Angel (A Clint Barton Love Story)

"Clint?" I called as I made my way into the Hospital room. He was propped up on several pillows, looking pale and drawn, but still managing a smile for me when I burst in.

"Hey Angel." He croaked, managing a weak grin as I rushed to the bed. "Hey, hey..." His face turned serious as he saw my expression. "Have you been crying?"

I realised how bad I must have looked to him. Crying for hours on end had made my eyes puffy and red, and my skin was blotchy, and because of my speedy flight here, my hair was windswept and tousled. I gave a shaky laugh. "Yeah, I'm sort of a mess."

"Hey, then we match." He said brightly, motioning for me to sit on the bed. "Hey, don't cry, don't cry. I'm okay, look!" He moved his arms slowly, careful so as to not pull out his drips. "All working."

"Yeah, just barely." I sighed, "Clint, that was my fault. I should have done something -"

"Bailey." He cut me off with a serious look. "It was not, in any way, your fault, okay?"

"But-"

"In any way." He repeated. He stared at me intently for a few seconds, before we were interrupted by Steve and Thor coming in.

"Hey." Steve knocked on the door, "Can we come in?"

"Hey Steve." I smiled up at him and Thor, who lumbered in after the Super-Soldier. "I thought you two were in England?"

"The energy reading had all but disappeared by the time we got there," Steve explained, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "So we spent a little while there, and then headed back. We only just heard about what happened."

"You are alright, Eye of Hawk?" Thor boomed, making his way over to the bed. Clint nodded weakly.

"Yeah, sure Thor, I'm good. And call me Hawkeye. Or Clint."

Steve chuckled from the other end of the room, before joining me beside Clint's bed. "So how're you feeling?"

"Better." Clint admitted, giving us a pained smile, "But still not great."

A nurse walked into the room, pushing a trolley, presumably with medication. She gave us all a cold look as she entered, stopping just inside the room, lips pursed. She pulled off the authoritarian look very well. She was, in a way, mildly terrifying.

"Visitors were not permitted to this room." She sneered. "Mr Barton is still very weak."

Mr Barton could probably kick your ass. I thought, instead shooting her a complacent smile.

"We're family." Steve lied instantly, flashing her the charming, Star Spangled Man With A Plan grin. It fell on blind eyes.

"You..." She glanced at Thor in disbelief, "Are related to him?"

"Distant relatives." Steve pressed.

One eyebrow raised. "Well either way, you're going to have to leave. He needs rest."

"Eye of Hawk is our friend and comrade in arms!" Thor boomed angrily, his voice echoing around the room. He took a step towards the nurse, who backed up a little in surprise. "And you will not stop us from -"

Steve cut him off by bringing his foot down as hard as possible on Thor's toe. The Demi-God span round, eyes narrowed. His gaze locked onto Steve's, and he hissed, 'Do not touch me again'.

I could see from here that Steve was bristling, and in an effort to stop a fight, I jumped in between them. "We were just leaving, right?"

Thor scowled at Steve, obviously hurt by the foot-stamping indecent, but nodded. I shot Clint a 'sorry' glance, and he gave me a sympathetic one back. The three of us left, and as soon as we were outside of the Hospital, I began berating them both. To be honest, watching a Demi-God and a Super-Soldier cower in front of you is an interesting experience, which I would recommend trying.

Notes