Hey everyone! Welcome to day 23. Ever since I found out Clint was deaf in the comics, I've wanted to write something like this. Also, I'm not deaf, I don't know anyone who is so I'm trying my best.
Enjoy!
SENSORY
"Hawkeye!" Natasha roared, seeing the grenade thrown just out of time to do anything but drop to her stomach and slap her hands over her ears.
The sound was deafening and she could feel herself screaming as hot air and chunks of wall came raining down.
Wincing, she slowly pulled her hands from her ears, blinking her eyes open form where she'd squeezed them shut.
The man who had thrown the grenade had literally been blown apart from the blast and she felt sick as she clambered to her feet.
"Hawkeye? Clint, answer me!" She moved to wear she'd last seen him, hearing a strangled gasp from her right.
In seconds she was beside her partner, crashing to her knees next to him.
"Clint?" She whispered, her eyes wide as she rolled him over from his front onto his back.
Somehow, he was still conscious, his gaze glazed over as he looked up at her.
His face was twisted with panic as he clutched at the side of his head.
With a start, she realised blood was dripping down both sides of his face from his ears.
"Shit." She whispered, pushing herself into his view.
He bucked up, a soft gasp escaping his lips. His fingers clawed at his ears and she quickly ripped his hands down.
He couldn't hear her.
His eardrums had...been ripped open from the blast. She could tell from the blood pooling in his ears and dripping down his cheeks that isn't wasn't good.
It would be so fucking painful, she could see his face drain of colour as he tried to sit up.
She grabbed his shoulders, pressing him back down to the floor.
When he didn't look like he would try to get up again, she touched his forehead and gently guided his face to hers.
She thanked the heavens that they'd both learned basic sign language. It made things easier on missions when they couldn't talk out loud.
'You are going to be okay' her fingers fluidly moved to match the words.
'Stay still. Calm. Will get you out'
Clint exhaled shakily, his face screwed up with a mixture of fear and pain but his eyes held undivided belief. In her.
She hoped she would be worthy of that.
'Up. I will help. Lean on me'
She placed her hand on his shoulder and wrapped her other arm around his waist.
Getting him up was incredibly difficult. His balance was completely shot, and she knew he was in an awful lot of pain.
He stumbled with every step, his breathing ragged and his body tense and rigid.
She was supporting nearly all of his weight, almost dragging him along.
Natasha could see by the lines of his face that he was close to passing out. She wanted to tell him to just hang on, they'd be at the jet soon, but he wouldn't hear her.
The next two minutes were agonising, his limbs weak. They both ended up on their knees a couple of times before she would stand and drag him back up. He would stumble forward a few steps and it would happen again, and again until they finally reached the drop point.
The jet was landing as they got there and soon medics were swarming them and pulling Clint onto the jet.
Natasha exhaled, body trembling with exertion as she sank down into a seat next to Clint.
She watched as they shone lights in his eyes, prodded at his ears until he howled. They wrapped his head in bandages and sedated him, calling ahead to Shield to book the operating theatre.
Natasha slowly backed away to let them have their space, sliding a phone from one of the agents.
She slumped down in the corner of the jet, pressing the phone to her ear.
"Tony Stark."
"It's Natasha, I...we need your help."
"What can I do for you, Little Red?"
"Clint. He...there was an explosion. His eardrums burst. They're taking him to surgery but...I know what the means. I know it's not good. I..."
The voice was soft and serious now. "What do you need?"
"Hearing aids. Fucking good ones, the best you can make. He relies on his sight and his hearing, without them...he will always be amazing, but to him? That's the end of the world."
"I'll get right on it." Tony murmured. "I promise, Nat, me and Bruce, we'll sort this." A soft pause and a yell at the other side of the phone. "Bruce!"
Natasha sighed, wincing. The adrenaline was wearing off and she was beginning to feel the pain from the explosion.
"Tasha? It's Bruce. Are you heading to medical?"
"Yeah." She sighed softly. "He's going straight to surgery. I won't ask for anything again, please help Clint. His hearing is so important to him."
"Natasha, you can ask for anything. You're a part of this team." He said softly.
Natasha didn't answer that, just closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall.
"Tasha?"
"Sorry, I...I think I drifted for a second there."
"Are you hurt?"
She shrugged, even knowing he couldn't see.
"Not really. Clint got the worst of it."
"I'm gonna swing by medical anyways, Tony can handle the plans for the hearing aids. You shouldn't be alone whilst Clint's in surgery."
A warmth settled through her and she actually smiled. "I'd appreciate that, Bruce. Thanks."
...
They reached Shield in under the hour, the medics taking Clint straight to surgery.
Natasha found her way to the waiting room and slumped down in a seat.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been there when a soft hand settled on her shoulder.
"Natasha?" Bruce asked softly, a little uncertain.
She smiled shakily at him, giving him a quick, soft hug. Sometimes she found words hard so she made sure to convey how grateful she was with the hug.
He smiled back, gently leading her to the nearest empty room.
"Take a seat." He said softly, placing his backpack down.
He went about cleaning her cuts and stitching some of the worse ones, clicking his tongue at the one she'd somehow acquired down the side of her face. She hadn't even felt it.
"Did you bang your head at all?" He hummed, shining a light in her eyes.
"Don't think so. It happened so quickly." She shrugged, wincing at the pain it sent up her ribs.
He appraised her carefully, pushing her to lay down.
They'd been in undercover clothing so it was easy to lift the hem of her shirt, his gentle fingers probing the tender skin.
"I don't think any ribs are broken, definitely bruised. I'll wrap then up just in case and then you're done."
He tucked the bandage around her torso, securing it in place and taking her hand to help her sit up.
"Thanks, Bruce." She said softly.
He nodded, pulling out his phone.
"Tone? Yeah I'm with her now, hang on let me put you on speaker." He pressed the button and held the phone out to her.
"Red, I just wanted to check in. I've got the plans all sorted, Jarvis will work on creating the actual hearing aids over the next couple hours."
Natasha exhaled, leaning heavily against the wall. "I appreciate it, Tony."
"Of course, bird brain is one of ours. But look uh...you know he's not gonna be able to use them until his ears are healed more so how about when Clint's cleared, you both come stay here for a while."
Natasha pursed her lips and sighed. "Yeah. Okay. If I won't be in the way of you and your boyfriend." She smirked.
Bruce flushed, rubbing the back of his neck.
Tony actually laughed. "I have missed your quips, red. I'll see you later."
...
The next couple of months were extremely difficult. But where Natasha and Clint had once only had themselves and Phil, they now had four superheroes at their sides.
Steve had given them all handouts on basic sign language, and had spent an insane amount of time learning it himself.
Bruce bandaged and checked his ears every day, finally clearing him for the hearing aids two weeks after the explosion.
Tony worked night and day to get the hearing aids perfect, calibrated to Clint specifically.
Thor, when he was on Earth, showered Clint with food gifts and games to raise his spirits.
Natasha was still his life line though, never leaving his side. She helped him walk when his balance was particularly bad, rubbed his temples and soothed his brow when his headaches got worse.
She calmed him when he would wake from a dream, terrified that he couldn't hear. She told him stories through sign language, touching her fingers to his.
She made sure he ate every morning, afternoon and night, even if he was in pain that made him feel sick. She fed him his pain meds, and held him as he threw them up minutes later.
One month after the explosion, the pain had lessened and he had his hearing aids in nearly constantly.
He nearly wept when Bruce had first spoken to him and he'd been able to hear. He'd hugged every one of them and clung to Natasha, tears on his cheeks.
He thanked them all reverently and two months after the explosion, he was almost back to normal.
He had moments of weakness, where his balance would leave him and the pain would make him rip the hearing aids out.
But he was back on the range, shooting arrows with his brilliant precision. He was engaging in conversation, shooting one liners and joking around with the rest of them.
That was when Natasha and Clint moved into the tower permanently.
...
Two months and one day after the blast, they two assassins lay in bed. Completely naked and sated, they kissed languidly.
He'd very much enjoyed being able to hear her soft moans and breathless whimpers as they made love.
"I like it here." Clint hummed, tilting his head to kiss her forehead.
"It's certainly better than the Shield rooms." She sighed.
"I know we're used to doing this together, alone, and we will always be there for each other. But it's nice to have others we can rely on."
"Agreed. You will always be my first, but it is nice to have them." She sighed softly, a smile on her face.
"They've helped so much through this. But, Nat, I could've never done it without you." He cupped her cheek, running her thumb over her cheekbone.
"I don't know what I would ever do without you."