[It is only proof of Natasha's control that she didn't just choke when that voice spoke up from behind her. She was getting a little used to people coming up to her - some familiar, some not, but this... She hadn't anticipated this and she looked a little like she was looking at a ghost.
Which she was. Because Coulson was dead. Or supposed to be dead. Or...]
You look pretty damn good for being dead, sir.
[The words are a little sharper than she intended, because Natasha's never been very good at emotions dealing her a punch in the gut like that. The sight of him has left her reeling with a wash of relief and giddy joy and a stab of fury at being lied to and manipulated all at once and it comes out in a dry quip as she scrambles to re-gather her composure.]
no subject
Which she was. Because Coulson was dead. Or supposed to be dead. Or...]
You look pretty damn good for being dead, sir.
[The words are a little sharper than she intended, because Natasha's never been very good at emotions dealing her a punch in the gut like that. The sight of him has left her reeling with a wash of relief and giddy joy and a stab of fury at being lied to and manipulated all at once and it comes out in a dry quip as she scrambles to re-gather her composure.]