Nothing Lasts Forever
"This is gonna last."
Stark's words rang in Clint's mind as he strode away from the kitchen.
"Yeah, sure", he muttered under his breath.
That guy had no idea. Nothing ever lasted, no matter how much you might wish it would. The only thing you could do was go with the flow as long as it lasted and not let anything – or anyone – get too close to you. Because, one day sooner or later, it would all be gone. So better not to get attached than have to deal with the loss, right?
Clint slowed down.
And what about Tasha? a soft voice whispered in his mind.
They were pretty close, weren't they?
No, not close, he corrected himself. They knew each other very well – on a purely professional level. They had to, in a job like that. If things went wrong, on a mission, he had to know exactly what she would do so he could still cover her back.
He was very well aware of the fact that, one day, she might go on one of her solo-missions and not come back. It was a risk that came with the job. It was just the same for him.
Just look at Coulson. A few days ago, he had still been – well, handling things as he always had. Admonished Clint to be nice to Selvig. And now, he was dead because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Because he had got it in his head to confront Loki without back-up.
And Stark thought this was gonna last.
Yes, alright, they had proven they could work as a team. This whole Avengers Initiative could work. Maybe. If they managed to put their egos aside. But at some point in the near or far future, it would end. They would all go their separate ways. Probably sooner than later, once Stark got bored of this and kicked them out of his tower again. You never knew what those rich guys got into their heads.
Fact was: He'd be a fool if he took this for anything else than a temporary arrangement, so he wouldn't.