hasthehighground | Fake!PFSB for Natasha

Following on from this post.

In the rafter over her head, there's a guy in civvies reading a book (something old, battered, and by Louis L'amour) and drinking coffee out of a thermos.

Not that she doesn't know that-- one thing he likes about Natasha is that she can be trusted to look up. It's been a long couple days; it's nice to just relax. Clint figures they'll actually talk when he gets a refill, or if she gets bored.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

hasthehighground

"I'm kind of suspecting if he'd known how gross it'd get he would've passed."

The flashback to Snake Eyes' childhood is, actually, kind of interesting.

From:

redintheledger

Unfortunately, the interlude with Scarlett and Ripchord is...not.

"No, don't," Natasha says, once again resting her hand on her forehead as Scarlett tells Ripcord that she and Snake Eyes aren't actually together. "Ugh."

From:

hasthehighground

He looks over to her while Protagonist angsts over his ex-fiancee, and shakes his head. "Honestly, I don't... even know what they were thinking."

He really can't fathom that the screenwriters have ever even spoken to women. I fact, he kind of hopes they haven't, because that would kind of explain this.

From:

redintheledger

"Maybe they were high?" she offers, as Scarlett talks about nano-mites.

"Mind-control," asks the main character, clearly thinking of the evil catsuit lady.

"I don't see why not."

"I mean, if you look at the term 'nano-mites', it really should be 'nano-bots'."

From:

hasthehighground

Clint is caught still, staring at the screen blankly, until Natasha speaks.

He glances down, as circumspectly as he can manage. "Like they've never even seen a sci-fi movie," he agrees, after a moment. "I mean, unless they think they're actually mites, which is a point towards the high theory."

From:

redintheledger

She's watching him now, dividing attention between him and the screen.

"I think it's the latest thing with script-writers. Have you caught the morning cartoons lately?"

Ah, a flashback sequence. Lovely. Hopefully, there will be an explosion soon.

From:

hasthehighground

"No," he says, glancing to her, curious. "Other than Spongebob, which is pretty far out there already."

He still feels -- he still feels that stillness in his mind, at the forefront, and he's cataloguing every potential sound or visual more conciously than he usually does, but he can do this. He can do this. It's just stupid old GI Joe. And Natasha's worried.

He's worried her enough.

From:

redintheledger

"If you ever catch the one with the flying tree and the pink creatures with tails and the singing sun, don't worry, you aren't high, you're actually seeing it."

A quick smile as backstory unfolds on the screen.

"Though that may not help."

From:

hasthehighground

"...I don't want to ask how you figured this out," Clint says, suspicious and amused.

When he glances back to the screen, evil catsuit lady and Snake Eyes' evil brother are up.

From:

redintheledger

Wry, "'The face of evil'? That's a little...overly dramatic."

From:

hasthehighground

"Breakups are rough," Clint says, before falling silent to watch the quick-cut action scenes.

"Wait, the protagonist can't be worth millions of dollars yet, he barely got any training."

From:

redintheledger

"Amazing what insurance you can get for chiselled good looks," she says, tilting her head slightly as chaos in Parisian streets is...chaotic and oddly bloodless.

"Goodbye, Eiffel Tower!"

From:

hasthehighground

Clint's laughing.

"Okay, movie, you win. Not as many explosions as I remembered, but melting the Eiffel Tower does make up for a lot."

From:

redintheledger

"Now, if the heroes will just get arrested..." she says cheerfully.

Alas, their General Hawk comes to rescue them, looking sad.

Given Fury would have given ripped them a new one, Natasha finds herself not particularly caring.

From:

hasthehighground

"Maybe we could switch bosses for a day. Actually they probably wouldn't survive that."

Pause.

"You know, I kind of wonder why she hasn't killed protagonist yet."

From:

redintheledger

"Because then the movie would have to be original?" she asks, eyeing the screen where Duke is telling Ana what Ana used to be like.

"That is no military funeral I've ever been to."

From:

hasthehighground

"Wow, yeah," Clint agrees, staring at the funeral which is empty except for Ana. "Maybe it's just his angsty memory version?"

"Oh, right, their hideaway is under the ice. Because that never shifts or moves or has polar bears."

From:

redintheledger

"I...don't understand why anyone would willingly surround themselves with freezing water and ice," says the woman who spent some formative years in a Russian orphanage.

"Isn't it funny, with the entire balance of power in the world about to shift, a couple of guys can still have a stare down over who gets the girl," says McCullen on the screen, and Natasha actually finds herself in agreement when he gets headbutted by the protagonist.

And then in even more agreement as the protagonist gets his ass kicked for it.

From:

hasthehighground

The interesting thing about my Neo-Vipers is they still think the same thoughts they always did, they just can't act on them anymore. Instead, they do what I want.

"Huh."

McCullen continues on in his villain speech, all sheer-elegance-in-its-simplicity. Clint's not really paying attention -- not that he doesn't appreciate a good villain speech, he's just comparing and contrasting how the Neo-Vipers work to how... something else did.

From:

redintheledger

Natasha is regretting suggesting this movie. She has been, on and off, for a little while, but now...

Maybe she needs to go and spend some time at the target range. That's a contained environment. Focused. Violent. Can't hurt any body.

That'd be sensible.

"...did he just have to explain a kind of gun to a group of elite soldiers?"

From:

hasthehighground

Clint watches her for several long moments, thinking.

He pauses the movie, and puts his makeshift plate on the table. He nudges her leg, slightly, and slides carefully to fill in the him-sized space on the couch. Bruises suck.

Not enough to stop him from shifting to kiss her, hand to her chin. Firm, but more gently than not because, god knows, he's not the only one here with bruises.

From:

redintheledger

It's not as if she didn't see where this was leading, when he started to move. She moves around him, letting him sit comfortable, leaning up to meet him.

She had a moment of tension, of I've been compromised running through her mind.

But hasn't she, in the end, been compromised by him since she accepted his offer of redemption?

She curls her hand around the back of his neck, and kisses him back. The sheer gentleness is unnerving, even as it also calms her, steadies her heart.

When the kiss breaks, she leans her head against his, and just spends a moment breathing.

He's here. He's not under Loki's spell. He's here, and she curves her hand around his arm just to make sure.

From:

hasthehighground

As tired as he is, he is in many ways desperately glad -- that she's here, that she's alive that he didn't --

He gave away her secrets, and he still can't find it in himself to tell her. Not now, not-- yet. Loki's not a current threat.

"Hey," he says to her, in the quiet. "You never told me how you got your intel on cartoons."

He has no idea how to reassure her, so. Next best option.

From:

redintheledger

There is a ghost of a smile.

"Got asked to mind the neighbour's kids once, a few years back. I thought the TV would distract them. It was...illuminating."

Pause.

"So, sometimes, I...turn on the TV in the mornings and...watch in morbid fascination."

From:

hasthehighground

Clint knows, from books he's read, how people think master assassins probably think-- that how to kill someone is always at the forefront of their minds. It's not, really. It comes up pretty rarely; the knowledge is there, immediately accessible, but not important unless it's important.

Despite that, Clint's well aware even now that 24 hours ago he wouldn't have hesitated in this position. Same Natasha, same Clint (Loki-bound, but same brain same instincts same memories, just totally other). He can still see the thought patterns even though they're not the ones he's settled in.

It rattles him.

"I'll have to keep that in mind," he says, and presses his lips against the corner of her smile.