A/N: Ah fifth chapter! This is the longest I've ever stuck with a story and that's really exciting. I'm going to finish this one so don't you worry! I want to thank all of my lovely reviewers. You guys keep me going when I run out of inspiration and I appreciate you're kind words.
Disclaimer: Own nothing
They made it to the hanger and were loaded onto a plane, headed for the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. facility that was holding the Tesseract. That was when the feeling of dread began to settle into Clint's stomach. Now, he knew the future as it went the first time, but with Loki you never knew. And now that he had Phil, the archer knew that he had so much more to lose, so much more that Loki could use against him.
And Clint would die before he let Loki get Phil again. He had to get this right cause he may have gotten one second chance already, but he didn't think that Odin would be so generous a second time around.
With that thought on his mind, Clint settled in to try to make a plan that would save Phil's life.
When they arrived at the secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base, Clint and Phil were quickly taken underground where the Tesseract was being kept. Phil was already familiar with the ins and outs of the security detail, being one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top agents. Clint was also familiar with the security detail, having been through the orientation all before. However, he had to pretend that he had no idea since he was the only one who had any idea that he'd been sent into the past.
Once they had made it down to where the Tesseract was held, Fury turned his one eye on Clint. "So Barton, I'm assuming you've been paying attention and have located a spot that will be adequate for you to set up surveillance? Good, then I will leave you to it. Coulson, with me."
Phil gave Clint a look as he left with Fury, to which he responded with a gesture of his hand. Phil didn't need to worry though, Clint would be fine. He just had to get up into his nest. That shouldn't be too hard with his wounded side, right?
Wrong, so, so, so wrong. By the time Clint got up to his nest, he was in pain and panting, clutching his throbbing side and hoping the agent wasn't anywhere close by to see this. The archer needed a minute to compose himself and get to the task of watching the Tesseract, though he knew nothing would happen tonight.
Well, at least the first time around Loki didn't show up until Clint had been in the nest for a few days. Who knew how it would turn out this time? Clint pulled out his bow, notched an arrow, and settled in to wait.
People came and went as Clint watched, alert but bored out of his mind. The only constant in the room was Erik Selvik, the man responsible for watching the Tesseract and trying to unlock the secrets contained in the strange glowing cube.
Clint was waiting for one person to walk into the room, but he knew he'd have to wait a lot longer before Phil would ever come see him when they were working. Damn him and his obedience to the rules.
The next few days passed without much of an incident. Clint wasn't allowed to do much except for stay in his nest and watch the Tesseract. He was even barred from evening practice. Though no one said it, Clint knew that the agents stationed at the door of the range were under strict orders from Phil. The archer knew that there was nothing he could do to change the agent's mind.
So Clint was restless on top of being bored and there was nothing to do to work off his energy. Phil had little time to be with him because they were both on a mission. They had a few opportunities to steal quick kisses when Phil was working on paperwork in the office that had been set up for him. Otherwise, this mission was turning into one big cock block and Clint was starting to get sick of it. Hell, he was starting to wish that Loki would just show up already.
That night, Clint got exactly what he was wishing for, except not in the way that he had expected.
The archer had just been relieved for the night and had returned to his barracks to shower and try to get a few hours of sleep before his mind decided that he wasn't going to sleep, no matter how tired his body was. Insomnia sure was a bitch sometimes.
Clint had just finished dressing after his shower when the room darkened. Reaching for the gun he had placed on the counter, the archer quickly took up a defensive stance, attempting to prepare for anything since he wasn't quite sure what he was up against.
Slowly opening the door, Clint peered out of the bathroom and around the room. He couldn't see anything but he knew that that didn't mean he was safe. Sometimes the biggest threat was the one not seen immediately.
Clint heard a vicious chuckle from the corner of the room and instantly knew who his visitor was.
"Loki", he said, hoping that his voice conveyed the hatred he felt towards the god. Said god emerged from the corner, clapping mockingly for Clint. "Very good, man of arrows. I am impressed that you managed to see that it was me. However, I am afraid that there are many other things that you have failed to see. How is it that someone that is called Hawkeye and famed for their sight is so blind?"
Clint tensed as the cackle surrounded him, Loki creating duplicates of himself. Since Clint only had one gun, he knew that he had to figure out which was the real Loki if he had any hope of shooting him, not that he thought shooting the God would make a whole lot of difference. He knew that the god had the upper hand this time.
Loki sneered at the archer. "You think that you are so very wise, trying to turn back time in an effort to stop me. Did you really believe that it would work, man of arrows?" Clint glared at the Loki standing in front of him, "I know it'll work Loki. You failed once and you'll fail again. I know what to expect now so I know how to beat you. You're little magic tricks won't work this time."
The Loki behind Clint laughed and the one on his right began talking, "Man of arrows, do you think me foolish?" The Loki to his left picked up where the other one had left off. "Do you think that I will use the same plan?" Clint had never thought of the reality that Loki would probably use a different plan.
Yet another Loki began to talk, "You truly are the weakest link, are you not? It is a pity that I shall not have the pleasure of killing you right here and right now but, alas, I have far greater plans for you, man of arrows." All of the Loki's laughed in unison.
"I see that you are bewildered, man of arrows. Do you recall when you were under my control?" Clint nodded; he remembered even if it technically hadn't happened yet since he had gone back in time.
"Well man of arrows, you were never freed of my control. Even though you have gone back in time, I still retain power. My hold on your mind was only weakened by the impact inflicted upon you by the woman." Clint growled, "Her name is Natasha." Loki waved his hand to dismiss what Clint was saying. "The woman's name is of little importance to me now. You are the most important to me now, man of arrows. You are still mine to control. I have been able to strengthen my hold on your mind once again and have been observing your courting of agent Coulson. You have revealed your weakness, man of arrows, and have provided me with an opening."
Clint growled again, hands tightening on his gun, "What makes you think that you'll be able to win this time Loki? What's your plan?"
Loki got rid of his clones and appeared as one man again before Clint. The god smirked at Clint, "Since you will be aiding me, I feel that it is only fair that you know of my plan. It is a simple plan, really. You will kill agent Coulson, man of arrows, thus preventing the Avengers from ever being brought together."
Clint laughed this time, "Why would I help you with anything?" Before Clint had a chance to react, Loki had taken his gun and wrapped a cold hand around the archer's neck, bringing his face in close to the archer. Clint could feel the cold breath on his face. The god's lips curved into a devilish smile, "Man of arrows, I do not recall informing you that you had a choice." Loki touched his free hand to Clint's temple and, as hard as Clint tried to fight it, he felt the familiar feeling of a cold presence wrapping itself around his brain and taking over.
The real Clint was still in there but he was pushed to the back as his mind was taken over again. Loki smirked when he saw the archer's eyes glaze over. "What shall I do for you, master?" Loki released his grip on the archer and petted his head affectionately. "Patience, my little archer, you will soon have your chance. For now, you must wait. The time for action will come soon."
Loki gave Clint a once over and caught sight of his wound. The wound was almost healed, so Loki took Barton's knife and cut a thin line down the shoulder, careful not to injure him in a way that would prevent him from shooting. However, he cut him enough to draw blood, watching with a smirk as the Midgardian's red blood flowed steadily from his new wound.
"Little archer, write your beloved a note of warning in your own blood." Clint nodded and dug his fingers into the blood on his arm and smearing it on the wall. Loki had cut deeply, so there was enough blood for Clint to write a warning. Loki smirked when he looked at the wall, patting his archer with pride as he heated his finger with magic and ran it down his arm to seal the wound.
With that, Loki transported both of them out of S.H.I.E.L.D. and away to wear the god had set up a base of operations. He knew that no one would think to look in the middle of Death Valley. This location would serve him perfectly.
Now all the god had to do was reprogram his archer. "This pathetic creature still believes that love exists. I shall need to prove to him that it does not." His eyes became red as blood as his skin took on its natural bluish tint. "After all, who could ever love a JÓ§tunn?"
Phil looked up from his paperwork, his eyes squinting as they attempted to adjust to the light in the room after staring at paper for so long. His eyes felt heavy and tired and he wondered what time it was. Glancing at his watch the agent's eyes widened when he saw that it was already 2 am. He'd been working on paperwork for six hours without a break. When he saw the cup of coffee on his desk, he knew that that meant one thing. Clint had been here and Phil hadn't even noticed. Damn it, what was wrong with him? He finally had all that he had ever wanted and he didn't even look up when Clint had brought him the thing he loved almost as much as he loved the archer.
Phil groaned in frustration with himself. The coffee was cold now which meant that it had been there for a while. Not only had he missed Clint bringing him coffee, but he hadn't even noticed it until now. Standing up and groaning when his stiff muscles protested the movement. He had to go find Clint and apologize. He knew that of all people, Clint knew better than anyone how he got when he worked on paperwork but that didn't excuse him not even noticing when his lover brought him coffee.
Walking to the archer's barracks, he paused to consider the fact that it was two in the morning. However, he knew the archer well enough to know that he would still be awake now. He knocked softly on the door to avoid waking Clint's neighbors. While the archer may not sleep much, Phil was pretty sure that the other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents did.
When Clint didn't answer, Phil knocked again. After the fourth try, he was starting to get worried. Reminding himself that it was now 2:15 am, he decided to go get a few hours of sleep and catch Clint in the morning before he went back to his nest.
Phil slept for three hours and was up and dressed by 5:45 am sharp. He grabbed two cups of coffee and went to the archer's room. He hoped that Clint would except the coffee and not be too upset with him. He was usually so attentive to the archer and he hoped he would be forgiven for this one slip up.
The agent knocked again, knowing for a fact that the archer wasn't at his post yet. He had to keep tabs on Clint, he was his handler after all.
This time, when the archer didn't answer, Phil was genuinely worried. "Clint? Clint, open up." After receiving no answer, Phil decided to try the door. Surprisingly, since Clint was Clint and trusted no one except for himself and Tasha, it was unlocked. That set Phil on edge immediately. Clint would never leave his door unlocked, ever.
Cautiously opening the door, Phil tucked one coffee under his arm and pulled his gun out. His experience and training had given him the skills to handle anything. However, nothing had prepared him for what he actually found.
The plastic cups of coffee fell out from under his arm, clattering to the floor as coffee went everywhere. He managed to keep a hold of his gun, his training kicking in as soon as he realized he was compromised. The agent had seen a lot of things before but this was a new one.
Phil's eyes were locked on the wall above Clint's bed, the blood that had been red once now more of a brown as it dried. There was no mistaking what it said though, no matter how much Phil wanted to believe that he was reading it wrong.
"Loki's back.
-Hawkeye"
The agent was still trying to grasp a few things. One, Clint wasn't lying when he said that Loki was back and Phil hadn't believed him. Wow Phil was really messing up this whole handler/lover thing. And two, Loki had Clint. Loki had Clint and Phil had no idea where they were. This time, he had truly let Clint down. But that didn't mean that he was going to give up. He would find Clint and he would take him back.
A/N: Tah dah! Cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed and don't forget to read and review!