Okay... without spoiling Endgame in the summary (because I'm not a butthole and I love you guys with all my heart), I just wanna warn all Clintasha shippers: WE ARE ALL GONNA BE HEARTBROKEN TOGETHER OKAY
So that's where this fix-it comes in. Writing this through tears as I think about my precious babies...
Oh, by the way, if you're still here and you haven't seen Endgame and don't want to be spoiled, I will give you this chance to BACK OUT AND GET YO ASS IN THE THEATER.
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Alright, assuming everyone here has seen the movie/doesn't care for spoilers, let us continue...
(last chance fam I'm telling you)
What was she thinking?!
She didn't need to be dangling from his arm right now - he had just made the jump. He was going to be the one to die, and she would receive the Soul Stone. It wasn't meant to be like this right now.
Both of them had tears flowing down their cheeks. Not just at the fact that they knew one or the other weren't making it out of here, but the fact that what Stonekeeper had said was that in order to obtain the stone, you must sacrifice that which you love most...
By them both making the jump, it had said something without using words.
They both loved each other.
Natasha felt like bawling, but couldn't find the strength to do anything but hold on for just a little while longer. Long enough to say goodbye. Clint, meanwhile, was using all of his power to hold onto both the rope and Natasha. He wouldn't dare let her go.
"Clint," Natasha choked out, "its okay... its okay."
"No, it isn't!" Clint said, letting out a choked sob. "I-I won't let you go!"
Natasha's tears were falling from her face to their demise on the ground below, and she knew she was next.
But Clint stood in her way.
"I-I can't," Clint added. "Nat, i-if I let you go, I'd n-never forgive myself..."
"But you have nothing to be sorry for," Natasha said, her voice straining from the emotion pouring out from her heart. "I'm ready, Clint."
"And I'm not!" the archer said, his voice more filled with grief than it had ever been. "N-Nat... please... don't. I'll pull you up. Let me do it."
"Clint," the assassin whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. "Its okay."
And then...
She sprung outward, ready for him to let go of her.
He did...
Of the rope.
The two were falling together, still holding each other tightly by the arms. As they fell, however, Clint pulled her closer; it was a gesture of saying that he would never let her go, even in death. Natasha wrapped her arms around Clint, also burying her head into his shoulder as a final attempt at comfort. They were able to get closure this way; they knew they loved each other, and if dying at each other's side was the end for them...
Then they were happy with it.
And they both felt content with each other as they hit the ground, still tangled with each other.
It was cold...
Cold and dark. And even in his current state of mind, a sense of warmth had overcome him...
And he opened his eyes.
There was Natasha. Still curled up into his arms, holding onto him, exactly how they had died together. Or... had they died to begin with?
Natasha then slowly began stirring herself, and Clint let out a gasp of glee - she was okay. "Tasha..." he said softly.
"C-Clint?" she said, still stirring. "Is... is this Heaven?"
"I don't think so," said Clint, looking around. "I think its still Vormir..."
"Damn," Natasha muttered, letting out a dry laugh.
And then, Clint felt an object manifest into his hand. It felt weightless, yet it was still there... and glowing orange. He opened up his hand, and there it was - the Soul Stone. Somehow, by falling together, they had both given up that which they love, and it had earned them the stone.
"I-It must know what our intentions were," said Clint.
"And that we weren't power hungry... and that we're going to return it," added Natasha.
The two sat in silence for a moment, just taking in all that happened.
About a moment later, however, Natasha's bottom lip began to quiver... the severity of the situation was beginning to take over the thrill and shock that had previously held control. A choked sob came from her throat, and the tears which she had just stopped crying threatened to return.
"Hey hey, its okay," Clint immediately said, wrapping his arms around her.
Natasha began to cry into his shoulder - all the emotion had just come back tenfold. She could've lost Clint... she could've lost the person who she loved the most. Clint started crying the moment Natasha let out her first sob. He couldn't imagine how he would've handled losing Natasha... it'd be one hell of a motivator to restore the universe, that's for sure. But he just couldn't imagine how it would be without his precious Natasha.
"I-I'm so s-s-sorry," Natasha whispered in between sobs.
"D-Don't be," Clint said shakily, still crying as he rocked her in his arms. "I-It's gonna b-be o-okay..."
They could've stayed there for ages; crying in each others arms... it brought a certain peace with it. They found comfort, happiness, and success where they swore they would find heartbreak, tragedy, and loss.
They were currently both emotional wrecks. Trained assassins, sobbing together.
But after about ten minutes of relief expressed through tears, the two looked at one another, and Clint began to speak.
"It wasn't just my family that caused me to go on my killing spree," he said. "I thought I had lost you... I thought you were dead, Tasha. And-And that thought alone... it proved to be too much for me to handle. I couldn't take it; I snapped. I thought that everyone who I cared for was gone..."
"But they weren't," said the female assassin, gently stroking the archer's cheek with her gloved hand. "I made it. I... I wish I had found you sooner... I would've made you come home."
Clint smirked. "I know that for sure."
Natasha let out a happy laugh. Her tears seemed to have ceased, only a few falling out of pure happiness and tender love.
Their love went beyond romance; it was so much more than that. It was still in that category, but it went above and beyond it. It was something so sweet and special, shared exclusively by them. No one could take it from them; their love knew no bounds.
After they sat in silence for a few more moments, Clint left a chaste kiss on Natasha's cheek. "Ready?"
"M-hmm," Natasha nodded.
"Alright, sync up," Clint said.
And with that, in a brilliant flash of light, the two were zipping through time and back to the compound.
All ten of the heroes showed up at the same time, all looking noticeably disheveled and/or scared out of their minds.
"Did... did we do it?!" Scott exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah, I... I think so," Steve said, taking in big puffs of air.
"We have won!" Thor exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
"Easy, Point Break," said Tony, smirking as he remembered Thor's old nickname, "job's not done yet."
"We're getting there, though," said Rhodey, smiling.
"Alright gang, let's get these stones ready," said Hulk, as excited as everyone else to get the job done.
And with that, everyone climbed off of the time machine, with Clint and Natasha trailing behind.
"You okay?" asked Natasha to Clint.
"You need to be asked that more than me," Clint said. "Tash... I can't tell you how thankful I am that, just, y-you're here!"
Natasha smiled, wiping away another tear. "I'm always here, Clint. No matter what."
When she said here, she put her hand over Clint's chest. Clint just shook his head, wiping his eyes as he smiled. "You should really write poetry. You make me wanna cry by talking."
"I don't know how you mean that," Natasha said, her giggling giving the sarcasm in her voice away.
Meanwhile, as the two stood in front of the machine, hugging and talking softly with one another, the rest of the Avengers stood back, watching the moment take place.
"Should... should we ask for the Stone, at least?" Rocket asked, shrugging.
"Let them have their moment," Steve said gently, patting Rocket's head and smiling as he observed the two. "I can tell they've earned it."
"That's beautiful, man," Scott said, sniffling. "Oh... how pure is love?"
"You're a sap," said Rocket, looking up at him.
"I know!" Scott exclaimed.
And eventually, Clint and Natasha would join the team, heading off to go put together their own gauntlet.
But they wouldn't let go until separate callings forced them apart.
WHY COULDN'T SHE HAVE LIVED?! I MISS HER SO MUCH MY POOR BABY NATASHA DIDN'T DESERVE THATTTTTTTT
And yet... it creates so many fix-it opportunities. Gotta look on the bright side! *proceeds to cry for hours anyway*
Well, regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed that! Please review and tell me what you thought, I love hearing feedback! Love you guys! :D