A potential S.H.I.E.L.D. field agent
"Just a couple of more tests and training and I can get out there" Jessie thought as she walked down the stairs of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in the Stark Tower.
Mr. Stark (we aren't allowed to call him Tony, according to Mr. Fury) was a little hesitant in having SHIELD working in the same place as he did, but he did have enough space and they could manage to pay the rent for the 14 floors and basement training area they would need to occupy.
Ever since the hit the agency took by that alien-god guy several months ago, Agent Hill had started recruiting for new field agents to work for them. Everyone started training and studying different handbooks to get the feel of what it would all be. Some lucky people have had the opportunity to work hand in hand with the "Avengers;" Captain Ame- no, Captain Rogers had been glad to take some people under his wing and teach them hand to hand combat at the training area. Others were being taken by Ms. Romanoff (mostly guys, funny enough) in Martial Arts and gun control and even Dr. Banner had taken some people up to his lab (bunch of ass kissers) to teach them about some scientific stuff. But Agent Barton was nowhere to be seen, rumors ran that he was in hiding in some far off country because of all the killings he partook when he was under Loki's control, the tow of the deaths taking on him very harshly.
Once Jessie reached the door to the training area she turned on the lights and basked on that amazing room: she never knew why it was all painted black, but it gave it a very cool edge; a big boxing ring in a far corner, the small shooting range not too far from it and opposite it, a very big arching area, probably a request made by the elusive "Hawkeye." She took down her gym bag, took off her jacket and placed them in a bench next to the door and walked over the three areas in question and paced in front of them, deciding which she should take advantage off, since no one was going to use them at midnight (not that they were really allowed to do, actually). She was already good at the close combat thing, but she was not so good at either of the weapons.
"The archery thing looks easy enough" she said out loud and walked towards a display of several arrows and bows for the taking: some very high tech and others very rustic like out of a Robin Hood story. She got one from the middle and examined the string between her fingers, it felt strong enough for practice; she took it and several arrows and walked towards the empty shooting range.
She took one arrow and placed the quiver on the floor next to her. She has been told in some practices before that she should be wearing a finger tab to ease the arrow from her fingers into the target, but she wanted to feel the whole experience of the arrow grazing her skin as it eased into whatever she had in front of her. She took the bow and placed the arrow carefully and tensed it up into place, she held her fingers against her cheek and began to aim at the center of the target across from her, took a deep breath and released it. It managed to hit it, but far from the bull's-eye.
Jessie moved her neck from one side to the other, cracking it in the process and shook her arms around, trying to release some of the tension; she took another arrow and did the same process she was used to, but she didn't manage to lodge the arrow right in the middle, neither the third, fourth or fifth arrow she released.
She threw the bow to the ground in frustration and cursed loudly at the black ceiling. "Well, you wouldn't be that pissed off if you managed to do it the right way." Jessie looked around the room, but wasn't able to place the deep voice she just heard. "If you think you are that good then, come prove it. Whoever the fuck you are" she yelled as she threw her arms up and turned around the whole room, daring the person to come forward. She heard a slight thump behind her and she turned around surprised "who the fuck… Oh, wait. You are;" "Yes, I am. And you are not doing it right, um…" he waited for her to tell him his name but she was suddenly star struck: fucking Clint "Hawkeye" Barton was standing in front of her. "Ah. Jessie Chase, my name is Jessie. No, it's actually Jessica but you can call me Jessie" she managed to mutter while staring straight into his eyes. He gave her a slight smile and raised his hand to her, she hesitated for a second "well, nice to meet you. Jessie?" he said, waiting for her answer. She shook it nervously and took a couple of steps back; he walked back to the target and picked up the arrows.
"You are too stressed, Jessie. I can basically see your shoulder muscles tensing into knots when you release the bow" he said, his back facing her. She held her gaze to the floor; she was incredibly embarrassed to be doing a poor job and now she was being scolded by one of the best Agents S.H.I.E.L.D. has. "Have you been down here ever since I came in?" she asked him, a little boldly, she had to add. He looked back at her and gave her a smug smile and walked towards the bow, picking it up. "This has been my hiding place for a while now. I can't get rusty, can I?" He took Jessie's place in front of the target and placed the quiver on his back. He took a bow and set himself in place, standing straight and comfortably. "Just. Watch" he whispered at her.
She walked over to his right and stood not too far from him, she folded her arms in front of her and watched every single movement Clint made: the way he held the arrow in his fingers, how he placed the arrow too close to his cheek, the muscles on his back relaxing and his brow furrowed in concentration. Just a second after, he released the arrow and it carelessly lodged itself in the bull's-eye. He turned around to face her "see, that wasn't so hard, was it?" She laughed lightly "come on, you are the best archer out there, of course it's easy for you." He raised an eyebrow, "well, dear, that's what a lot of practice does to you over the years" he said as he took another arrow from his back and faced the target again.
He took the same position and followed the same process he did earlier and Jessie could not manage not to stare at him. He was dressed all in black: jeans and a t-shirt, that last item particularly hugging his torso well, and making his arms stand out, more than usual. He had the arrow close to his face again; she watched how the muscles on his arms tensed up and had to lick her lips at the sight. He probably had heard that she did so because he turned his face to hers and gave her a devilish smile; "of course he knew I was looking, of course. I'm such an ass" she thought to herself. He never took his eyes of her flushed face and released the arrow and it landed lazily next to the first one.
"So" he took several steps and stood really close to her "how about you give it a go and see how I can help" he handed her the bow and quiver; Jessie had to shake her head to snap back into reality and took them both and stood in front of the target, placing the arrow straight. She tried to mimic the way Clint had so accurately placed the arrow in the target and released the arrow. Not even close. He stood near her, arms crossed and his hand propped up against his chin, tapping his finger against his mouth "hmmm, you are doing everything right, but I still feel you are a little bit tense, little girl." He walked up to her and stood flush behind her, placing his arms behind hers as she was holding the bow up.
Jessie swore she could feel the temperature rise several degrees when she felt his hands holding her arms straight. "Ok, here's what you do" Clint said close to her ear, making her shiver slightly "just think of the arrow as an extension of your body, this knots here" he pressed his hands over her shoulders, the sudden pressure against her tensed muscles making her gasp soundlessly "will go away eventually. Just close your eyes if you need to, but don't stress if you don't get it. God knows it took me a while to be this good" he laughed, and he still was so damn close to her she could feel his breath on her neck. "You're not making this easier on me" she thought to herself. "I'll give it my best, can you?" she motioned for him to move away and he smiled and raised his arms in defeat as he backed away a couple steps from her.
She closed her eyes for a second and thought to herself "an extension of my arm, an extension of my… fuck he even smells so good" she shook her head "ok, focus, Jessica, you need to get this." "I'm not getting any younger here" he said, she opened her eyes and huffed loudly "shut the fuck up. Please, just shut up" she tried to lower her voice. She tried to release the pressure from her shoulders and let go of her fingers and the arrow lodged itself on the target.
Clint clapped slowly as he walked up next to her and padded her in the back, not taking it off place. She smiled at the result and held the bow next to her "well, it seems you do give good advice, Agent Barton." He walked up to the target and took the arrows and walked back to her "I think now we're passed the place where you can call me by my first name" and he winked at her.
Thirty minutes and 20 arrows later, she managed to get the hang of landing them straight in the bull's-eye. She had to hand it to Agent Burton for helping her relax, he started asking about her life: where she came from, why did she come here and why does she want to be a field agent since "it isn't that big of a deal" he said. "If you don't mind me asking" she hesitated for a second, maybe I shouldn't go there "Clint, where did you go the last few months?" He was sitting on the floor, legs extended and propping himself up by his hands, he looked up at her and said "Brazil. O clima é maravilhoso." She raised an eyebrow at him "Tenho a sensação de que você não está sendo honesto". He stood up and cleaned himself off "well, well. You been there too?" he smirked, but she sighed and continued aiming at the target "I am a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, after all. I am fluent in 6 languages and have several... Anyways, you are avoiding my question."
He looked down at the floor and ran his hand through his hair "I was here all along. I just. I can't be here. All the looks people give me, like I have done something wrong. And I know I have" he continued, staring at the far wall, like trying to look for an answer there. "Tony gave me a room on the 40th floor and I usually leave at midnight to unwind. Just me, my arrows and my bow."
"You know" she returned to where he stood with her arrows in her hand "it wasn't your fault, you know. All of this, it was that beetle looking guy, Loki's fault." He wasn't returning his gaze to her; he was staring at the plaque close to the door of the training area that read: "In Memory of All Fallen Agents. Your bravery will always be an inspiration to all of us." That's when it hit her. The death of many agents hit S.H.I.E.L.D. very hard and, even if it has been over half a year, some people haven't forgotten about the attack. And it seems, neither can Agent Barton.
They have become acquainted in a matter of minutes but she didn't think she could just go up to him and hug him or tell him it was going to be ok. She didn't know what he had gone through: being taken by Loki, being brainwashed and killing a lot of innocent people. But in the other hand he did manage to save most of New York City from the alien attack. He was, after all, a hero in everyone's eyes. Jessie took her bow and arrow and handed it to him "here, you need this the most. Blow off some steam." He took them and gave her a tiny smile "just" she paused for a second "know it wasn't you. You are a hero, to all of us." She realized she was holding him by his shoulder and he looked down at her hand and back at her face. She took a step back, thinking she did wrong and tried to get her hand away, but he pressed his own against it and muttered "thank you."
She was a little speechless, she didn't know he had a vulnerable side, and it appealed to her even more than he already did. He held her hand for a couple of seconds (might call it an eternity, actually) and he coughed and stepped back uncomfortably. "Ah, so, are you not staying? You know, you should practice more. You are a little bit rusty." She hesitated for a second "I don't think so. It's already late and I need to go home. Thanks, for all the help."
Jessie started walking towards the entrance, trying her best not to run back and kiss him. She was able to hear the slight thump of the arrow attaching itself to the target; she looked back at him and sighed "well. At least I can say I met the guy. That would be a cool anecdote" she thought. She bent over to pick up her gym bag and put back her jacket. "Hey. Jessie, wait a second" his voice beckoned behind her. She turned around and saw him standing not too far from her "what's up?" she said, one hand holding the bag and the other against her hip.
"I. Um. I" he mumbled, but this just made her anxious "what is it? Cat got your tongue?" she teased. He started to tap his fingers against his leg, trying to come up with words "I. I wanted," he stayed quiet again. "Seriously, Clint. Just get it over with" she almost screamed, she was getting exasperated. "You know what? I'm just gonna go home now" she turned around and started to walk towards the elevator up the long flight of stairs.
Everything that happened next was just a blur. She felt his hard grip on her arm as he spun her around and kissed her. He crushed his lips against hers and wrapped his arms behind her hips trying to push her closer. She was pleasantly surprised but had to blink twice to process what was happening; she pushed his face away for a second and stared at his blue eyes, which practically were growing with lust at the time "oh, fuck it" she thought and grabbed him by his shirt and pushed him as close as possible and kissed him with the same power he had enforced on her.
Now, he paused for a second "I hope you don't think I'm being to forward here, having just met" he whispered against her lips, the soft touch and his slow breath making her skin crawl "just, shut up." He smiled and kissed her passionately again, pushing her against the door of the training area. Bodies flush against each other, she could feel his heart pounding hard against his chest; his lips tangled around hers as his hands moved up and down her back, not sure of what to do with them.
She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him inside the training area, not parting his lips from hers. He pushed her hard against the wall of the room, a little bit roughly, but she didn't complain at all and just whimpered into his lips. Jessie tugged harshly at his hair, pushing him closer and Clint managed to take her jacket off swiftly. He started to move his lips up to her neck, biting and licking and kissing every single spot available, the grazing of his teeth against her earlobe, his hard breathing against her chest as he traveled down her cleavage.
Her hands traveled down his back and started moving his shirt up and throwing it on a corner somewhere. She pushed him back for a second and gave a quick rundown of how Clint looked this way (because, let's face it, how many times will you have the chance to see or do Clint Barton?) She bit her lip and gave a sly smile at him "well, well" she breathed, he raised one eyebrow at her "why do I suddenly feel like a piece of meat?" She laughed and grabbed him by his neck and pushed him against her again, crashing their lips together.
A hard thud broke them from the intense kissing and they stopped, looking up at the entrance of the training area and saw a shadow walking down the stairs (thank God they were a long flight down here, she thought). Clint took her face on his hand and turned Jessie to face him, looking at her eyes for a couple of seconds, kissed her softly on her lips and smiled. "You should" he panted against her lips "check who that it is." He stepped back and motioned her to the door of the training room; she tried to fix her hair and her clothes, took a deep breath and smiled at Clint, who was standing shirtless, arms folded into his chest and propping himself against the wall.
She walked up to the stairs and faced the stranger "Ms. Romanoff, good evening. Can I help you with something?" Jessie placed her hands inside the pockets of her jeans and smiled back at the Agent. "I was wondering why there would be anyone here so late, Ms Chase. Shouldn't you head home? This quarter is off limits at this time" She gave Jessie a cold stare, well, she was used to it, as good as an Agent Natasha Romanoff is, she is quite scary as well. "I "Jessie mumbled "I was just heading out. I needed a little bit of" Natasha interrupted "sure, whatever. Just. Head out and let's not have this happen again." Jessie nodded fast "yes, Agent Romanoff, sure thing." And the red head started walking up the steps again. Jessie waited until the door at the top of the stairs shut itself and ran back inside.
"So, your dear friend wanted to. Clint?" she looked around, the smile on her face fading quickly. No sight of him. She sighed and laughed to herself "well, guess I am going to have this as a funny story to tell in the future." She grabbed her jacket and her back and started heading up the stairs and into the elevator. The doors closed and she sighed, she rested her head against the cool glass of the elevator wall and pressed the button to the lobby. The whole day had been a whirlwind for her: all day at the office and now, her rendezvous with Agent Barton in the training room. She closed her eyes and started to drift off to what had happened minutes ago: how he caught her off guard and kissed her, his hands running up and down her back but mostly, when he took her hand in his, that sheer moment of vulnerability. The ding telling her she was at her destination woke her up and she walked out to the lobby and to the cold New York weather, a smile never leaving her face.
Just five minutes into the walk home, she could feel her cell phone buzz in her jacket. She pulled it out and saw the screen blink with unknown message. "We have unfinished business, Jessica. I have my eye on you. –C" She had to read the message about three more times to process what was going on. She smiled at the message and closed it off, placing her phone inside of her leather jacket. She bit her lower lip to keep herself from screaming and started to jump up and down on her place. Never in a million years would she imagine she'd have a man like that all to herself and, for some reason, he wanted her, HER. Another buzz interrupted her impromptu celebration and she checked again, another unknown message: "I don't know if I should find your dancing endearing or embarrassing. Just. Don't do it in public. –C" She shut her phone off and looked around, trying to find him. Up in the tops of the surrounding buildings, the people walking down the street a block from her, the people on their cars on their way home. But she wasn't able to see him, well; he was good at being imperceptible after all.
She smiled and started walking. Every step she took she could feel his eyes over her somewhere, just looking after her. And she couldn't help but think she had broken his hard shell and gotten to the real Clint Barton.
This is the first out of several chapters that will tell the story of three fictional characters on the Avengers universe. We'll see how far along we'll go from here. R/Rs are always appreciated!
