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firelance2361 · 12 days ago

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What If...The Hawkeyes Brought the House Down?

Since we know that What If...? is coming to an end with Season 3, here's a piece I did for the rumored episode in Season 1 where Peter Parker would become a version of Hawkeye, as well as a full story for the idea, inspired by Dark Reign: The List by Brian Micheal Bendis.

Apologies again for the lengthiness and I hope you enjoy it!

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In this universe, both Derek and Eleanor Bishop were killed in the Battle of New York. Their daughter Kate, on the other hand, was trapped underneath some rubble caused by the Chitauri attack.

Shortly after the Battle was over, she was found alive by a man named Ben Parker, who pulled her from the rubble and brought her to medical attention. Taking pity on the orphaned young girl, Ben decided to bring Kate home with him, adopting her as his own. After introducing her to his wife May, Kate eventually met Ben's nephew Peter Parker.

Although Kate felt initially isolated from the rest of her new family, Peter welcomed her in with open arms as a new sister of sorts, letting her know she's part of the family now. The two then made a promise to protect each other and their family, no matter what.

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As the two grew up together, their Aunt May and Uncle Ben inherited the Bishop Family Fortune, including the company of Bishop Security, allowing them to afford to send their kids to private school together.

- [ ] Throughout their middle and high school career, Kate and Peter - inspired by her favorite hero Clint Barton/Hawkeye - went through high amounts of martial arts training, being able to gain many medals in several competitions.

- [ ] During their time at high school, Peter designed a handful of trick arrows for him and Kate to use, as well as customizing their archery suits to be more stylish. The two of them would often joke about possible archer nicknames, with Peter's settling on Bowslinger.

- [ ] One day in 2015, during a walk through Central Park, Peter, Kate, and Ben were cornered by a mugger, who told them to hand over what they could. The siblings attempts to intervene only caused Ben to be fatally injured by a stray bullet fired from the muggers gun. Peter knocked out the robber as the pair held their Uncle Ben in his last moments.

- [ ] After Ben's passing, May accepted his position as part of the board of Bishop Security, helping steer the company in a more constructive and protective direction.

- [ ] Because of the changes to the timeline caused by Eleanors’ death, in 2018, Peter, Kate, and their family survived the Blip.

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In the summer of 2021, Peter and Kate were home in New York on break from school. During a charity gala to honor those lost by the Blip, the two accidentally eavesdropped on Armand Duquesne III's conversation with William Lopez, who left shortly after. Suspecting that something was amiss, the two of them managed to slip away from the party and grab their archer gear, following Lopez to the Fat Man Auto Repair, finding the Tracksuit Mafia members inside.

As Peter and Kate contemplated calling the police for assistance, their conversations were interrupted by screams coming from inside the shop. The two of them made their way around the building, seeing through the windows the Tracksuits being attacked by the Ronin, using his sword to cut them down and slaughter the criminals while they begged for mercy.

Peter and Kate did their best to stay out of the Ronin's sight during his rampage, until they saw through an open door the Ronin attacking William Lopez. As an injured Lopez pleaded for mercy, the vigilante was about to stab and kill him, until Kate intervened and threw his bola at Ronin's sword, knocking it away from him.

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The Ronin turned his gaze sharply to Kate, annoyed to see her and Peter interfering with his hit job. Peter tells William to run as the two archers engage with the vigilante. The three fighters engaged in a full-on fight, with Ronin managing to outmatch the pair with his experience. Realizing fighting hand to hand would be useless, Peter switched to Plan B, using his skills with geometry to make the Ronin dodge his and Kate's arrows, making it look like they was a bad shots when in reality they were setting his wire arrows in the right spots to trap Ronin.

As Ronin managed to knock Kate away and kick Peter back into a tool chest, he held his blade to his throat, telling him to stay out of his way. Peter coyly played like he was outmatched, while secretly hitting the switch for the wire arrows, activating them. Unfortunately for them, Ronin saw through the whole act, using his sword to knock away one of the wire hooks, accidentally tying up Kate, before leaping midair to dodge the rest of them.

Ronin attempts to get away, only to get shot in the ear by a stray bullet, disorienting him. The three turn to see Maya Lopez standing in the door, pointing a gun at the vigilante. She pinned the incapacitated hero to the ground, holding her gun to his face. She unmasks the Ronin, revealing himself to a surprised Kate and Peter to be none other than Clint Barton, the original Hawkeye.

She then knocks out Barton, and then points her gun at the other two archers, telling them that they are coming with her. Peter and Kate try to talk their way out of it until two Tracksuits knock them out from behind, rendering them unconscious.

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Peter, Kate, and Clint woke up in the Tracksuit's base of operations, finding themselves tied up and their weapons missing. As Kate tries awkwardly introducing herself to Clint, he just ignores it, unable to hear anything with his ear messed up from the bullet wound.

Soon, Maya, William, and Kazi walk into the room, with William demanding to know who the other two are and what the Ronin wants from them. Recognizing the Ronin was unwilling to cooperate and unable to understand them due to his injury, Maya turns her attention to Peter and Kate, asking who they are, using Kazi to translate. They reply that they are just fans of Barton who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, dragging out the conversation enough for Peter to slowly cut through the rope with a spare arrowhead in his wrist.

Annoyed by the conversation, Maya points a gun at Peter, prepared to shoot him, only for Parker to break free and redirect the gun to break Clint free of his restraints. After freeing Kate, a full-on fight ensues as the three attempt to locate their gear. Kate manages to find their bows and arrows and Ronin's sword, tossing them to the others as bullets and arrows go flying about. During the fight, One of Kate's badges from Bishop Security got knocked away from her.

Peter managed to trap most of the Tracksuits with a foamy trick arrow, allowing for him, Kate, and Clint to escape in Maya's car, but not before finding a stray dog in the back of the car and taking him with them as they escape. Kazi attempts to give chase, but Maya holds them back, pointing to Kate's fallen badge. William examines the badge, telling Maya and Kazi to contact their boss.

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After finding an audiologist to get him a hearing aid, Barton, Parker, Bishop, and the dog went to Peter and Kate's apartment in Queens. After confiscating Ronin's sword, the two of them request for Barton to tell them everything. When Clint asks why he would do that, Kate tells him they have cameras from Bishop Security installed for burglars, and that if he tries anything they'll signal for the police to arrive.

Reluctantly, Clint tells them he was following a tip from one of Wilson Fisk's informants, saying that he was hoping to find someone who could give him a lead to Kingpin. Peter inquires why, to which Barton tells him he's been making a list of things that must be done to change the status quo because of the Blip, and that Fisk is at the top of it.

After discussing the situation with each other, they agree to help Clint find Kingpin, clarifying they would not help kill him. He reluctantly accepts, figuring they'll be a part of this now one way or another. They leave the dog behind, with Kate nicknaming him Lucky.

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Later that evening, Kazi is out on patrol per Fisk's orders, looking for the trio, when his tire gets shot out. Kazi gets out to check the tire, only to be caught in a snare that suspends him upside down from a lamppost. The trio emerges from the shadows, surrounding the Tracksuit thug.

After Peter and Kate tie up Kazi, Clint orders him to tell them why they set him up. A terrified Kazi confesses that Fisk needed to give the Ronin a red herring to throw him off his trail, and William was the closest target he had.

Kazi then asks who the other two are, to which Peter says that's none of their business. Kazi disagrees, saying they know Kate is Derek Bishop's daughter, saying they found her badge at their base. Clint then tries to kill Kazi out of frustration, which makes him let slip about Sloan Ltd.; Clint then searches Kazi, finding an ID for Sloan on him. The three then flee the scene as the police arrive, with both Peter and Kate determined to find out what her father's link to the Tracksuits and Kingpin is.

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The trio then make their way to Bishop Security to obtain information about the Tracksuits. Upon entering May's office, they find signs of a struggle, with windows partly broken and the files ransacked. After Peter hacks into Sloan Ltd. through Kazi's account, they discover his employment there and that the company was a money laundering front for the Tracksuit Mafia with Fisk as its CEO.

Wanting to know more about Kate's family's link to Fisk, Peter cross references the tax transactions from Sloan with any from Bishop Security, finding tax files linking from Fisk directed to Derek Bishop. Doing some research they also discover one of the members of Sloan was listed as inactive since late 2015, which unnerves them sightly. They pull up the employee's files shocked to see it is the same man who murdered Uncle Ben in Central Park all those years ago.

Kate then puts the pieces together. Derek borrowed money from Kingpin when their family was in debt, and that debt was still unpaid after he and Eleanor died. The mugging in Central Park was an attempt by Fisk to get Kate and get what he could of the Bishop Family's fortune, and Ben paid the price for it.

As the two of them are reeling from this revelation, suddenly the laptop flickers before it goes black. It then switches on again, this time with Fisk on the other end. Wilson introduces himself to the pair, saying it's an honor to finally meet Kate. Peter shuts him up, demanding him to turn himself over for what he's done before this gets worse. Wilson ignores his demands, continuing on about how Derek owed him a great debt, a debt that Kate must now pay in full.

He then shows a captured May in the background of the frame, giving them an ultimatum: deliver Kate to Fisk to transfer their fortune back over to him by midnight, or they'll both lose the last bit of family they have left.

This is the final straw for Clint, who smashes the laptop shut and declares that he is going to kill Kingpin himself, ordering the tow of them to stay put. Peter tells him he's acting crazy and they need to think this through, but Barton justifies that they let this very evil snake its way into power and they can't let it continue.

Kate tries to appeal to his humanity, arguing that brutally murdering people is wrong and would not make things better. Barton retaliated, explaining to Bishop that hurting people is what he was trained to do, as he is a weapon, despite his time doing good as an Avenger. Kate tells them that's he's not going without them, to which Barton sadly disagrees, gassing her with the stolen head of a knockout arrow. Peter leaps to sister's defense, only be swiftly taken out by a knock to the head.

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Pete and Kate wake up back in their apartment in Queens, tied together with their weapons out of reach. Their attempts to escape are futile, only falling back against the floor. A frustrated Kate apologizes to Peter for everything that he lost because of her, feeling like she failed to keep her promise to protect their family.

Peter reassures her that what happened to Ben was not her fault, neither what has happening now. He laments that he understands what it's like to be lost and alone, but that's different now, because they have each other, and that's how they will get through it.

They then feel and look around for something that can cut the rope with; eventually they see Lucky wandering in from the other room. After getting Lucky's attention, they manages to get him to fetch one of their arrowhead, using it to cut themselves free. After retrieving their gear, and manufacturing some more new trick arrows from scratch, the two head off to save May.

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Later that evening, May sat hostage in Fisk's Penthouse, with Maya, William, Kazi and the other Tracksuits surrounding the place. Fisk's attempts to make small talk with May gives him nothing but cold silence.

Just as he was about to raise and offer her a toast, the lights went out, as members of the Tracksuits began falling left and right at the hands of the Ronin. Clint fought through each and every one of the members. Unfortunately, Maya managed to knocks Barton aside and grabs his sword, slashing him in the leg. The other Tracksuits pile onto Clint, dogpiling and overwhelming him.

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Fisk's men bring the apprehended Ronin to the Kingpin, who unmasks him front of everyone, surprised to see it is the former Hawkeye underneath it.

Fisk then asks why Barton would go on such a rampage as the Ronin, to which he informed him that it was the fact they survived and half the population did not, and he warns Fisk that he can either die quickly or slowly at his hand.

Wilson taunts Clint for believing that he could take down everything he's built and tries shooting him, only to have the shots stopped by Kate and Peter's intervention.

The two of them shot smoke arrows at they descend from the rafters, with Kate getting May clear and out of the building while Peter frees Clint and fends off the other Tracksuits.

Fisk makes a run for the rooftop as Clint pursues; Peter tries to give chase, only to be tackled to the ground by Maya. Peter manages to hold his own against her as they exchange blows, but not for long, as Maya overpowers him and pins him to the ground, trying to crush his windpipe with her prosthetic foot.

But before she can do anything, she is disarmed by Kate who shoots loose her leg with an arrow, allowing Peter to throw her off and reacquire his bow, pointing an arrow at Maya. William intervenes, telling them not to hurt her.

Recognizing that she's William's daughter, he tells them to get out his city, but not before letting slip that Fisk ordered Kazi to have Ronin kill William. The two leave the building as Peter and Kate fight their way through the remaining tracksuits, trying to get to Clint.

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Clint runs down the hall as best he can, finally making it to Fisk, only for him to initiate a security lockdown, initiating reinforced steel doors that block Clint from him. Unfortunately, this inadvertently helps Clint as in his attempts to find a way through the door, he finds an air vent in the ceiling, and a way to the roof.

Fisk manage to get to the rooftop where the chopper is waiting, telling them they need to go. The helicopter's attempts to take off are thwarted as an explosive charge hits one of the engines, grounding the chopper and sending it crashing back to the rooftop.

As a bloodied Kingpin crawls his way out of the chopper, Barton then grabs him by the throat and drags him to the edge of the building, planning on dropping him to his demise, only for Pete and Kate to appear, pointing their arrows at him, telling him to stop what's doing now.

Barton ignores them and lets go of Fisk, but not before Kate shoots a grappling arrow that catches Fisk and suspends him over the city. The two archers then engage in a brutal fight with Ronin, blades and arrows clashing over the rooftop. Despite their effort, Clint manages to outsmart the two of them, slicing off their quivers and kicking them off the roof. After dislocating Peter's ankle and kicking him and Kate back into an AC unit, he grabs one of their bows and a leftover arrow, prepared to end this.

As he marches to the ledge to execute Fisk, Kate jumps in front of him, telling him not to do this. Clint just holds up his bow and arrow, telling her to move now before she got hurt. Kate tries to appeal to his humanity once again, telling Barton about how she had witnessed the Battle of New York, and how she witnessed him fighting the aliens that day and that he had saved her from an attack.

She told Clint that he was her inspiration to become a hero, to which he just retorts that is the furthest thing from one. He then goes on a rant of how the Blip took everything he had left, his wife, his sons and daughter, and nobody cared. Things only got worse, like Fisk and his criminal reign, saying this path was the only way they could beat it.

Kate tells Clint that this isn't what his family would want, and if he wants to kill Fisk this, he'll have to kill her too. Despite hesitating and thinking desperately of his wife and three children, Barton ultimately sighs, about to release his arrow. Fortunately, his attempts to shoot are stopped by Peter, who manages to aim and throw a piece of debris that injures Clint's thumb, making him miss the shot and allowing Kate to grab the arrow and stab him in the foot, allowing her to knock him to the ground.

The duo stand over the defeated Ronin, telling him that his warpath is done. Clint just lays there defeated, lamenting to the two of them about his losses, breaking down into tears at the thought of what he's done.

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The police arrive at Fisk's Penthouse and place Barton and Fisk under arrest. Peter and Kate make sure May is safe and sound before going to see the Ronin off. Before Clint leaves, he gives Kate the notebook with the list in it, telling her and Peter to finish it, approving her as the new Hawkeye.

The cop car drive away as Kate looks on, lamenting to Peter and May about how Clint was who she wanted to be like growing up, but now with his fate as the Ronin, she doesn't know what to do know. Peter reassures her that no matter what happens, they'll do it together as Hawkeye and Bowslinger.

As Kate humorously laughs at that bit, the three of them are then surprised by the Lucky, who followed them to the scene. May immediately takes a liking to him, giving him a handful of hugs and kisses. The family then walks off into the streets of New York, determined to put the wrong things right, together.

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Sorry about the lengthiness, but since the series is coming to a close this December, I thought it would be a cool crossover idea and a possible means for explore more of the unexplored grounded levels of the Blip. Plus it would be a good way to adapt one of Hawkeye's darker storylines into the MCU without hurting the main continuity.

Hope you like it!

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swan-of-sunrise · 8 months ago

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Hawkeye (Part I)

Summary: Six days before Christmas, a four-month pregnant (Y/N) accompanies Sam and Bucky to a performance of Rogers: The Musical while Steve and Carina stay home, and any hope of a quiet Christmas for the growing Rogers-(Y/L/N) family is dashed when the married couple catches a shocking news report that threatens to expose their friend as the world’s most prolific vigilante.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Hi there and welcome to the 4-part series centering around Hawkeye and the Christmas of 2024! This is such an underrated and underappreciated show, and I always knew that I wanted to write (Y/N), Steve and their growing family into it (and give a little extra love to Clint, ‘cause he deserves it!). This’ll be very faithful to the show, but expect a few surprises along the way lol thank you for reading, and I hope you all enjoy!

Hawkeye (Part I) December 19th, 2024 The Home of (Y/N) (Y/L/N) and Steve Rogers, Brooklyn (Previous One-Shot)

With Christmas only a week away, the Rogers-(Y/L/N) house was filled to the brim with festive cheer. Their beautifully adorned tree stood tall in the living room beside their grand piano and throughout the rest of the house, they’d set out their plethora of holiday decorations; thanks to Steve’s growing proficiency at baking, the air was laced with the mouthwatering aroma of peppermint, gingerbread and vanilla. The only thing that could improve their cheerful home was the laughter of close friends inspired by the greatly anticipated opening of Broadway’s newest hit show, Rogers: The Musical.

“I’m tellin’ you, Steve, you missed out on one hell of a show!” Sam twisted the cap off his beer and smirked as he took a long sip. “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but watchin’ these two trying their damndest to keep their cool was way more entertaining than watchin’ Nick Fury sing.”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes at her best friend’s exaggeration, taking off her jewelry piece by piece and looking through the living room mirror that she was stood before at her highly-amused husband seated behind her. “Don’t listen to Birdbrain, sweetheart, he’s embellishing the truth yet again; as long as you ignore all the blatant historical inaccuracies, it’s a perfectly enjoyable musical.”

“That’s easy for you to say, doll, they didn’t have you doin’ a corny tap dance number to somehow symbolize the hell of war,” Bucky grumbled under his breath, still miffed by his out-of-character portrayal in the musical and Sam’s overly-enthusiastic reaction whenever ‘Sergeant Bucky Barnes’ had appeared onstage to sing or dance. “Trust me, buddy, you saved yourself a whole heap of annoyance and justifiable indignation by staying home.”

“Well, I figured that my brief brush with showbiz back in ’43 was plenty enough for one lifetime,” Steve replied with a grin, patting his best friend’s shoulder as he got up from the couch and crossed the living room to help (Y/N) undo the clasp of her necklace. “Even one as long as mine. But hey, I had a stack of unfinished sketches and my little angel to keep me company here at home, and I didn’t have to watch the guy playing me sing a power ballad to a giant poster of Uncle Sam.”

When the necklace’s chain loosened, (Y/N) turned around and pressed her lips against her husband’s in a brief but sweet kiss of thanks. “I should count myself lucky; the rest of the world has to buy a ticket to a hit Broadway show to hear Steve Rogers belt out a power ballad, but all I have to do is listen in on him whenever he takes a shower.”

Sam and Bucky laughed at that and after a chuckling Steve retaliated by tickling the sensitive skin of her neck and stealing another kiss from her, (Y/N) headed upstairs to change out of her black cocktail dress and into her pajamas. She breathed a sigh of relief when she kicked off her black kitten heels and after peeling off her dress, she hung it over the back of her vanity’s chair and smoothed a hand over the satin slip that covered the slight swell of her four-month-pregnant belly. “Thanks for being so cooperative in there tonight, gumball. I had a really fun time with your Uncle Sam and your Uncle Bucky.”

Unfortunately, (Y/N)’s second pregnancy was almost the polar opposite of her first; where she hadn’t begun to show until her second trimester and she never once experienced morning sickness, she was already transitioning into maternity wear and she’d been plagued with intense nausea for over a month straight that was only just beginning to ease up. Their night on the town served as both an enjoyable evening with friends at a so-bad-it’s-good musical adaptation of her husband’s life, and a test to see how well she’d do during her latest book promotion tour in January.

It seemed as though she’d be able to physically handle all the interviews, press conferences and book signing, but she was still working on preparing herself mentally to discuss the chapter of her life that had brought her the greatest joys and largest despairs. While Assemble: The Unabridged History of the Avengers was the definitive chronicle of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, it wasn’t quite as unabridged as one would expect; the remaining Avengers had agreed on what details should be kept from the public – namely, their utilization of Pym Particles to achieve time travel, the entirety of the time heist and Clint’s five-year-long stint as the vengeful Ronin – so not only would she be tasked with discussing the deaths of her friends and allies, she’d also have to carefully work to keep those certain details a secret. Not an easy feat when you’re already experiencing pregnancy brain, she thought to herself with an inward sigh, slipping into her satin nightgown and tugging her robe on as she crept across the hall into Carina’s dimly-lit nursery.

Predictably, her fifteen-month old daughter was fast asleep in her crib, curled up under her colorful Wakandan-made blanket and clutching her stuffed white wolf; Indy, their senior German Shepard rescue, was nestled in his dog bed at the foot of the crib and when (Y/N) quietly entered, his head snapped up at attention but he immediately relaxed when she scratched behind his ears and the thick fur of his neck. Once their protective family dog was placated with scratches, she leaned over the crib and took a moment to observe her peaceful daughter; as energetic as the half super-soldier was throughout the day, she absolutely loved to sleep and hardly ever complained when they put her down for her two daily naps. Greg and Mara warned her that her daughter’s mild-mannered attitude could always fade away once she entered her ‘Terrible Two’s,’ but (Y/N) had a gut-feeling that Carina’s early adventures through space and all the battles against un-dead Asgardians and Thanos’ bloodthirsty army that she’d been present for gave her a resilience that most grown adults would never come to possess.

“Sweet dreams, my little lemon drop,” (Y/N) murmured, her fingers gently brushing her (Y/H/C) locks out of her face before she leaned down and pressed a feather-light kiss onto her forehead. “I love you.”

After tucking the blanket around her daughter’s sleeping form, (Y/N) gave her one last smile and turned away from her crib, unsurprised to see Steve leaning against the nursery’s door frame with a content smile playing on his lips. “Sam and Buck already turned in for the night, so I thought I’d check in and see how my three lovely ladies were doing.”

“Two, sweetheart; you know as well as I do that we haven’t found out the sex of the baby yet.” She quietly closed the nursery door and looked at her husband with playful suspicion as they strolled hand-in-hand into their bedroom. “Unless you called up Dr. Prince behind my back.”

“Nope, just some good old-fashioned fatherly intuition.” Steve chuckled, bending down to press a kiss onto her small bump before they went about getting ready for bed, with him changing into his pajamas while she removed her makeup and applied her nighttime skincare in their room’s adjoining bathroom. “The guys mentioned that Barton and his kids were there, too.”

(Y/N)’s fingers momentarily stopped massaging moisturizer into the skin of her face as she recalled the grief etched into the archer’s face when Natasha’s character first twirled onto the stage. “Yeah, they were kicking off their Barton Family Christmas with a little trip to the city to see the show. They left about halfway through; Clint texted me later saying that it was because the kids were a little restless and they wanted to go out for Chinese food before it got too late, but…but I think it had something to do with Nat.”

Steve sighed but remained silent; when (Y/N) finished her nighttime routine and walked back into the bedroom, he was already sitting on his side of the bed with a downcast expression on his face. “He still blames himself for what happened on Vormir.”

“I think so, but I also think he knows that nothing he could’ve done would’ve stopped Nat from making that call…” With a sad sort of smile, she slipped out of her robe and climbed into bed beside her husband, adjusting the comforter over their laps and meeting his saddened azure eyes. “Most of all, I think he just misses her.” And I know exactly how he feels, she thought to herself as her throat burned and she tried her hardest not to imagine the faces of those she still grieved over.

Not a day went by when (Y/N) didn’t think about all the friends they’d lost over the past several years: Tony, Natasha, Vision, Loki and most recently, T’Challa; just as suddenly as they’d lost their four friends and teammates in the battle against Thanos, the King of Wakanda had passed away after a private battle with illness over two months ago. It seemed that with each blessing that appeared in their life, there was an equally devastating blow waiting just around the corner for them and as each one was dealt, (Y/N) started to truly comprehend the all-consuming grief that had followed Clint like a shadow since Thanos’ Snap in 2018.

Being with Steve and Carina and knowing that there was a new baby on the way certainly helped, as did sharing memories of those they’d lost with her husband and their two best friends and focusing her attention on her upcoming book tour. Steve, understanding all too well the emotions that were brewing within her, brought a hand up to cradle her cheek and drew his thumb across her cheekbone as his eyes softened with empathy. “When Cari dumped her entire bowl of spaghetti onto her head the other night and we had to give her an emergency bath, one of the first things that went through my mind was that Nat would get a kick out of hearing that story. It took me a second to remember that she…” Steve’s voice cracked and he swallowed thickly before continuing. “I’ve fought gods and monsters, I’ve traveled through space and time and I’ve lived long enough to believe that in this universe, anything is possible. She knows, sunshine…they all do.”

With tears in her eyes, (Y/N) let out a watery laugh and accepted the tissue that he offered her. “You sure you’re not the New York Times best-selling author in this family?”

“Nah, it’s just easier to land an emotional speech when your wife’s hormones are constantly being thrown for a loop by a four month old fetus,” Steve replied with a lopsided grin while she shook her head in playful exasperation and dabbed at her tear-filled eyes. “We should probably get some sleep; Sam and Buck have an early flight to New Orleans tomorrow, and we’ve still gotta take Cari to the mall for her picture with Santa.”

(Y/N), recalling her best friend Greg and his wife Mara’s many horror stories of taking their little Abbie to see Santa, bit her lip and replied, “Our daughter spent the first month of her life surrounded by Sakaarians, un-dead Asgardians and Chitauri soldiers, so I’m sure that a picture with a complete stranger dressed as Santa Claus’ll be a piece of cake.”

“Of course…” The longer her husband thought it over, though, the more hesitant he appeared. “But maybe we should pack her stuffed wolf just in case-?”

“Oh, absolutely.”

Ever the true gentleman, Steve discarded her tissue for her and switched off their bedside lamp before burrowing under the bedcovers beside her, leaning over to brush his lips against her brow while she slipped her arm over his torso. “I also have to text Scott; when we were finishing up my interview for his book last week, he made me promise to give him a review of the musical. I think he wants to take Hope and Cassie when the touring company comes to San Francisco in the spring.”

Steve chuckled and carefully wound his arm around her to hold her closer. “He’ll be happy to know that they decided to add him to the Battle of New York. Speaking as one of the six people who was there, though, I’m not too sure what the presence of Ant-Man’s meant to add to one of Earth’s first alien invasions.”

“That’s the beauty of historical fiction: you can play fast and loose with dates, times and events for the sake of dramatic purposes while still portraying a person’s real-life story. In this case, adding one of the most popular Avengers to one of the most famous Avengers battles doesn’t change the fact that you – the main character – really were there.” (Y/N)’s eyes drifted closed and she could feel her body relaxing against Steve’s as sleep began to take hold. “With that being said, I just know he’s never ever gonna stop talking about it…”

Their tired laughs were suddenly interrupted by a sharp rap on their closed bedroom door and before either of them could say anything, the door opened and the light flickered on to reveal Sam and Bucky entering their room with matching frowns on their faces. “Sorry for barging in, guys, but you’re gonna wanna see this.” While Sam crossed over to retrieve the television remote from (Y/N)’s nightstand, she and Steve exchanged a look of confusion as they sat up and Bucky sat himself down on the edge of their bed as Sam switched their television on to NY1.

“…following a breaking news story, a high society gala rocked by an explosion when it went off at Park Avenue and 68th Street tonight. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation, but witnesses captured cell phone footage of a masked assailant fleeing the scene.” The news anchor’s face was replaced with an unsteady video of a bustling 68th Street; a masked figure dressed from head to toe in black vaulted over a speeding car and scooped a matted Golden Retriever up into their arms, both sliding out of the busy traffic just in the nick of time. The amateur footage paused on a close-up of the masked figure, and (Y/N)’s heart leapt into her throat when she recognized the imposing black and gold leather suit. “Authorities believe the assailant could be-”

“The Ronin,” (Y/N) breathed, and the implications of the infamous suit’s reappearance were not lost on her or the other three men in the room.

“-Who once terrorized organized crime here in New York and around the world for five brutal years. This is the first potential sighting of the Ronin in years, and his identity continues to remain a mystery to this day. We will continue to follow this breaking news story and report on any developments as they come in-”

Sam muted the television and turned to face them with a troubled expression written across his face. “That sure as hell wasn’t Barton in that video.”

“Which means one of two possibilities: either somebody with a sick sense of humor’s running around New York in a handmade Ronin suit and playing out their little fantasy of being a vigilante…” The fingers of Bucky’s vibranium hand traced along the raised lettering of his old dog tags as his brows furrowed, his earlier pleasant mood long gone and replaced with a dark trepidation. “Or someone found the real suit in the wreckage of the Avengers Facility.”

His features drawn with a solemnity reminiscent of his days as Captain America, Steve carded his hand through his rumpled blonde hair and stared at the muted footage of the imposter. “Either way, Barton and his kids are in danger; if they manage to find out the Ronin’s true identity, then every single member of the city’s criminal underworld is gonna go after him for revenge.”

(Y/N) let out a weary sigh and reached for her cell phone that was charging on her nightstand. “So much for that Barton Family Christmas…”

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

A/N: And there you have it! How do you think the Rogers-(Y/L/N) family will fit into this show? What're the surprises that are gonna pop up? I guess you'll have to tune in for the rest of the chapters to find out! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ziGMhEsAw833GQ9eV44nR?si=6dfead09c76848d5

Hawkeye (Part II)

Stumblin’ In Book VII: “Superhero Snapshots” Masterlist

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