Gone by Ghosts (Natasha Romanoff x OC)

~2~ The Night Owl

"I slept enough. But I don't think that sleep is what you should be thinking about while working out. No wonder you suck at this.", she nagged him.

"Oh, is that how it is?", he laughed, his fists lifted back up and he started to lightly punch the bag.

"Yeah, I was better at this when I was four."

"You are way too sassy for someone whose ass I kicked"

"If I had really wanted to, you wouldn't even have had a chance to kick your own ass."

With that comment she had him crack up so much that he completely stopped. When he was done, they swapped positions. Natasha quickly let out all her stored-up emotions on the punching bag.

"You know, you could just move in with me and use my couch. There is nothing speaking against that.", he tried it again. He just wanted to help her. She must've been through so much and he probably only knew a fraction of it. If he was able to do something that could make her transition easier then he was gonna do what was necessary to make it happen. Offering their couch isn't much and yet she refused to accept it every time. He just couldn't understand why.

"I told you, that that wouldn't work out. I'd be the worst roommate you can imagine.". She wasn't talking about not cleaning up after herself, even though she made it sound like that was what she meant. What she meant was the nightmares, the screaming and the feeling of being surrounded by a home, where she didn't belong. That would make her just feel worse. She couldn't be around a toddler like that. That kid would just be traumatized by her and that's the last thing she'd ever want.

"Whatever you say but I still don't believe you.", he shook his head in disbelief.

"So, what is it that you didn't want to talk about? I'm talking about that ominous reason you were late, if that wasn't clear.", she nagged again.

Clint knew that he wouldn't be able to shake her off this time. "Alright, I guess my times up.". He stops before he starts again: "I have a mission that starts in 14 hours"

"Why didn't I get a heads up? I guess I can still prepare but it is a bit spontaneous, you know. But I'll get it all don..."

"You're not going.", he interrupted her thinking out loud.

She stopped the punching and looked at him with a raised eyebrow but didn't interrupt him, so, he could explain.

"I'm being sent in with a level 9. Fury said something about 'having a different plan' for you.", he made quotations in the air, "I don't know what those plans are though, sorry."

"Don't be. How long will you be going?", she asked while her head started running back to the hope of her being found.

"I don't know. Looks like mostly recon. Three weeks, maybe more."

"Okay."

"Don't worry. Fury won't do anything you don't want. We need you and he knows that.", he said recognizing the small signs of worry on her face.

"I'm not worried about myself, idiot. I just don't like the idea of trusting someone other than me to save your ass.", she knew that that wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either. She really was worried. They had been on several missions together and got used to working together. She hated the idea that she wasn't there to protect her best friend.

"Haha, very funny.", he said and added, "I'll miss our little talks.", knowing that now that they were done it was time to say goodbye.

"Don't be so dramatic. It's just three weeks. You'll be back before you know it.", she joked to cover how much she actually worried.