A/N: Now… From this point on, I think a lot of it's going to be in Clint's point of view. I mean, more than it has already, so don't be surprised if it's a lot of Clint. Also... Yay! A longer chapter again. :D
Also, this chapter would've been up sooner if the chapter-name-bar-thing could hold just, like, two more letters. But, since it can't, I had to think up a brand new title. And it was hard. (And yes, the new title is kind of ridiculous. Forgive me, I'm not very creative.)
Smiles & Snipers & Butterflies, Oh my!:
~Clint~
It's just me, Phil, and the scary blond dude in a small room that only contains a leather couch. I chuckle nervously at the situation. "As you probably already know, I was hired to kill you." The prince nods, but doesn't seem to feel awkward at all. "When I got arrested... someone else was hired for the job. I'm the only who can prevent any possible scenarios." He has a look on his face that says 'don't bother me, I'm thinking.'
"All right." The long-haired man stares at him questioningly. "You're hired." He faces the blond. "Thor, if you would be so kind as to get Mr. Barton a uniform from the security room it would be appreciated." Thor looks uncertain but nods and exits the room. Phil lets out a shaky breath. "You better be right about this." I nod, unable to find words to say. "Good. I'm putting a lot on the line for you."
"I understand, sir. Thank you." He smiles at me and his smile is damn beautiful. "You have a beautiful smile, sir." He smiles a bit bigger and looks down, but I swear I can see a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. "I promise you, sir. I won't let you die." He laughs.
"You were supposed to kill me. What made you change your mind?" I shrug. I don't know what changed my mind. Maybe it was actually meeting him. I can't say for certain. I sit down on the couch and he sits next to me, not afraid for any reason. "Something must have changed it."
"You, sir." He stares into my eyes and I feel like I'm caught in a trance. "I met you. I was only going to warn you, but when I saw you… everything changed. You spoke out against everyone else when you had the most reason to agree with them. You made me feel important, for the first time in my life… I… I feel important…" The corners of his lips curl into a small smile and he leans forward a bit, quite obviously staring at my mouth. The door swings open and ruins our moment.
"Sir, I believe this one will fit him." Phil nods and goes to Thor. He takes the uniform, observes it for a second, and tosses it my way. They motion for me to get dressed and face the door. I walk to the corner and try it on. It's a bit snug in places, but it fits more or less. I smirk.
"You guys can look now." They turn around and Phil nods in approval. Thor holds his hand out to me and he has an amazing grip. "It's nice to meet you. I'd introduce myself, but I think you already know who I am." He smiles and nods.
"I am Thor." I smile and we all walk out into the hallway that connects to a big room. This big room connects to another big room, which has a couple different elevators. There are So many rooms and levels I can't even begin to understand it. The three of us approach everyone else.
"I do hope you know what you're doing, Clint." I snicker. Way to be supportive, Loki. Loki swallows and stands around awkwardly. Steve and Tony simply look around confused and trying to figure out what's going on while holding hands. Phil speaks up.
"Mr. Barton will be head of security tomorrow." Steve's eyes go huge. "He knows their plan of attack. It makes sense, if I may say so myself. I mean, I'd rather not die tomorrow." Everyone nods, but I can tell they don't agree with his assessment.
~Clint~
Loki, Bruce, Thor, Phil, and I all sit around in a nearly empty room discussing tomorrow. Steve and Tony are supposed to be here, but they got an urgent call in. Really, though, I think they just didn't want to miss their dinner reservations. "So, what if he changes the plan? You know, since you're obviously alive." I take a minute to think.
"If that's the case, then… Well…" I scratch at my lip with a confused expression on my face. "I guess we'd be screwed." Phil lets out a laugh, but no one else seems to be amused. "I mean, if they changed it, then I can't really predict anything, but…" I stare at Loki and he picks up on my thoughts, thank god, because I'm no good with words.
"We should know the basics. Snipers hide on roofs, or in high places. Therefore, if we can monitor the high places with helicopters, cameras, or something else we should be fine." Everyone but me nods. As Loki speaks a new thoughts dons on me.
"Then he won't be in a high place." Everyone stares at me in confusion. "He knows I'm alive and that I'm a sniper. He'd want to do something a sniper would never think of. No normal sniper, at least." A look of realization dons on Bruce's face.
"He's going to shoot from below?" I point to Bruce and nod. "He'd most likely find a secluded area on ground level. He would shoot from there. Heights would be too obvious." I smile. "Unless they figure we'll think of this. Then he would be hiding high."
"There are too many what-if's here." Phil licks his lips nervously. "How about we just plan for anything and wing it?" Everyone looks nervous and decides to take a quick break. Thor immediately walks towards Loki and places his hand on Loki's shoulder. It's low, but I swear I hear Thor say something along the lines of 'I have missed you, brother.'
Loki smiles – he smiles, damn it – and nods in agreement. Phil walks to me, places his hand on my shoulder, and drags me off to a hallway. I don't know what's going on, but I sure as hell don't argue with him. He pulls me into an abandoned corridor and we both sit against a wall. Our shoulders are touching and he seems nervous. "I… I don't understand." He turns to face me and gives me a quizzical look. "Why you trust me. I don't understand it."
He shrugs. "Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith. It took a lot of courage for you to show up here, so it must have been important. If it wasn't, you wouldn't have taken the risk." I nod. "Besides, everyone deserves a second chance." I stare at him in disbelief. "I mean it, Clint. Everyone deserves a second chance, no matter who they are. And I know you're going to try your best. Because I can already tell that you put everything into what you do. And that's a good quality to have."
"So, basically… You trust me because you, despite not knowing me at all, think that I deserve a chance to redeem myself?" He nods and I let out a laugh. "No offense, but you're making a mistake picking me. I… I'm not worth it. I don't deserve this…" He smiles again and I can't help but blush a bit.
"Everyone deserves a second includes you, Barton. Don't forget it." He starts to lean forward again and butterflies ambush my stomach. Suddenly, his face is too close to mine for comfort.
A/N: … Yes, I'm really cutting this chapter off there. Don't hate me!
... Is it sad if this story isn't near over yet..? I mean, the original plot point is about to come up, but I did some thinking. I, uh, figured out where I want this to go, like, seriously this time. And we have a while to go, I think. Can you guys bear with me for that long? :D
(PS. I think I'm about as good with words as Clint is, so...)
