A Soldier With A Marksman's Ability
Clint tossed the knife into the air, tip spinning to exactly one inch below the ceiling, and caught it on it’s descent. Thirty-four, Thirty-five… He was laying on his back in the vents, tossing one of his knives to pass time.
Thirty-six
Stupid rules about food.
Thirty-seven
Stupid snitching Tony
Thirty-eight
Stupid delicious Nutella
And with an especially flourishing spin, Thirty-nine.
He sighed. Stupid delicious Nutella that had belonged to Natasha. He’d have to stay in the vents a while yet.
Forty
Not that she couldn’t come after him if she wanted to, of course.
Forty-one
But she didn’t. It was…
Forty-two
He didn’t know what it was, but it was... a thing.
Forty-three
The vents were his, the vents were safe.
Forty-four
They were a place that no-one could follow him to. His hawk’s nest, as it were.
Forty-five
Forty-six
Of course, Nat and Phil had each joined/hauled his ass out several times, but, well, Phil and Nat.
Forty-se-
He caught the knife midspin, and froze in place.
He knew that sound.
That was the sound of standard op boots. SHIELD issue op boots, but…
Why the fuck is there a TAC squad in the Avengers Tower?
He stayed frozen, listening intently.
Point one, we handle our own shit. Point two, they are most definitely not cleared. Point three-
Clint had been in the SHIELD vents for as long as he’d been an agent there.
And TAC agents jingle. Faintly, from the carabiners placed on the back left strap of the vest.
So unless he was very, very mistaken, these people had mismatched uniforms, and how the fuck does someone lose part of their uniform, and-
They were in the hallway underneath him.
The hallway outside Wanda’s room.
The hallway that led to all of their rooms.
Shit.
He slid his knife back into it’s sheath, and felt for his bow, signing an alert to FRIDAY with his other hand.
Or, he started to.
He heard the sound of battle explode below him suddenly.
Wanda must have heard them thinking.
The surprised “Motherfu-” and added noise suggested Sam was trying to help as well as he could without the wings.
Jarvis cut in about then. There are assailants on the three team levels, two teams engaged with Avengers. The last team is headed to the lab.
Frozen in place, Clint felt his instincts kick in. Cut and run. Blow the op. You can still get out of here.
They’ll never even see you go.
The sounds of fighting kept him in the moment.
Tensing for battle, he kicked out the panel below him, landing in a crouch with metal plating clanging down beside him. He rolled to his feet, slinging his bow around the head of a fake agent as he ran past, only for it to snap back. As he turned at the end of the hall, arrow nocked and ready, he saw Wanda’s magic catch the stunned guard almost unawares.
His refuge and escape route out of reach above him, he prepared to fight for his family.