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Budapest is chapter seven. Avengers events from chapter ten on.

Summary: “Clint,” Loki crooned, “If I were to get captured, tell me what do you think would happen?”

“Fury would threaten you, try to make you talk. If he couldn’t get it out of you, he’d try someone more subtle, more vicious.” The cold blue eyes stared ahead as Loki plotted and paced.

“Like who, pet?” he dragged a finger languidly over the archer’s tight, vested shoulders.

“Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow, sir.”

“And who is she?”

Author’s note: this chapter is rather short, next will hopefully be more full. I want to show both what Clint and Natasha went through.

“Clint,” Loki crooned, “If I were to get captured, tell me what do you think would happen?”

“Fury would threaten you, try to make you talk. If he couldn’t get it out of you, he’d try someone more subtle, more vicious.” The cold blue eyes stared ahead as Loki plotted and paced.

“Like who, pet?” he dragged a finger languidly over the archer’s tight, vested shoulders.

“Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow, sir.”

“And who is she?”

Barton’s face twisted in agony, “NO!” he screamed. His body paralyzed standing still, his face horribly pained. His muscles, refusing to move, but strained as he struggled against the other’s control over him. The neon blue in his eyes flickered like a dying light bulb.

“Come on, be a good boy and tell me all about her,” he said before tapping his forehead with a long, thin finger. Clint didn’t flinch, instead his muscles resuming the nonchalant posture of previous, and his eyes merely resumed the steady, chilling turquoise.

“She’s my partner.”

“Ohh! Well that is fun! More!”

Clint’s body seized momentarily, before relaxing, “She was born of the Russian diplomat, Franklin Drakov.”

“and who is he?”

“He was the leader of the Russian resistance against communism, but he died, supposedly in a car crash.”

“What really happened?”

“The government killed him, they took Natasha as punishment, put her in the Red Room, a sector of their spy program.”

“How old was she?”

“Six.”

“Brilliant!” He clapped his hands together, a wine glass appearing in them as he parted his hands. “Tell me your worst mission,” he said as he sipped.

The blue flickered, “FUCK YOU!”

“Later,” Loki said, tapping Clint’s head again like tapping the glass at an aquarium, “Tell me about it.”

“Soa Paulo, we were supposed to stop a scientist that was trying to recreate the Hulk serum.”

“Aww, a man after my own heart!”

“He set fire to his lab, with himself inside. The explosion it caused trapped Natasha in the pediatric unit. She watched children burn to death while she was trapped under rubble.”

“That must have done a number on her head, hmm?”

Clint nodded proudly, his eyes the flaming blue color of chaos.

“So what does she fear the most? Fire? Being trapped? No, that’s one that would but a spy out of commission. Hmm. be a good boy and tell me, what does Natasha Romanoff fear the most?”

“Losing control.”

“And rightly so! My, my. You are just a lovely little information book, aren’t you? She’s more than just her partner, isn’t she?”

Clint’s muscles struggled against their ridged position, his teeth gritting as his face twisted once again.

“Do you love her?” The thin man put his hands on the struggling captive, instantly soothing the storm. His broad, eerie grin spread across his face as he looked into the pits of blue.

“Fuck off.”

(BREAK)

He could see that grin. He couldn’t stop his mouth, but he could fight it.

Clint Barton was a warrior to the heart, and maybe that is what Loki saw. That if Clint believed in something fully, he’d fight for it to the death. Here he was in his seat as they flew to Germany so the madman could use Clint’s intel and techniques to get his precious metal. Techniques that Clint had suggested first, but would have only ever used as a last resort if it had actually been him speaking. Loki brought out the worst in everyone, it was his nature, it was his job, and it was his pleasure.

He could see out of his eyes, he could hear himself talking, feel everything, but he had no control. His mouth and muscles were controlled by Loki, he could feel the burning iciness of his hatred and chaos in his veins, but he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Until Natasha. He wouldn’t give Loki a word about her. When he’d dug her name out of his brain, he screamed internally. He raged as hard as he possibly could. And a crack appeared in the glass separating him from the trickster’s control to show for it. He pounded harder. Screamed the wrong suggestions at the wall, hoping that whoever, whatever on the other side would take his word for it. It took every ounce of strength he had, but his voice pierced the veil, and he could hear himself lying to the king of lies. But the chilling blue darkness would push back, and seek out whatever he was trying to hide, it was a whale and a giant squid wrestling at the bottom of the sea.

“Do you love her?”

He screamed so hard to overwhelm Loki’s power, whatever was left of him lost consciousness.