Duyên || Clint Barton

022 || budapest pt1

•••

"This is ridiculous" Clint groaned, punching in the coordinates, "I mean I get that we're good on stealth missions - but this is going to be the longest one we've ever been on"
"It can't be helped" Nat sighed "HYDRA remnants are being found every other day, this is the biggest hit yet"
"That's the thing, are we even completely sure this is HYDRA? There are civilians there - normal people - how could HYDRA act under all of their noses?"
"Unless they're not completely innocent" Nat pointed out, leaning back in her chair "besides, That's the reason why we're going deep dive, to see if they're all compromised"
Clint shrugged, his eyes flitting over to his companion. Natasha pulled out the cookies, proceeding to stuff a whole one in her mouth.
"Your baby momma can cook" Nat moaned, chewing the cookie with a blissful look on her face.
"She can bake, yeah" he laughed, snatching one of the cookies from her grasp "cook? That's a bit more of a stretch. All I'm saying is if she cooks you lasagna, don't eat it"
Nat snorted, slapping his arm as he shivered at the thought.

It was times like these, the calm before the storm, that made Clint thankful to have a partner like Natasha. He trusted her completely, and that was something hard to find in his line of work, let alone needed when it came to tricky missions such as this one.

The two assassins discussed their game plan for the rest of the flight, sorting out surveillance and exit plans.

•••

"I can see 5 guards, they seem to switch out every four hours" Nat said as she walked back into the jet, "as for heat signatures, I can't get an accurate read but there's 50+ from what I could see"
Clint nodded grimly, grabbing his bow and placing the quiver on his back, "you type that up and send it to Fury I'll keep watch"
Nat just nodded, stalking over to the monitor to start filing her report.

When in position, Clint rested his back against a tree, his mind wandering as his eyes surveyed the area.

Clint had always wanted a baby, always wanted a family to call his own. Grace had given him that family - despite being able to walk away. He had never thought it possible that he could find someone who loved him, the real him.

The Clint that has emotional wounds that are still healing.
The Clint that doesn't feel safe unless a weapon is near.
The Clint that keeps a pair of shoes under his bed just in case he needs to make a quick escape.
The Clint that demands dominance in the bedroom as he struggles to give up even an ounce of control.
The Clint that finds it hard to put his trust in someone.
The Clint that is still trying to accept himself.

Grace had accepted his faults, had been open to his kinks (and quite enjoyed a majority of them herself). She had loved him for who he was, scars and all, and he couldn't imagine living without her.

•••

"Nat what are you doing?" Clint hissed through his earpiece, watching as the redhead snuck towards the base from his positions in the trees.
"One of the guards - he was spotted frequently with the man that broke into your house - they might still have info on Grace. We left her alone Clint, they could've been watching us, waiting for us to go far away" she said, pausing every time someone got too close, but the desperation was clear in her voice.
"Fuckers" he breathed, slamming his hand on the ground angrily.
"Nat come back now! If you storm in now it'll be a bloodbath - some of these people may be innocent -"
"Clint they might know where Grace is" she stressed quietly "we can't chance that!"

Clint let out an aggravated sigh, running his hand through his hair as his mind battled itself.
He didn't want to accidentally kill innocent people, but Grace was on the line - his baby was on the line.
"Nat we aren't even supposed to engage without the backup team - let alone go in there this early. We still don't have accurate readings on what's in there" he argued.

"We don't need a backup team"

And without further warning, she slipped into the building.