The Avengers x Y/N Barton

Pt. 3

A hiss indicating the opening of the door lets you know that somebody's entered.

Fenced behind a barricade of all the apparatus necessary for your work, you call out "Last loads, I promise! I'll carry these two myself, it's work clothing. The rest is headed to cargo hold. Thank you!"

"I was told to pack only basics and you were allowed to load half of establishment?" Natasha's voice attains your ears from the other side of your fortress.

You put your hand through a small space between heavy boxes that are enclosing you and create a peephole. "Where's my favorite spy?"

"The question is why aren't you in your room? Nick told me you were sleeping."

Sleep was after almost fourty hours of being awake very much needed. But every attempt to get rest was thwarted by an awful nightmare. Or maybe by a memory, it was hard to tell the difference between them. You gave up and started to pack your things in fear the movers could forget something important to you.

"Yeah? What else did he tell you?" You squeeze your other hand in the same gap and pry on two boxes to see your friend clearly.

"I have to make sure you won't turn green," she pauses and taps her fingers on chin, "whatever that means."

Pain from seeing your fatigue-damaged face constricts around her heart. "How long have you not slept?" She starts rearranging the boxes to make space big enough for you to go through.

You push past the obstacles and let her pull you in a bear hug.

"I'm sorry," she whispers in your hair. "Everything will be fine, I promise. But you need to sleep, you look horrific."

"I can't, Nat," you bury your face in your palms and rub your drooping eyes. "I can't sleep. Everytime I close my eyes... I just... I can't."

Awaited stevedores walk in and start shipping your stuff.

"Everything to a cargo hold, please. Except these two, I'll take them myself. It's clothing," you give them instructions.

"Gentlemen," Natasha approaches them, "please stow these too. Doctor Barton definitely won't take them herself," she studies your exhausted body; no way she lets you carry weighty objects when you can barely stand on your feet. "And you, doctor, chop-chop to hit the hay."

Maybe it was Natasha's presence, maybe the sheer, bone-deep enervation that finally made your body give in the moment you laid your head on the pillow.

Waking up, you look out the window and see the sun rising. It's dawn. You slept all night.

"Better?" Natasha makes you scoot and lies down next to you.

"I don't know what would I do without you," you turn on your side to face her. She's like a sister you look up to. She's supportive, kind and always cheers you up.

"You'd probably bite Nick's head off!" She breaks in hearty laughter.

"So you've already heard of it," you shut your eyes and grimace. "I was honestly surprised he didn't fire me on the spot," embarassment drives color in your cheeks.

She flashes a sweet smile. "He's proud of you. He told me you were acting in a heartbeat and stayed level-headed. That's a valuable quality many long-service agents don't possess. Especially when facing potentially nonsurvival threat and witnessing their loved ones getting hurt," she whispers the last sentence. "I'd lose it."

"I was just lucky, I didn't know what I was doing."

She props herself to support the side of her head with her hand, shocked how much you underestimate yourself. "Except you did know! You secured the cube and proposed code Pharaoh. You got balls. You're gonna be great in the field."

You let out a dejected sigh. "Nat, I resigned. I'm staying in the lab."

"Honey," she drops dead serious, "you know what others call you?"

"Don't say it, please. It sounds villain-like." You hate nickname Doctor Two-Face.

"Have you ever thought about its meaning? It's a compliment! They know you have two faces, or rather, 'spirits' if you will," she chuckles. "Ingenious scientist and fearless fighter."

You cringe. "That's bullshit."

"No, that's true. The Director himself considers you aspiring, that's why he hasn't signed your resignation yet. It carries a weight, don't you think?"

----

Setting up new workplace is always relaxing. One monitor here, other eight there, separate stations deployed across the room, spacious desk, voice and visual recorder ready on command.

The only difference is that you're not underground anymore. Glass wall gives you a perfect view of the hangar and through the windows at the entrance all the happenings in the corridor can be seen.

"Y/N?"

"Bruce," you tighten the last screw and go hug your former mentor, "I haven't seen you for so long."

"Likewise," he hugs you back, "I almost didn't recognize you, you're not in white."

The only two boxes you wanted to move yourself were left at the HQ, hence the SHIELD uniform which is far from your habitual workplace wardrobe. A holster coiled around your thigh holds your gun and gives you the look of an agent in service.

"I have something to tell you," nervousness about your forthcoming talk tinges your voice. "I wasn't a fan of the idea of you coming here," you proceed to explain him how the helicarrier works.

You're not able to find suitable words to justify your prudence. "I don't mean to be rude, I just..."

"Rude?" Genuine amusement etches into his deep brown eyes. "I'd say the only one here thinking rationally." His light-hearted humor brings memories of your pleasent past as his student.

Wind tangles your hair as you walk on a runway where one of the jet's landing. Natasha comes over with a hefty man in a brown leather jacket by her side.

"Doctor Barton, Captain Rogers," she introduces you.

"Ma'am," he bops his head in greeting, smiling charmingly.

"Hi," you greet him casually, "I'm Y/N," you ask him to call you by your first name.

"Doctor Banner," Captain recognizes your companion, "word is, you can find the Cube."

"Yeah, hi," Bruce doesn't bother with formalities either and shakes Captain's hand. "I'm here to assist Y/N, she's the main star."

The floor underneath you starts shaking and tiny droplets of water cover your shoes as the helicarrier gets ready to lift off the sea to the air.

Crewmembers finish securing the airfighters and all gear that's staying outside the interior spaces. The whirring sound of turbines' powering signalizes it's time to go back inside.

So far it looks like you'll make a competent collective.