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Aftermath – AU – Epilogue
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The Battle was over. And they had won.
Clint couldn't believe it, especially after falling backwards from one of the highest skyscrapers in the city in the middle of the Invasion with only one arrow left. When the arrow had embedded itself into the wall and he still had been falling down, Clint had hoped and feared for a moment that the rope would not hold him and bring him to safety. But it had held and he had crashed through a window, landing hard with his back on his quiver.
But he lived. And right now he was pointing an arrow, which he also had taken from one of the Chitauri corpses, at the very man, who had killed his Phil. Stabbed him. Maliciously from behind. It would be so easy to let his arrow fly and pierce the dark-haired god's eye, just like he had promised himself on the Carrier. But on the other hand, the archer doubted that Thor, who was standing right behind him, would let him live if he killed the god's brother now.
oOo
A few hours later he found himself together with the others in a small restaurant, since Stark had insisted, very loudly, on getting his Shawarma. Loki had been cuffed und gagged and brought back to the Carrier until the next day, from where Thor would take him back to his home.
Looking around, the archer watched his comrades eat and joke around, as if it was common to see five superheroes and one god sitting there. He himself wasn't in a mood for jokes. What he needed now, was a long vacation and lots of beer, which he exactly knew where to find. Feeling Natasha's eyes on him, he looked at her and shot her a quick smile, only resulting in her raising her eyebrows questioningly.
Clint rolled his eyes and then gave her a meaningful look. The red-haired woman nodded understandingly and then pointed with her head towards the door. He nodded again, glad that they were able to communicate without words. The spy shoot him a small, encouraging smile, one only he was able to see, and Clint knew he had her approval of what he was going to do now.
Getting up, he deposited his bow and his empty quiver next to his stool, knowing that Natasha would take care of them.
"Hey, where are you going?" Stark asked.
"I need a vacation!" Clint simply answered and, after taking a last look at their confused faces, left the restaurant, leaving them behind.
oOo
Four weeks later Clint still found himself in beer heaven – also known as Germany. After leaving New York, he ended up in Berlin and then travelled through the whole country, sightseeing and drinking. Right now he was somewhere in the middle of Saxony, doing what he had done the last few weeks – drinking beer and drowning his sorrows.
He missed Phil. He missed him so much that it was too painful to think about him. The archer wondered how the funeral had been – a small one or a big one? But knowing Fury, probably a small one. He didn't know if Phil would have been angry, had he known that Clint was here, drinking himself to death instead of mourning him at home. And at the moment he really didn't care.
Emptying his glass, he ordered another one, not noticing the new arrival coming into the pub. Only when he sat down next to him and a hand took his new beer from him, he looked up – and got the shock of his life.
Holding his beer, none other than Phil Coulson sat beside him, definitively not looking dead. A bit pale perhaps and not wearing his usual suit, but apart from that he looked very much alive.
"Aren't you supposed to be dead? Tasha told me. I cried for you." he almost shouted unbelievingly.
Phil sighed and took a sip.
"I know and I'm sorry. I had no idea, what Fury was up to…." Phil took another sip and looked into Clint's eyes. "And he ruined my trading cards. I already threatened him to buy me replacements or I would quit!"
That earned him a smile from the archer.
"So…why are you not dead?" Clint asked quietly.
"I was just injured. I had hoped Fury would explain everything to you and then you would come to visit me. But then Tasha told me that you decided to take a break all of a sudden. After my recovery it took me a week to find you here. So here I am." Phil explained.
Clint didn't answer and for a long while was silence between the two men. Finally the archer spoke again.
"I missed you!" he finally admitted.
The Agent smiled.
"I missed you, too! So why don't I drain my glass and we go home? Tasha's waiting outside for us. Besides, there are a few photos I want to show you. Stark may be annoying, but when he took those pictures of Rogers punching Fury in the face, hard, after the director told them about his little lie, he certainly made my day. Not to mention he walked away with a broken nose after that."
The archer giggled at that.
"Rogers punched Fury? That's something I really want to see."
Coulson also laughed, before paying his and Clint's bill. Then he helped his boyfriend getting up.
"You will! Now come on. It's time to go home!" the Agent said.
Clint chuckled.
"Sounds like an idea to me." He laughed, feeling much better than before.
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The End!
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And so ends my little story. I hope you liked it nonetheless. ^^