Clint knew Wanda was having a tough time after she lost Pietro. He missed him too, even though he hated him. Pietro was the only family she had left and now she had lost him too. Clint felt guilty even though he knew it wasn’t his fault. Pietro saved Clint’s life, at the cost of his own. The archer had now taken it upon himself to take care of her. He didn’t want to leave her alone after she just lost everyone.
One day he caught her crying in her room at the Avengers compound.
He gently knocked on the door, making sure not to scare her. When she saw him, she quickly tried her tears and gave him a forced smile.
“You okay?” Clint asked, giving her a sympathetic smile.
She gave him a small nod indicating that she was fine. Clint knew she wasn’t. He walked over to her bed, which she was sitting on and joined her.
“It’s okay if you’re not. It’s okay if you’re sad.” he said while sitting down on the side of her bed. She just looked at him without saying anything, while a tear was running down her face.
“I bet a lot of people are telling you how sorry they are and that they have no idea what you must be going through.” he started and Wanda looked like that was exactly what was happening.
“I bet you’re almost sick of hearing it. I can understand that, so that’s not what I’m going to do.”
“The fact is actually that I sort of know what you’re going through.” Wanda looked a little surprised when he said that.
“Just so you know, I’m not gonna pretend to know what it’s like to be experimented on and have strange and scary powers.” Clint wondered if he was being too straight forward, but she didn’t look offended so he guessed it was okay.
“But I do know something about losing your family. I- uhh- I actually had a brother too. Well ´have´ if I’m being honest, but we don’t talk anymore.”
“Why is that?” Wanda asked in a soft and quiet voice. It was the first thing she had said since he walked into the room and honestly it surprised him.
“Well, there’s a lot of history there, it’s complicated and a long story, I guess.” he said while he scratched his neck with his hand.
“Do you, eh, wanna tell me about it?”
“Yeah sure, if that’s what you want.”
She nodded at him. She looked curious and Clint thinks his story might just give her someone to talk to when she needs it. And to get her mind off of Pietro for a minute.
“Well, I guess it started when I was six, we just lost our parents in a car accident, because my dad was stupid enough to drive and drink at the same time” he started.
For Clint this was also a big thing. Telling his story. Not a lot of people know. You can count them on one hand, Natasha, Fury, Coulson and his wife Laura. But even Natasha and Laura didn’t know everything, especially Laura. She knew enough to be okay with it, but long not everything. He wanted to keep it that way. But now he was telling Wanda.
“Our dad wasn’t exactly dad of the year, so we didn’t exactly miss him, but losing your parents still isn’t a fun experience. Think you know that.”
Then he started to tell her everything from the moment they left the orphanage and joined the circus till the time S.H.I.E.L.D found him and everything in between. How his (ex-) mentors had left him for dead multiple times and how his brother had betrayed and left him.
The entire story long Wanda just looked curious and genuinely interested. His past was still a rollercoaster of emotions for Clint himself, but he managed to keep most of that down, to look strong for Wanda.
“And that’s the end until I joined S.H.I.E.LD, but that’s a story for another time.”he said with a soft smile on his face. The tears on her face had dried up and she had wiped most of the leaked mascara off her face.
Then the look on his face turned a little insecure.
“What’s wrong?” she asked
“Just, ehm, I’m usually not the sharing kind of person. Not a lot of people know my story. Think it’s only five now with counting you.” He said with a sarcastic laugh at the end. “So I’m trusting you here, kid.”
“But why did you tell me?” she asked her face plastered with confusion and curiosity
“I thought you might want someone, with some kind of shared experience like yours. You know.. to talk to if you’re having a tough time or just to talk in general.” he said.
He stood up from her bed and put his hand on her shoulder, while giving her a smile. She gave him a smile back. It still felt a bit forced, but he knew she meant it.
Then he walked towards the door.
“Clint..?” he hears behind him.
He turned around to face her.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime.” and he walked away.
When he was gone Wanda found herself smiling for the first time in a long time. It was gonna be a hard road to feel like herself again, but it was gonna be okay.
She knew that now. He was there for her.