5060/So About these Friends...

So About these Friends...
Date of Scene:	30 July 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Clint and Skye talk about birthdays, friends and each other.
Cast of Characters:	Hawkeye (Barton), Quake

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Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Skye was out meeting her blind lawyer friend, leaving Clint to amuse himself for the evening. Naturally, he's out on their back portch, bow in hand, a target leaning against the wooden fence at the end of their narrow yard.

The neighbours were likely not amused, but this was hardly the first time their backyard had been turned into an archery range and it was certainly not going to be the last.

With a smooth motion, Clint draws an arrow, puts it to string, and fires. It zips through the humid air of the yard and smacks into the center of the target, jostling the other five arrows as it does.

Clint smiles lowering his birthday bow and grabbing his beer from the table. He' careful not to get his phone damp with the condensation from the can, as the cracked Starkphone 5 plays his workout mix, and in particular The Script's 'Superheroes' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IowZqZHJ-cA).

Quake has posed:
As it happens, Clint has awhile to wait, as to make thngs kosher with her visit with Matt (and because she senses that the man truly needs a friend, and wanted her to stay and visit), Skye doesn't get home until it's fairly late. Late enough that the neighbours *might* be cranky about him shooting his bow - other than the patio lights strung about the yard aren't all that bright, and the bow itself doesn't make all that much noise..

The first indication that she's back might be the thunk of her laptop case hitting the kitchen table. Or, perhaps the crack of a beer can (frou-frou, of course!). Maybe she even gets as far as opening the screen door to the patio before he notices..

Regardless, she's home, and despite being tired, smirks. "I could do better than that," she sasses of his grouping, coming over and offering a kiss. "Heh, nice song."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint's in the zone, so the hours slip away easily, so that when the case thunks down on the table is the first time he really notices the time.

The tease is met with a grin, "Be my guest," he says as he begins to offer the bow before collecting a kiss instead. He lets that linger a moment pulling Skye to him by a belt loop before he lets her go and smiles down(...way down!) at her.

"Right?" he says of the music before grinning. "And my grouping is fine, the only thing I missed tonight was you," he says smiling cockily at his turn of phrase as if to say, 'pretty good right?'.

The dork.

Quake has posed:
Skye just laughs at the offer, such that there's a smile upon her lips when they're captured for that kiss. She doesn't even try to resist the tug towards him, letting herself settle against Clint, and remaining there for several long moments after the kiss ends.

"You did not just say that," Skye groans. "So. Bad. So very bad."

Of course, his grouping is fine. Totally a case of twitting him just because, and to get a rise out of him.

"Good night? And sorry for abandoning you. Kinda figured you might have taken a mansion shift when I said had to run this errand." Her gaze drifts out over their yard, lit as it is by the motley collection of strung patio lanterns in oversized fruts - a total throwback to the eighties or something like. "Damn I love this place."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint laughs, "Hey I thought that was pretty good," he says putting a hand to his heart. "Ha. Good thing I don't need lines anymore huh?"

He steals another quick kiss before he steps back to lean against the portch railing. "Thought about it, but one of the newbies had it covered," he says. "So, I decided to get to know this guy a bit more, try and pin down a name for him," he says hefting the bow in his hand. "No ideas yet," he adds.

He shrugs for the abandonment. "I vanish on Avengers stuff all the time, not going to begrudge you hanging out with your old group home buddy. How's he doing by the way? I can't imagine how rough coming up like we did for a guy who's blind."

He frowns, pondering what that might be like.

When she mentions their place, he glances back over the yard lit in those multi-coloured lights. "Yeah, it's pretty us," he says looking back to Skye with a smirk. "To think we were terrified of this place. What the heck was wrong with us?"

Quake has posed:
"Think this is a whole don't quit your day job thing. Only, you know, with dating." Skye scrunches up her nose and hops up on the deck railing to sit. Okay, it takes a bit to do so and totally involves climbing on a chair first, but she manages it. "Not that you probably had troubles finding company."

Especially not if the groupies were anything to go by. It was still a mystery how Skye hadn't put who he was together with him all along. Or at least sooner... but then again, it was so typically them that she hadn't.

"Yeah. No clue what we were terrified of. Feels like we always lived here. Feels like home." In a way that nowhere else had before now. Not even Gretel. "And Matt's okay. We had a few things to discuss. Ate pizza. Drank beer. Think he's lonely."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint let's Skye handle the climb herself taking a sip of his beer while she does. "Sure, but less than you'd think, I mean, groupies..." he shudders. "Also, this," he gestures between the two of them. "So much better."

As for missing who he was. Well he did wear a mask for his suit, but even so, his identity was something of an open secret. So, yeah, it was a very funny 'them' moment when she found out he was Hawkeye.

"Totally," Clint agrees of their place. He loved every stone of the place. It was home, the place they'd made for themselves. "Sucks," Clint says of Matt. "We should invite him to one of our things sometime."

That was one perk this place had over their other ones, the parties, this place could host them. Something the couple had made good use of.

"I know you haven't mentioned it, but your birthday is coming up next month, Darcy's too, like the day before or something."

Quake has posed:
Clint's letting her manage the hop up onto the deck railing on her own is most appreciated, the young woman lifting her beer in salute once she's settled in place. "Can always ask him. You might like him. Darcy would like him. Only, not so sure Matt would like Darcy." Skye grins. "May would like him. He's got, I don't know, a way about him. A sense of himself - ethics. They'd understand one another, I think."

Mention of her birthday coming up, has her eyes widening in something of suspicion. "Uh.. okay. But how'd you know that?" About her birthday, that is. Darcy's she doesn't sound too upset about his knowing. But hers? "Just what are you getting at here?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint returns the salute with his own beer and takes a healthy swallow from the can before setting it down on the table again. There is a nod for her assesment on this Matt guy. "Hmm, he sounds alright," he agrees. "And 'understand one another'? Is that May speak for her liking him?" he asks with a faint grin playing on his lips.

The grin doesn't rest on his lips for long, the suprised look has him raise his hands in surrender. "It was on your Index file, I remembered it," he says. "Was just saying if you wanted to celebrate, we could. If not, then the secret dies with me. I haven't told anyone else."

Quake has posed:
Skye grins at the phrase 'May speak'. She shrugs lightly, still grinning. "Maybe? I think she'd like him, yeah. He's nice. If a little stupid." To which she rolls her eyes. Only to nod when Clint explains how he knows her birthday. "Oh. Yeah. Guess it's there, huh? And I don't know. Seeems kinda weird? I've never had anyone to celebrate with before?" She's not sure if she wants to be a deer in headlights about this, or if it's a great casual excuse to have a barbecue. "What do you think?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Oh?" Clint asks. "Just how dumb are we talking here?" he asks about Matt.

Clint reaches for his beer again, "How is this for a plan? We invite our friends over for a BBQ around then anyhow. If we feel like mentioning it's your birthday, awesome, if not, just as good, either way we'll have a good time. Then sometime after I can drag you out for some random fun about town."

"Anyhow, it's just a thought, but having come from the whole 'nobody cares it's your birthday' thing myself, I know it can be a bit... weird when people suddenly do."

There's a smile then, "Not that I minded our little outing for my birthday, it was just about perfect."

Quake has posed:
"Beyond stupidly dumb," Skye asserts. "Painfully so."

Matt was in love with the leader of the Hand. Really you couldn't get much more stupid than that short of joining her.

Clint's solution to the birthday dilema has her thinking for some moments before she answers. "Yeah. That would work." Only, having to decide that day, or bringing it up then.. it all seemed slightly.. contrived. "Or maybe we could just say it's a birthday barbecue. Have everyone over for a joint bash." She sounds hopeful that maybe a joint bash might be a little less threatening than 'hey it's my birthday!' on its own.

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Sounds like he and I will get along then," Clint says with a grin.

Okay he may not be /that/ dumb, but he's pretty dumb sometimes.

Clint nods readily. "That could work too, I mean it's Darcy, you really can't ask for a better, louder distraction," he says with a grin. "So, joint birthday, Darcy willing, host it here obviously, then yeah, just make a fun day out of it?"

Quake has posed:
Skye nods, smiling now with some relief. "Yeah, with Darcyit'll be all about her anyway." She hopes. After all, it was Darcy - it could go either way. "And, hey, just how are you dumb?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint downs more beer then, nods. "Yeah, and it'll be even more crazy if we let her invite her Derby friends," he says. "On second thought... maybe not them if we plan on inviting Lara," he says thinking of the damage. "I mean, they could be less wild than her stories make them out to be, but, why take the risk?"

As to the last part Clint settles back, hand behind his head. "Get comfortable if you want a full accounting," he teases. "Though I suppose, honestly, not that dumb lately. I mean before SHIELD, all the dumb, then there was Coulson, May, Nat, Fury and all the rest to beat it out of me." He fixes her with an amused look as he continues. "Though, I did hook up with this hacker chick though," he says. "Then basically moved in with her right after, so, I mean that's got to be pretty dumb."

Quake has posed:
Skye nods, and pictures the Derby girls in their home. "Yeah.. maybe the Derby girls can take her out on their own time. They're not entirely housebroken yet." Or restaurant broken. Or bar broken. Or.. the list was endless.

As Clint runs down the list of his stupidity, she gives a protesting laugh. "Hey!" But he was right. From that first night, the only times they'd slept in separate beds had been work. "They must have left some dumb in. Say, ever think about it? I mean, ever wonder if Nat regrets what she did?"

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint makes a face, similar thoughts running through his head. "Yeah, no derby girls, or at least not without a damage deposit," he agrees. "A big one."

Laughing fondly, Clint holds up his fingers an inch apart. "Yeah, left about that much," he says, teasing, remembering their old joke.

At the thought Nat might regret giving them that final push, he shakes his head. "Nat? Nah, doubt it," he says. "We're fine, plus, she seems really happy with Wade. So, no reason to regret right?"

"Still funny it took her to give us that shove," he says, chuckling at how clueless they'd been. "Glad she did though," he says fondly.

Quake has posed:
"No derby girls," Skye agrees again. She loved Darcy almost like no other, and got on with the girls, but even Skye in all her devil may care attitude didn't want to imagine the damage they could do to this place. And when all was said and done, after the party, she and Clint still lived her. Skye had come to like having a nice home.

She sets her beer down and leans over, pushing his fingers apart to about 6 inches. "Maybe closer to this." Which was still well within the bounds of joking. "Yeah, we were pretty stupid. Wonder if we'd have ever figured it out on our own. Say, did you know it's been almost 9 months? Just a week away."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Agreed, they can go destroy a bar with her after we're done with her," Clint says, with a firm nod.

Clint laughs, "Hey!" he protests. Then since she's leaning over steals a quick kiss. When it's done, he smiles and carries on: "Oh, we'd still be clueless, or someone else would have got fed up and given us a shove. Oh god, could you imagine if it was Darcy?" he laughs.

There's a pause, Clint's eyes going upwards as he does the math in his head. "You're right, a week shy," he says, he makes a face before his eyes come back to Skye. "Does it feel like it's somehow shorter and longer at the same time to you? Becuase it totally does for me."

Quake has posed:
"Darcy would have locked us in a room without any clothes on. No coming out until be bumped nasty bit." Skye laughs at the thought. "But it would have been May who got to it first. You know it would have been." She's sure of that. Nat had been disgusted enough to give them a push because she was there at the time. Skye still wasn't sure if Nat had ever dreamed the pair would make a go of it or not, but May wouldn't have let it go on.

"Feels like forever. Like you were always there," Skye admits, getting all sappy, and then making a face at herself for being that way. "Do you think Nat ever figured we'd make a go of it? Sometimes I think she thought we'd mess it up or get it out of our systems or something. At least she doesn't seem to actively hate me anymore."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"True," Clint agrees of Darcy's oh-so-subtle methods. "Though the real question is how'd she get us out of them?" he asks pondering that very thing. He chuckles and gives his head a shake. "And yeah, May would have caught on first. So, would she have shut us down, or just give us the shovel talk?" he asks.

"Awww," Clint teases, before he gets up quickly, crossing to stand in front of Skye, "Sappy as it sounds though, yeah, it really does feel that way," he says, before he leans forward to claim a longer and more tender kiss, his hand reaching up to cup the side of her face as he does. When he pulls back, he offers a shrug. "When it comes to a mission, it's like I can read Nat's mind. The rest of the time? Not so much. I'd like to think she was doing me a solid, but for all I know she was hoping we'd bang it out so she wouldn't have to stumble around all Three Stooges about the thing."

The latter earns a wry smile and he leans against the railing beside her. "Well, she can't be upset about what you said about her best friend while her best friend is in love with you and vice versa. So, yeah, that's all very much water under the bridge. Or at least it seems that way."

Quake has posed:
"Hope so," Skye admits quietly.

The kiss is returned with a lingering softness.

"Only ever said you were an asshole to keep you at arms length. Never really knew what to do with people I might like, so they were all assholes. I mean, some people really are asshole, but you were never that. Not after that first meeting."

She gives a crooked little grin. "After you stumbled around that whole no parents thing. I don't know. Someone else it would have pissed me off still. But you stood there like this big stupid jerk and I wanted to get to know you better. Wasn't something I was used to. And I wasn't ready for that at SHIELD. Not then." The grin turns into a laugh. "Nat was so hoping we'd bang it out, I bet. I don't know. Maybe she kinda figured she'd pegged it wrong. Not even sure we'd have banged it out if it weren't for that beer spill. I didn't want to.. okay, I wanted to. But I didn't want it to only be that, you know?"

Skye's face scrunches up into serious.

"I was used to banging it out. Sex didn't scare me. You scared me. I liked you. I liked a lot of things about you. And I kinda knew if we did anything it was going to be hard to say goodbye to you." She exhales heavily. "Sometimes all of this scares me a lot, Clint. How you and everyone have become my family. How much I care about SHIELD. Sometimes I'm afraid I'm going to lose it all."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Me too," Clint agrees. "Nat's really is my best friend, it's kind of nice having you both on the same side."

"Well to be fair, I was a bit of an asshole that first time, so totally justifed besides the whole pushing people away thing. I totally get that."

He breaks into a grin at the big dumb jerk thing. "Yeah, it sort of bummed me out too, how that dinner went, I wanted to know you better but then we were fighting. Then when you and I finally did talk and you let know what you were going through, how you were trying to figure out your place at SHIELD, well, I felt like I would have been a real asshole to make a move. Though... as mentioned, did think about it on that elevator."

He nods about Nat wanting them to bang it out. "Maybe she did," he conceed. "Though I doubt anyone saw all of this coming."

Shifting closer so he could put his arm around her shoulders, Clint says, "Yeah, didn't want to lose you either, which is why I didn't say anything, figured if I was reading things wrong or we went to quickly it'd all blow up Barton style, and then it'd be done. So, yeah, I understand."

The last bit, gets a squeez of her shoulders. "We're not going anywhere, Skye, you're part of the team now, family."

Quake has posed:
"Still pretty sure Fury would have blown a stack if we'd done anything on that elevator." She knew for certain, now, that it had surveillance - not that it had stopped any number of adventurous folks, but still, she felt the two of them would have warranted attention. Skye was getting the feeling she'd been a pet project from day one - and more than initial accounts had suggested. The closed file on her, with such unique clearance, had clinched it all in her mind.

"Doesn't mean it still doesn't scare me sometimes," Skye admits. "You get something you want badly enough, and when you finally have it, you worry some. Not as much as I used to." But she laughs, because his statement sort of sums it up. "Barton style. Yeah. Like that. Only just what does that mean to you anyway?"

Belatedly remembering his short-lived marriage to Bobbi. "Oh."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Nah, he wouldn't blow his stack, he'd just stare menacingly then use the tape to blackmail us for life," Clint says with a chuckle. "Anyhow, totally had it planned out in my head, would have made out a bit, then found an empty bunkroom," Clint explains. "I'm romantic like that." He shakes his head lightly. "But seriously, glad that didn't happen, for a bunch of reasons really."

If asked, Clint would agree, given the leeway Skye had, she was definitely something of Fury's pet project and likely always had been.

"I get that," Clint says of not wanting to lose what Skye had gained at SHIELD. "I had pangs like that for a long time, and okay, they still happen from time to time, but, we've got your back Skye, and we all trust that you've got ours."

"And yeah, that's pretty much it," Clint says to that 'oh' knowing she figured it out. "I haven't had the greatest track record with this sort of thing."

Quake has posed:
"Heh, bunkroom, huh? Gee, guy who goes all out for the girl he likes." Skye laughs and leans into him. "Such a romantic. Though maybe I should be worried you know where all the good hideaways are, huh?" She nods, then. "I'm glad, too. Can you imagine if we'd been us and let it be how we usually were with people? We'd never have figured out all of this."

Withh er beer free hand, she takes up his free hand and threads her fingers through his.

"You helped me understand what it was about SHIELD. Did you know that? May made me do that exercise with you to help me out with.. I don't know. I didn't make friends here. I kept everyone away. I was so close to just leaving. But it was more than that. I don't know how to explain it, but realizing I could trust you with me made the rest of it all make sense. Still scary as all get out, but it's a good kind of scary most of the time now."

She smiles over at him. "Love you. Think we're doing pretty good so far."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
"Pfft, no girl I like is going to have to make due with a skeevy elevator, they'll have a random sheet less bunk instead!," he says leaning back into her but taking care not to knock her off the railing. "To be fair, it's a new helicarrier, so it's not like I would have had reason to know the hiding spots yet," he says though the point still stood. As May had pointed out that time, Clint had something of a reputation.

"Yeah, we'd just be that hook up to each other, and that would be that. Never really would have had a reason to figure things out."

He takes her fingers between his own and squeezes them gently. "I knew I helped a little, or, well, I hoped I did. Which was funny, because I was just about done with SHIELD at the time, but I guess talking to you helped me see what I was missing too. Glad you could trust me though, and that I didn't screw that up." There is a nod for the scary. "I think it's supposed to be scary, helps keep our edge and hold on to what we've got with SHEILD."

And with the both of them as well.

"Yeah, we're doing pretty good," he says lifting their hands to his lips and kissing the back of hers.

He glances skyward (heh) up at the scant handful of stars he could see through the lights of the city. He looks back over to Skye, "More than pretty good," he amends before remembering why he waited up in the first place. "Though, not to pry, these new friends of yours, the ones you can't talk about. You're being careful right? You know you can trust them?"

He trusted her to know. Or well know as much as anyone could., but he wanted to hear it, to put some of his own fears to rest.

Quake has posed:
Skye nestles her head into the crook of his shoulder, and looks up as well. "Yeah. I can trust them. As much or more than I can trust SHIELD. Don't worry, Hotshot, I got all the reasons to come back in one piece any time I go out that door."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint nods, taking Skye's words to heart. "Glad there's nothing for me to worry about," he says mmming gently as she nestles her head into his shoulder. "So, shall we head inside?" he asks. "And see if we can remind ourselves about some of those reasons?""

Quake has posed:
Skye mm-hmms, nestling closwer for a moment before tearing herself away and hopping off of the railing. "Pretty sure there's some fresh packages of ramen in the beside table. Might get hungry..."

Hawkeye (Barton) has posed:
Clint snorts, remembering that old joke as well. "Wait, really?" he asks as he scoops up his bow and quiver. "I am going to check you know, not that I doubt your dedication to a gag," he says. "I still remember that nickle."

Bow in hand he waits by the door to the kitchen.

Quake has posed:
Skye laughs. "I'd give you a dime these days." Eyes twinkling. "But only because of inflation, you know."

And yes, when he checks, there are fresh ramen packages waiting, with a shiny new dime sitting on top.