A Family of Flaws

Chapter Six; Spies Will Be Spies

*Natasha's POV*

  "So he took the tracker?" Clint asked, coming up to walk right beside Cap as Falcon and him walked out of the elevator onto the Avengers floor. He was acting like an annoying child, which prompted Natasha to smack the back of his head as she usually did when he was being too stupid and irritating for his own good.

Cap nodded and pulled his mask off as he came to stand in between the kitchen and living room, along with Falcon, who was now Sam because the mission was over. "Spider-Man took the tracker and agreed to make an alliance with us." He said with a smile. "Falcon is actually the one who convinced him— I think he was afraid of me." Cap added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with a slightly confused expression. "Not sure what I did..."

Sam patted his shoulder and laughed. "I think you're just intimidating, Cap. You're kinda a big deal. So I doubt he was scared as much shocked." Sam reassured the ex-soldier, shrugging as if it were easy to guess.

"Did he take it home with him?" Clint continued shooting off questions left and right, giving no time for anyone to answer while Natasha sat back and debated slapping him again.

Cap chuckled and finally put an end to the mindless rambling by answering the first question. "No, he did not take it home. We told him he can hide it somewhere and grab it when he's out on his patrols." Clint pouted and crossed his arms at the response, collapsing on the couch like it was the worst inconvenience.

"That's stupid. I thought we wanted to know his identity." He grumbled, sitting back up and actually giving them an opportunity to answer this time.

Natasha stepped forward and flicked his forehead before answering. "No, we decided together that we are going to let him tell us in his own time." She said with a clipped tone. "Maybe if you actually listened instead of constantly running your mouth then you would know that, Katniss."

Turning away from the idiotic man she considered her closest friend, she returned her attention to the two heroes who just came back. "So everything has been arranged? He agreed with everything?"

Sam nodded with a smile. "Yep, he's a pretty chill dude." He quipped immediately, as if he had been waiting to tell them his view on their new ally. "I think we can assure the public now that he isn't some villainous vigilante waiting to strike."

Natasha nodded and the group dispersed, going back to doing what they had previously been occupying their time with. She walked back over to Clint and tapped his shoulder, making sure no one else saw. It was their own secret code, a way to grab the other's attention without drawing prying eyes towards them.

Immediately, the archer glanced over to her, catching her eyes as she motioned for the elevator. In unison, they began moving towards the elevator silently and slipped into it without another pair of eyes ever glancing towards them. By the time someone noticed their absence, they would have been gone far too long for it to really matter.

Friday took them up to the roof as they requested, where they got off and sat, leaning against the wall beside the elevator together. "What's up, Nat?" Clint popped the question without a glance in her direction. This was practically a daily thing, the two spies had grown accustomed to sneaking off together to converse on their own. And everyone else respected their close friendship and never questioned them when they inevitably noticed that they had been absent for an unknown time period.

  Finally feeling safe enough to drop her usual foreboding atmosphere, one she had created long ago to protect herself from other people, she sighed and rested her head back. She trusted the Avengers— really, she honestly did. It was something she never thought would happen— trusting so many people within such a short amount of time. But Clint was different from the rest of them, they were closer to each other than any of the others. And he understood her in ways no one else could.