InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Let's not and say we did"

Joanna Beth Harvelle (reo_and_knives) wrote in expresslogs,
@ 2012-05-19 22:12:00

Entry tags:

{clint barton, {jo harvelle, {natasha romanoff

Who: Jo Harvelle, Natasha Romanoff, & Clint Barton
Where: Parlor car #9
When: Saturday night
Rating: TBD?
Status: In Progress

After Jo had found the alcohol supply back in Nebraska, she had set a few things aside in her own room, just in case. Having learned that Tasha was Russian, Jo had decided to grab three bottles of vodka and took them to the parlor with her. Once there, she collected three dozen shot glasses and lined them up on a table, then opened one of the bottles and poured out the shots. Grabbing a chair, the blond reversed it and sat by the table, waiting for the other two to show up. It'd been a while since she'd drank quite this much, but she knew she was able to hold her liquor, so this challenge she'd get tonight would certainly be worth it. Plus, it'd give her a chance to be a little more sociable, something she'd been having a little problem with recently.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

i_nevermiss
2012-05-28 12:41 am UTC (link)

The room wasn't spinning, but it was as if the heat had suddenly been turned up a notch or two. Not thinking anything of it, Clint straightened in his seat before sliding his arms out of the jacket he'd been wearing. Placing it on the back of his chair, Clint resumed his position, legs outstretched (one knee grazing Tasha's, the shin of the other leg slotting into Jo's personal space under the table) and his hands resting, carded together, on his stomach.

He still didn't speak as Jo made her way back to the table they were seated at, only watched her carefully as she clinked her shot glass to Tasha's, who he turned to as she spoke. His eyes above half-mast, but she barely as the vodka began replacing the blood in his veins. Taking another shot before he spoke Clint didn't slur, as Tash said, he was wasted. Yet.

"To be fair, that's mostly true, considering my profession. And even then, I can usually pass it off as something else." Clint grinned wide, "Of course, though, don't mind me. If not talking is price enough, consider me mute for the rest of the evening."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

reo_and_knives
2012-05-28 12:51 am UTC (link)

Her eyes were drawn to the movement and she openly watched as the jacket was removed, unable to help it. Really, the twenty five year old was starting to feel just a tiny bit out of her league, and the feeling was reinforced by Tasha's words. She glanced from Clint over to the woman and smiled a little. "...I believe it." Picking up another shot, she downed it, refusing to be outdone by the archer, though she did shift so that she could lean into the table a bit. She was glad that she'd shown up in just jeans and a tank and didn't have to worry about a jacket herself.

Shaking her hair back, absently, her gaze flickered from one to the other before she smirked a second time, shaking her head. "Sadly, that doesn't work on me. I'm not going to forget you're there." She winked again, dark eyes meeting Clint's first, then Tasha's. For an instant, her thoughts shifted to what she'd told Clint she would tell him about tonight, but really she didn't want to bring the general mood down with that story right now.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cupcakery
2012-05-28 01:32 am UTC (link)

"Someone's nice and relaxed," Natasha observed, more than a little amused by her friend stretching out in his chair. She didn't miss how Jo's eyes were stuck on Clint as he removed his jacket and she took another shot. The dynamic between Jo and Clint was an interesting one and she was content to watch for a moment as the blonde took another shot and then winked. Oh, she was a woman after her own heart.

"He's rather hard to ignore sometimes. You'll get the hang of it if you spend enough time with him. Something tells me that'll be sooner rather than later." And there was absolutely nothing wrong with that as far as she was concerned. There was something about Jo that had her naturally fitting in and Natasha was grateful for it. They needed as many people as possible with them. The clouded glint in Jo's eyes didn't go unnoticed and Natasha found herself disliking that look on the blond.

"How would you like to hear about this one mission in Cairo? Clint and I were sent in to retrieve an old relic from one of the ancient tombs. There were so many traps and we bickered the whole way through. I'm fairly certain Coulson stopped monitoring our comms because he didn't want to hear it." She chuckled at the thought.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_nevermiss
2012-05-28 01:46 am UTC (link)

Not bothering to hide his smirk, Clint took a moment after Tasha's quip to give a cat-like stretch. Arms extending and popping at the elbows, back curving in a sinuous arch that was exaggerated but still a really nice movement that popped his back into place. Biting back a very real groan, Clint shifted back into his sprawled out sitting position with a content sight, making note of the way Jo's eyes seemed to follow him.

Clint noticed a sudden turn, the dark look in Jo's eye as it overtook the amusement, and was just thinking of something to change the subject as well when Tasha beat him to the punch. Clint couldn't help but smile, he had the feeling that Jo and Natasha were getting along really well -- he hadn't been wrong in thinking so in the first place, and he was extremely glad for that. Not only did he have an actual friend in Natasha, but now he had one in Jo. They'd all come together quicker than the rest of the Avengers team had, but the bond was going to grow just as strong, Clint could tell.

Tasha brought up the Cairo job and Clint couldn't help but bark out a laugh, "Oh lord, that's still one of my favorites. The only time Coulson has explicitly told me to, and I quote, 'This would have gone better if you'd have shut the fuck up, Barton'. Seriously, one of the top ten accomplishments of my life." Amusement twinkled bright in Clint's eyes, his fingers swirling around the lip of the vodka shot in front of him.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

reo_and_knives
2012-05-28 02:05 am UTC (link)

"Hey, he's not the only one." She gave a light grin to try and hide how she'd been staring at him, even as under the table one leg shifted, her ankle bumping his calf lightly. If called out, she'd just say that it was impossible to move anywhere with him taking up so much space.

The implication that she'd be spending more time with them had Jo cheering up somewhat, and taking another shot. It was a little strange for her in general, knowing that they worked together. Aside from the Winchesters, most Hunters rarely worked with a partner, and Jo had been like that until her mom insisted on going with her. Just as she was about to go into mental territory she wasn't in the mood for (stupid vodka), Tasha was distracting her by talking about one of their missions, and the blond laughed as well.

Her own eyes widened a little at Clint's words regarding what this Coulson guy had said, and she shook her head with a grin. "That sounds awesome." She kinda wished she'd been there, but that was ridiculous, of course, because she was from a totally different world. "That's so different from what I do, it's insane, but at least you guys have fun with it."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cupcakery
2012-05-28 02:45 am UTC (link)

Tasha was more than used to his antics by now and thus unaffected as he stretched in such an enticing manner. She also didn't miss the way Jo reacted and took another shot. This was as good a way to spend an evening as anything on this train.

Working solo was something that Natasha had done for decades, a few of them even after she met Clint. He played a big part in turning her straight and although it had taken some adjusting, she had finally learned what working on a team meant with him.

"Coulson's pretty great, but he was right. It would've gone better if you'd shut up. You're just lucky I ended up with stitches or else I would've kicked your ass then and there." And she would've, but it hadn't been worth it at the time. She'd gotten him back on the trip to Hong Kong.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_nevermiss
2012-05-28 08:59 pm UTC (link)

A wide grin broke Clint's face as Jo agreed to being relaxed. It was nice to feel at ease in the company of other people. Most in their prospective positions could do that with only a few select other and it was nice to be counted among favorable company.

Clint's brow twitched as Jo's leg bumped his own, but he didn't say anything about it, just took another shot before moving his leg closer to her own, settling when they were pressed lightly together. It was kind of Clint's way of expressing his affection without words, letting Jo know that he was not only comfortable enough with her to sit in her company, but also to casually touch without expectations. Some spoke with words, other with actions -- Clint was an action man.

Head swimming with the pleasant buzz of just enough alcohol, Clint ~~giggled~~ chuckled at Natasha's words, knowing both statements true.

"When have you ever known me to shut up, nest time excluded, and even then sometimes when it gets too boring. It's not something I learned in school." Clint paused, giving a look of mock consideration, "Not that I actually, went to school or anything."

"Oh, and don't you even pretend that you didn't enjoy every minute of that one. It was like we were in an Indiana Jones movie. I, of course, playing the role of Indy while you were that girl that he always had tagging along with him for the sexual tension." Clint wagged his finger at Natasha and braced himself for impact with the swift upturning of another shot down the hatch.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

reo_and_knives
2012-05-28 10:59 pm UTC (link)

Jo was perfectly content to have Clint's leg against hers, so she didn't comment or try to move away. If anything, she edged a little closer while taking another shot. A glance at the bottle told her that they'd killed the first one, and from under the table she grabbed one of the other two she'd brought, setting it on the table with a slight flourish.

Grinning at Clint's words about not shutting up, she shook her head. "That could get you killed one day, you know. You should learn how to be quiet sometime. But not tonight. 'Cause you're a good talker. Or....something." The vodka was causing her thoughts to get mixed up and she shook her head a little, then blinked slowly at him, before looking over at Tasha.

"No way. She's way more kickass than that Marian chick." It was, in her opinion, the simple, honest truth. "Plus, she's better looking." Nodding with the confidence of the drunk, she began to work at opening the second bottle.

"I went to school. College, too, for a lil bit. But I left after a couple semesters. I didn't fit in - I was just a...a freak with a knife collection." She gave a shrug, using the same words she'd said to her mom a few years ago, and that she'd heard others call her, back in school. Finally getting the bottle open, she pushed it towards Tasha to pour more.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cupcakery
2012-05-29 01:35 am UTC (link)

Natasha was incredibly observant and it didn't escape her the way Clint and Jo were getting close under the table. She was glad for it because it meant that Clint would have someone else to rely on if he needed it. Jo was a lot like her, or at least a version of her that she could have been if things had played out differently. The blond would definitely be good for both of them.

"Clint will never learn how to shut up. The trick is getting him to stop thinking and then he'll just make noises instead of actual words." Natasha smirked at him and knocked back another shot. She was glad that Jo had come prepared and it would likely take another few rounds of shots before she started to feel some of the effects of the alcohol.

Tasha grinned at Jo's compliments and swatted at Clint. "Oh please. I was Indy and you were the distraction that just got us into trouble that I had to get us out of," she replied, and she was mostly goodnatured about it. She flashed a seductive smile at Jo, glad for the excuse of the alcohol as she amused herself.

"You haven't seen the half of it, Jo," Tasha replied with a wink. "There's something about fighting that just gets me riled up. Isn't that right Clint?" Her gaze sidelined over to the man in question but then went right back to Jo, using quite a few tricks to show the blond her seduction skills.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_nevermiss
2012-05-29 09:21 pm UTC (link)

It wouldn't have been hard for Clint to fight off the grin that Jo brought on by shifting closer to his touch, but he didn't feel the need. Not like the other two wouldn't already know what he was smiling at. He was just... happy. Even stuck on the stupid train, lost to the Natasha in his plane. Well, he decided, fuck that.

He had a Tasha, one that was right beside him -- sure, she didn't know some of the things that had happened between them, but maybe that as for the better somehow -- and he had a Jo, someone new and interesting and felt trustworthy in a way that no one else had ever felt before, especially in such a short time.

Life was nice. The only thing better would be...

Clint grinned, razor sharp, as Jo pulled out the second fifth of vodka. He could get through the second one no problem, but knew that Tasha would beat him to the third that he saw sitting on the floor. He'd probably switch it places by the time she was ready for it.

"My mouth's got me outta just as many situations as it's fucked over, so I'm going to stick to my gut on that one." Clint gave a shrug but couldn't contain his smirk at Tasha's words, watching her throat shift as she swallowed down the shot.

"Anyone who can manage that has true talent, I like to talk through just about anything." Having known Natasha for so long, Clint could clearly see that the alcohol had little to do with her behavior -- she was a huntress and could only act as such, even in jest. Clint approved.

Flippantly, Clint waved his hand as Jo spoke of her schooling, "S'cool that you at least got to try the whole college thing. And you're right, Tash's much more attractive than any of Indy's women" Laughing out loud as Tasha swiped at him, Clint rubbed his arm in exaggeration of the hit before swallowing down another shot, trying not to choke as he's asked another question.

The heat that builds from Clint's chest and travels to his face isn't a blush, per say, and if it was brought up he could totally cop out and blame it on the alcohol. His hand unconsciously tightens its grip on the shot glass he happened to be holding, but Clint managed to reign in a grin, razor sharp.

"You're like a fucking goddess of War. I could watch you for days, but I'd much rather be on the receiving end." Risking his own wink, Clint reached out to Tasha to flick one of the half-curls of hair away from her cheek.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

reo_and_knives
2012-05-30 02:02 am UTC (link)

The grin that bloomed on Clint's face when she edged closer caused an answering grin to appear on her own lips, and she ran an absent hand through her hair while she listened to the two banter. She was comfortable, more comfortable than she'd been in a long time, and found herself wishing that she'd met the two of them years earlier if only so they already all knew things about each other.

"Bet I could shut you up," she said it absently with a faint smirk while resting her eyes on Clint. "If I really wanted to, that is." Her attention shifted to Tasha and she nodded again her agreement regarding Tasha's looks. Finishing off another shot as well, she knew the vodka was hitting her harder and quicker than the other two - which, really, made sense. After all, she was the youngest and the least experienced, and she wasn't Russian, all of which were a factor. Really, though, if she ended up giving in first, she'd be okay with that. For some reason, Jo didn't think they'd look down on her for it.

Her dark eyes took in the results of Tasha's words on Clint, and she grinned again, one hand propping her chin up as she watched them. "Okay, I know this could be the vodka talking, but...I really like you guys. You're awesome."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cupcakery
2012-05-30 03:52 pm UTC (link)

Clint was always such a flirt and it was no surprise that Jo was susceptible to his charms. His mouth really did get him out of a lot of shit, but it got him into a hell of a lot as well. Generally speaking, if the trouble they got into was female, Clint could charm their way out. It had become something of a game for them and they were tied at the moment.

Natasha took another two shots, right in a row, and smirked to match Jo's. "Oh, I bet you could too." Natasha could've taken another half a dozen shots before the alcohol would start to affect her but it was pretty clear that both of her companions were feeling it. She just shook her head at Clint's reply. "You have been on the receiving end, Clint. Or did you forget the first few years we were tangoing?" She grinned as he flicked one of her curls back before focusing on Jo, who was fucking adorable.

She laughed at the blonde's observation and downed her last shot. "Oh, I think that's definitely the vodka talking," she teased, standing. "You're awesome yourself, sweetheart." Natasha walked around to Jo, letting her hand slide along Clint's shoulders as she passed him and then held her hand out for Jo. "Come on. I think we'll save the rest of this for another time."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

i_nevermiss
2012-05-31 03:42 pm UTC (link)

Three more shots, the last in his line up, were gone as Jo said she could shut him up. Clint had no doubt about this, not in the least, and he took a moment to say as much with a grin and a wink. His eyes weren't soft as he spoke, but they were dark with blown pupils and mischief.

Natasha spoke, mimicking Clint's answer while drinking down shot after shot, still not feeling it anywhere close to where Clint was, and he was less gone than Jo for sure. She was holding her own, though, more than many had done before besides Natasha because she was Natasha, Stark because he was an alcoholic, Rodgers because he had a God-like metabolism, Thor because he is an actual God and was raised on fucking mead, and Banner didn't really drink, so she was much better than any of his other 'non-superhuman' friends.

"How could I ever forget those years? You beat them into me. Literally." Clint sent Natasha another grin and laughed along with her as Jo spoke, but he didn't stand. In all reality he had to gather himself for a moment before he tried anything more than a twitch. The world wasn't spinning, Clint's eyes were always sharp, but as soon as he went to stand he knew that his balance would be severely compromised.

As Natasha moved behind his chair, Clint tipped his head back, intent on catching her eye before she passed completely -- his own eyes unfocused just the tiniest bit as her hand passed over his shoulders. As she stood in front of Jo, Clint still remained seated. He wasn't for sure what Natasha's game plan was, or if he was invited. For the moment, he was content just watching them as he had all night. ~~Fuck, they were beautiful~~.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

reo_and_knives
2012-05-31 04:17 pm UTC (link)

Her eyes were a little dazed thanks to the vodka's effects and it was somewhere between closing her eyes for a blink and reopening them that Tasha moved, and she glanced up curiously, noticing the hand on Clint. To the half-gone hunter, it seemed possessive, and she inwardly kicked herself for half of what she'd said that night. Jo really should have watched her mouth a little better, because obviously the two of them were a thing and she needed to back off.

When the hand moved into her field of vision, she flashed an almost-forced smile and slipped her own hand into Tasha's, then stood, fighting to keep from swaying too much. "Right....next time." She nodded, but hesitated, one hand resting on the table to keep herself from falling over. "Um. Behind the bar - bottled water. I need one." If anything, she was going to make damn sure that she didn't wake up with a hangover, something which hadn't happened in several years. The hand in Tasha's loosened a little, then slipped out so that the redhead could get the water after a glance at Clint told her he likely wasn't going to stand just yet.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

cupcakery
2012-05-31 04:35 pm UTC (link)

Natasha was absolutely impressed with how Jo had managed to keep up with them. It wasn't an easy task by any means and she was sure that if they continued to hang out, the blonde would get there. "You've hit your head a couple times so I just like to remind you," Natasha replied, but she gave Jo a wink, almost conspiratorially.

She looked down at Clint as she walked past him and smiled, her own eyes dark with something predatory. She wouldn't act now, not when they'd just met, but Jo was proving to be a very interesting find indeed. She held her liquor, held a conversation, had serious skills with a blade, and she was hot as fuck to boot. It helped that Jo seemed into Clint, too, though she didn't miss the slightly forced nature of the blonde's smile.

"Sure thing," Natasha replied, already moving with a swiftness that didn't indicate a night of drinking. She returned a moment later with the open bottle and handed it to Jo, her free hand going around her waist. Natasha was maybe an inch or so taller than Jo so the gesture seemed more friendly than anything else. She'd pass it off as simply helping Jo back to her room but in reality, she was testing to see just how much of a woman's touch Jo would mind.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

(Read comments) -