A/N: I've just been so stuck on the Avengers lately. Plus, I finally found time to write! I've got so many little ideas that it's going to take me ages to write them all, but maybe you'll actually see updates out of me more often then :D
So this is a weird pairing, and it's oftentimes non-consensual, but it's my headcanon that all that changed in Clint's head was that his loyalty switched from SHIELD to Loki, leaving the rest of his mind perfectly functional and that he was therefore capable of consenting. Anyway, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or any of the characters. Those rights belong to Marvel and others. This is not meant to be any copyright infringement. I am not making money off of this. (Though all of that is implied, given that this is a site for fanfiction, not original works.)
The fucking alien things were everywhere. Clint could see Natasha and Cap fighting beside each other down in the madness below him, and could hear the bellowing of the hulk. Thor, he saw, was channeling lighting down some building. He couldn't see where Tony was, however. It was chaos.
He let loose another arrow that slammed into the head of one of the aliens, causing the little hovercraft thing it was driving to plummet to the ground. Another and another and another. He began to wonder whether they'd ever stop coming. Or would he eventually run out of arrows? Would he die here on this rooftop? He tried to push the thought out of his mind. Arrow, aim, fire. Arrow, aim, fire.
And then an alien thing jumped from it's hovercraft thing onto the roof beside him and he had to stop shooting to use his bow as a weapon, trying to beat it back, away. Another flew in to help its buddy and he had twice as many attacks to block. He breathed in a short breath and his eyes widened as he realized he was running out of room. They were going to push him right off of the roof.
And then he stumbled back another step and started falling. He reached for his quiver quickly, looking for an arrow that he could shoot into the building. Just hanging there would be better than dying. He couldn't find one. His quiver was empty.
"Oh shit," he said, and looked desperately around. The hulk was too far away, couldn't reach him in time. Natasha and Cap are on the ground, wouldn't be able to catch him. Thor and Tony were both too far away. He took a deep breath in and out and closed his eyes. Ten seconds to impact, to his inevitable death. Nine, eight, seven...And he hit.
His eyes jerked open and he was beyond surprised to see Loki. "Couldn't let you fall, my hawk. I'm back, now." Loki had materialized next to him in midair and caught him before teleporting them to the top of a neighboring rooftop. "I'll end this, Barton. Clint. My hawk." And Loki set Clint down on the rooftop, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before opening them again, clones of himself everywhere at once, fighting the Chitauri. It was this that turned the tide.
The Chitauri began dropping, finally, their numbers declining. Loki effortlessly coordinated his clones to trick the Chitauri into traps and tight corners, and Thor charred whichever ones he could. The hulk played around with some of the smaller ships, which Loki entrusted to him, while Cap and Natasha took down whichever Chitauri got to ground level. Tony kept up the tight corners, making them blow themselves to pieces trying to kill him.
Clint exhaled harshly, still shaken from his fall. Just then, a Chitauri landed on the rooftop, advancing on him. Clint didn't have an arrow, just a tiny knife. He pulled it out anyway.
He didn't need it. Loki whipped a knife over his shoulder and it embedded itself in the alien's throat. It made a gurgling sound before dropping to the ground, dead.
Clint's mind swam with questions. Why did Loki save him? Why was Loki taking out his own army? Why was Loki helping? Why, why, oh why, did Clint decide being an archer was a good idea? He could've been a sniper. Bullets were so much smaller, and still effective at close range. He pulled his knees up and tucked his face into them, breathing harshly. Was this a panic attack? He tried to concentrate on slowing his breathing. Why now? Why, after all the times he escaped death, why was this the time that it actually hit him that he could have died?
He glanced up at Loki. Just then, Clint tuned into the voices in his ear. "...nuke heading straight for the city!" yelled Tony.
Into the portal, Clint thought in horror, watching as Tony's path changed directions.
"Tony, no!" he yelled, and Loki ran over.
"What?" he demanded.
"Tony's going to fly it up into the portal," Clint said.
Loki nodded and poofed out of existence.
"Loki?!" Clint yelled. He watched in horror as Tony directed the missile up the side of Stark Tower. Near the top, Tony was pushed off, falling back toward the tower. He caught himself, however, and all of the Avengers stared as Loki directed the missile up into the portal and disappeared. They watched as the other side of the portal exploded outward and the portal began closing, and Clint could just barely hear Thor's choked "Brother?" before Loki's body was falling, falling, falling, and he wasn't stopping. Clint's heart jumped into his throat.
"Tony!" he yelled into the comm, and Tony flew up to meet Loki's falling form. He caught the god and allowed them to drift slowly down to the roof of Tony's tower.
"Thor! A lift?" Clint yelled again, and Thor swung by to pick him up before making his way to the top of Stark tower.
"Loki!" Clint yelled, yet again, as he took off running for Loki, falling to his knees beside him. "Loki!" Thor knelt by the other side of Loki's body, and Tony stood awkwardly near Loki's head. "Loki, please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead," Clint begged, cradling Loki's head.
Loki twitched and groaned and Clint fell upon him like the bird of prey he was known as. "Loki!" he yelped in relief, kissing him back and forth across his entire face and finally burying his face into the god's neck, crying from the quick transition of grief into relief.
Loki's eyes flickered open and he felt a weight across his upper torso, which he saw, with relief, was black and purple. His hawk, then. On the other side was Thor, looking like a very apologetic puppy. "Brother, you are all right," he said, relief blooming on his face. Feeling another set of eyes on him, Loki rotated his head backward to see the one called Tony Stark and Ironman.
Feeling relatively secure with both Thor and his hawk with him, he sat up slowly and twisted his body, pulling his hawk's face from his neck. "Clint, my hawk," he said with a small smile, lifting his hand to cup the other's face.
Clint swallowed around the lump that hadn't yet left his throat. "You stupid, stupid, stupid god!" he yelled, his voice gone nearly hoarse from all the yelling he'd done, not to mention the crying. He punched Loki once in the chest for each 'stupid'. "Why the hell'd you do that?"
Loki's smile shrunk slightly as he dipped his head. "Was I mistaken in thinking you wanted your friend yet alive?" he asked.
Clint glanced up over Loki's head to where Tony stood, and shook his head. "But I didn't want you to die, either!"
Loki's smile grew once again. "I am fine, my hawk. I am not dead."
"I thought you were!" Clint's voice was nearly unintelligible, and he buried his face back against Loki's neck, sobbing again.
Loki's smile grew larger as he looked fondly down at the man in his arms. "I would never leave you, my hawk," he said comfortingly, lifting his chin slightly to rest his head on top of the archer's.
Clint shook in his arms for a little while longer before pulling back. He quickly wiped his tears. "I'm sorry," he said, his face coloring as he was reminded that they had an audience.
Loki grinned at him. "You're forgiven." He glanced up at Tony. "A drink?" he asked. Tony nodded and made his way into the tower, shaking his head in scandalized disbelief.
Thor looked curiously at the man still holding desperately onto his brother. "I give you my blessing, friend Clint, brother," and then he turned and followed Tony.
Loki grabbed Clint's hands and rose swiftly to his feet, pulling Clint up with him.
"I don't...I'm not usually so…" Clint began, feeling majorly embarrassed at his reaction.
Loki shushed him. "I know you're not," he said. "You performed nothing but admirably under the control of the scepter and until my rescue. I do not think any less of you for showing your concern over me. If others do, they shall be made not to."
Clint appeared wary at Loki's wording, but allowed it to slide. "Okay," he said, allowing Loki to lead him inside.
Thor greeted both of them again as they approached Tony's bar. Clint allowed himself to be caught up in Thor's boisterous accounting of his actions, trying to redeem himself from the crying lunatic he'd been before. He didn't even notice that Tony approached Loki.
"Do not hurt him," Tony said threateningly, "because you will regret it." Loki nodded.
"I have no intentions to, but I would expect nothing less of you."
"Good," Tony said, handing him a glass of whiskey.