-STEVE-
For most people, the scariest part of blacking out is waking up and not knowing how long you've been out for. When I black out, the scariest part is not knowing if I woke among friendlies or not... My name is Clinton Francis Barton but most people know me as Clint Barton. Even more currently know me as the Avenger Hawkeye. For almost ten years I worked as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent under the same code name of course. Before that is a complicated history of child abuse, drinking, a traveling circus and some assassination that I'll leave you guessing on. But what many people don't know about me is that I suffer from something called vertigo. Normally I can get away with people not knowing what this means but basically, if I am standing, walking, running or generally not resting in a hot and humid environment then I pass out/faint/black out (whatever you want to call it). Why is this important to know? Cause on the hottest and most humid day in June, Stark Tower's air conditioning broke down.
"Are you alright?" a familiar voice calls through the haze of my ears ringing and trying to blot out sound. I open my eyes in an attempt to get a good look at the person speaking. My hearing is so jumbled that I can't tell if it was a female or male that spoke. Not that my vision is currently doing much to help me either as it keeps coming and going. But I do catch a sight of something red so I assume it's Natasha that caught me. She's caught me in various states before and is never one to worry much about me, so I figure I'm in the clear once I get her away from me.
"Fine, Tash," I grumble out as best I can with my senses freewheeling around me. A sturdy hand lays down on my shoulder and with a gentle push, gets me fully back on the floor. It was then that I realize I was trying to get up and escape this situation. Something that I really wouldn't have been able to cover up and even potentially do at this point. Even worse, my mind takes a few to realize that hand was rather heavy and thicker than Natasha's thin and soft hands.
"I'm not Natasha," the person gently replies. Trying to focus on them again, I realize with a new sudden clarity that it's Steve in a red shirt that caught me. I let out a soft cuss that must have been louder then I intended as Steve frowns at me. Thankfully he doesn't call me on the language. I don't think I could take that now as well. "What happened?"
"Nothing," I try to lie, mentally praying that Steve only found me on the ground and not the moments before. Steve gives me a look that tells me he doesn't believe me in the least. I groan and try to wave him off. I can tell Steve isn't buying it but I really could care less. The feeling of going back out again is still lingering and I'm worry what Steve will do when I do pass out again. It's bad enough he found me. I highly doubt he'd be one to leave the issue alone with just my word. Totally not what I needed right now. "It's fine."
"Fine is not just suddenly dropping to the ground," Steve points out making me mentally curse. Apparently he had seen the whole incident. I'd have to review JARVIS'S footage later to see Steve' shocked face before deleting it. While it wasn't good to have Steve questioning what happened, it usually was funny to see someone's face when they see me just drop for no reason. Yes, I have been caught before by various different people. Most just tended to go about their day shrugging it off as one of my idiocies. But only one person really pressed the matter and he was gone.
"I've got it under control," I argue before once again working on getting up. I get into a sitting position before the world starts spinning. Yup, gonna go again. Steve pushes me back down before I can fully go. Thankfully that stops all the sensations from worsening and helps lighten the effects. I groan as if acting like Steve was hindering and not helping. That makes his frown worsen which was not what I intended.
"Hey, don't get up yet. You hit your head pretty hard," Steve informs me which was surprising news considering my head wasn't currently hurting. But now I can feel the lingering effects of a knock on the noggin. The problem with being told you should be in pain, 90% of the time, it actually causes me to feel said pain. A stupid little issue that was easy to forget once I make my mind re-forget the reason I'm in pain. "I'd like Bruce to take a look at it."
"Cap. I've had a bunch of head injuries in the past. I know if I'm hurt too bad," I press as I once again try to get up. Steve places his hand on my chest, effectively holding me down. I grunt before giving in. Going for humor, I give him a bothered look. "At least make it look like you were putting some effort in..."
"JARVIS, call Bruce and have him met us here," Steve calls, ignoring my complaints. Or at least verbally ignoring my complaints. I can see the hint of a smile on his face and mirth in his eyes but it's all overshadowed by his worry over me. "I don't want to move him if I don't have to."
"Dr. Banner has been called. He inquires as to Agent Barton's current condition," JARVIS answers back in his insane English formal language. I roll my eyes. JARVIS could easily scan me right here in the hall and see that I was fine. But, Bruce, Pepper and Steve had all said that that was an invasion of privacy and banned the AI from doing such.
"Annoyed," I snap before Steve could reply. Steve scoffs at me but I can see bigger hints at a smile. Yes, that means he's beginning to see I'm okay. I got this handled. But, would I be able to escape before Bruce arrived?
"He shall take that under advisement," JARVIS smartly retorts. Despite myself, I chuckle. Since the Avengers moved into Stark Towers, the AI had gotten a lot snarkier. And I totally blame myself for that.
"I'll ask again, what happened?" Steve asks, almost like he was begging me to answer him before Bruce arrived. I shrug, acting as non-chalet as possible in the current situation I was stuck in. Thankfully, much of my vertigo symptoms seemed to have tapered off. Using that as my cue, I start to sit up. I really need to get away before Bruce came up in the elevator. "Clint, please. Don't blow this off. I know something is wrong."
"Cap, I swear to you... Nothing is wrong," I state actually getting into a seated position. That's when things take a turn. The elevator dings behind me as I projectile vomit my last two meals all over Steve's face. I get maybe two seconds of enjoying the irony and Steve's stunned face before I black out once again.
-BRUCE-
"Lay him on the table..." a voice calls out. I know that voice but I can't place it yet. "...full work-up."
"No," I grumble, really not wanting any doc to check me out. I've gone ten years in S.H.I.E.L.D with only Fury, Coulson, Hill and Sitwell knowing about my dumbass condition. I'd be damned if that streak was going to end today. I try to get up in an attempt to get out of here but I just feel like shit. Happens when I get two attacks one right after the other. Sadly, I also wasn't fully on the table yet and the person who had been holding me hadn't expected my sudden movements. The resounding crash to the cold tile floor helped me out of my vertigo state more than anything in the history of me knowing my condition. Sighing, I relax more into the tile, mentally knowing that that was what was helping most.
"Clint! Oh my god! Are you alright?" a new voice demands. I lift a hand off the tile to wave the person off without replying. My body and mind were beginning to drift off toward sleep. An area that normally left me in a rather vague state where I sometimes spill secrets I don't want shared. But, at the same time, I could care less. The tile feels so nice and the floor is soooo comfy.
"I'm good. Just leave me here," I reply as I melt further onto the cool tile. There is a scoffing laugh from behind me but I don't know if it was person one or person two that made the sound. Heck, there could be a person three and four for all I knew… Or cared.
"Clint, you've passed out twice in an hour for no reason. You are not good," the second voice decides for me. I grunt and twist to see Steve patronizingly looking down at me. Bruce is a few steps away looking worried. Can't have that.
"It's good. Happens sometimes," I mumble, lost in the bliss of the tile. As I said before, I'm basically in a state where my mind and mouth filters don't work.
"This happens often?" Bruce calls, sounding much more surprised than I would have thought. That's when it hit me. I don't want these guys to know about my vertigo. I blast into a sitting position, ignoring Steve trying to help me and the dizziness that accompanies the sudden movement.
"No!" I cry even as my mind and body catch up with the sudden move. My vision blacks out for only a second as my head spins but thankfully the cold floor got rid of the worst of my vertigo so I come back before either man in front of me realized something was wrong. Bruce trades a look with Steve that shows me Steve and him must have chatted on the way down to wherever we were. I use that moment to look around. We were in the med bay that Stark recently built for the team. I would know, outside of Bruce, I was the one most in need of its services.
"So, if I go and look through JARVIS's footage from, let's say this past month. I won't find another instance like this?" Bruce wonders, using a hypothetical. He slowly began walking over to his computer like he was going to do that now rather than waiting for my answer. I quickly run through the amount of times it happened this month and if I had gotten to the footage. Other than today, I was pretty positive that I had gotten everything. Admittedly, many people were shocked with my hacking skills. I was rather on par with Tony. In fact, Coulson used some of my codes to hack... Well, JARVIS, in order to see Tony when the genius banned Coulson from entering the tower.
"Yes," I vaguely answer to cover myself in case I missed a moment or otherwise.
"And all time stamps will match?" Bruce adds. Mentally I curse. That I know I didn't do. It's the one thing I could never successfully fix when deleting or splicing video footage. I must have made some sign that he'd find proof… Bruce gives me a slightly smug look as if he had known that I was bad at fixing the time stamps. Natasha must have told him. Coulson and her were the only ones who knew. No matter how hard they tried to help me learn, I just couldn't do it.
"Clint, just be honest and tell us," Steve soothes as if I were a child. I growl at him. He was to blame for all this. If he hadn't pressed the issue, I could be off hiding in my room… Suffering in silence.
"Look, I'm fine. I know what happened and how to avoid it in the future," I hiss. Steve jerks back, surprise flashes over his face before he gets angry. For one moment I regret my attitude but then my ire for superiors returned with a vengeance.
"But I don't know. And as your leader, I need to know in order to not put you in a bad situation," Steve reminds me. I wince. That was almost exactly what Coulson had said when he found out. But, it didn't make me want to share the news any more than before. Bruce apparently decided to take the subtler approach.
"Clint, who else knows?" Bruce asks me. I'm grateful for the subject change.
"Fury, Hill... Sitwell and Coulson," I list, pausing between Sitwell, the fucking traitor, and Coulson.
"So, Hydra may know?" Steve interprets. I wince again. To be honest, I hadn't thought about that. If Sitwell wasn't loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D, there was certainly no reason that he would be loyal to me when Hydra announced itself. Well, that threw my idea into the trash.
"I suffer from vertigo," I admit, deciding that Steve and Bruce were right. If our enemy may know about my condition, it couldn't hurt to have someone on my team know.
"Vertigo?" Steve questions. It's so easy to forget that he came from the 40s and wasn't as caught up with medical knowledge.
"I haven't known that to cause you to lose consciousness," Bruce comments. I shrug. It's what the docs told me years ago.
"The heat and humidity get so bad that the world just spins and spins until I can cool myself down," I say. Again, something I told the docs during my first, second, third and fourth round of testing.
"That doesn't fully sound like vertigo," Bruce mutters, turning to his computer. I frown. Coulson and Fury had argued the same thing but I have no other diagnosis. "There might be something else. Are you on anything for it?"
"Nothing worked. When Coulson found out, we tried to find something to help. Only thing that really helps is just to avoid my triggers," I say. Bruce frowns and looks at me expectantly.
"Heat and humidity? That's why we hadn't noticed?" Steve wonders, his words more questioning than anything. I nod. Most days when I know it's gonna be bad, I can hide out in my room. But today, with the air conditioning down, my room is like a sauna. I couldn't find a safe place. So, I wandered the halls, trying to find a cool room to hang out in. That's how Steve found me. I was heading down to the range. "What about missions?"
"It's worse when I'm standing and moving. Mostly all my S.H.I.E.L.D missions were assassinations. I found a spot and stayed in it. Coulson could care less what I did once I was in my spot. Typically, my missions were far away from places that could bother me," I explain. Steve and Bruce trade a look. "Look, I just want to find a nice cool place to hang out until Tony can fix the AC. That will help."
"Well, you seem fine here," Bruce points out. I narrow my eyes. There was no way in hell I'd hang out in the med bay. Bruce must understand as he suddenly chuckles. "My lab is cool as well. Couple of experiments rely on cold temps."
"So, we'll move up there," Steve says, reaching a hand down to help me get up. I accept it and stand, pausing for a moment to see if my dizziness returns. Thankfully it doesn't. The tile must have cooled me down enough but I wasn't out of the woods yet. We still had to head to Bruce's lab and for some reason, the elevators and stairs seem to capture the heat.
"Do you think you can make it?" Bruce asks. I nod and then together all three of us head out. One step out of the med bay and I could feel the heat and humidity. I wasn't the only one to wince and turn back to look at the med bay. But we moved on. The elevator was only a few steps away and already open and waiting. Once we got on, I began to feel it again. Bruce looks to me. "You'll tell us if you think you're gonna go, right?"
"Sure," I respond, mentally imaging what would happen if I didn't. I snicker at the conjured image of Steve panicking. We were about one floor away when my vision started to waver and I began to hear a buzzing sound. "Bruce."
Bruce turns to me, surprised before suddenly I feel someone grab me. Then I know blackness. When I wake up sometime later, I'm laying on the floor in Bruce's lab. Steve is sitting in a chair off to the side reading a book. Bruce is not in my sight. I groan, alerting the soldier to the fact that I was back. Steve looks up.
"JARVIS said that was the longest you've ever been out," Steve informs me. I frown. I hadn't realized that JARVIS was monitoring me. "Apparently, he's been keeping track. Bruce is going through the information now."
"Keeping track of what?" I wonder. Steve smiles.
"How long you are out, your heart rate, your temperature and the weather," Steve replies. "Apparently, he figured out what was happening. Mysteriously though, all the video footage of it happening has been deleted."
"Hmm. Wonder who did that," I mutter, sitting up. Steve shakes his head and goes back to reading. No way in hell was I ever going to admit that I was trying to hide my weakness. But, it did feel nice that someone other than Coulson felt the need to try and analyze my condition. Guess I never expected it to be an AI though.
"Tony's gonna have the AC fixed in an hour. Bruce complained," Steve says as if I had asked. I frown. That didn't sound like the doc.
"Bruce complained?" I question. Steve shrugs.
"Apparently Tony only cares if certain people complain and Pepper is in Malibu," Steve answers. I chuckle. Yeah, that would make sense.
"Of course. Well, at least I won't have to be stuck here long," I joke. Steve nods.
"Hey Clint, can you come here?" Bruce suddenly calls. I get up, pleased to see that all traces of vertigo is gone. Without replying, I head over. "Tony asked me to create a stronger acid. I want to know what you're currently using."
"Oh... Well, not that," I say, pointing to the chemical on the computer. Bruce smiles and we steadily get to work on improving some of my arrows. An hour later, Natasha comes into the lab.
"Hey. Tony says he fixed the AC," she tells us. Steve nods and gets up but Bruce and I just turn and get back to work. Distantly I hear Natasha ask Steve if we'd been together the whole time. Steve just replies that it's the coolest room. In the back of my mind, I make a note to somehow thank Bruce and Steve for not telling the others. I guess it was okay to trust them with some things.
-THOR-
A month goes by before I get hit with vertigo again. This time, it's on a mission. Steve had been good in keeping me away from hot situations but this time it wasn't his fault. I was in position in the middle of a battle when suddenly I hear over the comms that Thor got hit. My gaze flicks over the battle zone, trying to find him when suddenly the building I'm on gets hit with something like a mini explosion. I hear the cries of my other teammates as suddenly the building below me collapses.
"Friend archer," a voice calls to me. I groan, pain lacing through different parts of my body. Distantly I remember that I had been in the middle of a battle and that the building I had been on, collapsed. But... I don't remember any of the team near me. "Friend archer?"
"Go 'way," I murmur to whoever is speaking to me.
"Friend archer, we must make haste. The blaze is coming closer," the voice tells me. Blaze? A fire? What happened?
"Wha?" I ask but before I get an answer, the owner of the voice suddenly grabs me and hauls me upright. A wave of dizziness hits me and I'm unsure if it's from the fall and possibly hitting my head or from something else. I can feel the heat now and my hearing buzzes in my ears.
"We must move," the voice replies again. I frown, suddenly realizing I'm hearing Thor.
"Thor?"
"Yes, friend archer. Your perch has collapsed and a fire has started nearby," Thor answers. I groan and try to look around but my vision is spotty. Still, I can't tell if it's from the heat or not. "I was able to catch you as you fell but you may have hit your head."
"Oh," I smartly state. That's when I black out again and this time I'm sure it's from the heat as my head doesn't even hurt in the slightest.
"Friend archer? Are you hail?" a voice asks. I groan, slowly coming into consciousness. Inventorying my issues, I realize that other than some cuts, bruises and scrapes, I'm overheating. Vertigo was affecting me more than falling from a collapsing building. Thor must have caught me early on.
"Yeah," I finally muster out. Slowly, I open my eyes and sit up. A quick look around and I realize we're in the subways. A place I regularly avoid due to the high humidity and heat from the running trains. And the heat was made even worse by the building burning above us. "Shit."
"I believe we are not safe here and should move on," Thor suggests. I glance over at him before nodding and trying to get up. He watches me for a minute before tilting his head to the side, a sign that he was curious. I can only groan. "Do you require help?"
"No... I got it," I stubbornly tell him. Thor nods before watching me slowly and carefully get to my feet. Once standing, I nod to Thor and we start walking in a random direction. Time slips by and suddenly I notice I can't hear the others in my comm. I reach for my ear and find nothing. My comm must have fallen out. "The others know we're okay?"
"I lost contact when I was hit," Thor informs me. I frown. So no one knows what happened to us. That just sounds lovely. We continue moving and I notice it's getting hotter by the second.
"You sure we're heading in the right direction?" I ask. Thor shrugs which makes my frown deepen but when I turn to look back at the way we came, I see what looks like part of the building had already came down. I didn't remember hearing that and when I turn back to Thor, he's looking at me oddly. "What?"
"You have gone white. Are you injured?" he says. I shake my head but that was my mistake. Suddenly, faster than ever before my vertigo hits. Dizziness, vision blacking out, hearing buzzing... I vomit... Then I wake up to being carried. "Do not worry my friend, I shall get us to safety."
"Thor," I groan but stop as I black out again, the heat getting even worse. When I wake up again, we're above ground and Steve is running over to us.
"Thor! Put him down over there," Steve yells, pointing to a medi-van nearby. Thor nods and brings me over. Immediately I feel the cool breeze of the van's air conditioning. I sigh and slowly start to feel better. Steve gets there just as I start to sit up.
"Our friend is hurt. He fell unconscious twice down below," Thor informs the cap. I grimace and look over at Steve who's giving me a once over.
"Not hurt," I tell Steve before mouthing what happened. Thankfully Steve understands and nods.
"Don't worry, we'll let Bruce handle it," Steve soothes but Thor shakes his head.
"I fear that he needs help now," Thor presses. I groan and get up. Apparently Steve and Bruce aren't going to be the only ones to know. It's rather amazing that none of S.H.I.E.L.D tended to care about my health as much as these guys did. Only Coulson had been this insistent on keeping me healthy and he claimed it wasn't just for mission readiness.
"Thor, it's okay. It was the heat in the subway," I try to explain. Thor frowns at me. "The heat messes with my body and I sometimes pass out."
"I do not understand," Thor mutters. I frown and look at Steve for help but he shrugs. Vertigo is hard to explain to someone who doesn't really know what I mean. Bruce must have had another conversation with Steve when I was unconscious. For a moment, I wonder what Tony will do when he finds out but shake the thought away. Tony and Natasha must never find out.
"Down in the subway, it was too hot for my body to handle," I say. Thor makes a displeased face as he looks to the subway exit he must have used. "There's nothing wrong with me. I'm fine."
"Ah," Thor states, understanding suddenly dawning on his face. "I see. I had an old friend who suffered the same issue."
"Really?" Steve wonders. Thor nods and starts to regale Steve in the wonders of this friend and how they learned what was happening to him. I tune it out to check on the rest of me. As I noted before, just some cuts and bruises.
"Hey, you good?" Natasha asks, suddenly appearing at my side. I nearly jump before nodding to her.
"Yeah. Thor caught me as I fell. We got stuck in the subway," I tell her. She nods before turning to watch Thor and Steve. I nearly pale as I realize Thor is still talking about his friend. If Natasha connects the dots, I'm screwed. Thankfully she doesn't.
"Hey, nice job disappearing on us," Tony comments, landing near-by with Bruce in tow. Bruce sends me a worried look at the fact that I'm by the medi-van. I shrug and mouth 'vertigo' which makes him nod. I focus on Tony.
"Hey, nice job coming by and catching me," I retort. Tony chuckles. It's not long after that that we all head back to the tower. I'm alone in my room when Thor stops by.
"Friend archer," he calls out to me. I turn and look at him.
"What's up?" I ask.
"I came to inquire as to why you never told me," Thor states, entering my room. I frown.
"Told you about my vertigo?" I wonder. Thor nods. "I don't know... I guess I just didn't really want anyone to know."
"I see," Thor mumbles. For a moment we stand there, an eerie silence covers the room.
"Uh... Anything else?" I mutter. Thor sighs before nodding again. He moves deeper into my room.
"My friend didn't wish anyone to know of his issue as well. He believed we'd think him weak. But, like you, I had battled with him many times before learning of it," Thor explains. I frown, wondering where he is going with this. "I wish you to know that I do not think any less of you."
"Well, thanks," I uncomfortably reply. Thor nods and turns to leave. As he walks out I begin to notice that I feel relieved. Apparently that's what I had worried about. If they knew, then I would be left... "Hey Thor." I call. Thor stops and turns to look at me. I smile at him. "Thanks."
He smiles one of his huge smiles before nodding and walking off. I sigh deeply. Well, guess I should tell Nat and Tony soon...
-NATASHA-
"Clint," Natasha calls to me. I groan, waking far slower than I wanted to. Something was wrong but I couldn't tell what it was. "Clint, wake up!"
"I'm 'wake," I mutter to her, opening my eyes. That's when I notice what was wrong. We were tied to chairs, facing opposite directions in a very hot and clammy room. "Shit."
"Something wrong?" Natasha wonders. I shake my head before realizing she can't see me.
"Not yet," I tell her. There is silence on her end and I can imagine her frowning at me. I sigh deeply. "I uh... I might pass out for no reason."
"Are you kidding me?" she hisses. I shrug.
"Sorry," I say in a 'what can you do' type of voice. She growls some Russian swears and I hear her clatter about in her chair. While she works on escape, I wonder how we got stuck in this situation. Last I remember was talking to Thor. Wait... No... That was a few days ago. Fury sent us on a mission... We were spying on someone... Then our cover was blown... Aw crap, Hydra caught us! That was why the room was so hot and humid. Fucking Sitwell.
"The others are on their way," Nat suddenly mumbles. I frown. Of course they are. She had sent a message to Tony just before Hydra barged into our safe house. "Everything will be fine..."
"Nat?" I ask, silently wondering what was going on. She hisses at me.
"They drugged me... I think I'm starting to lose my mind," she whispers to me. All I can do is rapidly blink in surprise and pray I heard her wrong. Drugs didn't typically affect Natasha. But if it was Hydra that had us... Sitwell must have told them what drugs actually did work on her. Even more reason to want to kill that dick. A short time later I began feeling the effects of the heat. My head was spinning and my ears were buzzing. "Who's there?"
"It's Clint," I slur out as best I can.
"Who?"
"Ne'ermind," I sigh knowing that she wouldn't be able to understand me now. Through the buzzing of my ears I hear the sounds of the door opening. Behind me, Natasha tenses but as the door opens I finally give in and black out. I come to just in time to see a fist flying into my face. Hell, I don't even get a chance to dodge it. It slams into my nose and out I go again. Most of the rest of the time I'm in and out but mostly out. When I'm awake, I'm too lost in my vertigo to understand any of what's going on. It's not until we're saved that I am finally able to wake with a more clearer head.
"...drugged. Don't know what they gave Clint but he was out of it most of the time," Natasha was saying. I groan, feeling the effects on my body of being so long in an area of heat and humidity. Someone pats my leg and I crack open an eye. Bruce. He mouths 'vertigo' and I blink once. Amazingly he understands what I mean and pats my leg once again before turning back to Natasha. "How did you know what to do?"
"I read your medical files. S.H.I.E.L.D found a drug that can reverse the effects of what drug you were given," Bruce states as if it was common knowledge. I smile lightly. Coulson was always such a mother hen. Too bad there was nothing to help me out except cold, dry air and time.
"What about Clint?" Natasha questions. Bruce hesitates. I start to sit up, as if to show Natasha I'm fine but a wave of dizziness hits me and I nearly fell off my bed. Bruce rushes to my side. "What did they give you?"
"Natasha, you should both rest," Bruce suggests, his voice desperate. I frown. My head still a little slow, it takes me an extra second to realize that Bruce is trying to cover for me. Just like Steve had done before and Thor afterwords. God, what did I ever do to deserve this team?
"What did they give you?" Natasha presses, her voice hard with worry and anger. Bruce glances at me for help. I can tell he doesn't want to be the one to tell her. I sigh. Not how I wanted to tell her but at least she wouldn't be the last one to know.
"Nothing," I mumble out, relaxing back into the bed. Bruce sighs and walks away, almost as if he understood that I was going to tell her. And that he knew it should be done privately.
"What do you mean, nothing?" Natasha hisses, her eyes hard with anger. I'm not sure if the anger is directed at me or at someone else. But, I'm pretty sure it's directed at me.
"The room itself... That's what got me," I twist. Natasha raises one eyebrow in confusion and anger. I sigh. "The room was hot and humid... I... Well..."
"Just spit it out," Natasha snaps.
"I have vertigo," I call. That stops her.
"What?" she asks, making me sigh deeply.
"Docs a while ago told me I suffer from vertigo. Basically when I'm in a very hot and humid area I tend to... Pass out."
"That's... ridiculous," Natasha snarls after a pause. I shrug unsure what else to tell her. She then glances toward where I guess Bruce stationed himself. For a moment she stares and then her eyes widen and she quickly turns back to me. "Are you serious?"
"Yup," I mutter. She shakes her head.
"But you've been with me in hot and humid areas," she argues. I smile lightly.
"I'm always stationed in one spot, watching you. When I lay down, it doesn't affect me. Only when I'm standing and sometimes when I'm sitting." She shakes her head again and I can tell that she thinking back on all our missions. Then she suddenly gets up off her bed and comes over to me. Next thing I know, she punches me in the face... Hard. When I wake up sometime later, Bruce tells me that the second hit to my nose finally broke it. I didn't expect anything less.
-TONY-
It's not much longer after Bruce releases me that Tony randomly finds me down in the garage. I'm working on my motorcycle when he stalks over. I know that the heat and humidity down here are right on the verge of knocking me out but I really don't care. I've been down here longer before and it's been hotter without passing out. But I'd never been down here when someone else was here.
"So, Bruce tells me that you're okay," Tony starts. I shrug, trying to ignore him. I only tend to come down here when I really want to be left alone. Most people think that's the range but no. When I'm working on a vehicle, that's when I want to be alone. "He also told me that you might have something you want to tell me."
"Nope," I say, popping the 'p'. It's not until a few seconds later that I realize Tony is the only one on the team now who doesn't know. I sigh and back away from the motorcycle. Tony is still waiting. "Look... It's hard for me to say."
"So?" Tony says. I roll my eyes and get up only to feel really dizzy. I lose track of my footing and fall down onto my motorcycle. "CLINT!"
Thankfully I don't lose consciousness at all but I can tell that I hurt something. Tony is right by my side, helping me back up. Distantly I hear Tony order JARVIS to call Bruce down. I groan, totally not what I needed right now.
"Tony, I'm fine," I argue. Tony gives me a shocked look before looking back to the ceiling. A move he tends to make when highly desperate.
"Tell Brucie to rush!" he calls. That's when I realize I must have slurred. Shit... Two seconds later, I'm out.
"He's fine," Bruce states through the blackness of my mind. I note that I'm coming too much slower than normal. But then again, this is the most I've blacked out in one day. Honestly, it's getting tiresome. "I know what's wrong with him."
"Well, what is it?" Tony presses, his voice bordering on panic.
"Vertigo," I mumble. There is a pause before someone is suddenly checking my pulse. I peek open my eyes to see Bruce really close. He looks nervous. "Wha?"
"Your body isn't recovering like it has before," Bruce warns me. I shrug, not too surprised. This is the worst I have ever felt.
"Vertigo, isn't that something that divers get?" Tony questions.
"That's decompression sickness and other people can suffer from vertigo. But I'm beginning to think that this isn't vertigo," Bruce calls. I frown and try to sit up but Bruce quickly pushes me back down. That's when I realize we're still in the garage.
"Too hot," I murmur, knowing that Bruce doesn't fully understand my tolerances yet. Bruce nods.
"We're waiting on Steve to help move you," he tells me. I frown. Bruce has carried me before. "I want you carried near flat. Tony and I can't do that."
"Oh," I retort.
"The symptoms clash too much with heat syncope," Bruce says as if I should know what that was. "A form of heat sickness. But with it being so consistent, I don't know what it is."
"That's why the other docs called it vertigo," I mumble.
"What the hell is vertigo?" Tony cries, apparently fed up with Bruce and I ignoring him.
"When someone feels like a room is moving when they are completely still. Clint has a lot of the symptoms but it's mostly caused by heat and humidity," Bruce explains. Tony frowns.
"So when you asked for the A/C to be fixed last month?"
"Yes, it was for Clint. Not me. That's when Steve and I found out," Bruce answers, still busy checking me over. Finally the elevator arrives with not only Steve but everyone else.
"Friend archer! Is your illness bothering you?" Thor loudly calls. It makes me wonder why I didn't just tell him first so he could tell the rest of the team.
"You know too?" Tony says, sounding hurt.
"Sorry Tony, looks like you're the last to know," Natasha remarks, sounding rather smug. I know she had assumed that she was actually the last one. Tony gives me a hurt look and I roll my eyes, blacking out for only a second.
"I didn't want any of you to know," I grumble as Steve leans down to pick me up. Bruce tells him how he wants me lifted but as Steve starts, the dizziness hits again.
"Don't vomit on me again," Steve orders seconds before I black out again. When I come too, I'm on the floor of Bruce's lab. The cool tile even colder than the last time I was here. I sigh and basically dissolve into the floor.
"Are you kidding me?" Tony asks, his voice startling me. I open my eyes to see the team scattered about the room but everyone was clearing watching me.
"I told them that the cold would help," Bruce mutters to me as if that answers my unasked question.
"Well, it did," I mutter as if Bruce didn't already know. Bruce shakes his head with a chuckle. "So, now everyone knows."
"Yeah," Tony states, sounding rather upset still.
"What?" I growl out.
"Nothing... It's just... Why didn't you tell any of us?" the genius asks. I frown.
"Why didn't you tell Pepper you were dying?" I counter, sitting up. Bruce and Steve at the ready to help me. Tony looks away from me. I could tell he got it then. Natasha was the only one I was worried about now. I glance at her and see that she still looks mad at me. All the years of keeping it secret were not going to be forgiven now that she knows. Nor was it forgiven after she broke my nose. Well, not much I can do about that now. At least she wasn't the last to find out.
-+1-
It's been nearly a year since the others found out about my vertigo/heat syncope (and whatever else Bruce wants to claim it is). I've had a few more episode but of course, none during a mission. Bruce and Tony have started working on finding a way to stop it from happening to me but... I doubt it ever will. Steve and Thor trade off helping me to cool spots when I do pass out. And Natasha is still pissed off at me. Thankfully not as badly as before but she doesn't like hanging out with me alone anymore. Hell, it's hard to train with her now. She keeps acting like I'm going to drop at any second. It hurts, but I'm honestly not surprised.
Currently, we're actually out on a mission. Hydra agents are attacking London. They keep heading toward a particular building that Tony has claimed held nothing in it. Then again, he can't even tell us who owns it.
"Tony, got a couple of agents sneaking toward the back," I warn, shooting an arrow to the other side of the building. I watch as it explodes, knocking back the team I had spotted there. Tony flies by in his suit.
"Got it," he calls as his repulsors hit near the group I pointed out. Suddenly, I feel someone behind me. I spin around and am stunned to see Dr. Stephen Strange staring at me. "Who's your friend?"
"No one," I hiss into the comms, lowering my arrow. "What are you doing here?"
"I protect that building," Strange tells me. Distantly, I remember some report stating that Strange joined the mystical arts but I never believed it. Until now. This building didn't have any access to its roof outside of someone dropping him off. Tony dropped me off at the beginning of the battle and I could tell that no one had dropped Strange off. He just, appeared.
"So, that's part of the group you joined?" I question, turning slightly so I could keep an eye on the battle below. I didn't fully trust that Strange was on my side yet. Strange smiled.
"Something like that," he says.
"Hawkeye, you got eyes on the leader yet?" Steve cries into my ear. I finally turn fully away from Strange and look down.
"No. Whoever it is, is well hidden," I state. Strange moves to stand beside me.
"Friend archer, do you need help?" Thor calls to me. I glance in his direction and see that he's staring at me even as he swings Mjolnir into a Hydra agent.
"No. I think he's friendly," I reply, glancing quickly to Strange who nods with a smile.
"Who is it?" Natasha retorts, her breathing heavy. I turn to see her do her legendary neck snap with her thighs. No matter how many times I see that, I still mentally pray that that's the way I die. But whenever she uses something similar on me in training, I really don't.
"Strange," I reply.
"I know it's strange that he just appeared, but who is it?" Tony counters. For a moment I'm not sure if he's joking or not. Then I realize how Strange's name sounds and I chuckle even as I glance at the man. He has a bland look on his face that shows he's heard that joke far too many times.
"Dr. Stephen Strange," I repeat.
"Oh... Hey, I know him! How mangled are his hands?" Tony laughs. I roll my eyes but can't stop myself from looking at the mystic's hands. They look normal which makes me raise an eyebrow.
"What?" I call.
"He was in a car crash that destroyed his hands," Tony explains. I focus on the man's hands. Strange laughs.
"The mystic arts helps me keep them healed," the man says, wiggling his fingers. I snort and inform Tony of this. Tony moans.
"Ah man... Was so looking forward to seeing how damaged they were."
"You're fucked up in the head," I snarl before focusing back on the battle.
"Can we focus?" Steve asks sounding exasperated with Tony and myself. I smirk even as I shot an arrow right past Steve's face and into a Hydra agent that had been about to stab the Captain. Steve rears back in surprise before glancing my way. I wave. "Nice."
"You're welcome," I chuckle. As the battle progresses, I realize that Strange hasn't left my side, nor has he joined in the battle. I sneak a look at him to see him staring at me. "What?"
"I sense an imbalance in you," Strange tells me as if that answers my question. I stop shooting and focus on Strange. The battle was wearing down anyways.
"What?" Before I have time to process what is about to happen, Strange places a hand on my chest. Suddenly, I can't breathe. Hell, I can't move. I must have made a sound over the comms cause I hear the others calling out to me. Whatever he was doing didn't last long even though it felt like forever. Strange releases me and I step away from him, stunned. "What the hell?"
"I parting gift for protecting the Sanctum," Strange replies before turning and opening some sort of portal. I distantly realize I can see the sight lines of New York in the background.
"What the fuck?" I cry even as Strange disappears.
"Hawkeye, report!" Steve shouts in my ear, making me pause.
"It's nothing... I'm fine," I call out, still stunned with what Strange just did to me. Slowly, I turn back to the battle just in time to see Thor take out the remaining agent. Suddenly, Tony was hovering in front of me. I nearly jump at the sight.
"Need a ride?" Tony worryingly asks. I nod and jump for him. He catches me and we quickly descend down to where the others are gathering. I note that Bruce finally came out of hiding and joined us. He had been on stand-by and just listening in on the comms. I was honestly surprised I didn't hear him talking to us throughout the battle. He was normally rather chatty.
"What happened up there?" Steve demands as soon as Tony and I land.
"I honestly don't know. Strange just appeared, watched the battle and then... He pressed his hand on my chest," I report, glossing over a bit of the information. Bruce walks toward me and I can tell that he is examining me. Nothing feels wrong or out of place but I can still remember the sensation of not being able to move or breathe and it makes me nervous.
"I don't see anything," Bruce comments as if Strange left some physical evidence on me. I shrug, confused about what happened as well.
"Any injuries to report?" Steve asks the group as a whole even though his eyes remain on me. None of us reply. He nods. "Let's head back."
After flying back to the tower, a quick debrief, shower and change of clothes, I headed down to the garage. I needed to think about what Strange had done. Nothing felt wrong or out of place. Hell, I felt almost exactly the same. Bruce had wanted to do some tests on me originally, but I told him JARVIS can watch me for now. I just wanted some peace and quiet. Time passes as I work on my motorcycle and brand new beat up truck. It's a few hours later that Bruce comes down to check on me.
"Hey," I greet, standing up and cleaning my hands off of the oil and grease that had built up on them. "Still feel fine."
"Really?" Bruce asks, sounding far more surprised than I thought he would. I nod. "Do me a favor, quickly shake your head." I frown but do as asked. Nothing. "Walk to me and then back." Now I'm getting mad but I do as he wanted without retorting. "Jump."
"Seriously, come on," I snap, annoyed.
"Nothing? You feel fine?" Bruce wonders again. I nod.
"Yeah. What's wrong with that?" I hiss. Then Bruce smiles.
"I know what Strange did," he laughs before turning and walking off. I gape at him for a moment before running after him.
"What? What the hell are you talking about?" I cry. Bruce shakes his head and says nothing as we together get on the elevator. "Bruce, what are you talking about!?"
Bruce shakes his head again and still says nothing. I keep pestering him even as the elevator ascends and we head into the common room. Everyone happened to be hanging about.
"Hey," Tony greets to us before noting Bruce's pleased smile. "What happened?"
"He says he knows what Strange did," I accuse, shifting to Natasha who holds out a bottle of water to me. I hadn't noticed until that moment that I was rather thirsty. She raises an eyebrow at me, questioning if I'm okay. I nod as I take the bottle and chug it. She suddenly smirks.
"Huh," she says before getting up. I stop drinking.
"What?" I call.
"You were downstairs for three hours," she tells me. I stare at her, wondering what she meant. Steve gasps behind me. I turn to see him smile.
"Wow," he mutters. I growl now.
"What?" I hiss.
"Is three hours not past the..." Thor begins before stopping. His eyes widen before he smiles as well. "Oh! This is joyous news!"
"What? What the fuck are you guys talking about?" I snap.
"Clint, the garage is ten degrees hotter than normal with a humidity level of seventy percent," Bruce hints. I frown. "You were down there for three hours."
That's when it hits me. My vertigo is gone. All I can do is laugh at that. Thor quickly takes over the room and demands we throw a party for this occasion. Amazingly, no one fights him on this. In fact, Tony seems just as pleased with this idea. The two quickly began discussing what was to be ordered and if this deserved a cake or not. Steve joins in then, I could only assume it was to make sure this didn't blow out of proportion. Bruce pats my shoulder with a smile and I smile back at him.
"Shit man... We should invite Strange."
So I had seen everyone doing this '5 Times' stories and I wanted to try my hand while working on the sequel to Clint is Whom. I hope everyone enjoyed it.
Now for those who read Clint is Whom, I know you all have a lot of questions and sadly, they will not be answered till near the end of the squeal. Sorry but the beginning was mostly written long before people started asking about the end of the other and now the answers won't fit till the end. I hope to be able to post that story soon but I'm having a hard time trying find to type it up.
As for those following my life, Little Clint is doing wonderful in the Early Learning Center. He is talking wonderfully and mostly on track with everything except social skills. He still doesn't like kids his age. Baby Darius is nearly one years old right now. Has sooo many teeth and is so attentive. Already speaking some words clear enough for strangers to understand him but mostly only one word statements like 'mama', 'dada', 'baba', 'yeah', and 'no'. He's crawling around like mad and walking with support. Heck, he's even surprised us by going up stairs already. Has a hard time going down, but going up is easy. He's a bit more socially better with kids but still kinda sits back and stares at them in wonder.
Welp, think that's everything recently... Hope to be back with my sequel story within this next month but I can't promise. Sorry for the long break, just trying to get used to being a stay at home mother and all that. Well, miss you all and as I said, hope you enjoyed. Till next time!