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Avengers fic; An Understanding
Title: An Understanding
Characters/Pairings: Clint, Steve. Pre-slash Clint/Steve
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 909 (according to wordcounttool.com)
Summary: Clint’s had a hard day. Steve helps.
A/N: Written for the Deep Cover challenge at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
avengers_land
Clint aims and fires at the target, some of the tension leaving his body as his arrow hits the bull’s-eye. It’s been a long day, the kind with meetings and press and accusations and he’s needed this – his arrows, a way to be himself rather than some guy in a suit – all day.
Strictly speaking, he’s meant to be inside, meeting with the other Avengers to talk about why it’s proper protocol to follow orders when out in the field. But it’s not something that’s really being done for him and Steve had grabbed his arm as he’d went to walk into the room and told him he didn’t need to stick around if he wanted to be somewhere else. Sometimes, Clint thinks, their leader understands him a little too well.
Letting another arrow loose, he lowers his arm when it embeds itself in the target. This is what he’s good at, where he’s comfortable. As a SHIELD agent, and before, he’d always had to stay under the radar. Now, as an Avenger, he’s expected to give interviews and pose for photos and justify actions that, in the black and white of newspaper articles, are hard to justify at all. It’s a game he doesn’t know how to play – not like Stark – and it’s a game he doesn’t want to have to learn, no matter how important Fury says it is.
He stays outside for ages, recollecting and re-firing his arrows at least three times before he heads back indoors. There’s no-one in the kitchen which means the meeting must have finished. Glad he doesn’t have to face any ribbing for skipping out early; Clint crosses over to get a bottle of water out of the fridge. He drinks half of it in one go, hydrating himself because he knows he’s stayed out in the sun for longer than he really should have.
“Better?”
Clint jumps. Not many people can sneak up on him and it’s taking a while to get used to living in a house with people who can. He turns, closing the fridge and shrugs at Steve. “I don’t know – have we got any press conferences tomorrow?”
Steve shakes his head. “Nothing planned at all.”
“Then I’m much better. Thanks – for giving me the time to chill. It’s appreciated.”
“It’s no problem, Clint.” Steve drops into a chair. “I know what it’s like being thrust into the spotlight for the first time.”
Steve looks like he’s getting ready for a heart-to-heart, something Clint’s not exactly big on. He wonders whether he can make a believable excuse and get away but Steve had given him an out earlier, time to himself, and he figures the least he can do is have a conversation with the guy. Sitting down opposite him, Clint waits for him to continue.
“That’s all they had me doing at first, you know, during the war. Talking to the press and being on stage. Of course, the press are a lot worse nowadays but I think I can still relate.”
“It’d be so much easier if people would leave us alone so we could just do our jobs.”
“Yeah, it would. In a way.” Steve sighs. “But we need to present the right image to the press and to the government so we don’t get branded vigilantes.”
“I know that.”
“Doesn’t mean we have to like it.”
Clint nods in agreement, glad Steve’s in tune with him on this. The guy’s also gained even more of his respect in the last five minutes because, as their leader, Steve’s never let on before how much he hates the PR work they have to do.
“They’ll lose interest eventually.” Steve grins. “And then we’ll probably all have too much downtime on our hands and drive each other crazy.”
Laughing, he has to agree with that. He still thinks he’ll prefer that over how things are now, though. “That’s just part of being a team.”
“It is.” Steve pauses, looking a little nervous. “And about that – just because you’ve been part of a team before, working for SHIELD, doesn’t mean you’re expected to just get on with things. If you’ve got a problem or if you need a break like you did today, say so.”
Clint nods, even though he probably won’t; he’s always been the type to just get on with things and that’s got nothing to do with SHIELD. Still, he appreciates the point Steve’s trying to make. “Same to you, Cap. Leader or not, you’re allowed to moan about the press to us whenever you like.”
“I might take you up on that some time.”
“Make sure you do.” Standing up, he heads towards the door before the conversation goes past friendly and becomes awkward. They’ve both opened up enough for one day, he thinks, and they understand each other a little more.
At the door, he turns and grins at Steve and it means ‘thank you’. Most of all though, it means ‘until next time’, because he’s pretty sure once he’s had one heart-to-heart with Steve, he’s going to be expected to have more. He doesn’t really mind at all.
Characters/Pairings: Clint, Steve. Pre-slash Clint/Steve
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 909 (according to wordcounttool.com)
Summary: Clint’s had a hard day. Steve helps.
A/N: Written for the Deep Cover challenge at
avengers_landClint aims and fires at the target, some of the tension leaving his body as his arrow hits the bull’s-eye. It’s been a long day, the kind with meetings and press and accusations and he’s needed this – his arrows, a way to be himself rather than some guy in a suit – all day.
Strictly speaking, he’s meant to be inside, meeting with the other Avengers to talk about why it’s proper protocol to follow orders when out in the field. But it’s not something that’s really being done for him and Steve had grabbed his arm as he’d went to walk into the room and told him he didn’t need to stick around if he wanted to be somewhere else. Sometimes, Clint thinks, their leader understands him a little too well.
Letting another arrow loose, he lowers his arm when it embeds itself in the target. This is what he’s good at, where he’s comfortable. As a SHIELD agent, and before, he’d always had to stay under the radar. Now, as an Avenger, he’s expected to give interviews and pose for photos and justify actions that, in the black and white of newspaper articles, are hard to justify at all. It’s a game he doesn’t know how to play – not like Stark – and it’s a game he doesn’t want to have to learn, no matter how important Fury says it is.
He stays outside for ages, recollecting and re-firing his arrows at least three times before he heads back indoors. There’s no-one in the kitchen which means the meeting must have finished. Glad he doesn’t have to face any ribbing for skipping out early; Clint crosses over to get a bottle of water out of the fridge. He drinks half of it in one go, hydrating himself because he knows he’s stayed out in the sun for longer than he really should have.
“Better?”
Clint jumps. Not many people can sneak up on him and it’s taking a while to get used to living in a house with people who can. He turns, closing the fridge and shrugs at Steve. “I don’t know – have we got any press conferences tomorrow?”
Steve shakes his head. “Nothing planned at all.”
“Then I’m much better. Thanks – for giving me the time to chill. It’s appreciated.”
“It’s no problem, Clint.” Steve drops into a chair. “I know what it’s like being thrust into the spotlight for the first time.”
Steve looks like he’s getting ready for a heart-to-heart, something Clint’s not exactly big on. He wonders whether he can make a believable excuse and get away but Steve had given him an out earlier, time to himself, and he figures the least he can do is have a conversation with the guy. Sitting down opposite him, Clint waits for him to continue.
“That’s all they had me doing at first, you know, during the war. Talking to the press and being on stage. Of course, the press are a lot worse nowadays but I think I can still relate.”
“It’d be so much easier if people would leave us alone so we could just do our jobs.”
“Yeah, it would. In a way.” Steve sighs. “But we need to present the right image to the press and to the government so we don’t get branded vigilantes.”
“I know that.”
“Doesn’t mean we have to like it.”
Clint nods in agreement, glad Steve’s in tune with him on this. The guy’s also gained even more of his respect in the last five minutes because, as their leader, Steve’s never let on before how much he hates the PR work they have to do.
“They’ll lose interest eventually.” Steve grins. “And then we’ll probably all have too much downtime on our hands and drive each other crazy.”
Laughing, he has to agree with that. He still thinks he’ll prefer that over how things are now, though. “That’s just part of being a team.”
“It is.” Steve pauses, looking a little nervous. “And about that – just because you’ve been part of a team before, working for SHIELD, doesn’t mean you’re expected to just get on with things. If you’ve got a problem or if you need a break like you did today, say so.”
Clint nods, even though he probably won’t; he’s always been the type to just get on with things and that’s got nothing to do with SHIELD. Still, he appreciates the point Steve’s trying to make. “Same to you, Cap. Leader or not, you’re allowed to moan about the press to us whenever you like.”
“I might take you up on that some time.”
“Make sure you do.” Standing up, he heads towards the door before the conversation goes past friendly and becomes awkward. They’ve both opened up enough for one day, he thinks, and they understand each other a little more.
At the door, he turns and grins at Steve and it means ‘thank you’. Most of all though, it means ‘until next time’, because he’s pretty sure once he’s had one heart-to-heart with Steve, he’s going to be expected to have more. He doesn’t really mind at all.