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Summary
Wanda has known grief, but not like this.
Clint's Letter
April 30, 2025 at 11:43 AM
- Clint tried to call you immediately after getting off the phone with Wanda.
- When you didn't answer, worry gnawed at his stomach.
- He immediately grabbed his keys.
- He’s almost there when Bruce calls and tells him to come to the compound.
- When he got there, Clint saw Nat sitting in the common area with her head in her hands.
- He was actually happy to see her for like 0.0001 second before he realized she was crying...
- crying like she did when Wanda was dusted
- His heart falls to his stomach. He’s scared to ask.
- Bruce enters with a very broken Wanda lingering in the doorway.
- “Where is Y/n?”
- No one speaks. The two women only cry harder at the sound of your name.
- “Where is my sister?!?!”
- Bruce is the one to answer him, "she brought Nat back.”
- "How?"
- The green gentle giant looks up regretfully, "she traded herself."
- Clint turns to the widow.
- All she can say between sobs is “I’m sorry.” She repeats it over and over again. "I'm so sorry."
- He shakes his head in disbelief, “no.”
- He didn't want to believe it. You wouldn't leave him. You wouldn't leave your family.
- Would you?
- But here Nat is, and Clint knows the constant, excruciating pain you have felt since you came back with the soul stone.
- Pain tears through his body as the reality of the situation sinks in.
- You're gone.
- His baby sister, his teammate, his partner at game night, his best friend, all gone.
- As quick as it came, the pain melted in unfiltered rage. He turns to Wanda standing in the doorway,
- and the screaming begins...
- "YOU DID THIS!"
- "You resented her from the moment you came back!"
- "What did you say to her?!"
- "SHE LOVED YOU, and you hated her!"
- "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HER?"
- "She did this for you! YOU MADE HER DO THIS!!!"
- "ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!?!?!"
- Bruce has to grab him before he does something he can't take back.
- "If I ever see you again-"
- Bruce drags him out of the room to cool off.
- Once they're alone in the conference room, Clint collapses onto the floor. Lying on his back, he stairs up at the ceiling.
- Grief overcomes him, and he sobs, crying your name every so often.
- Eventually, he works up the courage to go home with your unopened letter shoved in his pocket.
- He refuses to read it.
- Reading it means accepting them as your final words, and he's not ready to do that.
- He wants to destroy the letter, but you wrote it for him. It's the last thing you'll ever write for him.
- So, he tosses it in a drawer in his bedroom and leaves it there.
- ... until the day Nat shows up on his doorstep looking for a place to stay.
- She tells him about the fight, about the memory Wanda shared, about the guilt and pain on your face when Wanda blamed you for Natasha's death.
- How nothing is worse than the moment Wanda said she'd trade you for Nat.
- She tells him about your letter to her. How she's trying to honor your wishes by forgiving the witch, but she's not sure she can.
- Clint's anger returns, but more so, does the pain.
- The regret of knowing you were hurting so much, and there was nothing he could have done to stop it.
- That night, he finally opens your letter.
- There are so many "I'm sorry"s.
- Sorry for leaving him. Sorry for not being strong enough. Sorry for not telling him your plans. Sorry for not saying a proper goodbye.
- There are equally as many "thank you"s.
- Thank you for being my big brother. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for always being there when you needed him.
- Then you make a request.
- You ask him not to blame Wanda. You love her deeply, and you made this decision, not her.
- You ask him to look after your girls. You don't want them to be alone. You want them to be happy together. You plead for him to help them get through this.
- You end with an "I love you" and "until we meet again"
- Clint cries that night..... and for several nights after that.
- but he makes a promise to do as you ask.
- He starts with Natasha, building her back up while she stays with him. He can't fill the hole that's missing, but he can help her learn to live with it.
- Several times he tries convincing her to reach out to Wanda, but every time, she says that she is not ready yet. He respects that.
- Eventually, he works up the courage to check on Wanda himself.
- It's not easy, but she has to check that she's ok. He promised.
- When he learns of her desperate plans, he runs home to get Nat. She's the only one that can pull Wanda out of this.
- He's the one to finally convince her to go back to the house.
- He's the one to bring them back together.
- Now, for the really hard part:
- the healing,
- and he'll help them through that too.