Duyên || Clint Barton

017 || grief

•••

"You know what this means - they found us" Clint said, pacing up and down the living room.
They had managed, after a lot of soft talking and half-carrying, to get Grace to have a nap.
"Fury should be here any second -" Natasha was cut off by a forceful knock on the door.
Natasha grabbed her pistol as the two approached the front door, standing down as they saw Nick Fury and Agent Coulson on the porch.

"You said this was a safe house" Clint quietly shouted, still wary of Grace sleeping upstairs.
"It is a safe house-"
"Then please explain to me, sir, how they managed to find the house!"
"Well let's think of this logically, who knows where the house is?"
"Just us, Nat and Dalia"
"Would any of them betray the location?"
"No"
"Have you left the village since you moved here?"
"No"

By this point Clint was past being angry, he was furious.

"Look, I don't care about how they found us anymore, okay? Grace just shot someone. She had to shoot a man because he threatened her life and ours. You said that by coming here, she'd be safe from all of that"
"I couldn't have foreseen this-"
"Cut the bullshit! You promised me. I tore her away from her best friend for her safety - and it amounted to nothing! She still got attacked!"
"Agent stand down this instant!" Fury roared, causing Clint to pause in his tracks.
"What" He spat, looking at Fury with hateful eyes.

"I'm sorry about this Barton, I really am, but I can't control the threat! Coulson identified the man - he was not with the group that we saw in NYC. There's more left than we thought, but we think this man was working alone. We surveyed the whole area, there is no trace of anything" Fury explained "I liked Grace - I wouldn't put her in a bad position. This shocked me just as much as it shocked you. So, we need you for another mission, the KGB -"
"No. I'm not leaving her in this state. What if they come back? Until I'm 100% certain there is no one else in this area, I refuse"
"You've grown some balls Barton" he huffed, folding his arms, "fine. We'll keep searching. Until then I'm letting you and Romanoff stay here. If they come back you have permission to kill"
"Thank you sir" Clint grunted, trudging out of the room "It would be my genuine pleasure"

Nat gave him a sincere nod, before walking in to talk to the director herself.

•••

I stirred awake as Clint walked into the bedroom.
"Is he dead?" I asked, my voice scratchy
He just nodded, and I felt another sob escape my lips. Clint quickly wrapped his arms around me, allowing me to sob into his neck.
"I - I wanted to be a nurse to hel-help people. And I shot him!" I wept.

"He didn't give you a choice - you did it to save us, and yourself!" He reasoned with me, stroking my hair soothingly as I sobbed.

"Clint - I need to get something from the store" I said suddenly, standing up from the bed.
"Wha- I can go get it for you -"
"No" I cut him off, wiping my eyes "I need to get it myself"
"I'll come with you-"
"No"
"Then take Nat at least" he said, worry clear on his face.
I nodded mutely, fixing my hair as I walked shakily down the stairs.

"I'm going to the store" I mumbled as I slipped on my shoes, Natasha following behind me concerned.
"Why?" She asked as we got into the truck, and I started up the gas.
"Something the man said - I... I need to check"
Natasha nodded mutely, trailing behind me protectively as I walked into the corner store.

"Hi Nancy" I greeted quietly, "can you ring this up for me please"
Nancy looked at the pregnancy test in my hand and nodded, a big smile on her face.
"I'll pray for you" she said kindly, handing me the test.
"Thanks" I said, a fake smile plastered on my face as I waved her goodbye, walking over to the toilets.
"Wait -" Natasha started, stopping herself when she saw the tears in my eyes "is this why you-?"
I nodded tearfully, before shutting the toilet door.

I shook as I placed the test on the sink, pulling my pants back up before opening the door.
"Nat - I cant -"
She seemed to understand, grabbing the test from the sink before leading me outside and back in the truck, this time she got behind the wheel.
"Do you want me to?"
"Yes please" I muttered.
The redhead averted her gaze to the test, her face softening.

"You're pregnant"