14234/The day after

The day after
Date of Scene:	28 March 2022
Location:	Apartment 3A, Marcy House
Synopsis:	A bit more talking, a dead elephant and a dash of cream is all Skye and Clint need to fix everything.
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Quake

---

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Aside from the occasional repositioning while sleeping, Clint had a good sleep. This might be due to the power of the Tylenols but, most likely, to the fact that Skye had been around.

Morning had come, and try as he may, the archer had to leave the comfort of the bed. Trying his best not to wake Skye up, Clint went for a shower, then headed for the kitchen to fix coffee and check if there was anything to eat.

Soon, the dusty smell of the apartment is replaced with the nicer smell of fresh, strong, coffee. Two mugs are quickly cleaned, one is being filled with the fresh brew.

Sipping the coffee as if it was to save his life, the archer looks around in the cupboards, finally finding some cereals. But no milk. Oh well.

Quake has posed:
For some reason, despite her best intentions, Skye fell into a restful sleep and didn't wake up when she meant to. (Hopefully the cats weren't taking apart the house!) In fact when Clint woke up, she was still sound asleep. Even the sounds of him walking quite heavily through the apartment getting coffee and bumping his injuries didn't wake her up.

What did wake her up was rolling over and /not/ finding him there.

She pouted with her eyes closed, and moved a bit closer.. No go. Nobody was there.

At first she lay there, walking over the past few days in her mind. No, she didn't imagine it.. did she? By the time she woke up properly and looked around she almost convinced herself it was a dream.

Until she was in his bed.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
It is hard to minimize the noise you make while fixing breakfast in a small apartment, especially with someone possessing unnatural and exceptional hearing trying to sleep. For a moment, Clint considers waiting before doing anything that could disturb Skye's sleep. He has no idea if she slept much in the first place. But then, his stomach rebels, and the noise it makes will eventually wake up the whole neighbourhood. Not to mention, that fainting and falling on the floor would be rather noisy.

Equipped with a large mug of coffee and a half empty box of old cereals, Clint carefully sits down on the old couch, wondering what is creaking more, between the couch and his ribs.

Quake has posed:
Okay. He was up. That much was for certain.

As she was there, awake, she could hear him up and about. A tiny laugh escapes her lips when she imagines him going into the fridge and not having.. whatever. Hopefully he wasn't planning on bacon and eggs - what with the bacon splattering!

Now her tummy gurgles.

"Great," Skye stares at her tummy. "You traitor!" She couldn't remember the last time she had breakfast, let alone waking up this time - usually she was going to bed at this hour.

She stretched and got up. "Any for me?" As she wandered out to the living room.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint kind of felt her presence before hearing Skye joining him in the living area, what with his hearing starting to fail again.

"If you don't believe in expiration dates," he replies, chuckling, "Then there's cereals on the menu." Then pointing towards the kitchen area, "The coffee should cure any possible food poisoning."

Carefully stretching his legs to rest his bare feet on the coffee table, Clint munches some cereals, maybe to prove her that they aren't that bad. At least, they didn't kill him right away. The shorts and purple T-shirt he's wearing provide some glance at the extent of the bruising on his skin. Purple and blue don't mix favorably.

"I'm glad you stayed for the night," he then states. "I think it made me sleep better."

Quake has posed:
Skye stops and cocks her head to one side. "I told you I would." Maybe she didn't mean to fall asleep, but that was another topic..

"Coffee?" She pads over to the couch. "Too bad you don't take it the same way as I do. It would be simpler." She kisses him on the head, before she realizes what she has done. "No bread for toast??

Sure, the cereal was edible, but she didn't trust it. Then again, what would make her feel better about the bread. He was gone a long time.. or was he?

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint certainly didn't stop Skye from touching him, and if it felt awkward, it certainly wasn't from his side.

"No bread and butter, no milk, nothing. Only these, hrm, odd tasting cereals. I didn't have time to go grocery shopping. I just came back to New York two days ago."

Which, by the way, brings back the elephant right back in the room. At some point, Clint will have to explain where he has been for the last months and, maybe more importantly, why he didn't send any word about his whereabouts to Skye, or to anyone for that purpose.

"Look," he starts in a low voice, usually indicating that what follows isn't meant to be taken lightly, "I owe you an apology. I mean, shit, where to begin?" After a brief pause, he then resumes, "You remember how obsessed I was with fixing things with my dad, right? At some point, it made no sense, heck, even to me. This wasn't the right way, y'know, to risk ruining my life for someone's else fault. I needed time, so yeah, I went to Waverly." He pauses, referring to his native town, "So I had my talk with him, right there, I didn't care that he got it or not, because at some point, it was with myself that I needed to fix things, not with him."

Right, it feels better just explaining this part, the rest of what he did during his absence is left aside for now. Glancing over at Skye, the archer waits for her reaction to this, and is ready to answer her questions if she has any.

Quake has posed:
She was right to be suspicious of the foodstuffs. "No cream? Damn."

Skye didn't even bother to make a coffee. Sure a long time ago she would have - no cream was better than no coffee! Back then. Somehow she's gotten used to cream.

Curling up on the other side of the couch, she listens. "I never wanted you to feel like you owed anything to me. When you were looking for your dad, and the mystery surrounding him, I wanted to help you. But I understand. My mother is still missing. Sometimes I think it's really a joke, she's not anywhere. And other times I feel like I could just close my eyes and reach out and touch her."

"And as much as I love you, when I then about finding her, it's just me and her that I can imagine. Nobody isn't part of that story, but her and I."

"So I can understand."

"I thought.. I thought what you had gone through, and the fact you aren't known for relationships meant that we had run out of time. Let's face it, neither was I really known for relationships."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Sipping his coffee, the archer nods at Skye, as she explains how they are somehow in the same position regarding their lost relatives. Trying to find closure. At least, he can say that he found his.

And then, try as he may and how serious the conversation is, he can't but chuckle at the mention of relationships. "I'd say I'm known for /too many relationships/," he jokes, "None of them lasting as long as I planned," he adds, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "But this is the past, hey. It wasn't fair for me to remain in the dark place I was, and be with you. I hope you understand," he pauses, locking eyes with hers, "I didn't /leave/ you, I went to clear my head before it poisoned what we had. And I hope, still have."

Quake has posed:
Skye really wished she had a coffee - regardless of whether or not it would be black. It would have given something to hold on to.

"Remember the first time I was aware of /who/ I was dating.. really aware?" It was down in Gino's and someone put up a shrine to Hawkeye. "I didn't care less about your fame. Or the fact you were an Avenger. You were just Clint to me."

"Nothing has changed for me. I will always love you."

But would she have him back? Hell, nobody even came close to her relationship with Clint. She hadn't even tried. Not even a one night stand.

"Dammit, Hotshot. I came. I stayed." She laughs under her breath. "We are such a pair. It's not ruined. Perhaps a little bit bruised. It can be saved. But you have to have cream next time. Even if only the dry packages!"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Skye is rewarded with the widest, genuine smile on the archer's face. To say he's happy, wouldn't even cover it. Admittedly, he was kind of expecting some loud argument - all his ex'es were good at it, very good indeed. But Skye? No, no yelling.

At that moment, Hawkeye fully realizes why he's certain this is true love, and how lucky a man he is. His arm extends, his hand reaching for her waist, gently pulling her closer to him.

"Here," he says, offering his cup of coffee, "Have some coffee. Then, we can go grocery shopping, buy all the cream you want, and whipped cream for tonight." Oh he's so funny. "Then I'll tell you all about the carny."