Circus Acts || Clint Barton ✓

[ epilogue ]

| eight years later |

❝ s o o n ❞

B

efore Clint can open his eyes, he knows he's no longer laying lifeless at the bottom of the cliff on Vormir. The freezing temperatures and powerful wind has turned into warm sunshine splashing across his face and a light breeze rippling through his hair.

Much to his surprise, he finds himself standing in the midst of a field peppered with wildflowers with his farmhouse and barn able to be seen in the distance. The red and white Avengers suit has been replaced with stark white pants and a matching t-shirt, causing his sleeve of tattoos to look out of place with the serene fabric.

"You weren't supposed to get here this soon," a voice he thought he'd never hear again calls out, obviously upset. He whirls around, tears of his own threatening to spill as she gasps. "Clint-"

Celeste stands a mere foot away from him in a simplistically white sundress, her engagement ring glistening in the sunlight. Tears fall freely down her cheeks and she reaches out a hand slowly to grab his arm, afraid she's imagining the whole situation.

"I've been gone longer than eight days," she chokes out, offering a sad smile. "Haven't I?"

The question snaps Clint out of his revelry and he closes the gap in between them, his sob muffled as he buries his face in her hair. He holds onto her as though they'll be ripped apart as soon as they let go; it was impossible for him to even begin to describe just how amazing it felt to have the love of his life back in his arms after so much time apart.

"Eight years," he manages to say, not loosening their embrace but pulling back enough to press a kiss to her temple. "It's been eight years."

Celeste has questions - too many to even begin to count - but she can't bear to end this moment. Instead, she tenderly cups his cheek in her palm, pulling him down into a long-awaited kiss.

Eventually, Clint will tell her about the Avengers falling apart, his house arrest, half of the world disappearing, and everything in between. But for now, the only thing he cares about is holding her in his arms.