A/N thank you for taking the time to read this story! Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Pas I said in the last chapter this chapter will show what all the avengers did when they left the room and their reactions to Clint being hurt. I hope you like it.
Chapter Eight:
Steve's POV
I've just left Clint's room and I'm on my way to Avengers sleeping quarters located on the South end of the base, S.H.I.E.L.D created them after they got tired of the team members who weren't injured spending the night sleeping on the floor in the hallway just outside the injured team mate's room. When I arrive I slowly open the door to make sure no one else is there. When I'm sure I'm alone I lie down on the bed and close my eyes. I toss and turn for about half an hour but sleep still doesn't come. Frustrated, I walk out and roam the halls. My feet lead me to the gym and I make my way inside, knowing just what to do to get my frustration taken care of. I grab a wrap off a shelf and quickly wind it around my hands before making my way to the punching bag. The familiarity of it all comforts me slightly. I throw a quick jab, testing out the bag. Satisfied I let loose a right hook followed by an uppercut. I start off slow and gradually speed up my hits. Suddenly I imagine Clint lying in the hospital bed and anger boils in me. Anger at myself for not realizes he was still inside. Anger at Loki for attacking him. Anger at Trickshot for shooting him. Anger at Hawkeye himself for not getting out there. Soon all I can feel is anger. It consumes me and I'm seeing red as my fists connect over and over with the rough fabric. I can't lose another team mate. I see Bucky falling from the train back in the war. I see Clint after escaping Loki's mind control. I see him taking down Chitauri in New York. I see him cracking jokes with Stark. My hands move with terrifying speed as I think of the man currently fighting for his life in a hospital bed across the base. With one final hit the bag goes flying across the room and my body is shaking from exhaustion. I drop to my knees, breathing hard, and rub a hand down my face. Without thinking I begin unwrapping my hands, revealing the bruises across my knuckles that will heal in a few hours due to the super soldier serum. A shuddering sigh escapes me and I close my eyes, wondering if Clint will ever wake up.
Bruce's POV
The halls are eerily quiet as I roam the base in search of something, anything that will calm the rage within me. I don't have to worry about agents confronting me, anyone who I come across avoids making any contact in fear of unleashing the other guy. The other guy, hmmph, it doesn't have the same meaning as it used to. After all "it's still the same person, just one has some serious anger issues." My heart clenches at the thought of the words Clint used to describe the Hulk. That's what I liked best about the archer. He didn't see me as some ticking time bomb that could explode any second, he saw me as a regular guy with some control issues. Barton always tried to make me see the good things about the other guy and kept me from dwelling on the bad.
"It's not about your mess ups or mistakes, it's about how you use those mistakes to make yourself better." He had told me that one day after a mission in Russia where I'd lost control. No one was hurt but I nearly trampled a village, and that was something that I didn't take lightly. Clint was actually the person who came up with the idea to use the lullaby but Natasha took up the role to actually do it. She said it would probably get a better reaction from her since the Hulk was generally calmer around her anyway. Then my thoughts shift to his current position and I can feel the anger begin to bubble up. I squeeze my eyes shut and take a few deep breaths. I'm shaken from my attempts when I come up to a window. The glass goes from the floor to the ceiling and I can see nearly the entire night sky. Billions of stars adorn the blackness that had never been visible from the brightly lit Avengers Tower. The sight calms me almost instantly and I sit down on the floor, my knees barely brushing the glass. I can feel the anger slipping away as I gaze at the sight before me and I have no intentions of leaving anytime soon.
Tony's POV
My fingers fly across the keyboard as I stare bleary eyed at the screen in front of me. On display on the monitor is a map showing any spikes in magical activity across the globe. Hammer and the others could be anywhere, if they're even still on earth, with the help of Loki's magical abilities. My shoulders slump as I come up empty for the fourth time in a row in the past hour. Rage fills me and with a loud crash the keyboard goes flying across the room before coming to an abrupt stop after it hits the wall. I bang my hand down on the counter and turn away from the computer in disgust. If I had the technology available that I had back at the Tower I would've found them ages ago, or at least that's what I'm telling myself. The door behind me opens and I whirl around to face the intruder. I sigh when I see who it is. Pepper slowly makes her way over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Tony you need to take a break. You've been at this for hours. Goto bed and you can come back and finish this tomorrow." I shrug her hand off and shake my head.
"No I can't. They'll be gone by then. I have to do this now. If I can just pinpoint Loki's magical signature then maybe I can use it to track his movements and we can end this."
Pepper shakes her head.
"Tony you need to stop. You're gonna wear yourself out and you'll be no use in stopping them if you run yourself into the ground before we locate them."
"Pep I..."
"No. You need to stop and rest. Now." She wraps me up in a hug and I return the gesture. My breath hitches and she pulls away to look at me. "What's wrong?" I shake my head.
"I never should've left him alone. I never should've let him try and disarm the bomb. I knew that the bad guys were still out there looking for us and I just left him. I should've been the one to try and disarm the bomb not him and I never should've let him convince me otherwise. If I had just stayed with him maybe he wouldn't be in a hospital bed right now. Maybe he..." I run a hand through my hair. "It's all my fault, Pep. It's my fault he got hurt." She looks like she's seconds away from smacking me.
"Anthony Edward Stark don't you dare say that! Clint made his choice and there was nothing you could do to change that! He is just as stubborn and pigheaded as you and you of all people should know that! So don't you think for one second that any of this is even remotely your fault." I reluctantly nod and lean my head on her shoulder.
"Oh, Pep, what're we gonna do?"
Thor's POV
A cold breeze blows across my face as I stand on the roof of the S.H.I.E.L.D base where Barton is being kept. The moon casts a gloomy shadow across the area and it matches my somber mood. My grip tightens around Mjolnir like a vice and I contemplate summoning Heimdall and the Bifrost but I hesitate. I've realized that many problems that I face on Midguard do not have to be dealt with on Asguard in the company of my people and today's is one of those occasions. I consider Barton a friend, a warrior, and it pains me to see the normally strong willed archer in a place of such weakness. Mortals' lives are more fragile than that of an Asguardian, one good hit can usually send them shattering into a million pieces. But Hawkeye is different, he has endured more trials than anyone, immortal and not, I've ever made acquaintances with. He has the heart of a warrior and the strength of a thousand men. The man has been beaten down and unmade more times than I'd ever care to experience and yet he still manages to remain himself. A good man of character and strong will. There is an unbreakable spirit residing inside the mortal that rivals that of most Asguardians. One that refuses to be beaten or destroyed. There's a fire raging inside of him that can not be dimmed. He more than a mere man, he is a force to be reckoned with. I thought him unstoppable and it startles me to see just how far one has to go to truly understand that even warriors can be broken. I do not know how one person can take so much and yet still continue to act as if he has experienced no indecencies, that he has felt no pain. I used to think humans were weak, that they could never take the kind of physical and emotional trials that can be endured by an Asguardian, Clint Barton has showed me the error in my judgement. And never have I been happier to be proven wrong. Hawkeye is no ordinary man, he is an Avenger and I will never forget that.
While the rest of the Avengers are scattered across the base, each dealing with the situation in their own way, Natasha never leaves Clint's side. Perhaps that's why, after nearly six days of worrying, she is the first person to see when he finally opens his eyes.
A/N well that's chapter eight. I hope you enjoyed it and I'm sorry if it's a little short.
