Chapter 11
Clint ended up giving Tony more than a couple of days. In fact, he ended up being there for a week. And honestly, Tony was quite happy for it. Every morning he woke up he half-expected to find that the bird had disappeared in the night without so much as a word but was always pleasantly surprised when he saw Barton in the kitchen area making a pot of coffee. “Figured I’d take care of a few things before I head out,” was his usual morning greeting. It was repeated so often that Tony started to think Clint was making things up to stay around.
Or at least, that’s what he hoped for because if he was being honest, he enjoyed having him hang around in the workshop with him, even if he was just tinkering with his gear. It was nice to be able to ask for parenting tips from the man who mastered it three times over, even if every time he asked, he could see the look of initial pain at the thought of his lost kids. Tony felt bad but Clint would always answer honestly and sincerely. “You’ll pick it up as you go along. Trust me – you can try to plan for every conceivable possibility and something will happen that will surprise you.”
Tony could only imagine what surprises the three Barton kids had put Clint through as they got older.
That night at the end of the week, Tony and Clint were watching movies in Tony’s workshop. The two men were sharing a pizza between them and currently they had Die Hard playing on the projector. It should seem weird that two men of action would get a kick out of stupid, over the top action movies but the reason Tony loved watching these movies with Clint was because the guy would occasionally make some comment about how he did some of the insane stunts. “I’m telling you, after the first few steps in that glass, you stop feeling the pain,” he had just commented as they watched Bruce Willis traverse through the room of broken glass.
“Still doesn’t mean I’m going to try it out.”
“Hey, when it’s life or death, you don’t get much choice.” They shared a laugh and Clint took a drink of his beer. Tony let the moment settle for a moment before he posed his own question. “So....are you actually leaving tomorrow or should I plan on you sticking around for another day?”
Clint chuckled as he shook his head. “No, I’m actually heading out tomorrow. No surprise mornings this time.”
He didn’t have to say why. Tony knew. Natasha was returning from a mission in Wakanda and as much as Clint wanted to see his best friend, he knew that if he stayed when she got there, she wouldn’t let him leave. She was resourceful in every sense of the word. “Well, can you at least help me with something tomorrow before you leave? Don’t worry, it’s not here at the complex so you can slip past you-know-who before she gets here.”
“I’m sure Natasha would see it as a compliment that you basically called her Voldemort.”
“Did you learn nothing from the last Harry Potter book?” Clint chuckled as he shook his head. “No, Pepper and I plan to move to the cabin at the end of the month. She’s starting to get the point where she’s going to have to limit what she can and can’t do and we wanted to get moved in before that happens. With that being said, I need some help moving some of the big stuff and I could use a father’s advice on how to start setting up some things.”
Some things being the nursery. He didn’t want to say it out loud in case he hurt his friend but honestly, he had no idea what he was doing and Clint had done it three times. Of course, Clint was always the perceptible one and figured out what Tony was referring to. Tony could only tell by the distant look on his face as he stared at the movie screen. He didn’t answer right away and Tony wondered if he was going to say he couldn’t or come up with an excuse as to why he was the worst person to ask so he was pleasantly surprised when Clint replied, “Yeah, I can help you really quick.”
Tony was relieved for more than one reason. One, he was glad to have someone who knew the tricks and the trades of setting up a nursery around to help him so he didn’t screw something up for Pepper and his unborn kid. The other reason? He was happy to get at least one more chance to spend time with his friend. One more chance to try and show Clint that he wasn’t truly alone in this new world. It was true – Tony wasn’t going to try and talk Clint out of the crusade that he seemed hellbent on partaking in but at the same time, he hoped to at least remind the man that he had other options. Other choices to deal with the loss of his wife and kids. Maybe it would at least persuade the man to seek another, less violent choice.
The next morning Tony found Clint alright bright-eyed and raring to go. His duffel bag was packed and sitting at his feet, no doubt already filled with his gear. Sans the bow, Tony noticed. Since his arrival back at the compound Clint hadn’t touched his bow. It still sat in his quarters, hanging in his gear closet, but that was it. Never once did Tony notice him take it out to practice with whenever he went to do his midnight solitary training sessions. No doubt what lay in the bag was the new and improved Ronin gear that Tony had helped spruce up. Now the material was lighter but more durable, plus fire-proof. The whole point of the fireproof material was something that still made Tony laugh. “I don’t need to be fireproof, Tony.”
“Yeah, right, look Clint, I know you and when you’re stuck in a building on fire with no backup, you’re going to really wish that you were fireproof. And then you’re going to call me and tell me I was right.”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Birdbrain.”
It was small moments like that that Tony knew he was going to miss the most. The friendship he had developed with Barton was vastly different than those he had developed with the rest of the team. He couldn’t tease Bruce and expect a solid rebuttal back. He couldn’t poke fun at Steve and know that the man knew it was a joke that Tony would surely regret later. He only had that sort of friendship with Clint. It was something he was afraid had been lost forever after the fight in Germany, especially given how things went when Tony went to visit his former teammates on the Raft. This week, though, had been something he needed.
And hopefully it was something Clint needed too.
There were few words spoken between the two of them as they loaded up what they needed into Tony’s car. The occasional comments about how much Tony had that was unnecessary and playful jabs at Clint’s seemingly minimalistic life, but that was about it. And the ride out to upstate was just as quiet as to be expected. Neither man knew what to say to the other. For all they knew this would be the very last time they saw one another. It seemed the silence was just as unsettling to Clint as it was to Tony as eventually, the man broke the monotony of their silence. “So how did you find this place?”
“You mean the cabin?” Tony asked, waiting until he noticed the nod out of the corner of his eyes, “Well, I could bore you with a story about real estate agents and Pepper hating just about every house I suggested as a vacation getaway.... so, I bought some land by the lake and had this cabin built. It was after Ultron and I thought to myself, ‘Man, how nice must it be to have a quiet escape from everything like Barton has and....well, the rest is history. I called it my Better Than Barton Retirement Plan. And unlike you, I plan to actually stay retired. Seriously, though, how many times did you retire? Twice?”
Tony smiled as he looked over and saw how Clint was laughing and shaking his head. “Look, I would have happily stayed retired if you guys could handle shit without me but every time I leave, you all still manage somehow to need my help. I’m starting to think you’re all helpless without me.”
“Maybe....so maybe you should stick around? Make sure Steve and Natasha don’t mess things up anymore.”
While the laughter faded and the smile still remained on Clint’s face, Tony knew what was truly going on under the surface. “I’m not saying go back and be an Avenger....I’m not saying to just do nothing either. But you can still do a lot of good with a lot less.... you know.”
“Tony....”
“I know, I know I said I wasn’t going to talk you out of this and after all that hard work we put into your new gear which would really be a waste of my skill craft....”
“Just get the but already.”
“Impatient, are we?” Tony chanced a glance at Clint before focusing back on the road, “Fine.... but I would be a bad friend if I didn’t say something. Look, we both know you’re going down a dangerous path, Clint. You’re going to make a lot more enemies and not have the back-up you’re used to having to call on. And that back-up you used to have may have to bring you in if you overstep where you shouldn’t.”
Every now and again Tony would look over at Clint, hoping to get some sort of read off the man. But like always, the guy was impossible. He couldn’t tell if Clint was listening and contemplating his words or just letting them go right out the window. “All I’m saying is make sure you’re sure about what you’re going to do. And I’m not kidding when I saw I will turn my attic into a loft for you. What do you say? Build you a little kitchenette, a state-of-the-art coffee machine.... even a outdoor staircase to the entrance so you can come and go as you please. Nothing is off limits.”
He heard the weight of the sigh. From that one, small sound alone, Tony could tell that he may have reached something in Clint’s brain. Maybe something to at least make him reconsider the severity of what it was he was going to do. Steve Rogers, eat your heart out. “Tony, I...”
There was that sigh again and honestly, Tony was ten seconds from pulling over just so he could fully take in what was happening in the passenger seat of the car but he didn’t want to stop and give Clint a chance to run out. “I appreciate the offer. I really do. I just.... there is nothing for me anymore. I don’t get a second chance. Laura was my second chance. The kids were my second chance. And to be forced to live in a world where they’re gone is not.... it’s not right.”
Tony could see how Clint ran his hand down his face before looking out the window. “I’ve made my decision. And if that means that at some point I’m seen as a threat to take out, then so be it.”
There was almost a calm sense of certainty in Clint’s voice that made Tony feel uneasy. Well, it was worth a shot, at least. “I guess it’s too much to ask that you try not to get yourself killed, then?”
“Can’t help it.” Clint had paused, it seemed and when Tony turned so he could ask why he realized Clint was looking at him and waiting with a smirk, “I’m Barton, remember?”
Despite the seriousness of the conversation beforehand – despite the fact that Tony knew Clint was going down a path that no one could follow that probably would get him killed with no means of talking him out of it – the two of them laughed. Genuinely laughed.
The rest of the trip was calmer, full of laughter and jabs. And when they arrived at the cabin Clint did as he promised – helped with the nursery, baby-proofed many things (and Tony-proofed some stuff as well). He stayed for dinner and they laughed while watching Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Tony’s idea) and Clint stayed the night.
But when Tony went downstairs in the morning into the kitchen, he found a full pot of coffee and a note.
Take care of yourself, Tony. Enjoy your second chance.
“Yeah...” Tony muttered, setting the note down before pouring himself a cup of coffee. “You take care of yourself too, Legolas.”
TBC...