The Raven and the Hawk (My MCU #1)

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"I can't believe you," Natasha bit out as she paced the hallway.

Clint turned his head to look at her. He was sitting in one of the chairs outside the medical unit with his elbows on his knees and his head resting in his hands. "What?"

"What the hell were you thinking? You shot her, Barton. That is not okay."

Clint's eyes widened. "You can't possibly think I did this on purpose. It was an accident."

Natasha snorted. "Like I'm going to believe that. You don't miss. Not like that."

He sat up straight in his chair and scowled at his friend. "Now wait just a minute here, Nat."

She snapped around to face him, her expression pinched and angry.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Just forget it." His stomach churned. If his best friend thought him capable of shooting the English assassin on purpose what would everyone else think? What would Raven think? He raked a hand through his hair. Damn it.

"Agents," Coulson said as he stepped into the hallway. He looked at Natasha. "Give us a moment." Nat looked between the two of them for a moment before walking away.

Coulson took the seat next to Clint, twining his fingers together in his lap. "What happened?"

Clint ran a hand down his face. "I was angry. I was arguing with Nat and shooting targets. Sterling came back into the room from the locker room. I had no reason to anticipate that so she got hit with an arrow that was meant for one of the dummies. It stopped when it sensed her, but of course the arrow can't do that."

"So, it was an accident?"

Clint hopped to his feet. "Christ. What is wrong with you people? Have I ever given you any reason to believe that I would purposely shoot a colleague?"

Coulson looked at him with a blank expression. "You failed to answer the question, Agent Barton."

"Yes, it was an accident. Happy?"

The elder agent hummed under his breath and twiddled his thumbs but didn't say anything as he studied the archer. His eyes darted down the hallway and Clint followed his gaze.

Fury walked down the hall, his coat flaring out behind him. "Coulson, I'll take over here."

Coulson just nodded and got up to head off down the hallway. Clint leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He clenched his teeth as he watched Fury. The man in question stood in front of him, his hands behind his back as he rocked on his feet. Finally, he pinned Clint with his one good eye.

"I understand that you have not been comfortable with Agent Sterling since her arrival. I also understand that you perhaps had some notion of revenge due to her shooting you on a previous occasion. What I don't understand is why you would possibly think that I or anyone else would believe this was an accident."

Clint closed his eyes and counted to ten. Everyone was acting as if it was commonplace for him to go around shooting people that pissed him off. Maybe he should start.

***

The medics finished with Raven and told her she could return to her room. Her arm was in a sling to keep the shoulder from moving too much. Fortunately, the damages weren't too severe. She just needed to give it time and pain meds but she wouldn't be training for a while.

She stepped out of the room as Fury accused Barton of shooting her intentionally. The archer's eyes were closed and he said nothing in his defense. She wondered how many times he'd had this same conversation since she'd been brought here. He was a lot of things, but she didn't believe that he'd injured her deliberately.

"Lay off the archer, Fury. It was my fault, not his."

Fury arched a brow and turned to face her. "It is unnecessary for you to cover for him through some misplaced sense of guilt, Sterling."

She laughed at that. "You are operating under the assumption I feel guilt, Fury. Unlikely or I would have had a very short career." She felt Barton's gaze on her, but kept her eyes on the director. "I knew the training simulation was still running. I should have used the other door, not walked back into the training area. I let me emotions overrule my sensible judgment."

He looked at her for a long moment, his gaze darting between her and the archer. Finally, he nodded. "Fair enough, Sterling. Barton, I'm watching you."

Raven rolled her eyes and headed for the lift. All she wanted to do was get into some comfortable clothes, curl up under a blanket and watch some mindless movie.

"Sterling, wait," Clint called from behind her. She hesitated for half a second then continued on her way. "Raven, stop." This time a hand on her upper arm accompanied the words.

She stopped but kept her eyes focused on the floor.

"Look at me, please."

Her head lifted and her eyes met his. She clenched her teeth together, ignoring the flaring of pain that had nothing to do with the wound in her shoulder.

His eyes studied her. "I'm sorry."

She shrugged her good shoulder. "I know it was an accident, Barton."

He looked down for a moment then met her eyes again. "I appreciate that. Believe me, you have no idea how much right now, but I'm not just talking about that."

"It's fine. No one says we have to like each other to work together. I'm sorry my presence has made you uncomfortable." She started down the hall again and he fell into step beside her.

He stepped into the lift with her. "Listen, do you want to watch a movie in the lounge or something?"

Raven huffed a laugh. "Thanks, but I think I'd rather keep my own company. You can soothe your guilt some other way."

"It's not guilt."

"Pity then. Whatever it is, you can keep it." He followed her off the lift when they got to her floor. She started to say something then realized she didn't know where his room was. This could be his floor as well for all she knew.

He trailed her to her door. She turned around to face him instead of going into her room. Irritation flared through her. What could he possibly want with her?

He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "None of it was true."

"Come again."

"The things I said to Natasha." He sighed. "Look, Nat is...well, Nat. She's my best friend and if she had even an inkling that I liked you she'd never let me hear the end of it."

Raven's brows shot up into her hairline. "You like me?"

"Well, I certainly don't hate you. Though it is a little awkward, beings as you shot me and all. Now, movie?" The corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk.

She opened her door and took a step inside the room before turning back to the archer. "Give me twenty minutes to change and I'll meet you in the lounge. And Clint?" she said stopping him as he turned to walk away. "You're not the only one that likes someone that shot them." His eyes grew wide and she smirked before shutting the door in his face.