"it wasn't..." She begins before he does something so unexpected she had no idea how to react. Phil Coulson is unflappable. Phil Coulson is the picture of calm, professional agent who doesn't so much as blink in the face of danger. He's... God he looks like hell sitting there.
Natasha clamps her mouth shut as she listens to him. It's like he's trying to brief her on the situation but it's lacking that usual... everything She wrinkles her nose, looking him over. Maybe that man that she thought she knew so well all this time she doesn't know at all. There's a hell of a lot more to Phil then just 'Agent'. She knew there had to be but she'd never seen it before now.
She swallows back the knot growing in her throat, the tightness in her chest pressing on her. Don't panic. Natasha reminds herself. Think like Phil...what would Phil do if he was...?
Damn, he looks like might just start panicking.
"Phil." Natasha's voice is stained, helpless. She hates it when her voice does that. "The Avengers aren't..." She thinks of the way Tony and Steve were fighting on the plane. There's no way they can work together and get anything done. Banner and Thor? That's just hopeless. Everything about all of them is such a clusterfuck.
...and she has no idea the real clusterfuck hasn't even begun yet.
Natasha can't stand to see him like this. Hopeless, afraid. Lost. He's Agent Coulson for God's sake. He's the man Nick Fury trusts with everything. Natasha can't take it. So she does what she was trained to do.
She lies.
"We'll find... him." She doesn't say who but they both know she means Barton. She sits next to him, hesitating a moment before her hand reaches out to find his, squeezing tightly. "The Avengers will take care of this." Somehow...she's got no clue how.
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Natasha clamps her mouth shut as she listens to him. It's like he's trying to brief her on the situation but it's lacking that usual... everything She wrinkles her nose, looking him over. Maybe that man that she thought she knew so well all this time she doesn't know at all. There's a hell of a lot more to Phil then just 'Agent'. She knew there had to be but she'd never seen it before now.
She swallows back the knot growing in her throat, the tightness in her chest pressing on her. Don't panic. Natasha reminds herself. Think like Phil...what would Phil do if he was...?
Damn, he looks like might just start panicking.
"Phil." Natasha's voice is stained, helpless. She hates it when her voice does that. "The Avengers aren't..." She thinks of the way Tony and Steve were fighting on the plane. There's no way they can work together and get anything done. Banner and Thor? That's just hopeless. Everything about all of them is such a clusterfuck.
...and she has no idea the real clusterfuck hasn't even begun yet.
Natasha can't stand to see him like this. Hopeless, afraid. Lost. He's Agent Coulson for God's sake. He's the man Nick Fury trusts with everything. Natasha can't take it. So she does what she was trained to do.
She lies.
"We'll find... him." She doesn't say who but they both know she means Barton. She sits next to him, hesitating a moment before her hand reaches out to find his, squeezing tightly. "The Avengers will take care of this." Somehow...she's got no clue how.