Rated T: For mild language

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Clint replied as he kept his eyes focused on the road ahead of them. The black truck rumbled through the empty country, the stars high in the sky only adding to the tranquility of the night. "I'm looking out for you whether you like it or not. You're family too, Wanda."

From the corner of his eye he could see a smile inch its way onto Wanda's face. He was glad Wanda felt the same, even if she rarely outright said it. It was enough to bring a slight smile to his own even when he added a more serious note, "Plus you've been ignoring my calls since Vienna. I had to make sure you were alright."

"Well, I was grounded after all. I lost my cell phone privileges," She lightly joked to hide the fact that she had no excuse for leaving his messages unread. She felt isolated from her house arrest and without realizing, days had passed with her phone untouched in her desk. It was almost as if she adopted the idea of deserving the isolation that everyone seemed to force upon her, even if they did so unintentionally.

Based on her tone, Clint had a feeling she was being sarcastic but he also felt an underlying truth she wasn't telling. He couldn't quite tell what it was, so in an attempt to clear up any confusion he asked, "Tony didn't actually take your phone away, right?"

Wanda waved her hand to dismiss the idea. "No, I just didn't feel like responding. I don't know..."

He nodded when he finally understood what he had sensed: the guilt of purposely not answering his calls. He desperately wanted to ask why she ignored him, but he could tell she didn't want to chat about it in this early hour so for once, he gave her a break from his drilling. "Good, I would have gave him a stern talking to if he did," Clint said even if it felt unnatural to leave his questions unanswered after so many late nights with Wanda, but he was at least glad Tony didn't completely cut her off from the world, especially when he knew Clint liked to check in.

Wanda was relieved that he actually didn't delve deeper into the 'whys,' and in an attempt to keep that streak going she decided to change the subject. "You do realize you're not my actual dad, right?" She playfully teased as he always seemed to give his 'dad talks' to her and the other Avengers.

"But I'm still a dad," Clint smiled as he lifted an index finger off the steering wheel. "I have my tendencies and they aren't going away any time soon. Plus, someone has to look after this mess of a team. It's falling apart without me."

"Yeah, we can't seem to survive without your graceful presence," Wanda rolled her eyes knowing he gave himself too much credit. As the farmland rolled by, Wanda's mind couldn't help but wander to the questions she wanted to ask Clint during her isolation. After staring out at the distant barns and corn stalks reflecting the glowing moonlight, she weighed her options and eventually had to let some slip. "So how did your family take the news? What does this mean for them?"

She instantly saw how tense Clint became when his face hardened and his grip tightened on the wheel. "This one wasn't easy for them, but they support my decision," He let out a breath when he realized he didn't have all the answers Wanda wanted. It reminded him of Lila's questions and how he didn't have all the answers for her either. He never liked being in the dark but unfortunately, this was one of those missions. "I don't know how this situation will affect them, but I wish I did. I wish I knew what I was getting into."

"You're going against the law on this one," Wanda reminded and made a statement she hated to think about but knew from experience that it was worth considering with these dire consequences. "There's a chance it could have a huge effect on them, and not in a good way."

"I know, I know," Clint mumbled as he hated the thought even more than Wanda did. "It's just... There's a lot of factors to consider in this particular situation."

"Like what?" Wanda said as she twisted her head back to Clint, continuing to rest it in her hand while her elbow leaned against the armrest of the door.

He was hesitant as he kept his eyes dead ahead, but he tried to sort through the many thoughts running around in his brain. "For one, I have to stand up for what I believe in. I can't just sit on the sidelines while my friends fight for me. Just because I have a family it doesn't make me less obligated to fight for what's right. If anything, it makes me more obligated because I need to do what's best for them in the long run. If these Accords are still in place years from now with no changes to the rules, I have a feeling the world won't be as safe for them."

She nodded in understanding but persisted in her questions just as Clint had done to her many times. She could tell he needed to get this off his chest by the way the gears in his brain worked overtime and how he was the slightest bit relieved from talking through those thoughts. "But what's the other reason? You said 'for one,' whats the second?"

He stayed silent for a long time. He wasn't quite sure how to explain it but he sighed as he decided there was no harm in giving it a try. "Well... I guess it's Bucky..."

As he drifted, Wanda opened her mouth to ask 'why' but it soon closed when she realized he was still thinking of the right words. Keeping her continued questions at bay, she patiently waited until he eventually strung together a sentence. "Its just... Cap has so much faith in him. He believes Bucky is a good man and is innocent despite the accusations and evidence against him." As he said that, Wanda noticed his eyes soften as he continued to stare out the windshield refusing to make eye contact. "Cap did the same for me once upon a time."

Wanda almost didn't dare to ask further because she could tell whatever memory was currently in his brain wasn't a pleasant one, but she couldn't hide her curiosity from that unfinished thought. She knew Clint would let her know if he didn't want to talk about everything, so she figured there was no harm in continuing her questionnaire. "How so?"

Clint tapped his hands lightly on top of the steering wheel as if he was trying to distract himself from going too deep into the memory occupying the forefront of his mind. Eventually, he briefly glanced at the teen in the passenger seat, making eye contact for the first time that car ride. "This was before you joined, way back when the Avengers first banned together," Clint explained as he focused back on his driving, desperate for a partial distraction. "You've probably heard the story of when aliens invaded through a portal in the sky and started attacking Manhattan. What you might not know was Thor's brother, Loki, was the reason behind this situation but in order to get that portal open in the first place, he needed help. He recruited that help by controlling people's minds with the stone now in Vision's head. I was one of those people he controlled."

Clint stopped his story to take in a shaky breath. He'd had lingering effects from that fight for years and he was still working through them. Losing all control took a heavy toll on him, and having someone unravel his mind was both physically and mentally painful. It always took a lot out of him to discuss this story, especially when he wasn't proud of what he did under that control. Even if he knew he couldn't have done any more to stop it.

Closing his eyes for just a moment to collect himself, he opened them just as quickly. "Natasha eventually knocked that son of a bitch out of my head, but after all the wrong I did, the people I killed... Even if it wasn't actually me, I had lost a lot of people's trust in Shield. It was Steve who went out on a limb and trusted me to join their team, and even if he did so out of desperation since aliens were attacking, after that fight he still trusted me. He saw me struggling to do what was right and he helped me feel like I was part of the team when I hadn't regained everyone's trust. He made me feel like I wasn't an outsider, he had faith that I was a good man, and I see him acting the same way with Bucky."

Throughout the conversation, Wanda had watched how genuine he was with discussing this difficult topic, but she couldn't help but briefly look at her lap from the familiar situation. Steve had done the same with her back in Sokovia, he trusted her to help stop the train and Ultron out of desperation, but even after the fight he tried to make her feel at home among them. She also realized how Clint had been one of the first to accuse her but as soon as he saw her trying to do the right thing, he easily put those accusations aside.

"His best friend was brainwashed to be someone he was not," He continued, causing Wanda to turn her full attention back to him, "But Steve sees through that and realizes he's a good man he can trust with his life. I feel like I need to take a chapter out of Cap's book, put my trust into someone who will appreciate having people by his side. I own him a debt after what he did for me, and Bucky deserves the same faith I received. Feeling like a monster sucks when you know you have good in you."

When Clint said that last sentence, the conversation completely hit Wanda. She knew what it was like to feel like a monster, ever since she got her powers she was never sure of what she was. It was like the conversation she had with Vision only a few days ago, she thought she was still herself but when the citizens around her thought she was a ticking bomb and a murderer, she wasn't quite sure if she was a monster or not.

Facing away from Clint and staring dead ahead just like he was, she observed all the potholes rolling by from the headlights illuminating their path. The silent understanding of everyone's predicament filled the truck even as he said, "That's why I feel like I should stay and help. If anything, it's to give my trust to someone who needs it because the world is depriving them."

The engine and the wind whistling through a slightly cracked window were the only noises heard for the longest time. Wanda focused on the small amount of refreshing spring air until the void was broken when Clint continued, "But I'd be lying if I wasn't conflicted on what to do right now. If I could, I'd love to get out of here before this mess gets out of hand, but with Vision now aware I broke you out... I fear it might already be too late."

Wanda looked back at Clint who was fighting a huge internal battle of uncertainty. He was at a crossroads and truly didn't know what to do. In an attempt to comfort him like he had done so many times with her, she said, "You've already taken that chapter out of Steve's book when you helped me in Sokovia. I'm positive he wasn't oblivious to your act and as far as we're all concerned, you've paid any debt you may have had."

When she saw a smile cross his lips, one contagiously spread to hers. "You can still go home and that will be okay with everyone, but either way, you'll figure it out. You'll do what you need to, and whether that means to stay and find these soldiers or to go back to your family, you'll know when the time is right."

"Thank you," Clint said as he was honestly relieved to have that simple reassurance. He was glad for the attempt to ease his brain and with that distraction, his mind automatically drifted to a much more fun topic to balance out the previous conversation. He couldn't help but have his smile turn into a smirk when he asked, "So how was being on house arrest with Vision, by the way?"

"Jeez, I can't even with you," She slapped his shoulder as he drove. "Whenever I'm being sweet you go and ruin the moment," She joked in an attempt to distract him from the new conversation. Recently Clint had caught on to the little fact that Wanda was hiding her crush on Vision, but she wouldn't dare admit it to the man.

"That's what I do best," He continued but didn't forget his question. "So... How was it?"

Rolling her eyes, she slumped back into the seat. "Staying with Vision was fine and all, but he has no idea what paprika is! I wish Tony had put me on house arrest with you guys because at least Lila and Cooper know how to cook."

"Ooo, does Vision know you burn him behind his back?" Clint pretended to wince at the savage jest.

"Hey, I'm just speaking the truth," Wanda put her hands up in defense even though she actually did feel bad for the banter, along with punching him through twenty stories of the Avengers facility, but she'd make that sacrifice if it would keep her secret under wraps from his hawk eyes.

"Well then, you should probably get some sleep 'truth speaker,'" Clint teased as she seemed to sink into her seat clearly tired from the late night break out. "We're still about an hour out from the nearest 'forgotten' Shield safe house. From there, we're taking a jet to the next pickup point," He said as that's how he got from Iowa to New York in a matter of hours instead of half a day. There were many hidden safe houses across the world where Clint had to crash during dangerous missions, some of them coming with the perks of extra transport if one knew where to look. Fury still kept a few up and running in case of emergencies like this.

"We're not driving the whole way?" Wanda asked as she already started to feel more comfortable in the seat cushion despite the horrible angle her neck had to rest in.

Clint huffed a laugh, mainly because he was super relieved he didn't have to drive a car the whole way. "Not unless you want to sit in this car and deal with me for two days."

"Two days?" Wanda raised her eyebrow but the rest of her body refused to give any more energy to her reaction. "Where the hell are we going?"

Clint smirked. "You're going to have a bird's-eye tour of America because we're headed to San Francisco."


It's been a long time coming, after being kicked out of the college dorms and now on self quarantine I've surprisingly found a way to sneak in a little Clint Barton writing time between homework. Gotta look on the bright side of this wack situation afterall:) Stay safe out there everyone!