Sorry for the late update. Thanks for the heart warming reviews, follows and favourites. I love you guys.

Disclaimer; I own none of the Avengers, just my imagination

Tony- Yep, she doesn't own us. Though I know she'd like to own me ;)

Steve- Stark, stop being so self-absorbed. Who'd like to own you, anyway? I know guys without your genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist profile that worth ten of you.

Pepper- Guys, stop arguing *sigh*

Tony- He started it. I was just stating the truth, right ?

Me- Yes, Tony, I'd like to own you *eyeroll*

Steve- You're supporting his textbook narcissism. Whatever. Readers, enjoy your read :)

Chapter 7- Awake

Clint had lost his parents when he was five, and his brother, Bernard 'Barney' Barton was eight years old. He barely remembers them, and they grow up with his loving paternal grandparents. It isn't so bad, really. His grandparents are the most loving people he know and he could see the glimpse of his parents in them.

After his parents' death, Clint is sure he couldn't handle any loss, anymore. He could never face the funeral, the groomed corpse in the casket, the pitying faces of the guests, or the life he would have to live without them. The life without them is painful. Imagine your heart, full and blooming. Losing the people you love, it's like somebody punched a hole, a big hole that cannot be cured.

Because the spot they filled, it cannot be replaced by someone else. The people you lost, they earn and own the spot. The spot is theirs, and when they're gone, they take the spot with them. When they gone, they take not only the spot, but also a part of you. Because believe it or not, you're the one who let them own the spot and when you give it, you're not going to have it back.

And Clint is positive when he concluded he couldn't handle anymore loss. Tony was not yet dead, but he was already in coma for fourteen days which drive Clint and his friends insane. Everyone starting to stress, worried about Tony's progress, though they were slightly relieved after the doctors had found a way to keep the shrapnel away from Tony's heart.

It wasn't without Bruce's help, actually. He had developed a new use for electromagnet as he managed to build one, round and metal, and installed on his chest. For now, the electromagnet is hooked to a car battery and the doctors still trying to figuring out a way to replace the use of the car battery with something more convenient. It was weird to see something stuck on Tony's body, but it keep him alive, and that was enough.

"Hey Clint," Natasha poked his shoulder softly. They were in his room, playing video games, but Clint had abandoned the game for quite a moment. "What's wrong?"

Clint shrugged, letting go of his joystick and throwing his weight on his bed. "Why do we keep Tony after all these years?"

"Why'd you ask that?"

"Just…. humor me," Clint's eyebrows pulled up to his forehead.

Natasha paused the game and sat next to Clint. "Like Darcy said, we are masochists. Tony is a pain in the ass but we keep him around."

"I kinda need something more solid than that."

"Hmm," Natasha lay down next to Clint, folding her hands on her stomach. "Clint, we've known Tony for years. We all know that it's not just annoying behaviors he got in him. When we got past the profanities, lewd comments, reckless life, Tony is a good guy, really." Natasha looked at him, "Remember when he defended Bruce against that Flash Thompson? Or even when he was dating Christine but defended Pepper when Christine made fun of her?"

Clint looked at Natasha. Her long red curls fanned around her face and she was in his grey archery camp shirt, the one she took from his wardrobe. He had a couple of same shirt- he didn't really care when she took it away. Her black Converse was torn and the red shoelaces were untied.

"Tony is capable of ditching us," Natasha was still talking. "He is rich, with a high reputation. He could always choose to hang out with, say, Whitney Stane, or Justin Hammer or Charles Bass. You get the point. Except for Thor, everyone else in our little group is from a little above average family. We are nobody, from nobody family. But Tony fricking Stark still choose to hang out with us."

Clint sighed. "I kind of wish I am not so close with him. It hurts, you know, when someone close to you is gone. Tony is not gone yet, but his non-existent for these two weeks, it gives the same feeling of loss. I hate it."

Natasha turned to face Clint. She leaned on her elbows. "Clint. It's a part of life. Like it or not, we've got to face it. Tony is going to be okay. Dr. Yinsen said his brain activity made a progress a couple of days ago. It's a good sign."

"What if it's just a sign?" Clint said, frustration in his voice. "I'd read somewhere that the longest coma period is thirty-seven years one hundred and eleven days. What if Tony wakes up that late? He will miss his entire life. His life and ours."

"Hey," Natasha sat up, her green-blue eyes stared at Clint meaningfully. "He's not going to be unconscious for that long. Tony is strong, he's going to survive this. He won't miss any of his or our lives."

But what if Tony really wakes up thirty-seven years and one hundred and eleven days later? Clint thought. He crossed his arms behind his head, messing his dirty blond hair. He frowned. If Tony wakes up that late, he will be fifty-four years old. He won't get to enter MIT or run his company. He won't get to marry Pepper and have his own devil spawn, er, children. He will be a seventeen year old soul inside an aged body. He missed the life he could have lived when he was unconscious and watch his friends lives theirs.

Clint took a glimpse at Natasha. She sat on his bed, facing the window. She crossed her legs and nodding her head to Muse's Starlight that Clint had put on. He was looking at the back of her head, at those fiery long curls, but he knew she was frowning. This is so frustrating, Clint thought.

Natasha's cell phone rang, breaking Clint's thoughts. She reached for her cell phone and answered it. He could hear her mutter a couple of things and her voice sounded more joyful as the conversation ended.

"Clint!" Natasha looked at him, her eyes were wide with excitement. "Tony, he's awake! Pepper just called me and she said Tony is awake!"

Clint jumped on his bed. He and Natasha started jumping on his bed up and down. They held hands and chanted "He's awake! He's awake!" Clint felt relieved. Like a huge boulder was lifted from his shoulder. The hole that started to grow in his heart just healed itself. He finally could laugh for real, instead of the forced laugh he was used to pull off lately.

They sat down on his bed, smiling and laughing. The air around the room wasn't suffocating as before. It was fresh and relieving. At least he won't handle one more loss. The news was relieving, life-changing, literally. Now that Tony was awake, he won't miss anything in his life. Nothing. No one died. It was good enough for Clint.

Natasha was smiling brightly at him that her teeth showed. She was holding to his hands tightly, her eyes shining with happiness. And for a second, everything was in a slow motion. Suddenly, a shock, like an electric shock, but warmer and less electric, ran in him. He was suddenly aware of Natasha's small hands in his, the colors in her eyes, the way her lips pulled up to a smile and everything.

He didn't know what hit him exactly. As he stared at the darkened shade of her red hair when a patch of sunlight touched it, he felt a weird urge to kiss her. Which he did impulsively. He just… grabbed her face softly and kissed her. He pressed his lips softly to hers and closed his eyes. He could feel Natasha stiffened at his kiss, but she kissed him back, out of the blue. Her hand braced the side of his neck and pulled him closer.

This was not a desperate, lust-filled kiss. This was something new, made of real feelings. Clint didn't feel like those horny boys on date. He didn't want to grope Natasha or whatnot. He just wanted to have her close, and let her know how he feel. How does he feels? He feel happy having Natasha in his arms. He even feel whole, having her close. It was a feeling that had no name, but it was a nice and wholesome.

They continued kissing, his fingers lost in Natasha's curls and her body pressed to his. They were desperate for air, but none of them want to stop what they were doing. It was a moment Clint won't give up easily.

His cell phone rang. But he just ignored it. It stopped ringing. And then it rang again. This time, he made an effort to break the kiss. His hand still cradling her face, his fingers still tangled in her hair. Her eyes were looking into his with a mix of confusion, endearment and something else he could not fathom. Her hands were on his chest, somehow holding on to his shirt. Clint didn't know what look he had on his face, but he tried to express the unnamed feelings he had in him.

Clint picked up the phone right before it stopped ringing. It was Steve.

"Hey man, what's up?" Clint greeted, coughing. He hoped his voice sounded normal.

"Tony's awake. You know that already?"

"Oh yeah. Pepper just told Natasha, so naturally, um, she told me," Clint said, glancing at Natasha who was fiddling with her shoelaces. "We are going to see him after we got ready."

"Oh, okay. I'll see you there."

Steve hung up and Clint pocketed his cell phone. He and Natasha exchanged awkward glances. She had a hint of blush on her cheeks. Without words, he grabbed his black jacket and his car keys. Natasha took a moment to tie her Converse and pack her sling bag.

The ride to the hospital was silent. And awkward. Really awkward. Clint tried to say something, but when he try to speak up, it sounded stupid in his head. And each time, it sounded even more stupider. Natasha was quiet. She is a quiet person, but this was unusually quiet. This type of silence made Clint felt somewhat guilty. It made him think what he'd done wrong.

Luckily, they arrived at the hospital just in time, before Clint say anything stupid. They went to Tony's ward, again without speaking. Pepper was present, along with Steve, Thor and Jane. Seeing Natasha present, Pepper hurriedly went toward Natasha and hugged her tightly. Pepper's face was tear-streaked but she was smiling. It was the first genuine smile Clint had seen on her face since Tony's accident. She was probably present when Tony was awake.

"How's Tony?" Clint asked, again coughing to make sure his voice sounded normal. "He's alright?"

Pepper let Natasha go, her thin arms around the shorter girl. She wiped a tear from her eye. "He's fine. Dr. Yinsen is checking him up."

"How was it when he awakened?" Natasha asked.

"He…just," Pepper shrugged. "He tossed and turned and the heart monitor beeped. He muttered something and he opened his eyes. By then, Dr. Yinsen already came in and I was out of the room."

Natasha hugged Pepper. "Oh my God. I'm so relieved. Really, I am."

"Anyone called Mr. Stark? " Steve asked.

"I haven't called him yet," Pepper answered. "But I already told Happy."

They lingered outside Tony's ward, restless. Clint offered to buy them some coffee from the canteen. Partly because he need his caffeine, and partly because he need some time to clear his head, and it wasn't helping with Natasha just two steps away. He took their orders; Black coffee for Steve and Thor, green tea for Pepper and Cappuccino for Jane. Natasha just shook her head silently when Clint asked her. Clint sighed and made his way to the canteen, which is at the 1st floor.

On his way back to Tony's ward, hands laden with the ordered beverages, he met Bruce, who brought along Elizabeth and Peggy with him. He exchanged awkward smiles with them and silently went to Tony's ward. They arrived at the right time; Dr. Yinsen was opening the door and let them see Tony.

"Hey guys," Clint heard Tony croaked as he entered. Pepper sat on his bed, probably on Tony's request, as Clint saw Tony's wrapped a careless arm around her. "Two weeks, huh?"

Steve shook his head. "You have no idea." He muttered, "Son of a gun."

Tony felt for the round metal that located in between his chest. "I've got electromagnet in my body. And it's hooked to a car battery. I swear. Once I get out of here, I'm gonna find an easier way." His voice was thick and hoarse, he sounded like a frog.

"Mr. Stark, I advise you to stay clear of harm's way," Dr. Yinsen appeared from behind Steve, holding the typical doctor chart in his hand. "And I assure you, you're not going to leave this facility as soon as you imagined." He smiled kindly, eyes flitting to each of Tony's friends. "Mr. Stark needs a lot of rest. I suggest all of you to not to stress him in this condition."

Clint snorted. "We stressTony? That's an understatement," he said, which made the rest laughed.

Even Dr. Yinsen smiled. "I'll leave you guys to catch up."

He walked out of the ward, closing the door behind him. Steve sat at the end of Tony's bed, while Bruce took a place beside him. The empty chairs were seated by Peggy and Elizabeth. Thor settled on the floor, Jane happily sipping her cappuccino on his lap. Clint and Natasha stood awkwardly. Clint was at the right side of Tony's bed; Natasha at the opposite. Awkward.

"So, what happened at school while I was out?" Tony asked, reaching for one of the teddy bears that huddled on the desk next to his bed. There were also flowers, get-well-soon cards, and hampers of sweets.

"Mr. Fury cancelled your cleaning duty and he cut your detention to one week," Pepper said. "You got a lot of catching up to do with your classes."

Tony gave the teddy bear in his hands a squeeze. "Pepper you are ruining the moment. I just woke up and you're talking about school? Please."

"Justin is dating Christine now, if that what you're asking. A lot of people came to visit you, you made the front page five times in two weeks and you wake just in time for Drama club's first production of the year. Thor's the lead." Pepper said.

"Oh. Where are my Hot Rod Rhodey and Miss Darcy?"

Thor chuckled. "Rhodey have a family get-together at his grandparents' residence. And Darcy has to work."

"It was boring without you, I'd say that," Clint spoke up.

"Aww, I know you guys missed me," Tony smiled. "Pep, did my dad come to visit?"

Pepper bit her lip. "Once. A week after you got admitted."

For a second, Clint saw a flicker of emotion on Tony's face. Something of disappointment and sadness. But recovered as quickly as it came.

"So Bruce, you and Elizabeth now?" Tony raised an eyebrow at Bruce and glanced at Elizabeth who was blushing. "You even come here together."

Bruce bowed his head, embarrassed. "Oh, no. Elizabeth and I were on our study session, along with Peggy. And we got the call said you're awake. The girls just decided to come along."

"Heh," Tony huffed. His eyes flickered toward Clint and Natasha, who were avoiding eye contacts with each other.

Clint instantly knew what Tony thinks. He and Natasha usually stood within each other arm-length. And they usually exchanges glances, their way of silent conversations. Tony is a genius, of course he can figure the tension that rise between Natasha and him. Suddenly, Clint wondered if his impulsive action by kissing Natasha was a stupid one.

"I smell sexual tension," Tony said, eyes glinting with mischief. "From Little Red over here and you, Hawkass. You guys get it on, already?"

Natasha crossed her arms. "None of that, Tony. We're good."

"Oh, really? Why do you guys stood so far apart from each other? For all I know, you guys are glued together, even worse than me Pepper."

Natasha walked over to stand next to Clint. Wrong move, Clint thought. Natasha was cracking her posture by trying too hard to assure Tony she and Clint were okay. "Satisfied?"

"Um, no," Tony's eyes were widened almost innocently. "You guys don't do your silent conversation thingy."

"Don't make me regret your awakening. Tony," Natasha glared. "You know I could knock you unconscious."

Tony held up his hands. "Okay, okay"

With Tony conscious, everything started to fall back in place. Their worries were ceased, stress lessened. Tony was discharged from the hospital five days after he was awake, partly because he convinced Dr. Yinsen to let him out. He is Tony Stark. And Tony Stark, in his consciousness, never wants to miss a day of his life without having fun.

Irritated of the car battery that hooked up to the electromagnet on his chest, he spent his first day discharged from the hospital by cooping inside his lab at Stark Tower, testing a new energy source known as the arc-reactor. He got out of his lab the next day, the arc-reactor round, metal and glowing blue on his chest and most importantly, not hooked to any car battery or anything. He spent the rest of the next day sleeping, compensating the lost hours he spent building the arc-reactor.

If his calculation is right, and he usually is, the arc-reactor generates three gigajoules energy per minutes, allowing his heart to run for fifty lifetimes. Wow.

Monday morning, Tony didn't go to school. He got one more week to rest, something he was thankful for. He didn't want to spend his third day out of the hospital by going to school. Besides, he overslept. So, at twelve P.M, he was in his living room, sitting on the couch, black coffee in one hand. He turned on the TV, but there was nothing interesting.

"Hey Jarvis."

"Yes, sir," the AI cool British voice responded.

Tony straightened his legs on the coffee table. "Where's my dad?"

"Mr. Stark is currently at Malibu, to meet Mr. Rhodes of the Air Force. He'll be back by the end of this week."

So his dad was with Rhodey's dad at Malibu. Bo-ring. His friends were at school, and he was alone.

"Was he home last week?"

"Only for a while, to visit you," the AI answered faithfully. "He even left a get-well-soon card."

"Oh, yeah. I know that."

Tony continued riffling through the channels, until he saw a pet commercial. Suddenly, he knew what to do.

"Hey, Jarv."

"Sir."

Tony walked back into his bedroom, changing his T-shirt to a cleaner one. "Find me a pet store around town. I'm gonna get a cat."

The AI was flustered. "Excuse me, sir?"

"I am gonna get myself a cat," Tony repeated himself, sounding as sure as he was.

He was going to get himself a cat.

So the 7th chapter. I'm sorry if it's a little boring. I kind of have a writer's block. Next chapter, will be a little entertaining, with Tony back in the show. And I've to kill him, a little again.

Keep the reviews coming. They motivates me :) Tell me how I can improve this story, I really appreciate that.

Tony- You said you love me, but you still want to kill me?

Me- I said, I'd like to own you. I never said I love you.

Vanko- HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Stark's going to die again : I love this !

Me- -.-' don't be too happy Vanko. I'm going to have your fate much worse than Tony

Tony- In your face ! :P She loooves me. She's not going kill me for real

Vanko- what will happen to me?

Me- stay tuned, babe ;P

HAVE A NICE DAY!

xoxo- NHAMS :)