snowblindrpg | [log] clint barton's no good very bad week [closed]

[ Clint is curled up next to Natasha, and he's got his hearing aids in, which is convenient since Tony wants to talk to all of them. He sniffs, rubbing at his nose, and looks up from his tablet, getting a good look at Tony.

He's a little mad still from the conversation they'd had two days ago. Not a lot, but he's watching. Maybe waiting a little, for Tony to show some sign of wanting to do something crazy, like... y'know, leave.

Clint jabs at his tablet. Here's his usual Microsoft Sam voice. ]

Right, discussion. I'll type fast. Fine, btw.

[Clint and Natasha have settled in, and Tony is slightly more comfortable seeing them act normal. As if this were a normal Avengers meeting like any other.

He hasn't had one of those for a while. Even the New Avengers meetings are awkward. After the conversations he had in the morning, Tony is glad to get this over with, although he shifts slightly and looks toward the exit of the room when Steve asks what he wants to talk about. Deep breath.]

I think we need to decide what really happened yesterday.

[He tries to sound confident.]

That was a serious leak. We don't know that everything that was shared is true, but I think the important part is that some people will believe it is. And they might decide to act on it. I just want to know that all of us are still good.

This- this is the kind of thing that breaks us up.

[Natasha certainly looks relaxed, at least, although she can understand his concerns.]

I'm fine. We should discuss how much what he thinks he knows about us matters. He certainly has an idea of us in his head, and I couldn't tell you how accurate or inaccurate that idea is. If he decides to deal with us based on it, or decides to share those things with others, it could be an issue.

Tony was tall. Taller than Steve was use to without the armor on. Taller even than that. He found himself stuck in a room with people that didn't quite look right from the ones he knew, that didn't quite talk right either. Normally he stepped right on in to add his opinions, to rally the troops, but he had a feeling of distance here. And it didn't help that he had no idea what anyone was talking about.

He kept his mouth shut on this one. Especially with Tony's announcement that whatever happened tended to lead to discussions that caused rifts.

Steve wanted to be far away from this, but he didn't run out on people that might need him.

He can and does assume that 'he' is Watson. He had leaked some important personal information evidently. And now.... What? What did that have anything to do with them unless the doctor put them at peril? What information could lead to that?

Hopefully they would get to specifics soon. Otherwise he would just lean against the back wall, arms crossed, a shadow behind the sofa.

[ This is the point that Clint lifts his hands and makes the sign for shut up. Just for a second. Give him like a minute to type all this out. ]

I didn't read it, first off, got there too late. Nat told me the basics but I haven't read the actual text. Does it matter what he knows about us? Is it stuff that is even going to affect us here?

[ Clint shifts, and here we go, he looks annoyed already. ] You heard the poor guy, he doesn't want the information spread. He leaked his diary on the network, cut him some slack.

What exactly are you guys worried about?

It matters because he knows about us. He knew about me. Not in detail, not enough to copy it, but he knew about the Extremis. Probably more, since he's working off of material that doesn't pull punches. And we don't know what is accurate or just drama.

[Tony frowns, actually looking stern for once. He's tired and still angry, and his voice sounds flat.]

That poor guy knows people that don't like us because of who we are. And he's close to them. Obviously, he doesn't want to share his private thoughts in public, but that doesn't mean he's not sharing them already. When I spoke to him, he acted like he didn't trust us. Like he thought we were a threat.

I'm more worried about the information that wasn't leaked. The stuff that went to others and what they'll do with it.

[He gives Clint a look, then shifts his gaze to Steve before resting it on Natasha.]

I'm willing to leave alone what was shared. It might or might not be accurate. It sounds like most of that is done with anyway. We can talk to people if they want to talk, but they probably won't want to confide in strangers. I- I just think we need to keep our guards up. We don't know who picked up that information or what they'll take away from it. Maybe nothing.

But if he's worried about what we'll do... [Tony waves a hand a little.] What would you do, Steve?

[Natasha cuts in here, briefly.]

I did speak with Royce, and I don't think he's a concern. Miller has already started talking about how Russia might want to kidnap us and do who knows what. A mini red scare would not be fun for me, if Watson thinks he knows more about me than he does. If he's working closely with Solomons, I'm not fond of the idea that Solomons might know details about my past, true or not.

Huh? "Extremis...like what happened to Pepper?" Steve was the wrong guy to be in on this discussion, but maybe he could help diffuse some of the paranoia. He held up a hand to signal that Tony didn't need to answer because it wasn't exactly on topic.

Steve didn't know who the people that Tony and Nat were talking about. Royce, Miller...? They didn't register to him. Solomons was a button pusher and he'd told Steve that he had a criminal organization back home, but he was an Army man himself and Steve respected the military type. Even with the button pushing.

"I... I don't think any of this is a concern. I understand that we're not all sound of mind and body here, and I know there is a criminal element that is enjoying taking advantage of people here. For the most part, I still believe firmly in working together to figure out a way out of this town. Witch hunting, jumping to the conclusion that damage control is even necessary-- Our pasts don't much matter here. We're all in the same boat, aren't we--"

Hang on folks. He had some coughing to do.

Clearing his throat, fist still against his chest, Steve continued: "It's not a bad thing to be mindful of threats and to watch for them. But I just don't think there's anything to be worried about to the point of having to track people down for any sort of formal discussion."

[ Clint just looks incredibly sour as he types, trying to keep up with the conversation. He's about this close to just signing what he wants to say, but then Natasha would have to translate, and he knows she's rusty so she might miss things, and... well, this is better, if more annoying. ]

You guys so did not have the same conversation with Watson that I did. The dude doesn't think we're bad guys, he just wants us not to get involved with stuff that's already been done with. When I talked to him he was more worried that other people were gonna start shit with each other, but then he talked to you and Nat and got all panicked that we were gonna go arresting people, so I don't know WHAT you said to him. I told Watson we were just gonna make sure that people were safe.

[ That comes out in a burst, and then he gestures at Steve while Steve is talking, still frantically typing as fast as he can. Yeah, see. He agrees with that. ]

Cap's right. We leave it alone. We're not gonna waste our time playing police when it's more important to get out of here. Pretty much every conversation I've had with this Alfie guy has been that, too. You know if we act on a nonissue you're just gonna prove the people who don't like us cause we're superheros right, right?

[Well, at least getting angry help him keep his backbone. If he's mad, he won't falter as much. He can concentrate on being insulted.]

What we said? I told him to trust us and that we were just talking. I never said anything about arresting anyone or trying to play policemen, which, actually, is Mr. Solomons's obsession. It's funny how that suddenly becomes the accusation now, isn't it? Convenient.

We've been here for weeks and haven't done anything but look for a way out. And now information that identifies us as "heroes" breaks and we're being pinned as cops in a place with no law but a criminals'. One that the "poor guy" is working with.

[He's glaring, but he doesn't raise his voice.]

What I'm saying is we have a target on us now. We need to be careful. They didn't trust us before and now they're not going to like us. Can we depend on each other? I- I don't want Barnes thinking we're going to turn on him or you all to decide maybe their group has a point and the non-existent "authority" should be taken care of. Because we've already publicly made it obvious there's a lot of suspicion flying around. Whatever the others do, I just want to keep us out of a fight!

[Natasha rolls her eyes at Clint, but listens as Tony speaks, then sighs as he gets more heated.]

None of us are talking about turning on one another, Tony, but I agree with both of you. I don't want to arrest anyone. It wouldn't be practical even if I thought it was necessary. Ecks and Royce aren't threats, and Luna told me the situation with Estinien is being handled. If someone comes to us and tells us they feel unsafe, I may change my opinion, but Royce spoke to me about why he did what he did, and I doubt there will be a repeat performance.

[She shifts slightly, sitting up straighter, and then turns her attention to Clint and Steve.]

As for Watson, I don't think he trusts us. He kept insisting that none of this was our responsibility, and leapt to conclusions about us antagonizing the people mentioned in his notes, or starting a manhunt, or whatever nonsense he was baking up in his mind. He screwed up, and he was panicking. I don't want any of these situations to be made more volatile because of our involvement, so I vote we stay out of it, but keep our ears and eyes open. If Solomons gets it in his head that we're a threat, or either of them start thinking that we're going to try to impose some sort of authority over the whole town, it won't be pretty. Royce and I seem to have an understanding, but I'm not sure how much of that he'll talk over with Solomons.

None of this panic made sense to Steve, who moved closer to the group. He had to figure out a way to neutralize Tony before he made a fictional crisis worse. "If we have targets on our backs because of Solomons, it's not Doctor Watson's fault." He was still wheezing a little. The smart thing to do would be to sit himself down before his breathing got worse. "It would be the Captain's. I've spoken with Mr. Solomons. He already knew all about me."

And Steve helped fill in some of the detailing too because they had just been two soldiers talking shop about their wars and about this place.

"Who, exactly, is they Tony? Because everyone I've spoken to here knows Captain America. The know he is considered a..." It was so weird to say. "A superhero." Maybe it was weird that Steve was speaking about Captain America like he was not Cap.

Then again, it wasn't like Steve ever had a secret identity. And he had no idea that Tony had one either. In his timeline, Tony didn't keep it secret for more than a day. Natasha and Clint? Sure. One was a spy. One had a family. Leaking Project Insight documents had gone a long way to making their identities more transparent though.

"Seriously guys...what have you been up to that has made what is basically a hostage situation become so devolved that there are 'sides' and 'camps?'" Steve looked worried. That might be the wheezing though. "I'm not even playing with a full deck here. I don't know most of the people you're mentioning. I don't know what was in the leaked documents except that Watson made a love confession and that we are fictional characters in his universe. Maybe you should leave me out of your decision making process anyway. I don't think there should even be a decision making process on this."

Sounds like we should be keeping an eye on the Solomons guy then, not Watson, huh. Let's not base a whole character analysis on a guy that was panicking. He doesn't know you, Tony, doesn't know any of us, why the hell should he trust us? He's already friends with Solomons, don't give him more reasons to hate us.

And as a note I'm not gonna turn on any of you and I think it's stupid that you thought that might even be an issue. What was it that you were just telling me before? We're a team?

[ Maybe he's a little offended by that. ] Look, makes sense to do it the way Nat said. You know how we make people think we're not trying to be the top authority? By not doing stuff that makes it look like we wanna be the top authority. Jesus. It's that simple.

[ And then, as his tablet reads out what he's saying, Clint kind of just throws one hand up in the air. ] And shut up, Steve, you're part of the team. I don't know who half the people said are either, don't think that makes your opinion not count.

[ A beat. ] Sorry.

Watson is working with Solomons. He already thinks he knows all about us based on one image, so not taking that into account is just stupid.

[He bristles even more because he sees Steve move forward. It's not in a friendly way.]

Just like we think we know each other. You [And that is to Steve.] think you know my father. Which, by the way, is not so easy to swallow. My point is that we don't know anything. We don't know how we got here. And we're all keeping secrets. Things that matter to us. Some of those things can be used against us, and it would be stupid to assume that no one here is desperate enough to try it.

You already think this is turning into a manhunt. Why is that? When has talking to each other ever immediately involved action? Clint, you want to be on the team? Why don't you trust your teammates instead of taking the word of a guy you just met because you like his smile. Like Natasha said, I don't think we can trust him.

[He does calm down though.]

I don't trust Solomons not to take action if he decides we're inconvenient, and I don't trust Watson not to deliver the wrong intel like he just did. Especially if he doesn't trust us either. Forget the rest. We're not planning on doing anything to anyone else here. I shouldn't need to say that.

That fact that I do is what worries me. Because if the rumor mill starts and you don't believe your team? Then it's going to go bad. It doesn't matter if what is said is true or not. If any of you think you can't trust the people in this room, I want to know now.

[Natasha's eyes narrow, and she responds sharply, maybe more so than necessary.]

Stop it. That's enough. Steve, we have not done anything to turn this situation into one with sides, and Tony, no one is saying we shouldn't act as a team. If we start sniping over something this small, we're going to fall apart as soon as something significant happens.

As for us being superheroes, that might be true, but I'm not Captain America. I'm not Iron Man or Hawkeye, I'm the Black Widow. People will make assumptions based on the word "spy", and those assumptions are rarely pleasant. That's something to keep in mind.

[She takes a deep breath, then continues more gently.]

I trust everyone in this room unconditionally. That won't change, and it shouldn't. We're Avengers. We're a team. Whatever conflicts we had before coming here need to be dropped. Agreed?

"There are always too many secrets. I know first hand what keeping them does to people," Steve spoke up. "And I don't even know what secrets Watson supposedly spread that has you worked up. From what you've told me, it seems like there's really nothing there."

If you want him to understand, you have to fill him in.

He wasn't going to say anything else. He had been trying to hold his tongue. But now he's really curious about Tony's question on trust.

"Why would you trust me?" Bright blue eyes were earnest, focused on Natasha. He had moved to the front of the room so he could talk to everyone without them turning. "You know I'm not like the Steve Rogers you were friends with. Each one of you has told me that several times now." And holding it against him sometimes too. "I just look a little like him, right? By your logic, you shouldn't trust me." Maybe he was too use to taking a Steve Rogers versus everyone else stance. "The differences can probably fill a whole Encyclopedia."

It was time to play guess the wrong things Steve knew about everyone. He'd start with Clint.

"My Clint Barton comes up to my shoulder. He has dark hair. He's married and lives in the middle of no where on a farm with his wife and his three kids." He wasn't going to mention one was named after Nat. He'd promised. "He tells it like it is and I trust him with my life." Natasha? "I don't know a lot about Natasha Romanoff. She was with the KGB and somewhere along the way, she started to work for SHIELD. She's one of my best friends. We've been through so much together and even if we don't always agree, she looks out for me. We were on different sides the last time the Avengers had a discussion and she still tried to look out for me." Tony...where did he even start? "And the Tony Stark I know is-- He steps up when he needs to. And he's not as arrogant as he wants people to think he is. He cares, even if he's lazy, even if he doesn't do as much work on finding out what the truth is before he goes nuts promoting dangerous ideas all in the name of keeping people safe. And you know what?"

Uh oh.

"That is actually what's so funny. He causes most of the problems himself. He goes behind everyone's backs and hacks into data that doesn't belong to him and creates murderous robots that try to wipe humanity off of the planet. He retired from the team and still thought it was a good idea to bring an oversight committee down on our heads. He gets his girlfriend infected with some virus that makes her breathe fire after telling terrorists where he lives. God forbid he ever tries to reach out to any of us when he's in trouble--"

He'd go on in a few minutes. He just had to deal with this cough. One that left him red faced and bent over, thick and wet and horrible.

Should anyone try to touch him, he would likely push them off. Gently. The cough didn't ride him for too long at least but it left him exhausted. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Buck and I grew up together. He taught me how to box. Howard Stark was instrumental in making me Captain America. We fought together. He told me about fondue." A soft smile touched his lips. "Four years ago, I woke up and everything was different and everyone I ever knew and loved was dead. I got over it because I have to get over it. And none of you are the people I knew either. And I have to get over that too. But so do you. If you want to talk about trust, start there."

[ Until Steve starts talking, Clint just stares at Tony. Angrily, and hurt, too. You want to be on this team - like Clint arguing is enough to kick him off said team, like Clint standing up for someone he doesn't think is plotting to manipulate all of them into killing each other or whatever ridiculous thing Tony's paranoia is making him think - like that's going to be grounds for Clint to not be an Avenger. It kind of hurts. Or, no. It does hurt, especially with how fast Tony was to take that team status away after reassuring him.

And he's going to lay into him for that, but Steve starts talking, and tells them that he has a wife and kids, and Clint kind of just sinks down. Like letting the air out of a balloon. His expression shifts into something sadder, and then he looks away, rubbing at the back of his head.

Never mind. He doesn't even know what to say to all of that, what to say about any of this. Steve wasn't even directing it to him, and Clint doesn't think anything he can say will make this easier. There's something in him screaming to keep on arguing, but it's so hard when he literally doesn't have a voice.

So instead he stays silent, gripping his tablet tightly, and doesn't meet anybody's gaze. ]

[Tony is actually ready to get into the argument with Clint. The archer is speaking as a member of the team, one that technically has a leadership position, and Tony is hard set to continue his debate with him to prove his point. But Nat tells him to cool his heels and then Steve jumps in with a long speech that, once again, points out how little the man thinks of Tony Stark as he knows him. "Lazy." "Promoting dangerous ideas." (Where did he pick that phrase up, J. Jonah Jameson?) And apparently something about creating murder-bots? Doombots?

Tony abandons his dispute with Clint. He's still mad that Clint apparently think they were attacking Watson when they talked to him, but being mad won't change Clint's opinion. He knows that. He's already burnt out and Clint ducks down, avoiding the mess himself--Maybe what Steve said. It was weird and slightly uncomfortable, hearing that there was a world where Clint was married with kids. The chance none of them had. He backs away, looking discreetly toward the exits again.]

You don't, actually. Look like him. Similar.

[Tony's voice drops to a mutter that goes mostly to the floor.]

This- I didn't want- This isn't what I wanted to say.

[But now they're hitting nerves and it's too late to take it back.]

There are things that I know you won't like. They're probably going to come out eventually, so I thought we could all use ahead of time warning since people might already know. That's all.

Edited 2016-09-08 19:01 (UTC)

[Natasha listens to Steve quietly, although her expression gets more and more frustrated as he continues. Clint sinks down, and Natasha reaches out to touch his arm, just a brief brush of her fingers against his sleeve. Clint with a family, with kids. That's a sore spot for him, and in her mind, there was absolutely no reason for Steve to bring it up. And then the parts about Tony—when it's her turn again, her voice is much tighter, more frustrated.]

What did I just say about sniping at one another? What are you looking to accomplish here, Steve? As far as I'm understanding it, we agree with each other on not pursuing anything we've seen in Watson's notes, but to say we shouldn't be cautious is naive. I told you we need to drop whatever conflicts we brought here with us, because a place like this will try to tear us apart. I could list your flaws for the next twenty minutes, but it won't help. Calling Stark "lazy" or "arrogant" isn't helping this discussion, just like questioning whether or not Clint actually wants to be a part of the team isn't helping. Are the two of you going to act like adults, or are you just going to waste our time?

Everyone was missing the point. He wasn't calling them out. He was demonstrating differences... Or trying to. It was extremely frustrating because, yet again, no one was telling him anything. He didn't know it was a sore spot for Clint with a wife and kids. He didn't know that Tony took so much to heart.

Steve wasn't a guy that believed in retreat but he should have known from the conversations he'd had with Stark that being in his presence was going to be a problem. Tony didn't hear him. He corrected things that Steve had gotten right. And Natasha... Well, she usually allied with Stark. Or had last time and maybe that still rubbed him a little raw.

"You've missed the point. So I guess that's the one thing you have in common with your counterparts at home." He rubbed hands still shaking from the cough together. "It doesn't matter. I'll help out anyway you need me to."

But they didn't need him right now. They would actually give him information if they did.

"Watson mentioned that there's going to be medication for whatever chest cold I've gotten. And he mentioned there's hot water near there. I'm sorry that I can't stay longer. There's a kid out there who is aiming to do something really stupid and... I might do a little better helping there." It was just a matter of grabbing his pack and heading out now.

He had a few hours of light left. He'd make it to shelter by nightfall.

"Oh. That SD card. I left it in the kitchen, Tony. I can look for more and let you know when I've found any."

Edited 2016-09-08 20:00 (UTC)

[ Clint is so totally at a loss for words after everything that he kind of just stares at Steve like he's grown another head. He tries to speak and then tries to make a frustrated noise because he can't speak, and nothing comes from either of those options. Instead, he just rubs at his throat and quickly tries to type out a response before Steve can leave. ]

Wait
Wait but that isn't even a fair
You're just gonna leave after all of that

[ There's a pause, and then Clint bangs his hand against the couch, irritated because he can't fucking speak. He stands up, like he's going to... do something, but he doesn't know what, so he kind of just stands there, looking defeated. He's pointedly ignoring Tony, at this point. Sorry, Tony. He's upset. ]

[This is officially a disaster. He can't repair it and he knows that, but the whole point was to keep everyone working together. Tony steps forward to cut Steve off.]

Wait, wait, Steve! Don't leave angry.

[Of all things, he can't have these people mad. Clint might deck him later and that will make up for his dumb mouth, but Steve might not get that chance.]

Look, Natasha's right. I'm just... I'm not good. Right now. I'm not. And I didn't mean that before. I just don't know who the Avengers are.

[He glances Clint's way, even if he ignores him.]

Maybe I am still looking for someone that isn't there. But I meant what I said about Watson. I thought he was nice enough too, and then... I don't like being judged by some standard I haven't even seen.

[He shuffles his feet a bit uneasily.]

I was going to ask what the rest of you thought about splitting up. You're all right. We can't be everywhere, but maybe if we could spread out and help in different areas, we could do more to keep people safe. And not just from each other. From the town. If we agreed to meet up to make sure we're all still safe, we could make it a team effort.

[He starts to say more, stops, rubs his arm, and starts over.]

Obviously, I meant to ask that in a different way. I- Steve, what I know of the man who shares your name could fill houses. Several of them. I have- A lot is in storage. Comparing you to him isn't easy. Especially right now. If you were asking what I thought of him before, he's one of the single bravest people I've ever known, and I owe him my life. Several times over. There is no one the people admire more, civilian or hero, so I'm sorry that Iron Man is a disappointment to you.

We don't always agree. It's true, and lately more true than it has been. But we are still a team, I hope.

[And then Steve wants to leave, and Natasha is so frustrated she opens her mouth to protest, but Clint beats her to it, and she just listens. She stands up, finally, crossing her arms and sighing.]

We'd be able to help more people if we split up, yes, but there's a reason we involved you in this discussion, Steve.

"I'm not leaving angry." And he truly wasn't. It hadn't been fair to tell these people information about the person he knew them to be when they weren't exactly willing to share the same with him.

That their Captain America was brave and saved their lives? It was a non-point. They all were brave. Each one of them. They all saved lives. It was their job, one that they had all happily accepted.

"But I am leaving. Two weeks ago, I gave up being Captain America. I gave up the Avengers. I decided to do things on my own and in my own way and anyone that thought the way I did was welcome to help. I'm going to keep looking out for answers here. And I'm going to help people here. I'll keep in contact if anything turns up of use."

And that really was going to be that.

"Call me if you need me." But he doubted they would call too soon and that was all right with him because it had to be. Just like everything else in his life.

Steve shouldered his pack and gave a little wave, reminded Tony of the SD card he left him and trudged out into the snow.

[log] clint barton's no good very bad week [closed]

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Sorry this got huge.

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