Ch49. Problems on the horizon

Natasha entered a cafe and instantly instinctively looked around, checking the guests. Her green eyes roamed until they landed on a stout man sitting at a table in the corner at the back of the establishment.

Natasha inwardly smiled. As expected, he chose the best position to keep the entire shop in his eyesight but also where he won't be directly on the eyes.

Walking towards the man, Natasha sat on the chair opposite him and looked into the cup that was already placed in front of her, causing her to show a small smile when she realized it was her favorite.

"Hello, Clint." She greeted, taking the cup of coffee into her hands and tasting it. "Hmm, a good choice as always."

"I aim to please, Nat." Clint grinned, "How are you? We haven't seen each other for months."

Natasha amiably smiled, "Mhm. I am fine. Thanks for asking." Her smile however dimmed a bit afterward. "Let me guess, Fury wants me to play a double spy and 'watch over' Stark, pretend to be under his employ while secretly still working for SHIELD, no?"

"Straight to the point, huh?" Clint grimaced. "Yeah, pretty much." He shrugged.

He was not happy with this task and he also told Fury the chances of his attempt at power-play succeeding were quite bad but...

Natasha frowned, "Did he not understand when Tony told him I no longer belong to SHIELD?"

"You know how he is with being told what to do." Clint said in a helpless tone, showing there was nothing he could do.

Natasha leaned back into her seat and gave Clint a long hard look with an emotionless face. Clint hated it when she did that. Partly because he didn't like her turning her emotions off and considering everything with cold logic and partly because he couldn't read her at all in this state. Not that he could read her otherwise but with this emotionless facade, she could very well be stone.

"And if I don't want to do it?" Natasha eventually asked in an even and neutral tone, betraying nothing.

"Natasha," Clint sadly smiled, "You know the possible consequences. Do you really want to betray SHIELD? After working so long to gain trust and recognition?"

Clint knew more than anyone how much Natasha struggled to fit in SHIELD and how much she tried to redeem herself. Sometimes it was sad to watch, going her from mission to mission with barely any free time but he respected her immensely for that determination.

It was hard to believe she would just throw it all away on a whim.

"Consequences, my ass." Natasha snorted, surprising Clint, "Stop lying to yourself. We both know my future prospects were never nice. I was never an employee of SHIELD like you." She gave him an empty look and Clint barely kept himself from flinching. It was better to not pay attention to these matters. It made his sleep better. To be so bluntly told the truth from the woman at the center of it was... Clint didn't like it.

Natasha didn't spare Clint's discomfort any thoughts and continued, "I am a tool for them. I could understand mistrust during my first years as an agent of SHIELD and I worked hard to show my worth and gain trust but nothing really changed."

"A lot has changed since then Natasha. You know that." Clint tried. The attempt sounded weak even to his ears but... it was the truth! A lot has changed. Natasha managed to change how people perceived her massively!

And this last stunt of her completely threw all of these years of her effort down the drain. He was angry with her. He gave her a chance, didn't kill her, and offered her to join SHIELD, and... this is where that led them? She was walking away from SHIELD the second a better offer was given?

Despite Clint's quiet anger, he couldn't bring himself to really blame her. In fact, Clint was secretly cheering her on, wishing her to find happiness for herself. He just didn't want to see the outcome of this situation because he loved Natasha like a sister. It was not going to be pretty and he wanted to avoid it.

Yet, he knew how stubborn Natasha was.

"Yes, Clint. The agents do respect me. Fury did have a sort of trust in me. And I don't have to talk about the two of us. We saved each other backs far too many times not to develop a deep trust in each other." Natasha sardonically stated with a mocking smile.

It was the truth. She spent years making her image better. Building a reputation for herself. And many people were affected. Many people saw her differently. Many people did not see just a killer when they looked at her. And despite all that...

"But unlike you, there is no retirement fund waiting for me from SHIELD." Natasha bitterly chuckled, looking Clint directly in the eyes, wanting him to understand her standpoint. "While you are employed and can quit anytime you want, I never had that option. Even after years of service, this didn't change. The higher-ups of SHIELD, Fury included, never had any intention of letting me slip from their hands. I would either be their little assassin or I would be a dead assassin. My retirement would have come only with my death and you know that."

Clint's lips stretched into a lopsided grin as he jokingly uttered, "You can't fault them for that. You showed how dangerous you can be after you left the Red Room."

It was clear he didn't really mean these words. He just said them to do his 'duty' and defend SHIELD but there was no heart in his sentence.

"Oh, stop it with being the Devil's advocate, Clint." Natasha rolled her eyes at him. "We both know how I meant my words. The fact we are meeting like this is the biggest proof that Fury did not stop thinking about me as his agent despite Tony's declaration. He doesn't intend to just let go of my services."

"And your answer is no." Clint sighed. Any further attempt to change Natasha's mind was futile. That much he knew best.

"And my answer is no." Natasha softly smiled at the man who saved her life numerous times and nodded.

Clint groaned, raising his hand towards his forehead and rubbing it, "Natasha... you do realize you just made my week go to shits, don't you?" He quipped and took a long sip from his coffee.

Natasha found his frustration quite hilarious, to be honest. She smirked at him and leaned forward, "Don't tell me he ordered you to eliminate me if I refused."

Clint looked at her and scoffed at the thought. He had one rodeo with her when she was mostly an inexperienced teenager and that was enough for him. She almost killed him multiple times and him besting her at the end of it was more of a fluke.

He had better equipment, better information, the advantage of being a ranged fighter, and the battle being in a city...

Clint didn't want to try his hand at subjugating her again now that she used the resources of SHIELD to improve herself further and had a firsthand experience with how SHIELD hunted their targets.

He doubted that exchange would go his way. Especially so since Natasha knew his fighting style almost as well as himself.

"Fury is too smart for that and despite what you think, he does appreciate your work for SHIELD these past few years." He spoke with confidence, but it faltered after a while. "His higher-ups, though... now they might see things differently."

"Hence, I should be careful because there might be an order for my head." Natasha nodded, understanding what he wanted to tell her. "Thank you for the warning, Clint."

Clint helplessly shrugged. There was not much he could do for her. He might have been one of the best agents of SHIELD but contrary to expectations, that didn't mean he had influence in the organization.

"Let's talk about something else than work." Natasha suddenly proposed when the atmosphere between them turned glum. "How are Laura and the kids?"

Clint definitely grasped this offered lifeline and fondly chuckled, "Ah. It was a few months since you visited and the kids miss their aunt Nat. I was tasked to ask when are you going to visit. Laura also apparently misses your company."

"Heh~, I will have to make time for that, then..."

The two sipped their drinks and talked about their lives and unimportant matters, steering far away from any sort of topic even lightly touching their job, and ignoring the looming problems on the horizon.

It was a very nice afternoon for Natasha, just hanging out with Clint and enjoying a light conversation.

They spent hours catching up.