{"id":812,"date":"2014-04-10T18:03:23","date_gmt":"2014-04-10T16:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pr0nandchocolate.net\/shirasade\/?p=812"},"modified":"2014-04-10T18:03:23","modified_gmt":"2014-04-10T16:03:23","slug":"five-phone-calls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/five-phone-calls\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Phone Calls"},"content":{"rendered":"

Author's Note:<\/strong> Vague spoilers for \u201cThe Winter Soldier\u201d. Implied Steve\/Bucky.<\/p>\n

Yay, my two OTPs survived the movie! \ud83d\ude42 My only real complaint is that they never did explain why the heck Nat wouldn\u2019t include Clint - if there\u2019s one person in the world she trusts, it\u2019s him. C\u2019mon, just one word about him being somewhere out of touch (like Darcy said in Thor 2 about SHIELD)...<\/p>\n

I.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone killed Fury - and something\u2019s wrong with SHIELD.\u201d To anyone listening Natasha sounded calm and matter-of-fact, but Clint could hear the slight tremor in her voice even over the distance between them. \u201cI\u2019ll need to go to ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnderstood. Are you on your own?\u201d he asked, trying hard to match her calm, when all he wanted was to race to her side. <\/p>\n

Natasha seemed to be moving quickly now, her breath coming a bit faster: \u201cNo. Well, I hope not. Fury went to Steve, before\u2026 before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clint released a breath he had not been aware of holding. \u201cGood, that\u2019s good. He\u2019s pretty handy in a tight spot, our Captain.\u201d He forced himself to grin. \u201cAnd you\u2019re not too bad yourself.\u201d He could tell he\u2019d made her smile, so he\u2019d done all he could for now. \u201cGo, now, Nat - and let me know when it\u2019s safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will. Clint\u2026\u201d She didn\u2019t say anything else, but he could hear it anyway. They\u2019d both be more comfortable if they were in this, whatever it was, together, but that was their job, their life, and there was no use in wishing things were different.<\/p>\n

He looked at the silent satellite phone and put it down with just a bit too much force. It was still frustrating as hell. Clint needed to find something to shoot. Preferably something that shot back.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

II.<\/p>\n

\u201cPick up, pick up, pick up\u2026\u201d Clint was pacing back and forth. He\u2019d tried getting in touch with his handler but obviously Natasha had been right and something was very<\/em> wrong with SHIELD. Clint had cut all ties instantly and vanished, as far as his one-time employer was concerned, but there was one tie he desperately needed to re-establish. <\/p>\n

\u201cClint.\u201d He had almost hung up - again, this being the sixth or seventh number he\u2019d tried - when suddenly the voice he\u2019d been dying to hear reached his ear. \u201cYou alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

He laughed in wry amusement. He could tell she was in mission mode, but still she worried about him. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure I should be asking you<\/em> that. What the hell is going on, Tasha?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her voice was tense and tinged with a tiredness he hadn\u2019t heard in a long, long time: \u201cNot quite sure yet. But something big is going on, and I\u2019m not sure we\u2019ll be able to stop it. And even if we do\u2026\u201d She stopped herself, and Clint could hear Steve\u2019s voice talking in the background.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to go.\u201d It was a statement, although Clint would have liked nothing more than to keep her on the line forever, have her explain everything and maybe cheer her up a bit.<\/p>\n

Natasha made a noise that he was pretty sure was an apology and then said in a rush: \u201cGet away from anyone connected to SHIELD and find a new bolt hole, one that no one knows about.\u201d<\/p>\n

His free hand clenched with the desire to reach through the line and hold her. Instead he focused on keeping his own voice calm and reassuring: \u201cAlready have, the day after your last call. Don\u2019t worry - you know me, I always land on my feet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue,\u201d he could hear the smile in her voice, and it stayed with him long after they\u2019d hung up without much further ado.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

III.<\/p>\n

\u201cHm. So Cap and you just put all of us out of a job, it seems?\u201d Clint was still not sure what the hell had happened, only that from one moment to the next the world as he\u2019d known it had ceased to exist, and Natasha\u2019s calm voice on TV had announced why. <\/p>\n

He could hear the wry smile in her voice: \u201cSorry. Seemed like the thing to do at the time. I\u2019ll fill you in when you get back, promise.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, about that, Nat\u2026\u201d Clint looked around the silent embassy he\u2019d infiltrated to make this nightly call. \u201cYou\u2019ll have to get me some new ID or else have Stark fly me out of here. I\u2019m not exactly popular just now, and someone<\/em> burned all my covers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natasha coughed. \u201cAgain, I\u2019m sorry, Clint - I\u2019m kind of at loose ends here, too. Can you hold on a bit longer?\u201d<\/p>\n

Clint cocked his head and once again wished he\u2019d be there with her. Losing all the protection she\u2019d so carefully built over the years must be throwing her for a loop, even if Natasha would rather die than admit it. \u201cHold on - as in, on this phone, or in this shit hole? Affirmative for the latter, sure, but I estimate I\u2019ll have to haul ass in approximately 90 seconds max.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo no problem, then.\u201d Clint could picture the considering look on her face exactly. God, he missed her! \u201cBe sure to get rid of all SHIELD tech, we don\u2019t know who can track it, and report back in two days. Alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

Grinning, Clint started to climb back into the ceiling: \u201cYou\u2019re the boss, Nat. Just\u2026 no unnecessary risks, you hear me?\u201d Before she could do more than take a deep breath he\u2019d disconnected the phone and closed the air vent behind him, right in time for the security sweep.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

IV.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt occurred to me - are you sure your phone is still safe for me to call?\u201d As greetings between them went, this one wasn\u2019t particularly exceptional and the sound of Natasha\u2019s soft laughter made something inside Clint relax.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Stark tech, so it\u2019s probably as safe as we can get right now. Nice to know you still care, Barton. Thought the local attractions might have distracted you.\u201d Clint actually blushed - he had not meant to stop the terrorist attack, he had just kind of stumbled into it as he was hiding and waiting for an opportunity to call Natasha again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I had to pass the time somehow, didn\u2019t I? Just sorry I couldn\u2019t keep our date three days ago,\u201d he finally said and was rewarded with yet another laugh through the wire. Natasha must have found a new hide-out, or else she wouldn\u2019t be this relaxed. \u201cI guess the news coverage explained it, huh?\u201d <\/p>\n

Not that he\u2019d been in<\/em> the coverage, but Natasha knew his style better than anyone and would be keeping a close eye on this region anyway as she worked on getting him out. His suspicions were confirmed immediately: \u201cI swear, you can\u2019t stay out of trouble without me to keep you in line - you\u2019re just as bad as Steve, always running around saving people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clint grinned, then remembered they didn\u2019t have much time before he\u2019d have to hang up again - he only felt comfortable calling Nat from secure embassy lines and those were annoyingly well-secured. It was a different embassy this time, though, with a slightly looser sweep schedule, so he felt comfortable enough asking: \u201cHow is<\/em> our heroic leader? Ripped down everything he believes in again since I last called?\u201d<\/p>\n

He liked Steve, he really did, but this whole situation was still just a bit much to take in. He knew Natasha could tell what he was not saying. \u201cHe\u2019s alright, I think. For a certain value of alright that includes going after a dangerous assassin with only Falcon as backup.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, he still hasn\u2019t let you set him up on a date?\u201d Clint knew all about Natasha\u2019s quest, which was 50% amusement and 50% friendly concern. Okay, so maybe 70% amusement. 80 tops. \u201cNat, I hate to break it to you, but sounds to me as if you might have been barking up the wrong tree - he doesn\u2019t need a replacement for Peggy Carter, he needs Bucky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now he could almost hear Natasha\u2019s eyes rolling. \u201cYou don\u2019t say. Clint, whatever would I do without you to put me right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow about we don\u2019t find out and you get me back State-side - or wherever it is you currently are - asap,\u201d Clint suggested. He was really starting to miss hot showers and decent food. And Natasha, of course, but that went without saying.<\/p>\n

Natasha instantly became all business, which Clint took as a good sign: \u201cWell, first you\u2019ll need to make your way to this border pass\u2026\u201d As she explained her extraction plan to him, Clint couldn\u2019t help but smile widely. She must have pulled some serious strings, especially considering her current exposure, and Clint felt familiar warmth spread through him - this was Natasha\u2019s way of saying that she missed him, too.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

V.<\/p>\n

\u201cBarton, where are you? Your contact tells me you haven\u2019t shown up.\u201d Natasha sounded annoyed and impatient, and Clint ducked his head, biting back a laugh. <\/p>\n

He knew she could hear his smile in his voice, though. \u201cAww, you worried, Tasha?\u201d Before she could rip him a new one, he quickly continued: \u201cJust making sure it was safe, a police car passed through a couple of minutes ago.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cGood call. You\u2019ll have new papers soon, but until then, keep your head down. Do we need to reschedule?\u201d Natasha sounded much less tense, the wheels in her head already turning to adapt the plans.<\/p>\n

Clint slid off the roof quickly and quietly, cradling the burner cell he\u2019d, ah, requisitioned. He figured now was the time to come clean: \u201cNo, don\u2019t. Not when I can already see you standing there, a sight for sore eyes.\u201d She whirled around, and he could tell even from this distance that her eyes were blazing. It was never a good idea to sneak up on the Black Widow, and Natasha hated<\/em> surprises, but a couple hundred metres should give her enough time to forgive him. \u201cIf you\u2019d told me you<\/em> were my contact, I\u2019d have been here on time, police car or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her stance relaxed, proving his calculations correct. \u201cYeah, well, never let anyone else do a job\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c... that you could do better yourself,\u201d Clint finished for her, and their eyes met. The place deep inside of Clint, the one that always felt wrong when they weren\u2019t together, unclenched, and he knew he was grinning stupidly. <\/p>\n

\u201cHow about you hang up, Barton. This is getting ridiculous.\u201d Natasha of course was barely cracking a smile, but she was still holding her cell to her ear, and he could see the necklace he\u2019d given her after New York glint in the sunlight. <\/p>\n

Clint closed the last few feet between them: \u201cBut you like<\/em> me being ridiculous. And I\u2019m kind of having trouble believing you\u2019re actually here and not just a voice on the other end of the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, let\u2019s see what we can do about that\u2026\u201d With that Natasha plucked the phone from Clint\u2019s hand, letting it fall into the dust right next to hers, and Clint closed his eyes, breathing her in.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five times Natasha and Clint talked on phone during (and after) \"The Winter Soldier\". Vague spoilers. Implied Steve\/Bucky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[98,24],"tags":[294,297],"series":[],"class_list":["post-812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clint-bartonnatasha-romanov","category-mcu","tag-audience-all","tag-genre-het"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=812"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shirasade.net\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}