Clint shifts through a pile of vintage vinyl records. Some of the boxes have frayed edges. When he looks up, he sees a familiar face. "What are you doing here?" He asks with one cocked brow.
âOnly one way this is gonna end, baby brother. Itâs in my blood, anâ now yours. One'a us is gonna hafta kill the other. Anâ I ainât gonna stop until it happens.â Â Â â Barney Barton a.k.a Trickshot
i had all and then most of you
some and now none of you
take me back to the night we met
i donât know what iâm supposed to do
haunted by the ghost of you
It was the end of the world. Over the years, many things like Loki brainwashing him and the Chitauri invasion had felt like the end of the world. But this time was different because Thanos had managed to rid Earth of half the population and this included Clintâs friends.
The invasion, the Sokovia Accords, HYDRAâs infiltration, and Thanosâ victory had left a sour taste in Clintâs mouth. Â He decided it was best to lay the Hawkeye identity to rest. Maybe one day he would find his way back to it or gift the legacy to someone more deserving. He chose to become Ronin, indefinitely. Just because half the Earth had turned to dust, did not mean criminal syndicates were obsolete.
 Five years after Thanosâ triumph, it was Natasha who sought Clint. As Ronin, he didnât spend too long in one spot. He had moved through Mexico before he ended up in Japan. This new line of work was lonely but effective. Her red hair was distinguishable, and Clint immediately recognized the silhouette of his best friend. What they possessed went beyond love.  Natasha beckoned him to join what was left of the Avengers. There was a plan, something about time travel that Clint didnât quite understand. It seemed impossible, but Natasha was revealing a glimmer of hope that Clint had lost all those years ago.
 For the first time in a while, Clint felt part of a team again. No, a family. It was decided that the only way to reverse Thanosâ destruction was to recover the stones from the past and restore order. Naturally, Clint and Natasha paired together for the mission to Vormir to retrieve the Soul stone.  They had been on innumerable missions together just never to space. Despite the dangers and the fear of the unknown, he found himself smiling for the first time. Doing anything with Natasha by his side felt conquerable.
"This is a long way from Budapest,â Clint joked. A gleam returned to his tired eyes.
He wasnât wrong. Vormir was a barren and shadowy planet. Gee, someone turned down the lights real low here, he thought. Â
A cloaked and floating figure approached them. The shrouded being reminded him of a Death Eater or the Grim Reaper. Â
âWelcome, Natasha, daughter of Ivan. Welcome Clint, son of Edith,â the nameless being greeted the duo.
Clint hadnât heard his motherâs name since he and Barney had been orphaned.
The unknown beingâs face emerged, red and emaciated.
"In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul, for a soul."
Clint and Natasha joined hands. He rested his forehead against hers. He felt at peace knowing he would die for the greater good and that the last person he would see was Natasha. But Natasha didnât take Clintâs verdict glibly. They argued and combatted for what would culminate in the ultimate sacrifice. They tousled and rolled on the ground. If the circumstances had been different, Clint wouldâve found the physicality provocative. He believed he had managed to physically subdue Natasha. She lay on the ground and Clint ran towards the edge of the cliff. As Natasha raised her head, Clint locked eyes with her. He wore resolve on his face. At the last conceivable moment, Natasha ran after him and grabbed a hold of Clintâs shoulders. They were both careening to a fatal fall. Â Â
Natasha saved them from the dangerous descent. Clint clutched her hand as she dangled below him.
âLet me go,â Natasha said.
âNo. Please, no.â
âItâs okay.â
âPlease,â Clint pleaded. His weary eyes swelled with tears.
Natasha thrusted hard off the cliff making Clint lose grasp of her hand.
Clint awoke in shallow water. He perched himself on his knees and opened his gloved hand. The Soul stone glowed. They had accomplished their goal but at what cost? Clintâs head hung low and he squeezed his eyes tightly shut.
  The Avengers succeeded at recovering all the stones. Hulk, Banner whatever name he was going by now was able to wear the newly crafted gauntlet. It wasnât easy restoring what had been lost. A battle ensued between the heroes and Thanos but mostly Thanosâ cronies. The heroes were stronger now that they were united with those who had been lost. It wasnât enough that Natasha had forfeited her life but Stark did not survive the final war. Â
 Clint had never made amends with Tony after Clint had ended up in prison and then house arrest. Most of the anger had receded but resentment still settled inside him because everyone was honoring Starkâs life and left Natasha in the shadows.
He begrudgingly attended Starkâs memorial. Not because Tony didnât deserve it but because Clint wasnât ready to be friendly with the rest of the team. He refused to exchange words with Steve as Natasha had put everything on the line for him at one point. No one matched Clintâs loyalty or grief. He couldnât admit it to himself, but not all of his anger was aimed at Steve and Bruce. Clint carried guilt like an old friend and as a reminder of his failures. He shouldâve done more to shelter his mother from his father. He shouldâve done more to shield Barney from becoming Trick Shot. And he shouldâve protected Natasha from an untimely death. He owed her that much.
Clint saw a familiar faceâWanda. The years had changed them both and she no longer resembled the scared, young woman he remembered from Sokovia. The pair was alone, looking over a pond.
âI wish there was a way I could let her know that we won,â Clint said.
âShe knows. They both do.â
Wanda and Clint both shouldered the grief for the two heroes who were relegated to the shadows.
  While grief embraced Clint like a fraternal hug, it did not suffice. At Vormir they had been assured that Natashaâs fate was irreversible. Yet, hadnât they believed the same when they had been defeated by Thanos? Hope had been easy to clutch then and maybe itâs ease had been facilitated because Clint never questioned Natasha. But his fervent longing to reunite with her, powered his hunger to pursue her. Too long he had been the hunted. First, in 2012 when Natasha confronted him on the Helicarrier. Then more recently when he was an acting vigilante. It was time to return the favor.
Clint threw himself into training. He couldnât stop because he refused to be just another man with a bow. He believed he needed to prepare for anything once he did find Natasha again. And he would find her, that much he believed. But, there was no telling in what condition heâd find her or if she would even remember him. Anyone with less than favorable intentions would jump at the chance to have someone with the talents of Black Widow.
The few friends that remained thought he was training too hard. Thor heeded that Clint was giving up too much. But Clint didnât want to have a good, simple life if it meant that his best friend wasnât afforded the same.
No matter how impossible this new mission seemed, he cared about it and he would take every shot.
Clint: âif that cab pulling upâs the one I caught a glimpse of around the cornerâ then I think I sawâ hiya, Witchie! Howâs tricks?
Wanda: Hawkeye! How are you?
Clint: Back from the dead and ready to party. And I must say, youâre looking quite ravishing, as always.
Wanda: Ah, thanks, Iâ
Clint: Donât worry, Iâm not hittinâ on you. I do learn, sometimes. But here, let meâ huh? Quicksilver. Still showboatinâ, eh, Pietro?
Pietro: Still tired of waiting for those whose minds move at a crawl, Barton. I see your time away didnât improve your manners.
Clint: Aw, youâre just jealous you didnât get to go.
Pietro: Why, youâ
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