Marvel one-shots

Claustrophobia- Clint Barton x Reader

This is for LadyDork's Clint Barton fluff contest. Hope it's fluffy enough :)

To say you were scared of closed-in spaces was an understatement. You couldn't even be in a toilet cubicle if it was too small. Your claustrophobia affected certain parts of your life which made certain things difficult.

...

One day, Tony approached you and asked for your help with a problem he was having. You followed him into the basement, eager to help; that was, until you found out what you had to do.

"I need you to crawl through these vents here. There's a loose circuit-board somewhere. I'd do it myself, but I'm too big to fit in the vents." You swallowed thickly. Clint was the only one you had told about your fears.

"Did you ask Wanda or Natasha?" you asked, hoping you didn't sound as feeble as you felt.

"Neither of them are here. Come on Y/N, you're the only one that can fit. It's a pretty simple fix."

"O-okay," you nodded. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, maybe this could just the push you needed to help you conquer your fears.

...

It wasn't too bad at first. Tony had set you up with a beacon and an ear-piece so he could guide you while he watched your position on the monitor. You arrived at the broken circuit-board and took the small toolkit out of your pocket. Sure enough, it was an easy fix, just like Tony said.

"Alright, that should do it. All you have to do now is come on out. Thanks for your help Y/N." The comm. went dead.

"Tony? Tony where'd you go?!" Panic set in your chest. You tried to get out but it all looked the same to you. At one point, you hit a dead-end. You tried to back out but your top got caught on something. This was your worst nightmare; you were trapped in the vents. You thrashed as you imagined the tight walls closing in on you.

"HELP!" you screamed, tears streaming down your face.

...

Clint was walking past an air vent in the wall when he heard a great racket coming from inside.

"HELP!" a voice screamed. That sounded like Y/N! Clint ran to get a screwdriver to undo the grate. He pulled it off to reveal his terrified girlfriend.

...

"Y/N? What are you doing in there?" You turned to see Clint with a worried expression.

"He-help me! I-I-I'm stuck a-nd I c-can't m-m-move! My-my top got... snagged." By now you were hyperventilating. Clint reached in and placed his hand on your head to stroke your hair.

"Y'N, I need you to listen to me. Take a few deep breaths in. Do you think you can do that?" Clint kept his voice even in attempt to calm you. Closing your eyes, you breathed in through your nose until you had settled somewhat.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was helping Tony with something. He was guiding me through the vents but when I fixed the problem, he turned off the comm. and now I'm lost and I can't find my way out," you sobbed.

"It's alright, sweetheart. I'm going to get you out." With his free hand, Clint sent out a text. He continued to stay with you until help arrived. Clint retracted his hand and moved away.

"Did you get what I asked?" You heard him ask someone.

"I did Brother Barton," You heard Vision respond.

"Clint?" you squeaked.

"I'm still here Y/N. I've got Vision with me and he's going to get your top unstuck," he explained. You flinched when you suddenly felt a hand touch you. Vision was able to pluck the hem of your shirt out from the crack it was stuck in and you were able to move. You were still too scared to go backwards though.

"I'm going to put the grate back on okay?" You whimpered as he put the panel back on the wall.

"Y/N, can you hear me?" you heard Clint's voice through your earpiece.

"Y-yes."

"I want you to tell me about when we first met."

"But you know that story already."

"I know, but I want you to tell me anyway." Clint had to keep you calm while he went to the control-room. You spoke on-and-on, almost forgetting about your current predicament. Fortunately, your beacon was still on, which meant that Clint could track your movements. He waited until you had finished your story before speaking to you.

"Y/N, you're going to have to start moving now," he told you.

"I can't," you whined.

"Yes, you can," he said firmly. "All you have to do is go backwards." Shaking, you did just that, until your feet touched the end of vent. You let out a gasp of horror but Clint assured you that you were alright. His voice kept you anchored as you slowly made your way out of the vents. You were almost there when you felt a pair of hands grab your ankles and yanked you out. You stood up and threw your arms around Clint's neck, sobbing into the crook of his neck. Clint wrapped his strong arms around you.

"Shh, I've got you babygirl. I've got you," he whispered, kissing the side of your head.

"Why would you put yourself through that Y/N?"

"Tony said I was the only one that could help-"

"Pff! Screw him, let him do his own work," he scoffed. You laughed and leant your head against his chest.

"I guess I didn't just do it for him, I did it for me as well. I thought that if I could do this, I could overcome my claustrophobia," you sighed. "I don't know how you can crawl around those vents all day Clint. I can't even stand to be in an elevator." Clint moved to cup your face and dry your tears.

"You really are silly aren't you? If you do stuff like that, you've gotta start small. It's like learning to swim; you don't just jump into the deep end, you start by paddling in the kiddie pool." You smiled at him as he leant in to kiss your forehead. Clint pulled you flush against him in a firm embrace. It was tight, but unlike when you were in the vents, you felt safe and protected. You were determined to get over this fear of yours and with Clint by your side; you thought it may just be possible.