Natasha of the goats (somebodyseyes) wrote in saveatlantisic, @ 2018-06-06 21:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, *jeanna, *natasha, clint barton, natasha romanoff |
Log: Nat and Clint
March 25
Natasha Romanoff + Clint Barton
Natasha's Secret Lair | PG
Discussing life post Laura's vist to Atlantis and subsequent return
Complete
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Natasha had spent the night at the beach and had just returned from her morning jog when the alert went off. She picked up the tablet and scanned the names, looking for one in particular and there it was. Laura had gone home. What did that mean, she wondered? She’d have to talk to Clint about it eventually but she was glad that right now she was where no one could find her because she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet or what it might mean. When Clint was ready to talk, he’d find her or if he didn’t feel comfortable talking to her, he’d find Coulson. He would be fine and she would continue to not let anyone know how she felt. Things would go back to normal in other words. Deciding that maybe spending the day here was a good idea, Natasha reached into the wooden box and pulled out the book of Russian fairy tales she kept inside. It was similar to one she’d had as a child, the one thing she’d managed to hide and keep when she’d been taken from her home. That was one good thing about Atlantis, you could find anything you wanted, even an obscure book of fairy tales written in Russian. She flipped to her favorite “The Firebird” and was soon absorbed in the familiar tale but it wasn’t long until she heard someone coming. Who the hell could it be, she wondered as she put the book aside and crawled to the entrance. In all the months she’d come here, no one had ever shown up. She was reaching for her knife when he came into view and she crawled out and stood up. “How in the hell did you find me? Were you stalking me or did you get lucky? And how long have you known?” Natasha was sure he hadn’t followed her at any point since he’d been here which hadn’t been all that long but the fact that he’d managed to find her proved once more just how well they knew each other. “It wasn't too hard,” said Clint without actually elaborating. They both had their hidey holes, their places of retreat, for the rough times. Clint’s tended to be higher up, but the principle was the same. Conveniently, he didn't want to talk about Laura's departure, either. He’d thought she'd stay, hoped she might, but there were the kids back home. Even if the powers that be swore up and down that a version of each recruit was still going about business in their own world while they fought against COS here, it still felt like abandonment, and Clint couldn't really picture Laura abandoning the kids. Clint, on the other hand, abandoned his family on a regular basis, even when he’d meant to give up fighting. It was an important fight (both this one and the one back home), but the fact that Laura hadn’t seemed to resent him for it was both a relief of several tons of guilt Clint hadn’t been acknowledging, and a reminder that he’d married far beyond his desserts. “You’ve been quiet,” he said. He’d noticed before the departures, but he'd been seizing what time he could with Laura, while waiting for Nat to emerge from her withdrawal on her own. They all had their moments. “Yeah, I suppose I have. It just seemed like the best thing.” For whom, she didn’t say because she honestly didn’t know the answer. She felt guilty for not being disappointed that Laura hadn’t stayed when she should have been worried about Clint. She was worried about him but he didn’t seem to be in bad spirits, Nat had seen that before and this was not it. “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment. “About Laura, I mean. I got the alert.” Which of course he would have known since everyone got them. There was one thing she wondered though but wasn’t sure if she even had the right to ask but she needed to know. “Why did you stay? You could have gone back with her, you know that but you didn’t.” She wasn’t trying to make him feel guilty, she was genuinely curious because she had already prepared herself for either Laura staying or him returning with her. Later, he might be willing to discuss Laura, but not tonight. “Every time I leave, things go to h-ll,” said Clint. “I can't leave you kids alone for a minute.” Nat was here, Coulson was here. Clint didn't know when he’d see either of them again back home. All it had needed was Laura and the kids, and Pietro Maximoff. Wanda’s brother had been a little brat, but no more than Clint himself had been when he was younger, and if the dead could truly appear here, Clint hoped Atlantis would reunite the siblings. “We just got Wanda back, and no one should have to put up with Stark alone.” She knew him well enough to understand what he was saying even if he didn’t speak it aloud. “Hey, we were keeping things under control! Things are still in one piece aren’t they?” Her tone was light but she had been very happy to have Clint show up. She’d missed him a lot more than she would be willing to admit to anyone, even herself sometimes, and while she wouldn’t come out and say it, she was glad that he’d stayed. “You have a point about Stark. I really thought that COS would toss him out right off the bat because he’d drive them crazy, offer a hostage exchange. I’m glad he’s okay though, that all of them are. I know there’ll be some tough times ahead but they’re safe. I also will deny it if you ever tell Stark that I was glad he was safe.” Clint chuckled. “My lips are sealed,” he said. He appreciated that she hadn't pushed it. He loved Laura, and he already missed her, but there was a part of him that occasionally wondered if their marriage succeeded because so much time apart made the reunions sweeter, if cabin fever wouldn't have overwhelmed him or she wouldn't have lost patience with him if Cap hadn't called when he did. And what did that say about him as a husband and father? That he was spending too much time thinking, most likely. “Good, keep it that way,” she said but there was a small grin on her face. Tony wasn’t Natasha’s favorite person, but he was never boring so she tolerated him. “As long as you’re here, come inside and I’ll give you the twenty five cent tour. Which is really more like five cents because the place isn’t that big.” She leaned down and walked inside and then took a seat on the sleeping bag. “Pull up some dirt,” she said when Clint poked his head in. “I found this not long after I got here. I have no idea who built it but I made it my own because sometimes I just can’t do people.” “It hasn't been a great day for people,” Clint acknowledged. “You’ve probably got the right idea.” He settled down to sit and looked around, noting the sleeping bag and the book of fairy tales. “It’s cosier than some places we've slept.” By quite a bit, actually, small though it was. “Looks like you’ve got better reading material, too.” “That’s true. It is and there’s nobody shooting at us,” she smiled when he mentioned the book. “Yeah, that’s not the original of course but it’s a copy of a book I had when I was a kid. I kept it hidden from the teachers at the school. I think I must have taken it with me when they took me from home. I was surprised to find it in the bookstore here although I probably shouldn’t have been. It’s been nice having it again.” “My favorite kind of place,” said Clint with a smirk. Not that he didn’t have a fair bit of the adrenaline junkie in him that enjoyed the work he did along with the purpose it gave him, but the quiet moments between the battles with Nat and Coulson, the days on the farm with Laura and the kids, he couldn’t do without those. What a contradiction. He was reminded of his conversions with Phil and with Ward shortly after arriving. All those prodigal children and the stories behind every specialist...Natasha’s explanation of the book only highlighted it. Laying aside the learned manipulations, ‘normal people’ was something they only knew from the outside looking in. Heck. He was definitely thinking too much. He stretched himself out on the dirt and smirked again. “All right, then, tell me your favorite story.” |