Winter's Widow

Chapter 17: Favors * (slightly mature)

"No, I finally got her to stop when I almost strangled her with a curtain." Clint and I looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

"You didn't," the archer chuckled into a closed fist, trying not to let anyone see but failing miserably. I smirked at the now-blonde.

"Oh, she did." The three of us burst into laughter again as we sat around the living room of Clint's farm. Laura had given up on trying to keep up ages ago, and was busying herself with something in the kitchen, leaving the three of us to our own devices. She always called us her 'oldest kids' and I guess I could understand why. Natasha leaned up against me on the couch and Clint stared between the two of us, shaking his head.

"I don't get it. Why weren't the two of you ever a thing?" Natasha glanced over her shoulder at me and we both smirked at each other.

"C'mon, Barton. We know each other too well." Natasha finally laughed and I jabbed her in the side, making her squirm.

"You couldn't handle us together, Barton, and you know it." I added. Clint looked between the two of us, shaking his head. At that moment, Laura came around the corner, holding some kind of delicious looking desert.

"Is Clint sticking his foot in his mouth again?" She asked, instantly reading the room. Natasha and I laughed.

"He was just asking why we were never a couple." Laura scoffed in exaggerated indignation, slapping her husband on the back of the head with a handful of napkins.

"Clint, they could never!" He looked around the room, clearly recognizing that he was outnumbered. Natasha and I both gave Laura a round of applause. "They both like control too much to give it up, they'd fight over it constantly." Natasha and I glanced at each other, and both of us blushed. She wasn't wrong, it just felt weird to have it spoken out loud like that.

"I still don't get it," Clint mumbled.

"Do me a favor," Laura looked to the two of us, who easily returned her wide smile, "and ignore my idiot husband." Natasha and I smiled and spoke in unison.

"We always do."

...

We had most of the train car to ourselves for the majority of the trip. Yelena texted someone a few times, but sat largely in silence. I attempted to take a look at her shoulder, and she brushed me off. "I'm fine," she muttered, rolling her shoulder blade back and barely covering a grimace.

"Always so stubborn," I muttered. She glared at me over her shoulder, but begrudgingly let me continue to wipe around the wound to clean it at least. A few hours later, we arrived at the Budapest Keleti station. I followed Yelena as she moved assuredly through the crowd. This was her territory, not mine, and I had no idea where we were or where we were going. She kept looking back over her shoulder at me to assure herself that I was still there, and I smiled at her. We sat outside at a coffee stand and waited until a tall man with dimples sat backwards on a chair, pulling it close to our table.

"You're late," Yelena grumbled. The man smiled.

"You're lucky I'm letting you stay there after the mess you and your sister made last time," he retorted, but he did so with a smile on his face.

"I paid for those repairs; you know." I smirked at the two of them before offering my hand.

"I'm Kasey Winter," I said, smiling. The man shook my hand gently.

"Pleasure to finally meet you, Agent Winter." His smile was genuine, at least. "I've spoken to you before, I think, around the time those two were tearing up my property." I smiled, nodding.