Marvel One Shots

Clint & Collins

Prologue: Clint and Collins have been secretly dating for about 7 months now. Collins has been with the Avengers for almost two years. She has water abilities. Tony calls her a Siren because her voice will put you in a trance when she's using her water abilities. It brings her opponents to their demise much like sirens "did" with pirates. Clint has now been gone on a mission for three months. The last contact that Collins had with him personally was a month and a half ago and it was brief. She's worried sick and the worst part is, she can't ask anyone about his mission and if he's alive or how he's doing because no one knows they're together.

It's three in the morning and I can't sleep. I am curled up in the recliner in his suite. Wearing one of his t-shirts watching the sky through the window. It's dark and rainy on the other side and I can't help but think.. how long it's been.

It's been three months.
Three months since he left for a mission.
Three months since I've felt his touch.
Three months since I've been wrapped in his arms.
Three months since I felt his lips on mine.

We would meet around 11 PM every night after everyone was in their rooms. We weren't ready to share our relationship with the world. We were happy being in our own little world. I could kick myself for not telling the team before he left. There have been so many times where I wanted to ask Tony about Clint's status. Where he was, how he was doing. There were even more times when I wanted Tony to tell Clint that I love him and do his best to come back home to me.

The night before he left, he snuck into my room and we cuddled until we fell asleep. Clint knew that he needed to get some sleep before the mission. There was no sex, just pure love, and I was all for it. Although the all-night extracurriculars would've been nice, I was content just being with him. I look down at the glass of whiskey in my hand. I lift the glass to my lips and take a gulp of the amber colored liquid, feeling the burn make its way down my throat and into my stomach.

I wasn't much of a drinker, but I'm angry. Angry because I have hardly spoken to him. Angry that he's taking so long. Angry that I've been left behind. Why didn't I try to swap out with Wanda? They were deep undercover last time Steve or Tony spoke up about the mission. Vision was worried almost as much as me. We both knew our significant other was perfectly capable of handling themselves should anything (God forbid).

I remember before he left, Clint and I had gone up to the roof. He had packed a picnic basket and set up a little blanket up there for us. How we got away with no one finding out we were on a date up there is beyond me, but I'm grateful. We sat and nibbled on the food that he packed while talking and laughing. We watched the sunset beyond the trees. Before the sun had fully set below the trees, Clint pulled a small gift out of the inside of vest. It was wrapped in pink tissue paper, with a hand tied ribbon attempting to keep it secure. He presented it to me and said "This is so you have my heart right here with you. No matter where I am." I teared up, and slowly untied the ribbon from the tissue paper. As the ribbon fell away, the tissue paper did as well, revealing a silver dog tag with Hawkeye engraved on one side.

I looked up at this handsome man of mine, I cupped his cheek with tears in my eyes, and I said, "It's beautiful, my love. I will never go a day without it. I hold you close to my heart, always."

He closed his eyes relishing the feeling of my palm on his cheek, almost as if he was trying to burn the feeling into his brain. When he opened his eyes, he looked at me with glassy eyes and said "I love you, Collins Claire Carter. With all of my heart."

"I love you, Clinton Francis Barton."

And we shared a loving, passionate kiss that I've only read about in fairytale books. I haven't taken off my beautiful gift since he gave it to me. While I'm thankful no one on the team has noticed it or at least what it says, I sometimes wish that someone would read it and ask me about it. Ask me about us. Ask me why I'm wearing a necklace with Clint's superhero name on it.

I look over at the clock and I see that only five minutes have gone by since I last looked at it. I threw my head back into the recliner and squeezed my eyes shut trying not to cry. I heard footsteps down the hall and figured that Bucky had had one of his nightmares and was off to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk. Then I heard a second set and my freaky senses were going off that something wasn't right.

I remembered that Clint had weapons stashed in almost every corner of the room. I quickly and quietly got up, gently setting down my half full glass of whiskey neat. I made my way behind the closet door and pulled out a 9mm handgun. I held my breath as someone fumbled with the door. When an Avenger goes on long missions, their doors were to remain locked until they returned. Only Tony, Steve, or the person whose room it is, is able to open them.

I heard the clock of the lock being "picked" and I readied myself to fire the gun. When the door opened, time stood still and I was frozen. There standing in the doorway after three excruciatingly long months, is the absolute love of my life. He sees the gun in my hand and starts talking to me sweetly, "Collins, baby. It's me, Clint. How about you put the gun down so I can give my girl a kiss?"

I looked at him, wanting nothing more than to leap into his arms and smother him with kisses and never let him go again, but my brain and body had other plans. Before I could process what was going on, I dropped my left hand still holding the gun, and used my now empty right hand to slap him across the face. Hard.

When I realized what I just did, I gasped and covered my mouth with tears falling down my face. The gun falling but never hitting the ground thanks to Clint's quick reflexes. "I'm so sorry!! I don't know what came over me." I shouted.

"Hey, it's okay. I know I messed up by not communicating. But I thought of you every minute of every day that I was gone. How's my girl?"

"I missed you so much." My voice breaking and betraying me. I swore a long time ago that I'd never be one of those girls and yet here I am, doing exactly what I swore I would never do. *Mentally face-palming myself.*

Clint opened up his arms and I jumped into them and onto him wrapping my legs around him like the koala I always turned into when it was just us. I wrapped my arms around his neck, squeezing and never wanting to let go. I stuck my face into the crook of his neck and let the tears I had been holding back fall. Sniffling and moaning. He came back to me. He was home.

He took his hand and started stroking my hair. "Baby girl, I'm here. Everything is okay. I'm here and I'm not leaving for awhile."

"I know. I'm just so relieved. You can't imagine how crazy I was going. I wanted to ask Tony or Steve how it was going and more importantly how you were doing and if you were okay. But I had to stop myself because I remembered that we decided not to tell anyone. These last seven months with you have been *mostly* amazing. You know, except for the last three months because we've hardly spoken."

"I know, Angel. I wanted to ask them how you were doing also, but had to stop myself because I also remembered that we decided not to tell anyone." He takes in a deep breath of my scent and he continues "What do you say we tell them once we wake up? I want to shout from the rooftops that you're mine."

"I'd love that, baby." And I pull my face back from the crook of his neck and I place my lips on top of his and start massaging them against one another.

HUGE shoutout to @Arayth3drkprncess for the set up on this one. You are amazing and I love you🩵