So I made this chapter a little longer. I thought it seemed to flow a bit better for this current chapter. Let me know what you think! Thank you for the love!
It had been a couple of days since I saw Clint after he helped me fix my sink. There were one or two moments we happened to see each other, and we would say hello, but then one of us had to run off.
As I walked through Target I mused that I liked talking to Clint. Even though I didn't know him I liked his company.
Naturally, I informed Beth, and my best friend was formulating six different plans on how I could talk to my elusive neighbor again.
Beth was the outgoing, extrovert in our seven-year friendship.
My mouth quirked into a smile as I thought of the conversations she had about her plans for me and Clint.
I told her she was crazy.
After gathering all my necessary items for fun I went over to the entertainment section to look at their Funko Pop dolls to see if anything cute was on the shelves. I didn't need another one, but if a character from one of my favorite Disney films was on the shelf then I had to buy it.
Scanning the rows I was coming up empty when I stopped at the second to last shelf. Glancing at it for only a second I didn't even think twice before I picked it up and put it in my basket.
A grin on my lips.
The past few days Clint had seen Dorothy only a handful of times. Always saying hello or goodbye as one or the other left to go someplace.
He had been trying to find something to say. But he was coming up empty. Several times he saw her on the balcony. He wanted to go out there and talk but she always looked busy and he didn't want to bother her.
He studied her while she worked. She almost always had her headphones in when she was on her laptop. Whenever she was working, she was always intently focused on her task. He learned the signs of when she became frustrated.
She scrunched up her face and roughly ran her hands through her hair. Or sometimes she let her head drop and he read her lips as she let out a curse.
The thought of calling Nat or even Steve left his head as quickly as it came. There was nothing to talk about. They were only neighbors.
A loud series of knocks on his front door interrupted him while he was making dinner.
A smirk appeared on his face as he imagined Dorothy appearing at his door yet again sopping wet from another plumbing problem.
But when he opened the door he found no one. Looking around the hall it was quiet and empty. He was about to shut the door when he saw a small wrapped present on the doorstep.
Picking up the box that was wrapped in sloth wrapping paper he picked up the small card that was taped to it.
The neat writing on the card said,
Definitely not a bomb.
Clint let out a laugh. He had a feeling he knew who this was from even though the card wasn't signed.
Closing the door and bringing the present into the kitchen he set it down at the counter as he momentarily analyzed it.
He concluded that it was safe to open. Stark had done a sweep of everyone in the building and no red flags came up. Dorothy didn't seem like the assassin, undercover type.
Tearing the wrapping paper off the present a huge grin broke out onto his face.
Picking up the small box he looked at the Funko Pop version of John Deacon. It was a promotional thing they had done for the Bohemian Rhapsody movie.
Staring at the box he was glad no one could see him standing there starring at it, grinning like an idiot. She did this for him.
Why?
He didn't know why. All he knew was that this small gift from Dorothy made him happy.
Really happy.
He walked over to his bookshelf and put the box on the empty top shelf. The grin was still on his face.
The why didn't seem to matter in that moment.
"I swear to God if this gets me evicted." Hissing at Beth as we hurriedly made our way to my door.
"Just hurry up." She whispered clutching the towel to her.
With shaking hands, I unlocked the door and we rushed inside.
I didn't let out a breath until I locked the door. Beth had already made her way to my bathroom and I heard the tub running a second later.
"I can't believe I'm actually going along with this. This is what happens when someone has known you for too long. They just go along with your crazy shit!" Raising my voice as I made my way to the bathroom.
The towel had been discarded on the floor and the tubs new inhabitant was making himself at home.
A small, baby duck, a mallard, which Beth kept correcting me on, was now occupying my tub.
"I am going to kill you." Staring daggers as Beth.
"It was too late for me to bring him to the clinic and I don't have a bathtub. What you were just going to leave him abandoned and helpless with his foot like this." Beth challenged as she adjusted the temperature of the tub.
It had started out as such a normal, lovely Saturday night.
We had been out to dinner in Rockville, Maryland when Beth, my best friend/ vet tech/ veterinarian in training, spotted the lonely duck limping all by himself.
Naturally, her instincts kicked in and she flocked to the animal the way she did with any animal with a pulse and declared that the baby duck needed help. Only it was six in the evening and the veterinary clinic that she worked at was closed for the evening.
She presumed that his ankle was twisted and that's why he, it took some inspection on Beth's part to confirm it was a he, was limping.
Probably abandoned by his mother because of his injury.
"It's just for tonight. Tomorrow first thing I'll come over and pick him up and take him to work to get him checked out." She said.
"Just for the night!" Exclaiming "I am going to have to stay up all night with Stewart to make sure he doesn't hurt himself further or wreck the bathroom."
Beth raised her eyebrows at me "Stewart?"
"Shut up you saved him I get to name him." Huffing out.
"I'm sorry Dottie please it's just for one night. I promise eight am tomorrow I'll be at your door to pick him up." Beth pleaded.
"What am I even going to feed him?" Asking her as I began to break down from her puppy dog eyes.
"Corn, bits of lettuce, defrosted peas, oats. Nothing fancy just stay away from bread. That's actually bad for ducks."
"No shit." Learning this new information as she nodded.
We both stared at Stewart who was swimming around my tub letting out a quack now and then.
"I'm definitely going to have to clean that tub tomorrow." Grimacing. I think I had bleach in the apartment.
"So what do you want to do to kill time?" Beth asked as she sat down on the floor.
"What? Aren't you supposed to be grabbing drinks with that guy Mike?" Questioning.
"Oh shit I should text and cancel." Beth pulled out her phone.
"Uh no, you won't! You haven't stopped talking about this date all week. You're going." Snatching her phone from her.
"Dottie I'm not leaving you by yourself to take care of Stewart." She tried to reason.
"I'll be fine. He's one baby duck. How much trouble could he be? I'll stay with him, we'll watch Brooklyn 99, we'll have a great time." Cracking a joke with her.
She grinned at me "Well if you're sure..."
"Positive! Now go home and change and go out with Mike. Remember text me if it's going horribly and you need an excuse to leave." Speaking.
Beth got off the floor and went up and kissed my cheek "You are the best friend ever." She beamed.
"I know." Grinning back "Just be sure to pick him up at eight. I have my bi-weekly lunch with Pops tomorrow."
"Will do." Beth grabbed her bag and promptly left us with a wave.
After she left I went to relock the door before making my way back to the bathroom.
Hands on my hips I looked at Stewart swimming in the tub.
"Please don't cause any trouble for me." Pleading with him.
Clint looked out the doors for the third time that evening. The night was pleasant, but he still had not seen Dorothy.
He thought he had heard her come home earlier, but he might have been mistaken. All he wanted to do was thank her for the gift.
Maybe talk to her for a little bit but that was all.
Steeling his courage and telling himself it wasn't such a big deal he walked out his front door and closed it behind him.
Clint made his way over to Dorothy's door and rang her doorbell.
With his hearing aids on he could hear noise coming from her apartment. Scuffles and curses coming from the walls within, so he knew she was home.
"Coming!" A voice called from beyond the door.
A minute later Dorothy hesitantly opened her door. She looked flustered.
"Hi Clint, how are you?" She said slightly out of breath.
"I'm good...are you okay?" He asked tentatively.
"Yeah just...cleaning."
She was lying. He could tell straight away. That was what he had been trained for.
"Well, I just wanted to thank you for the gift. It was really sweet. I love it." Clint smiled at her deciding to not focus on her lie.
A bright smile lit up her face "Oh it was nothing. I saw it at Target and I thought you might like it. Just a thank you for helping me with my sink."
"It was thoughtful." He found himself still smiling.
So was she.
A loud crash emanated from within the apartment. Clint looked behind Dorothy whose eyes darted back and forth.
"What's going on?" Clint asked her.
"What? What do you mean?" She put on the innocent act pretending not to have heard the noise.
"The crash that just came from your apartment." Clint crossed his arms as he narrowed his eyes at her.
"That's funny I didn't hear anything. Maybe your hearing aids are off." Dorothy naively shrugged.
Another loud clattering of noises came from her apartment. He watched Dorothy bite her lip.
"I really need to get back to cleaning. I'll talk to you later; glad you liked the gift." She rushed out and tried to shut the door but his reflexes kicked in. His hand shot out as he stopped her from closing the door.
Sheer surprise was on her face as he forced his way past her into her apartment following the source of the noise.
"Hey! I didn't invite you in!" She squeaked at him "You know if you were a vampire, you'd be...dust right now!" She rambled as she followed him.
The sounds were coming from the bathroom.
"Clint, I mean it don't go in there!" She shouted at him.
He already had his hand on the doorknob and opened the door.
He stood stunned and so confused at the sight before him.
There was a baby duck waddling around Dorothy's wrecked bathroom.
Clint slowly turned around from the odd scene and came face to face with an utterly panicked Dorothy.
"Please don't tell." She pleaded.
"That's a duck," Clint said.
"Technically it's a Mallard." Squeaking out to him.
Glancing around him I noticed Stewart trying to climb back up the toilet.
"Stewart back in the tub." Moving around Clint to gently pick Stewart up and place him back in the bathtub for the 15th time.
Why couldn't he just stay in the tub like a good duck?
"Stewart. The duck's name is Stewart." Clint stumbled out to me. Like he was trying to make sense of this.
Me too pal.
"Well, what do you name your ducks?" Sarcasm dripping from my voice.
"Why is Stewart here?" Clint asked, his gaze cutting from me to the duck paddling around the tub.
"It's a long story." Replying.
Clint closed the bathroom door and leaned against it "I got time."
Heaving out a sigh "Beth, my best friend, and I went out to dinner tonight in Rockville. After dinner, we were walking around, and she notices this baby duck." Gesturing to Stewart "Anyway since she is in school to become a vet. She loves any animal with a pulse and she sees Stewart alone and limping. The next thing I know I'm driving back to my apartment with my best friend holding a duck wrapped in a towel."
"Okay..." Clint let out "But why is Stewart here? In your apartment."
"Because Beth doesn't have a bathtub." Rubbing my face "She is coming by first thing tomorrow to pick him up and bring him to the veterinary clinic where she works. Plus she had this really important date tonight that she was looking forward to."
"So...you're just going to spend the night with a duck?" Clint raised his eyebrows.
"You make it sound so scandalous." Gasping in mock horror "Don't tell or my reputation will be ruined!" Joking with him.
It earned me a grin and some laughs.
Clint paused for a few seconds before he said, "I could stay and keep you company if you want." He quietly said.
My head snapped to look at him "Oh I don't want to keep you if you have plans." Fumbling out.
Nice one Dot
"I don't have anything planned." He shrugged his shoulders "Plus anything to salvage a woman's reputation." He smirked and it made me momentarily laugh.
I became quiet as I thought it over. I mean if he wanted to stay...
"Okay then, you can stay if you want." Standing and working to fix my bathroom acting like it wasn't a big deal.
Because it wasn't.
Behind me, I heard Clint move things around. Helping me to tidy up. We worked in silence.
Nope, not a big deal at all.
"So...where do you call home?" Asking as I attempted to break the awkward air between us.
Clint paused as a grimace came over his face "Waverly, Iowa."
"I'd make that face too if I came from Iowa." Giggling hoping to get him to smile.
It worked somewhat. His lips did quirk upward.
"What about you?" He asked me.
We were sitting across from one another. The tub and Stewart between us.
"I grew up not far from here. My parents had a house in Fredericksburg. My grandfather, my Pops," Smiling at my nickname for him "Moved to Shady Oak, Virginia a few years ago. That's where I was living until I moved to D.C. six months ago."
"Do you like living in the city?" Clint asked me.
"I love it! When I was doing my graduate degree, it was a pain in the ass having to commute to D.C. three times a week for classes." Groaning as I remembered the countless hours stuck in D.C. traffic "It's nice to be in the city and get to work so easily."
"Where did you go to school?"
"Beth and I both went to William and Mary for our undergrad. I went to George Washington for my master's. Beth is still in school at American to get her veterinary doctorate." Explaining.
"What about you?" Turning the questions on him "You mentioned you lived in D.C. before. What made you come back?"
Clint was quiet for a moment before answering "Home isn't something I've ever really had. My parents died in a car crash when my brother and I were kids. We bounced around in a lot of foster homes growing up."
My heart panged with the familiarity of grief for him.
"I'm so sorry." Kindly speaking.
"I don't really remember them so it's fine." Clint shook his head but that made me sadder "When I grew up I moved around a lot. I suppose New York was the longest place I stayed these past few years. I had been staying with friends in the city before I left for D.C." He quietly finished.
Bringing my knees up to me I rested my chin against them "I lost my mom when I was 13." Whispering "She was in a car crash too. I was in the car with her."
Silence ticked by for a few seconds as I looked anywhere but Clint's face.
"I'm sorry." He finally said.
"I was raised by my grandparents after that. They became my everything. My grandmother got sick when I was at William and Mary. She passed away three weeks after I got my diploma." Tears began to pool in my eyes.
"Sorry." Apologizing as the grief crept in me as fresh and as new as the day she died. Wiping the tears from my eyes.
"You don't have to apologize." He kindly told me.
"Since then it's just been me and Pops." Putting on a watery smile.
"What about your dad?" Clint asked me.
"Oh, you mean the alcoholic son of a bitch who used to beat his wife? No, he's not in my life." Bitterly hissing in rage.
A new wave of tension settled over the small space.
"Sorry." Apologizing again "I didn't mean to make it weird." Still not looking at him.
"My dad used to beat my mom too. He was a drunk too." He said softly.
I risked raising my eyes at him. He was staring at me with his full attention. It felt raw and real. The pain of exposure.
"So you get it then. Being on the other side of an angry man's power." Whispering as dark memories filled in my head.
"Yeah, I do." He nodded.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Saying to him in earnest.
"I'm sorry you had to as well." He replied never taking his eyes off me. Oddly, it was starting to become warm in the cramped bathroom.
Clearing my throat, I tried to get rid of...whatever weird feelings I was experiencing.
"Do you work?" Inquiring as I tried to switch the conversation.
"I do..." He trailed off looking away from me.
"I did, I mean I'm taking a break." He explained.
"I didn't mean to pry, you don't have to talk about it." Rushing out.
"No, it's just..." He paused like he was trying to gather his words "There was an incident a month ago. One of my teammates got killed protecting me. I'm just struggling with the why." He admitted.
"Are you a soldier?" Asking thinking he was either a soldier or a cop.
"Yeah," He paused "I'm a soldier." He sighed so dejectedly. Like he hated himself.
"I mean we didn't even like each other. From the first moment we meet we were at each other's throats. We weren't friends. He was a bit of an ass, especially when it came to protecting his sister, he was just a kid really." Darkness flashed in Clint's eyes "I just don't understand why he did it. Why he sacrificed himself for me."
My heart ached for him. He had been put through the ringer more than most people. Somewhere deep inside of me wanted to give him a great big hug until that sad look disappeared from his eyes.
Reaching over I put my hand on his knee "Sometimes you never find the why. Sometimes things happen and we just have to live with it. But I don't think your fellow solider wouldn't have risked his life for yours if he didn't at least care about you. He may not have liked you but he respected you. He was doing what any soldier would have done. Protecting his own." Speaking to him hoping this was bringing some comfort.
"As someone who knows what it's like to get lost in the whys, take it from me, don't let it eat you alive. I've spent 13 years fixated on why I lived, and my mother died." Swallowing the guilt. The guilt that never left me.
Some days right after the accident happened I wished that I could have traded places with my mom. It was what I deserved. Pops and Grandma were gutted when I first told them that. That my guilt was that great. After that first time, I stopped telling them.
Especially since the accident was all my fault in the first place. I was the reason why my mom died that day.
"Sometimes... sometimes I wish that it had been my dad that had died. That he was in the car and my mom was still here because he isn't a good man. Then he would have been gone from our lives and we could have really been happy." Confessing to Clint.
"Do you think that makes me a terrible person?" Whispering aloud one of my darkest thoughts.
"No it doesn't." Clint answered immediately and it stunned me "That doesn't make you a terrible person for wanting to save the person who loved you and end the one who caused you pain." He heatedly told me
I gulped the lump in throat from his emotion. I had never really talked to anyone like this about these things before. Well...not to someone who understood it. Who just got it.
"Believe me I've thought and done worse." He said grimly.
"I find that hard to believe." Gently replying to him.
Clint chuckled darkly and looked away from me. What could I say to comfort him when I barely knew him.
Then I remembered that my hand was still resting on his knee.
"Oh sorry." Pulling my hand away like it was on fire. I felt warm again. Hopefully, there wasn't a blush on my face.
Thank God my phone started ringing.
AC/DC's Shoot to Thrill filled the bathroom. My ringtone for whenever Beth was calling me.
"It's Beth." Telling Clint before I picked up the call.
"Hey, everything alright?" Asking her.
"Everything is going super great here." I could hear the smile in her voice "How is it going with Stewart?"
"We had a rough start but he seems to have calmed down now." Looking at the duck who was casually floating in my tub before quickly glancing at Clint.
"Great, that's it I was just checking in."
"All good on this end. Get back to your date." Chuckling "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"See you in the morning." She said before hanging up.
"She was just checking in." Explaining to Clint as I put my phone away.
"You like AC/DC?" He asked.
"I love AC/DC. They were one of my mom's favorite bands. Probably not the most appropriate thing for a nine-year-old to be listening to, but it could have been worse." Giggling.
"Beth likes AC/DC thanks to Iron man making them relevant again." Rolling my eyes "She's kind of obsessed with the Avengers. Hence the ringtone."
"What about you?" He asked me.
"I don't know?" Shrugging my shoulders "I mean I like them and respect them but I'm not a super fan like Beth." Smirking "It was super cool after what happened in NYC but then it got more serious than I was comfortable with."
"What do you mean?" Clint furrowed his brows in confusion.
"Last year with Black Widow leaking all that information to the world. The whole world finding out that Shield, the good guys had been infiltrated by Hydra, it just got way too real. I was in D.C. that day when those jets crashed into the Potomac." Taking in a breath "It scared me to death." My head flooded with memories from that day from last year "I remember Pops calling me frantic, worried that something had happened to me."
"It stopped being just cool superheroes after that. It became real and serious. I stopped following Avenger news after that but Beth keeps me fully informed whether I like it or not." Quirking my lips into a smile.
It could have just been my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw Clint let out a small sigh of relief when I told him that.
"Are you an Avengers fan? I'd have you pegged as a Hulk guy." Joking with him.
"No, I don't really follow them." He shook his head laughing.
"The closet I've been to an Avenger was because of work. Well, I wasn't working there at the time, just interning."
"Where do you work?" He asked me.
"The National Museum of American History." Sheepishly replying.
His eyes lit up "Holy crap that's so cool."
Blushing at his reaction I said, "Yeah it's a dream job, except for my boss." Rolling my eyes as I thought of Diana, "But when I was an intern during grad school I got to help put together the Captain America-Howling Commandos Exhibit."
"It was one of the best things I had ever experienced. There I was. Me, an intern getting to help put together this massive exhibit on one of America's greatest heroes. I'm not going to lie when I got to help unbox the uniforms and see them up close and in person, I started jumping up and down." Laughing out.
"Sorry I tend to nerd out hard when I'm talking about history." Blushing embarrassed.
"No, it's wonderful to see someone so passionate about what they love." Clint smiled at me.
"Thanks." Shyly replying as pink still tinted my cheeks "I would love to put together my own exhibit one day. I have so many ideas up here." Tapping my forehead.
I heard a rumbling sound. Scrunching my eyes I looked at Stewart but he had his eyes closed and looked like he was sleeping.
The rumbling happened again and I glanced at Clint who looked red and was avoiding my gaze.
It was his stomach.
Glancing at my phone I saw it was just about after ten at night.
"So what do you feel like?" Pulling up Grubhub on my phone.
"What?" He said confused.
"For a late dinner, what do you want." Handing him my phone.
"Oh no, I'm fine." He tried to give me my phone back. I shook my head.
"Clint I can hear your stomach. Just pick a place to eat."
Giving him my I'm not backing down face, he finally relented and began to scroll through the options.
"So what would you normally be doing on a Saturday night if you weren't stuck watching a duck with your dorky neighbor?" Giggling.
"Nothing too exciting." He snorted "Probably just out walking. Reading a book or maybe watching TV."
"Man you need a life." Saying to him.
He paused and looked up at me and my serious face. I only last about two seconds before I broke out laughing.
He grinned "I like your sarcasm."
"Thank you. I try." Flipping my hair dramatically.
Clint couldn't stop staring at Dorothy's peaceful sleeping form. She was leaning against the tub with her feet tucked under her. He didn't want to wake her. This past night had been stressful enough. All because of a duck.
Said duck who was currently paddling in his tub.
He survived endless days without sleep. He could pull one all-nighter to make sure Stewart didn't destroy Dorothy's bathroom. He wasn't sure when she fell asleep. It might have been around three in the morning.
They had talked so much. About everything and anything. What they loved and hated. The important stuff and the trivial stuff.
He learned she was obsessed with the musical Hamilton and was fascinated over true crime anything. She had spent a summer in Rwanda interviewing genocide survivors when she was earning her undergrad. She fiercely admired Ida Wells and Nellie Bly. She held her master's in museum studies. One day she wanted to go for her doctorate when she had the money. Her favorite color was red, and she would take skirts over work trousers any day. And she was majorly obsessed with anything Disney.
Clint absorbed everything she said like a sponge.
As for him, he tried to be as honest as possible with his answers, but still...it was lying.
He felt the biggest relief when she told him that she didn't keep up with the Avengers. He wasn't in D.C. when the whole Hydra/Shield situation happened, but he could imagine how insane it was. She must have been terrified to be caught in the middle of it.
They both loved the 80's. Particularly the movies and the music. They both loved Thai food, which they had ordered for dinner. And came to the definite conclusion that cookies and cream ice cream was the superior ice cream. They both had similar styles of humor. They both had self-deprecating personalities.
Then came the hard shit.
They both had shitty dads who liked to drink and beat their wives. They both lost at least one parent. They both hated their fathers, even though hers was still alive.
She had known grief and guilt. The heavy weight of it settling onto one's shoulders. The knowing that the grief and guilt could drown you if you'd let it.
They both knew what it felt like to be alone.
It had been a long time since he had spoken to anyone about his past, his parents, how he grew up. She listened. She didn't judge. She understood.
A part of him hated lying to her. He wasn't a solider...well not technically but he suppose he was. He understood her when she said to not let himself get lost in the whys of Pietro's death. She didn't judge or push him to talk about it or prod him with questions.
Dorothy just listened. And that was enough.
He wasn't sure where to go from here? Were they friends? Acquaintances?
He didn't know how to feel. He knew that he only felt more complicated.
Her phone started buzzing with an alarm arousing her from her sleep.
"I'm coming." She sleepily mumbled as she opened her eyes "What time is it?"
Clint smirked as he looked down at his watch "7:30 in the morning."
"Lord help me." She sighed as she turned off her phone as she shook the sleep from her.
"Oh God, I'm sorry I fell asleep!" She jumped now awake "Please tell me you got some sleep."
He chuckled "It's fine. I'm used to pulling all-nighters."
He watched Dorothy rub the sleep from her eyes "Still I owe you breakfast. I would extend the offer now but I'm sure Beth is already on her way."
"You don't owe me anything." He told her sincerely.
"Not many people would help their neighbor babysit a baby duck for the whole night. I'd call this a special circumstance." She smiled at him.
"It definitely was a first for me." He laughed.
And given his long career that was saying something.
Dorothy reached out her hand "Officially friends?" She hopefully beamed at him.
Something turned inside of him that he couldn't quite place. But he knew he shouldn't say no. He didn't want to.
"Officially friends." He reached over and shook her hand with a smile.
Her hand was smooth and soft.
A true contrast to his rough and calloused hands.
Stewart quacked beside them, grabbing their attention.
"Hey, you spent all night getting our attention let us have this." Dorothy playfully shot back at the small animal.
Stewart replied with another quack.
Dorothy turned back and met his eyes with an eye roll "Men." She smirked.
Suddenly he realized we were still holding onto each other's hands.
"Sorry." Mumbling out as he dropped her hand. His hand now feeling cold. He hoped he hadn't made things weird.
"You're fine." She tried to smile but it didn't quite meet her eyes.
What was different?
"Well I think we've kept you long enough, and after a sleepless night I'll spare you from an early morning dose of Beth." She chuckled getting up off the floor and Clint followed suit.
Why did he feel like he was being dismissed?
"Go get some rest please." She said to him as they walked out of the bathroom "I can handle him for the next few minutes."
"Alright if you don't mind," Clint said, not wanting to leave but he figured he should go before her friend got here.
When they made it to the front door he fumbled for his keys. Dorothy opened the door and he stepped out of her place making his way to his.
"Let me know if you need anything else." He said to her as he unlocked his door.
"I will." She gave him a small smile before her attention drifted beyond him.
"You're early." She said surprised.
Clint turned around and found a woman with olive-colored skin bounding up the stairs with an animal carrier.
"I thought I'd give you an early reprieve from duck duty." She joked "And a muffin." Pulling a white bag from her purse before handing it to Dorothy.
"What a friend." Dorothy playfully said back.
"Oh sorry, Clint this is my best friend and partner in crime Beth." She introduced them.
He waved at Beth "Nice to meet you. Have a good day Dorothy." He said before quickly disappearing inside the apartment.
Beth was gripping my arm so tight I thought she would leave a bruise.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" Hissing at her as she pushed me into my apartment.
"What the hell Dottie?" She said stunned.
"What? What?" Utterly confused.
"Do you not know who that was!" Beth's eyes were wide and wild.
"That was Clint, my neighbor." Grabbing her hand and releasing her death grip on me "Jesus Beth my arm." Annoyed at her.
"That wasn't just your neighbor Clint, Dottie, that was Clint Barton. Aka Hawkeye, aka one of the Avengers." She exclaimed.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Dumbfounded "That's just Clint. He's not a superhero."
Beth set down the carrier and pulled out her phone. A microsecond later she was shoving it into my face.
I was looking at a picture titled "The Avengers after the Battle of New York." It showed the Avengers cleaning up the streets from the battle in NYC a few years ago.
"Far-right corner in the black combat vest." Beth pointed at the phone "And the blurb underneath it."
Reading the blurb, it read "The Avengers team, picturing from left to right: Captain America, Black Widow, Bruce Banner, Tony, Stark, Thor, and Hawkeye."
Scanning my eyes to the right of the screen sure enough I saw the small image of Clint in a black combat vest cleaning up the streets of NYC with a bow and arrow strapped to his back.
"Holy shit." Blanching at the screen as I turned white.
