Why we fight
"Alright that should do it", Melinda spoke up as she finished Clint's stitches, "there seem to be some issues with your ear as well, but that'll take a bit longer to treat so we can deal with that after you all deal with your problem". "I guess I'll have to be back later then? Nat didn't say much about you... to be honest she didn't say much about any of you", Clint focused on Melinda who moved away the tools she had used to clean the wounds.
"That's understandable", Melinda's words caused Clint to quirk his brow. "Our life wasn't all too great with the red room and then Dreykov." She continued seeing the expression on Clint's face, "luckily though she made friends out there, especially you".
"Me"
"Yes you. Now I'm sure the whole team loves her but I'm also certain no one on the team loves her like you do, if it wasn't for you she wouldn't have managed to even join the team." Clint cocked his head to the side at that, "how do you know that?" he questioned as he made it back to is feet.
"I'm her mother, I may not have spoken to her in a while but I have kept tabs",
"huh..."
"How bad is it, Batman brought all of you here. And Natasha, I can see it in her eyes, she's shaken up". Clint looked down for a moment before raising his head back up to look Melinda in the eye, "Ultron has these allies, these uh, kids, they're punks really. One of them has got these... powers and Nat took a serious hit. Someone's gonna have to teach 'em some manners." He added the joke at the end in attempt to reduce just how serious the situation was, something Melinda saw through but decided not to say anything about.
***
Natasha walked out of the bathroom only to Banner leaning up against the wall, "If I knew you were out here, I might have invited you in".
"Missed our window then?" Bruce questioned with a small grin to with Natasha responded with a smirk, "did we?". The two simply looked at each other, no words were spoken but the two were content to remain like that, until Bruce finally asked "are you okay?"
With that question the smirk was gone from Natasha's face. "I had this, um, dream. The kind that seems normal at the time, but when you wake..."
"What was the dream?"
" That I was an Avenger. That I was anything more than the assassin they made me." "You are being hard on yourself Nat" his words caused Nat to scoff, "Here I was hoping that was your job." She moved forward and came up to Banner's side, he hesitated seemingly thinking to pull away before eventually staying put.
"Sorry"
"What for?"
"I couldn't do anything, just stuck in the Quinjet. Heck if Batman hadn't spoke up... if I had just taken a step out, who knows what the Hulk would have done. Who knows what will happen the next time"
"Hulk didn't do anything though, you didn't do anything". Natasha tried to comfort Bruce, "I'm pathetic... I came here to see how you are doing and now I'm the one who needs to be comforted".
Natasha simply grabbed Bruce hand causing him to look down before he turned to her with a complicated look.
In a gym, Tony walked in to see Steve wailing on a punching bag. The force and intensity behind each punch growing with each punch until the was eventually sent flying off its chain. *whistle* "I would have thought you'd punch right through it but I guess that works as well, wouldn't want to piss of mama widow and all".
"Tony" Steve let out a sigh before turning to Tony with a tired smile, "What did you see?" Tony's question was met with silence. The silence continued to grow until Tony spoke up again, "cause to me it looks like you just walked away."
"And that's a problem because?" Steve's smile turned to a frown as he questioned Tony. "I don't trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old fashioned." Tony continued on, folding his arms before himself.
Steve stepped up to Tony after hearing his words, "Well let's just say you haven't seen it yet."
"You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?" Tony pressed on unwilling to back down.
"Well I guess you'd know. Whether you tell us is a bit of a question."
"Banner and I were doing research."
"That would affect the team."
"That would end the team. Isn't that the mission? Isn't that the "why" we fight, so we can end the fight, so we get to go home?"
"Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time."
"Erhm guys, Batman is calling for a meeting" Orphan walked in on Tony and Cap who were inches away from one another, the two collectively turned towards Orphan who simply stood observing them with her head tilted to one side.
The two shared one more look before following after Orphan.