Closure and a Blushing Soldier | Darcy Lewis & Bucky Barnes

Closure and a Blushing Soldier

With a lull in activity around both the Avengers Facility and Stark Tower, Clint comes to the conclusion that he ought to bury the memory of his brother and officially move on with his life once and for all. It's been a little over half a year since Ultron and everyone seems to be in a good place, so when word gets out on what Clint plans to do, Darcy attaches herself to his hip and promises to be there every step of the way.

"He might not have been a good man in the end, but there must have been once upon a time he was. Whatever you plan to do, I'm with you."

Clint's body shudders with suppressed emotion and he faintly nods, and gulps. "Pack a bag. We leave for Iowa tomorrow."

They're in the privacy of Clint's floor at Stark Tower- Tony and Pepper having reinstated the Tower's original name now that the Avengers had an all new facility in upstate New York- and it's on his own floor that he allows his walls to tumble. Darcy flashes him a small smile as she walks towards him, wrapping her arms low around his waist and pressing the side of her face against his chest in loving hug. She can feel Clint's chest heaving with stuttering breaths, and then his arms are wrapping high around her shoulders in a tight embrace.

"It'll be okay, Uncle Clint. Don't worry."

xXx

Waverly, Iowa is not what Darcy is expecting. It's a decently little big town, but everyone seems to know each other, and smile and wave no matter if they'd seen you around before. Every local establishment is outdated yet homey and comfortable, and no one around seems to care and happily makes do with what they have.

There's a small Comfort Inn hotel that Clint checks them into, and Darcy immediately wants to tour her Uncle's hometown. But Clint's not feeling up to anything- he's rather subdued- and Darcy promises to not get into too much trouble if she can take the car into town. So with a sigh, Clint tosses a few big bills at Darcy and tells her to bring back all the snacks that she can carry.

She laughs lightly, hugs her Uncle, and then presses a kiss to his temple. "I'll be back soon. Let's hope this place has a Seven-Eleven or something. I'm craving a blueberry slushie."

That finally earns a small snort from Clint as well as a faint grin. "It's no Seven-Eleven, but it's convenient. Last I was here, they sold slushies."

"Excellent. Want one?"

"Sure. Make it Cherry."

"Ugh. For being a superhero, you're so boring."

"Shutup and get outta here, kid."

Darcy ducks her Uncle's playful swat, collects the keys from one of the beds in their room, and skips out the door. The drive into town takes less than two minutes and then Darcy parks and locks up the car only to set out on foot and take in the atmosphere of the quiet town.

It's the complete opposite of noisy New York, and the strange people smile kindly and ask how Darcy's day is going as if they'd known her for ages when she steps into a Thrift store and finds a pair of boots that had caught her eye. And really, it's all Clint's fault for all the purchases she makes in the store. If he hadn't thrown so much money at her, she wouldn't have snagged up so many vintage band tees or the pair of boots that went excellent with a dress and leather jacket she picked up as well. So really, it's all his fault.

Darcy's rounding the corner to yet another street that houses more local shops when she sees it. There's a few people lingering about what appears to be an abandoned shop, leaving flowers and a couple of balloons while lighting up a few candles as well. She frowns at the display in sympathy and attempts to walk around the obvious people mourning the loss of someone they knew, but as she walks closer, she catches the name of the abandoned shop.