3227/Totally Not Hiding

Totally Not Hiding
Date of Scene:	24 November 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Clint is definitely not hiding out from paperwork at his apartment. Skye joins him with gifts. A heart to heart is had.
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Quake

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Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
After their talk about Avengers shifts and Skye's work being mobile Clint figured he'd better pony up with an invite to his place rather than going to Skye's all the time. This was not at all motivated by the fact that Coulson and Hill had both mentioned he had outstanding paperwork to file on some recent ops. So, he'd slipped out of the office early, shot a text to Skye to come join him when she was done work, and actually tidied up the place. So, when Skye is due to arrive, there are clear paths through the boxes and most of his arrow stuff had been cleared off the coffee table, replaced with Gino's pizza and some of the frou-frou beer. Satisfied with his work, he lounges on the couch fidling a with a last survivor of his purge of archery stuff.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
After their talk about Avengers shifts and Skye's work being mobile Clint figured he'd better pony up with an invite to his place rather than going to Skye's all the time. This was not at all motivated by the fact that Coulson and Hill had both mentioned he had outstanding paperwork to file on some recent ops. So, he'd slipped out of the office early, shot a text to Skye to come join him when she was done work, and actually tidied up the place. So, when Skye is due to arrive, there are clear paths through the boxes and most of his arrow stuff had been cleared off the coffee table, replaced with Gino's pizza and some of the frou-frou beer. Satisfied with his work, he lounges on the couch fidling a with a last survivor of his purge of archery stuff.

Quake has posed:
<< Wait.. your place?!?!? Who are you avoiding? >>

<< Totally be there with bells on. No frou-frou beer. >>

She's a tiny bit late arriving. Her knock on the door sounding suspiciously like someone kicking it. And, while she's totally been invited, and it soooo isn't like her to actually wait to be invited in (she's sleeping with him for god's sakes! she's seen his bullseye underwear!), Skye doesn't just let herself in.

How very odd.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
<< Nobody! But don't tell Coulson where I am >>

The other text doesn't get an answer.

Though when the kicking starts, Clint looks up frowning. "Come in?" he calls as he stands up, arrow gripped in hand. When no one comes he wanders to the door and opens it. "Skye?" he has the arrow down by his leg, just in case it's not Skye. It wasn't the best neighborhood.

Quake has posed:
<< Me? Tell Coulson? ...How much is it worth to you? >>

After a pause, the kicks come again. And when he calls out, a muffled voice on the other side of the door mutters, "A person could get jumped out here waiting, Hotshot."

So very much Skye, and her tones are a mix of annoyed and amused. Also very Skye. "Was just kidding about that Coulson bit. C'mon. Let me in. My arms are full."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint tosses the arrow into a box of the same and opens up his door. "Hey," he greets her with a grin, before offering to take the box off her hands. "You brought the game system?" he asks, there's a smile though, as he steps out of the door to let Skye in. "Your loss on the Coulson thing," he says glancing at a SHEILD issued laptop sitting on a box along with a pile or recipts and other documents. "I owe some back expense reports, you pretty much had me at your mercy." He walks the box towards the TV. "Shame you didn't take the shot when you had it."

Quake has posed:
"No, I did not bring the game system," Skye grins at him. "I brought you /your/ game system." She hands over a bag with a shiny new gaming system in it. She's also carrying... A double pepperoni pizza from Gino's (he gave her a deal 'Tell that Hawkguy he better treat you right or Tony and his boys are gonna rough him up a little for ya, huh?'), and a six-pack of the frou-frou beer. And, instead of her usualy satchel, she's got a backpack that looks rather lumpy with all the things stuffed into it.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint moves the pizza and beer to the little kitchen island near the door, then boggles at the box. "Wait, /my/ game system?" his eyes move from the box to Skye. "Really?" he asks like the kid that expects to find out nope, Santa delivered to the wrong house this year, you have to give it back. "Well come in," he says nodding towards the TV. "I got us beer and pizza too so if these reports don't work out, I'm good to hide out for awhile," he says joking. The reports were annyoing, but no big deal.

Quake has posed:
Skye chuckles. "So you /are/ avoiding Coulson. Tsk tsk." She shakes her head, and moves in, closing the door behind her. "That's okay, I'm playing hookey myself. Need a night to not think."

She offers him a kiss.

"And, yes, /your/ game system. Figured if we were going to play rotating houses, it was going to be a pain in the ass to drag mine back and forth all the time." She shrugs, crinkling her nose at him, eyes dancing with mirth. "Besides, I thought you might like it."

His mention of pizza gets a laugh. "Ah, that explains the funny look Tony gave me. Didn't say a thing.. well, okay, he said if you aren't nice to me he and the boys are going to rough you up, but didn't say a word about you having bought the exact same dinnner. Maybe we can just build a blanket fort and never go back to work. What say you?"

She takes herself and her backpack to his couch, setting it down and taking a seat.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Just a bit," Clint laughs. "Teaches me for putting it off. Half the stuff I don't even remember anymore." He shrugs, before a grin crosses his lips as he nods "Not thinking, that's a plan I can get behind," he says as he returns that kiss.

When he parts his lips from hers and the system is confirmed to be his, it's clear he's touched. As system kid moment. Where having anything of your own still felt rare, let alone someone giving you something. He looks to Skye and smiles. "Thanks," he says the weight of all of that put into the single word.

At the mention of Tony, he rolls his eyes, laughing at his threat, "Sounds like T," he remarks and then heads to the TV, sets down the box and pops a little utility knife from his pocket to get started on opening it. "That's the best plan I've heard all night," he says glancing back at Skye over his shoulder. Then having a better look at the backpack he asks, "What's in the bag?"

Quake has posed:
"Hey, I only report what he said," Skye says, trying very hard to keep a serious face.

His reaction to receiving the game gets a wry little smile from the woman. She knows. She knows full well what it's like to not have your own. To be dependant upon the charity of others, and even then, nothing was really yours, always threatened to be lost ot taken away when the next uprooting came.. For a moment, her eyes meet his, and it's those silences all over. Things she hasn't words for, but hopes he understands anyway. And then a simple, "You're welcome."

Once seated, she begins pulling things out of her backpack. "Well, I wasn't sure what game you'd like, so I figured we could buy some of those together. But the system came with a bundle, and I brought.." A mic is held up, "Tada! Part of Rock Band." A grin. "The best part. And yes, you're singing too."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
After that moment between them, Clint leans in for another kiss. Quick, but an awknowledgement he'd understood.

The system is pulled from the box and having hooked up similar at Skye's place he know what to do already. Though, he looks back again when she presents the mic and laughs when she says he'll be singing too. His eyes dip to the beers on the coffee table, "Then you better open one of those for me, I am sooo not drunk enough for that yet," he says by way of saying: yes, he'd sing.

He shakes his head. "So who picks songs?" he asks getting things wired up again.

Quake has posed:
"Good thing we have two six-packs, and Tony's is within walking distance, huh? Shall I get us one?"

Skye doesn't wait for an answer, heading off to retrieve them each a beer, coming back and offering him one, but not before opening it first.

"Just threw on one of the selections. And I don't care who picks. We could pick for each other, or you know, have a gentleman's agreement to just wing it?"

Her own beer is opened, and she retakes her seat on the couch, totally happy with letting him do the set-up. She bought the damned thing and brought it over, after all.

"There's a couple other games in the backpack. Not sure what. Just grabbed what I had and threw them in."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"We might need them," Clint says with a laugh as he wires up the system, then turns around to grab a game at random and put in the machine. As it loads, he slips his knife away and joins Skye on the couch snagging a beer enroute. "Wing it, definitely wing it," he says it sounded more fun and let's face it that was his M.O. for most things in life. He cracks his beer then and nudges Skye with his shoulder. "Thanks again for all this, really." He takes a sip of his beer and when the game comes on the screen he grabs a controller one handed getting through the menus. "So, who's up first?" he asks.

Quake has posed:
He's nudged right on back, Skye first shuffling over some to let him settle, then moving in closer to snuggle up with him. "I didn't think we were drunk enough to sing yet?"

She's relaxed and happy sounding. It's a good thing. Especially with the mission looming. There're reasons she wants a blanket fort right now. It was one thing to hack into the back door of some major corporation and take them down a notch, and quite another to know that what you were about to do was going to effect any number of lives.

She might not be anywhere near the firefights, but they were going to be going on, because of her, and real people were going to be involved.

Real people she knew and had gotten attached to on varying levels.

It was all so sobering.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint looks a moment smiling to see her happy, but sensing the rest underneath. He'd been there before, in the calm before the storm, really he went there whenever Fury had the bright idea to put him in charge.

He puts the controller down, switches his beer to that hand, then puts his arm around Skye. "Good point," he says as he has a long swallow from the can. "Or maybe you're just chickening out on me?" he says looking side-eye at her, as he lowers the can revealing a grin. Though for a moment, he turns to look her properly in the eye, an invitation to talk, or not if she wanted. "But you got me the game system, it's your night, you're allowed."

Quake has posed:
Skye scoffs, "As if." But she makes no move to take him up on the challenge right away, instead returning his look.

"I've never been in this position before." And here she pauses, knowing he'll likely jump on that one, and she's already to fly back with some snarky retort that puts them back on even footing and away from this place they're so good at dancing around and avoiding. "I'm scared."

She'd never put it so bluntly before.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint gives a snort, but when the look is returned his attention is fixed on Skye, but the smile remains in place.

"True, but from what Darcy said the other night, it's workable," he remarks knowing what's expected of him as he gives her arm a little squeeze.

The admission turns the smile more sympathetic. He knew what it cost to admit that stuff, his grip on her arm tightens slightly, a show of support and that he wasn't running away from that truth. "I know, I'm like that too when I'm running an op. So is Nat and May and well, who knows about Fury, but the point is it's normal. Which I know doesn't help because you're looking for that feeling to go away, but it doesn't. I've been in SHIELD nine years, the Avengers for three, I've led teams for both and everytime I feel like I am going to screw up and get everyone killed." It wasn't exactly the most comforting speech, and Clint knows it. "Hell of a lot easier when you're on your own huh?" He offers waiting to see how Skye takes everything he's said before he says more.

Quake has posed:
"Fuck, yeah," Skye agrees. "Shit, this is the part they don't tell you about. Like, okay, that shit May was saying?" She shakes her head. "On your own, you don't have to worry about messing up anyone but yourself. Fuck. When none of this mattered, this would have been so much easier."

She makes a face and swigs some beer. "Normal, huh? So what the hell do you do to prep? Or, you know, make the thoughts of turning tail and running go away."

She does allow a smirk for Darcy's suggestions, though. "Girl has some imagaination. Some weren't even half bad suggestions."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint smiles wryly at how emphatic her reply is and takes a drink from his can before he answers, "No doubt. Back when I started, I wouldn't have been half so worried about stuff like this, which is why they wait until you give a shit before throwing this stuff at you."

"Prep? Make sure the plan is sound, check your kit, make sure you've got good people working with you, then keep yourself distracted until it's go time and it's too late to turn tail," he says. "At least that's been my method."

"Yeah, she's got an imagination alright and some of it sounded like fun," he says with a smile to Skye before he shakes his head. "The clamps though. Ugh." He pretends to shudder.

Quake has posed:
Skye nurses her beer thoughtfully before replying, "Yeah. Kind of a shitty tactic they have. And sounds like I've done everything I can, then. Pretty sure I've got the best people SHIELD's got on my team. Maybe even that's part of it. Maybe I'm afraid I'm the weak link. I don't know. It's all kind of a mess in my head. I'm not sure if I need to talk about it, or just pretend it doesn't exist?"

The clamps Skye just shakes her head at. "Don't ask me. I don't think I'm really into that much pain while I'm having fun. I mean, I haven't tried them, but if I'm the one they're going on, not so sure." She makes a nope face. "Think I'd have to have more beer in me than I've had tonight."

She cants her head at him, considering, "Speaking of, don't let me get too crazy in the next little while, m'kay? I don't mean the drinking. I mean the other. Not so good at this grounding myself thing."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Yeah, it's pretty shitty, but it works out for the best I think. As for being the weak link, sure if we were all suiting up and taking doors, but you got to remember this is a team effort. We're all bringing our skills to the table, you're good at what you do or we wouldn't have this chance to hit back at Hydra right now. Nat's going to be excellent back up, May, Bucky, me and whoever else they send is going to be good at the door kicking parts, so don't think you've got to have an answer for everything. Trust your people and be confident that you do what you do better than anyone else. It's how I deal with being an Avenger."

He takes another sip of his beer before answering the other question. "And that depends on you, is this helping right now, or do you wish you were doing just about anything else right now besides talking about this? That's usually a good barometer."

The clamp thing earns a quiet laugh. "Wasn't a suggestion, I promise, that's more pain than I want either. Just stuck with me because, why?" he shakes head.

Despite how well he can read her most times the last part flies over his head some, "The other?" he asks.

Quake has posed:
"The other," Skye repeats, nodding. "The running away. The cutting loose and.." There's a chuckle from her. "Maybe I should have taken May up on her offer to talk to Fury. Except then what. Someone would have to do this. Likely Nat. And they'd need a backup. Probably Tony. And they'd get in so far and run up against IcedLotus and.."

She shrugs. "Nat's good. Really good. She's just not that good."

Skye takes a deep breath. "Right. That session of tonight's pre-op-go panic may be over with. And this is helping. Really it is. it's all still pretty new to me. The caring. The team. Bossing people around."

That last delivered with an impish grin, just waiting for him.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint shares that chuckle. "Yeah, I bet it's looking pretty good right now, huh?" he says giving her a smile. "Yeah, then it's on Nat and Tony, and you're free, but you're doing what? That's the bit that always got me. Sure, I can run, but run to what? And if I don't have a plan, then what am I putting my friends in danger for?" he takes a long pull from his can and says with genuine appreciation "We work for some real assholes. They got us good."

A smile then, and a raised eyebrow. "IcedLotus?" hacker names, right, Hawkeye?

The news the pre-op panic is over is met with a quick squeeze of Skye's shoulder before he shoots a look upwards as he rolls his eyes. "Are you sure about the last one?" he asks lowering his head, and shifting away from Skye a little so he could kiss her without dislocating his shoulder. Beer put on the table, he brushes a strand of her hair behind her ear. "'Cause you're really good at that for a rookie." He leans in for a kiss.

Quake has posed:
Skye mms, "Yeah. Pinned it down. Know who I'm dealing with now. Or was dealing with. Helps some. Better idea of what sorts of traps I might find. Not that I'm neglecting all the other possibilities, but really there's a lot of needle and haystack otherwise. I'm doing the best I can with what I've got."

The other gets a roll of eyes and a shake of head, "And we're the good guys. Fuck. Imagine if they weren't the good guys? Serious mindfuckery goes on in that place. Like you said, grab all us loners and hit us where we live. Really makes you wonder sometimes."

He's watched while he puts his beer down, and by the time he's shifted position, her beer is safe from christening his carpet, allowing her to lean in to return the kiss. "Pretty sure I'm a prodigy at that bossy thing." Leaning into that hand brushing through her hair.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Always good to know who you're dealing with," Clint says, "Everyone's got habits if you can figure them out you can get a pretty good read on what they're going to do."

He takes a pull from his beer then and nods. "You mean if Joe Hydra is actually down with whatever world ending scheme their boss is up to? And they're just doing it because this is the only family they've got?" he asks before saying, "I really don't have to wonder. The guys who taught me to shoot and fight did exactly that. Gave me a home and a purpose and then set me loose doing what they wanted me to do. Took a long time for me to question it." It's an old wound, but he shrugs it off, and the attendant fear she'd look at him and see the rube he was as a kid.

"A real natural," he agrees as he closes the remaining inches to kiss her slowly. He couldn't take away the fear of messing up, but he could definitely give her something else to think about.

Quake has posed:
Skye's lips press together. "Not sure what my excuse is. I fell into this life out of self-preservation. Only so many things a kid on the street can do to make scratch. I wasn't a fighter. Sure as fuck didn't want to sell my body. Nobody turned me loose but me. Only now, I guess, without SHIELD I'm just.."

Her shoulders rise and fall.

"Damn them. Seriously. I'm sitting here all what am I without them, and it all seems so fucking dead and empty now. I liked what I did before." Her own wound the same, but different.

"She's got habits," Skye agrees, even as she thinks, 'so do I'. But the kisses? Those distract. Especially when she shuffles down some and makes herself more comfortable on the couch.

"And watch who you're calling bossy," she murmurs, grinning through the kiss. "That's Missy Bossy to you, Hotshot." Which only makes her giggle.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"You said it yourself," Clint says, "Survival. That's your excuse, but there's a flip side to this too, we both tried to turn it around before SHIELD ever got to us. You, you were hacking corporations and spilling their secrets. Can't see how that makes survival easier. Me, I gave up the criminal thing and tried to go vigilante," he laughs a little. "Maybe we were both sort of shitty at it because we got caught, but we tried. More than most people do."

He nods to the rest without comment and shifts with her when she makes herself more comfortable. He's smiling when she breaks the kiss, "Right, Keyboard, how could I forget," he says putting on an exasperated tone before he shakes his head and laughs. "How did I end up in love with you again?" he asks contriving to look puzzled.

Quake has posed:
"True," Skye has to admit after a thoughtful pause. "I guess if all it ever was was survival, I wouldn't have found a way to turn it to some good. I mean, it wasn't all good, but I tried?" She pauses. "Do you ever feel a bit shitty about what you did before?"

It's only a momentary dwelling, though, before she laughs at his pretending to be puzzled of lovinng her. "Oh, that one's easy. Something in the water at the Trisk. Real bastards, the lot of them."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint goes silent a moment, looking at Skye, the sides of an old battle warring behind his eyes. Hide or not to hide. He chooses, "Sometimes. But I try to think about the good I've done since." Hide won tonight.

He slips easily into the laughter, and then pauses there a moment, grinning. "That one's going to fester," he chuckles. "I'm going to be wondering now if get Clint and Skye together is all part of SHIELD's plan to keep us in the program."

Quake has posed:
She watches the war in his eyes, realizing she's stepped onto that very battlefield, and that's also part of what is bothering her. Still, what he says is also true. He's done good since.. She's just not all that sure she has. It leaves her with a very hollow sort of feeling in the pit of her stomach, and a lot less proud of herself.

"Man," she agrees, "That would really have been shitty of them. I mean, if that was the plan. But considering it was Nat? Do you really think she would have? I mean, she likes you. She pretty much hates me."

There's an attempt at amusement from the young woman, but it falls rather short of that tree.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint studies Skye in turn, seeing that all is not well with her on that front either and feeling guilty for having sparked those feelings, he looks away and tries to get back onto other things.

"Heh," he says. "Well, if I was paranoid, I'd say Nat's loyalty is to SHIELD first, but I'm not. And if we wanted any proof that this wasn't some plan of Fury's, just look at us, I'm sure where SHIELD is concerned we're more 'unholy alliance' than 'ideal SHIELD power couple'," he says with a smile doing his part to restore some mirth to the conversation.

Quake has posed:
Skye crinkles her nose. "Hey, Hotshot. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm okay. Just let myself drift a little too far into the dark side there. There's a reason I don't go to that place. It'll eat you alive."

She puts a much more sincere smile upon her lips.

It's what he says next that makes her laugh, "Oh, yeah. I mean, that's a total diss against us, but you're so right. We are /not/ the ideal SHIELD power couple. I'm surprised Fury didn't put his foot down the other day. What was that anyway? Educational? He actually said educational."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
He looks back, letting out a breath before he nods, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I went there a bit myself," he says giving his head a shake and her hand a squeeze.

He joins in the laughter. "Well it's true right? We're good at what we do, but we're not exactly down with the system either," the Fury thing has him laughing again. "Well if he thinks what we've been up to with each other is 'educational' someone should sit him down with Darcy." He wrinkles his nose at Fury putting his foot down. "I'd have told him to go to hell," he says looking her in the eyes and holding her gaze for as long as he can manage before his face cracks and he adds. "Very, very quietly."

Quake has posed:
"Must be an occupational hazard of caring," Skey mutters. "And no, don't regret us. Not even sure I regret SHIELD either." The mutter turns into something of a chuckle, "I'll have to get back to you on that one."

When he laughs, she smiles, pleased that the mood seems to have passed, and left them. "Oh, if we're sitting him down with Darcy, I want to sell tickets, and have a front row seat, complete with a bucket of popcorn, because that would be something." There's a twinkle in the brown of her eyes. "So, that's the difference between a level 2 and a level 7. You tell him to go to hell quietly. In private like. Me? I'd have told him where to shove it, drawn him a map, and given him directions."

She shakes with quiet laughter. "Yeah. Not so much with giving in to authority."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint laughs, "Keep me posted on that."

The idea of Darcy and Fury discussing sex, in Darcy terms has him laughing, "I'll bet you my share of the ticket sales, Fury breaks first," he says meeting Skye's look with one of his own. "So what you're saying is I've lost my bad boy edge?" he teases. "Because ouch, hit me where I live."

Then laughing he sits up, "No. Not really our thing. If people like Ward and May get together, I'd blame Fury. Rebels like you and me, that's all us."

The turn in the mood has him feeling better and he looks over at Skye after letting out a breath, "So, feeling video games, or..." and he lets that hang.

Quake has posed:
Skye leans up quickly and gives him a short kiss. "Tell me about this bad boy edge of yours? I'm not sure I remember it." Which has her laughing, and giving yet another kiss, before moving to sit up more.

"Oh, I don't know. They might be what folks think of as a power couple? But they're too.. by the books. Too..perfect? You put them together and I think a person could predict the next 100 pages and would be yawning to the end. Pretty on posters, but not where SHIELD really lives. You and me? We're the real story. Two bad-boy rebels with authority issues who discover they not only care about one another but would move heaven and earth to save something they'll swear up and down they detest and would be glad to see burn to the ground."

She softens as she says it. "There's your power couple." It's an odd vision, but definitely a nice one. At least from where she sits. "And we coule video game. More beer?"