The Weight of the Universe | Avengers

Prologue

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"Aw, what's wrong, little spy? You look upset." Clint looks at the young girl with a smile that breaks when his concern starts to settle in. The black-haired presses her lips together and tightens her grip around the phone in her hand. The archer can already guess what's bothering her and he kneels down to be on her height, offering her a reassuring glance. Safety. "Anya. What did I tell you?"

"That... That I'm allowed to talk whenever I want." The nine-year-old mumbles with insecurity. "That I'm not in Russia anymore. That I'm home."

"Exactly." Clint places his hand on hers. Only a year ago, Clint and Natasha met up in Saint Petersburg since the Accords tried to break them apart. While they discussed how to they could possibly unite the team again, the couple coincidentally stumbled upon an old program: the Black Widow program.

The Russians tried to restart it but failed and only one survivor among their trainees was left– Anya. Since it affected Natasha deeply to see that they tried to traumatize this little girl in the same way they traumatized her, Clint suggested to rescue the young trainee, so his girlfriend could sleep at night. And so, they did. Ever since Anya got saved by them, she refused to leave their side, only trusting the two and nobody else. They're family now, even though they're a broken one. As Clint helped Eve and the others throughout the year, Natasha watched out for Anya. Sometimes, Clint returned and took his turn to be there for her for a couple weeks.

"Now tell me, what's the matter?" He holds her hand in a supportive way as he looks at her the same way a father looks at his own child.

"Nat... When is she going to return?" Anya asks quietly, holding his hand as well. It feels warm and gentle, something she's unfamiliar with. Still, she's staring at the phone in her other hand, waiting for a phone call from the now blonde spy.

"I am going to be honest, I'm not sure yet. But she's in Wakanda right now, maybe we can visit this place one day with her again." Clint offers with a kind voice. "And one day, you can meet the rest of our family."

"Aunt Wanda and aunt Eve?" She lifts a brow and the archer nods. "I... I would like to meet them. And uncle Steve and Bucky and Sam, too. And maybe even uncle Tony and Thor and Bruce."

"Yeah, one day, you're going to meet them all." He tries to mask his sadness, aware that this day won't happen any time soon. "But you know what? You just talked openly and these were some big steps you made on your own. I know it's hard to break old habits, but you did it and I'm proud of you."

Her face lightens up in happiness and Clint lifts his other hand, offering her a high hive. It brings him close to tears to see her genuinely happy and he wishes Natasha could be here now to see that. The two talked about retiring and having children more than once, but first, they want to clean the mess the Accords caused. Now they have what they always wanted.

"Okay, now let's get something to eat and then you can practice with the bow and arrow again. What do you want to have for lunch?" Clint questions and picks her up, carrying her in his right arm from their living room to the kitchen like a princess. He has to admit that the life in New Jersey isn't too bad, even though they still have to stay low.

"I can pick?"

"You can pick." He smiles and it infects her, too. Anya loves Clint as a father and she still can't believe that she has actual parents now.

"I want– " Suddenly, the weight in Clint's arms is gone and the voice of the little girl abruptly disappears. Clint stares in blank horror and absolute shock at the empty space in his arms where only a little amount of dust hovers in the air. The Avenger is almost too scared to move his arms, terrified that if she reappeared any moment, he would drop her. His heart almost stops and his chest tightens awfully.

"Anya?" Clint's own voice sounds distant to himself, almost foreign and odd. The dust lands on the ground and only then, he dares to sink his arms, staring at the pile of dust. Panic settles in his stomach and he slowly breaks out of his paralysis. "Anya? Anya."

No answer. The little Russian is gone and Clint starts shaking, barely able to stand on his own. "Anya! ANYA!!!! What just happened?!" No matter how many times he looks around, there's no sight of his little girl. "ANYA!!!"

His painful and angry screams echo through the empty house and the archer is all alone now.

A/N- okay, first things first, as you know, I always tend to change some things in the storyline, nothing too major though. But since it's the end of the line, I will change a lot, like, actually A LOT. You will see what will be different and what not.

Also, this part of the fanfic will be more about Eve than Aurora since she's an original Avenger and the movie and plot were heavily focused on them. So, the point of views won't be as strongly divided as they were in Infinity War.

That's it for now. Buckle up, folks. It's the end of the journey.