It takes Barton a solid hour before he can collect himself enough to pick himself up off the floor. Once he's moving, his actions resemble those of a machine. He washes his face, fixes his skewed clothing, then walks toward the door. His trance is only broken when Coulson steps into his path. His eyes suddenly seem to come alive, while still resembling the amount of emotion a dead man would have. His voice crackles, almost into a growl as he stares down his former friend and SHIELD handler. "Move out of my way."
"Clint, I don't think you should go out there yet."
"I'm fine." He croaks, he takes a breath to clear his throat and gain some authority in his voice. "Now move Phil, before I'm forced to make you move. You and I both know I don't want to do that, but I will. I need to get back to my house, Nat will probably almost be there by now."
"You're not in any condition to fly, Clint. Commercial or Quinjet. You can barely stand."
Clint's brow furrows in confusion. "Do you even know where my house is, Phil? Fury sold me the backlot of this property shortly after I bought the acre the house sits on. If you drive about two miles into the woods behind this place and you land on my property. The house and barn are about a twenty minute drive through the trails I've blaised. If you take the main roads it'll take about an hour to get there." Clint goes to walk past Phil thinking that he's convinced him to let himself go, but Phil stops him. Clint decides to try a new approuch to the situation. "Phil," His voice verges on the edge of begging. "I've got to go back. If Hunter's called Natasha she'll be here soon and if I'm not there she'll come looking for me. She'll find this place, and she's got no idea it exists. Do you really want that?" Clint sees Phil's resolve waver, Nat had always had a flare for dramatics when she's upset and if she found out not only that SHIELD still existed but that Phil was in charge, shit would rain from the skies. "I need to talk to her, Phil. She'll want to kill Stark for not telling her and I've got to talk her out of that. Besides, I just need to talk." Clint lowers his voice on the last sentence, he's worked as a spy for years and he knows that he sounds vulnerable. He hates using his training on Phil, but right now he has no choice.
"You can talk to me." Phil tries to hide the hurt that creeps into his voice, but Clint easily latches onto it. Phil used to be the one person that knew anything about him, and he doesn't like that that's changed but life happens. Clint allows his features to soften to show that he's touched by Phil caring about him.
"I know," As he says this, Clint leans forward. The action is involuntary, his leg which is in pretty bad shape has just given out from underneath him. Not wanting to grip onto Phil, he grabs the door frame, fully aware that he's breaking personal space boundaries but unable to help it. He tries to keep the white hot pain out of his voice as he tries to ease Phil's own hurt. "but not about this."
Phil seems to realize he's fighting a losing battle, so rather than losing completely he decides to compromise. "If you will not stay here, take Bobbi and I with you. I don't think you can drive in your condition, and I know Nat won't mind seeing Bobbi." As Phil speaks, Bobbi comes over and wraps Clint's arm around her neck. She forces him to shift most of his weight onto her, effectively becoming a human crutch.
"I'm not so sure about that." Clint chuckles, remembering the last time Nat and Bobbi were in the same room together but nevertheless he recognizes that he needs help."You two can come." Clint winces as Bobbi accidently touches one of his bruised ribs, she quickly moves her hand away. "But you're going to have to explain to everyone how you're alive, Phil, including me."
"Deal." Phil doesn't even hesitate, he knows that the Avengers might have a hard time accepting his aliveness at first, but he's certain that it won't be too much of a shock. Phil quickly moves to Clint's other side, allowing Clint to put the rest of his weight onto his own shoulders. Both Bobbi and Phil tried to ignore that fact that Clint nearly bites through his lip when he takes his first step, but he's insistent to move forward so they do. Both realize that the liquor Hunter had given him must be wearing off as now every movement brings Clint pain. They're both glad when they reach the car, as they can lay Clint across the backseat. He dozes off once directing Bobbi onto the trails.
When they arrive at Clint's farm house, it look oddly empty. Bobbi pulls up directly in front of the porch so they won't have to move Clint too far before getting him inside. Phil only has to turn around in his seat for Clint to wake up, he's always been a light sleeper, one of the requirements for his line of work. Clint slowly sits up, it's obvious that he's in incredible pain. Phil mentally notes that Simmons will thoroughly chew him out later for removing Barton from medical. As Phil gets out of the car so he can help Clint, another car pulls into the driveway. Phil's hand twitches toward his weapon, but he quickly realizes that it's one of his own vehicles. Hunter and Romanoff must be inside of it. Phil moves to the other side of the vehicle where Bobbi has already gotten Clint out of the car and is starting to help him get up the stairs. He takes Barton's other side and they move much faster. They've just gotten Clint inside and seated on the couch when Hunter's car load of people burst into the house. Bobbi quickly excuses herself to raid Clint's medicine cabinet for possible pain killers.
Phil watches as not only Hunter and Romanoff enter the room, but also Stark, Rogers, Thor, the Vision and Wanda Maximoff.
"You had to bring the kids." Clint jokes but a flash of pain nearly cuts the words short. Phil silently wonders if it's from physical pain or emotional. He doesn't dare ask for fear of the answer. Clint never shows emotion, Phil has seen him show more today than perhaps the entire time he's known the man and that scares him.
"They were concerned as I was once they knew." Nat crosses the room and places a kiss on Clint's cheek. Her eyes flash to Phil, she's so shocked by him being there that she has to do a double take. "Apparently so was a dead man." Nat's voice is cool, Phil knows that means she's hurt. He looks away quickly. Nat turns back to Clint and hits him upside the head. Clint calls out. "What the hell were you thinking, asshole. Why would you tell Stark, of all people, what happened before me?" Tony shares a sheepish look with Clint. Clint knows that the man has already been chewed out.
"I knew Stark could make the arrangements to make sure things got taken care of, but stayed out of the papers and police reports." Clint mumbles, acting much like a reprimanded child.
"So could I." Nat yells, hurting Clint's ears as his hearing aids screech. He visibly winces at the noise they make. Nat thankfully realizes what she just did and lowers her voice. "Clint, it's just. When Hunter called, I was so worried."
"I know Nat, I was going to call you myself, right after I called Stark, I just couldn't. I didn't…" He trails off, takes a breath then redirects himself. "I needed to get medical attention, Hunter just happened to be where I went to get it. So don't be mad at me for finding him before you." Clint watches as Nat's eyes suddenly widen, then narrow to slits. He follows her gaze only for his eyes to land on Bobbi, who thankfully has managed to find Laura's supply of ibuprofen. "What is she doing here." Nat hisses, her hands twitching for her baton secured to her hip like it always is. Bobbi had learned her weapon of choice from Nat and now Nat was ready to turn it against her.
"I'm only helping Clint, Natasha." Bobbi keeps her voice low and even, trying not to provoke Nat. "Just like you."
"You don't have the right." Nat hisses, taking a step toward Bobbi. Steve, who knows Nat enough to know Bobbi won't live if she gets close enough, wraps his arm around her. As Bobbi sidesteps the pair to get to Clint, Nat spits in her face, afterwards muttering an obscenity in russian. Bobbi, despite wanting to retaliate with every bone in her body, swallows her pride to tend to Clint, who she notes is getting whiter and whiter by the second. She hands him both a glass of water and three ibuprofen. She'd give him the bottle but old habits die hard, and Clint was once a pill abuser. She privately notes that he might still be one, given how hard it was to find the pills in the first place.
"Thanks, Bobs." Clint polishes off the glass and the pills. Once they're both gone, he slowly moves to his feet, Bobbi helps him stabilize himself once he's standing. When she sees Nat's face she quickly lets go of him. Hunter takes her place, silently.
"Does anyone else want to get out of here, or is that just me?" Clint asks, walking toward the stairs. He won't be coming back here, possibly ever, so he wants to pack up his things. Thor and Wanda realize what he intends and instead head that way.
"Stay down here." Wanda instructs Clint sternly. "We'll pack your things." With that both she and Thor disappear into the upper level of the house. Which leaves the others in a rather awkward standoff, none knowing exactly what to address first. After about a minute Clint can't take the silence any longer.
"Sorry, I'm being kind of rude." Clint motions to Hunter who is still standing at his side. Clint tries to tell himself that Hunter's not the only thing keeping him standing up, but not even his willpower can overcome such an obvious fact. "Everyone, this is Lance Hunter, but most call him by his surname. He used to be one of my best mates."
"Ouch, Barton." Hunter pretends to be hurt. "I'd say you still are one of my best mates, but I guess I now know where I stand with you."
"Hunter we haven't talked in almost nine years."
"Doesn't make us any less of friends." Clint knows that Hunter is trying to ease the tension in the room, and he's grateful for that.
"Alright." Clint pretends to concede. "This is Hunter, my best mate."
"Too late, Barton, damage is done."
Clint reluctantly turns to Bobbi who has retreated to the Kitchen doorway, which is on the opposite side of the room as Nat. "And this is Bobbi Morse."
"How does a beautiful woman like yourself know such a site for sore eyes like Clint?" Stark asks a cheesy smile on his face as he too tries to cut through the tension held between the two ladies in the room.
Bobbi puts on a half smile, Clint knows that that smile well. "I used to be married to the lush." Her words sound harsh but she says them with such tender care that anyone can see she still cares for Clint.
"That explains so much." Stark, looks from Romanoff to Morse and back again. "The ex-wife and the best friend never get along."
"Shut up, Stark." Nat growls.
"I'm just…"
"Speak one more word and lose your tongue." She threatens, luckily Tony seems to realize that she's not joking. Thankfully before things can get much worse, Thor and Wanda return with Clint's packed bags. They both lead the way out to the cars. Clint gets into a car once more with Phil and Bobbi, but this time Nat and Hunter also join them. Phil drives, and not knowing where else to go, he decides it's time that the Avengers see his secret base.