Like A Bullet [P.M.]

Chapter 50

50th chapter, yay!
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"Hello, Wanda." I greeted, entering the dark hospital room.

"Pietro." She smiled, taking in my hug.

"How is Natasha doing?" I said, looking at Nat's sleeping body.

"Well, she is alright. She somehow blames all of this on herself."

"Typical Natasha." I said, picturing Clint's dead body. I quickly dismissed it.

"I do not know why she does this, though. If you had given in to HYDRA in the first place, none of this would have occurred."

"Wow, thank you, Wanda." I said, sarcastically. "Makes me feel a lot better." I frowned.

"Sorry."

"So, I am heading to Clint's family. Do you want to accompany-"

"There is no need." Wanda interrupted. "We phoned Laura. She is coming here."

"But, how did you-"

"As soon as Nick Fury found out about this, he offered to bring them to New York City himself. He will also be taking Clint's body to take it to some farm, alongside Clint's family. Laura, Clint's wife, wants to bury him there."

"Hm."

"They should be arriving anytime now." As soon as Wanda spoke, Clint's wife appeared at the doorway.

"So you two are the punks Clint talked about." She said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"We moved past that title a long time ago, Mrs. Barton." Wanda replied. "We are very sorry for your loss."

"Where is he?" Laura spoke.

"I will take you to-"

"I will take you to him." I interrupted Wanda, reassuring her to stay with Natasha.

"Thank you." Laura said as I led her out of the room.

I led her towards the room where they were keeping the body. The autopsy had already been performed. Now he laid on a gurney, a blanket covering him up until his neck. Laura walked towards him, trying to stay strong. She placed her hand on his cheek, caressing his face. I couldn't stay strong. I just stood there, my eyes watering up slowly. She then carefully placed a kiss on his forehead and whispered something I could not make out. She then walked towards me, stopping only inches from my body.

"I'd like you to be at his funeral. Please." She whispered, staring deep into the floor.

"I will be there, I promise." I set my hand on her shoulder, quickly taking it back as she paced through the door.

I stayed in the room for some time. I managed to get the guts to walk towards Clint after about what seemed like an eternity.

"Hello, Clint." I whispered, kneeling down beside his body. "Call this a eulogy. Let us start."

"I am sorry. I am sorry for taking you from her. And from your family. I know I was not the one to kill you directly, but a part of me thinks that I was. It is like Wanda said, if I had given in myself to HYDRA, you might still be alive. I know that you would have done the same thing for me if it was the other way around. So, yes, know that you will live on through us. Your family, Tony, Thor, Cap, Bruce, Maria, Sam, Nick, Wanda, Vision, me... And Nat. She still blames herself for this. I do not know why, since she had nothing to do with this. But I guess I will never know."

"Thank you for being there for me, and for Wanda. You saw redemption in her, and I thank you for that. You were not just a guy with a bow. You were a husband, a father, a friend, an Avenger, a hero, and the best person one could admire. Say hi to my parents for me, will you? Tell them that Wanda and I, we are doing okay. We turned out alright. And finally, if me and Laurel ever have kids, you can bet your ass one of then will be called Clint. Cheesy, I know, but it is the least I could do to remember you. Not that I will forget about you. I will try very hard not to." I chuckled. "So thank you, Clint, for everything."

I took a deep sigh, and covered Clint's head with the blanket. "I bet you didn't see that coming, huh, old man." I smiled, turning to face Laura's body standing in the doorway.

"Thank you, Pietro." She walked towards me, wrapping her arms around me. "Thank you."

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I met up with Wanda afterwards. She was sitting in the hospital lobby, reading a book.

"Hi." I said, sitting beside her.

"How did it go?"

"It was okay. She told me to come to Clint's funeral."

"Are you going to?"

"Of course. It is Clint we are talking about, Wanda. The very man who helped you become an Avenger." I said with serious tone.

"I know." She cleared her throat. "It is just that I do not think Clint's wife likes me very much."

"Oh, Wanda." I chuckled. "Since when do you care about what people think about you?"

"Since always, Pietro! Especially if it is the opinion of the woman whose husband's best friend I caused to have horrific nightmares about their past!

"You are digging way too deep into this."

"I am not." She scoffed, slamming her book shut. "But, if you go, I go."

"Then you will go." I smiled.

"Fine." She ran her fingers through her hair and continued. "Did you not promise Laurel you would take her out?"

"How did you-" I stopped. "Never mind."

I walked outside the hospital and ran towards Laurel's apartment. I opened the door and was met by Laurel speaking to the least person I expected her to be talking to.

"Hello, sir." I smiled nervously, Laurel's father studying me.

"Um, I do not remember your name."

"It's Pietro, dad."

"Oh, right. Well, he can come with you." He said, putting on his coat.

"Um, where?" I asked, sounding as politely as ever.

"Laurel will explain. Good day, Pietro." He left the apartment, shutting the door behind me.

I turned to face Laurel, who was rubbing her temples.

"Where are we going, Laurel?" I asked, walking towards her.

"It's uh, like a party. A really fancy one." She said, smiling. "My father holds one at the beginning of every year for his company to celebrate a new year filled with success and good business."

"Were those his exact words?"

"Yup."

"When is this?"

"Tonight."

"What?!" My jaw dropped open.

"I didn't know! He just told me!"

"Why did you not refuse?!"

"Because I took in what you said the night of the crash and I want to mend things with him." She moved closer to me. "Can we go?"

"Well, I do not want to refuse and leave your father thinking I am a horrible person for you. So, yes. Let's find something to wear."