Spider-man: Christmas with Two Hawks

Weapons

The streets of New York City were bustling with people. Families enjoying their time together Friends and Parents doing last-minute Christmas shopping. Tourists exploring the temporary winter wonderland. You could hear the bells of at least three different Santas asking you to donate to charity. The cheerful atmosphere was almost infectious.

Unfortunately, Clint had built up a tolerance to it.

He stood in front of a very special plague, on a very special street, which read;

BATTLE OF NEW YORK MEMORIAL
ON THIS SITE IN 2012, DURING THE BATTLE OF NEW YORK, THE AVENGERS FIRST ASSEMBLED.
STEVE ROGERS
TONY STARK
THOR ODINSON
BRUCE BANNER
NATASHA ROMANOFF
CLINT BARTON

Clint stared at the memorial, a lifetime of memories flashing across his eyes, the present moving around him like water in a stream. Good, bad, it didn't really matter. He yearned for all of it. He missed hanging out with the others in the Tower. He missed the witty banter during fights. He missed the pranks. He missed watching Thor learn how to use Earth's technology. He missed Tony. He missed Steve. He missed Natasha.

If Thanos hadn't won the first time... If that stupid Civil War never happened... If Tony hadn't made Ultron... If only... Maybe if they were a bit smarter about everything, everyone would still be together.

Clint sighed deeply and sniffed back the tears. There was no use lamenting over the past. That's not why be was here.

Clint pulled his hearing aid out and the world around him immediately faded. The cheerful noise would no longer assault his soul. Nothing would bother him now.

"Natasha... I really need to talk to you right now," his voice broke, emotions breaking through, "You were the bravest of us all, weren't you? Loyal, stubborn."

He smiled for a moment before letting out another sigh, "You always had to win, didn't you?"

Frustration seeped into his voice, "And for a stupid orange rock."

Clint took a deep breath, sensing the comforting presence next to him, "I replayed that a million times in my head, hoping for a different outcome. But I do my best every day to earn what you gave me," a soft, sad smile formed, " And I think I've started to make some progress."

His voice began to shake, "Just wanna say I'm..." he stopped himself, "Just wanna say I miss you... And I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."

A gentle hand appeared on his shoulder. Clint turned his head towards it. There Kate stood, slightly behind him, wrapped in an expensive winter coat. An expression of comfort and understanding on her face. She didn't say anything, he wouldn't have heard it. Instead, she just nodded her head gently.

That was all the assurance he really needed.

He then turned his head to the sky and spotted the red and blue speck that was Spider-Man. The vigilante was sitting near the top of a wall of one of the buildings. Clint couldn't fully make him out, and even if he could he knew he wouldn't be able to see his face. But the archer knew that the spider had a similar face of understanding Kate.

Clint then turned back to Kate, inserting his hearing aid and allowing the joy of the world to enter once again. He nodded to her, "Let's go. We have work to do?"

Tonight.

They were finishing this tonight.

///

Maya scanned the empty parking lot. Not even the light of the moon could break through the shadow it was cloaked in. Everywhere she looked, she saw it. The night when Ronin murdered her father in the repair shop just a few feet away from her.