Red Assassin ~ Pietro Maximoff x OC

six ~ clint's secret

edited 7/10/2021

I wake up with my heart pounding relentlessly and Natasha standing over me. It takes me a moment to realize that I'm not in the Red Room chained to a bed, I'm onboard the Quinjet, and we're on the ground.

"I saw you," I gasp. "In my dream. It was in the Red Room. You...you were there when I woke up."

Nat smiles, stroking my hair. "I remember that day. S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted me to bring down the Red Room as the last step in my defection, so I was posing as a teacher to get more insight."

"I never did learn why you were there," I comment as she helps me sit up.

"Anyway, we're here. Just came to tell you that." She squeezes my shoulder and gets off the jet.

"Where is here?" I ask, getting up and following her.

"Safe house. We hope." We make our way to a farmhouse where the others are already gathered.

"Did you bring Auntie Nat?" I hear a little girl ask, and Nat smiles.

"Why don't you hug her and find out?" Nat replies, and two kids tackle her with hugs.

"Hey, kid. I was wondering when you'd wake up." Clint comes over to me and gives me a hug. "You feeling alright?"

"I'm okay. What's all this?" I reply.

"Kat, this is Laura," Clint says, pulling a pregnant lady against him as the kids came running up to him. "And Lila and Cooper."

What am I supposed to say?

Thankfully, Mrs. Barton saves me. "I've heard so much about you, Kat. It's nice to finally meet you in person," she says warmly.

"I wish I could say the same," I reply. "Crud. I—not that it's not a pleasure, because it is. I, I just meant that—"

"It's all right, sweetie." She smiles and grabs my arms. "Clint's told me a bit about your life so far. You're always welcome here, Kat."

"Thank you." She gives me a hug and I stiffen in shock for a moment before awkwardly returning the hug. I barely remember what it felt like for my mom to give me a hug.

"Hey, Lila, why don't you show Kat your art set? She likes drawing," Clint says.

"No I don't," I say quickly, but Lila's already gone.

"I've seen your stuff. You're good," Clint says. "Maybe you can teach Lila a thing or two."

"I promise, Clint. There is nothing I can teach her."

🔴 🔴 🔴

"Yeah, like that. And then...follow through," I say, guiding Lila's hand across the paper. Our watercolor masterpiece—a tulip garden—looks so vivid and beautiful. "Go show your mom, Lila." She smiles and carefully picks up the painting to go show her mom.

"She's told me how much she wished she had a sister," Clint says, sitting next to me on the floor. "You okay?"

"Careful there, old man," I joke. "And I'm okay. I was just thinking about Anton. He used to love drawing and painting and stuff."

"Anything else you want to talk about? Maybe a boy? Yea tall?" He reaches as high as he can while still staying seated. "Silver hair? Answers to the name of Pietro?"

"I got it, Clint. What's there to talk about? I knew him when I was a kid," I answer. "And it was sport flirting."

"Kat. You and the twins survived a bombing together. You grew up across the hall from each other. Those are connections that don't just go away," Clint says.