It had been a few days and I was coming home from Max's. I took a cab home since Max was at work and I just wanted to get home. I walked in the front door and everyone was hanging out talking around the kitchen table.
"Hey." I said and they all smiled seeing me.
"Aunt Andie!" Lila yelled excited to see me and ran at me. I picked her up and hid my wince of pain when I did.
"I saw that." Clint said and I just looked at him.
"Not sure what you are talking about. I slept on my neck wrong and it's tense." I said and I put Lila down. Steve looked at me intensely and I just ignored him.
"I'm going to take a shower." I said and headed upstairs. I went into my room and easily got my shirt off.
"So, what else besides the back bruises?" Nat asked standing at the door looking at my back all bruised up. I sighed as she walked in and shut the door. I lifted my hair and showed Nat the cut on my hairline that had stitches.
"Also a jacked-up shoulder." I said and Nat groaned. She grabbed my left hand and saw the diamond ring gone.
"So it's over?" Nat asked and I nodded.
"Yeah, he just doesn't know it. He had to go to work for a couple days so I left the ring and a note." I said and Nat sighed.
"Well look at it this way, if he comes here to do something you have a house full of Avengers." Nat said and I huffed a laugh.
"Right because they would all protect me...." I trailed off as I heard footsteps outside the bedroom and rushed to get a shirt on. Laura knocked and walked in.
"What's the damage?" Laura asked. I showed her.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen." I said and she shook her.
"We got you." Laura said and I smiled in the hug. I showed her my back and hairline and she groaned.
"You dumped him right?" Laura asked and I nodded.
"What happened?" Laura asked as I sat on my bed.
"He just kept going off about Clint not liking him and I told him I was tired of talking about it and he needed to drop it." I said.
"He got angry thinking I was on Clint's side, whatever that was." I added and Laura groaned.
"Listen, let me tell Clint okay. You two need to keep your mouths shut. This is for me to explain to him." I said and they nodded.
"Now I am going to shower." I said grabbed some things to take into the shower with me. Once I got in the bathroom I turned on the water and just broke down into tears in the shower where I knew no one would hear. The past few days were pretty bad and I was just happy to be home, even with the Avengers in the house which still annoyed me. Once I finished in the shower I put on a tank top and some normal shorts and walked down to find Clint. I made sure no one saw my back.
"Welcome back." I heard someone say actually standing behind me, I turned and saw Steve.
"You are good at sneaking up on people." I said and he just shook his head slightly.
"Part of the job." Steve said and I nodded. I walked away from him and found Clint.
"Can we talk?" I asked and then saw all the Tony and Bruce around.
"In private?" I asked and he nodded I had him lead the way as he went outside and he headed to the barn.
"Let me see." Clint said and I showed him my back and my hair line.
"My shoulder is also jacked up. Also before you ask, I left him." I said and Clint sighed.
"This is why I wouldn't have let you marry him. I need you to see that." Clint said and I nodded.
"I do now, sorry I didn't see it before. I think I was blinded by what I thought was love." I said.
"Why didn't you fight back? I mean you kicked Nat's ass the other night." Clint asked and I laughed.
"This is me fighting back. I would be worse if I didn't." I said and Clint shuddered at the thought.
"Does he know you left?" Clint asked and I shook my head.
"He will in a few days. He had to go to work today for a few days." I said and Clint groaned.
"Well let him try and come here." Clint said and I walked up and hugged him and he gently hugged me. He kissed the top of my head.
"I will always protect you kiddo. I love you." Clint said and I smiled.
"I love you too." I said and we broke apart.
"Now, how long are the tin man, jolly green and iceman going to be here?" I asked and Clint laughed.
"I would hate to think what your nickname is for me." Clint said and I laughed.
"Don't worry about it. How long Clint?" I asked and he sighed
"A few weeks probably." Clint said and I groaned.
"Wow..." I said annoyed.
"Come on, things are going down and we needed some place to go. Can't you just try and get along? Make it easier on everyone?" Clint asked and I shrugged.
"I'll think about it but I'm not making any promises." I said and Clint smirked.
"That's all I can ask for." Clint asked.
"They need to pull their weight though. Not just sit around and look pretty." I said and Clint laughed as we left the barn.
"I'll make sure to tell them you said so." Clint said and I smiled.
"Also, no more talk of Max okay...from anyone. I just want to forget about him." I said and Clint nodded.
"I'll let everyone know." Clint said and I smiled.
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The next morning I woke up before the sun was even fully up and got in some running clothes. I made sure not to disturb Nat. I put on some tennis shoes and headed outside.
"Not used to seeing you awake this early." I heard a familiar voice say and I saw Steve standing off to the side of the porch.
"You following my sleep schedule Cap?" I asked and he got flustered and turned red. I shook my head and rolled my eyes.
"I just wanted to go for a jog this morning. Need to clear my head." I said and walked off the porch and headed down the driveway. I was quickly joined by Steve and I looked at him in shock.
"How did you catch up so fast?" I asked and he laughed.
"Super solider, super speed." Steve said and I nodded. We continued to jog in silence. I laughed finally.
"Steve, you can run at a normal speed for you. I wont hold you back." I said and he shook his head.
"This is fine, sometimes it nice to go slow." Steve said and I groaned knowing I did just want to be left alone. After we ran for awhile we made the loop and headed back home. Once we reached the porch I was out of breath but Steve didn't even seem affected.
"That's it, I don't run with you anymore." I said and he smiled as we sat on the porch stairs.
"Listen, I know you don't like us or what we do for a living but we aren't the bad guys." Steve said and I sighed.
"Never said you were Steve. I just don't like Clint is always in danger. He has a family to come home to and if he gets killed....-" I trailed off cutting myself off so the tears didn't appear.
"We protect each other, I will make sure nothing happens to him." Steve said and I gave a small nod. After a couple of minutes of silence I sighed.
"Listen the comment I made to you the other say when I went to leave about you not having someone. I don't know yours story, hell you may have a wife and kids as well. I just wanted to say sorry." I said and Steve looked at me over exaggerating shock. I huffed a laugh.
"Now I want to take it back." I said and he shook his head.
"Thank you for the apology." Steve said leaving it at that.
"Don't get used to it iceman." I said getting up and going inside. I heard Steve give a small laugh as he staying on the porch.