DISCLAIMER: This lovely characters are not my own.
A/N: I promised to try to make it longer, so here you go. It's way shorter but really really angsty and emotional.
The ride to the cemetery was silent. There wasn't a need for words between them anymore. Natasha drove them as Clint stared at the window. When she pulled over and turned the engine off, she looked at him.
'Clint. Are you alright?'
He looked at her and gave her a crooked smile. 'I will be.' He said as he grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze. She smiled.
They immediately joined the crew of black suits and dresses, made up of mostly SHIELD Agents, some friends that they only knew by name, Audrey and other unfamiliar faces. Coulson knew a lot of people. He had been loved by a lot of people.
They got closer to the coffin; they wanted to be close. He was being buried next to both his parents, long ago deceased.
On the front row, they found Nick Fury, Jasper Sitwell, Maria Hill and Audrey next to him, the only one in the group who was sobbing. They sat between the two women, reaching out to comfort Audrey with a hug and little pats in the back, being two of the few who actually knew her and she knew as well. She was carrying a white rose that Maria had given her to leave Phil, a gesture reserved for the people closer to Coulson. She passed one to Natasha and one to Clint. Nobody was really looking but some people saw and kept to themselves as Clint reached for Natasha's hand and they interlaced their fingers.
An hour and a lot of crying and sobbing later, people were starting to leave. Natasha, still holding Clint's hand, guided him in the direction of her car. They couldn't handle small talk. Not today.
They were halfway through when they heard someone calling them. They turned around to find none other than the rest of the Avengers (plus one Pepper Potts). They looked at each other, asking without saying a word and Clint nodded in agreement. They went to meet them. They were all looking at them sadly, understanding their pain except for Tony. His sad eyes were focus on the spies' hands.
They greeted each other with a short and tight hug –especial circumstances- but nobody knew what to say. It was Steve who broke the silence.
'I'm sorry for your loss' he looked truly apologetic.
'Thanks, Cap.' Natasha managed to say and gave him a little smile.
'Were you guys close?' Pepper asked. She was holding Tony's arm. Stark didn't like funerals at all, they were too saddening and there was something about Phil, some kindness in his eyes that made him regret never getting the chance to know the agent better. He was a good guy. Tony had liked Coulson.
Natasha looked at a silent Clint staring at his shoes. He squeezed her hand tighter and she understood he wasn't ready to answer.
'He was our handler' she said, but that felt wrong the minute the words left her lips, so she added 'he was our friend' and leaned so her head could rest on Clint's shoulder.
Clint put his arm around her shoulder as silence fell. There wasn't much left to say.
Thor, who had only come back to Midgard to give his respects to Agent Coulson, who he considered an ally and a friend, and felt terribly responsible as it had been his own brother, the cause of so much pain, said something that Natasha would forever remember.
'In Asgard' he started 'when a mighty warrior meets his death courageously in battle, a Valkyrie carries his soul to Valhalla.' Everyone was listening intently. Thor continued. 'It is said that Valhalla is the most beautiful of places and that warriors rest there, until they are needed again for the final battle'. The demigod looked at his friends and smiled sadly. 'I'd like to think that Agent Coulson in resting in Valhalla, waiting to come back to our aid. His place is with the bravest of warriors'. He finished.
Pepper was silently crying, still holding Tony, whose eyes were watery. So were Steve's. Bruce had a few tears rolling down his cheeks, which was also Natasha's case. She looked at Clint and realized his soul was about to break down. She hugged him, not caring what the others thought about their relationship.
Clint clearly needed the physical contact. He hugged and held her close to his own body as he slowly broke down in silent tears. Then he started sobbing, letting it all out.
They didn't know how long it had been. They weren't sure who was still around. All they knew for sure was that there were a lot of tears, they both ended with wet shoulders; hugging and holding like they'd never done in public before. And a lot of comforting pats on their backs coming from their team, the other five people who had formed a circle around them.
A/N: I'm no expert nor I claim to be, in Norse mythology, but I do know that Valhalla story Thor told is quite accurate; it is considered a sort of resting place for a hand pick group of elite warriors who die in battle until Odin calls him because he needs him for the final battle and they are transported there by Valkyries.