Today was one of Clint's rare days off. As such, he decided to get away from everything for a bit and go to an amusement park. Because what's better than thrill rides and cotton candy, right?
He was alone, but it was a content kind of solitude. It wasn't that he wasn't getting along with the other Avengers- far from it. The team dynamics were currently in the best condition they had ever been in. Clint just felt like having some time to himself for a change. After all, when you live and work with such a… unique group of people, it can be kind of hard to find some time for yourself.
Currently, he was waiting in line for a roller coaster. It was being advertised as the third fastest wooden roller coaster in the world, as well as having the second tallest drop height- basically, it sounded right up Clint's alley. He had been waiting in line for about an hour, and had just stepped onto the station platform when an employee loading the car called out, "I need a single rider! Is anyone here a single rider?"
Clint raised his hand, and, looking around and seeing no one else in front of him do the same, squeezed his way through the crowds until he got to the front of the line. The employee directed him to his car, and after making sure his safety restraint was secure, stepped back and indicated an all clear to the ride operator.
The coaster jerked forward and slowly started to climb up the hill. Sitting in the last car, Clint was all the more aware of how high they were climbing as he turned his head back to watch as they got further and further away from the loading dock. They were nearly at the top of the hill, when suddenly-
The ride stopped.
Clint looked around, momentarily wondering if this was part of the ride, but quickly dismissed it as he noticed the confusion of the passengers in front of him.
"What's happening?" A voice on his left asked.
Clint turned to look at the person in the seat next to him. It was a young girl, no more than thirteen years old, with short brown hair and dark sunglasses that obscured her eyes from view.
"I think we might be stuck," he told her.
Sure enough, not even a minute later an employee was making his way up the steps alongside the tracks until he was in front of the first car. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he began. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but we've had a minor electrical malfunction. It's nothing to worry about, and we will not be evacuating you from the ride. The issue should be resolved shortly, and the ride will resume at that time, after which we will be giving you all a free pass to bypass the line on any single ride in the park for your inconvenience. Until then, we thank you for your patience."
Clint started to watch the man as he slowly made his way back down the ride, but became distracted by the girl next to him again. He heard her breath hitch, and the corners of her mouth tightened almost imperceptibly in worry. "Great…" she mumbled.
"What, not a fan of heights?" Clint asked, somewhat disbelievingly.
"Heights are fine. Broken down machines that you ride in… not so much."
The slight twinge of distress was evident in her voice. Clint looked around, trying to think of a distraction, before quickly spotting the perfect topic. "So… you like the Avengers, huh?"
The girl looked surprised at his statement. "How did you know that?"
"Your, uh- your shirt."
She looked down at the decal on her shirt as if she had forgotten what she was wearing. "Oh." Then she smiled as she turned back towards him. "Yeah, they're really great!"
Distraction successful. "You got a favorite?" he asked.
"Hawkeye." There was no hesitation in her voice.
"Really?"
"You sound surprised."
More like flattered, but there was some surprise mixed in as well. "Well, yeah. You don't hear that very often. Usually people go with Captain America, or Iron Man- hell, you even hear Black Widow more often than Hawkeye."
"Yeah, well, good for all those people. Hawkeye is my favorite, though."
"Why is that, then?"
"Well..." The girl shifted around a bit in her seat. "Did you know that he's deaf?"
"Really?" Clint's voice came out normally, but he couldn't stop his hand from twisting around to rub uneasily at the back of his neck. He certainly hadn't expected that. Luckily, the girl didn't seem to notice as she continued speaking.
"Yeah. I mean, he's not completely deaf. About eighty percent, so he wears hearing aids in the field and stuff. But it's just really cool, you know? He doesn't let it get in the way of him doing what he wants to do."
"That's... yeah, that's pretty cool."
"It really is, but not a lot of people know about it. It's not like it's a secret or anything- at least not anymore. I think a paramedic let it slip once. But it's one of those things that people don't really think twice about, since it never really comes up. You know?"
"Sure." Clint paused for a minute before continuing. "So, why does that make him your favorite Avenger?"
"Well... I'm kind of blind."
Clint didn't know how to respond. "I, uh, didn't notice," he tried lamely.
She laughed at his reaction. "It's fine. I didn't really think you would, you know, what with my glasses and all." Her expression shifted to become more serious. "But that's why that makes him my favorite Avenger. He inspires me to believe that if he can do anything, then I can do anything, too."
"That's a pretty good reason," Clint said.
"People generally seem to think so," she replied. "Do you know, I even tried archery because of him?"
"Yeah? How did that go?"
"I nearly hit the bulls-eye on my first shot, actually."
"Seriously?"
She laughed. "Of course not! I'm blind. I may believe I can do anything, but I'd certainly need a lot of practice to ever come close doing that."
Clint couldn't help but laugh with her. "So," he said after a while. "What's your name, anyways?"
"I'm Claire. And you are?"
"Clint."
"Nice to meet you, Clint."
"Likewise," he said. "So, I'm assuming you came here with someone. Why aren't you sitting with them?"
"I came here with my Mom, but she hates roller coasters. And heights. She's mostly just been helping me get on rides and acting as my own personal pack mule at the exit. I think they thought she was going to be riding with me on here, though, and it was when they realized that she wasn't that they pulled you over at the last second."
"Makes sense," he said.
"Did you come here with anyone?" Claire asked.
"Nah, I'm on my own. I had an... unexpected day off, and decided to be spontaneous. I certainly didn't expect this to happen, though. Not as thrilling as I imagined my day to be."
"You want thrilling? Try riding a coaster with your eyes closed. Not knowing what's coming next makes everything so much more intense."
"I'll have to keep that in mind. That is, if we get moving sometime in the next century!" As if responding to his comments, the ride gave a jerk and began moving again. Clint let out a whoop of joy along with the rest of the passengers, smiling as he saw the happy expression on Claire's face.
"Remember, try it with your eyes closed!" She said, just as the coaster was about to go down the drop.
Clint did. It was awesome.
Clint helped Claire out of the car, and as they were moving towards the employee handing out passes when a brown haired woman who could be none other than Claire's mother came rushing at them, immediately engulfing Claire in a hug. "Oh, Claire, I was so worried! They said that there was an electrical issue with the ride, and I thought-"
"Mom," Claire cut her off. "It's fine. I'm fine. Besides, Clint was a great distraction, and really good company, too."
"Clint?" her mother questioned. Clint gave her a small wave from over Claire's shoulder.
"Maybe we should wait to continue this conversation until we exit the ride?" Clint suggested, glancing nervously at the somewhat impatient looking employee.
Claire's mother followed his gaze. "Yes, of course," she said. They quickly grabbed their passes, and not another word was spoken until they were standing just outside of the ride entrance.
"Okay. Mom, this is Clint. Clint, this is my mom, Andrea McCarthy."
"Clint Barton. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. McCarthy," Clint said, shaking her hand.
She let out a small laugh. "It's Miss, actually. I haven't been Mrs. In a long time. But please, call me Andrea."
"Andrea it is, then."
Claire cleared her throat. "So, uh, Clint, I was wondering… would you like to hang out with us a bit? I mean, I know that sounds kind of weird. But you said you came here alone, and rides are a lot more fun if you have a friend, so I thought maybe…"
Clint glanced over at Andrea. She had a fondness in her eyes as she watched her daughter, whose expression was so hopeful that her eyes didn't need to be visible to show it. She nodded softly to Clint.
"Well, I-"
He was cut off as Free Bird started blaring from his pocket. "Sorry, one second," he said apologetically. He briefly looked at the caller id before rolling his eyes and picking up.
"Yeah?"
"How's … going, Robin Hood?"
"It's my day off, Tony. What do you want?"
"Yeah, about that… to cut it short. Apparently… Doombots… the sewers…"
"They couldn't wait until tomorrow, could they?"
"…nearby Air Force base…. Quinjet… twenty minutes. Okay?"
"Yeah, alright. See you soon." Clint hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "So that was, uh, work. Apparently an emergency popped up, and they really need me to come in…"
"It's okay. We understand. Right, Claire?" Andrea nudged her daughter after she didn't respond for a moment.
"Yeah…" Claire said, seemingly distracted. Andrea frowned at her daughter's behavior, but Clint flashed her a grin to let her know it was alright.
"It was really nice to meet you both. Thanks for the invite. Sorry that I can't take you up on that offer."
"No need to apologize, these things happen. Well, I suppose you better be heading off then. I couldn't hear a thing your boss said, but he certainly sounded panicked," Andrea said.
"Clint snorted a bit at the implication, passing it off as a cough. "Oh, definitely. So, uh, goodbye Andrea, Claire."
"Goodbye, Mr. Barton."
"Bye, Clint…"
Claire stood there as the man disappeared into the crowd, thoroughly puzzled. Her mom might not have been able to hear what was being said on the other end of the line, but she had picked up some of it, and it was pretty weird. Seriously, Doombots?
Wait.
Free Bird, Tony, Robin Hood, Doombots, Quinjet…
Hawkeye?