Duyên || Clint Barton

045 || avengers

•••

The next thing I knew, an explosion rocked the compound, sending me hurtling into the wall. I groaned in pain, still unable to move until a random piece of debris hit the disc, disabling the shocks.
I had no time to sigh in relief. Shouting through the cramping of my muscles, I tried to sit upright, my hand flying to hold onto the pillar on the wall as I felt the earth continue to tilt.
Another deafening crash left me disorientated, the room I was in reduced even further to rubble. Ignoring the pulsing pain of my muscles I looked around desperately for a way out of the cavern, eyes widening in shock as I looked above me.
The pillar I was holding on to had stayed standing, but only just, meaning the part of roof it was supporting was about to fall and very likely land on top of me.
Head whipping around to look for an exit, I noticed a semi-jagged wall made up of the fallen rubble.
"I can do this" I breathed, beginning a running start towards the wall, "I can do this"
Taking large leaps, I made my way up the large pile of rubble, before vaulting off of the top of the pile and over the left-over wall.
"Im a fucking gymnast" I chuckled, looking at the distance proudly.
The slight creak of the roof brought me out of my celebration, my legs working to carry me as far away from the compound as possible, picking up my sword from the floor as I went.

I stumbled out of the compound on still-shaky legs, eyes searching wildly over the blackened landscape.
"Earpiece - shit" I mumbled, rummaging through my pockets, letting out a small sound of joy as I grabbed it, placing it in my ear.
"- trap, right?"
"Yeah and I don't much care"
"Good. Just as long as we're all in agreement"
I started searching more frantically from my vantage point, a frown forming on my face, "dont you go walking into a trap you idiots"
"Grace?"
"Yeah, it's me. Nebula's been compromised - it's not her, an imposter maybe? - don't fight the purple ballsack without me again or I'll be so mad at you"
"No" Steve cut in, voice stern, "you need to find the gauntlet. If he gets it again..."
"Fine" I sighed, "who had it last?"
"I think it fell with Clint, they were on the far left side of the compound"
"On it"
Letting out a controlled sigh, I tried to shake off the remaining weakness in my limbs, the adrenaline starting to course through my veins, before beginning to run around the collapsed building.

I flinched as the sound of a fight started behind me, the three of them clashing with Thanos.
"Can anyone hear me?" I shouted, eyes scanning the rubble frantically, "Clint? Tasha? Rhodey?"
A sharp crackle came through the earpiece, the suddenness making me jump.
"-ace? —— Sewers"
"I hope that's not you telling me to avoid them cos I'm coming for you"
Diverting my path, I made my way to the far left side of the building, the sewage grate displaced from the earth.
"Fuck. Aliens" I muttered, grip tightening on the sword as I looked down there.
"Can you hear me?" I shouted, voice echoing through the tunnels.
"Yes! Keep talking!"
The voice was faint but undeniably Natasha, probably further back in the system.
Doing as she asked, I continued to shout until footsteps thundered nearer, four faces looking up at me.

I backed away, giving them room to climb out, body dropping into a defensive position as I spotted Nebula.
"That's not Nebula! Everyone get back!"
"Grace-"
"Clint, no. She locked me in the janitors cupboard - a doppelgänger or something"
Clint stepped forwards, hands held out placatingly, "Nebula took them out - it was her past self"
My eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Well that makes complete sense"
Standing up straight, I opened my arms expectantly. Sighing, Nebula stalked over and gave me a quick hug.
"Yep, you're Nebula. Okay, Tony, Thor and Steve are fighting Thanos on their own right now so we need to go help them -" my tangent cut off as I gasped, whipping around to face Nat and Clint, "did the snap work?"
Clint nodded tearfully, Nat smiling at me, "Cooper called me"
"Well let's go kill this fucker then"

•••

We skidded around the corner, only to be met with absolute destruction. It looked like Tony and Thor had been knocked down, Steve standing alone against the whole of Thanos' army.
"Oh that self-sacrificing prick" I growled, beginning my sprint towards the battlefield.
"Wait for us" Nat called, voice equally as pissed off, "I need to slap some sense in to that man I swear to god-"
Her voice wavered to a halt as golden rings appeared in the sky, Sam flying out of one of them.
"They're back!" Clint yelled, incomparable joy in his voice.

My knees gave out as I caught sight of Wanda and Pietro standing in the opening of one of the golden portals, a sob wracking through my body.
"Oh my god, oh my god"
Ignoring everything around me I scrambled back to my feet and began to ran towards them. Meeting my gaze, Pietro picked up Wanda and rushed towards me, all three of us colliding in a strong hug.
"You're back" I wept, pressing a shaky kiss to both of their foreheads, "Oh my babies"
Wanda clutched my shirt as Pietro buried his head in my shoulder.
"Where's Clint?"
"I don't know - he was -"
I was cut off by a large weight joining the hug, Clint's tears falling on the back of my neck.
"Thank god" he whispered, hands cupping the back of the twins' heads.
"AVENGERS!"
We separated, still standing side by side, eyes narrowed at the army ahead of us. Natasha sidled up to us, giving a soft smile to the twins.
"We've got this"
"Hell fucking yeah we do"
I readjusted my grip on my sword, adrenaline pumping through my body as I waited for the signal.
"assemble"