Here's a new oneshot.
guess what? It's a CLINT WUMP!
Yup, no Tony in this one, kinda' odd to write, and he just kinda'...squirmed his way in anyways...
Hope i did this okay, i don't think i got the emotions right, but it was the best i could do, sorry.
Enjoy!
"You'll have to tell them sometime, Clint."
"Sometime doesn't mean now, Tasha."
"They'll find out eventually."
"Then lets me ignore it until I can't anymore. I don't want them to know Tasha."
"They won't think less of you."
"I'm not talking about how they'll think about me. I don't want them to know, I don't want to see their looks when they realize that I'm not normal. I don't want their pity."
x-(X)-x
"Clint! I can't keep covering for you! Only so many times will I be able to say your microphone broke. I can't keep doing this, or Stark will make a new one personally."
"Just a few more times Tasha. They can't know! Please!"
"…Just tell them, they won't care."
"I-…Please…I just need more time…"
"Clint-"
"Do you know that I still dream with sound?"
"I-"
"Do you know how…hard, it is, to go to sleep and hear birds chirping, kids laughing or even those annoying buzzing noises of cheep lights? Do you have any idea what it's like to wake up and hear nothing, before having a mechanical click every day accompany every noise like some sort of twisted robotic sensor?"
"Clint-"
"You know what I did the other day? I went to bed, and I actually slept. The first time since Loki, I actually managed to sleep. I didn't do anything, I just listened to waves on some beach, and some seagulls squawking loudly and some kids laughing in the surf…and then I woke up. And it was gone."
"….I-"
"I don't expect you to know what I'm talking about Tasha. Nobody understands, and that's why they can't know."
"…Fine, one more time. That's it. Once."
"That's all I can ask for."
x-(X)-x
"Clint! Hurry up!"
"I- I need a little longer Tash!"
"What's taking you so long?"
"These…dang….things…aren't tuning in right!"
"I can't give you any more time. Steve and Bruce are in the Quinjet, I have your bow and quiver."
"Fine- my left one isn't working, and there's freaking Gah!"
"What?"
"Autotune. Damn I hate these!"
"Let's just go."
"What are we up against, Tash?"
"Robots apparently. Doom by the looks of things, Stark is already on scene, Thor's on his way. By the way, I'm flying."
"Why won't these things stay down?" Clint grunted through his teeth, sending wave after wave of fire coated arrows into the dented robots which seemed to get up and keep attacking after having lost several limbs.
"No idea." Tony grunted, both of them being back to back, firing arrows and repulsor blasts.
"How are the others?" Clint grunted, Stark not responding as he was no doubt looking into the feed of everyone, finding their location and their status.
"So far, they seem fine. Steve and Natasha aren't having that many issues; Thor and Bruce are taking care of these things so easily it isn't fair." Clint could practically hear the scowl in his voice. "But I mean rea- oh…Clint, aim for their shoulder, apparently they have a shut off button. Thanks Natashalie."
Clint rolled his eyes but did as commanded, sniping one of the robot's shoulder and causing it to crumple before unexpectedly bursting into flames.
"This isn't so bad- DUCK!" Tony shouted, Clint ducking and rolling, managing to snipe the shoulder of a robot as it hurled half of a flaming car at Tony, who caught it, skidding back a few feet before throwing it back at the robot in return. The arrow and the car both were too much for the robot, which combusted.
"The others are finishing up, we're regrouping at my tower. Rogers has two more, Bruce and Thor are all finished. This one's the last one and we're all good." Tony nodded, Clint nodded and pulling back the arrow while the robot seemed to open up.
"Stark, what's it doing?" Clint asked, watching warily while Tony turned, taking a shuffle back.
"EMP blast! Get down!" He shouted, firing a repulsor while Clint let the arrow go in surprise as something blue and so loud exploded in his ears.
He crumpled, the robot exploding in fire while Tony seemed to fall next to him, the suit clanging to the ground was painfully loud as suddenly it burned and ached.
He opened his eyes, everything too bright as everything blurred in his sight- then it was gone.
People were screaming and shouting, he could feel the burns on his skin, he could taste the blood in his mouth and the painful buzzing of his head his vision was blurring and he was falling-
He grunted, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried not to remember that incident. He was more preoccupied for waiting for the high pitch dog whistle of a sound to fade. When it did, he opened his eyes with a flinch.
Stark had managed to open his suit and was climbing out while heaving the metal chunks off of him, apparently the EMP completely disabling his suit.
Tony looked at him, panting before his eyes widened in surprise, eyes wondering off of Clint's own and looking at something beside them. Instinctively his hands flickered up to his ears, wincing at the sting of an open wound and pulling it back, little fiber's of metal sticking from where his com. Had short circuited, and his aides had practically shredded his ear canals.
He could see Tony mouthing something frantically, and Clint shook his head, wincing as it burned his head again. Tony pursed his lips, now relating the destruction of his com. Probably for a reason of him being unable to hear. Besides, EMP's were known to render people def, it wasn't that odd.
He right sided himself, looking up as Tony did sharply, seeing the Quinjet hover in the air just above them. Natasha threw a rope out of the back hopefully while Tony arched one eyebrow, shouting something while pointing to his suit.
It was too damn quiet.
He winced as Tony roughly pulled him to his feet, probably thinking the blast had damaged him enough to stun him. He stumbled to his feet, being pulled into the jet while Bruce, now clothed, rushed over, examining his ears while speaking loudly.
Bruce paused, pointing to his ears while Clint stared in the silence.
This was the moment. He could just shrug it off and pretend it was a one time thing. He could tell them about the issue, he could tell them.
Maybe…it was time.
He opened his mouth, hoping that he was actually speaking and not too loudly as he said silently.
"I'm deaf."
Bruce recoiled in surprise, concern on his face as he reached for a cloth that Thor provided, taking tweezers while Clint winced, knowing that this was going to hurt.
He tensed, flinching slightly when tweezers were used to butt the lodged chunks of metal from his ears, and the towel quickly turned pink while he watched in the painful silence. He couldn't even hear his heart. It was quiet…there was nothing.
He saw Bruce mouth something to Tony who frowned before taking a look himself, then talk to Natasha, who hadn't said anything since he boarded.
In the odd silence that he had dreaded, and gotten used to. He gave a single nod to Natasha, with maybe a sigh as well. (He wasn't sure because he actually couldn't hear if he did.)
He closed his eyes, he didn't want to see their pity filled looks.
x-(X)-x
As soon as Natasha landed the jet, he simply watched her, she gave a nod once the engine turned off, and he walked, hitting the button to open the back hatch.
He easily ignored his team's faces, he didn't want to see them. Instead, he took the first elevator down to his floor, and grabbed the replacement hearing aid's SHIELD had stocked him with. He scowled as he approached the mirror, noticing just how ruined the explosion had torn them, thankfully, the right one wasn't nearly in as bad shape as the left. (Stark's com device held better then SHIELD's did, not really a surprise.)
He fit in the cruddy hearing aids and flipping one in, wincing at the loud shriek before he managed to turn the magnification down to what he assumed was normal for everyone else.
(It had been so long that he forgot what people normally heard).
He didn't bother coming out, until Natasha kicked his door open, grabbed him by his shoulder and forcibly dragged him out, completely ignoring the bandages he had wrapped around his left ear (from experience), and instead showed no mercy.
They arrived in the main living room, everyone claiming their spot on a couch as they looked at Clint expectantly, who shuffled awkwardly.
"So…" Tony started in the awkwardness, "You're deaf?" He asked, voice sounding odd as only one aid was in.
"80 %" He nodded and Bruce winced a little.
"I- I got most of the shrapnel out…your ears looked really bad, Clint." He stated, still awkward as Clint winced.
"Yeah- Artillery fire." He shrugged, causing Steve to furrow his eyebrows.
"Artillery fire? What were you doing so-"
"Close?" Clint cut him off, and Tony crossed his arms, already interested. Clint inhaled and winced, not looking at their faces.
"Before SHIELD I- I was with SWAT. Mission went wrong, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time when Artillery started." He flinched, remembering the loud buzzing, and the falling feeling as he had dropped from the ledge he had been climbing to get away, screaming although he couldn't hear it over the buzzing and the pain-
"Then?" Bruce asked quietly, noticing how Clint was distracted.
"Huh? Oh, SWAT kicked me out, can't work with a man who can't hear orders." He muttered, mimicking someone bitterly while Tony snorted slightly, "SHIELD said I didn't need to hear to work." He muttered with a slight smile, looking up to see everyone smiling back.
Not a single look of pity.
"Good!" Tony clapped. Jumping to his feet and linking arms with Clint and spinning him around, "Because I have this great idea on your-"
"Wait!" Clint yelped, turning and looking at his team questionably and slightly hesitant. "You don't…care?" He asked and Steve blinked in surprise.
"Care? Why would we care?" Steve asked in confusion, looking to Bruce to see if that was another thing that had changed in the year gap.
"Honestly, Legolas, you and Natashalie are the most normal out of all of us- and before you say we don't have medical issues, why don't I conveniently scratch my chest, oh wait- I can't." Tony rolled his eyes, tapping his rector as if to emphasize the point.
"Now, new devices, now." He grabbed Clint, who managed a yelp before he was dragged out of sight.
x-(X)-x
"Shit! It's the same bots!"
"No joke, Robin Hood. Thor and Bruce are out on Main street, Natasha and Rogers are taking care of business, only us- well…isn't this déjà vu."
"What are you talking ab-…well…"
"Crap?"
"Yup, that's the word…EMP blast?"
"Yup."
"Arrow to the shoulder?"
"No, I hold no mercy for these little Transformer wanna-be's. Shoot it where you want, I claim groin."
"…Arrow to the knee?"
"I hate you so much Barton."
Clint groaned, the EMP blast hit hard, and it was a dizzying effect once more.
He noticed the changes though as he stumbled upright, spotting a rather annoyed Tony scowling at the smoldering remains of the melted metal contraption, having disassembled his suit.
"Stupid piece of trash- Clint!" He grinned, looking at Clint who groaned and glared at the thing. Tony smirked and crossed his arms, waiting for something.
Clint paused in his head rubbing looking at Tony as he asked "what?"
"Aren't you going to say it?" Tony pouted, and Clint blinked.
"Uh…"
"Why thank you Tony, such a good idea Tony, rubber casing? That is so smart Tony-"
"You're an idiot Tony." Clint smirked and Tony rolled his eyes, Clint feeling for a com feed before clicking it.
"EMP blast over here, robots are all cleared out but we'll need a lift for Iron But here and his Clam Shell." He smirked while Tony muttered under his breath.
"Clint? Did the new aid's work?"
Clint paused, thinking how to respond before he smiled slightly.
"Yeah Tash, they're great." He paused before smiling again, "Everything's great."
Review!
~Oceanbreeze7