"She's gone! You have to keep going. The fight's not over!" Bruce shouted at Clint who was now clutching the lifeless body of Natasha Romanoff. He couldn't move, or speak, or even breathe. "She's not gone." He kept repeating in his mind "She always gets up." Because she did always get up. She'd seen worse. She would wake up. He knew she would, but as seconds past she grew colder, heavier. Not even five minutes ago she was standing beside him wearing the same little smile she always did.
The chitauri were coming in all directions, but as always, the great duo that was Hawkeye and the Black widow could handle anything, or so they assumed. She was caught by surprise. One of the Chitauri flew by, and pushed her over. Ironic really, that the great Natasha Romanoff was taken out of this world by a piece of concrete. She hit her head. She got up, and dusted herself off. He checked on her. She smiled. "I'm fine" she said, but it sounded too weak, too pained, to be the truth. A minute or so passed, and she was on the ground again. She was still smiling, eyes closed, warm blood seeping through her bright red curls. She was unconscious for a moment. As he knelt by her side she hummed quietly. It was a song he didn't recognize, but he tried his best to hum with her. About a minute of that, and then she was gone. She died, in his arms, smiling.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye, or I love you." His voice was muffled by her hair. Tears fell slowly down his face. He could finally feel again, but he preferred feeling numb to the overwhelming stabbing pain he felt in his chest. When he looked at her face, she looked so happy to have died in his arms, humming sweetly. "You deserved so much better than me, than this life that you've had." He sobbed. The warmth had almost completely left her body. He felt guilty for abandoning the fight, but he knelt by her side until it was over.
The funeral was small. Not many people knew who she really was, and most of the people who did didn't care for her much. It rained heavily during most of it. He stood and said a few words, along with Tony and Pepper, about how amazing she was. About her sense of humor, and her life. Then they buried her. It all felt so Surreal, like he was living a nightmare, and that eventually he would wake up screaming, in a cold sweat. He never woke up.
Months past. He had grown completely numb to the world. He went to work, and then he went home, ate, showered, and fell asleep. He always had the same dream. He held Natasha's body in his arms, for what felt like an eternity, unmoving, and silent, as if time had stopped. When he woke up, he would always cry, then make coffee, then go to work again.
One night, before he could fall asleep, he received an urgent call. Loki was back. He had escaped Asgardian prison somehow, and fled to Midgard. Tony and Thor thought that they could handle it themselves, but were now calling for backup.
As soon as Clint arrived, he noticed something off. No one else was there. It was just him and Loki, who looked quite pleased with himself. Clint tried not to show his utter confusion. "Hello" Loki said pleasantly, with a look of pure amusement upon his face. "Where is everyone? What did you do to them?" Clint asked, almost snarling at Loki. "Nothing, foolish mortal, they were never here to begin with." He said with a huge smile plastered on his face "What in the hell are you talking about?" Clint shouted angrily. "I called you out here. I came to tell you that I am beginning to grow bored of playing with you." Loki said.
"What do you mean?" Clint asked. "I mean, that you are beginning to bore me, mortal, but lucky for you, I'm in a good mood today" Loki said, and then snapped his fingers. Clint blacked out.
A few seconds later, he woke up in his bed. He must have dreamt about the call, and talking to Loki, though it wasn't his usual dream. He must've been making progress he thought, almost happily. He got out of bed and made his usual cup of coffee, and then headed out into the main deck of the helicarrier. What he saw when he got there made him scream and jump back several feet.
Natasha was talking to Director Fury. Natasha. She looked at him like he was insane. "What's wrong Clint?" She asked calmly. You're dead! He shouted. "Clint, have you lost your mind? I thought we cured the crazy when I hit your head." She said, approaching him cautiously. He ran up, picked her up off the ground, and began sobbing.
"What are you talking about? You died! I saw you die! Four months ago, in May!" He cried hysterically into her hair. "Clint, it is May." She said, pointing to the monitor where the time and date were displayed. She was right. It was still early May. Had it really been a trick the whole time? Had Loki really just been messing with his head that entire time? At that moment, holding her again, he really didn't care. "I love you Natasha Romanoff."