Thor's Thor-y introduction is, in spite of the low and somber energy, so normal that Clint almost smiles. Nowhere near close to laughing, but it's almost something lighter inside him. Or it could be the exhaustion creeping in.
Rhodey doesn't introduce himself, so, quietly to Frank: "Colonel James Rhodes, Air Force. Some have taken to calling him War Machine. Or is it Iron Patriot? Get 'em mixed up."
A shake of the head, slightly incredulous, slightly not down for all this. "You know which one it is. Frank Castle, huh? Sounds vaguely familiar."
Frank settles on one side of Clint, which means Natasha takes the other side of Clint. So at least he's wedged between the two best people still in his life. Nat's not having it. "We're not doing this right now." It's less a warning, more a command. Though from a Black Widow (from the Black Widow), it means about the same thing. Rhodey accepts this without a fight but moves up toward the front. Ostensibly to copilot for Steve. Who needs no introduction.
Clint clears his throat, awkward. But it doesn't actually clear anything. He's sitting here at last, and it's gonna be...well, not a long flight, but there's going to be time. They lift off. They move. Away from home.
He tries to cling to the feeling of work. This is like going on a mission. Or coming back from one. It's fine. It's fine. It's going to be fine. He doesn't have to get his head out of his ass. "Tell me what happened," quietly, to Nat.
She takes a breath, one of those steadying, steeling ones. "I can brief you when we get there."
"Tash. Tell me. Catch me up." Because he only got the barest details before on the phone, and if he doesn't get to work on this, then he's going to have time in his own head in this oppressively depressing atmosphere and then maybe might just start screaming to pass the time.
"I was on an alien planet as Hulk fighting gladiatorial fights until Thor and Loki crashed the party," which is obviously from Bruce instead of Natasha, so blase from the tiredness that it could almost be funny. "Asgard--" He spares a look at Thor. Thor's chin is propped heavy on his fingers as he stares hard into nothing. "It, uh, blew up."
Clint's about to say something stupid, Nat looks like she might start throwing people out airlocks, and Rhodey pipes up from the front: "Tony and the Spider-kid are out in space somewhere."
"Wha-"
"And Doctor Strange," adds Bruce.
Clint just blinks stupidly. He thinks he vaguely remembers seeing the name Strange as a person of interest to SHIELD at some point, maybe??? Who the fuck--
Nat grips his hand, and the fond, familiar motion startles him. It shouldn't. He immediately feels bad about the fact that it startles him, but he wasn't gonna hug it out with Frank, no, he was gonna let them beat each other into the dirt as physicality. "Full briefing when we get back, okay?"
And now maybe he's actually...actually thinking that's not the worst idea, because that's still overwhelming, and they haven't even talked about who they lost, except obviously anyone who isn't here got turned to so much dust, but--there has to be more to it than that, right? He needs to know about the big guy that apparently got hand on all the stupid space stones to click his heels together and wipe out half the universe and is still out there somewhere.
He opens his mouth, closes it, a couple of times before he lets it click shut with a finality. He's close to asking something stupid, asking for conformation, are the others dust, or were they killed-killed, or did they stay behind to help Wakanda, or...or...
She's trying to keep it together for his sake. Everyone's sake, but for his sake, but he can read her as well as she reads him. There are so many questions behind her eyes, and disbelief, and she was there. So he'll keep his damn trap shut. And, apparently, so will the others.
"I gotta stop retiring." Okay, he doesn't keep his trap shut completely.
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Rhodey doesn't introduce himself, so, quietly to Frank: "Colonel James Rhodes, Air Force. Some have taken to calling him War Machine. Or is it Iron Patriot? Get 'em mixed up."
A shake of the head, slightly incredulous, slightly not down for all this. "You know which one it is. Frank Castle, huh? Sounds vaguely familiar."
Frank settles on one side of Clint, which means Natasha takes the other side of Clint. So at least he's wedged between the two best people still in his life. Nat's not having it. "We're not doing this right now." It's less a warning, more a command. Though from a Black Widow (from the Black Widow), it means about the same thing. Rhodey accepts this without a fight but moves up toward the front. Ostensibly to copilot for Steve. Who needs no introduction.
Clint clears his throat, awkward. But it doesn't actually clear anything. He's sitting here at last, and it's gonna be...well, not a long flight, but there's going to be time. They lift off. They move. Away from home.
He tries to cling to the feeling of work. This is like going on a mission. Or coming back from one. It's fine. It's fine. It's going to be fine. He doesn't have to get his head out of his ass. "Tell me what happened," quietly, to Nat.
She takes a breath, one of those steadying, steeling ones. "I can brief you when we get there."
"Tash. Tell me. Catch me up." Because he only got the barest details before on the phone, and if he doesn't get to work on this, then he's going to have time in his own head in this oppressively depressing atmosphere and then maybe might just start screaming to pass the time.
"I was on an alien planet as Hulk fighting gladiatorial fights until Thor and Loki crashed the party," which is obviously from Bruce instead of Natasha, so blase from the tiredness that it could almost be funny. "Asgard--" He spares a look at Thor. Thor's chin is propped heavy on his fingers as he stares hard into nothing. "It, uh, blew up."
Clint's about to say something stupid, Nat looks like she might start throwing people out airlocks, and Rhodey pipes up from the front: "Tony and the Spider-kid are out in space somewhere."
"Wha-"
"And Doctor Strange," adds Bruce.
Clint just blinks stupidly. He thinks he vaguely remembers seeing the name Strange as a person of interest to SHIELD at some point, maybe??? Who the fuck--
Nat grips his hand, and the fond, familiar motion startles him. It shouldn't. He immediately feels bad about the fact that it startles him, but he wasn't gonna hug it out with Frank, no, he was gonna let them beat each other into the dirt as physicality. "Full briefing when we get back, okay?"
And now maybe he's actually...actually thinking that's not the worst idea, because that's still overwhelming, and they haven't even talked about who they lost, except obviously anyone who isn't here got turned to so much dust, but--there has to be more to it than that, right? He needs to know about the big guy that apparently got hand on all the stupid space stones to click his heels together and wipe out half the universe and is still out there somewhere.
He opens his mouth, closes it, a couple of times before he lets it click shut with a finality. He's close to asking something stupid, asking for conformation, are the others dust, or were they killed-killed, or did they stay behind to help Wakanda, or...or...
She's trying to keep it together for his sake. Everyone's sake, but for his sake, but he can read her as well as she reads him. There are so many questions behind her eyes, and disbelief, and she was there. So he'll keep his damn trap shut. And, apparently, so will the others.
"I gotta stop retiring." Okay, he doesn't keep his trap shut completely.