Mine Would Be Him (Clint Barton x reader x Everett Ross)

Chapter 17

After a night of tossing and turning, you finally gave up on the idea of sleeping sometime around sunrise and went into the bathroom to get dressed. The shower helped wash away some of your exhaustion, but you were still ready to go home and put all of this behind you. Once you were back with Steve, Sam, Wanda, and now Natasha, you knew you would be too preoccupied to spend time worrying about anything else.

When you came out the bathroom, you found that Everett was now up.

"How long until you're ready?" You asked.

"About twenty minutes. I need to swing by and handle this situation, and then I'll take you wherever you need to go."

You sighed deeply at the thought of having to wait around for several more hours before you could head home, but you decided not to argue with him about it. When you pulled up in front of headquarters, you made no move to get out of the car.

"I'll wait here," you said.

"Really? This could take awhile."

"I took enough of a risk hanging out with your CIA boys and girls last night. I think it's best if I stay here."

Once he was gone, you pulled a book out of your bag and started reading. Right about the time you began chapter four, the car shook slightly and the sound of an explosion met your ears. You threw the book into the floorboard, pulled a piece out of your bag, hopped out the car, and rushed inside the building. Pushing your way through the door, you saw several agents jump up from where they had taken cover, their guns pointed towards you, and one of them shouted for you to drop your weapon. You did it without thinking, but not because they ordered you to.

"Everett!" you screamed, rushing forward to where he was lying on the floor. You dropped down beside him and tried to cradle his head, checking for signs of life.

"It hit his spine," the Wakandan woman beside you said. "He won't make it if we don't take him."

"We can't," the other one said.

"He was protecting me!"

"That was his choice."

"T'Challa," you choked out through your tears while looking the young king in the eyes. In that moment, you didn't concern yourself with titles or propriety; you were simply one human being pleading with another.

"He—" you paused, not knowing how to sum up that he held half a lifetime of friendship and love in the palm of his hands. "He deserves better than this," You finally managed. "Please?"

"We will take him with us," he said at last. Looking at the woman who served as his general, he added, "That is my final word."

"Thank you," you whispered, dropping your head down to Everett's while you continued to sob. After they had loaded him up to transport him to Wakanda, T'Challa stayed behind with you for a moment.

"We will take care of him. I promise. Go back to Captain Rogers. You are vulnerable here without Agent Ross's authority to protect you."

You nodded slightly and thanked him again. He took a few steps forward, but stopped and said, "A woman who is a fugitive from the entire world came all this way, alone, to help a man who could put her in prison. I hope he realizes how fortunate he is to have gained such a fierce devotion."

Then he gave you a reassuring smile and walked away. Not knowing what to do, and still in a state of shock, you grabbed your bag before the CIA could confiscate it and wandered back to the hotel room, hoping none of them would look for you there. When you arrived, you flopped down on the bed and cried until you fell asleep from pure exhaustion.