The Hawk's Winter

Just an Ordinary Day at Avengers Tower

Clint woke up early one morning. He stretched, yawned, and crinkled his toes. He thought he heard his alarm go off, but it didn't. He continued to stretch and yawn and he opened his eyes.

What he saw, well, was not his messy room. He didn't see his bow and arrows hanging from the usual place on the wall across from his bed. Instead he saw a Batman vs. Superman poster.

That's weird, where's my stuff? He thought to himself as he got out of bed and put on his purple flip-flops. He continued to look around to find his weapons, but to no avail, for anything Avenger-related was gone.

Clint lazily dragged his feet to the door and opened it, hearing someone cooking what smelled like pancakes. Pancakes!

Wait, Pancakes?

Thor was cooking pancakes in the main kitchen on the Avengers floor. Tony was up and moving around the table, but something was missing: his arc reactor. Now that Clint thought about it, Mjolnir was not hanging on the hat rack by the elevator. The huge TV was playing the Saturday cartoons, Scooby Doo and the gang solving the newest mystery. Natasha was sitting on the sofa with Banner, relaxed and just watching TV. Steve, Sam and Bucky were all waiting by the kitchen for Thor to finish cooking.

Everything was normal. Clint didn't like this new normal.

Natasha turned around and saw his disgusted face, "Hey, Barton, come watch cartoons with us, Shaggy and Scooby just got their Scooby snack." Banner laughed at something from the TV.

"Nah, I'm good; although, have you seen my bow and arrows?" Clint blurted out.

Banner then turned around and gave a weird face to Clint, "There are no weapons here, except Thor's arms." Thor laughed from the kitchen and announced that pancakes were served.

Everyone gathered around the table and started picking up pancakes and putting them on their own plates. Syrup was passed around and so was the butter. Clint was felt out of place for the first time in a long time, so he decided to take action.

"What in the gods is going on here?! Thor's missing his godly hammer, Tony has a heart," Tony looked at him annoyed, "Natasha and Banner are calm and relaxed, and Steve hasn't said a god-damned thing!"

Tony, after giving Clint a look, started, "We've always been 'normal', what's wrong with you, making up crap about everyone? Just wake up Clint and stop playing your silly games!"

...

Clint gasped awake. He looked straight ahead and found his quiver and bow. He sighed with relief.

"It was only just a dream..."