Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel comics or characters or movies, and am making no money off of this fic.
AN: Written for the October 4th Whumptober prompt: "No, stop!"
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Not In Time by luvsanime02
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"No, stop!"
Tony Stark feels the scream rip itself from his throat, but there's so much chaos around him that he can't actually hear the shout.
Clint Barton doesn't hear it, either. He doesn't hear Tony's scream, and he doesn't see Tony trying so desperately to get to him on time, and he's not going to make it. He never does. He's never on time, he's never in the right place, and as a result, Tony is never, ever good enough.
"No, stop!"
Clint doesn't hear him, couldn't through all of the fighting and the yelling even with the best hearing aids in the world.
Let him turn, Tony pleads. Someone, anyone. Let Clint turn his head, let him see the approaching threat, let him catch a glimpse of Tony's frantic flight, even though his suit is damaged and sparks are burning his skin, and his communicator is dead, and why?
Clint's not turning. He's too focused on making sure that Natasha Romanoff has a clear path to get safely into the building that she's running towards, and Tony wants to curse the guy out for being such a selfless fool. He wants to cry. He already knows that he never will, not about this, because this is his fault as much as it's Clint's.
Why can't Tony ever be in time to save someone?
"No, stop!"
The words echo in his head, dimmer and dimmer, and no one hears them, not even Tony, and he can't reach Clint in time before he's slammed into, before he's thrown sideways, and Clint can't catch his balance. He's taken completely off-guard, just like Tony knew that he would be, and his suit is dead now, Tony is falling, but he'll be fine. There's only the roof below Tony.
There's nothing below Clint but twenty stories of open air.
Tony's never in time to save the people that he loves.