A Couple of Master Assassins (Clintasha)

Chapter 26

It had been another week since Natasha was given the good news from the doctor about Clint's state, and a lot had happened. She and Coulson had to go back to babysit Tony while he almost completely destroyed his lab creating a new element; Coulson got reassigned to a mission in Mexico involving a huge crater in the desert; and Natasha had to stop Tony's military friend Rhodey from blowing everyone up when his suit got hacked by a Russian mad man.

She also received her test results from the hospital. It turns out that her shop-bought test showed a false-positive result: she wasn't pregnant after all. As terrible as it sounds, she was happy that she wasn't pregnant. She didn't know how on earth she was going to balance her SHIELD life and raise a child, especially if that child was going to be as much trouble as Clint was proving to be. Maybe someday, when I give up this life, she thought to herself.

But the best thing by far was getting a phone call from the hospital in the early hours of a Saturday.

"Hello?" she answered when she finally found her phone in the darkness of the hotel room (she was still staying there so she could be closer to Clint).

"Miss Romanoff, sorry to wake you, but I have some news I think you'd like to hear," a doctor on the other end said. "Mr Barton woke up about twenty minutes ago."

Natasha shot up from her bed, eyes wide. She was positively ecstatic, barely able to contain her excitement. "Can I see him?" she asked.

"Usually, I'd tell you to wait until visiting hours start. But he's been asking for you, so I think I can make an exception," he told her. Natasha loved this doctor.

"Thank you so much. I'll be over as soon as I can," she said, then hung up the phone. She couldn't help it; she let out a shout of joy as she leapt from the covers to get ready, putting on her favourite jeans and Clint's t-shirt under a leather jacket before leaving in a taxi that she called.

When she arrived at the front desk after what seemed like hours, the woman didn't even ask her name and let her in almost straight away, recognising her from her numerous visits in the past.

She entered the room, closing the door behind her, and looked at Clint. There was a doctor in the room, someone she recognised, checking one of the monitors. She looked over to Clint and he was unconscious, but it looked like he had moved.

"He's just asleep, Miss Romanoff, don't worry," the doctor said. "You must mean a lot to him; you were the first person he asked to see." With that, he left, leaving the two assassins alone like many times before. Only this time it was different.

She went over and sat by Clint's bed, holding his hand. His skin was radiating its usual heat, which was a huge comfort to Natasha. suddenly, Clint stirred in his sleep before cracking open his eyes for the second time that day.

"Natasha?" he asked. His voice sounded raspy, a side effect from having not used it for so long.

"Clint!" she half-shouted, wrapping her arms around the archer. She held him close and squeezed him tight, a little too tight in Clint's opinion.

"Nat, loosen it up a little?" he asked. She was crushing his ribs and causing him some pain in his abdomen.

"Oh, sorry," she smiled, pulling away. "I just really missed you."

"Understatement of the year. I heard the things you were telling me, Nat- you can't lie to me," he stated with his usual sarcasm.

"You heard me?"

"Every word. And I missed you too, you know," he said, smiling at her. "Every time you came, I just wanted to see your beautiful face and-" He was cut off by Natasha kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. She loved the feeling of his strong arms around her after so long. "Yeah, and that," he commented as she pulled away.

Natasha couldn't help it- she burst out laughing. "You're such a dork," she said, giggling.

"But you love it," he countered. She just smiled and shook her head.

"I do."

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Clint had to stay in the hospital for a few more days while his body readjusted to being used, and so doctors could make sure that he was healing okay, because despite him being in a coma for several weeks, his bullet wounds still weren't fully healed.

When he was discharged, he had to be taken out in a wheelchair.

"I can walk, you know," he said to the nurse pushing him.

"I know, Mr Barton. It's just how we do things around here," he replied. He issued Clint with his medication to keep him healing properly and aid the regrowth of his muscles which hadn't been used in a while before letting him go, straight into the arms of Natasha who had been waiting for him.

"Let's get out of this Hellhole," he said, wrapping his fingers around hers. They climbed into the SHIELD car that Coulson had managed to get them and prepared for the long journey home ahead of them.

"I think I might cut my hair," Natasha randomly said about an hour into the journey. "It keeps getting in the way on missions and stuff."

"Whatever you do, I'm sure you'll look gorgeous," Clint replied, kissing her forehead. She smiled. "Like you always do."

"Clint Barton, what would I ever do without you?" she asked, snuggling into his side.

"Probably a lot, to be honest," he joked. Natasha laughed.

"Sure," she said. "I believe you."

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New chapter because I felt like it.

How's everyone doing today?