Brooklyn Boys|Marvel x Male OC

35 - Five Years Later

"Clint?" I question as I get out my car after pulling into his driveway.

"What are you doing?" I continue to question, watching him load some weapons and a suit into the back of his car.

"I could ask you the same thing," he mumbles, "I'm bringing justice to this world."

"Clint..." I pause, "this isn't going to bring your family back."

"How do you know?"

"I was there when your family disappeared," I answer, "well, I wasn't here but some of the team and I were fighting the guy that caused this."

"Who's left?" Clint asks shyly.

"Me, Nat, Steve, Tony, Bruce, Rhodey, Thor, Pepper, and a few others you haven't met yet."

"I have no interest in joining the team until I get my family back-"

"I know, Clint," I sigh, "I was like that a few years ago. I left the compound to get away from it all. But they needed me. They need you. Nat needs you."

He pauses for a moment, thinking about what I said and has stopped loading things into his car.

"I'm still going." He states.

"Clint-"

"Don't. Laurie," he sighs heavily, "just let me."

Before I reply, he gets into his car and speeds off down his driveway and out of sight. I shake my head and get into my car, heading back to the compound.

~

"Where have you been?" Nat asks as I walk back into the compound's living space. She has her feet up on the desk, and is flicking through papers.

"I went out to find Barton," I sigh, "via Rhodey's request."

"Any luck?"

"I found him. But Clint being the stubborn bastard that he is, he refused to stop what he was doing."

"Did you try to convince him?"

"I did. It didn't work."

"Well, I've got a meeting with him, Carol, Nebula, Rocket and Okoye soon," Nat states, "so, I'll speak to him then."

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"Not great," she sighs heavily, "been in the same shitty mood for five years, so... what else is new."

"Something will come up soon to sort things out, alright?"

"Alright." Nat agrees reluctantly.

"Ok," I nod, "I'm going to go and find Steve. I'll be back in a bit."

"Can you... stay for the meeting?" She asks before I leave.

"Of course, yeah." I smile.

As the holograms of Carol, Nebula, Rocket, Okoye and Rhodey appear, I sit at the back of the room with my feet on the desk, reading 'Six of Crows.' I drown out most of the conversation until it's just Nat and Rhodey left. I put my book down as I hear Rhodes calling my name.

"Yeah," I stand up and walk over to Nat, "sorry."

"Federales in Mexico," Rhodes begins as I scribble notes onto the paper next to me, "a room full of bodies. Looking like a bunch of cartel guys who never got the chance to get their guns out."

"A rival gang?" Nat questions.

"I don't think so," Rhodey sighs, "it's definitely Barton."

"Barton?" I question in a surprised tone.

"What he's done for the past few years... and the scene he left," Rhodes stops himself as he sees Nat beginning to tear up, "there's a part of me that doesn't even want to find him."

"Can you find where he's going next?" Nat asks.

"Nat-"

"Please?" She says to Rhodey, cutting me off.

"Alright." Rhodes replies reluctantly, shutting off his hologram.

"Where was he when you found him?" Nat asks me.

"About to leave his home in Iowa." I reply.

Nat shakes her head and sits back in her chair, trying to hold back her tears.

"I'd offer to cook you two dinners, but you both seem pretty miserable already." Steve says from out of nowhere, slumping against the bookshelf.

"Jesus, Rogers," I chuckle softly, "you scared the crap out of me."

"You're welcome," he smirks and sits by Nat, "you alright?"

"Are you here to do your laundry?" She says in return.

"And to see my friends."

"Clearly your friends are fine." Nat chuckles softly.

"Do I get a say in this?" I ask, sitting back where I was earlier.

"You know I saw a pod of whales when I was coming over the bridge." Steve says.

"In the Hudson?" Nat and I ask in unison.

"Fewer ships, cleaner water." Steve smiles.

"If you're about to tell me to look on the bright side," Nat pauses, "I'm about to throw this sandwich at you."

"I'll do it." I put my hand up, receiving a laugh from both of them.

"Sorry. It's a force of habit." Steve replies to Nat's comment.

"See, you have a force of habit of helping people," I point out, "I have a force of habit of ragging people."

"Ragging people?" Nat questions.

"Making fun of them," Steve answers then turns to me, "you should really shake that habit."

"I really should." I laugh.

"You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on and grow," Steve says, "some do-"

"But not us." I finish his sentence.

"Right." He nods.

"If I move on, then who does this?" Nat asks sadly.

"Natalia, I've told you before," I say, "you don't need to be staying here and doing this if no one else on the team is doing anything anymore."

"I used to have nothing," Nat sighs, "when I got this job, I got this family. And I've been better because of it."

"I think we all need to get a life." Steve comments sarcastically.

"You first." Nat chuckles.

As I was about to add another comment onto the conversation, a notification pops up on the screen, bringing up the security camera footage. Scott stands the other side of it, waving his hands and shouting to us.

"Is anyone home? It's me, Scott Lang! We met a few years ago at the airport in Germany!"

"Is this an old message?" Steve asks.

"It's live footage from the front gate." I say, checking the security cameras.