Comes after طائر غريب (Strange Bird) and для полета (For Flying).


Thankfully, it isn’t aliens this time, just regular moronic goons whose allegiance she can’t quite fathom. Oh no wait, there’s the dumb bucket helmets. This is AIM.

Natasha rolls her eyes and punches another guy in the neck.

She can hear the Hulk’s roars to her left, and see the bright flashes of Carol and Tony’s blasts arc through the smoke to join Thor’s lighting, each throwing Sam’s shadow to dance crazily across the trees. They’ve grown again, and the high pitched whine she hears briefly pass her ear is proof of it; Jan joining the fray.

She feels the air shift around her, someone creeping up behind her to try and take her by surprise. No such luck for them though. Natasha doesn’t get taken by surprise.

But just before she can turn fully and punish said goon for being unwise enough to attempt to sneak up on Black Widow there’s an inhuman shriek, followed by yells and curses and the harsh flapping of wings.

Natasha turns around to find a bird of prey clawing the man’s eyes out and skilfully dodging his flailing hands. The bird ducks and swoops, shrieking loud enough to hurt and the man’s face is streaming with blood. His eyes are completely gone and his arms flail ever more wildly until, quite by chance, he clips the bird on the tail, sending it spiralling crazily for a good three meters before it manages to right itself just before hitting the ground with a quiet thump.

Natasha zaps the man with her Bites, her heart in her throat.

She’s rooted to the spot, paralysed with terror as she watches the bird twitch and chirp quietly, before hopping upright and ruffling its feathers.

The sudden silence in the clearing is only broken by the pops and crackles of the burning AIM base.

“Don’t,” Natasha says quiet and full of fury, as she advances on the bird, “ever do that again Clint. Don’t…” She takes a deep breath.

“You could have died,” she forces out. “You could have…”

The bird chirps again, before launching itself into the air to circle around her head.

“Natasha?”

She turns at the sound of Betty’s voice, but can’t see her because her eyes are suddenly too full of tears. Betty comes with them now. They trained her up to help Bobbi in the jet, calling patterns and keeping everyone safe, just so she could be there at the end of the fight to help the Hulk become Bruce again.

“I’m talking to a bird,” she chokes out. “I’m talking to a bird.”

Betty’s hand comes to rest on her shoulder briefly, before reeling her in for a tight hug.

“But you’re not Natasha. You’re talking to Clint.”

“It’s not the same,” Natasha whispers into Betty’s shoulder. Betty talks to Bruce when she talks to the Hulk, but then Bruce comes back. Bruce can reply.

“It doesn’t matter Natasha. You’re still talking to Clint.”

Edited 2014-10-25 04:31 pm (UTC)

Oh my goodness, this is so beautiful and heartbreaking all at once. Thank you so much!

Thank you! I'm really happy that something fitting came to me for this 'verse. :)

My heart! My feels! Beautiful.

*sniffles*

Thank you. :)

I just got done reading the fics proceeding this and ow.

Yeah, I'm, I'm not okay. Absolutely gorgeous, absolutely heart-wrenching, and so, so beautiful. <3

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed them all.