Owner	Pose
Clint Barton	It was the night before they were due to head out to Starling, and Clint is packing up to get ready to go, cramming clothes into one of those black roller suitcases and humming Christmas carols to himself. Yeah, he's a bit of a dork like that. He stops humming a moment when he calls out to Skye, "Hey, Keyboard, you got anything cold weather for when we ski? Because, I am totally going to have to either buy it, or steal some from logistics," he muses looking at his suitcase.
Skye Johnson	How can one human being have so much STUFF? Sure, when Clint said he had a lot of stuff, Skye had seen his place, and she knew he wasn't kidding, but watching him pack was beyond fascinating. There was just an endless stream of things going into his bags. Hers? A carry on and a small suitcase. And in packing that she'd nearly emptied her drawers. The Christmas carols, though? Those were catchy in a way she was finding herself having trouble not being endeared to. She'd hated Christmas. Everything that went along with it. And then along came this huge dork of a man, humming tunes to himself, and suddenly she wanted it all. Or at least more of it. His question is met with a level gaze of amusement. "Hotshot, you've seen my closets, why are you asking me if I have shit for cold weather?" But he had a point. Just what /was/ she going to wear on holiday? "Uh. We might have a bit of a problem on the skiing front. Think we're good to pilfer some stuff?" She comes up to him and wraps her arms around him. "Clint?" Skye waits for his answer and attention. "You sure this is what you want? I know we agreed, but you sure you don't want to spend time with your friends? Maybe drag me along with you and see if they can be mine, too?"
Clint Barton	Yeah, the gap between how much crap Clint had compared to Skye was a wide and deep and it showed in their packing. Sure, in a pinch, Clint could grab his go bag from the closet and ghost off to Madripoor in a heartbeat if the job and its dangers called for it, but when it came to packing for actual vacations, he was one of those guys who packed for every situation. He glances up when she points out of course she didn't have cold weather gear. "Heh, good point," he allows with a slight smile. "We can definitely pilfer some, probably need to cut the SHIELD patches off but that's fine," he says, putting his hands on his hips and looking at his bag and then looking to hers. "Mind if we stow them with your stuff though?" he asks. Space was becoming an issue. Though when the question about their plans came up, Clint smiled, and looked at her, "I am good with it. We went to Tony's big Christmas thing, I saw most of them there, and we can drop in on them when we get back, say hi, steal some cookies, that sort of thing. Okay?" he asks, meeting her eyes across the room.
Skye Johnson	Skye does her best not to snicker at him and fails. "Suuure, we can stow them with my stuff." Or, you know, wear some of it. "Seriously, we're not packing to move. What the hell are you bringing anyway?" Her head continues to shake at him, and she makes her way to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. "We can do that if you want. After we get back, I mean." He gets a fond smile. One of her twisted, wry things, but one of the ones she saves totally for him. "Next year? We do Christmas right. I think you sold me on it. Even those carols."
Clint Barton	Clint grins at the snickering, grabbing a pair of socks he'd decided not to pack and hurling them her way with a laugh, "Clothes, you know, things to wear. Though make a good enough argument and you can sell me on bringing less," he says with a smirk, even as he tucks another pair of socks in the suitcase. "Great," Clint said looking up. "You've met most of them but I am sure the ones you haven't met yet would like to. We all take waay too much interest in each other's personal lives," he explains. He looks up and smiles back, with one of those dopy smiles he used to try to hide. "Yeah? Have I mentioned how you're the best?" he asks before saying, "And if you're alright with carols, I've got-" The doorbell rings. Clint frowns, brows raised, "Expecting anyone?" he asks. I mean this was the Triskelion, it wasn't like they got door to door salesmen and people wanted to talk they usually summoned you somewhere.
Skye Johnson	The socks are easily batted away. When he grabs another pair and *packs* them she chokes back a laugh. "You have TWO feet. Two. Who are you anyway and what have you done with my man?" Skye just laughs, and sighs. "Wow. As for argument, I'm not helping you carry any of it, and you buy souvenirs, they're your job to find space for to bring home. And that does not mean you put them in my bags." Mention of his friends gets a nose crinkle. "I'm not good meeting people. I mean, I am, but I'm not, you know?" She's about to say more when the doorbell rings. "Nope. Not expecting a thing. Unless you are?"
Clint Barton	Clint laughs, "True, but snow is wet, and if I have cold wet feet, I'm going to have no choice but to try to warm them on you, so, really, Keyboard, I'm doing this for you. And hey! You've seen all my crap, how is this," he waves a hand at his bag. "A surprise." He laughs, "Not the argument I was thinking for bringing less clothing, but effective," he pauses for effect looking at his bag. "So, probably bring one more just for the crap we pick up while we're there?" he asks. He's totally teasing of course and he's eyeing his bag when he says. "I know what you mean," he says looking up. "Don't worry about trying not to be you with them. You don't have to, they've all got issues, plus, they know me well enough they ought to see how you and me make sense." The doorbell stops him from going on. "No, nothing here. Let me go check," he says heading out to the living room and opening the door. Outside is one of the Adminions with the mail cart. "Agent Barton, sir, you've got a delivery," the young agent says handing over a long box. Clint eyes it with a mix of curiosity and excitement and quickly signs for the thing and sends the adminion on his way. "Hey, you sure we weren't expecting something?" he asks glancing back to see if Skye joined him or not.
Skye Johnson	Of course Skye trotted out after him, and seeing the box, she can't help a smirk. She's got a good idea what it is. "Us? Expecting something? Why would we be expecting something?" Riiiiight. Because that innocent act flies. "Gonna open it?"
Clint Barton	Clint's smile becomes crooked when she denies, badly, that they'd been expecting anything. "Uh-huh," he says slowly, as he carries the box into the kitchen then rummages around for a knife. "And damn right I'm going to open it," he says, before pausing a moment and adding with a grin. "Unless the person who sent it wanted me to open it on Christmas day?" he asks looking back to Skye.
Skye Johnson	"Person who sent is is telling you to open it." She laughs and flops herself down on their purple couch to watch him. "Merry Christmas."
Clint Barton	Clint shakes his head but comes out to the couch to open the thing anyhow. "Thanks," he says looking over at her. This was system kid 2.0, no fear or concern this would be some sort of joke, but gratitude that Skye had taken the time to arrange all this, whatever it was. The knife makes short work of the packing tape, but Clint cuts each piece to extend the anticipation before he sets aside the knife and lifts the lid of the box. As his eyes fall on what's inside they light up, kid in a candy store style. He glances from the gift to Skye, "No way," he says. "How did you even?" he begins. "Damn it Keyboard, this is just too much." It wasn't a refusal. To confirm that he lifts his present free of its packaging, a Bowtech 12 compound bow, with all the little bells and whistles, it's body and arms done in a deep, dark purple. He looks from the bow to Skye. He opens his mouth to speak but changes his mind and the bow is set down in his lap as he signs ~Clint loves Skye/Keyboard~ Before saying, "Thank you," while meeting her eyes with his own.
Skye Johnson	Skye watches him, biting at her lower lip in anticipation as he opens her gift to him. It might not be Christmas morning, but his reaction is totally worthy of that. She nods at him as he looks at what's inside. "Don't worry about how. I got it covered." Her bank account was echoing now, what with the trip to Starling, but it was worth every penny for that look on his face and his signing to her. She signs back to him ~Keyboard loves Clint/Hotshot~ and ~You're welcome~ "You were looking at it like a kid in a candy shop. Figured you'd never get it for yourself. Even if you buy every other bow on the planet." Teasing him. "Merry Christmas, Clint. I love you."
Clint Barton	Clint knew, roughly, how much this had cost her but he doesn't push or try to beg off, they both had their pride. "You're amazing," he says with a grin. He leans over and gives her a brief kiss on the lips. "Bossy, but amazing." He leans back then, his hand instinctively gripping the bow. "You're totally right, probably wouldn't have put out the cash to do it right like this, so, thank you, Keyboard, seriously." The sign is met with a warm smile and the words another, slower kiss, meant to express much more clearly than his words could how much this meant to him. As many bows and other things he owned, very few of those things had been gifts. "Merry Christmas, Skye." He smiles after the kiss and those words are spoken saying, "I've got something else for you besides Merida, want to see it now or on Christmas?"
Skye Johnson	Skye makes a face meant to brush it all off like it meant nothing. Mostly because now she was embarrassed. System kid thing. He'd recognize it. "Am not bossy," she protests as she always does. Even if she is. "And you like bossy. One of the first things you told me you liked in a girl." Looking back, really these two should have had a much bigger clue. "Huh, something other than Merida?" That has her attention. "Really? Like what?" Poking him with a foot. "Now. How is that even a question." Even if next year they'll do it up right. For some value of right.
Clint Barton	Clint could see the embarrassment in Skye's features, and he takes that chance to study his bow a bit and give her some space, even as he smiles. "Gonna need to give it a name," he says with a glance to Skye. He didn't normally name his, not for awhile, but given Merida had a name, it only felt fitting this bow did too. "And yes, I did, but only because you asked me, what I liked in a woman," he says before he remembers the rest and shakes his head. "I can't believe, you said, 'I'll have to work on that one' when I mentioned tough and I still didn't think you were interested in me." Then as they said before, he remarks, "Probably for the best though. As much fun as hooking up in the helicarrier elevator would have been, glad things played out the way they did." Knowing how they were, a quick hookup would have been all there was and from where Clint sat now, that would have been a tragedy. There was so much more to what they had now that the would have never discovered. The prodding with a foot, earns Skye a smile and he gets up, passing her the bow, "Keep him company for me," he says, before padding off into the bedroom.
Skye Johnson	Skye shakes her head, remembering. "I can't believe I said that. I mean, I can. Just.. was so being a mouth because you.. I don't know. You were this.. " She gestures vaguely with a hand. "I have no clue what I was doing then. Maybe I wanted you to notice me." Yeah, it would have been a tragedy. Totally a bang him out of her system and walk away. "I didn't think you'd.. I don't know. The whole Nat thing kinda made me stop and think a lot. Glad things went the way they did. And damn straight your bow needs a name, but none of that frou-frou shit, or I'm taking him back. Me and Merida will adopt him." She leans and whispers to the bow, "We'll make sure he treats you with the respect you deserve, even if you're purple. Because that's just not your fault." Waiting while he pads off to do whatever it is he's doing. How'd he hide a gift from her anyway? Then again, knowing Skye, all it would have taken was her working..
Clint Barton	"Well, shit, Keyboard, I noticed you when I was taking shots at you and the other trainees out in the field," Clint says, with an amused smile as he mimics her gesture, "You're this, and very noticeable. And to be fair, I played along because, I think I wanted you to notice me. You know, for more than being the asshole who made a bad joke at dinner." Yep. It would have been the same for him, a hook up, then a whole bunch of awkward after the fact. "Yeah, that was a thing for me too, Nat. I mean, also I am trying to remember if I knew you'd been promoted back then," he explains. "Weird how it wasn't that long ago but seems like it's been forever." As he walks off to get the gift he remarks, "I dunno, was thinking Reginald Arrowflinger the third," he says sounding not at all serious. "What do you think? Too much?" he teases with a final grin before he's gone into the bedroom. A short time later it's clear how he snuck a present in past her, it was literally paper thin. He comes back to the couch, sitting down offering her the paper. On it is a triangle around a starry night sky, with Chinese characters picked out in negative space. "The characters mean Dark Sky," Clint says. "Or so five independently questioned members of our Asia-Pacific division told me. Thinking of it as an answer to your tattoo, just," he pats the left side of his chest. "Right here."
Skye Johnson	"You did not notice me then," Skye protests in disbelief. "You probably couldn't even *see* me then." She thinks back. "Got promoted after I hooked up with you, pretty sure. Still was in the I'm walking stage when Nat and I had that falling out. Though, I guess when I think back on it, she probably couldn't have given two shits about me. I thought.. whatever. Doesn't matter what I thought. It's a lost cause, so fuck it." When he mentions the name and leaves the room, she pats the bow, "You are so coming to live with me and Merida, you poor thing. Don't worry. My closets are much bigger and roomier than his room. And I won't call you stupid names. You're safe now." Just in time for Clint to come back with his paper, a thing she just stares at, then back at him. The place he pats making her tilt her head to one side, lips twisting up even as her features soften. "So what you're saying is that a whole bunch of people know you're getting my name put on you?" Which would be a lot more snarky if it weren't for the rest of it, how she's not all edges and angles as she says it. "Damn, Hotshot. This is beautiful."
Clint Barton	"You won the thing, Keyboard, of course I noticed you." Clint says. "Even if I didn't really see you until May's dinner." "You did?" Clint asks. "Well that's typical of me not to check, but any like you say, doesn't matter, it happened, we're here, it's all good." "Are you trying to take custody of my bow?" Clint shouts back from the bedroom. "So not cool. Reggie, is totally staying with me!" Then he's back with the picture smiling at her remarks, "Actually only one person knows about the tatoo, five people know I wanted the characters for your name. I'm occasionally a spy," Clint says about his caution. He was sure his bosses weren't going to be too pleased about the prominent 'Visually Distinguishing Mark' he was get put on his chest, but he'd more than earned a little leeway. "You like it?" Clint asks with a smile then, meeting her eyes, searching their depths for confirmation of her words. "I figured, you know, when you hacker types take over some big system, you leave a calling card, so, that's what this is," he taps his chest. "Totally taken over by DarkSky."
Skye Johnson	"I still think you're lying about it all," Skye mutters, not entirely certain how it was possible he noticed her then. She was just some throwaway noob on a training exercise. Even if you accounted for the winning. Not that she was complaining. ..though it might have explained the tasteless joke at the dinner. Neither of them showed a tremendous amount of skill when it had come to flirting or actually hooking up. "Reggie likes it better with me," Skye calls after him, murmuring to the bow, "Don't you worry. I'm not going to call you that hideous name. And we'll tell people the purple is just temporary. A rebellious bad hair phase or something." One might almost think she were deadly serious about it all.. if you didn't know her as well as Clint did. "And just how is five people knowing you want the characters for my name any better? Clint, you realize there are a lot of folks here at SHIELD who don't know who I am, right? Or what I did? Or for who?" She actually sounds concerned, much of her mirth slipping away. "You're kidding, right?" The rest she nods to. He had the right of it. They always left a calling card. A snippet of code that was them, readable by any who knew what they were looking at. It was a terribly sweet gesture and she was taken aback by it. "Don't like it. Love it. You're gonna make me cry." Signing ~Asshole~ because she's lost all her words.
Clint Barton	"Think what you like," Clint says still smiling. He had definitely been curious about the winner. The rest, it was hard to say, it had been such a comedy of errors that even if he had hoped for something like this to come of it, he could in no way take credit for it. They were indeed, pretty horrible at this. "You know, I am kind of liking Reggie now," he says and his tone suggests he might be serious. "And the purple is cool, it's the colour of royalty you know." The questions about people knowing, are met with a shake of his head. "I asked for the characters, I didn't get into the details with them," he promises. Still, if the name comes up more than a few might draw the connection. "And the person who did the drawing, not someone from SHIELD." He studies her then, waiting on her reaction before reacting to the rest.
Skye Johnson	Her nose crinkles at him. "I'm sure it will be fine. Just paranoid since.. You know.." And he does. Rolling her eyes at the bow name. "Whatever. But Merida is so not dating him. Imagine their poor kids."
Clint Barton	"I understand," Clint says. "If you want me to go just with Skye, or heck even Daisy, we can do that. Just felt like it fit you know?" "Geez, of course they're not dating, wood and metal? Totally doesn't mix." The rest, when she tells him his plan was beautiful and when she signs at him asshole, it leaves him grinning. Knowing his gesture had found its mark. His features soften even as he teases her, signing ~You too~ Before he brushes a hand against her cheek before leaning in to kiss her.
Skye Johnson	"You are such a snob," he's told when the bows are forbidden to date. "Wow. Who knew." Totally laughing at him. Until he suggests changing up the tattoo. "Do that and I will hurt you." Which probably tells him all he needs to know about it. The rest? Well, as she tells him, right before they kiss, "We have transport to catch.." Because, really, they're in danger of not making it, for all the usual and right reasons. Merry Christmas, indeed.