The Lone Wolf (Clint Barton)

Chapter 45: Ronin

Jackie POV:

As the musical 'Rogers' continued, I slouched in my seat, completely bored. There was one thing I knew for sure, and it was that this was definitely not how the battle of New York went. But for some odd reason, my husband had offered for us to take our niece and nephews on a Christmas trip to New York City, and this is where we had ended up on this fateful night. Glancing at Clint on my right side and Lila on his right, we exchanged looks at his blanked-out state. Apparently, he had turned off his hearing aids, meaning that he was also disinterested. As our niece tried to get his attention, I continued to stare into oblivion, lost in my thoughts.

It was hard to believe that a short 6 months ago, I was helping take down yet another organization and killing people without hesitation (as what was normal, for me). And now, here I was, watching a ridiculous retelling of a life-threatening battle that had been the beginning of the Avengers. Well, minus Antman. The inclusion of Scott's character was the testimony that someone had managed to spy us in that alleyway when we went back in time to get the stones.

I was brought out of the deep abyss of my mind by Clint laying a hand on my shoulder, grabbing my attention. "I'm going to go get some fresh air." He informed, standing to get past me.

"Are you alright?" I asked, keeping my voice low, although I'm sure my concern was still clear. Even with his nod before he left, it didn't clear my mind. Yes, what I had told Dr. Raynor was true, we didn't deal with emotions very well. But I knew one thing for sure, and it was that there was something Clint wasn't telling me. There were two main reasons on my list: His time as Ronin during the Blip or Natasha's death. It may have been over a year since her death, but Clint was still processing it.

Within a few minutes, the main part of the musical was over, so Nat, Lila, Cooper, and I headed outside. Lila bounded ahead, eager to check on her uncle. Nat stayed a little ahead of Cooper and me, walking backward so he could still talk to his older brother. As we exited the building and I did a quick check of our surroundings (habit), Nat went up to hug Clint. "Why is everyone singing and dancing about everything?" Nathanial asked.

"I don't know." Clint chuckled, making me smile slightly. "But it's Christmas in New York, and we're out of here, right?" He asked the other two kids before shifting his focus to me.

"Right." Lila agreed. Clint threw an arm over her shoulders while keeping a hand on Nat's back, not wanting to lose the younger Barton. Out of habit, I walked a bit behind them, keeping an eye on our back trail. However, it also gave me a clear view of just how good Clint was with kids, which made hit me right in the heart. No matter how much he reassured me, there was always a part of me that felt bad that we couldn't have what every other couple could--kids.

My habit of either walking behind or ahead of the group was broken as soon as Lila realized I was behind everyone. Of course, the strong-headed kid that definitely had the Barton trait of stubbornness basically made me walk with them, although Clint keeping a firm grip on my hand helped her case a lot. We proceeded to one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area, although we were quite out of place in our comfortable and casual clothes.

"You look like a maniac." Clint teased, laughing at Nat as he made looks. Cooper was holding back laughter at his little brother's antics, while Lila had a bright smile adorning her face. "You're a total crazy person. Is anyone else hungry? For some more crab or-"

"Yes!" Nat called. "I could eat three."

"No." Lila denied.

"Come on Uncle Clint, you ordered food for like thirty people." Cooper groaned.