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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 (836 Views) | |
| Mockingbird | Nov 28 2014, 02:21 PM Post #31 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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It would be good to have Cap back. Nothing had been quite the same without him. Yeah, his head was probably spinning and he probably had a lot to catch up on, but Steve had been in that position before. Maybe not exactly the same way, and she sure as hell didn't envy him or Agent 13 all they'd have to deal with. Bobbi wasn't sure how Sharon Carter was even keeping it together right now, and she didn't know the other woman all that well. She knew enough, though, to know that Sharon would have it covered. "She's got her work cut out for her, that's for sure," Clint agreed. Agent Carter probably wouldn't much appreciate them throwing Steve right into the middle of DC, either, but how the hell would they have kept him away, from what Clint was saying. Maybe it hadn't been an ideal call to make, but if Cap was still up for jumping into the thick of it that way, that said a lot for his state of mind, she thought. It sounded like a war zone, what she'd seen of it on the monitors looked like one, too, and Bobbi tilted her head over against his and slipped her other arm around him. They'd lost Justice, what looked like it might've been half of Congress from just the few glimpses she'd got. A big chunk of the National Mall. And damn, Jen was there wasn't she? Was she okay? "I saw her," [Clint] assured her. "She was helping clear the rubble. She's fine." That was a relief and Bobbi breathed out a little of the tension that'd settled itself between her shoulder blades. Thank god, but why the hell had they been evacuating above ground? Had the subway tunnels come down? Or been damaged so they didn't think they were safe? Maybe they hadn't had a choice. From what she'd seen on the screen, that sure as hell looked like a possiblity, but that was after whatever it was exploded. The former Agent 19 wanted to at least think that's what it had been for them not to play it safe if they could. "If there's anything worth saying about it, we'll find out soon enough," he said with a nod and she frowned a little. What the hell was that supposed to mean? She'd been a field agent for years, he didn't think she could have a worthwile opinion now? God, it probably didn't mean anything, Bobbi reminded herself, except anything they came up with was just speculation. Her damned nerves were still on edge, but she pushed that aside, focused on what she did know as she closed her eyes breifly. More casualties. Not just Justice, at least a couple from some've the other teams. They'd caught the information passing back and forth over the Comms. Now she wished she'd been paying more attention to what she'd been listening to, but her head had been all over the place and her focus all shot to hell. Clint warm palm rubbed over her arm and that was good. Grounding. Nemesis, she remembered his name. How they'd lost the crazy old Nazi hunting mad scientist, Bobbi couldn't remember if they'd said. Just that he'd been a casualty, out somewhere with Diamondback and her people. Must've been bad there, too, to take him out. She'd more than half figured he'd just keep putting himself back together, no matter what, but then who'd have thought Bruce would ever get taken outta the game? "Jesus," he said after a letting out a long breath of his own and Bobbi nodded, tightened her arm around him. They always knew it could be any of them, but it wasn't the same as having it brought home to their doorstep this way. "Did you want to go back up?" Clint asked, looking down into Bobbi's eyes. "Check on Simon?" Giving that some thought for a few seconds, doing a general assessment of her own state of mind as best she could, Mockingbird shook her head. "Not yet," Bobbi told him, looking back at him with a sigh, "I don't think I'm up for diving back in right now, Sport." Needed more than a few minutes before she could be sure she wasn't going to...completely lose her shit again. God, she hated not being able to trust herself, especially when it came to something like that. "Maybe in a little bit." Once she didn't feel like she might crack again, and had a little time to wrap her head around how fast everything had changed since last night. "Simon's still out in Manhattan," she added, brows drawing together slightly in thought, trying to pull up the bits and pieces she remembered from Ops when she wasn't busy having a panic attack, "I remember that. Greer was pointing him out to Dazzler, so I caught that much. He looked okay. Lost the top half of his suit," she added with a smirk, "but that's not exactly news for Wondy." |
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| Hawkeye | Dec 5 2014, 01:45 AM Post #32 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Jen was okay, from what Clint had seen, and he was glad to be able to put Bobbi's mind at ease on that score. It may have been from a distance, but he'd have known if something was wrong. He was good with distance like that. It had been a nightmare back in DC, though, and Clint had no idea why the evacuation had been out in the open like that. Anyone who'd been caught in the explosion wouldn't have stood a chance. Innocent people had been killed. Vance was dead. When things went that bad, Clint was usually the first in line to get in people's faces and demand to know what the hell they'd been thinking to let things get so bad. Bobbi must have known that, because she had at least one theory, and a damn good one at that. They might not have had any other choice, especially if the subways weren't available. There just hadn't been time to get the full story while Clint had been there, and it sure as hell hadn't been the right situation. As much as he'd like to know what the real story was, he was just going to wind himself up, and possibly Bobbi in the process, if they started speculating one way or the other. They'd find out what really happened eventually, assuming there even was something to report. Clint figured he'd just have to be content to wait until then. Something about what Clint said made Bobbi frown, but she didn't take it further than that. Instead, she told him what she knew about the other teams. More bad news. More casualties. God, Clint was almost afraid to wonder how bad things were, and how the other teams still out there were doing. Instead he focused on Bobbi, that comforting closeness. The gentle points of contact, her arm tightening around him as Clint tried to come to terms with the thought of Nemesis and god knew who else being dead. Maybe they should go back up. It might be better to know than to wonder. They could check on Simon, who was hopefully back by now. And Clint would be lying if he wasn't a little anxious to jump in and help some of the other teams, but that was one thought he could push away easily enough. There wasn't a chance in hell he was going to leave Mock right now. Bobbi seemed to consider it for a moment, before shaking her head. "Not yet," she said, sighing. "I don't think I'm up for diving back in right now, Sport. Maybe in a little bit." Nodding again, Clint said, "We'll stay here as long as you want." They weren't going to do anything before she was ready, if he could help it. Hell, he wasn't completely sure he was ready quite yet, and nobody needed to see him have another freak out in the middle of everything else. "Simon's still out in Manhattan," Bobbi said, then, her expression growing thoughtful. Clint frowned a little, trying to decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "I remember that. Greer was pointing him out to Dazzler, so I caught that much. He looked okay. Lost the top half of his suit," she continued, smirking, "but that's not exactly news for Wondy." Clint chuckled slightly. "Well he is more indestructible than anything he's ever worn," he said. And he'd better stay that way and get back to the helicarrier in one piece. "Did you happen to see anything on Nat?" he asked. If there was word on Manhattan, it was possible. "Or Jan and Scott?" They were going to be so proud of Blowfly. He was looking forward to telling them all about it, but he couldn't think much about that until he was sure they were all safe. |
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| Mockingbird | Dec 6 2014, 04:34 PM Post #33 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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No, sure as hell not ready for that. Going back out, facing everything that was happening, everyone that'd be wondering what the hell had thrown her, of all people, into a tailspin. They were their friends and they'd wonder out of worry and Bobbi was grateful for that, but she wasn't ready to deal with it. Not yet. Just now starting to feel like she was getting her feet back under her and Mockingbird knew it wouldn't take much to knock her back on her ass again. So not yet. She knew Clint would want to know what was going on with everyone else, but hopefully he could hold out a little while longer. Give her a little bit. To feel like she'd managed to process enough, swallow enough of it down and get her head on straight again, to feel like she could deal with stepping back into a war. That's what this was, today. What it'd always been, for five years now, but today it felt overt in a way it hadn't when they'd spent most of the time before running and hiding and trying to just survive. Hawk, he nodded, thank god. Didn't try to argue or try to convince her this time. Just said, "We'll stay here as long as you want." Drew her arms around him a little tighter for that, let a little more of that tension and pressure that'd built up seep away. Simon, though, she at least knew a little something there, if Clint was worried about how that was going. She hadn't been so far gone that everything had completely slipped by her. Greer had pointed Wondy out to Dazzler while Bobbi was working on pulling herself together. He was still out in Manhattan, fighting armors and minus the top half of his uniform, from what she'd seen, but all in all hadn't looked any worse for wear. And it wasn't like they weren't all used to Simon losing more of his uniform than he ended up coming back with half the time, anyway. There was a soft laugh from her husband. Yeah, not like that was anything new. "Well he is more indestructible than anything he's ever worn," he said and the smirk on her face widened a little. "Even if the uniform was as tough as he is, he'd still manage to come back with less of it than he started with." That was just Simon. He liked to make a statement. "Did you happen to see anything on Nat?" Clint asked next, then added, "Or Jan and Scott?" Bobbi shook her head slowly, then stopped mid-motion and frowned. "You know, I could swear I saw Nat riding one've Tony's armors. Or maybe it was Tony himself, it was hard to tell." She shrugged and half-smiled over at Clint. "Thought I might be seeing things, but since it's Nat?" Probably not, now that she thought about it. If anybody'd try to lasso a rogue Iron Man armor and ride it like they were breaking a bronco, that'd be the Black Widow. "I know Jan and Scott're in Florida, but sorry, Babe," Bobbi added, leaning her head against his a little, fingers playing idly along the back of his neck idly. "I wasn't doing much good focusing. I don't remember much from there, except that it looked pretty chaotic." They'd get back, though, and they'd be fine. All of them. Even if Bobbi knew, deep down, there were no guarantees on that, it was something she needed to believe right now, as her other hand went to her stomach again. This kid, she wanted him to know every single one've them. |
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| Hawkeye | Dec 19 2014, 12:19 AM Post #34 |
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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 stay here in their room, Clint wasn't going to tell her different. Not this time. Not if she wasn't feeling up to it. She seemed okay, but maybe a part of her was still a bit shaken up. He couldn't imagine Mock letting anything get to her like that, but for once Clint decided he was just going to take her word for it. If she felt like going back out in a little bit, that was plenty of time in his opinion. No need to rush. Things in Manhattan must have been worse than they expected, if Simon and his team were still out there. Clint had been positive they'd be done before his own team. The loss of half Simon's shirt, on the other hand was anything but a surprise. They had yet to find a costume that was as indestructible as he was. "Even if the uniform was as tough as he is, he'd still manage to come back with less of it than he started with." There was no arguing that, and Clint's smile grew a bit more lopsided. "Sometimes I almost wonder if he does that on purpose." That accounted for their team, but what about the other Avengers? Nat, and Jan and Scott for starters. Did Bobbi catch sight of them? Or hear any word? Given the state she was in, Clint mostly expected the answer to be no, and Bobbi did start to shake her head, but then she frowned. "You know, I could swear I saw Nat riding one've Tony's armors. Or maybe it was Tony himself, it was hard to tell." Her shoulders rose up in a slight shrug and she looked at Clint, almost smiling. "Thought I might be seeing things, but since it's Nat?" Clint nodded. "Just the kind of thing she'd done." Without even giving it a second thought. The blonder archer completely got that, since he was the same way. He even had an arrow that was more or less designed along those lines. Maybe he should have lent it to her. "I know Jan and Scott're in Florida, but sorry, Babe," Mock continued. Her head fell against his and her fingers moved absently over the back of his neck. "I wasn't doing much good focusing. I don't remember much from there, except that it looked pretty chaotic." Her other hand moved back down, coming to rest over her stomach. Where their baby was. She didn't say what she was thinking, but under the circumstances, Clint had a few good guesses. "They'll be back before we know it," he said confidently. He placed a hand over hers and tilted his head down slightly to give her a light kiss. Sighing, he met her eyes and pressed his lips together for just a moment. "This really is it, isn't it?" he said. "The war's ending. We've all been waiting so long and fighting so hard for this day." Sometimes it almost seemed like it might never come, but Clint had never let himself completely believe that. Even in the most desperate moments, there was always hope. "I'm not sure I completely believe it yet." There was at least one thing that helped, though. And gave him some idea of what to look forward too. Right beneath his hand. |
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| Mockingbird | Dec 21 2014, 03:29 PM Post #35 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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Leave it to Wondy to manage to manage some kind of 'artfully destroyed' thing with his costume, no matter how sturdy it was. Simon liked to make a statement, but it was something they'd come to expect over the years. As long as he coudl do it and still stay in one piece, more power to him. That got a lopsided smile from Clint. "Sometimes I almost wonder if he does that on purpose." One've Bobbi's brows worked it's way upward again. After all this time, he had to wonder? Of course he was doing it on purpose. Or at least not doing much to stop it from happening. Sometimes she was convinced Simon forgot he wasn't working through scenes in his own big budget action movie, but it was one've the things you had to love about Wonder Man. Other than the costume, he'd looked okay out there, then then there was Nat... Bobbi kinda surprised herself with how much she actually remembered from those screens, once she started thinking about it. Guess some things really never changed and observation and absorbing what was around her had been ingrained in her a long damned time before she'd have ever imagined she'd be sitting here, where she was right now, one day. Natasha, as always, was pretty memorable, too. Couldn't sworn she'd seen the Black Widow riding one've Tony's Iron Man armors. Or, hell, it could've been Tony himself for all she knew. Maybe she'd been seeing things, but knowing Natasha? It'd probably been exactly what it looked like. The Widow had somehow lassoed one and was riding it like a bucking bronc. Hawk nodded. "Just the kind of thing she'd done." And you didn't have to have known her nearly as long as Clint to figure that out. Hell, if he'd been there he'd have thought it was some kinda challenge and tried to rope his own. They'd want to check in with her, too, later Bobbi reminded herself again. If what they'd heard about Cloak and Dagger was right, Nat had lost another friend. Too damned much've that already and this wasn't nearly over, but Mockingbird couldn't bring herself to think about it too hard right now. Not without that making that panicked feeling flutter around on the periphery of everything again. So, instead, she tried to remember if she'd seen any've the others. Scott and Jan, they were both in Florida, but what little focus she'd had hadn't picked up anything from that fight other than it looked like a hell of a mess. Head tilting against his, the blonde former agent reminded herself to breathe out as he other hand flattened over her stomach. They all needed to get back here in one piece when this was over. This kid, she wanted him, or her, to not have to miss out knowing any've them. What she was thinking must've been all over her face, or maybe it was just easy for Clint to figure out after all these years. "They'll be back before we know it," he said confidently one've his hands moving in to cover hers where it still rested over her stomach, lips a soft brush against her own. Bobbi managed a faint smile as Clint sighed, blue eyes on her own and lips stretching into a thin line. "This really is it, isn't it?" he said. "The war's ending. We've all been waiting so long and fighting so hard for this day." And here it was, all over them before they knew it. That's how it felt, anyway. How something like this always felt, Bobbi guessed, and she nodded slowly, fingers of her other hand still following a slow path up and down the back of his neck. Like a touchstone. Wait for years, think it's never gonna happen, then Boom. "I'm not sure I completely believe it yet." Yeah, there was a feeling that was still way too damned familiar and she smiled her own uneven smile Hawk's way. "How it always works, Sport. Wait and wait, and then it's all happening at once." Didn't mean this once she wouldn't have liked a little breathing room, or that this wasn't a lot bigger operation, in the scheme of things, than any single mission. Whether it was SHIELD or the Avengers they were talking about. "I think we're gonna do this, though," Bobbi added, still looking him in the eye. It wasn't coming easy or cheap, but it was happening. "And give this kid something better to come into." Maybe it was as much luck as anything else. She'd been putting the pieces together for days. Couldn't help it, there was still a lot of Agent 19 in Mockingbird the Avenger and she wondered if anybody else realized yet how damned close they'd come to being wiped out, without even realizing it was happening, before things turned at the last damned minute and by the skin of their teeth? Scared the hell out of her. All of it. "I really wanna do this right, Babe," she confessed quietly, more than a little damned nervously still. God, she kind of wanted to throw up again, and this time it didn't have a damned thing to do with hormones or morning sickness. |
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| Hawkeye | Dec 23 2014, 03:48 AM Post #36 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Nat riding one of Tony's runaway suits through the air like it was an airborne bronco. It wasn't hard at all for Clint to picture it. If anything, he was more surprised she hadn't already done something like that a long time ago. Things sounded a little more worrisome in Florida, even if Bobbi hadn't precisely spotted Scott or Jan. It made what Bobbi'd said earlier, about more casualties, feel all that more pressing. He had a feeling there were a few besides Nemesis and Vance she hadn't mentioned yet, and Clint was dreading those names, no matter who they might be. They'd lost so many people, familiar and new faces alike, over the years in this godforsaken war. But he refused to believe Scott, Jan, Patsy, or any of their other friends were among them. Not as long as he had reason to think otherwise. He was confident they'd make it and stick around for a good long time. The way Bobbi was putting a hand over her stomach only added to his resolve. Their daughter, or son, ought to have the chance to know them through more than just Clint and Bobbi's memories of them. Maybe it helped for Bobbi to hear that, because she smiled a little after Clint lightly brushed his lips over hers. That was good to see. A relief. Right now, every little bit helped. That thought seemed almost hypocritical a second later, as Clint's face sobered. The war was over. Or would be before the end of the day. It almost felt like it had come out of nowhere. They'd all been fighting so long, it was strange to think about not doing it anymore, even though that's what they'd wanted all this time. Bobbi's hand continued to move over the back of Clint's neck, fingers sliding up and down in a steadying rhythm. She looked into his eyes a nodded, even as he told her that he wasn't sure it had completely sunk in. It might be a while yet before it did. Smiling again, even if it was a bit patchy, Mock said, "How it always works, Sport. Wait and wait, and then it's all happening at once." Ready or not. She knew how it worked, working with SHIELD as long as she had. Idly, Clint wondered if she'd go back to that someday. If there would still even be a SHIELD. He hoped so. He hoped the past five years hadn't negated all the good it had done. And could still do, if put back in the right direction. "I think we're gonna do this, though, And give this kid something better to come into." Clint nodded, feeling something close to a smile emerge again. And tried to ignore the way those words, this kid, made his heart flutter and his nerves run in twelve different directions. "We will," Clint promised. "And the world's already better because he or she's going to be in it." Their child. He couldn't wait to meet it. To see what kind of person he or she was going to be. "I really wanna do this right, Babe," Bobbi said then, voice soft. Way too damned much nervousness around the edge. Yeah, that was still there. That almost suffocating feeling over being overwhelmed. God only knew how long they were going to have that going on. Squeezing her hand, Clint kept his eyes on his wife. The love of life. In so many ways the one thing that had kept him going all this time and in every way the one thing he absolutely couldn't live without. "I know you will, Birdie," he said, matching her volume. "No doubt about it. That hasn't changed since yesterday." And it wouldn't change. It would take a lot more than this to put so much as a dent in the faith he had in her. He was still kind of working out what they were going to have to do to make that happen, though. Last night hadn't really included a lot of practical planning for this part of the whole thing. Or any part that followed for that matter. "Greer made it look so easy," he mused, thinking about this morning, when they'd met William. "I wonder how she does it." And if maybe she could give them a few pointers. |
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| Mockingbird | Dec 23 2014, 08:49 PM Post #37 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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The more things changed... It was a lot like how it'd worked before she'd ever met Clint, or gave a second thought to the Avengers. You put in the work, you do everything you can, then you wait around for something to happen. Or not. When it happened, Bobbi'd never seen a time it didn't all happen at once. Usually catching you halfway flatfooted and not nearly as ready for it as you thought you'd be, then left you scrambling to catch up. That's what this week had been like, and all the years of waiting and trying and hoping before it. They were gonna do this, though. Really do it. Hell, they were already more than 3/4 of the way there. Yeah, she knew enough to know it could still blow up in their faces. She'd seen it happen more than once, had it happen to her. The last time it'd happened with SHIELD had nearly killed her. If it hadn't been for Peter Parker and Nick Fury, it probably would've, but she really thought this time they'd push through. She had to to think that, she guessed, looking up at her husband and with one hand still resting on her flat stomach that, if everything went the way it should, wouldn't stay that way for long. This kid, she wanted to give him or her something better to come into. That was the whole damned point of putting all this - their lives and the things they'd wanted what seemed like a lifetime ago now - on hold for so long. To hope they'd make something better later. Clint nodded, smiled, but she thought she still saw that edge of restless nerves, or maybe panic, flickering in his eyes. Or maybe she was just projecting the way her stomach kept trying to turn itself inside out and her lungs tried to go on strike every time she thought about how damned real it all suddenly was. "We will," Clint promised. "And the world's already better because he or she's going to be in it." God, she hoped so. They were having a baby. Her and Hawk and...what the hell did she really know about that, aside from the biology? She'd barely even played with dolls as a kid. There'd been her brother, Ben, a couple years after her but what she remembered about him as a baby amounted to practically nothing. Not a damned clue what she was doing, that's what she had, and she really, really wanted to do this right. She'd just have to find a place and a way to start figuring it out, wouldn't she? Hawk's hand tightened on hers and, yeah, make that they would. Not just her. It was her and Clint. They hadn't done so bad figuring things out so far, even if it wasn't always smooth sailing. They might not've ever done anything crazier than this, though. Not even running off to get married less than two weeks after they met. Wouldn't change it, though. Not for anything. "I know you will, Birdie," he said, matching her volume and Bobbi wished she felt that sure. Maybe when the kid was twenty five or so. "No doubt about it. That hasn't changed since yesterday." Lips twitching up at the corners, one blonde brow joined in. "Hawk, everything's changed since yesterday," she insisted, though at least she felt more like laughing than crying when she said it. Even if she suspected that'd be a little hysterical if she started it right now, too. Every damned thing on earth had completely changed since yesterday. Yesterday, this had all been just theory. Something they were talking about, thinking about. Something in the future. Today, the future was here and it'd sucker punched her right in the face. They were outta theory and into practical application and that was a whole different ballgame. That made her head spin, too, so she didn't say it out loud. They'd have to take turns having panic attacks or something until they could wrap their heads around it all. "Greer made it look so easy," he mused, and the corners of her mouth inched up a little more. Glad she wasn't the only one that'd thought that. "I wonder how she does it." With a light chuckle that Mockingbird was glad to realize didn't sound like she was about to lose it again, she shook her head, fingers sliding idly along the collar of his stealth suit. "Yeah, I said the same thing. Greer says it's bullshit," she informed him. "She's just playing it by ear and groping around in the dark, too. Or so she says, anyway, but William's a pretty great little guy. She's doing something right." It'd still looked like she had a real knack for it, though. "People really do do this, right?" she couldn't stop herself from asking, despite everything Greer had told her. "They have kids and don't know what the hell they're doing and still manage to figure it out?" Without ruining the kids for life? Because her own mom, she'd been great, especially doing it all on her own, Bobbi knew she didn't have that same natural, effortless knack for making things fall into place. Clint, he'd be an amazing dad. Like she'd said before, that was something she always knew. Maybe that'd help make up for some of the things she knew she wouldn't manage to get right. |
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| Hawkeye | Dec 26 2014, 04:41 PM Post #38 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Doing this right. Clint wanted that, too. More than anything. To give their baby a better world to live in, and to do all the things good parents did for their children. And Clint knew Bobbi would do exactly that, just like he had been last night. Maybe then they’d only been on the level of wanting a baby and making a baby, instead of having a baby (oh, god, they were having a baby). That was a huge change, but this? Thist was at least one thing he was confident hadn’t changed since then. "Hawk, everything's changed since yesterday," Bobbi declared. What was that supposed to mean? Did she not think he understood everything that was going on, here? Clint came within inches of frowning, but something about the way she said it, or possibly the way the corners of her lips were twitching. Like she thought the comment was funny. Or that he was funny. Or that she was about to crack up. Whatever it was, the last thing he was about to do was go looking for an argument. “Fine,” he said instead. “We’ll still make it work. Somehow.” And he was going to try not to think about how that was easier said than done. Later, when it was his turn to do more hyperventilating, he might work on that some more. How did Greer make it look so easy with William? Mock’s lips turned up in a more complete smile, and she chuckled in a way that felt much more natural and relaxed. She gave her head a shake, fingers moving down to the collar of his stealth suit. "Yeah, I said the same thing. Greer says it's bullshit," she said. Clint felt the corners of his lips nudge upward, his brows climbing toward his hairline. “Oh, really?” he said, as much interested in how that was supposed to work as he was tempted to declare that she had to be pulling their legs. "She's just playing it by ear and groping around in the dark, too. Or so she says, anyway, but William's a pretty great little guy. She's doing something right." “You can say that again,” Clint agreed with no problem, fingers idly moving down her shoulder and along her arm. William was the best little guy. If there wasn’t some hidden manual, maybe he and Bobbi could get away with making it up as they went along. He hoped so, because he didn’t have the slightest idea what else they could do. "People really do do this, right?" Bobbi suddenly asked, all worry and doubt and everything Clint had just been thinking. "They have kids and don't know what the hell they're doing and still manage to figure it out?" “All the time” Clint assured her, voice growing quiet again. Any softer and he might have had to focus to hear it himself. “I mean,” he amended, brow furrowing slightly, “I don’t know if anyone ever really figure it out, but people manage not to screw it up, all the same.” He knew enough about the ones who did screw it up to tell the difference. Fingers still lazily moving up and down her arm, Clint sighed. “We’re going to love this baby like nothing else,” he promised. They already did, he was positive of that. “I’m betting there’s more to it than that,” he continued, a slight, wry smile forming, “but it’s probably a good start.” God, he sure hoped so. |
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| Mockingbird | Dec 27 2014, 11:06 PM Post #39 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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“Fine,” he said instead and what the hell was that about? Fine?. “We’ll still make it work. Somehow.” That wiped any beginnings of what had been at least partway to a smile off Bobbi's face as fast as it had almost planted itself there. Somehow? They'd make it work somehow? What the hell... 'Somehow' was not what she'd expected to hear. 'Somehow', when you said it that way, meant 'I don't think there's any way in hell this can work'. Was that what he was trying to say? Was her husband trying to tell her...what? That now he thought this wasn't such a great idea? That he was getting cold feet? Or- God, could they even do this? Clint was right, Greer made it look easy. Tigra might say it was bullshit, and had when she'd said as much herself, but right now Bobbi wasn't sure she'd get through the next half hour without losing her mind. Or feeling like she was about to. “Oh, really?” he said sounding like he wasn't buying that any more than she did. No matter what Greer said about playing it by ear, she made it look easy and William, he was a great little kid. Happy. Smart. That was easy to see. Their friend was doing something right. Bobbi just wished she had any confidence she could channel that herself. “You can say that again,” Clint agreed with no problem the touch of his fingers along her shoulder and arm drawing out some of the tension that'd settled back there without her even noticing. People actually did this, right? They...had kids and didn't know what the hell they were doing and they still managed to figure it out? Without completely ruining the kids in the process? Because, god, she wanted this kid. She wanted this kid more than she ever thought she could, and it was still practically microscopic. What the hell was she going to do if it got here and she just ended up screwing it all up? Could Clint being the amazing father she'd always known he'd be make up for a mother that was a complete lost cause? She was completely out of her depth, here. More than she'd ever felt in her entire life. Hell, she hadn't even known she was pregnant for more than a few hours and it'd already been almost a disaster. But...no, she wasn't ready to think about that again. Not right now. Not for a while. It brought back that feeling like she might shake to pieces and all she really wanted was for Clint to tell her that it'd work. That they'd figure it out. And not sound like he didn't believe it any more than she did, because somebody here damned well needed to not be on the verge of losing their damned mind. “All the time” Clint assured her, voice growing quiet again. Almost so quiet she couldn't hear him, but she did and that...yeah, that made it a little better somehow. People did it all the time. Hell, Mimic was raising a kid. From what she'd seen of that guy, if he could manage it, they could. “I mean,” he amended, brow furrowing slightly, “I don’t know if anyone ever really figure it out, but people manage not to screw it up, all the same.” Yeah. Yeah, they did and that confirmation sounded steadier at least in her head. More solid, stable. Like it might not evaporate again two seconds from now. Hawk sighed and Bobbi released a breath of her own. Softly. Slowly. Reminding herself to breathe again as she tilted her head over against her husbands one more time. Breathe. Don't get ahead of yourself so much, Bobbi. Don't keep poking at everything that could've happened and didn't. She knew better than that. Knew better than to second guess herself that way, but this time she couldn't seem to do a damned thing about it. “We’re going to love this baby like nothing else,” he promised and that got her attention again. Had her moving her hand from her stomach to slip it around his neck. They were. Hell, she already did, and it was barely even there yet. “I’m betting there’s more to it than that,” he continued, a slight, wry smile forming, “but it’s probably a good start.” There was definitely a hell of a lot more to it than that. She might not know all the details, but that much was clear. Maybe for right now, though, for a start, love really was enough. "It's a great start," she agreed with slight nod and a touch of a smile again. "The best kind." This kid, they might not know a damned thing about how it all worked yet, but they knew how it didn't, and wouldn't. The way Clint grew up, that'd never be something their kid had to deal with. It'd have parents, both of them, and it'd never have to wonder why one've them didn't bother hanging around long enough to even get to know them. "Yeah, we'll figure it out, Babe," Bobbi whispered again, drawing him in closer as her arm tightened around him one more time. "We always have, when it was important." And it didn't get much more important than this. "I might lose my mind a few times between now and then," she added, since that seemed to have already got off to a good start today. "We'll just go ahead and start blaming it on hormones, okay?" Even if she really couldn't yet, nothing wrong with a practice run. |
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| Hawkeye | Dec 29 2014, 01:45 AM Post #40 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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There was only one way to answer Bobbi's question. It seemed incredible, maybe even impossible, but it was still true. People really did do this all the time. They were doing it right now, all over the world. Having kids and raising them with no better idea what they were doing than Clint and Bobbi did. Hell, there were people right here on the helicarrier doing it. They could do it too. Even if thinking about something so important, so immense he could still barely process it, turned his words into little more than a whisper. Maybe it was a little much to say that those same people eventually turn into parenting experts. If Greer was still making it up as she went along (and he still wasn't entirely buying that), Clint wasn't sure if he could think of anyone who had, or even could, figure it out completely. William was a great kid, though, and he wasn't alone. All those parents had to be doing something right if they were managing to get through it without screwing things up. It was enough to cling to right now, and since the alternative seemed to be falling right back into a full fledged panic, Clint would take what he could get. Mock let out a breath in unison with Clint and her head tilted back against his. That helped too. A lot. The closeness with Bobbi. Holding her while they breathed together. Knowing that they could count on each other no matter what else happened. Love. Their devotion to each other and willingness to do whatever it took to hold on to that, no matter what got in their way, even when it was themselves. They were going to love their baby, too. With all their hearts. It was only minutes old for him and he was already there. That had to be a good start at least, right? "It's a great start," Bobbi said, and he could see another smile hinting through as she nodded. "The best kind." God, Clint really hoped so. He definitely knew what not to do. So did Bobbi. No child of theirs was going to have to share any of those experiences that had colored their own youth. "Yeah, we'll figure it out, Babe," Bobbi said, voice still soft and quiet. Her arm tightened around him, bringing him in closer. He cupped her slender arm with his hand and gave it an answering squeeze. "We always have, when it was important." It was true. They always pulled through when it counted. This? Counted for everything. "I might lose my mind a few times between now and then[.] We'll just go ahead and start blaming it on hormones, okay?" So she was getting a head start on that already, was she? He couldn't really blame her. Clint also couldn't help breathing a light chuckle. "Deal," he said, and brought his lips down to hers for a slow, languid kiss. He might regret that later. If this was going to be chalked up to hormones, what was going to happen when that really hit? He was almost afraid to wonder. "But what are we going to blame whenever I lose my mind?" They couldn't chalk that up to hormones, that was for sure. |
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| Mockingbird | Dec 30 2014, 10:54 PM Post #41 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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Maybe they might not figure it all out fast sometimes. Maybe they made a mess of things now and then while they were trying, but her and Clint, they managed. When it was important, even if it hadn't always been easy, they'd always managed and they'd learned from the times they almost hadn't, or Bobbi hoped to god they had. So they had that, and this kid, surprise or not, it was wanted. It'd be loved, because they could sure as hell give it that, that was a big thing. Still scared the hell out of her and it probably would for a while. Maybe right up until the kid started college. But maybe...maybe they could figure this out. She might drive herself (and probably Clint, too) crazy a few times along the way, but after this that probably went without saying. Might as well just go ahead and blame that on the hormones while she had a good excuse. Call it a head start. If it was a little (or a lot) early to pull that excuse, she'd just keep that information to herself. That soft chuckle from Clint as she rested her forehead against the side of his head, that helped. Let her relax a little again, pull some've that heart pounding, can't catch my breath feeling back in. Let her push a little farther aside just what a stupid, stupid damned thing she'd done and how close it had come to being a disaster. She was here, she was okay. The baby was okay, though she'd go by the infirmary later, when things settled down, just to be sure. "Deal," he said, and the kiss that followed that helped, too. Helped her to remember just how much they'd wanted this. Back before everything went to hell and they'd shelved the idea of any kind've life that was just their own for the foreseeable future. How they'd talked about that, while she recovered from Mephisto trying to turn her into a pile of ash. "But what are we going to blame whenever I lose my mind?" Oh god, that was too easy. Hawk just handed it right out there. "Babe, I think everybody's used to that by now. You don't need an excuse, pretty sure they've known you long enough to expect it," Bobbi pointed out with a smile that might not've been her biggest, but it felt easier to manage than it had since they'd dragged Karla Sofen's ass into the brig for safekeeping. At least Clint, or her for that matter, wouldn't be on their own there, probably. Greer had had practice. Sharon Carter, too, apparently (since it was practically raining kids around here in the last twenty four hours), but there was Mimic. He hadn't exactly struck her as the parental type, he was dealing with his own surprise kid. Steve, he would be, too, wouldn't he? How the he gonna take that news? "We at least get to start from scratch and get nine months to get used to the idea," she added, pulling back enough to see his face, and deciding that, compared to the alternative, this was starting to sound a lot less scary now. "Pretty sure I really would go nuts if somebody came up and handed me a ready made preschooler." At least the baby wouldn't be able to tell her in actual sentences what a terrible job she was doing before she managed managed to get some kind of handle on the whole parenting thing. |
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| Hawkeye | Jan 2 2015, 02:55 AM Post #42 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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Hormones, eh? Clint doubted that had anything to do with the way Bobbi was feeling right now, or was likely to feel in the next few days, but did that really matter? If she wanted to use that as an excuse, he was willing to go along with it. After all, the hormones really were going to kick in someday. He may as well get used to it. Call it a deal, then. Sealed with a kiss, because that always helped, and this time was no different. This was what they wanted. What they'd wanted for what almost seemed a lifetime ago. Clint still remembered the way it had felt, nearly losing Bobbi forever, not to divorce, but to tragedy. Instead it had brought them closer together, and they'd talked about that future they were going to build. Then the world had turned upside-down and they'd set all those plans aside because there was nothing else they could do with them. In that time, Clint may have blinded himself out of fear and doubt and misguided self-blame, but last night had changed all that. He knew what he wanted and he wasn't letting that go. Just like he wasn't going to let Bobbi go, or their new baby. He was pretty sure he was going to lose his mind a few more times before this was over, though. Hell, probably before this very night was over. He couldn't blame that on hormones like, Bobbi. "Babe, I think everybody's used to that by now. You don't need an excuse, pretty sure they've known you long enough to expect it," she said, and her smile just kept getting closer to her usual every time. "Maybe you're right," Clint said lightly, "But you have to admit, I make it look good." That was something the Carnival would always have over Hollywood. Losing your mind was just another part of the act. "We at least get to start from scratch and get nine months to get used to the idea," Bobbi said, then. That was a really good point. Especially when the nursery was full of kids that were (or soon would be) news for some of their parents. He had no idea how Mimic was holding it together, and Steve? He sure hoped he'd had enough time to process the past five years before that bomb got dropped on him. She leaned back a little, her face pulling back into focus, framed by waves of blonde hair. "Pretty sure I really would go nuts if somebody came up and handed me a ready made preschooler." Argh, again with her tempting fate. Clint winced slightly. "Babe, please," he said, "Don't tempt the universe like that." Not that he could think of anything short of time travel that could do that, but it had happened before. Forget preschoolers, they could end up with a pre-teen. Nine months, though. He could handle that. It should be enough time for him to figure things out. Maybe. God, how much stuff did they have to do? Would nine months be enough to even think of a name? Okay, pulling back. It wasn't his turn to lose his mind yet. Clint drew in a deep breath to steady himself, tightening his arm around Bobbi a little. "You're going to be a great mom, hon," he told her. Nine months or nine minutes, it made no difference. Their kid was going to be as lucky to have her as they were to have it. |
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| Mockingbird | Jan 2 2015, 11:56 PM Post #43 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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She hated to break it to him, but every body was already used to Clint losing his mind now and then. No excuse needed, especially with the people that'd known him long enough to expect a little Hawkeye craziness now and then. If this wasn't a good excuse, Bobbi didn't know what the hell would be. Smiling a little, though, that felt good. Steadier. Still frayed at the edges a little more than she liked, but better. "Maybe you're right," Clint said lightly and without arguing for once. That all on it's own told her what a mess she'd been, "But you have to admit, I make it look good." That he did but Bobbi let out a slightly skeptical huff of air all the same. "You make it look something, Sport," she 'agreed' with a mild lifting of brows and a brief flash of humor across her expression. You could take the boy out of the carnival, but you couldn't take the carnival out of the boy. That wasn't a complaint, though. Usually. It wasn't like she didn't know she was marrying a cowboy from the start. Nine days was more than long enough to figure that out. Hell, nine minutes had been long enough to figure that out. There'd been good and there'd been bad, but she couldn't say she regretted any of it. They'd gone through a hell of a lot together, it was easier - now that she didn't feel so much like she wanted to jump out of her own skin - to see this as one more adventure to go through with him. Scariest one yet, but she was starting to realize it could be a lot worse. They got to start from scratch. Nine whole months, give or take a week or two, to get used to the idea. More than a couple of people around here had or would have. If somebody walked up and handed her a surprise pre-schooler Bobbi had an idea she really would lose her mind, and fast. Then, when she was done with that, she and Hawk would be having a long, probably loud talk. Whether that wince was from thinking along the same lines she was or another one completely, it was there on his face all the same. "Babe, please," he said, "Don't tempt the universe like that." Her eyebrows climbed a little higher. "I don't think the universe had anything to do with how those kids got here," she pointed out mostly teasingly. Mostly. "Not without a lot of help from good, old fashioned biology." So, was he trying to tell her something there? Bobbi was poised at the cusp of following that thought a little farther, brows beginning to draw downward, when Clint ambushed her by drawing in a breath, tightening an arm around her a little more, and saying, "You're going to be a great mom, hon," and dragging her right back to a completely different train of thought. One that brought that snapped that edge of nerves back to her awareness as she looked up at him again. Not Clint's fault, he was trying to help. Trying to say something to...keep her from spinning herself around like a top and tying herself back into knots in the process. So why was it the more he said it, the more nervous she got. "I dunno, Clint," she answered, voice low and shaking her head. Reaching up to push the stray tendrils of hair hanging around her face back out of her way. Frustrated. With herself, mostly, because she couldn't think he way through these feelings. And god knew she wanted to. "I don't know about great, I'll settle for decent. For something better than what I had with my own mom." It hadn't been bad, exactly, her relationship with her mom. It hadn't been...much of anything, and damned if she even knew whose fault that was, if it was anybody's. She loved her mom, and her brother, but there'd never been the kind of connection that would've kept her from cutting ties as completely as she had. For their kids, she wanted better, even if she might not ever manage great. |
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| Hawkeye | Jan 4 2015, 11:58 PM Post #44 |
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I retire for what, like, five minutes and it all goes to shit.
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And the first easy dig of the evening goes to Mock. Admittedly, Clint had kind of walked right into that one. 'Losing his mind' wasn't exactly how he would have described it. More like random episodes of (occasionally misguided) overenthusiasm. Whatever they called it, though, she couldn't deny that he made it look good. Or maybe she could after all, just to be contrary. "You make it look something, Sport," she teased, blonde brows heading upward. No missing the humor in her voice, though, or on her face, and damned if it wasn't good to be back to something a little more familiar. It didn't sound like she was asking him to stop, either, so he was going to consider those words to be tacit approval. Except, of course, where it wasn't. Sometimes they also drove each other crazy, and everyone was used to that, too (There might be an adjustment period for Brian, Victor and Angel, poor kids, but they'd also get used to it.). They always managed to figure things out and hold on to what was important, though. A kid, yeah, that was new. And huge. And terrifyingly real. But they'd work it out same as everything else. Knowing how important it was probably meant they'd just try that much harder. And like Bobbi said, at least they had almost a whole nine months to let it all really sink in. They didn't have to deal with Sudden Parent Syndrome, which seemed to be on the rise in the Resistance right now. He really wished Bobbi would stop saying things that fate or the universe might take as a challenge. By now, he would have thought she knew better. Bobbi's secret agent eyebrows took another climb as she looked at Clint. "I don't think the universe had anything to do with how those kids got here," she said, still kind of joking, but that didn't do much to change the look on Clint's face, except to make it more dubious. Sure, those kids, but what about things like time travel? Or erased memories? Almost anything could happen. "Not without a lot of help from good, old fashioned biology." Yeah, she was just asking for trouble. Even though the expression that was starting to appear on her face was more like he was the one asking for trouble. Sheesh. Rather than dwell on that, though, Clint was seized by a different impulse. One that had him tightening his arm around her. Bobbi was going to be a great mom, nine months prep time or not. "I dunno, Clint," she said in a quiet voice, suddenly sounding nervous all over again. What...? The former secret agent gave her head a shake and pushed away a few strands of hair that had managed to get in her way. She moved with renewed aggravation. "I don't know about great, I'll settle for decent. For something better than what I had with my own mom." Clint pressed his lips together as he worked through that, looking at Bobbi with steady eyes. He loved her so much. Why was she having so much trouble seeing this when it was so obvious to him? His hand slid up and he slowly caressed the line of her chin with the back of his fingers. "You are not your mom," he told her seriously. "And this isn't going to turn you into her. I know you're worried, but I also know you're going to do everything to give this baby better than what you had." Or what he had, and that meant on every level. He knew she didn't exactly have the most intimate relationship with her mom. And how hard that kind of thing could be to get over. And he'd never known Bobbi to settle for anything, which was one of the reasons he still found himself half convinced he must have conned her somehow into marrying him. "We just need to figure out what counts as better and go from there." Decide what they want, then figure out a way to make it happen. It worked for them all the time, even if it wasn't always easy. He let his hand slide back down to cover hers, cupping her stomach, which would be growing in a few months. "Does this mean we won't be able to count on her for Emergency Grandma Babysitting?" he asked, half-absently. God knows they weren't letting any child of theirs anywhere near their Uncle Barton. |
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| Mockingbird | Jan 5 2015, 09:08 PM Post #45 |
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This isn't a catfight. It's me kicking your ass.
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Suddenly, there were kids everywhere. That's what it seemed like. From one day to the next, they'd gone from no kids to preschooler's all over the place. To the point there was actually an improvised nursery set up on the helicarrier. Wonder what Nick Fury would've thought of that? Greer had William. Steve and Sharon Carter had James. Even Mimic and Jean Grey or the Phoenix or however the hell that had all worked had a little girl running around that seemed amazingly damned normal for all that they'd found in her with Ahab in the Hound pens. Now, there was gonna be one of their own. Hers and Clint's. Not as ready made, thank god, but old fashioned biology at work again. When the hell had all this even happened? Not because of the universe, the way Hawk seemed to think. It was biology, all of it, even if it seemed to the rest of them that the kids had suddenly just appeared. Just like she hadn't been pregnant yesterday. Today she was, and Bobbi knew that wasn't how it worked but it was sure as hell how it felt. Suddenly, she was right back to all those nerves and doubts and... Jesus. She knew Clint meant well. Meant it when he told her she'd be a great mom, because he believed that. It made one of them and, despite how much she wanted this kid, the former SHIELD agent still had to wonder. Would she even be a decent mom? God knew, she'd settle for that. For a relationship with her kids that was better than what she'd had with her own mom. It wasn't even Susan Morse's fault, she'd tried the best she knew how. Bobbi knew that. What if it ended up that way with their kids? What if trying and wanting it just wasn't good enough? Clint looked...hell, surprised? Confused? One or both've those were pretty close, she guessed. He'd never met her mom, or her brother. By the time she'd admitted her family wasn't dead, the way she'd first told him, they'd been knee deep in this mess. Or close enough she couldn't and wouldn't risk contact. Couldn't put them in danger that way. It was the reason she'd let them believe she'd been killed in the line of duty in the first place. Lips pressed into a line, Clint looked at her and she wondered if she really did sound as erratic as she felt right now. Yeah, she probably did at that, Bobbi decided as she glanced down, where Hawk's hand was resting against her stomach again. Then looked back up at him as the backs of his fingers skimmed lightly along her chin. Something in her chest and stomach turned over and she had to swallow hard. "You are not your mom," he told her seriously, but no. He'd never met her mom. "And this isn't going to turn you into her. I know you're worried, but I also know you're going to do everything to give this baby better than what you had." She wanted to believe that, and she could even admit that what she'd had, in the scheme of things, hadn't been that bad. Not like what he'd had and that made her feel more than a little like an idiot for even worrying about it. No abuse or neglect or anything but a single mother who'd done the best she could and a father she couldn't quite remember. "We just need to figure out what counts as better and go from there." Bobbi kinda smiled a little at that. Not from any kind of humor, just...how the hell did they start doing that, other than the obvious parts? God, maybe she really was losing her damned mind. It was just...she didn't know. Was wanting kids, and wanting to do the best for them, and trying to do that gonna be enough? When it wasn't staring you in the face, it was easy to say yes, you'd make it happen. Right now, it didn't feel easy at all. Right now, nothing felt easy or made any damned sense. "Does this mean we won't be able to count on her for Emergency Grandma Babysitting?" Clint asked and she stared at him for a couple of heartbeats. Could they-? "I let her think I was dead, then I let her find out I wasn't by becoming a wanted terrorist," Bobby commented flatly, shaking her head at her husband. "I don't think even showing up on her doorstep with a baby can fix that, Babe." Fingers curling in, gripping at his stealth suit at the shoulder, Mockingbird blew out a frustrated breath, expression schooling into a frown as she looked back at him. He was the love of her life, he always had been, and she loved him for being so damned certain about her even when she sure as hell wasn't. But it frustrated the hell out of her right now, too. "You're wrong, though," she added, shaking her head again. "I am my mom and I know it. I'm just like her, always have been. Right now that scares the hell out of me, Clint. I don't want that kind of relationship with our kids." What if she couldn't help it? She was pretty damned sure her mom hadn't wanted their relationship to be what it was, either. |
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3:32 AM Jul 11