Yay I wrote something! First off no worries this isn't nearly as morbid and terrible as The Fall of the Captain, I was just feeling sadistic that day... anyways I had to change a few details about Hawkeye's past to fit the MCU, but nothing too drastic. Also, SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen Thor 2 there are some details about that...
Pairings: Thor/Clint FRIENDSHIP not slash. other than that slight hints of Clintasha and Thane
Rating: K+
Warnings: none except spoilers for Thor 2
enjoy!
Clint couldn't sleep. He had been tossing and turning for hours, but it seemed like his bed was getting more and more uncomfortable. Finally, the archer gave up and threw the covers off of him. He looked at his clock, which read 3:32am, and sighed. He got out of bed and moved quietly through the halls of the Avengers Tower until he reached the kitchen. After putting on a pot of coffee, the archer slipped into a chair and put his head in his hands.
"Trouble sleeping?" A deep voice made Clint jump. He whipped his head around and saw Thor standing in the doorway. The Asgardian chuckled.
"I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you, my friend," he said, his voice softer than usual.
"It's alright, I just wasn't expecting anyone to be up at this hour. Care for some coffee? It's almost done brewing." Clint offered. Thor nodded so Clint got up and retrieved two mugs from the cabinet (Tony didn't like Thor handling mugs because they usually ended up smashed on the ground). Once he poured the coffee, he and the god of thunder sat down at the table.
"So what troubles you so, that you are unable to sleep?" Thor asked as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Just a lot on my mind." The archer replied simply.
"Are you sure it has nothing to do with Natasha being away on a mission?" The Asgardian questioned. Clint shrugged unconvincingly. It was true that he was never able to sleep very well when Natasha wasn't with him, but he didn't really want to admit it. Thor put his hand on the archer's shoulder and smiled reassuringly.
"You need not be ashamed to admit it, Clint. Rarely in all my years have I seen two people so well matched for each other. The way you two look at one another reminds me of my Jane. But fear not, my friend, I'm sure she'll arrive home in due time." He assured.
"Yeah, she's actually due back in a few hours. Thanks, Thor. So what's up with you?" Clint asked. Thor sighed.
"I have been thinking about my brother." He replied quietly. Recently, Thor had returned from Asgard and told the other Avengers that Loki had died during his battle with Malekith. Clint tried his best not to be happy for Thor's sake, but he had admitted later to Natasha that he was a bit relieved. After all, he still had nightmares about his time as one of Loki's puppets. It was like having cold, hard fingers wrapped around his mind and soul. And no matter how many times Natasha or everyone else told him that the things he did weren't his fault, he just couldn't shake the harsh feelings of guilt that threatened to overwhelm him.
"You said he died with honor, right?"
"Yes, he was stabbed through the chest after he had just saved me. I held him as he died. It was mere seconds, but during that time I saw the brother I grew up with in his eyes. I can only hope now that he is with my mother in Valhalla." Thor said, his eyes full of pain and grief.
"You know, I had a brother once." Clint began as he got himself and Thor a refill.
"What happened to him?" The god of thunder inquired. Clint sighed. He hated talking about his past, especially his brother, but he could tell Thor needed to talk to someone who had gone through some of the same things he had, so the archer continued.
"His name was Barney, and he was a few years older than me. While we were growing up in Iowa, our dad would get drunk and beat us up a lot. Eventually, he killed himself and our mom in a car accident, so Barney and I were sent to an orphanage. We ran away when I turned 13 and joined the Carson Carnival of Traveling Wonders soon after. We started off doing odd jobs that no one else wanted to do, such as cleaning up after the animals and selling food and balloon animals, but eventually one of the main performers offered to train us. Barney declined, but I accepted. The guy then handed me over to Trickshot, who taught me most of what I know about archery." Clint explained. Thor nodded, urging the archer to go on.
"Well, eventually I caught Trickshot stealing money from the carnival. He broke both of my legs when I declined his offer to split the money with him. Barney found me and took me to the hospital. He told me I was stupid to turn down Trickshot's offer. Some time later, he told me that he was joining the army and that I was welcome to come with him. I almost did, in fact I even went to the bus station to meet him. But I was too late and I watched the bus drive away without me."
"I see, and is that the last you saw of your brother?" The Asgardian asked. Clint chuckled humorlessly.
"I wish. After Barney left, I joined Trickshot and became a criminal. One time while we were robbing a guy named Marko, I shot a guard with an arrow. Turned out that it was my brother. I parted from Trickshot and took Barney to a hospital. I didn't see him again until I was on a mission for SHIELD. Some crackpot scientist was using a paralysis ray on my team and Barney sacrificed himself to destroy it. After his funeral, I got a letter from the FBI saying that Barney was an undercover agent for them."
"So your brother died with honor as well?"
"I thought he did. Until a few years later, when my old mentor Trickshotshowed up on my door step half dead with cancer. As I was investigating his death, I was attacked by my supposedly dead brother who was calling himself the new Trickshot. I still don't know how he came back, but I barely escaped with my life. I haven't seen nor heard of him since."
"Oh, I am very sorry to hear this, my friend. It seems you and I have more in common than I first realized." Thor said with a sigh.
"It seems we do." Clint agreed. Thor yawned loudly.
"I think I will attempt to sleep once again. Thank you for listening to my story and sharing yours, Clint. You truly have a heart of gold."
"Hey, if you ever need to talk, you know where I live." The archer replied with a smirk. Thor nodded with a smile then exited the kitchen.
Clint decided that he would go back to bed, too. While talking about his brother always resurfaced painful memories, he knew that he had helped Thor. As he slipped into his bed, he found himself thinking more about Barney. Where was he now? What was he doing? What what his reaction to Clint fighting aliens with the Avengers? The archer sighed, knowing that he was never going to be able to sleep with all these questions swarming his mind. So, he turned on his lamp, grabbed a book, and waited for Natasha to arrive.