[log] give me that sportsball I'm gonna throw it in the garbage [closed]

[awwnoun]

Characters: Clint, Natasha, Ecks, Davesprite
Location: Building 124
Date: Day 195, evening
Summary: Introducing: dog!
Warnings: None, at the moment.

124: This house, covered in snow, is dark and cold, but better than outside. The snow presses in on the windows and makes the roof creak and groan whenever it shifts, but it seems to be holding up alright. It's a standard, single-story house with a living room, single bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and dining room. The bedframe has been taken apart, and its pieces arranged neatly from largest to smallest on the floor. The house is sparsely furnished, unfortunately with mostly metal There's a back door leading off into darkness, but it isn't locked. There's a blue smear on the bathroom cabinet. "Hsiaoke Pass" is written in spray paint over the door facing the residential zone, and in sharpie on the back door.

Comments

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite flinches as Clint kicks the scissors away. A part of his mind kicks unhappily that he's unarmed, but Natasha and Clint are safe and capable, and the larger part of him is still concerned that he freaked out at all.]

No?

[Like he's unsure.]

I—I drew scissors on her. I shouldn't have...

[He looks back toward Natasha as she picks them up, then to Ecks.]

I didn't hear you coming. You were just there out of fucking nowhere, and... And you wouldn't back down. You quoted my line back at me like you were mocking me. What the hell was that for?

[awwnoun]

I think everybody's sort of on edge after everything that's happened. [ Clint says, gently. ] It's easy to get spooked and want to defend yourself.

[ But he does leave room for Ecks to step in and explain herself, here. ]

[redrooms]

It sounds like a misunderstanding.

[But she'll let Ecks jump in here, too.]

[ecks]

Oh.

[When he explains it seems...not obvious, but like an explanation that explains the events.]

I was upset and I did not want you to cut me. I wanted to sound upset so you would know how I felt.

I didn't smile afterward. That means it is not a joke.

[mrcreamsicles]

[His lips press together. It doesn't feel as simple as Clint says, but he has the decency to wait and let Ecks defend herself. And him, he just feels stupid. Why would she be mocking him? She's obviously not good at the standard way of emoting, and misses his jokes often enough that he should have known. Of course she was asking him to stand down, of course she was upset, of course she didn't want to get stabbed.]

... Okay. Right.

[Breathe in, breathe out.]

Sorry. It was my fault. I shouldn't have freaked out, or drawn a weapon. I still don't...

[His mouth closes, opens again.]

I think I need to go chill out. Nat, keep the scissors, I don't want them anymore. And I'll get the handcuffs back from you when I'm calm again, Ecks, okay?

[He glances back to Clint.]

Can we go talk?

[awwnoun]

Yeah. [ Clint glances at Ecks and Natasha. ] We can go talk. Hey - you guys gonna be okay?

Go grab some food. Relax.

[redrooms]

[Considering Clint seems to have Davesprite handled, Natasha turns her attention back to Ecks, her voice soft.]

It's alright, Ecks. It isn't a big deal.

[ecks]

[Ecks's voice is quiet, too.]

I was going to give his handcuffs back to him.

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite waits only long enough to see that Natasha is handling things with Ecks. With a motion to Clint, he floats off—not turning his back—toward the door and out into another room.]

[Once there, for lack of something soft to sit on, he leans back against a wall. His arms fold up across his chest.]

That wasn't normal for me.

[awwnoun]

Yeah, I know, buddy. [ Clint eases himself against the wall as well, watching Davesprite with a bit of a frown. ] What's going on?

[mrcreamsicles]

She snuck up— [Pause.] Startled me. Didn't hear her come up, didn't see her, just suddenly she was saying a thing and I jumped like it was a surprise strife session.

[Which, you know, would be one thing. A normal thing. A training match makes sense and has a form and has expectations and has an identifiable purpose that is obviously about fighting.]

Except she just wanted to give me the handcuffs back, and I couldn't get myself to back off. That's why I called you and Nat in. I wasn't— [His mouth twists.] I wasn't supposed to draw scissors on a fucking two-year-old or treat her like she wanted to fight me. She literally said she didn't.

[awwnoun]

That sounds kind of like ramped up paranoia. [ A beat. ] Kind of sounds like what Bucky's going through. Like a constant fight or flight thing?

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite holds still and silent for a second or two, then lets out a slow breath through his nose. Paranoia. Is that it? But 'constant fight or flight' is evocative, and he thinks through past days. Hell, he thinks of Bucky, of times meeting with him, of how tense he was.]

[He reaches up and rubs at the bridge of his nose.]

Welp. Fuck. Maybe? I don't know—I've been on edge off and on for a while, but I thought that was just this place getting to me because it's so dangerous all the time.

[awwnoun]

Yeah, I think that's not helping, the fact that this place is so dangerous, but - I think there's more to it. If you know that's not how you'd usually react and you're still tense about Ecks coming up to you...

[ Clint glances up at Davesprite. ] So maybe it's this place, maybe there's something more. I thought I was just sore from crawling around until it didn't go away, you think this is the poisoning thing?

[mrcreamsicles]

[He really kind of hates the thought. Sure he's been jumpy and wary lately, but why shouldn't he be after everything that's gone on? But he has been for ages now. He found excuses—thought he saw something, or it was the eyes, or it was Bucky being Bucky, or the aftermath of being murdered, or people, or the aquarium, or...]

[His hand drops.]

Maybe?

[He glances back.]

I've been on guard since before our eyes first went weird and that night happened. At least since I ran into Watson and Sherlock down near the fast food place? But that was... I didn't jump this bad.

[His eyebrows bunch up.]

This morning wasn't great either, but what was I supposed to think when some old sentimental shit showed up on the counter?

[awwnoun]

Yeah, the - sentimental stuff was weird. Definitely wasn't expecting to get Lucky back. [ Clint scrubs at his face. ] But I don't think it's something that's going to hurt us.

It gets worse over time. This whole poisoning thing. If you don't think it's normal, it might not be. We know this place screws with us, you know? [ He gestures idly at his arm with a wince. ] So maybe it's just paranoia being helped along.

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite looks at that arm, and for a second his lips press together tight.]

The stuff didn't hurt us. But I thought... maybe something left it. I saw something out the corner of my eye, thought it was running past the window, I don't know. I tried to go after it but Natasha stopped me.

[A beat.]

No sign of it once we left. Not even footprints. So—poisoning. You think that's part of it, too?

[awwnoun]

Yeah, maybe. [ Clint thinks about it. ] That sounds like you're being fucked with. Especially if Natasha didn't see anything, she's as paranoid as they get.

Maybe it just gives you an extra push? Like it makes it way worse than it should be. I don't know how it works entirely, paranoia is hard to define. [ Clint carefully leans closer, resting an arm on Davesprite's arm and making sure Davesprite sees him do it. ] Do you want me to tell you when I think you might be freaking out?

[mrcreamsicles]

[Davesprite allows him the contact.]

Being fucked with is my whole goddamn way of life in this town.

[But he knows what Clint means. The offer takes more mulling over, because what does he really want? Having someone to serve as a rudder and keep him from veering too far would be helpful, but he feels guilty now that he has the problem at all. Shouldn't he have been able to stop himself? Shouldn't he have known better? But he hasn't, and he didn't, and it might just get worse still, like Clint's progression of aches and pains.]

... Alright.

[He doesn't sound real pleased.]

You tell me to chill, and I'll try to rein myself back in.

[awwnoun]

Yeah, okay, I can do that. [ Clint squeezes Davesprite's arm gently. ] I'll do it nice, promise.

[ He says it lightly, trying to keep Davesprite from feeling too poorly. ] Don't worry about Ecks so much, alright? She'll understand if you tell her you didn't mean to get in her face. She probably didn't mean to get in yours, either.

[mrcreamsicles]

Thanks, Clint.

[He breathes in, sighs out slow.]

Yeah, no, I won't. I'll tell her. Probably tomorrow after I'm calmer about everything. I don't think she would have reacted like that if I had just backed down.

[He's mostly just frustrated at himself now. He has a lot to think back over.]

I think I just need to relax right now. Can I go chill with Lucky? If you want to go talk to Nat or Ecks, I don't mind, but I could use some dog time.

[awwnoun]

No problem, DS, you know I'm here. [ Clint lets go of Davesprite, and offers him a little smile. ] Go for it. Lucky's gonna be happy to see you.

I'll go make sure things are good with the girls. You relax. Come get me if you need me, alright?

[ And he'll scoot on out to go do that if Davesprite lets him. Lucky is indeed happy to see Davesprite, and the dog will sit with him for as long as he wants. ]

[mrcreamsicles]

Sure thing, man.

[He lets him, and he goes to track down Lucky. He's a good dog. Dogs don't judge. Lucky is gonna get the best goddamn belly rub of his life.]