"I know. There's other positions you can do, but I know how much the field work means, too." He shrugs, sips at the wine. "It won't hurt to actually consider Tony's offer, too."
"I don't want to go to prison for killing Stark. I'm afraid working for him might do that." Phil will never publicly admit to liking Tony Stark. He does like him and believes he's a genius. He is also one of the most irritating people on the planet.
"I don't know if Fury would let me keep Lola. It's stupid to be worried about that, right? My whole career and I'm worried about a car." A car that Phil probably loves almost as much as Clint.
"It's your car; he can't just impound her. Okay, so she's got a bit of fancy tech in her, but it's nothing that Tony wouldn't absolutely make even better for you if you brought her. It's not stupid to be worried, but I don't think you have anything to worry about."
"I'm not letting Stark touch her." Phil makes a face at the very idea, like Clint suggested he sell his first born. Lola is sacred. "These are the things that are worrying me. Outside of how you're doing."
And all those worries seem so small in comparison to what Clint's going through.
"You do all her maintenance yourself, right? And I have yet to see you turn into a grease monkey in a tank top and smudged with oil. I think Tony pulls the look off a little better, but now I want to see you do it anyway."
Because that's a better thing to think about than knowing his boyfriend is mostly, overall, worried about him.
Phil has a lot of concerns about rebuilding the city but he's not going to talk about that with Clint who already feels responsible.
"Yes, because I helped build her." Lola is more than just a car or a midlife crisis like some people think. She's the last connection he has to his dad. "You've never been around when I'm done the maintenance."
"You never tell me when you do it!" he counters. "So, obviously, next time you plan on it, you have to tell me so I can watch. I mostly know how to hotwire them, but I know a thing or two about cars."
"You're going to be disappointed. I wear coveralls. Not a tank top." Phil does not need people gwaking at him because he's not in a suit and he's showing skin. People gawk enough when he's in the coveralls. "Do you want to learn how to take care of a classic car?"
"Boooo, you should just give in to my sexual fantasies, dork. Fine, I'll be in an old tank top and ratty but still attractive jeans, and I'll get covered in grease and oil for you to ogle."
"I don't own any ratty jeans." All the jeans Phil owns are nice and don't have any holes in them. They're for casual days with Clint usually. "I don't see how I lose in this situation."
"You don't; you get to see your boyfriend look like he's about to star in some real cliche porno while he looks hot with your beloved car." He spreads his hands. "There's no downside."
He presses a scandalized hand to his chest. "What? Who said anything about that? I would never. Perish the thought. Never even crossed my mind. But I mean, since you suggested it..."
"She's got a comfy back seat. Or, y'know," casual shrug, having never ever thought these things before in his life, at all, not once, "blow you in the front seat, maybe even while you're driving or flying somewhere."
"I am not a licensed pilot. You are not distracting me that much while I'm flying." Phil does not trust his flying skills against Clint's mouth. He knows which one is better. "We could find a private backroad though. Pretend we're teenagers."
Not that either of them really had the normal teenager experience.
"Find ourselves a little private makeout point?" He's grinning like a fool and damn near wiggling in his seat. "That's sounding more and more like a yes to defiling your beloved baby, Phil. I guess death or damn near it really does change a man."
"Please don't refer to it as defiling and it might actually happen." Phil probably won't say no now that he's seen how excited the idea makes Clint. It isn't the near death but that happiness that tempts Phil. He'll do a lot to see Clint that happy.
"Using in a manner that she was always destined for. Picking up chicks and sexual exploits. Except instead of picking up chicks, it's acting like a handsy teenager with your lasting boyfriend. But if you wanted to play like you were picking up some handsome stranger, I might not be inclined to say no."
"I'm not running this like an undercover op." Phil is back to shaking his head with fondness. This is the man he's chosen. This is who he loves. He is thinking of something more romantic like a little private drive in movie scene. "I will make out with my boyfriend in the backseat, not a stranger. Strangers don't get to ride in Lola."
"If we get messy on the seats, I promise I'll clean her up nice and proper." Rather than suggesting they do more than just make out. Which will clearly inevitably happen if Clint's got any say in it.
He rests a chin in hand. "Y'know, on a different day, you'd have to be real concerned with the state of this table after I vaulted over it to get at you. We'll have so many ideas to put pins in, once my brain isn't fighting me tooth and nail over everything, we'll be so busy with each other."
"You will clean her up." It might be inevitable that they end up having sex in Lola's backseat. The death thing probably did push this forward but maybe they would have gotten there without it.
"Sadly, I think my first instinct would be to think we're under attack." Clint leaping to defend him would come to mind first. Sex would come after Clint kissed him. Phil would catch on them. "But keep a list for when you're ready. We'll make sure to hit them all."
"Did you know that you're the best? Because you're the best. For putting up with me, but also just in general." For being thoughtful and understanding and funny and smart and--yes, also for putting up with Clint and the everything he is.
"I'm mostly the same man I was before almost dying. Luckily for you." Phil only occasionally thinks about what might have happened if he had died. What would've been left behind. What would have become of the people he cared about. How much more guilt Clint would place on himself.
no subject
"I'll have to talk to Fury. I can't see him letting me go easily and I don't want to go. You know what SHIELD means to me."
no subject
no subject
"I don't know if Fury would let me keep Lola. It's stupid to be worried about that, right? My whole career and I'm worried about a car." A car that Phil probably loves almost as much as Clint.
no subject
no subject
And all those worries seem so small in comparison to what Clint's going through.
no subject
Because that's a better thing to think about than knowing his boyfriend is mostly, overall, worried about him.
no subject
"Yes, because I helped build her." Lola is more than just a car or a midlife crisis like some people think. She's the last connection he has to his dad. "You've never been around when I'm done the maintenance."
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Is he going to say yes this time? Maybe. Things change after coming real close to death.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Not that either of them really had the normal teenager experience.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
He rests a chin in hand. "Y'know, on a different day, you'd have to be real concerned with the state of this table after I vaulted over it to get at you. We'll have so many ideas to put pins in, once my brain isn't fighting me tooth and nail over everything, we'll be so busy with each other."
no subject
"Sadly, I think my first instinct would be to think we're under attack." Clint leaping to defend him would come to mind first. Sex would come after Clint kissed him. Phil would catch on them. "But keep a list for when you're ready. We'll make sure to hit them all."
no subject
no subject
"Although, it's probably luckier for me."
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)