Marvel Oneshots

Reunited (Clint Barton)

Clint Barton's POV

Weddings. I'd never been much of a fan. Too many flowers, too much forced cheer, and way too much small talk. Not my style. But when Natasha asked me to be her plus-one for this one, I couldn't say no. She was family, and when Nat made a request, you answered.

I tugged at the collar of my suit—god, I hated dressing up—and glanced around the venue. It was nice enough, I supposed. White linens, fairy lights, the whole deal. The kind of thing that made most people feel warm and fuzzy. Me? I just felt uncomfortable, like I was being stuffed into a mold that didn't quite fit.

Natasha had disappeared somewhere to talk with the bride, leaving me alone with a glass of champagne I didn't want and a room full of people I didn't know.

Well, most of them, anyway.

I spotted you the second you walked in. Could've been the way the light hit you just right, or maybe it was the fact that no matter how much time passed, no matter how much I tried to forget, I couldn't erase the memory of you.

You looked good. Too good, actually. The kind of good that made my chest tighten and my stomach twist. Time had been kind to you—maybe too kind, if the way my heart was racing meant anything.

I hadn't seen you in years. Not since things went south between us. The breakup had been messy, to put it mildly. Words thrown like knives, walls built so high there was no climbing over them. And I had been sure—so sure—that after that day, I'd never see you again. Never have to face the unresolved mess we left in our wake.

But life had other plans.

You caught my eye from across the room, your polite smile faltering just for a second before you recovered. I raised my glass in a weak sort of greeting, unsure whether to approach or keep my distance. I didn't know what the rules were anymore. Were we friends? Strangers? Exes with too much history and not enough closure?

"Clint," you said when you finally came closer. Your voice hadn't changed, still that perfect mix of soft and strong. "Long time no see."

I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, it's been a while."

Awkward silence settled between us, the kind of silence that shouldn't exist between two people who once knew each other so well. I should've had something to say, something light and easy to ease the tension, but my brain was blank.

"So," you continued, your fingers tracing the rim of your champagne glass. "How's life been treating you?"

I could've answered with the usual: "Good. Busy." But that would've been a lie, wouldn't it? Because the truth was, life had been... fine. But standing there, looking at you, I realized that some part of me had been stuck in limbo since we ended. Like there was a loose end I'd never tied up, and it had been unraveling everything in slow motion ever since.

"It's been fine," I said finally, my voice lower than I intended. "Same old stuff. Work, missions, saving the world, you know."

You chuckled softly, but I could see the tension behind your eyes. "Yeah. Same here, I guess. Minus the world-saving part."

Another silence fell over us. It was unbearable. I wanted to say something, anything, to break the spell. But what was there to say when so much had gone unsaid for so long?

Then you looked down at your drink and muttered, "This is weird, right?"

I exhaled a laugh, relieved that you'd said what we were both thinking. "Yeah, it's pretty weird."

We both stood there, not moving, not talking, just staring at each other like the years hadn't passed at all. Like we were still those same people who had fallen apart in each other's arms all that time ago.