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[brandingproblem]

overflows, misc psls/memes, starters that don't seem to fit anywhere else, etc

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[brandingproblem]

"Clearly what you need is to learn the art of snowboarding. Or skiing. Right off the side of a mountain, maybe. Learn it and then do the most extreme version of it possible."

[imperfectsoldier]

Steve startles a tiny bit and stares at Clint for a little longer than necessarily makes sense, as he processes that.

Then realizes, and laughs.

"I think you just found a way that I can burn off some energy and get a good adrenaline rush going." Can stop being restrained and controlled and go hard, anyway.

[brandingproblem]

"Just don't start any avalanches. Otherwise, yeah, go learn something new and then hit up all the hardest trails and highest jumps. Learn to enjoy the snow. Go nuts."

Even Clint has to laugh, a little chuckle under his breath. "What, you never thought about picking up any sports before?"

[imperfectsoldier]

He still looks kind of stunned, even if he's amused at himself and has a half smile lingering around his face. "Nope. Sports have never crossed my mind. Not once in my entire life."

[brandingproblem]

"Obviously team stuff would be harder. You'd be an unfair advantage, but solo outings would be good for you. Next thing you know, you'll be skateboarding, surfing, biking..."

[imperfectsoldier]

"I'm not sure snowboarding didn't appeal to me by virtue of going off the side of a mountain, but there's other recreational stuff I can probably make work. Hell, cliff diving." There's a... dangerous and speed element that's appealing. "Maybe biking if you leave the mountain in."

[brandingproblem]

"Base jumping." Okay, wait, this is slowly actually getting Clint's attention. "What happens if you go splat at terminal velocity?"

[imperfectsoldier]

Actually getting Clint's attention is a pleasant surprise for Steve. He quirks a wry grin at the question. "Not sure, since I've never done it. Best guess is that as long as I manage to adjust my position enough to avoid my skull inside my brain, a rib in my heart, or impaling myself on something when I landed, I'd scream. Then get back up and want to do it again. I fucking love free fall."

[brandingproblem]

"Break your spine in seventeen places and shatter your pelvis, but give you five minutes and then you're climbing your way back up, huh? Rollercoasters are a good simulation, but bungee jumping is more a genuine free falling sensation. Base jumping at least means you're in control of when you open your wings or chute."

[imperfectsoldier]

"Yeah, I went cliff diving for a reason. I went out of a plane or two without a 'chute before I knew SHIELD was Hydra, I just went over water. Plenty of time to adjust how I hit the water, a lot of time in the air and a softer landing. That dive out of the elevator onto concrete was a little much and I don't exactly have the shield to absorb any of the impact anymore." He's considering. "Base jumping's a good idea. Feels dangerous enough to be worth it, even with having a ripcord."

[brandingproblem]

"Better than actually slamming into rocks and trees and brush at terminal. The idea is to get the rush and have fun, not actually beating yourself into a pulp." Hopefully. But if that is actually the idea, he can't even judge.

[imperfectsoldier]

"Kinda depends on the day and my mood, but if I was gonna beat myself into a pulp as a coping mechanism, it probably would have occurred to me by now." Probably. He's a little thoughtful about it, though. It's extreme but... is it actually more extreme than him cracking Clint's ribs. Hell, less, maybe? Clint's going to take longer to heal, by a lot.

Either way, he's more animated and interested in possibility than he's been.

"...there's something wrong with both of us," is the only real conclusion he's reached.

[brandingproblem]

"You're telling that to the guy that dresses up like a ninja samurai and slices open hordes of gangsters. That there's something wrong with him." A slow smile cracks across his face. "Man, what was your first clue?"

[imperfectsoldier]

"I knew something was wrong with you before I showed up." There's a return smile, and maybe it's strange, but it's sincerely bright and warm. "It's the realization that I probably need to put myself in there with you that caught me off guard."

[brandingproblem]

"You need something that makes you let go. You need something like me needing you to take me down a few pegs. It feels so good that even the shit that doesn't feel good feels good."

[imperfectsoldier]

"Yeah." Maybe. Probably? He's got some stuff to work through on that one, but he can do it on his own time. "I might take the scenic route back. See if I can work it out. The equivalent of me taking you down, scaled to my bullshit, is so extreme I don't want anyone else anywhere near it."

[brandingproblem]

"Maybe you should go find Bruce."

Because if anyone can put the hurt on...

"And when you go back, maybe you should also make sure you get as much touchy feely touch from Tasha as you can so you're not so starved for it."

[imperfectsoldier]

"No." There's another smile with that, and it's not an uncomfortable one. "He'd hate it and feel bad about it. Anyone's capable with enough cooperation and tool use, but no one who wouldn't suffer emotional fallout is anybody I want near me. I'll experiment and see if I can find something that gets it out of my system. ...I'll give you the point on Nat. If nothing else I'll see if she's up for it."

[brandingproblem]

"In the future," because Steve's made it perfectly clear that he's going to find Clint again at some point, and he won't try to dissuade that anymore, "can we agree that unless we have to for some reason, sitting on the floor means time for serious or at least open and honest talk? I think that's a pretty good signal at this point."

[imperfectsoldier]

"Yeah, I've recognized the pattern. Seems like a good one to keep going." He's glad he's not getting argument on the point of finding Clint again. He's not really all that hard to please.

[brandingproblem]

"You'll have to catch me up on anything you get up to. See if you find yourself out there." Because Clint's found something, even if he's not sure it's himself by any means.

[imperfectsoldier]

"I've got some plans now." See Clint again, let Tony vent his spleen at him, check in with Nat. Take a couple of days and see if an extreme sport with a hard landing can help him find some kind of release. Maybe go somewhere with snow as part of that - or a separate thing. "Just keep your expectations reasonable. Ultron wasn't wrong about me."

[brandingproblem]

Clint furrows his brow. "That tin can was wrong about everything. And is a pile of rusted rubble." That feels like a lifetime or two ago. "I wouldn't worry about any of that."

[imperfectsoldier]

"His conclusions were wrong. He wasn't too far off saying I was pretending I could live without a war." It feels forever ago, but god that had stuck. Along side some other stuff. "It's not really important right now. Like I said you've got something going and I've got some plans." That's still better.

[brandingproblem]

"There's always war. Sometimes it's more personal rather than international." Clint shrugs. Apparently it all bothered Steve enough to stick, so he can't say anything about that. "But peace isn't exactly the most boring thing either."