ryslig inbox

[coffeepots]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, CLINT BARTON. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 008.01.023.11 *** HAWKEYE has joined 008.01.023.11 <hawkeye> this is clint barton, please leave a message. <hawkeye> if you need something fixed in your apartment please just knock on my door or something, it's faster.

"Anonymous" username: < ronin >

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[coffeepots]

[Clint pauses, raising an eyebrow as Joey continues to sign. He rests his chin against his hand, leaning forward in his seat.]

Huh.

[He wouldn't have expected it, especially not from such a kind, considerate person like Joey. But Clint doesn't push for more information--that's for Joey to tell, if he wants to. He turns to look back towards the nymph.]

Sorry for dumping that on you, I just--I just wanted to, um...lay out all my cards on the table, let you know what you're getting into.

[In this place, it'd be too easy to just pretend like none of that ever happened. There's no one around to warn Joey about how much of a trash fire Clint Barton's romantic life actually is, and there's nothing stopping Clint from selfishly pursuing this in an attempt to ignore all his previous romantic endeavors. But Joey's a decent guy. He doesn't deserve to have that sprung on him without at least knowing what's up.]

So. Uh. [He stops signing for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck.] I'm willing to give a relationship a try, if you are. It's just--you're a great guy, for Christ's sake, and I'm--

[A walking joke? Afraid to mess it up? Reading too much into a good thing?]

--nervous?

[tellessultan]

[Joey doesn't realize he had been holding his breath until it melts out of him, his shoulders sinking as he deflates against the bench with a relieved sigh. There are plenty of ways Clint could have responded to finding out he's almost been married twice and screwed everything up both times - and God bless him, Clint chose one of the best possible options.]

[There's gotta be some weirdly specific word for the feeling when everything goes way better than it should. "Pleasantly surprised" is too tame, it doesn't hit right. Jazzed, maybe? Dazzled?]

[Yeah, until he can think of a better word, Joey's just gonna go ahead and consider himself thoroughly dazzled.]

But if I'm nervous, and you're nervous, then who's driving?

[He flashes a weak smile, knowing the joke isn't funny enough to get a genuine laugh, or bad enough to get an ironic one.]

Sorry - that's a Wilson thing. We can't ever have a Moment without someone cracking wise.

[He pauses, buys himself some time to think by pulling out a box of oats from his shopping bag. A few yards away, the small army of approaching ducks begin to quack with interest and excitement.]

I'll try to be better about it, going forward. If you want. If that's where we're going, I mean -

[His nervous babble is interrupted by the demanding quack of a mallard, and Joey thanks his lucky stars that it arrived before he got the chance to make even more of an ass out of himself.]

[He dutifully tears open the mouth of the box of oats and sprinkles a bit on the ground. The duck and his companions quickly set to work devouring their instant oatmeal, which brings a small smile to Joey's face despite how tumultuous this entire day has been.]

[Wordlessly, he reaches over to tap the back of Clint's hand, before turning his own hand over, palm out. He nods towards the box of oats, which he gives a little shake for the sake of illustration, just in case his meaning isn't clear enough.]

[Come on Clint. Feed the ducks by hand. You know you want to.]

[coffeepots]

[Clint pauses, offers Joey a reassuring, nervous grin. He digs his hand into the box, takes a handful of oats, and scatters it across the ground before him. A few ducks start pecking at the ground, quacking softly and wagging their little tails. Clint grins, leaning back in his seat.]

I think...I think it's what I want.

[God, why is it so much harder to say that out loud? He glances between the ducks and Joey, an unsure expression on his face.]

Your...uh. Your dad won't be mad, will he? I mean, since he kicked you out of Defiance and all.

[Asking that makes feels like a high schooler, nervously navigating parent-child relationships. But this seems like new territory to him. He pauses for a moment, eyebrows furrowing as he realizes--]

Wait, do you have a place to stay?