#We Stan all of marvels vigilantes in this house hold

[backpackingspace]

Okay but like Matt's motivation makes perfect sense to me. Like if you walked past someone being hurt in someway you stop and help. Matt just hears it happening instead of seeing it. King can't help that he can hear all of new york.

[crying-over-spilled-feels]

When the World Comes Crashing Down

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the canon characters; they belong to Marvel and Stan Lee. If I did own the characters, well, I would make several changes, notably what happens to the Avengers and Loki during the battle to stop Thanos and reverse the destruction.

               He thought it was a game at first; the boys loved to play hide-and-seek.

He thought it was a trick of the light.

He thought it was a trick of his eyes as an after effect from all the combat he’d seen in his life.

He thought it was only a hallucination.

He thought it was only a dream.

He though it was only a nightmare.

He never thought it would be real.

Clint Barton screams as he crashes to his knees in the middle of the park, his face already completely soaked with tears as he curses loudly.

               Clint finds out he isn’t the only one. He isn’t the only one who lost family in the ‘Snap’ as the news and the Avengers are calling it. However, he is the one who lost the most family in the mad Titan Thanos’ destructive, genocidal plan to wipe out half the universe. The numbness that travels through Clint’s body as he returns to the farmhouse, what was once his safehouse, chills him to the core. Cooper and Lilah were in high school, and Nathaniel was barely in elementary school. All of his children deserved a better life. None of them deserved to vanish away into dust before their father’s eyes while spending a summer day at the park as a family. And, Laura… Laura, his doting, amazing, beautiful, and intelligent wife who stood by his side beside everything. She had his back when he was a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, even at the potential danger to her own life. When Clint returned home from Budapest with a potentially life-threatening injury, Laura didn’t demand he quit trying to save the world. Instead, she nursed him back to health and let Natasha stay over as the redhead’s injuries healed as well. God, he loved her; Clint doesn’t understand why his Savior couldn’t stop Thanos from killing half the universe. Perhaps the Infinity Stones were too strong for even Him to wield, though Clint knows that the very idea of that is blasphemous, so he strikes it from his thoughts. Perhaps God knew the Avengers could find a way to solve the crisis presented by Thanos. However, that is no comfort for the grief-stricken man known as Clint Barton as he comes home to an empty house, devoid of laughter, happiness, and sense of purpose now that he is a family of one.

Natasha calls as soon as she gets back to the United States from Wakanda. She tries to understand her best friend and partner’s grief, but no one can really understand what it is like for Clint. Not even Thor could understand, and the God of Thunder lost his entire family from countless wars and Thanos’ greed. However, Thor did not have to suffer the loss of a wife and three children, some of the purest bonds that exist in all of the galaxies. And for that, Clint believes that the Norse God of Thunder should be extremely grateful.

“Clint?” Natasha gasps as Barton picks up the phone, his breath shaky on the other end of the phone as he tries to regulate his breathing.

“Natasha?” Clint chokes out a sob, glad to hear his friends’ voice, even if it is just over the phone.

“Hey. Is everyone---?”

“They’re all dead, Nat!” Clint screams into the phone before quieting himself and realizing that Natasha is not to blame for this crisis. “The Snap or whatever in Hell’s name we’re calling it killed my entire family! Lilah, Cooper, Nathaniel, Laura,” he continues, his voice cracking after each voice before tears consume him as he breathes out Laura’s name. “I had to watch them fade to dust in front of my eyes! If I ever find that genocidal maniac known as Thanos, he’ll regret ever messing with the Barton family!” Clint growls, and Natasha has never heard her friend sound so animalistic in nature before.

Granted, he has never lost his entire family, and Natasha merits that he could never talk again and that would also have been an acceptable response to this tragedy. So, in order to spare her best friend the pain of describing the scene the occurred at the farmhouse, she sticks to telling him of the battle against Thanos. She tells him how Tony is trapped in space with Thanos’ recently converted daughter Nebula. In addition, she tells him of all of their fallen comrades who perished in Wakanda. When Clint says nothing about the death of their friends and comrades, particularly Wanda whom he took under his wing after the battle in Sokovia went south, Natasha begins to worry. 

“Are you there?” Natasha inquires, concern lacing her voice as she finds it eerie that Clint wouldn’t even make a peep, not even about his family.

Surely, he, too, didn’t disintegrate into dust. The Snap wouldn’t have a second wave of casualties, would it? Was that even possible?

“No, I’m not. The Clint Barton you once knew is dead, Nat. He’s gone just like his family.”

Clint hangs up on Natasha, and the Black Widow’s resolve breaks. She allows a single tear to run down her face, not even bothering to wipe it away when Steve comes to tell her goodbye and good luck.

                 When Clint makes his plan for revenge against the genocide of half the world, he emerges from the farmhouse, sporting a new haircut to mark his transition from Hawkeye to Ronin. To mark a superhero’s descent into lawlessness and vigilante status, one must change his or her hair. At least, that is the story Clint has always heard from the other agents at S.H.I.E.L.D. during his time at the Academy and when he mentored the younger agents.

“How’re you holding up?” someone asks Clint when he emerges from the house nearly a week later to buy food and other rations for himself for his journey to rid the world of other genocidal maniacs.

“Children don’t deserve to die in Thanos’ Snap,” Clint mutters through gritted teeth, setting his supplies on the counter where the clerk can check them out. “Least of all, not mine,” he whispers, taking his bags of supplies and settling them in his undercover backpack Fury had gifted him after basic training at the Academy.

Oh, how long ago that had been. That had been before he met Natasha for the first time. That had been before he became a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. That had been before…. Before he met Laura, the love of his life. The backpack was not only practical; it was meant to transition Clint back into a life of isolation, recklessness, and overall secrecy. If he was to become a shadow of his former self, so be it. There would be no one around to witness the fall. 

When the world comes crashing down, sometimes even heroes add excessive amounts of red to their ledgers in order to soothe the pain of guilt and anger surrounding the innocent lives lost at the hands of madmen.

Author’s Note: And there it is! This is my first Endgame fic, so I hope everyone enjoyed this little look into Clint’s mind. Clint has always been one of my favorite Marvel characters since I first started watching Marvel in May of 2018. Captain Marvel was actually my first superhero film I saw in theaters with Avengers: Endgame as my second. My friend AJ and I went to see them both on my day off, and we absolutely loved them! I nearly broke down into tears during the first five minutes in the scene with Clint’s family, because I just love the Barton family so much and I didn’t want anything to happen to Clint’s world. You can imagine how upset I was. Anyway, expect more Endgame stories from me; I was really inspired through much of the movie, especially with a certain Clint and Natasha scene. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Anyway, I have to prepare to go to work soon, so I’ll cut this Author’s Note here. Happy Memorial Day, everyone; bless all the soldiers who gave their lives to fight for what they believe in. Thank you for your service. Until next time, dear readers. Have an amazing day, afternoon, or night!  

[thorne93]

No Matter What (Part 3)

Prompt: Imagine you’re an Avenger and you meet Bucky for the first time during Civil War

Word Count: 2630

Warning: Language, fighting, violence, angst

Notes: This will follow Cap America: Civil War…. I envisioned a younger reader who’s like 19-24 years old, btw. Thanks to my beta @like-a-bag-of-potatoes

Forever Tags: @amarvelouswritings @cocosierra94 @essie1876 @magpiegirl80 @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @harleyquinnandscarletwitch @iamwarrenspeace @marvel-imagines-yes-please @superwholocked527 @myparadise1982sand @missinstantgratification @thejulesworld @rda1989 @marvelloushamilton @munlis  @bubblyanarocks3 @thefridgeismybestie @random-fluffy-pink-unicorn @hardcollectionworldtrash @igiveupicantthinkofausername @kaliforniacoastalteens @feelmyroarrrr

Sebastian Stan Tag: @nedthegay @lostinspace33 @alwayshave-faith @elleatrixlestrange @buenostardissherlock  @lenawiinchester @the-red-world-of-jess-chibi @memory-of-a-goldfish @mellsstark

Bucky Barnes: @nedthegay @lostinspace33 @alwayshave-faith @elleatrixlestrange @ultrarebelheart @lenawiinchester

No Matter What: @void-imaginations @devil-may-cry-11-blog @james-heaven-barnes @shifutheshihtzu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was only a few weeks after the problems in Africa that Tony was coming to the compound. You had met him a few times and you loved his wit, his humor, his intelligence, but sometimes he gave off a very...cocky and arrogant vibe. But you still loved to be around him.

Steve was watching more footage and coverage of the accident, as was Wanda. He paused his to go check on her while you and Vision stood in the kitchen.

“Vis, you don’t blame Wanda, do you?” you asked suddenly as you played with an apple.

“I know she didn’t mean to hurt anyone with her actions, no,” he responded as Tony walked in with someone.

“Where’s capsicle?” he asked as he looked at you two.

“I will get Captain Rogers for you,” Vision responded.

“Thank you,” Tony noted. “Y/N, this is Secretary of State. Secretary Ross. Mr. Secretary this is y/F/N, our newest recruit.”

You choked on your spit as you realized who was standing in the room. Immediately you stood up straight, adjusted your hair, and shook his hand.

“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” you said.

“And you,” he responded with a grin.

Finally, Steve and Wanda and the rest of the team joined you, taking some of the heat off of you. The Secretary and Tony said they wanted to speak to all of you. You converged in the conference room and Secretary Ross began to talk.

“Five years ago... I had a heart attack. I dropped right in the middle of my backswing. Turned out it was the best round of my life, because after 13 hours of surgery and a triple bypass... I found something 40 years in the Army had never taught me: Perspective. The world owes the Avengers an unpayable debt. You have fought for us... protected us, risked your lives... but while a great many people see you as heroes, there are some... who would prefer the word ‘vigilantes’.”

Natasha asked, “And what word would you use, Mr. Secretary?”

“How about "dangerous"?” he retorted and you automatically blanched. How were you dangerous? You weren’t dangerous. Rumlow. Ultron. Double agents - they were dangerous. Not the Avengers. You were the only hope against the dangers. “What would you call a group of US-based, enhanced individuals... who routinely ignore sovereign borders... and inflict their will wherever they choose and who, frankly, seem unconcerned about what they leave behind?”

Again, your anger flared. You did care. All of you did. How could he say you didn’t seem concerned?

He shuffled through footage on the screen of different accounts where the Avengers had destroyed cities. Until Steve told him to turn it off.

“For the past four years you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate. But I think we have a solution,” Secretary Ross stated as he placed a thick booklet on the table. “The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries... it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary.”

You could feel yourself getting worked up. This was bullshit. Who had the right to just order you all around? The world owed you an unpayable debt yet they wanted to chain all of you and control you? That doesn’t add up. Either they trusted you to save their lives or they didn’t.

After a tense and quiet moment, Steve said, “The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place. I feel we've done that.”

You nodded in agreement.

Ross demanded, “Tell me, Captain, do you know where Thor and Banner are right now? If I misplaced a couple of 30 megaton nukes... you can bet there'd be consequences.”

“Okay, wait, time out,” you said, holding your hand in the air. “We didn’t ‘misplace’ Thor and Dr. Banner. Thor went home, to Asgard. You get that, right? That Thor doesn’t live here. And the only times he has come here is to help us fight. Dr. Banner? He was out in the middle of nowhere before you all pulled him back in. He lived without any incidents for years, he can do it again. I read the file.”

“Be that as it may, the world no longer sees the Avengers as a team of heroes anymore. But there is a possible solution here. Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground.”

“So, there are contingencies,” Rhodey confirmed.

Secretary Ross answered, “Three days from now, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. Talk it over.”

Nat asked, “And if we come to a decision you don't like?”

“Then you retire.”

You sat back and bit your cheek to keep from going off. This was stupid. This was beyond idiotic.

All of you got up to sort your own thoughts, grab water, take a breather, go to the bathroom, then you regrouped in the living space.

Sam and Rhodey had started to talk and they were already getting into a heated debate.

“Secretary Ross has a Congressional Medal of Honor which is one more than you have,” Rhodey noted to Sam.

“So let's say we agree to this thing. How long is it gonna be before they LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?” Sam asked.

“A 117 countries want to sign this. 117, Sam, and you're just like, ‘No, that's cool. We got it.’”

“Just because the whole world wants us to sign it doesn’t mean we should,” you argued. “Sam’s right. Where does it stop? So they control us, then what? Will we be tagged and numbered? What if they only let those without powers operate, so Vision, Wanda, and I are benched?”

“That’s not what would happen,” Rhodey argued.

“Oh yeah? Bet you thought SHIELD would never get compromised either,” you spat.

Vision suddenly spoke up, “I have an equation.”

Sam sarcastically remarked, “Oh, this will clear it up.”

“In the 8 years since Mr. Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And during the same period, the number of potentially world-ending events has risen at a commensurate rate.”

“Are you saying it's our fault?” Steve questioned, a little bit of defense coming into his voice.

“I'm saying there may be a causality. Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict... breeds catastrophe. Oversight... Oversight is not an idea that can be dismissed out of hand.”

“Boom,” Rhodey said as if that just put an end to all discussion.

“What?” you challenged. “Vision, I get what you’re saying. I’m not arguing that by us existing it makes anything better. But do you honestly think that if we all retired or if we all were never even born, that we wouldn’t have the same problems? Loki? He would’ve still come to rule Earth. Rumlow would still be an evil dick. So taking us out of the equation or putting chains on us won’t make anything better.”

“Tony. You're being uncharacteristically non-hyperverbal,” Nat noted after your rant.

Steve informed, “It's because he's already made up his mind.”

Tony got up as he said, “Boy, you know me so well. Actually, I'm nursing an electromagnetic headache. That's what's going on, Cap. It's just pain. It's discomfort. Who's putting coffee grounds in the disposal? Am I running a bed and breakfast for a biker gang?” Tony put his phone on the counter and flipped up an image.  “Oh, that's Charles Spencer by the way. He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA. Had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul... before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where, Sokovia.” For a moment, everyone was quiet in thought as they listened to him. “He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass. There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less, we're no better than the bad guys.”

Steve said, “Tony, someone dies on your watch, you don't give up.”

“Who said we're giving up?”

“We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blames.”

“I'm sorry. Steve. That... That is dangerously arrogant,” Rhodey argued

“Arrogant? Arrogant?” you mocked, furious. “How is it arrogant to say that we need to own up for our own shit? If we fuck up, it’s on us. How is stating that the UN takes blame or responsibility any better?”

“Because, Y/N, this is the United Nations we're talking about. It's not the World Security Council, it's not SHIELD, it's not HYDRA.”

“I don’t give a fuck if it’s the Keebler Elves,” you argued. “It’s still people. People that can be corrupt. People that will start war. What if one country needs us and we can’t go because the 116 countries say no? What if one country doesn’t want our help but the other’s think we should go and we walk into a god damn fire fight?”

“Y/N’s right,” Steve said. “It’s run by people and people with agendas and agendas change.”

“That's good. That's why I'm here. When I realized what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stop manufacturing,” Tony added.

“Tony, you chose to do that. If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. Just like Y/N said. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go, and they don't let us? We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own.”

You nodded to him, proud and happy that he took your side and backed you up.

“If we don't do this now, it's gonna be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty,” Tony said and you let that sink in. Maybe he was right. Maybe it would be better to go quietly now than it would be later with a fight. But it still didn’t feel right getting strong armed into this.

“You’re saying they’ll come for me,” Wanda said.

“We would protect you,” Vision assured.

Nat concurred, “Maybe Tony's right. If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off…”

Sam demanded, “Aren't you the same woman who told the government to kiss her ass a few years ago?”

“I'm just... reading the terrain. We have made some very public mistakes. We need to win their trust back.”

You realized she was right. You knew how this would look to the outside world. That the Avengers didn’t want to be controlled. What are they so afraid of? You could hear and see the headlines now. But what did they know? They weren’t the ones risking their lives. The ones saying “Yes, go ahead and shackle us like criminals”. It wasn’t the whole picture. It wasn’t just about saying no, it was about the fact that you all were losing a right.

“Focus up. I'm sorry, did I just mishear you or did you agree with me?” Tony asked.

“Oh, I want to take it back now,” Nat said, shaking her head.

“No, no, no. You can't retract it. Thank you. Unprecedented. Okay, case closed - I win.”

“No, Tony, not case closed,” you argued, getting so frustrated it was hurting your head. “How is it any better if the UN is in control of us? What? Are we just going to be extra careful not to kill people? How is this any better?” you asked. You could not fathom how giving the UN control over you all made anyone any more safer than they were. How Nat and Tony and the rest of them didn’t see that was beyond your comprehension.

“I have to go,” Steve suddenly said as he tossed the Accords onto the table and headed downstairs. All of you looked around the room at each other with confused looks.

“I, uh, I’ll go check on him,” you said as you got up and followed him. you saw him leaning against the bottom of the stair rail, his head bowed as his hand hid his face. “Steve?” you gently said. “You okay?”

He looked up at you, his eyes glassy. “It’s Peggy,” he answered.

Instantly, you knew. You’d only known everyone on the team for a year, but you had a way of reading people. Besides,  you and Steve were best friends.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry, Steve.” You immediately pulled him into a hug, his massive form overtaking yours as he gripped you and you heard and felt him start to cry. You held him a long time, rubbing your arms on his back soothingly as he gripped you tight. You weren’t going to quiet him, tell him it would be okay. You knew that sort of pain and you knew the generic shit never consoled anyone, so you didn’t say anything.

After a few minutes, he said he wanted to be alone in his room. You nodded and said you would tell the others.

You came back upstairs and everyone looked to you for an answer as to why Steve left abruptly.

“Peggy passed away,” you informed.

A murmurs of shocks, gasps, and soft curses floated around the room at the tragic news.

“Talk about timing,” Sam said.

After that, everyone went around the room, signing the Accords if they so chose. The only people left were you, Sam, Wanda, and Steve.

“I can’t sign that. Not unless Steve does,” you informed emphatically.

“Jesus Christ, kid. He isn’t your father,” Tony barked. “You don’t have to say and do everything he does.”

You flinched at his anger. “It’s not like that. I just don’t feel right signing something he doesn’t agree with. He’s been around longer than all of us. He’s wiser. If he feels it’s not right in his heart to sign this, then I gotta back that up. He would do the same for me.”

“I can’t believe this. This is unbelievable,” Tony said, clearly angry. “I don’t have time for this. Nat, Vision, work on the rest of them,” Tony ordered before he left.

“Y/N,” Nat started, looking at you.

“No, Nat. I’m not fucking signing that thing,” you insisted. “If they want to come for us, fine. Let them. It will show the world who the real danger is, the real threat.”

You got up and went downstairs to Steve’s room.

“Hey,” you said softly as you entered. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to bother you. I just wanted to see if you needed anything or anyone?”

He looked up from his bed where he was staring at his phone. He gave you a gentle half smile. “You could never bother me, Y/N. I’m okay though,” he informed.

“You sure?”

“Well...I knew this would come,” he said. “It’s not like she was going to be around forever.”

You gave a slight nod as you stepped farther into the room. “Do you want someone to come with you to the services?” you asked.

After a moment of thought, he answered, “Yeah. I think I’d appreciate that.”

You nodded and smiled. “Anything for you. I’ll see if Sam wants to come and we’ll join you,” you informed in a soothing tone.

“You’re too good to me,” Steve said with a small laugh.

“I only repay the kindness you continue to show me,” you informed with a shrug. “I can never repay you for what you’ve done for me, Steve. the least I can do is be with you in your time of need.”