I posted this on tumblr earlier today and it already has 30+ notes, so I hope you guys like it just as much!
Warnings: Character Death, implied Natalie Dormer.
The last time Natasha saw Clint alive, New York was crisp and cold, coloured with the the stark whites and muted greys of winter. She was going to see him at the hospital Stark had built after the original Avengers retired. His doctor said it was urgent. That he might not make it through the night.
The setting sun cast long shadows across the city as the two women entered the building. The elevator was empty, thankfully. The Black Widow did not appear in public on the verge of tears.
When they finally reached his bedside, Clint's face lit up.
"Hey, there, gorgeous!" He said gesturing her to his side.
Natasha leaned in close, grinning despite herself. Even at 85, Clint was still Clint. His hearing was almost completely gone at this point, so he stopped wearing his hearing aids altogether.
Looking her full in the face, he gave her the most whole-hearted smile she'd ever seen him wear. He knew he wouldn't be seeing her again. He knew and he didn't care.
"Listen, Цветок лицо, we've had a hell of a run. True, most of it we spent saving Earth from destruction, but I wouldn't trade those moments for the world."
"Clint, please-"
"Ah, ah. I know that you want to cry, but we knew when we signed up we'd have to say good bye at some point. At least we got to live into retirement! But there's one thing I want to say before I go, because we've never actually said it before."
Natasha couldn't respond. How could she? Her frail body was wracked with sobs, and it was all she could to cry silently.
"Natasha, Я люблю тебя."
With a shaking hand, she made a fist and stuck out her pinky and thumb in opposite directions and moved her hand towards herself with her thumb pointing at her before moving her hand toward Clint, pinky in his direction.
"Say goodbye to Budapest for me"
He whispered, before shutting his eyes with a smile and taking his last breath. For several minutes that felt like years, the only sounds in the room were the soft sobs of the ex-assassin and the steady whine of the flatlining heart-monitor.
Eventually, Natasha turned to the tall blonde girl next to her chair, wiping away the steady stream of tears to no avail.
"What did he say, Mama?"
"He just asked me to tell you 'Goodbye'."
xXx
This story is dedicated to my grandfather, who passed away on June 4, 2014, at the age of 85. May he rest in peace.