open post

[brandingproblem]

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

Comments

[brandingproblem]

"I wasn't expecting you, so I didn't really have any plans in mind." He tips his own head, in a sort of mirror to Steve, but his eyes stay right on his face. "You need or want something from me?"

...This landed in spam. I'm sorry :/

[imperfectsoldier]

"More or less the same thing I was looking for last time." He quirks a very slight smile. "Time, space, and you." That doesn't sound quite as glib as the words would imply - because it's not.

Time and space comes with some freedom. That he needs. Breathing room.

XD somehow worse than not getting a notif at all, damn!

[brandingproblem]

Clint tries very hard not to have some immediately dismissive quip. Call it growth from last time, maybe. "Well, seems like you've got all of that in spades." The real question is what Steve's going to do with all that time, space, and also Clint.

"Feeling any particular need to pummel someone into the ground?"

[imperfectsoldier]

"Probably, but whether that someone's you depends on you." That... sounds more challenging and opaque than he means it to, by a lot. "You seem a lot ... steadier than you were. I can always just go find trouble." He's far enough from home for that.

[brandingproblem]

"Maybe I've got your brand of trouble to thank for that." He's not sure if steadier is the word, but that might just be what to go with instead of 'not fighting this and being a quiet moody little shit from the word go'. "And if you're gonna find trouble, maybe I wanna make sure I'm that trouble. Imagine if you came all this way to see me and then started an international incident. Nat'll kill me."

[imperfectsoldier]

"Maybe." Whatever the cause - Clint doesn't feel like he's about to bolt at a moment's notice, and that's nice. Not that Steve quite trusts it, but that part is on Steve. "Maybe we can take some time and find a location we can stay in for a little while after." Transition back last time had been... rougher than it needed to be.

[brandingproblem]

Clint cocks a brow. "Somewhere to lay low together? Are you planning on getting up to more of my kind of trouble, Rogers?"

[imperfectsoldier]

"Maybe." There's a flash of a grin, which is more of a yes than a no, but. "We're gonna want it, anyway. Even if all I do is kick your ass, that walk back last time maybe happened a little early and I didn't much like the way things go rough after."

[brandingproblem]

"After-" He laughs to himself. "The ass kicking, not when I'm done here, I get you now. Here I thought you were halfway to planning a little vacation getaway for us, y'know, after-after. Yeah, we can figure something out. Somewhere cushier than concrete."

[imperfectsoldier]

"I would play a vacation get away from us, given what you did to my blood pressure by dropping off the map entirely. Except the part where I suspect your response would be the kind that would mean I never found you again."

Is he supposed to be more subtle than that? Nicer? More benefit of the doubt? Not happening.

He's not mean about it, though and somehow it sounds like some kind of compliment, at least in tone.

[brandingproblem]

"Never lied to you about what was gonna happen. I'm not gonna just stick around after and, what, take in the fruits of my labor or something like a deranged serial killer?"

So he feels like it's on Steve if Steve got all bent out of shape about Clint's disappearing act. He rolls a shoulder, aiming for casual. "Not altogether opposed to a getaway, I s'pose. We can talk about it later." If he wanted to disappear for good, he'd have to stop doing his self-appointed job. Which isn't something he's considering right this moment.

[imperfectsoldier]

"No." There's a quick, apologetic smile to go with that somewhat flat statement. "I meant I lost track of you for a while and couldn't have come to find you then if I'd wanted to. Freaked me out a little, but good reminder of how good you are."

Even with Natasha's help. Something after Malta, maybe.

"Though you not being opposed to a vacation is the best news I've heard in years." They can talk about it later, but the way Steve lights up a little at even the thought? Says something.

And not just thAt he wasn't lying about having gotten scared when he couldn't find Clint at all.

[brandingproblem]

"You're good at a lot of things, Steve, but you were never a spy." Got plenty of pointers, sure, but that's still different from living the SHIELD agent life for most of his. "Had to vanish for a bit. Last job went a little south. Too hot to handle after. Better now."

[imperfectsoldier]

"Yeah, the super soldier upgrade didn't come with an espionage package. Maybe if we count the enhanced memory, but that's stretching several definitions to the breaking point." Just makes him a roving camera. "Come on, let's get inside somewhere. Work out a timeline here, maybe>"

He's only been trying to get that out of Clint since he laid eyes on him.

[brandingproblem]

"Yeah, guess so. Wouldn't want you to miss any more of your sad people group therapy sessions than you have to."

No more meandering, then. The direct route. If there were any tails, well, he's pretty sure there aren't any now at least, so it should be safe enough to guide Steve to his little home away from home. It isn't much, but still in much nicer shape than the apartment.

[imperfectsoldier]

"There are whales in the Hudson. The pollution drop's been great for wildlife." He's wryly self-depreciating as he says that. Please, please, let him miss some of those.

Also distracted by the... improvement? in the place Clint's picked out for himself. He really does feel less sharp and that's something that unwinds Steve just a little. Steadies Steve some.

[brandingproblem]

Might not be as much space--there's no whole kitchen space, after all--but it doesn't look one bad day from being condemned. The bed's wider. The tv is even a full color flatscreen. That will show things in English. It's the little things.

"I'm sure a bunch of well-meaning ecologists are celebrating the drop in CO2 levels. Meanwhile, the poor still don't have enough food cuz it all gets hoarded by the rich neighborhoods, the rich countries instead of evenly distributed out. Same shit as before. Isn't humanity wonderful?"

[imperfectsoldier]

Steve drops his backpack near the door - yes, he has his own room, here. He did not leave his shit in it, for a wide variety of reasons.

He snorts at the remark and sinks down to sit on the edge of the bed. "Don't make me try and untangle that one, Clint. I like more people than I don't. I care about humanity. I want the missing half back. I'm frustrated as shit that even this level of tragedy can't shake folks enough to do and be better and tired as hell of all of it."

[brandingproblem]

Clint spreads his arms. "Why do you think I do what I do?" Besides needing an outlet for the pain. Obviously. "You'd think with half as many people, there wouldn't still be all this going on. But everyone collectively buried their heads in the sand and kept doing what they were already doing."

[imperfectsoldier]

"Grief," Steve says, rather directly. "Anger. Frustration. Turning them into something at least passingly productive." Probably don't ask him questions that are meant to be rhetorical, he'll take them as an opening. "Same reason I'm giving inspirational talks at support groups." That and, you know, an overwhelming lack of trust in himself, albeit one that comes and goes.

[brandingproblem]

"Just cuz you're right doesn't mean I don't get to say 'fuck you' about it," grumbled out, stamping down on the sudden flare of anger for having it pointed out.

[imperfectsoldier]

"It doesn't," he agrees, almost smiling. It's probably a bad idea to look a little happy about it, but realizing Clint can be mad at him and Steve's not worried about it feels pretty good. "And if you're agreeing I'm right you can say the fuck part extra loud."

[brandingproblem]

"I don't have to give you an extra key to my room, you know." Which has been considered, so they can come and go as they please. "But I'm also right. We can both be right, here."

[imperfectsoldier]

"Yeah, we are." No denial on that and no loss of... warmth, either. "Just feels good to be able to be told to fuck off and still feel... like we're not about to break, you know?"

Probably not, he thinks.

An attempt was made, though.

[brandingproblem]

"You're gonna know if we hit that point." At least, Clint is pretty sure. He can bury stuff down and then strike like a snake when he feels like it, but around Steve... "I'm not Stark."

No, because Stark can't keep his emotions to himself, can't keep his mouth shut, and lashes out at everyone the second he's so much as inconvenienced. It's not a good comparison.