❝ In a mirror, darkly. ❞
• • •
Clint Barton. Spy, assassin, master archer. Caffeine addict. Hot mess. After the Battle of New York, Clint is forced to come to terms with the mind control Loki forced him into. The longer he's recovering, the cleare...
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When Tony returned to the lounge, he found Bobbi Morse gone and the others mulling about. Natasha stood behind the mini bar, pouring herself more whiskey. With her was Clint and he signed a conversation to her so that no one else could understand. Thor, Pepper, and Bruce were the only ones talking aloud, Steve quiet and sitting contemplatively.. But upon Tony's entrance, they looked over.
"She okay," Steve asked curiously. He sat back against his chair and took a drink from a water bottle.
Tony snorted, plopping himself down next to Pepper unceremoniously. "I really thought she was going to attack your, Thor."
Thor merely laughed. "She wouldn't." But when no one responded, everyone merely looking over to where Natasha and Clint still had their private discussion, he added, "She wouldn't would she?"
"Care to shine a light on that," Tony called over to the agents.
They turned to look at the others, Clint straightening up from where he had been leaning against the bar. Before responding he signed a last thing to Natasha, "Do we have a right to tell them?"
"They have a right to know if she's living here what it is she's capable of."
"But should it come from us, or from her?"
Natasha shrugged. "She's an unknown. She was ready to attack Thor, you saw it too."
"Yeah, but she didn't."
"We need to talk to her about ground rules."
Tony rolled his eyes and called over to them. "You're doing it again. Damn I really hate the super secret spy stuff."
Natasha chuckled behind a sip of her whiskey. She nodded to Clint, and he nodded back after a slight hesitation. The two of them rejoined the group, Clint standing behind Natasha as she took the last spot on the couch beside Tony.
"Yes, I think she was fully prepared to attack you, Thor," she told him a moment later. "She wanted answers."
Pepper frowned. "What exactly is she capable of?"
With a sigh, Clint shifted off his leather jacket and showed them the burn she had caused. "This was on accident. I startled her and she lashed out. Took about point five seconds to cause this kind of damage."
"On accident?" asked Bruce.
Clint nodded. "She's not fully in control of her power. She talks about the magic as if it's sentient, almost how you speak of the Hulk, Bruce. She says it enjoys fighting, and that sometimes she loses control." With a sigh, he put his glass of whiskey down on the coffee table and gestured with his hands. "When she fights, she acts on instinct. I saw the magic protect her during the fight I witnessed."
