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| What the Future Will Bring (Ready Or Not); 05/24-early afternoon- (Bobbi, Clint) | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 21 2014, 05:53 PM (837 Views) | |
| Hawkeye | Oct 28 2014, 11:53 PM Post #16 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Bad call on the Savage Land, apparently. All it had accomplished was to confuse Bobbi. Same could be said of EZ Bake Ovens, though. Clint had no idea why she kept bringing that up. Maybe she'd gotten one for Christmas one year when she really wanted a toy spy kit and had never quite let go of the grudge. He wasn't all that clueless about pregnancies. There'd been enough in the carnival for Clint to have a pretty good idea how it worked. He'd even helped take care of one or two expectant mothers. That part he had to sort of tiptoe around, since Bobbi might get the wrong idea there, and Clint didn't much feel like getting strangled to death. It didn't just happen by itself, though. He could say that much for sure. She'd be doing that on top of everything else she did, and Bobbi wasn't exactly the slowing down sort. It was bound to catch up with her eventually if she didn't at least do something to help take the load off. There went her brows rising further. Strike two? "Babe," she said, "remember how I went to medical school?" Yes, that was strike two all right. It was never a good sign when Bobbi felt the need to point out her education to him. Clint cleared his throat uncomfortably, which seemed like a decent enough middle ground between contrite and slightly annoyed himself. He did remember, after all. Just because it sounded like he was telling her things she already knew didn't mean that's what he was really doing. Arguing that wasn't going to get him very far, though. When he squeezed her hand, though, she answered in kind, their fingers forming a firm link to each other. He just wanted to help with the caretaking. That was all. He could do that without getting carried away, honest. He was even putting his hand over his heart, just to show how sincere he was. That got a smirk from Bobbi, at least. Then her hand moved up, taking his and moving it over to her chest. He could feel her heartbeat, slow and warm. And it looked like maybe his latest appeal had finally untangled the message he'd been trying to pass along. "Don't worry, Hawk. You already helped. That's how this happened." Clint chuckled slightly, despite himself. "I definitely remember that part," he assured her. Did it count as helping if you didn't know that's what you we doing at the time, though? "But okay. How about you carry the kid every other weekend, then," she said, sounding like that was the most reasonable suggestion in the world. Was she grinning? Yes, there was definitely a grin hiding in there, even if she was trying to reign it in. That kind of spoiled the effect. A lot. "Uh-uh, no deal," Clint said, giving his head a firm shake, even as the corners of his mouth quirked up. "If anyone manages that, you're not getting it back until it's born." Mostly joking, but he might have to be careful about saying things like that anyway. There were people around here who would leap at the chance to give that a try. And succeed. He needed a counter proposal, but offering to do things for her wasn't going to fly. Foot and shoulder massages on request would be easier to get her to agree to, but she kind of had that with him already. Heaving a sigh, Clint did the only thing he could do, for now at least, and surrendered. "Okay, we'll do this your way," he said affectionately. "Sound good?" That wasn't so hard, he supposed. Especially since the word 'we' was in there. |
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| Mockingbird | Oct 29 2014, 07:16 PM Post #17 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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Medical school. He did remember that, didn't he? That she'd gone to one? It was a fair question in Bobbi's mind. It hadn't exactly been the most sane day either one've them had ever had. And that was before they got to the part where they were expecting a kid a little ahead of the planned schedule. Maybe that's why her husband was sitting here, telling her what she already knew. She knew how the biology worked. Could rattle off the various stages if he really wanted (she didn't think he did), what developed when. And wouldn't be above taking out one've her staves and smacking him if he started comparing her to damned circus animals. Clint was the love of her life, but she thought she might know where this was going. Hawk cleared his throat and Bobbi's brows winged up a little higher. Yeah, maybe he remembered that after all. She wasn't made at him, though, or even annoyed. It was just that she knew him, so she reached over for his hand. The one resting against his chest. Gave it a squeeze. Either way, they were in this together. All she was trying to do was head off Clint's tendency to go overboard. Maybe more than he usually would, after what'd happened today. He might say he wouldn't, but she hadn't been married to him all these years without knowing how it got away from him sometimes. He wanted to help, but she thought it was probably more that he just wanted to be part of it all. Not like she didn't want that, too. Even if he'd already obviously had a hand in it. That's how this happened to begin with. "I definitely remember that part," he assured her with a chuckle that made her smile a little and eased the rest of the knots in her chest and stomach away. If he was that gung ho? She'd even time share with him. He could carry the kid every other weekend and give her a few day's break. Around here, it sure as hell could happen. They had enough mad scientist types to pull it off. "Uh-uh, no deal," Clint said, giving his head a firm shake, even as the corners of his mouth quirked up. "If anyone manages that, you're not getting it back until it's born." Oh good god, he'd better not say that too loud. Somebody would take it as a challenge. "Don't tempt fate that way, Hawk," Bobbi cautioned him, letting the grin finish breaking through. "Or me." She'd give him maybe a couple of weeks. Tops. Just long enough for the morning sickness and constant peeing to set in. Then he'd be singing a different tune. He let out a sigh the next minute, though, that said maybe he was raising the white flag already. That'd be a first. "Okay, we'll do this your way," he said affectionately. "Sound good?" Yeah, that was too easy. Way too damned easy for it to stand a chance in hell of lasting. But right now, she'd take it. "My way always sounds good," Bobbi agreed, looking back into her husband's blue eyes. Feeling her heart turn over in her chest the way it always did. "We'll figure it out, okay?" she tacked on, squeezing his hand again. Not willing to let him think she'd shut him out of this, for whatever reason. "I think I'm still processing this part of it." The part where it was real and it was happening. "I'm hanging onto the option to panic again later. In case I need it." He could help with that if he wanted. Or panic right along with her. |
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| Hawkeye | Oct 30 2014, 01:59 PM Post #18 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Nope. If Bobbi really thought that counted as Clint helping with the pregnancy, they were going to have a harder time coming to an agreement than he'd thought. Either that or her negotiation skills really needed some work, because he wasn't going for that idea. Not that Clint was taking some bold stance against male pregnancy. It was the tradeoff he objected to. He wasn't some part time substitute womb, no sir. If something happened to put the baby inside him, he was keeping it. Well, that seemed to be enough to lure that grin on Bobbi's face out of hiding. "Don't tempt fate that way, Hawk," she warned. "Or me." She was kidding, of course. Even if she did have a point about fate. They didn't necessarily need one of the mad scientists in residence for it to happen, after all. He'd seen enough crazy things happen thanks to magic, alien technology, time travel and plenty of other strangeness to know that. "You say that now, Babe" Clint said, "But then we'd probably just end up getting you pregnant again. Then we'd both be pregnant and then where would we be?" He bet she hadn't thought of that. Maybe she was treating this like old-time haggling, where each person starts with an offer that's wildly outrageous until they both arrive somewhere in the middle with a figure they probably could have agreed on after the third bid, tops. Well, he could probably at least come up with a reasonable proposal to counter her much, much less reasonable opener. Why was she making it so difficult just to agree on him being involved, anyway? He hoped she didn't expect him to just stand by and watch in silence for nine months while she did everything. He'd be climbing the walls in weeks. As important as that was to him, and as strongly as he felt, the blonde archer couldn't quite bring himself to counter her. God, they just got done being all worked up. Worked up and scared. The last thing either of them needed was another round of it so soon. It kind of went against his usual style, but in a case like this, surrender seemed like the best way to go. At least for now. They could revisit it later, maybe. "My way always sounds good," Bobbi said, gazing into his eyes in that way that always made his breath catch. No matter what, he could always count on what his heart was doing when it came to her. "We'll figure it out, okay?" She gave his hand a squeeze and Clint's fingers tightened around her hand in return. "Yeah, sure," he sighed, feeling a little more relaxed as he nodded slightly. Even if she just needed him to bring her coffee, or be her cheerleader, he'd do it. He just wanted to be there, not some expectant father who ran off to do his own thing like nothing had changed. "I think I'm still processing this part of it. I'm hanging onto the option to panic again later. In case I need it." Clint smiled faintly and dropped his arm to give her a little hug around her waist. "What's there to panic about? We're having a baby." It was what they both wanted. Maybe they hadn't expected it to happen quite so soon, but this wasn’t exactly the first time they jumped feet first into something after deciding it was going to happen. “Oh my God.” The words flew out of Clint so fast he barely realized he was the one who’d spoken them. Not that he would have noticed anyway, given the sudden cold wave that passed through him. Like a jolt of electricity, except it left him numb instead of buzzing. “Oh my God. We’re having a baby.” He wasn’t sure he was getting enough oxygen anymore, which was strange, because he felt like he was breathing just fine. Maybe a little faster than normal, but his mind felt like it just got a direct line injection of adrenaline and might burst out of his skull at any second to join the Tour de France, just to give all the momentum something to do. He was going to be a dad. How had he not realized that until now? |
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| Mockingbird | Oct 31 2014, 08:52 PM Post #19 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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Yeah, really. He shouldn't tempt fate like that. Or her. Give her a few weeks of morning sickness and she might not be kidding quite so much. "You say that now, Babe" Clint said, "But then we'd probably just end up getting you pregnant again. Then we'd both be pregnant and then where would we be?" Oh, Jesus. Where the hell did he get thoughts like that into his head from? He...she...what? Only Clint, Bobbi decided with a smirk and a mostly fond shake of her head. It was probably better not to ask. She wasn't sure she was capable of dealing with the answer he'd come up with right now and she already had her hands full trying to figure out why her husband was so insistent on trying to 'help'. By, the former SHIELD agent suspected, hovering over her and treating her like an invalid and possibly driving her out of her mind. He'd mean well, and after today she couldn't blame him as much as she might've before everything had tried to go to hell on that mission. But he'd end up making her want to strangle him. No matter how much she loved him. It wasn't like she was going to shut him out of being part of things, but maybe that's what he thought? Wouldn't he know better than that? No chance to figure it out before Hawk did the unprecedented and waved the white flag of at least temporary surrender. And she accepted. Her was always sounded good, but...she loved him and this was their kid, even if she was the one carrying it around. They'd figure it out. All of it. They always had, even if it sometimes took them a while. "Yeah, sure," he sighed sounding less tense. Feeling that way, too. Funny how you noticed something like that subtle tension when you'd known someone for so long. Even when you didn't realize you were noticing it. Or maybe it was just because her brain still felt like it was on a delay. Trying to get to the part where all this would finish processing. Bobbi figured it was only fair to warn him she was still hanging onto the option to panic again later. In case she wasn't done yet and happened to need it. Hawk smiled a little, squeezed her a little tighter and she took another, easier breath."What's there to panic about? We're having a baby." Bobbi's eyebrows tried to sail up to the ceiling. That. All of that. From where she sat, it still felt panic worthy in a way she couldn't remember anything else ever feeling. Running off and marrying a guy she'd known all of nine days hadn't made her feel like this. Not even close. Fighting T-Rexes in the Savage Land hadn't made her feel like this. Maybe it was normal. It probably was, but- “Oh my God.” Yeah. That. Bobbi couldn't help the slight smirk on her face as the words exploded out of her husband so fast they might've been shot out of a canon. Houston, we have liftoff. Guess she wasn't the only one working on a delay. “Oh my God. We’re having a baby.” Nodding, and feeling oddly a little steadier, since this? Was familiar territory at least, Bobbi gave her husband's broad shoulders a pat. "Well, not right this second," she reminded him, "But in a few months." She had been saying that, but instead of reminding him that she had, Mockingbird narrowed her eyes assessingly. Was he hyperventilating? Yeah, she suspected he was. "Slow down, Babe," she told him, rubbing his back now and considering her fastest escape plan off his lap if he bolted, or if he passed out. God, if he passed out right now, she was going to strangle him. "Don't keel over on me." He was back to looking like he might blast off and ping pong off the walls like a pinball. Jesus, she hoped he'd be done with this by the time she went into labor. |
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| Hawkeye | Nov 2 2014, 01:17 AM Post #20 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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A baby. Oh, God. They were having a baby. An entire person. Bobbi nodded with a calmness that seemed totally out of place under the circumstances. "Well, not right this second," she told him, patting his shoulders. "But in a few months." Clint turned slightly frantic eyes on her. He wished she wouldn't even joke about that. It could happen. He'd seen it happen. There definitely wasn't enough air in the room anymore, and Clint was starting to worry that his heart might slam out of his chest like a jackhammer. At least the room wasn't spinning. Not yet, but with the way that word and everything that came with it seemed to be crashing through him, he half expected it to. He half felt like he should get up, but he knew if he did he was either going to pace a hole through the floor or charge right through the wall. And hell, maybe he should. Like he needed to be... somewhere, but hell if he could figure out where that was, except up. He felt Bobbi's hand at his back, rubbing it for some reason. "Slow down, Babe," she said, still sounding incredibly composed and oh, right, she was on his lap. Probably better stay here on the bed, then. "Don't keel over on me." What? Keel over? Why would he keel over? He couldn't do that. Not when they were having a baby. God, how much bigger was that word going to get? "What?" he said out loud this time. Clint reached up and raked his fingers through his blonde hair. "I'm not-" he gave his head a shake, as if to assure his wife that keeling over was not in the program, but he was breathing too fast and ended up cutting himself off. "I've gotta-" He braced a hand against his knee and sucked in a deep breath. Okay, that was kind of better. He was feeling a little steadier now. He took another long, deep breath. "Oh, God," he said, blowing the breath back out, his other arm clinging to Bobbi for dear life. How long was this going to last, exactly? God, what was he even doing? |
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| Mockingbird | Nov 2 2014, 07:07 PM Post #21 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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Yeah, that hadn't helped at all, had it? Clint turned an at least halfway panicked look her way, pulling in air like there wasn't enough oxygen in the room. Shit, was he hyperventilating? Bobbi suspected he was, or was on the verge of it, and she went from patting his shoulder to rubbing his back. For some damned reason, this was easier than dealing with panicking herself. Even if Hawk did look like he was about to hit blast off (maybe from his head exploding) any second now. Yes, they were having a baby. Yes, it was pretty damned unexpected. But he needed to slow down (and she was still half-surprised he hadn't shot off the bed like a jack in the box and sent her flying). Figure out how to breathe again before he keeled over on her. Maybe she needed to get off his lap, too, before he ended up dumping her on the floor while he tried to absorb all this without passing out. She knew the feeling, didn't even have to see that look in his eyes and on his face that said he suddenly didn't know how the hell they'd got here, t this conversation, to know how his brain was going a thousand miles an hour. And just dragging him along with it. Oh god, she hoped he got over this before she went into labor. "What?" he said out loud like he had no damned idea what she was talking about. To be fair, he probably didn't. "I'm not-" he gave his head a shake, like he was going to convince her he wasn't sitting there, hyperventilating and probably a minute or two from passing out. "I've gotta-" he stopped again to pull in more air and Bobbi shook her head, decided it was probably better to stay where she was - to hold him down if nothing else - and slid her arm around his shoulders. "I know," she told her husband quietly, "Slow breaths, Babe. Slow breaths." There was another breath, but she wasn't sure she'd call that slow. It might've been a little steadier, though. Hard to tell for sure. "Oh, God," he said, releasing all the air he'd just dragged in and holding onto her like he really might fall over if he didn't. So, yeah, guess she was staying right where she was. Right now, she wouldn't argue. "You're okay," Bobbi assured him, other hand coming up to rub along his bicep. Since it was that or try to find a paper bag to put over his head. "We're okay." That was to maybe reassure them both a little, since she might just join him if she had to think about it too hard right now herself. "You don't have to do anything except not keep hyperventilating. I've got you." Sliding her arm around his neck, Bobbi pulled him in closer. If they were going to trade off panicking, they might as well do it all now and try to get it over with. |
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| Hawkeye | Nov 5 2014, 01:48 AM Post #22 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Keel over? What? No, Clint wasn't going to do that. He had to... well, he didn't actually know, but it was definitely super important. He should probably be doing it right now except he couldn't get his mind to tell him what it was. Not with the way it was seizing up on him so much he couldn't even get through more than two words in a sentence. This was insane. Could he be more useless? God, he needed air. And to cling to Bobbi, who was somehow not freaking out even though they were having a real, live baby. That helped some. Like hanging for dear life to the rocks near shore as the tide came in and waves kept crashing over him over and over and over again. Bobbi's arm hooked around the blonde man's shoulders, the extra contact helping to check the random impulses to bolt to his feet and run around like a madman. "I know," Bobbi said, her voice soft and soothing. "Slow breaths, Babe. Slow breaths." Yeah. Slow. He was trying. Not so much slow as deep and big, but it was a change from the quickfire gasps of a few moments ago. God. His heart wouldn't stop racing. He hated being like this but he couldn't seem to make it stop. "You're okay," Bobbi said. She started rubbing his bicep and Clint reached up to give her shoulder a squeeze and he sucked in another massive gulp of air. "We're okay." Right. They were okay. He remembered that, but it helped to hear all the same. Okay was a good place to be. He liked okay. "You don't have to do anything except not keep hyperventilating. I've got you." Bobbi's arm slid around his neck and he followed the gentle pressure urging him closer. She did have him. She always would. No matter what kind of crazy tightrope walk he ever found himself in this life, she was always there, ready to catch him if he lost his footing. "We're okay," Clint said, nodding. He closed his mouth, swallowed and took a few breaths through his nose. In. Out. In. Out. Like he was lining up a shot with his bow. Okay. Better. Definitely heading toward better. "We're having a baby," he said, looking into his wife's face, feeling his stomach flip over in that familiar, wonderful way that warmed him all over. Breathing. He could do that. He was still feeling a bit giddy and lightheaded, but he didn't think that had anything to do with lack of air. "I love you so much," he said, cupping her chin and tilting his head down to capture her lips in a deep and passionate kiss. God, they were having a baby. He couldn't think of anything that could possibly make him happier right now, but holding Bobbi and kissing her was one hell of a close second. |
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| Mockingbird | Nov 5 2014, 08:01 PM Post #23 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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He was okay. She was okay. The baby was okay. They were all okay. So all Clint needed to worry about was to stop hyperventilating before he passed out. He was doing better, but a little more even breathing wouldn't hurt. Neither, Bobbi figured, would pulling him closer while he rode this out. It might not feel like he could right now, but it'd pass. Just like hers had passed. At least for now. Later, she might want to pull up that option again. When it all really filtered in - the responsibility, the no knowing what the hell she was doing, the worry that she wasn't exactly the best 'mom' material - but for now, it was fading and she had him. Like she always had tried to when he needed her. "We're okay," Clint said, nodding and not trying to suck all the air out of the room all at once now. Better. "We're having a baby," he repeated, looking her in the face as Bobbi's mouth quirked up on one side. "Yeah, we are." It was still terrifying, and amazing, and made something try to lodge itself in her throat. Maybe it was her heart. She thought it might be, but it at least wasn't panic this time. Or it didn't feel like it. They'd waited so damned long for this, however surreal it felt right now. "I love you so much," her husband told her, hand cupping her chin and kissing her before she had a chance to reply. Kissing her the way that always made her heart flip head over heels, where ever it was located right now. Her arms drew tighter around him and Bobbi kissed him back. Let that feeling wash over her and sooth everything else away. At least for now. All it left room for was the wonder and the exhilaration. That sense that this was right, no matter how scary it felt or how much of a surprise it was. Yeah, she wanted this kid. More than just about anything, this baby was wanted. Pulling back, Mockingbird took a breath of her own. Reached up to run her fingers through Clint's short, blonde hair. "I love you, too," she told him, because that was true even if he was going to end up passing out or dumping her off his lap and bouncing around the room like a super-ball. "Better? Or do you need to do your Pietro impression and zoom around the room a few times?" |
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| Hawkeye | Nov 9 2014, 03:32 AM Post #24 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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They were okay. Him, Bobbi and their baby. Their. Baby. Clint latched on to that while he tried to process everything. He was okay, in spite of the panic. That overwhelming sensation he hated like nothing else and was in utter awe of, all at the same time. It was wonderful and petrifying and he had no idea what he was doing, but Bobbi had already solved that for him. He just needed to breathe. It came by degrees, but it came. One pull of air at a time. And with it came a second rush. A jolt just as intense as the first, but felt in a completely different way. God. They were having a baby. Bobbi gave him a lopsided smile, like he'd said something funny. He wasn't sure what, but it didn't matter. It was a smile, and she was beautiful and it made his heart ache in the best possible way. "Yeah, we are." She sounded happy, and maybe a bit choked up. Who could blame her? They'd put this on hold for years. Put everything on hold and now they were picking it all back up. Starting the life they'd dreamed of, even if they hadn't fully realized it until now. Even if it was a little ahead of both of them. A baby. A family. He loved her like crazy, and he had to kiss her. Arms tightening around him, Bobbi answered in kind. It felt like every emotion swirling through him passed through that kiss. Making it all better in a way words just couldn't and he gave himself over to it completely. This probably was far from the last of the panic. He didn't doubt what Bobbi'd said about that. But they'd get through it because they had each other. The kiss ended and his wife pulled back, inhaling as she looked at him. Her hand went to the back of his head, fingers threading through his hair. "I love you, too," she said. "Better? Or do you need to do your Pietro impression and zoom around the room a few times?" Clint breathed a laugh. "Maybe," he said. He tilted his head slightly to the side and gave it a bit more considering. "Nah, I think I'm good for now." He could still feel the rush. That energy bursting for release, but he was pretty sure he had it under control. "Check back with me when you go into labor." Maybe he was being a bit optimistic in thinking he'd be able to go that long before it struck again, but he'd deal with it when it happened. He looped his hands around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze. Loving the knowledge that there was a baby, right behind where his hands were. But trying not to think too hard about it, because he wasn't sure that wouldn't get him panicking all over again. "When should we tell everyone?" he asked. Greer knew, he supposed, but what about everyone else? Right now he wanted to run through the halls of the helicarrier and tell anyone he saw. He wanted to climb the tallest tower and shout it to the world. Maybe that was what still hand him feeling like bursting right to his feet. |
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| Mockingbird | Nov 10 2014, 05:08 PM Post #25 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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Kissing Clint never got old. Not from the first time until this one. He'd always been her anchor, in a lot of ways and she needed that now at least as much as he did. The certainty and steadiness that came with wrapping her arms around her husband and kissing him and leaving the rest of it alone as much as she could right now. All the emotions backed up in her chest - from scared as hell to thrilled to some Bobbi knew she'd probably never be able to untangle. The ones that went with the idea of a family. A real family. One of their own. God, it was still overwhelming, but something she wanted more than she'd let herself realize. Something they'd waited for for years. She might not have a clue what kind of mother she'd make, her own had been good, but they'd never been all that close. Her own fault, Bobbi knew. She wasn't a getting close kind of person for the most part, the few exceptions over the years not withstanding. Never had been. But the idea that might apply to her and this kid they had coming? Scared the hell out of her. So she did her best to put that aside and give herself over to that kiss. Let the rest drain away temporarily as she returned that 'I love you'. She'd loved him from just about the first minute she'd met him, despite the fact they'd been trying to knock each other unconscious at the time. What she'd have done without Hawk all these years, she didn't even want to try to think about. What she'd do without him right now sure as hell wasn't. Hopefully, it was a little better now. Bobbi could breathe easier, and Clint didn't seem so much like he didn't know what the hell to do with himself. If he needed to pull out his Pietro impression, though, and zip around the room a few times to knock out some nervous energy, now was probably the time to speak up. At least give her a chance to move off his lap before he tried to take off. A laugh, that was a good sign usually. "Maybe," he said. He tilted his head slightly to the side and gave it a bit more considering. "Nah, I think I'm good for now." Well, then, she'd check back with him in another five minutes or so. That's about how long 'for now' usually lasted with him. Maybe even two, under the circumstances. "Check back with me when you go into labor." Bobbi let out a groan and shook her head, brows inching up. "Oh no. Back it up, Babe. I'm still dealing with right now. I don't want to even think about that part yet." Or how much one or both of them might end up being sedated. If she had to guess, her money was on Hawk. Just to get him to be still and stay out of the way. She loved him more than life, but she was a damned realist. He'd never make it that long without loosing it over something in a million years, anyway. Now, though. Now was okay. Now was better and she didn't have that 'frayed at the edges, barely holding it together' feeling so much as she had for what seemed like the last forever. And she couldn't help but smile a little as Clint wrapped those big, strong hands around her waist and gave her a light squeeze. He should probably do that while he could. Her waist wasn't going to stay that small for much longer. "When should we tell everyone?" he asked and yeah, that was a good question, wasn't it? Brows pulling together a little, Bobbi kept combing her fingers lightly through his strands of blonde hair. Greer already knew, but she knew their friend wouldn't say a word to anybody unless she felt like there was a damned good reason, but... "We'll need to let Simon know. Whenever we see him again." Mockingbird lifted her eyes back to Clint's. Simon was their friend, but he was also their team leader. It was something he needed to know, no matter how early things were yet. "The rest of the team.." Trailing off thoughtfully, Bobbi shrugged. "That just leaves Jen, doesn't it? No reason to leave her out, so whenever you want, I guess." Hell, if they didn't, She-Hulk would never let them hear the end of it. Not because she'd be dying to know, but because everyone else knew and she didn't. Part of her, though, wished they could keep it between the two of them for a while. Wait through the first trimester like everyone else before they spread the news around. Hard to do, though, with all of them living on top of each other, doing what they did and living the lives they lived. "Everybody else?" she added with a hint of a knowing smile, "Give it at least a couple of days before you start sticking pink and blue fliers up on everybody's door or making a helicarrier-wide announcement over the PA system or something." He'd want to do something like that, and she loved that he would. That he was excited. There was still a 'but', though. "We need to finish getting through the worst of this." As in the casualties and the memorials or however it was all going to be handled. Keeping it mostly to themselves for a little while (and no matter how good his intentions were, Hawk wouldn't be able to manage it much longer than that) felt like the thing to do right now. |
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| Hawkeye | Nov 11 2014, 02:18 AM Post #26 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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If Bobbi wanted to see Clint's famous Quicksilver impersonation, all she had to do was ask. He'd been perfecting it since the days of Cap's Kooky Quartet. That wasn't what she meant, though, and damned if he wasn't still itching to zoom around the room. To do what, he still wasn't sure. Turn the place into a baby-incubating sanctuary, maybe. Draw up lists of everything they needed to do, everything they needed to have and every possible name they could give it. And that was just scratching the surface. God, they were having a baby and he'd done absolutely nothing to prepare for it. What kind of dad was he going to be with a start like that? What kind of dad was he going to be, period? He didn't know anything about being a dad, and he sure didn't have a great track record with some of the role models he'd had. His own father had been an abusive alcoholic, his older brother was a maniac, and the Swordsman hadn't cared about anyone but himself. No amount of doubt was gonna stop him from giving it everything he had, though. He didn't have to worry about Bobbi. At all. She was going to be an incredible mom. And it was nice and comfortable here on the bed, with Bobbi in his lap and in his arms. Right where he could show her just how much he loved her. He wasn't planning to stop doing that any time soon. So maybe he could hold off for a bit on losing his mind again or running around like a maniac until he burned a hole through the floor and fell through it. Bobbi might have to check on him again when she went into labor, though. Bobbi groaned at him. "Oh no. Back it up, Babe. I'm still dealing with right now. I don't want to even think about that part yet." "Good point, Birdie" Clint said. He was right there with her. Not that it was ever to early to think about the big day, though. They had to decide if they wanted to do a natural birth or something else, like that thing in the water some people did. And there were those breathing exercises. Bobbi was going to have to learn those. Him, too. He was supposed to coach that, wasn't he? What was that called again? Okay, slowing down. He was keeping in slow. They were okay and he was pretty keen on keeping it that way. Especially with the smile Bobbi was giving him as he wrapped his arms around her waist. It wouldn't be long before he'd feel the baby in there. God, that was going to be so great. As long as he didn't say or do anything to make her think of EZ Bake Ovens. There was one thing they could work out while they were here, now that he thought about it. And probably should, for that matter. When should they make the big announcement? And to who? And in what order? Bobbi's fingers were still sliding through Clint's hair, and he let out a half-sigh of contentment. He'd always loved the way that felt. The soft, relaxing sensation of her fingers along his scalp. That comfortably intimate connection. "We'll need to let Simon know. Whenever we see him again." Clint nodded as his wife's eyes rose up to meet his. Definitely him, and not just because he was a friend. They'd never kept anything he needed to know as team leader, and they weren't about to start now. This whole incident kind of put that in a stark light, too. "The rest of the team.." she continued, trailing off. Well, if Greer already knew... Bobbi shrugged. "That just leaves Jen, doesn't it? No reason to leave her out, so whenever you want, I guess." "Soon as we're all together again, maybe," he suggested. Depending on the circumstances, it would keep it simple, and close. Just between them as a team. He was dying to tell the other Avengers, too, though. That bond was still there, even if they weren't in the same cell, just like when they'd had the main team and the Wacos both going. He couldn't imagine keeping it a secret from Jan or Nat. Or Steve. And then the whole damn world if he could find a way to do it. Hell, he'd buy a cigar for ol' Doomy himself on the big day if he could ship it out to Latveria. "Everybody else?" she said, smiling like she could tell what he was thinking. "Give it at least a couple of days before you start sticking pink and blue fliers up on everybody's door or making a helicarrier-wide announcement over the PA system or something." Now there was an idea. But he saw where she was coming from, too, and was nodding even before she let the other shoe drop. "We need to finish getting through the worst of this." Clint's face sobered as he thought back to DC. Justice's broken body and the shield lying right next to him. Gone. Not a damn thing they could do for him. "Yeah," he breathed. "It's going to be a hard couple of days." Maybe more. He gave Bobbi's waist another gentle press. All the more reason to be grateful whatever had happened to her hadn't been worse. That she and the baby were okay. "But we'll get through it," he said. He gave Bobbi's forehead a soft kiss and fell silent for a bit, just absorbing the quiet. Trying not to think too hard about how bad things might have gone for some of the teams. Wondering how he'd been so damned lucky not to have it happen to his. "Steve says 'hi,' by the way," he said, the words sort of falling out unconsciously. Realizing what he'd just said, he flushed a little. "I sort of left him in DC," he confessed. "But it's okay," he hastily assured her. "He's with Jess." She'd keep an eye on him. "And Remy," who... well, he knew what he was doing. So yeah, nothing to worry about at all, there. He hoped. |
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| Mockingbird | Nov 11 2014, 08:56 PM Post #27 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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God. No. They were not talking about labor yet. She was still processing 'pregnant'. Jumping straight to the last page of this particular book wasn't something she even wanted to think about right now. Clint would have to give her at least a day or two to fit the beginning in her head before they made a leap like that. There was only room for so much inside her skull right now and it was already hitting capacity. She'd just managed to get back toward normal breathing. Toward feeling steadier - and god, she hated feeling unsteady, maybe more than she'd ever hated anything - and like the ground wasn't shifting under her feet quite as much, trying to knock her flat on her ass. "Good point, Birdie" Clint said, actually agreeing with her for once. Maybe because she'd scared the hell out of them both, but she wasn't going to argue with the results right now. Not when this was better. Getting easier. A baby. They were actually going to have one've those. Still trying to fit that into her head, too, but it was getting a little easier. Taking it a little bit at a time. One've those bits was deciding when, and who, to tell. It was still so damned early, it seemed a little crazy, and a little soon, to start spreading the news around. Bobbi knew her husband, though, and the cat was outta the bag, so to speak. He wouldn't be able to keep it all in for long. Hell, she was almost surprised he'd managed not to run out the door and start yelling down the halls. Simon, he'd need to know. As soon as they saw him or talked to him again. He wasn't just a friend, but the team leader and he needed to know. Like Greer said, not knowing is one thing, but the genie was out of the bottle and they couldn't put it back in and pretend everything was like it had been before this morning. Clint nodded as she looked up at him, not that she thought he wouldn't go along with that. So they'd tell Simon, and Greer knew already, that just left Jen and she'd feel funny about everybody else knowing and not telling Jen. "Soon as we're all together again, maybe," Hawk suggested and she nodded in slow consideration. "Yeah, or just whenever we see Jen again. However it all works out." Simon'd probably touch base before the end of the day, if they didn't see him first. It was how he was. No point in getting everybody together to tell just Jen, or waiting for that. They'd see how it went. The rest've the Avengers, they'd probably see them, too. Clint would want to tell Nat, and she did, too. Everybody else? Maybe her over-excited husband could wait a couple of days or so to start shouting it from the rooftops. Or over the PA system. Right now didn't seem like the time. The baby wasn't going anywhere (she absolutely had to think that right now, despite damned well knowing all the ways it could go wrong, especially this early) and they all needed to finish getting through this. Clint's expression sobered and she hadn't meant for that to happen quite that way. Except she didn't know how to avoid it, either. "Yeah," he breathed. "It's going to be a hard couple of days." Those big, gentle hands of his gave her another squeeze and Bobbi leaned in, half hugging him in turn before moving back again. They'd been through years of hard days, you'd think they'd be used to it. It never happened. Not even for her, and she'd seen fighting and death and all the things that went with it a long time before she ever joined the Avengers. "But we'll get through it," Hawk told her and her eyes closed briefly as he leaned in, lips pressing to her forehead. "We always do." Maybe by luck, and they'd been pretty damned lucky today - she'd been pretty damned lucky today - that everybody made it back in one piece. At least so far. She hoped to god that luck held out. "Steve says 'hi,' by the way," he said, and Bobbi smiled in surprise. "I sort of left him in DC," he confessed, which she knew already. She'd apologize to Steve later. "But it's okay," he hastily assured her. "He's with Jess." Who'd probably hover over him like he was a chick and she was a hen, confusing the hell out of him with every other thing she said. In other words, things would be normal. God, it'd be good to have Steve back, even if that was something else she was still trying to fit in her head. "And Remy," Clint added in a way that made her chuckle. What she wouldn't give to have been a fly on the wall for the Fort Knox mission with those two. "Remy's all right," Bobbi asserted with a smile. Clint probably wouldn't agree, but that those two would grate on each other didn't surprise her at all. "How's Steve doing?" she asked next, expression pulling toward something more serious again. "And how the hell did you end up in DC? I don't remember that in the game plan." Couldn't help but wonder if Sharon knew about that change of plans? Didn't really have to wonder too much how she'd feel about it if she did. |
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| Hawkeye | Nov 14 2014, 02:05 AM Post #28 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Yes, they absolutely needed to tell Simon and Jen as soon as they had a chance. Clint wouldn't have it any other way. They'd been family for years and friends for much longer than that. With Simon, it was also a responsibility to make sure he knew as team leader. And once he knew, how could they let Jen be the only one in the team who didn't? That just wouldn't feel right at all. Not to mention she'd never let them live it down. They could wait until the team was together to let Shulkie know. There was even kind of a precedent for that, now, and Clint doubted it would be very long. Bobbi seemed to give it a moment's thought before she said, "Yeah, or just whenever we see Jen again. However it all works out." That sounded fine with Clint. They didn't need to plan it out, after all. After that, there were others high on his list of people he couldn't wait to tell. Nat and Jan and all the other Avengers, and he was sure Bobbi would be right there with him on that. He should wait a bit before he shouted the happy news from the rooftops, however. No matter how much he wanted to, and Bobbi could obviously tell, she was right. This was really, really not the best time for that sort of thing. Clint had just come back from a particularly sobering proof of that. The images and emotions were still fresh and raw and they left his face grave and serious as he voiced his agreement. They were all going to have a rough time getting through the next couple of days. He didn't have to know what the final outcome of the day would be to know that. There'd been one version or another of it far too many times over the past five years. It never got any easier. They would get through it, though. No matter how hard, or however long it took, they'd go on. "We always do." A moment of silence followed, which seemed fitting. Bobbi was such a big part of why he'd managed up until now. If it weren't for her, he'd have been lost and overwhelmed before the Resistance had even had a chance to take root. And he steadfastly refused to even consider the possibility of losing her. And now her and the baby growing inside her. Lost in the moment, perhaps his mind had been given more free reign than he thought, because the next thing he knew he was passing along Steve's message to Bobbi. It brought a surprised smile to his wife's face, which made him happy to see. Confession time, though, since he'd high-tailed it back to the helicarrier as soon as he got the call about Bobbi, leaving the rest of his team, and Steve in DC. He hadn't given it a second's thought. Not when it concerned Bobbi needing him. He was sure Steve was going to be fine, though. There were still two other Resistance leaders there. Three, actually, since Cece had the healers with her. He knew Jess would look after Steve, and whatever else he thought of Gambit, he had to admit the man was resourceful and could get things done. Bobbi let out a light chuckle at the mention of the Resistance's Cajun leader. "Remy's all right," she assured him. "He's all something," Clint replied, but without any real heat. It's not like he was the first guy with superpowers who had a way of getting on his nerves, after all. "How's Steve doing?" Bobbi asked, the moment of humor passing off to more serious matters. "And how the hell did you end up in DC? I don't remember that in the game plan." Better answer the first question first, Clint decided, even if he would have preferred a bit more time with Steve to get a real sense for that. "He's in pretty good shape," the blonde man said. For once, Clint was grateful for Cap's dogged regimen of exercise and discipline. After five years being held god knows where, he'd had no idea what state they would have found him in. "You know, for an old guy. Still handles that shield like nobody else." Literally. Clint could use it well enough, but with Steve, it became so much more. An extension of his body and a living thing in its own right, all at the same time. "He's gonna need some help catching up on the past five years, but it's not like he doesn't already know how that works." At least this time it was only a fraction of his last bout of lost time. And it wasn't like the overall culture had taken and great leaps recently. "As for how we wound up in DC..." Clint continued, dropping his eyes for a moment before lifting them back up. "Once we got Steve out, we decided to catch our breath in Magik's Limbo. She was checking up on the Capitol. There was some kind of explosion, I think. We didn't see that. Just the aftermath, but it was bad enough." He pressed his lips together. "We lost Justice," he said, feeling that same weight on his heart and throat that had been there when they all saw the image from Limbo. "Gambit insisted on going directly there, and all of us decided to go with him." There hadn't been any question about that. "It was bad, Bobbi," he said, giving his head a slight shake. "The entire mall was devastated. They were evacuating people through the surface streets." He still had no idea why, but by the time they got there it was a moot point. "They were caught right in the open. Didn't stand a chance." |
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| Mockingbird | Nov 16 2014, 05:59 PM Post #29 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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Whatever else was coming, today or tomorrow, they'd get through it. They always did. Every damned thing these last five years could throw at them. Even, in Clint's case, Gambit. Remy LeBeau was alright. Even if her husband maybe wouldn't ever see it that way. A lot of talk, a lot of showmanship. Hell, that was probably part of why Clint wouldn't see it that way. "He's all something," Clint grumbled, but it wasn't a serious one. After this long, she could tell the difference. The flamboyant Resistance leader wasn't what she was really thinking about now, anyway. That was Steve. How he was doing. How the hell that team had ended up in DC, since she didn't remember that being in the plans for this morning. God, Fort Knox. Still halfway wished she'd have been on that one, and not just for the entertainment factor with Clint and Gambit. Nat was probably feeling the same mission envy. "He's in pretty good shape," the blonde man said and she was glad to hear it. After hearing he was still alive, they'd all wondered, hadn't they? What might've been done to him, what kinds of hell they might've put him through. The way they'd done with Reed Richards. That was Steve Rogers, though. If anybody could come out of that and jump right back into the fight, it was Cap. "You know, for an old guy. Still handles that shield like nobody else." Bobbi's brow lifted idly and she smiled a little. Maybe a little shield envy peeking out? "He always did, but then it was made for him." And she remembered Steve spending hours in the training room with that thing. Cap was in a class all his own when it came to that, but from using her own staves in some've the same ways, Bobbi knew just how much work and time had to be put in to make it look that easy. Being a super solider didn't hurt, either. That damned shield was heavy as hell. "He's gonna need some help catching up on the past five years, but it's not like he doesn't already know how that works." That probably didn't make all that much easier, but Bobbi nodded thoughtfully, fingers still sliding idly through her husband's hair. "Sharon's probably got that covered," she commented softly. Not something Bobbi envied the other former SHIELD agent, but she knew enough about Sharon Carter to know if anybody could manage it, it was probably her. All that, though, and a kid Steve, or most anyone else, knew about? How the hell Agent 13 wasn't a puddle in the middle of the floor by now damned if she knew. Bobbi knew she would be. That was pretty damned obvious when it hadn't even taken that much to get her there today. "As for how we wound up in DC..." Clint continued, dropping his eyes for a moment before lifting them back up. "Once we got Steve out, we decided to catch our breath in Magik's Limbo. She was checking up on the Capitol. There was some kind of explosion, I think. We didn't see that. Just the aftermath, but it was bad enough." He pressed his lips together as Bobbi nodded, leaning her head over against his a little. It didn't take much to follow it from there. None of that group would stand for going back to the helicarrier when they were looking at something like that. Not Clint, or Steve (or at least the Steve that she knew, and she guessed that really did mean it was still the Steve they all knew), or Remy, or Jess. "We lost Justice," he said, and Bobbi swallowed hard, slipping her other arm around him. Remembered seeing that on the monitors, Vance Astrokvik's body lying there, but it hadn't really registered then. God, just a damned kid. "Gambit insisted on going directly there, and all of us decided to go with him." Hell, they all would've done that. Any of them. "It was bad, Bobbi," he said, giving his head a slight shake. "The entire mall was devastated. They were evacuating people through the surface streets." Bobbi frowned. Why the hell hadn't they been using the subway tunnels? "They were caught right in the open. Didn't stand a chance." Leaning into him, still frowning, there was a more pressing question on her mind, though. "Wasn't Jen on that team? Is she all right?" Bobbi asked worriedly, wishing she'd been in a frame of mind to pay more damned attention to those screens now. She hated the team being split up, even if she agreed with most've the reasons it'd been done that way. "I got a glimpse or two of DC on the screens back in the Ops room," the former operative added with a shake of her own head. "They might not've had a choice on evac. That kind of blast, it could've compromised the subway tunnels." Bad damned luck, bad timing. Only thing that made much sense. "It sounded like some've the other teams had some casualties, too," Bobbi added softly, eyes closing briefly and, yeah, wishing she'd been in better shape to be listening and absorbing what was coming off the comms as they 'ported in. "I wasn't exactly listening the way I would've been, but it sounded like they lost Nemesis, too." That was two from Psycho. Crazy old pain in the ass Nazi scientist, but he'd done a hell of a lot for all of them over the years. |
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| Hawkeye | Nov 24 2014, 11:49 PM Post #30 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Clint still wished Bobbi could have been with him for at Fort Knox. Her and Nat both. The team he'd been assigned were just about perfect for the job, and it had gone a hell of a lot smoother than they'd had any right to hope for, but this was a once in a lifetime caper. Maybe even once in ten lifetimes, and it would have been right up their alleys. He was sure Bobbi would be telling him for a long time how she'd missed out. Explaining how Steve was doing... that was a bit more complicated. He was alive, which was a miracle all by itself. One he was still trying to get used to, even after having a hand in getting him back into the world. He was holding up pretty well, too. Physically, at least. For a man who'd been locked away so tight some of his jailers didn't even know it was him, he was in incredible shape. For an old guy, at least. And he still handled that shield like nobody else. Clint was one of the lucky few who'd had a chance to use the thing. He'd been trained for it and he was pretty damn good with it, in his opinion. Steve, though. He was in a whole different class. Bobbi's expression turned into something Clint couldn't quite pin as either incredulous or amused. "He always did, but then it was made for him." That was a good point. Kind of like how Mjolnir was made for Goldilocks, except with less magical inscriptions. How Steve was doing mentally and emotionally was a different matter. He seemed healthy enough, and thank God for that. Dove right into everything in DC like nothing at all had changed. But a lot had changed, and Steve had been pretty obviously, and understandably confused. Clint had to wonder if the combo of Jess and Blowfly hadn't made that a little worse, but if so, at least it was of the generally harmless variety. He was going to need someone to give him a more thorough, and steady rundown, though, or he was probably going to start feeling a bit overwhelmed. Especially considering the little surprise waiting for him back at the Helicarrier. It wasn't the first time Steve had gone through something like that, though (minus surprise offspring), so many that would help him adjust. Speaking of adjusting, it didn't hurt at all, the way Bobbi was still sliding her fingers through Clint's hair. Definitely good for holding at bay any more panic attacks threatening to sneak up on him. "Sharon's probably got that covered," his wife said in a quiet voice, nodding a little. She didn't say anything else, but for once, Clint had a feeling they were both thinking generally the same thing. "She's got her work cut out for her, that's for sure," he said. And she probably wouldn't see him basically tossing Steve into the thick of it as having done her any favors on that front. It might not be a bad idea to keep a low profile around her for a while. Once they'd gotten a good look at DC, though, it wasn't much of a question about going there. They all had people in that city. All of them, even Magik and Blowfly, and he couldn't exactly ask Steve to sit that one out. Some kind of explosion. That was all they'd been able to make out, and it had been even worse than they thought. A fact that had become painfully obvious the second they walked out of Magik's glowing stepping disk. Realistically, even before that. It wasn't easy to say, and Bobbi seemed to sense that. Her head pressed against him after another nod, offering one more measure of contact while he got to telling her what it had been like. Bad, to put it simple. And blunt. Vance was dead. The mall was in ruins. Bodies everywhere. Bobbi slipped her other arm around him. She swallowed and frowned. Probably wondering the same thing Clint had while he was there. The evacuation had gone on right there in the open. No cover at all for whatever had happened. "Wasn't Jen on that team? Is she all right?" she asked, sounding worried, and who could blame her. Clint quickly nodded. "I saw her," assured her. "She was helping clear the rubble. She's fine." He wouldn't really feel like she was fine until she got back, but he was going to keep telling himself she was. "I got a glimpse or two of DC on the screens back in the Ops room," Bobbi said, shaking her head. "They might not've had a choice on evac. That kind of blast, it could've compromised the subway tunnels." Maybe. DC didn't have much of a subway system to begin with. It wouldn't take much to make the whole thing unusable. And they'd seen over the last five years how easily, and how quickly, everything could fall apart. The blonde archer nodded. "If there's anything worth saying about it, we'll find out soon enough," he said. "It sounded like some've the other teams had some casualties, too," she said, closing her eyes. Clint moved a hand to her shoulder and lightly rubbed at her arm. "I wasn't exactly listening the way I would've been, but it sounded like they lost Nemesis, too." Clint exhaled a long breath. "Jesus," he said. That had been a surprise. The old scientist had been certifiable, and a pretty big pain in the ass, but it sometimes seemed like that was the sort who'd outlive them all. He was almost afraid to ask who else, especially given the state he'd found Bobbi in. "Did you want to go back up?" Clint asked, looking down into Bobbi's eyes. "Check on Simon?" God only knew how that was going. He'd brought some heavy hitters with him, but Clint had seen Stark on a good day take on that much force single handed. With all his armors running around at once, it was hard not to be a little concerned about which way that one would end. |
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3:32 AM Jul 11