The World We Live In

"Wakey wakey mother fucker," Sam sang, cause Clint to crack an eye open and groan.

"What the hell, Sam?" he asked.

"We're home." She continued to sing her words.

"What? What do you mean 'we're home?' We didn't leave."

"Clint you can I went on an adventure," she said.

"Did we go to Vegas, because I don't remember anything," he replied, sitting up in the back seat of the Escalade.

"Not Vegas. Yosemite," Matilda answered walking to the escalade with a look of relief on her features. She gave Sam a look before turning her attention to Clint, giving him a once over to make sure he was nothing other than confused. "Sam, kidnapped you."

"Sure did," Sam said proudly.

Her mother sent her a glare. "I'm not sure why though," she said. "Are you going to tell us, Samantha?" Matilda had gone into full on mom mode. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave her daughter a very pointed look.

"I might've taken out a few red woods and made it possible for him to live for at least the next 1,000 years," Sam answered sheepishly.

"YOU WHAT?!" Matilda bellowed.

Clint was shocked. He wasn't sure at what though, the actual fact he could live to a thousand or how upset Matilda was.

"Did you even ask him?" Matilda asked in a much calmer voice.

"No," Sam answered. "He would've gone to you. And you would've told me no."

"Sam, this isn't for everybody," Matilda snapped.

"He'll be fine," she said.

"Uh girls?" he said, before either of them could really start going at it.

There was a groan from the trunk.

Clint looked back and saw a very alive Coulson groaning.

"Coulson?" he asked.

"Clint?"

"What happened?"

"How are you alive?" Clint looked at Sam.

"People seemed to care about him, so I brought him back."

Matilda rolled her eyes and stormed off. Clint watched her leave worry etched on his features. He looked at Samantha for an explanation.

"She's upset with me. Not about you, but about you. She's happy that in theory as long as I'm around she can have you forever, but living forever isn't exactly easy. I should've asked, but you make her happy, and I want that for her."

Clint took in what Sam was saying. Forever. Forever was a long time. He didn't have time to dwell on it, cause Coulson sat up.

"Can you fix us?" Clint asked.

Sam put a hand on his head and one on Coulson's. A warmth radiated from it and the pain, tension, and tiredness melted away.

"JARVIS!" Clint called.

"Yes, Mr. Barton?"

"Gather the team, and get Fury online. We have some things to discus."



After reintroducing Coulson to the group and getting everyone up to speed, Clint went to his room. He changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, before heading to the room directly beneath his. When Matilda didn't answer he figured there were only two places that she would be. He grabbed his bow and quiver of arrows, before heading up the steps to the roof.

Sure enough, she was sitting, her legs dangling off the edge. He wasn't concerned. He knew she had no intent of throwing herself off, even if Sam wouldn't just bring her right back.

He sat next to her, and gazed out over the city with her. No words were spoken. Clint was completely relaxed, but he could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves.

"I'm sorry," she said, finally.

"For what?" he asked.

"Do you understand what exactly living for so long entails?" She didn't wait for an answer. "You can't get close to people. You can't stay in one place for long. You become nomadic. You watch as everyone lives their lives, as their lives progress. You watch everyone you care about die."

Clint shook his head. He hadn't thought about that, but that really didn't change anything.

"Matilda, I am an assassin. I get paid to kill people and there are a hell of a lot of people who want me dead. Just like you getting attached to people is not an option, and I have watched people I care about die. Up until you came along I was just like you, watching people live their lives, getting married, buying homes, having children. I never wanted it. All I want is you. I can't say we'll always have a home here or with SHIELD, but we do now, so how about you quit worrying and enjoy it, because we were both gonna end up leaving anyway."

Matilda felt like she could breathe again. He was fine. She honestly felt a little stupid for thinking he'd have such and extremely terrible reaction. She flipped her feet back over the ledge and stood up, Clint following suit.

He pulled her close and held her before pressing a kiss to her lips. She kissed back, settling into the embrace, when they parted. "I don't know whether to be releaved or scared that you took this that well," she said.

His laugh rumbled under her ear. "Both."

"Oh incubus!" Tony's voice sang from below them. They looked over the edge and saw Tony standing on his landing pad. "Oh good Merida, you're with her. So we're having a family dinner now that the family has been fully reunited, so get your asses down here," Tony said.

"When is her gonna realize that an incubus is a guy."

"Oh he knows," she replied. She smirked, before flicking her fingers sending Tony off of the landing though not as fast as he wouldn've gone naturally. She dove off of the roof after him, before pulling Clint with her mind. Tony was screaming like a girl. She fell past him, before her sky surfer was under her feet. She brought Clint to her and made sure Tony stopped right above the ground. He'd called the suit and it was on him just as she stopped dropped him the last two feet to the ground.

"You're cruel," Clint said, holding on to her. She laughed. A repulsar blast flew right by them, and Tony stood on the ground gazing up at her, hand risen.

"Oh you wanna play that game?" she asked.

"I'm thinking about it," he said.

"CLINT! TONY! MATILDA DINNER!" Pepper yelled from the helicopter landing.

"After dinner," he said, flying up.