Like A Bullet [P.M.]

Chapter 53

Water dripped, trees swayed, tears streamed, words were spoken, the wind whistled, and we stood. A wooden coffin sat before us, holding Clint's body. He was wearing a clean, brown tux, and his bow rested in his hands. Laura walked to him, kissed a rose, and placed it upon his chest. Laurel stood beside me, holding my hand tightly. I looked down at my feet, shuffling the dirt beneath me. Laurel then rested her head on my shoulder as they closed the coffin. That was the last time I saw Clint. Natasha finally made her way to the coffin, demanded for it to be opened again, and looked down on Clint. She beant down and placed a kiss on his forehead. A single tear dropped from her cheek to Clint's face. She then turned and left the scene, leaving us all behind. Now, that was the last time I saw Clint. They finally closed and locked the coffin and we proceeded to carry it to it's resting place. Me and Cap were on the left side of the coffin, Tony and Banner on the right, Nick on the rear end, and Vision on the front. We carefully placed his coffin in the digged up area. It lowered slowly and quietly. Laurel signaled me to go up front and say something. I shook my head in a 'no', regretting my decision, but keeping quiet. Dirt filled the hole, slowly blocking the coffin from our sights. As the last chunk of dirt was being prepared to be thrown, I ran to the grave and kneeled down.

"Well, Clint." I paced, looking directly at the ground. "Thank you, for everything. I never imagined you would leave this early, and so soon. I wished we had more time, more days to spend with you. But we do not decide our fates, we do not control the future. Nobody forsaw this, but I wish someone did. I am so sorry for taking you from this world. Rest in peace, old man." I stood, saluted his grave, and made my way to Laurel, in need of her touch.

The last pile of dirt was thrown and we all bowed our heads. Clint's children quietly cried, clinging onto their mother. Laura stood strong, holding little Nathaniel in her weary arms. Nathaniel would never know his father. He would never know how amazing, wonderful, and wise his father was.

Rain fell upon us and we all ushered into the house. Nick was the only one to stay before Clint's grave. I briefly saw him wipe his face, and as he kneeled down, Natasha walked to him. She then fell upon him, covering her pale face with her hands. Nick held her tight, burying his face in her red, drenched hair. I then left the window, and headed to the kitchen area, where everyone was.

"Thank you, Pietro." Laura said, giving me a hug. Her daughter stared at me, her eyes red as a rose. I walked away, leaving her behind. I walked to the sofa, where Cap and Wanda sat.

"Are you alright?" Wanda asked, softly grabbing my wrist.

"I am fine." I quietly said. "Where is Laurel?"

"She is in the porch. Someone called her."

"Did she say who?" I asked, somewhat concerned.

"No, she just left the room. Anything wrong?" Wanda said, looking deep into my tired eyes.

"I do not know." I said, leaving the room for the porch. I softly opened the door, trying to prevent it from creaking. Laurel stood in the far corner, her phone pressed against her head. Water still fell from the grey sky, and the wind still rustled through the surrounding trees. I quietly walked towards Laurel. She turned to face me, a strange expression on her face.

"I'll think about it. Bye." She said to her phone and quickly hung up.

"Hey." I muttered.

"Hi."

"Who were you talking to?"

"My dad."

"What did he want?" I asked as I stepped forward.

"He's going on a business trip to Italy," she took a deep breath, "and he wants me to come with him."

I gulped, taking into realization what had just come out of Laurel's mouth.

"Italy?" I managed to say.

"Yeah, next week."

"Are you going?"

"Well, yeah. I want to spend time with him." She said, turning to face the land. I walked beside her and faced the land as well.

"How long?"

"Two weeks."

"Two weeks." Now I took a deep breath. "I do not want you to go. I need you."

"It's not up to you, Pietro. It's my father we're talking about. This trip could fix us." Laurel said, placing her hand on top of mine.

"I will miss you, a lot."

"I know that, and I'll miss you more. But some things, like this trip, can't be negated. It'll only be two weeks."

"I do not think I can last that long. Who will get me out of bed in the morning? Who will I sleep with? Who will I cook pancakes with in the morning?"

"I don't know." Laurel muttered.

"I cannot come with you, right?" I bluntly asked.

"I don't think so. It wouldn't please dad."

"Hm." I held in my emotions and turned my head to Laurel. "It is your choice, I cannot change that. Just know that I will miss you. Just know that."

"Well, we can facetime. I can call you everyday, tell you where I am."

"That will just make me miss you more." I whispered, making Laurel frown.

"I'm trying to make you feel better, Pietro." She walked two steps back. "But I guess that's not possible for you today." Her eyes turned red and she made her way inside the house. I looked down, admitting the terrible mistake I had just made. I must've sounded so selfish. I should've agreed with her. Now, she'll give me the silent treatment until she boards that plane and leaves me for two weeks.

I took another deep breath and ran for the forest. I just ran and ran and ran. I jumped over branches, slid past rocks, and splashed mud puddles. I stopped for a moment, setting myself on a rock. I panted, something unusual for me. I immediately shook the thought away and continued to run. The sweet, forest smell filled my senses, and the coldness pushed against my body.

I stopped again, Laurel coming into thought. Two weeks. Two goddamn weeks without her perfect smile, her green eyes, her soft voice, her beauty, her intelligent mind. Her. I immediately ran as fast as I could back to the house. I ran inside and met Laurel with a tight hug. She initially resisted but gave in, burying her head in my chest.

"God, I'm gonna miss you too." She whispered for only me to hear. "You know that, right?"

"Of course I do, Laurel." I kissed her head, then her forehead, keeping us in the hug.

"I'll miss your blue eyes, your funny quirkiness, your perfect lips, your stubbornness, your laziness, your amazing smell. You." She said, lifting her head to meet my eyes.

"Let's just focus on now. We still have a week for ourselves. We should make the best of it. How does that sound?" I smiled at her.

"That's lovely, speedrunner. Just lovely." She slowly kissed me, running her soft fingers through my hair. She quickly released. "Oh, and I'll miss your messy hair too." She smiled, placing her lips back on mine.

"Can you two lovebirds get a room?" Tony spoke, a serious expression on his face.

"Leave them alone, Tony." Natasha said, entering the room and smiling at us. "They're just kids."