Prologue
Clint sat at the lakeside with Wanda, both of them just looking at the stream and not saying anything. Clint kept feeling like he was going to cry every few seconds and he knew why. His Natasha was gone. He got his family back but it wasn't whole. He lost his sister and his kids lost their aunt. "Clint!" Clint snapped out of his thoughts and saw that Wanda was trying to get his attention. He looked at her and saw the concern etched on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Clint let out a dry laugh, "No. No I am not okay. These past few years have been a shit show. The first time I saw Natasha after five years and we are rushed into different time zones, literally, and I was introduced to a talking trash panda... we didn't really have time for us. Just us," Clint went silent and stared at the lake again.
Wanda leaned against him and held his arm.
"It's too much Wanda. Natasha... she's gone!" he started to cry and Wanda wrapped her arms around him. Her arms were right around his neck and he sobbed into her shoulder. Her heart broke and she rubbed his back with a soothing 'shh' and comforting words. "I know- I- I know Tony's gone t-to b-b... but she was like my- my sister," he said through tears. "T- Tasha was my- my- my Cristina Yang," he knew that when everyone wasn't so high on emotions, Wanda would take the micky out of him for referencing Greys Anatomy, but right now he didn't care. Natasha hadn't watched TV really before she came to SHIELD, so at the farm they had a Greys day. Very Saturday night they'd have takeout and they would watch Greys Anatomy while Laura went out with her friend Shannon (she was their neighbour).
"I know," Wanda said quietly. She continued to rub his back and that's when Steve silently made his way over to them, he saw Clint and his jaw clenched at the state he was in, Steve couldn't wait to be on his own so he could break down.
"Hey, Clint. Most of us are headed inside to tell story's of... of Nat, Tony and Vision. I think Thor has some funny tales of Loki too," he told him gently. Clint eased out of Wanda's hold and sniffed. He rubbed his eyes and nodded his head.
"We'll be in soon," he replied gruffly, voice a little hoarse from crying.
A bunch of them had left. Most had gone to find out what happened in the five years they had been dusted and others needed to unwind after the last few hours or years (depending on who it was) they had all endured.
Those who stayed, well they all fit in the living room. Morgan sat on Peppers lap, Peter next to Pepper (he wasn't ready to leave yet) with Happy at the end. Nick and Maria were sat at the table, Fury had his thinking face on and his phone out. She had a feeling she knew who he was going to call.
Clint and Wanda were sat leaning against the TV stand with Steve crouched down not too far. Thor sat in the armchair, Stormbreaker and Mjölnir at the side of the chair, Laura was next to Clint with Lila and Cooper near her legs and Nate on Clint's lap. Rhodes was stood behind the sofa - his suit dumped unceremoniously behind him - with a lanky boy next to him. Bucky and Sam were the other two at the table.
"How do you know Daddy?" Morgan asked the lanky teen.
The boy grinned and let out a chuckle. "I met Mr Stark when I was around 10. He broke into my garage and was sat on my sofa before he dissed my potato gun. I called him the mechanic. He gave me a weapon that would later save me from a very hot dude, but a different hot to what Gal Gadot is." he clarified.
"Hot as in... he could warm up my food faster than Cap could say language?" Clint asked hopefully. The AOU Avengers laughed and even Steve let out a small smile, technically it was because of Tony that's a thing.
He chuckled, "Sure. Anyway, I helped him stop this dude that was trying to hurt his girlfriend and the world," Pepper clicked onto who this boy was.
"You're Harley? Harley Keener?" she asked.
"Sure am. Why? Did Mr Stark talk about me?" he asked hopefully - ("What is it with Tony's lost puppies, that make them call him 'Mr Stark'?" Happy mused.).
Pepper nodded, "He told me about the boy who helped him. Said he gave you a present? Apparently, he calls- called you every year for Christmas?"
Everyone was sad at the reminder he wouldn't be here for Christmas. Clint was happy to have an event less time this year. Just him and his family. Not that he didn't mind them, but he didn't want any stays this time. He rescued Natasha. Wanda joined them. Vision joined them. The rip off bird came along. Rhodes joined the bandwagon apparently this Spider-Kid is an Avenger.
A few more stories were told, they even willingly listened to Thor talk about Loki.
"There was this time back when we first joined as a time, Tony and Natasha couldn't stand each other. Like, Natasha would not be in the same room as him and Tony kept calling her different names beginning with 'N' everyday," laughed Clint, "Well, one day, we had just gotten back from a mission somewhere and we are all cranky. Like, even Rogers looked like he wanted to strangle someone. Thor goes into the kitchen and starts tapping all these things on the control pad-"
"I didn't know what it would do!" Thor said with a huff, opening a can of Stella.
"And the whole tower goes into lockdown. Now, we all wanted to go to our rooms and chill. I mean, me and Tash had a mission to prep for in 30 minutes for SHIELD and Tony was running on less sleep than Laura after Coop was born. So, Tony is making these sarcastic quips and I can see in her eye that Tasha wants to strangle him-" the door opened and a voice called out.
"Who didn't Romanoff want to strangle?" the OG Avengers, plus Sam and Barnes and Laura had wide eyes as they stared at the door way. "Uh... Surprise?"
'Okay... NOW there won't be anymore strays' Clint thought.
"Sir," the man said with a nod to Fury. He walked in and a woman followed behind. She wrapped Clint in a hug and he just stood frozen.
No way was the Cavalry hugging him! No way was Phil alive!
"What the fffff- Flark!" he amended
"The rabbit says that," Thor said to himself.
Clint looked at Phil before shaking his head. "We thought you were dead," he said lowly.
"I was. For 5 minutes," Maria glared at him but he shushed her. "What did I say last time? I got stabbed so shh,"
"How are you alive?" asked Clint; Pepper got up and hugged him (Coulson).
Phil laughed, "That's a story for another day. What are we talking about?" he asked. May looked at Clint with sad eyes; she had a liking for Natasha.
"Just stories about Tasha and Tony," Laura said, "Hi Phil," they hugged and Laura kissed his cheek.
"Laura," he acknowledged.
"Clint. How did you and Natasha meet?" Pepper asked, sitting back down. Clint clenched his jaw and looked at all the Ex-SHIELD workers before sighing.
"I suppose you all have a right to know..."
heavily on Clint's PoV cuz he is the one telling the story. this is also posted (w/a cover lol) on my wattpad acc along with 2 more Avengers stories. I don’t know If I shud post that on here tho… I am mainly posting this on here because the set out (how I can make series) is easier for this set.
there will be Nats PoV at some point (sorta) because of a character in the living room. bet'cha can't guess who 😉