Everyone, especially Clint, fretted about me after Thor brought me back. I didn't understand what the big deal was.
It was really freaking fun to ride along with Thor while we soared through the sky.
Thor and I tried to go again but everyone was acting like a bunch of grandmas, ruining our fun.
Though Thor promised me we'd try and sneak in one more ride before Clint and I left tomorrow.
Wandering around the compound by myself I wondered what to do. Clint was currently talking to Tony. He told me he was going to tell Tony he had finally made a decision.
Clint was officially retiring.
It didn't matter to me. The only thing that I cared about was Clint's happiness, and if retiring is what he wanted then I would support him.
Though I was glad I was not going to be present for the conversation.
"Hey, Friday?" Asking aloud.
"Yes Dorothy?" The AI responded. A tiny smile appeared on my face when she called me Dorothy. At least it wasn't Miss Laurens.
"Can you tell me where Wanda is?" Wanting to talk to her and see how she was doing.
"She is in her room. Would you like me to guide you there?" Friday asked.
"Yes please."
A few minutes later I knocked on the half-open door.
"Hi." Peering my head in "Is it alright if I come in?" Inquiring.
"Of course." Wanda was a tad surprised to see me.
"I just wanted to stop by and say hi. Clint is chatting with Tony so I thought it would be a good time." Gently smiling at her.
Wanda moved over and made room on her bed "Please sit."
I sat down on her bed "I just…I just wanted to know how you were doing. Clint well filled me in on what happened in Sokovia. I also wanted to offer my condolences." Softly telling her.
"Thank you." Wanda whispered "It's…some days I can't breathe. I feel like I'm falling down a black hole and usually when that happened Pietro would pull me out, but now-" She didn't finish the sentence.
"I know what that feels like." Empathizing "My mom was my whole world. She was my best friend. I could talk to her about anything. When she died I felt like a part of me died with her." Sadly saying, hoping to connect to the teenager sitting next to me.
"How old were you when she died?" Wanda asked.
"I was thirteen. Even now thirteen years later that day still haunts me. We were in a car crash. I was in the car with her." Breathing as I pushed the memories of that day out of my head, "When I woke up at the hospital and my Pops and Grandma told me she was gone I didn't want to believe it."
"Our parents died when we were ten. A bomb fell through the roof of our apartment building." Wanda told me.
"Oh my god." Gasping "I am so sorry."
"I remember a crater opening in the floor. My parents disappeared. Pietro grabbed me and we hid under a bed. A second bomb came through the roof. It landed three feet from us but it never went off." Tears pooled in Wanda's eyes.
Reaching forward I gently took Wanda's hand in mine.
"For the longest time, we hated Stark. We were consumed by it. Our need to destroy him."
My eyes rose in confusion, "Why would you hate Tony?"
"Because the bomb was a Stark bomb." She said darkly.
Emitting another gasp I covered my mouth with my free hand. I knew that Stark Industries used to deal in weapons but what could dropping a bomb in a place like Sokovia accomplish? Other than death.
"Later-now we know it wasn't him per se. His partner was selling his weapons on the black market. He never learned about it until he was captured in Afghanistan." Wanda explained.
"Still, Jesus. I'm so sorry that happened to you." Kindly offering. I had experienced pain, but Wanda was on a whole other level than I was.
"Sometimes I used to wonder why we survived, but you know at least I had Pietro." She sniffled.
Tears escaped her eyes "Now I have no one." She wiped the tears from her face.
"That's not true." Fiercely saying "I know that everyone here cares about you. Clint cares about you so much."
"He…he felt so guilty after what happened." Referring to Pietro's death "He couldn't understand all the why's. It was driving him insane."
"I know. I knew he blamed himself. He would barely look at me. Never talked to me." She sighed shaking her head.
"Finally I got to tell him that I didn't blame him. Pietro made his choice. He knew what he was doing. Even if they hated each other." Wanda let out a small chuckle "I told Clint, I wanted to try being friends."
"I know. He came back from visiting you guys and he told me. I was so ecstatic for the pair of you!" Laughing "If you ask him, he'll tell you I started hopping up and down in my kitchen. The conversation you had meant so much to him."
"He cares a lot about you. If you give me the chance I'd like to be your friend as well." Gently saying, suddenly nervous.
A smile spread across Wanda's face "I'd like that Dottie."
My face instantly matched hers "Here put your number in my phone." Handing her my cell "Feel free to call or text whenever you want to. If you need advice or just want to vent or do girl talk." Laughing.
She took my phone and put her number in and gave it back "Also feel free to visit anytime you'd like. Any of you guys are always welcome at my place."
"Thank you Dottie, that means a lot." She smiled and reached over and hugged me.
I hugged her back tightly.
My past was bleak. Hers was dark.
I couldn't even imagine going what she and Pietro went through. Then losing the one person you have left. She wasn't even eighteen yet. Yet she'd been through so much.
She was strong.
"And for the record, you're much stronger than I am." Breaking away and looking at her "I don't think I could have survived like you and Pietro did."
"I'm sure that's not true." Wanda shook her head "Clint says you're one of the bravest women he's known."
That brought a blush to my cheeks.
Shaking my head I said, "I love Clint but there is a lot he still doesn't know about me and my past." Quietly responding.
"Wait…you love him!" A grin blossomed across her face.
"Yeah." My blush grew larger "He told me he loved me last night." Ducking my head with a smile.
"Aw, that's so cute!" She bounced up and down on the bed.
"I know my best friend Beth, who you'd love, by the way, is going to go nuts when I tell her." Laughing out with her. Her excitement was infectious.
There was a knock on the door. Looking towards the sound we saw Nat standing in the doorway.
"Room for one more?" She asked with a sly smile.
"Come on in!" Wanda said.
Nat grabbed the computer chair and placed it before us and sat down.
"Okay, can we just rip off the band-aid and get the threatening talk over with." Blurting out to her.
Nat quirked her eyes in amusement.
"Clint's your best friend. And you're trained in God knows, like everything. I know that if I ever hurt him or cause him any pain, which I don't intend to I know what will happen. You literally have the power to make me disappear off the planet so with that in mind, you scare me. But I also like you because you're Clint's best friend and I'd for us to be friends too." Finishing my rant "Also you're a goddamn badass."
Natasha stared at me for a long moment before she smiled.
"I told Clint I liked you. Glad to see I was right."
That left me dumbstruck.
Black Widow liked me?
"Clint is my best friend. I know him better than he knows himself. That being said I've told him multiple times that you two are good together, and you're good for him. He's the most himself I've ever seen him be when he's with you." Nat told me.
A new blush appeared.
"He's happy. You make him happy." Nat simply concluded.
"And he makes me happy." A smile moving my lips.
I let out a chuckle "I keep giving him outs. I mean he's literally everything any woman can want. He could have anyone. I asked him why pick the dorky, Disney nerd, and Hamilton obsessed historian next door? Why pick the woman with glasses, uncontrollable curly hair, and curves?"
"And what did he say?" Nat leaned forward like she knew where this was going.
"He said he didn't want anyone else. He wanted his quirky, beautiful, intelligent next-door neighbor." Blushing again.
"How sweet!" Wanda gushed.
"When Clint knows what he wants, he knows what he wants. There's no changing his mind now."
"I know especially after we told each other we love each other." Laughing out not quite believing I was having girl talk with Black Widow and Scarlett Witch.
"Thank God!" Nat through her head back with a groan "I was going to slap him upside the head if he didn't say it soon."
That got Wanda and me laughing.
"They told each other last night," Wanda added beaming from ear to ear.
"Just take care of him for me," Nat said in an uncharacteristically quiet tone.
"I will." That made my heart melt "But you're not going anywhere. You'll always be in his life. Especially if I have any say." Smirking at her.
There was a new knock on the door.
We turned and saw Clint.
"Hey, how did it go?" Asking him.
"It's done." He nodded. Looking exhausted but relieved at the same time.
"What's done?" Wanda questioned.
Nat looked to me and Clint. Nat met his eyes. They were silent for a second before she nodded.
"You're going to have to keep a secret until tomorrow." Nat turned to Wanda.
"Alright, buddy what is this about?" Stark asked him, taking a seat behind his massive desk.
"Well I wanted to talk with you about my future here," Clint spoke as a mixture of dread and unease filled him.
"Yeah well I do imagine things will be different when you return back here, but I'm all for lending a hand in helping you and Dot make it work. We all like her by the way." Tony smirked.
Clint lips briefly quirked upward before they fell back down.
"That's the thing though Stark I don't think we'll be needing help to make it work." Clint rubbed the back of his neck.
This was way more difficult than telling Dot he loved her.
Tony was quiet. Clint knew he was letting him gather his thoughts.
"Tony I've decided that I'm not coming back." Clint quietly said to him.
The confession changed the atmosphere around them. Clint didn't want it to, but he knew it was unavoidable.
"I want to be taken out of duty permanently. I'm officially retiring." Clint spoke.
Tony swung his chair around and got up. The billionaire said nothing as he crossed over to the windows and looked out at the view.
Clint let the silence hang in the air. Thinking it was better for Stark to break it first.
"Who'd knew the love of a good woman would change you so much." Stark tried to joke but still wouldn't face Clint.
"It's not just about Dot, Tony. I'm-it's not the same anymore. I'm not a twenty-year-old kid working for Shield anymore. I'm tired. I'm tired of the missions and the craziness." Clint sighed rubbing his eyes.
Clint wanted to say that things also felt different. Things were different after Sokovia. And in Clint's mind, Stark was partially to blame. When he unknowingly created Ultron. When he helped to create Vision. His teammate had stepped over an invisible line. Now nothing felt the same.
He wanted to tell Stark all those things. But he didn't.
"I know we're all tired of this. Saving the world over and over again. But I've been doing this for a long time. Nat and I have been in this game the longest. I want something permanent. Something peaceful." Clint quietly revealed.
"I never used to think about settling down. I never thought about what my life would look like in X amount of years. I used to think one day at a time. I thought I'd be in this game for life but then-" Clint broke off.
Tony turned around "Then the perfect woman came along." Tony smirked in sadness.
"Yeah, yeah she did." Clint chuckled.
"Dot came into my life and suddenly I began thinking about things I wanted I do but never got the chance. The places we could visit together. The things she could teach me and show me. The support we could give one another." An enduring smile couldn't help but make its way to his lips.
"Okay I get it, you're in love. Ew." Tony shivered.
"Now I'm thinking about vacations, and mortgages, and what our future living room would look like. I've already planned out a screened-in back porch." He shook his head in disbelief.
"Jesus I didn't really believe Nat when she said you fell hard but, damn man. You've fallen like I fell out of that wormhole." Tony joked.
"Yeah. I'm utterly lost in her. I love her. Plain and simple." The archer laughed.
"What does she think about you leaving? Will she still be attracted to you without the uniform?" Stark sarcastically asked.
Clint snorted "She said that she would support me in whatever would make me the happiest."
"Good woman." Tony nodded in approval.
"Nat said the same thing."
"It's not like I won't visit and won't keep in touch. The things we've all been through together. You don't walk out of someone's life after going through what we've all been through." Clint tried to cheer him up.
Even though Stark wasn't showing it, he was saddened by the news.
"Plus Dot will want to visit. She loves it here. The scenery and the people. Especially Thor." Clint joked. He wondered what a task it would be to keep his girlfriend from sneaking off to take rides with the God of Thunder.
"Oh, I know. You both are not getting away from us that easily." Tony smirked. The glint of mischief was back in his eyes.
"We'll schedule a press conference for next week to make it official. I'm assuming you don't want to be there to make a statement." Tony clarified.
"No, I'd rather leave it to you guys," Clint responded.
Stark nodded "Thought you might not want to be around the press."
"Tony." Clint said quietly "Everything you've done for me. For us. The team." Clint tried speaking but Stark cut him off.
"Yeah I know, I know." He waved his hand like it was nothing.
Though Stark was like all of them.
They didn't do well with addressing their feelings.
Clint nodded to his teammate.
"Steve is making dinner for all of us tonight. Tell your girlfriend that afterward, we are having a movie night. As the guest of honor, she is allowed to pick the movie." Stark changed the subject, wanting to move on.
"Though if she picks Hamilton, I can't guarantee there won't be a riot." Tony joked.
"No, I'm sure she'll pick something more classic." Clint grinned thinking of his girlfriend's previous movie choices.
Tony walked over to Clint and extended his hand, which Clint took "Good luck out there buddy. I'm happy for you." He said to Clint sincerely.
"Thanks Stark," Clint replied.
Clint got up and left his teammate and friend to his thoughts.
As he walked down the hall an invisible weight had been lifted from his shoulders. For the first time in an exceptionally long time, his life was going to be his to lead.
"It will be okay." I soothingly whispered to Clint. We sat huddled next to each other after dinner in the theatre room.
That's right. The Avengers compound had its own theatre room.
Though instead of seats, Tony had opted for plush couches and loveseats. But the room was massive and had an actual theatre-style popcorn machine! And one of those Coke machines with the million different flavors you could combine and mix.
Thor mixed about five different sodas.
We all tried to stop him, but it was in vain.
How was he not fat?
"You'll tell them tomorrow after breakfast. Rip off the band-aid. They're not going to hate you." Trailing my thumb over his palm as we held hands.
"I know." He sighed and rubbed his neck.
He was nervous.
"If anything they'll hate me. I'm the Yoko after all." Cracking a joke to ease him.
Clint let out a laugh "You're definitely not Yoko." He rubbed my leg.
"Sure you say that now. We'll see tomorrow." Giving him a wry smile.
"Dot as the guest of honor you will pick the movie. So no pressure." Tony said pulling Clint and me out of our bubble.
"Yeah, no pressure." Rolling my eyes as I got up and went over to the fancy, floating screen.
"Just type in whatever you fancy," Tony said. Then sat back down in the front room with his popcorn bag.
My mind blanked.
What to choose?
Obviously, I couldn't make everyone happy. I don't think Vision and Thor have a work sense of human pop culture, and Steve was still catching up on modern times post-thaw.
"Babe pick whatever you want," Clint said to me.
"Trying hun." Replying back to him.
Fuck it. I'm going with what I know.
Typing the movie into the floating screen. I selected it and pressed play.
As soon as I stepped away from the screen, the lights began to dim.
"What did you pick?" Steve asked me.
I grinned like a cat.
"Come on Dottie give us a hint!" Sam called.
Going back over to Clint the movie screen turned on.
Glancing down at Clint, I winked.
"1.21 Gigawatts! Great Scott!" Exclaiming before dropping down next to my man.
"Sweet!" Tony yelled with excitement.
Thor, Vision, and Steve looked so confused.
"Don't worry Cap I'll explain." Sam patted Steve's shoulder.
"Wait a minute, Doc. Ah... Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?" Rhodey said in his best Marty McFly voice.
"Ssshh the movie is starting!" Nat shushed everyone as Back to the Future began.
"Nice choice." Clint nuzzled my neck planting a few kisses before we settled in to watch the movie.
Clint was nervous through breakfast but he was doing his best to put up a good front. Mostly though at breakfast, everyone was still trying to get Thor, Vision, and Steve to understand the plot to Back to the Future.
We had tried after the movie ended but that lasted until after one in the morning. Everyone was tired and we gave up saying we'd explain again at breakfast.
Surprisingly Thor was the one to get a good grip on the movie. Steve's final thoughts were that it was good, but a bit weird and uncomfortable. What with a mom falling in love and trying to fool around with her son who traveled back in time.
Vision was still indifferent.
"I think I would need to see the other two movies to make a decision." He stated.
"Next movie night Vis," Wanda commented with a chuckle.
"Don't worry Cap, no illicit incest in movies two and three." Tony sarcastically joked.
That all got a laugh out of all of us.
Breakfast was winding down. Looking at my watch I saw it was after eleven.
"We should get going if we want to get home before six. I have a lot to prepare for this week." Quietly saying to Clint.
"Yeah, we should get going." He sighed looking into my eyes. Not liking what he was about to do.
"Guys we have to be heading out." Clint rose from his seat.
The round of groans and protests from his friends made me smile.
"Thank you all so much for a wonderful, unforgettable weekend. I had so much fun. I can't wait to come back." Grinning at all of them with sincerity "If you'll have me." Hastily adding with a blush.
"Oh you're coming back," Tony smirked.
Everyone agreed.
It warmed my heart.
"Before we go there is something I do need to bring up," Clint said to his teammates.
He paused for a brief second. I took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
"I spoke to Stark about this yesterday, and there will be a formal press conference next week." Clint swallowed before continuing "I'm officially retiring. I'm hanging up my suit."
The silence that followed felt deafening.
All of the Avengers stared at Clint in amazement, save for Nat, Wanda, and Tony.
"I just-I want to give the domestic thing a shot." Clint shot me a smile and my cheeks pinked.
"It's not like I'm disappearing." Clint rushed out "All of us will still talk and we'll visit. We're not going anywhere. I'll still be there whenever you need me, but I think it's time to start leading my own life for a change."
I watched Clint go through the agony of waiting for his family to stay something, anything at his revelation.
Natasha was the first one to break the atmosphere. She got up from her chair, went over to Clint, and in what I can assume was a rare gesture, hugged Clint in front of everyone.
Steve followed when Natasha stepped away, clapping Clint on the back.
"I'm happy for you man." He smiled at Clint "Both of you." His gaze went to me.
"Yeah, you're not getting rid of our asses so easily." Sam grinned.
"I wouldn't expect to." Clint chuckled.
One by one his friends came over and comforted Clint in one form or another. I saw the rise and fall of relief in his chest knowing he still had a family.
Soon we said our goodbyes, with a promise to come back soon. Preferably next month to take a break from the exhibit prep. Everyone thoroughly agreed to have us back down to help me have some fun.
Everyone was kind and warm to me as we said our goodbyes. Thor promised me that next time we would go over for another ride, secretly he said with a wink.
I felt myself sadden as we climbed back into Clint's truck and drive back to D.C.
"You know what? I like them." Looking over at Clint with a smile on my face.
"Yeah, they're not so bad." Clint had a soft smile on his face.
All too soon I was swept back up into work when Monday came. Jude was ecstatic that Mr. Okrent had agreed to be a supervisor on the exhibit.
Wednesday quickly came and Clint, bless him, got up at five am to escort me to Union Station to grab an Amtrak to NYC.
He was a morning person. I was not.
He had a caffeinated tea ready for me. That's why I loved him.
Giving him a kiss goodbye, I promised to keep him updated. I hopped on the train and took a seat. The train was virtually empty. I should be in New York by ten am. Giving me enough time to get to Mr. Okrent's office.
Setting an alarm on my phone I tucked my bag next to the window and closed my eyes.
The next thing I knew my alarm was blaring me awake. I was close to Grand Central Station. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I smoothed my outfit out and double-checked I had everything I needed.
When I disembarked from the train it was a few minutes to ten am. Walking through Grand Central I stopped and bought myself a quick breakfast on the go. Then I texted Clint telling him I had gotten to New York safely.
I always had a bit of trouble navigating New York. It was different than walking through D.C. In my opinion, NYC was more complicated. Somehow I managed to find the huge office building that Mr. Okrent had directed me to.
Steeling myself I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I was a confident person who knew what they were doing.
With determination, I pulled open the door and strode confidently into the building.
Two hours later I walked out of Mr. Okrent's office, thrilled but spent. We had covered a lot of ground in two short hours.
We left our meeting with the schedule for me to visit every few weeks to go over the exhibit in person. In the meantime, we would Skype weekly.
I didn't want to be overly optimistic, but things were looking good so far.
Stepping onto the sidewalk I moved to the wall so I wouldn't be in anyone's way and texted Clint letting him know I was done with my meeting.
"Miss Laurens!"
Looking up from my phone, I scanned the crowds of people. But as far as I could see no one was actively looking at me.
Who said my name?
Chalking it up to coincidence I scrolled through my phone to find somewhere to grab lunch before heading back to Grand Central to catch an Amtrak back to D.C.
"Miss Dorothy Laurens!" My name sounded again.
My neck snapped back up at the crowd.
A man in a black suit was waving me over to a town car.
Cautiously I made my way over to a man I'd never meet before.
"Miss Laurens." The man in the suit and sunglasses nodded to me.
"Yes?" Warily responding at him. I was getting ready to bolt at any second.
"My boss wanted to take you to lunch." The man said.
That stunned the hell out of me.
"I'm sorry your boss?" Shaking my head, confused.
The door of the town car opened.
"Sorry Happy I probably should have given more details, but you know me I like to be mysterious." A man in an expensive suit and sunglasses stepped out of the car.
The mystery man grinned and took off his sunglasses, "Hello Dot."
"Mr. Stark!" Exclaiming as my eyes went wide as I saw the Avenger standing in front of me.
