun and profit} Action/Video

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