5931/A Very Hawkeye Christmas

A Very Hawkeye Christmas
Date of Scene:	06 December 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Two Hawkeyes meet for pizza, exchange gifts and talk about their lives.
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Hawkeye (Bishop)

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Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Once again Clint had been a bad friend, he kept meaning to reach out to Kate, but /things/ kept happening that forced him to put it off.

Not this time though, this time he made time and hey, even called ahead! Suggesting they meet up at Gino's, their old haunt back from the Hawkeye and Hawkeye days. It felt right.

So did his gift, which he handed to Gino to keep out of sight until later. It was big, and hard to hide. Then he grabbed a beer and a couple of slices to take to the dining room and wait for Kate.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate breezes in not too much longer after Clint settles. She'd have been sooner, but the pesky photographers had to be lost along the way first. She was beginning to think giving someone an exclusive might be the better part of valour and would have chastized herself for this cockamamie idea if it weren't for the fact that the entire thing had broken before she and Matt had even begun to put their plan in motion.

"Hey, Gino! Tab is on Hawk Guy over there." She's grinning as she takes her seat with Clint at the table. "I figure you owe me, for pretending I didn't exist for so long. You look good."

She's got a present for him, too, but it's much smaller, and well, totally fits in her pocket.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Hey Kate!" Gino calls from behind the counter. "Get you your usual?"

Clint stands when Kate joins him, offering a hug, "Hey Katie-Kate," he says with a grin. "And that's fair, even if I never forgot you. I mean, how could I? You're you."

As for looking good. He glances down at his winter coat, jeans and boots. They didn't have holes in them and more than that his face wasn't sporting a ton of bruises and bandages. "Guess, so," he says finally. "You too though."

Then he chuckles, "Especially blushing in that pic from the Bugle. They're really into you and that lawyer guy."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate gives Clint an easy hug in return.

For her part, she's not bruised or beaten either, and while she did have designer outfits (somewhere.. oh god, did she have to go home before Friday night to pick things up? No, wait, the dress was in her closet. *phew* saved) at her disposal, she was wearing her usual jeans and tee beneath her winter bomber jacket. "Thanks. Not that you'd notice if I came dressed in my pjs. You always were clueless, Barton."

She takes her seat and nods. "The usual, sure. And yeah. The press are eating us up for dinner. It's horrible. I'd forgotten what it was like."

Kate, it should be noted, had been off the dating circuit, and out of the worst of the society pages continual hounding, since she'd taken up serious study for her PI liscense. They'd found bigger fish to fry, but this thing with Matt had brought her back front and centre.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"I'd totally notice," Clint protests as he sits down across from her. "They don't call me Hawkeye for nothing."

He totally wouldn't. Really he only brought up how she looked because she'd done the same for him. All that mattered was Kate was here.

"Coming right up, Kate," Gino calls from the kitchen.

"Ah, the bad old days are back again, huh?" Clint says after a sip of his beer. "You were doing alright flying under the radar for a bit, what changed? I mean other than the cute blind rich guy."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"You so would not have noticed." He so wouldn't have. Kate doubted he even knew she wore purple as her trademark colour, and he'd trained her. "And I believe that's Hawk. Guy." Totally going with the Gino's theme.

Kate settles back into her booth seat. "Cute blind rich guy has a name. Matt Murdock. And I don't know. We were spending a lot of time together." Some. "And things just happened." Things had. Only not the things she's insinuating, and certainly not according to plan, but Clint doesn't know that.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint rolls his eyes, "Sure thing, Katie," he says before snorting and looking to Gino who was bringing Kate's pizza to the table. "See what you started?"

Gino smiles, putting down the pizza in front of Kate along with a beer of her own. "What that's your name right? Hawk Guy? And she's Hawkeye, right?" he was grinning by this point. "I mean she can't be Hawk Guy, right?"

Clint sighs and facepalms. "Whatever," he says with a laugh. "Fine I'm Hawk Guy, tonight. I'll fight you guys on it another night."

Gino claps Kate on the shoulder. "I call that a win."

When Gino's back in the kitchen, Clint says, "Yeah, I know his name, he's Skye's bestie from when they were kids. Just prodding for info," he explains. "Anyhow, I hope he makes you happy, seems like a good guy."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate does a small bit of fist pump. "Win!" Oh, so very smug is she. "Thank's Gino. Looks great as always." Totally willing to play it all up to stay in the man's good graces, with the added bonus of teasing Clint. Nodding at Gino when he agrees with her.

Kate's laughter has died down by the time Clint mentions Skye. "Yeah. I heard. Back in the orphanage days? He said she was a nice girl. I mean, I can't just let my beste date anyone, can I? I had to ask. Though I suppose I should give you a scolding. When did you become mister domestic? Settling down to one woman and moving in with them? Or was that house you rent in Greenwich village a lie?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint laughs at Kate's celebration, tossing a crumpled napkin at her. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

He notes the laughter dying but takes it for her being worried about him. Wanting to make sure the 'new girl' didn't break his heart. "Did some digging huh?" he asks with a smile, sort of touched by the concern. "And yeah, they were in Saint Agatha's for a bit, before they move Skye out." A pause to add. "Long story there," he says before continuing. "Hey I've been domestic, I mean I guess we met after Bobbi, but it's happened. And yes we do have a place in the Village, one of our friends is renting it to us, actually you might have met her, Lara Croft? She's from money too, but hates it like a certain heiress I know."

There's a smile for that.

"But yeah, Skye and I are living together there, we just had our one year anniversary, which is crazy because it doesn't seem that long."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"I wouldn't know any such heiress hating her circumstances," Kate retorts, grabbing a slice and folding it in half, the way you do. "And darn straight I've been checking up on you. It's not like you call and invite me out for a lousy slice ever."

She casts a look over at Gino, "Sorry Gino. Turn of phrase. Your slices aren't lousy." Kate offers a patented beam of a smile for the man, because his slices /were/ good, and she'd rather not insult the source of the bulk of her meals on the run, especially as they came at a discounted price.

Back to Clint. "A year, huh? How'd I miss this?" Because you were busy, you dolt, she told herself. You know, that PI thing? Her fingers curl about the napkin he'd tossed at her. "Small world, though, huh? Them knowing one another. I mean your date, and my date. Old friends."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint takes a long pull of his beer. She was right, he'd never called. "You're right, I am a lousy friend, should have called ages ago, hell, should have told you about Skye when it was happening, like friends do."

He lowers his beer, then lifts his eyes to Kate. "Sorry. But how about we set a pre-New Year's resolution, and at least call or text during the week, and do a slice and some shooting more often?"

"Crazy right? I missed it too. And I know, what are the odds?"

He shakes his head.

"I swear it's not the whole I'm dating so I want all my friends to be dating thing, but, glad you found someone Kate."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate relents. "It wasn't just you. I was pretty lousy, too. I was so wrapped up in chasing down this PI thing that I lost touch with everyone my parents didn't make me sit down with and smile at over Sunday brunch." And a few charity events, but in general, it was true, Kate had fallen off of the radar. "I kinda like that deal you're proposing. Slice and shooting. Loser pays, which means you might want to find yourself a side job if we're going to be meeting regular like."

Kate tries not to look too defeated when Clint brings up the whole 'I'm dating so I'm glad you're dating' thing, because ouch. She could literally pull the arrows from her back and hand them to him. Only Clint never saw it. He was never going to see it. And it was starting to be a whole ridiculous mess that if she didn't get over, she'd be in her 50's with 6 cats and 3 dogs to replace Lucky, calling them her babies and wearing those stupid bathroom slippers with the furry tops.. Kate shudders at the thought.

"I wouldn't.." Kate catches herself from correcting him. From taking Clint away from the whole Kate's happy and dating someone that would allow her to gracefully retreat from her unrequited crush on the man. She takes a different approach. "We just started dating. Don't have wedding bells ringing just because you and yours have a year under your belt."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Enh, it happens," Clint says of losing track of time. "And I was sorry to hear about your PI office Kate. I liked your ads," he says with a chuckle.

"And is that right? Well we'll have to see how that goes," he says of the bets. "But hey, I am sure Gino will hire you if I clean you out."

There is a smile for that, the bit of back and forth.

"But yeah, we should make it happen, it'll be fun to hang out again. Missed you."

And he did. While he didn't quite think of her as a kid sister exactly, she was family, and he didn't have a lot of that, he felt better with her in his life than without.

"Fair enough not trying to put the pressure on, I know the early days are tough, but yeah, want to see you happy. ," Clint says raising his hands.

He lowers them shortly after, offering an olive branch in the form of a smile. "But at least tell me you still have my," he fake coughs, before correcting his oh-so-intentional mistake. "Sorry, your dog."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
The napkin is tossed back at Clint. "My dog. I stole him.. *cough* won him ... fair and square." Totally getting into the spirit of the thing with him in return. "And thanks. I'm already carrying a lot of flack from my parents who want to meet this mystery man. It's a lot of pressure for two people who just started going out. And he's still got the whole mourning thing going on."

Kate gives a shrug. Matt's recent loss of Elektra was their failsafe. Their out. The reason this could all fall neatly apart in the end. It was going to be a careful line to tread.

"Actually," Kate says of her PI business, chewing around a bite of pizza, "I lucked out. I found myself someone willing to mentor me and, you know, teach me tricks of the trade that were putting me into the poorhouse."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint snatches the napkin out of the air with a grin. "Won huh?" he laughs. "I liked the other word better."

Though there is a nod for the rest. "I see your folks haven't changed much," Clint says sardonically. "I feel for the guy."

As much as he was sure they were going to give Matt a hard time, he was sure he got it worse, the carny, ex-crook hanging around with their daughter. Okay sure he was a hero, and a spy too, but somehow that part always eluded the Bishops. "Wonder if they'll offer him a bribe too," he says. They'd done that for him, to just walk away from their daughter. Clint had laughed in their faces and said he'd ask Tony to write them a bigger check to get the sticks out of their asses.

"Yeah, I heard about that, Natchios, must be hard for him."

As for the PI thing. "Oh yeah? Who's the lucky dick?" Clint asks with a grin. "Do they still call PI's that?" he teases.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Woah, wait, they offered you a bribe?" That one, Kate had somehow missed over her friendship with Clint. It took everything she'd been about to say and threw it out the window. "Let me guess. My dad offered you a check with what.. four? five zeros? willing to bump it to six if you went away and never came back?"

Kate sighs. "I'm sorry about that. He means well. He just doesn't get that he can't buy me what I want. He really thinks money is what makes everyone tick, so if you throw enough money at a problem it will go away. Only.." Kate's shoulders rise and fall. What could she say about that?

"Yeah. That's her. He and I was friends before she died. The rest of his crew, they were kind of down on her." Kate had been too, but not quite the extent of the others, only having their words and experiences to draw upon as an opinion. "Afterwards, we spent a lot of time together. I'd bring him coffee and bagels and make him get out of bed and take a shower. Finally dragged his butt outside into the fresh air and he.. I think he said, 'You know, if you're going to do it, you may as well do it right and take me out to dinner', and I said 'Sold!'." Kate smiles, as though she's truly remembering this happening. "We ordered in. But it started something."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"What I didn't tell you?" Clint asks. "Yeah, it was early on when you first started hanging out with me. I think after the time we ran into your mom and her power walking group in Central Park." They'd tracked down some thugs nearby, and were a mess, and taking a break on a bench looking like they just finished an all night bar crawl except for the bruises and cuts.

"And four I think," he says of the zeroes. "And something like that," he says of bumping the amount up. "Engh, they care about you Katie, they're assholes about it, and cheap, I mean buying off an Avenger for less than six figures? Pfft," he jokes trying to make light of it. "Anyhow I get why they're doing it, but bet that doesn't make it any easier that they do it."

He smiles at the story, buying into it totally, it's very Kate. "Glad you were there for the guy, his friends sound like assholes, I mean, there was a definite bad girl vibe about that Elektra woman, met her once, but I dunno, what kind of friends sweat another friend while they're mourning." He shakes his head before moving on to lighter fair. "And ordered in huh?" he teases brows waggling.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate could remember that day. She'd been beaten up, bruised.. and blissfully happy. Much to the chagrin of her father. "Old money," she says quietly. "Could be worse. They couldn't care at all? That was fun that day, wasn't it?"

There's a soft chuckle. "I'd have kept pushing the envelope if I were you. You're worth at least five figures to go take a flying leap into a lake and not come back. And I'm glad you didn't take the money." She pauses. "You didn't take the money, right? I mean this isn't going to come back and haunt me at some family dinner, how that blonde Avenger stole his money."

When he speaks of Matt's friends, she feels obligated to defend them. "They had reasons. I mean, some of them aren't our kind of people, you know? Can you imagine my parents being confront with ninja on a recurring basis? My father would have the National Guard involved if he could. They just thought she was bad for him. And when she died, I don't know. People don't know how to handle grief. I guess they all just felt it would be kind of awkward to console him days after telling him he should dump her and find himself someone else." Kate sinces some as she says that, given she was now that someone else.

"Ordered in. And none of your business," Kate laughs at the brow waggle.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Exactly," Clint says. He knew all about parents who didn't care. His father beat the shit out of him and his mother, she just watched. He'd hated them, but when he heard the news they'd died, he still cried, in private, but he cried and he'd hated that even more. He didn't want that for anyone.

He snorts about the day, "Yeah, it was Katie," he says with a fond smile. "Don't even remember what kicked the whole thing off, but I remember us kicking butt, agreeing we deserved pancakes but only getting to that bench before we had to sit our asses down." He laughs.

"Wait. Ninja?" Clint asks. "Like actual ninja?" yeah he could imagine Derek Bishop freaking out over that. Hell he'd forgotten where else he'd heard that name before, and it's connection to this so-called Hand. "Jesus, your guy knows how to pick them," he says. "Present company excluded. Anyhow glad you were there for him."

There is a smirk for the latter. "Oookay fine!" he says though really he didn't want the details.

So to change the subject he says, "I brought you a gift."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
That was unexpected. "What, you didn't know? I.. " She tilts her head slightly. "You work for SHIELD, right?" Because she and Matt and Stick had rescued Genus to take him back to SHIELD so that they could use information against the Hand. Kate had just assumed he'd known, especially as Genus was Skye's friend. "Uh, maybe?" Because now she wasn't sure how much Clint knew and what was safe to speak about.

the moment passes when he mentions a gift, though. "Hey! I brought you a gift, too." And she pulls a small package out of her jacket pocket. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"I was in the room when it came out, but that was like four-five crises ago, so, the details got foggy for a bit. Been sort of laser focused on a couple of projects." Most of them involving Skye's changes and her insane father.

"And now worries, I get OpSec. Don't worry, I'll do my own digging when I get back to the Trisk."

Though jeeze did he ever feel like he'd disconnected from everything, not just his partner in crime(fighting).

"Totally," Clint says about the thought counting as he got out of his seat. "I mean I just got you the pleasure of my company," he teases before nodding to Gino to hand over the real pesent.

The long slender and slightly curved shape of the package made it plain what it was, and the fact it looked like the paper had been run over by a truck pretty much proved he'd wrapped the thing himself.

He hands it over and sits back down. "Merry Christmas, Kate," he says as he takes her gift and begins to open it.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate blinks at first the (very obvious) gift, and secondly the wrapping paper. Then thirdly, her own, small, and well, she knows what it is, and it doesn't compare in the slightest. "Oh, Clint, I don't know.. I mean, my gift, it's just small and for fun. You went all out?"

Now she felt guilty for not dipping into her trust fund to buy better presents for folks.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint shakes his head. "Nah, I'm cheating. Meant to give this to you ages ago, just using the holiday as an excuse."

He continues opening his gift, "I'm sure mine will be great. You know me, like I care about price tags."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate *really* hopes he means it about not caring about pricetags. And because she knows what her gift looks to be, she waits till he digs into his before opening hers.

In his is a Clint-sized T-Shirt, in purple, with "The Other Hawkeye" emblazoned on it.

"It was.. uh, you know. A joke." At least it had been until he'd given her a *a bow*. At least she thought that's what it was. Maybe the lousy wrapping meant it was something else.

Kate rips the thing open gleefully. You can just tell she never saved a piece of wrapping paper in her life.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint opens his present and nearly grins from ear to ear. "Jerk," he says with a laugh, even as he's shrugging out of his winter coat. When that's gone, he yanks his shirt off, getting a groan from Gino. "Keep your clothes on pal!"

He gives the pizza man roll of his eyes and yanks the new shirt down over his torso, still grinning. "So, how does it look?" he asks Kate.

As for Clint's present, it's what it looks like, a bow. Though it's not just some bow off the rack at their favourite archery shop, no, it's Clint's bow, his first 'Hawkeye' bow, the polished wood of the thing scarred here and there from his earliest adventures with the Avengers.

"Meant to give it to you awhile ago, sort of a passing of the torch thing, except I'm not going anywhere. So, call it, you're a damn good Hawkeye present."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
Kate is grinning ear to ear when he tries on the shirt. "Looks like you bought it yourself," she teases. Laughing.

That is until she opens her present and is hit with the impact of what it is, because she knows exactly what bow this is. "Oh, wow." Her fingers run over the worn patina of the thing, where his hands had touched it so many times before hers, leaving polished areas in the wood. "Funny, huh? Both of us giving Other Hawkeye gifts. I don't know what to say Clint, this is too much. It's amazing."

She grins.

"Kinda wish I'd gotten you the matching boxers." With an arrow from the words to the obvious point of distinction, should the boxes be worn. In case there was any doubt as to who the 'other' Hawkeye was.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Totally something I'd buy myself," Clint admits without shame. Indeed he's still grinning.

The reaction to the bow is about what he expected, "Shh," he says. "Seems to be just right to me. You do good work, Kate really, I should know, I sometimes get your fan mail, which I can totally get to you now that the mansion is back in our reality. I mean you may not be too happy about the requests for nudes, but there are some letters from people you really helped with the whole archer-vigilante thing."

Then because there were entirely too many feelings flying around here for a meeting of Hawkeyes, he's happy to grin and say. "Well there's still time before Christmas," he teases.

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
She knows it's okay, then, especially when Clint declares the shirt something he'd buy himself. She'd kinda thought that, too.

"Wait, you get my fanmail?" She'd gotten a few pieces, but not so many. In fact, when it first happened, she'd thought they'd been mailed to her by mistake. (She'd still kept them).

Kate laughs aloud when he jokingly says there's time before Christmas still, and vows that if they're still available, she'll buy those boxers for him.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Totally do," Clint says grinning. "Don't let it get to your head, it's not like a ton, but I get some. You know how it is, people get saved by arrows with a purple motif hear it's Hawkeye and so they send stuff to the mansion. Anyhow, I'll get it to you before Christmas. Can't let this sort of thing get to your head, like a certain billionaire playboy I know, but it's always nice to hear how you've made a difference out there."

Clint had all his letters back at the mansion and pulled them out whenever he wondered what the hell he was even doing rolling with the Avengers. They helped.

There's a smile for the laugh about the boxers, he's pretty sure this isn't the end of that, but he doesn't mind, it's good to get back to the fun and games.

"So, any plans for the holidays?"

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"Not really," Kate informs of the holidays. "Some tree lighting ceremonies. The Kringle for Kids event I've hosted the past few years. Other than that, probably curl up in my jammies with a book and eat chocolate. You?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint looks up from admiring his shirt. "Going out of town for work," he says but doesn't sound too displeased about the prospect. "But back in town for Christmas, there's going to be a thing at the Triskelion, friends and family, you're welcome to show up. We'll get you a guest pass and everything."

There is a smile though. "Though the jammies thing sounds good too, curling up and watching Christmas specials... stuff like that."

Hawkeye (Bishop) has posed:
"We'll see," Kate says mysteriously. "I happen to know someone else who might be on their own for the day, so I might have other plans. You never know."

Totally letting Clint think she'll be hooking up with Matt. Which she might well do, though she's thinking hitting the streets and dealing with some crime, not the hanky-panky she's going to let Clint assume.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint laughs, "Understood, but he's welcome too," he says. "Skye's friend and all of that."

"Anyhow it's causal, just drop in if you're free."

Then there it was all pizza, beer and swapping stories until Gino closed shop.