InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "spotify creeper"

Clint (eyesintheback) wrote in avengers_logs,
@ 2018-02-09 21:33:00

Entry tags:

-complete, -gamewide plot, clint barton, natasha romanoff

Who: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanoff
What: Two friends grabbing some grub
When: After Sharknao
Rating/Warnings: Yellow - swearing possible

There were times when Clint really felt his age and the aftermath of Sharknado was one of those times, especially as he was not bloody but bruised as well because unlike a lot of people running around on the battlefield he wasn't super human. Nat he knew understood that because she like him was just human but damn if they didn't do a good job of keeping up. He was also dealing with the fallout of his divorce that he still hadn't told anybody about and sarcasm and quick quips were the best way he knew how to cover up pain.

Thankfully Nat was here and Clint very much appreciated her company especially as they knew one another well enough to be able to communicate without words. They hadn't made really good partners for so long if they weren't completely in sync. Most people who ate food conversed during but not Clint and Natasha, they ate silently and enjoyed the companiable stillness that accompanied it.

It wasn't until they'd finished their meal and Clint was helping himself to a healthy slurp of his full fat no diet shit with him coke that he lifted his eyes to regard Natasha.

"So," he drawled. "What do you think to our current predicament?"

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widows__bite
2018-02-09 10:01 pm UTC (link)

Who would have thought that when great white sharks were flying through the air that the biggest, most dangerous threat was actually bits of masonry falling? Natasha had cleaned herself up between the fight ending and them going out to dinner but she still had a bruise blossoming along her hairline, a scrape to her jaw and a cut to her lower lip amongst all the bruises hidden by her clothes.

Stashed nearby were their weapons, ready at any moment should the call from Steve come in that they were heading out to go and bust Tony's ass out of jail.

"Mm," Natasha hummed, finishing off her curly fries and picking up her soda, curling her hands around the cup and relished in the cool sensation that soaked into her hands.

She took a sip from the straw and watched Clint carefully. Their current situation really wasn't what they should be talking about, she knew more about his current situation than she let on, more than he was probably aware of. Just because she'd been away and out of the US didn't mean that she hadn't been keeping tabs on Clint. What good was having a large network and the ability to hack if you didn't liberally abuse it?

"Which part?" she asked, "The part where we've split off from the prime timeline into one of our own that's completely unstable, the part where Stark's made a mess of things, the bit where magic is apparently heavily involved in what's going on or the fact that you got divorced and didn't think I'd find out?"

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eyesintheback
2018-02-09 10:13 pm UTC (link)

Clint popped a fry into his mouth before he just bit out a small laugh that was completely devoid of humour, a slow breath being taken through his nose before he ducked his head and ran his thumb along his lips. Of course Natasha would know about the divorce, she was always good at finding shit out that nobody wanted finding out and it figured she'd be in the know.

He hadn't wanted to talk about it because talking about it made it a whole lot more real and brought back the startling reality that he hadn't been able to make it work. Stupid really, him thinking he could do the whole family thing, should have learned a lesson from his own. It hadn't exactly been the poster child for how good families should work and function after all.

"I was thinking more the whole universe, Stark and magic, not so much the divorce thing," he said offhandedly as he took a further sip from his straw.

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widows__bite
2018-02-09 10:24 pm UTC (link)

Around Clint, she had never been one to mince words. He knew all of her that she was able to share, just about, and so when she felt like he didn't trust her it stang a little. She wasn't sensitive to rejection, not at all, but Clint was a different case. Clint was... well Clint. That was the only reasoning she had and it was hardly sufficient for someone who liked to break things down and understand all of the details.

She rolled her eyes as he nonchalantly dismissed her question. "It's a mess," she answered after just looking at him for a moment. He didn't get away that easily and just because they weren't talking about it now didn't mean she wouldn't bring it up later. "Strange broke the timeline by using magic, so we've split from the main branch of reality. There's the... prime versions of us running around in the original timeline and we're in a branched off one that's now running parallel, but differently, to the original one. Stark... it was bound to happen eventually, overheads will always find a way to take control and as much as he wanted to abide by the Accords, he couldn't be controlled by Ross. Magic is... well, nothing we ever trained for," she finished with a soft sigh, knocking Clint's foot under the table with her own gently.

"The world's got real complicated."

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eyesintheback
2018-02-09 11:10 pm UTC (link)

Clint appreciated Nat's candor, he really did, especially as he wasn't exactly one to keep his thoughts to himself. He also knew he should feel privileged that she could be so open and honest with him because for her it was difficult. She'd spent so long doing the exact opposite all her life that to be honest and direct was a frightening thing, especially when you were so used to telling people what they wanted to hear.

"Mes?" He reated, arched eyebrow. "It's a complete clusterfuck is what it is." And then she started talking about the breaking of the timeline, splitting off from the main branch of reality, prime versions, and one timeline running in parallel to another and he just sort of glazed over. It wasn't that he was stupid, far from it, but stuff like that? Just didn't interest him. Give him something to shoot or hit and he was good, but this sort of crap? Not his bag.

He snorted quietly before returning the knock of the foot under the table. "We left what we trained for behind a long time ago. Round about the time we agreed to become Avengers." Honestly there were days when he missed SHIELD because okay sure it was a cesspit of HYDRA and all those damaged freaks but it had still been a certainty, something they knew and were familiar with. This? This was not familiar at all.

He pushed out a breath. "No sign of it uncomplicating any time soon."

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widows__bite
2018-02-09 11:46 pm UTC (link)

Nat put her soda down and pressed her lips together, unimpressed when she spotted Clint's eyes glaze over slightly and even more unimpressed that he seemed completely determined to ignore the Laura-shaped elephant in the room now she'd brought it up. She didn't feel bad: Clint probably ought to talk about it and whilst she wasn't Dr Phil, she was his (best) friend and wanted to support him. It bothered her that she hadn't been around when it had happened though what she could have done to help? She had no idea. It wasn't as if she were a relationship expert or anything.

"That your professional opinion?" she asked dryly, "A clusterfuck?"

They'd managed to secure a corner booth, out of earshot of the few people who had straggled in. She had a cap on - taking a leaf out of the Steve Rogers Manual of Blending In - and a large, oversized hoodie. She was a bit more recognisable than Clint to the general public, so she had her back to the door, but there was a mirror behind the register that she was using to keep her eye on what was behind her. Besides, Clint had her back. Just like always.

She leaned forward, not breaking eye contact with Clint as she sipped her drink through the straw.

"But we'll be okay," she told him, because they would. "If that flea-bag motel Stark's put us in doesn't kill us first."

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eyesintheback
2018-02-10 12:20 am UTC (link)

Clint ignore something? That didn't sound like him, nooooo, not at all. Besides it happened, no point dwelling over it and what he did privately and when he was on his own well that was something else entirely. "That is in fact my professional opinion," he confirmed with a nod of his head followed by a smirk.

Sitting in the corner booth had been on purpose and Clint had positioned himself so he could view the entire expanse of the diner with eyes on all the entrances and exits. Also? He was keeping an eye on everybody in the diner, to see if they clocked either himself or Nat because he could get them moving in less than thirty seconds if needs be.

"Well, we've had worst," he countered as he held onto eye contact while eating a fry. "Remember Budapest?" He said with a grin.

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widows__bite
2018-02-10 12:38 am UTC (link)

Nat snorted. "Well, I'm glad that you're here, to provide your professional opinion on the situation. Have you met Strange, by the way? A man whose name is oddly apt."

She was still bothered by the fact that they were in, effect, an alternate reality. That the person she was a few days ago... she wasn't that person anymore. She wasn't that person, she was a duplicate? If Tony wasn't arrested, she was itching to ask him how he felt about the whole thing. Her 'bedtime' reading had been alternate universe theories. It was mind-boggling.

She leaned her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, looking over at Clint with a rare, affectionate smile. Nodding her head, she chuckled. "Yeah. What we've just gone through? Reminded me a little of Budapest."

Glancing down at the fries he had left on his tray. Impishly, she reached out and helped herself to two of them, popping them in her mouth before he could object.

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eyesintheback
2018-02-10 04:07 pm UTC (link)

"Not met him," Clint said with a shake of his head. "Spoke to him over the Network though. Talked about how this Universe sounds like glass cracking which as you can imagine super reassuring."

He unlike Natasha was not spending any time focusing on or worrying about the fact they were in fact in an alternative universe, especially as that just encouraged a headache and he had no desire for that. Not at all.

Clint glanced up in time to catch Natasha's smile and in spite of himself he couldn't help but smile back, way too amused how that Budapest had now become their go to for whenever weird fucked up shit happened. "We definitely remember Budapest differently," he quipped with a wink before he gave a mock offended look at she stole his food.

"Dirty trick," he said with a warm look in his eyes as he flicked some condensation off his fingertips in her direction.

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widows__bite
2018-02-11 07:04 pm UTC (link)

"Mm," Nat agreed with a grimace. "So reassuring."

She looked over her shoulder, watching the diner for a moment before returning to Clint and shrugging as he chastised her for stealing his fries. She smirked at him and opened her mouth to say something else when her cell phone beeped.

It was Steve.

She picked up her soda and looked at Clint with a look that indicated the levity of their current moment was gone.

"Duty calls, Clint," she told him softly, getting to her feet and adjusting her cap. "Let's get outta here and go get our save on."

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