Nightmare

---

"Clint, you're gonna be alright."

Natasha told her friend, watching over him as he tries to shake off Loki's mind control

Barton groans in pain a few times before replying, "You know that?" He lets out a dry chuckle, "Is that what you know?" He groaned again and threw his head back against the bed as the red head stood up and walked to a table behind him, making Clint look up at her, "I've got...I've got no window. I have to flush him out." He said while panting.

"You got to level out, it's gonna take time."

"You don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and stuff something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade?"

She was quite for a moment before looking down at him, saying, "You know that I do."

Clint looked guilty, bring up something buried long ago. Changing the subject, he asked, "Why am I back? How did you get him out?"

"Cognitive recalibration." Natasha responded, moving to unfasten the restraints around Clint's wrists, "I hit you really hard in the head."

"Thanks." Clint tried to hold eye contact with her as she moved to the other wrist, "Tasha, how many agents did I...?"

She suddenly looked up, "Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for."

"Loki, he get away?" Barton asked, anger laced in his voice.

"Yeah. I don't suppose you know where?"

"I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today." He told her, sitting up probably as she walked to the other side of the room.

"We gotta stop him."

"Yeah? Who's we?" Clint asked, looking up at her.

"I don't know. Whoever's left."

Barton looked over at the other medical bed, which held a sleeping, yet not peacefully, Will Banner, a man he doesn't know much about, 

"Him?" He asked her.

She was quick to answer, "No." Clint had a questioning look on his face so she explained, "He's not ready to go out into action. No yet. Not after today." She said walking over to Will, pulling the blanket higher over him and placing her hand on his shoulder, making him calm down slightly.

Clint seemed to sense something had happened, but decided not to ask, "Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better, I suppose."

Natasha smiled and sat down next to her friend, "Now you sound like you."

"But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you?"

"He didn't, I just..." She pauses, trying to find the right way to say it, Clint urges her on by saying her name, "I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out."

And with that, she goes back to Will. She grabs a bowl full of warm water and a cloth along the way. Dipping the cloth into the water, she gently drags it across his hands, washing away the blood of the man he had killed. Natasha continued to do this for a few minutes, re-wetting the cloth into the now red water, dragging it down Will's hands and over his face. She knew he would hate having it on him when he woke. This was the least she could do for him.

Clint Barton watched as his friend did this. He was confused as to why but soon realised that this Will Banner was more than an ally to Natasha.

---

"Leave me alone! Please!"

"I'm so sorry for what I did!"

"I didn't mean for it to happen!"

Will was running down the Helicarrier corridors, away from the man. The man he killed, The man who is now somehow alive and following him.

He continues to run but once he turns a corner and notices a dead end, he goes to turn back, only to see the man's lifeless eyes in front of him.

Gasping, he moved away only to fall on the ground. Will starts to crawl away, but the man follows.

"Please, I'm sorry."

The pale man started to reach down towards Will, making him whimper and crawl further away, only to be stopped by the wall behind him.

The man is only inches away until he hears a voice call his name.

"Will."

Frowning, Will looked at the man, seeing him start to fade away until he was the only one in the hallway. Sighing in relief, he closed his eyes to calm himself.

"Will!"

He let out a short shout.

Looking around, panting, he was confused as he had expected to see the dull white hallways of the Helicarrier, but it seemed to be a medical room.

He felt a hand grip his and another hand press against his cheek to move it, so he could see them.

Once he saw red hair and green eyes, he relaxed, closing his eyes and tilting his head into her hand.

Natasha waited until he got his breathe back, then asked, "Will, are you okay?"

Banner opened his eyes to look into the assassin's eyes, which would have made him squirm away a few weeks ago, now it just seems natural. He started to nod his head, to answer her question but realised he would be lying, so he shook his head instead.

Romanoff sighed, feeling guilty that Will felt like this. Almost like he was reading her thoughts, Will tightened the grip on her hand and told her in a soothing voice, "Nat-Natasha, please d-don't."

"You had a nightmare, right?"

He nodded.

"Of the man you shot?" She didn't use the word 'kill' knowing Will would get upset by that.

However, he still flinched, but nodded.

"It's okay, Will. I get them all the time."

The doctor raised his eyebrows, in a way to make her continue.

"Seeing as I am a spy/assassin, I've killed a lot of people. And I get a lot of nightmares."

Will stuttered for a little bit, "Do-Do they go awa-y?"

She wanted to be honest with him, so she was, "No. But they get easier as time goes on. I didn't have anyone to help me for a while, until Clint came along. We both had the same problem and helped each other. Now, I'm going to help you."

Will let out a noise, it seemed to be a mixture of a cry and a sigh of relief, he dropped his head forward, so he rested against her shoulder, making her tense up, "Th-Thank you, Natasha."

Slowly, she relaxed. The red head cautiously raised her hand and when he didn't move she placed it on top of his head, gently playing with his hair, knowing that it would calm him. Which it did.

They stayed like that for a few moments until they heard the door open, turning to see Captain America walk through.

He raised his eyebrows at their closeness but once he saw the state that Will Banner was in he understood, looking between them, he said, "Time to go."

"Go where?" Natasha questioned, stepping away from Will, making him frown.

"I will tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets?"

Suddenly, the other door in the room opened and a man that Will wasn't familiar with stepped out but could tell by photographs he had seen that this was Natasha's friend.

He looked at the Captain, "I can."

Steve looked to Natasha, she nodded. He looked back to Clint, "You got a suit?"

"Yeah."

"Then suit up." Rogers told them, before walking out of the room.

Natasha and Clint started to get ready as Will watched them, the assassin turned to the doctor, "Okay, Will. I am going to get a person to assort you to your room and you need to stay in there until we come back. Understand?"

However, he shook his head, "No, I'm going with you."

This made her pause. "What? No! Will, you are not in the right mind set to-" she started to say until she was cut off.

"I'm never in the right mind set. I won't let you go down there with that mad man! I don't know where my brother is, but I need to know that you are okay, at least." Will then stood up from the bed, stretched, then wiped the sweat off his face with a nearby towel. He then headed for the door, "I'm going to borrow someone's suit if that alright, and their gun. Hopefully they won't be too angry."

With that he left, leaving a shocked Natasha and an amused Clint.

"I like him." Barton said, while chuckling.

Natasha sighed, "Don't we all?"