Pizza Strife

6: Pizza

Clint pushed off the wall of the elevator and stumbled to the sofa, he knew the others were watching him.

He collapsed into it, his head hanging low as he ran a hand through his hair dirty blonde hair.

He felt numb.

Natasha sat with him a medical kit in her lap. Silently she started patching up the few small cuts where Barney had caught him off guard.

Steve pressed his hand to Clint's back rubbing some of the tension away from in-between his shoulder blades.

Clint felt a sob building up in chest. He hadn't felt this tired in a long time. And it wasn't the usual tiredness.

He just wanted to give up and stop for once.

He couldn't hold back the tears that forced themselves free. He was an agent is SHIELD, he was an Avenger, he was Hawkeye, he was Clint Barton.

He couldn't remember the last time he cried.

He couldn't remember the last time he felt so vunerable.

It hurt to breathe.

Steve and Natasha stayed with him. A comforting presence as he tried to cry silently.

Tried being the key word since too many whimpers escaped him.

After a while, when his breaths had stopped jumping in his chest, a hot cup of coffee was presented to him by Sam who offered a weak smile.

Clint sighed taking the cup holding it close as he rubbed his eyes trying to hide the evidence.

"I don't know what to do about him." He admitted quietly eyes downcast as Natasha cleaned up the cut on his jaw. "He's my brother and I... I can't bring myself to-"

There was a long pause followed by a heavy sigh.

"It is not easy." Thor said gently reaching forwards to pat Clint's knee. "Brothers are hard to hate, hard to fight. I have been in a similar situation. Loki was relentless, but taking him back to Asgard was the best thing for him."

Clint gave a weak shrug.

"Barney won't stop, he's... I can't send him away. SHIELD can't hold him and I..."

"Clint." Bruce said shaking his head. "We can't imagine what you're going through, well, maybe Thor can, but we're here for you. We're a team."

"Y-yeah." Clint nodded taking a shaking breath in.

"When he rears his ugly mug again we'll help." Natasha promised, squeezing his hand. "We'll be right there with you."

"You've been honest with us." Steve said gaining his attention. "I think it's time we were honest with you."

"Oh?" Clint frowned.

"We had a run in with the mind-stone while you were gone." Tony explained sitting across from him. "We were all shown our fears and such."

"And then I killed you." Natasha said making Clint jump.

"You what?"

"The mind-stone made me kill you." Natasha repeated refusing to look at him.

"But it didn't."

"No, but it felt so real." Natasha whispered closing her eyes. "That's why we were so weird when you came back to the tower."

"And you all saw?"Clint asked glancing around.