The road trip continues! And we get something we didn't get in the show - part of Clint's backstory that isn't Ronin! Yes, I'm still bitter and hoping for a season 2. I'm a dreamer; sue me.
After several bathroom stops (mainly for Lucky, a few for Kate), Clint pulled into the hotel parking lot, stopping the car underneath the hotel's arched awning. "Be right back." Clint exited the vehicle, leaving the car running, trusting Bucky (and Lucky, to a lesser degree) to ensure no one drove off with the vehicle. After checking in at the front desk, he returned and slid back into the driver's seat. "Here." Clint reached behind him and handed Kate a key card, then turned and handed Bucky the one to his room. "Top floor, three adjoining rooms. Bucky, I've got you in the middle room. Since I've got overnight dog duty, I'm on the end, and Kate will be on the other side. Sound good?"
Bucky nodded. "Sure, no problem." Bucky didn't care where the room was located. He knew he'd still walk the perimeter, checking out the exits and vantage points. He suspected Clint would be doing the same, one of the several things they had in common. Before he knew it, Clint had parked the vehicle and turned off the engine. "I'll grab the bags," Bucky announced as he climbed out of the SUV and went to the vehicle's rear. Once Clint had opened the hatch with the remote, Bucky grabbed the suitcases and headed toward the stairs, leaving the bows and quivers behind for the archers.
"Go ahead and go on up," Clint said, taking Lucky's leash from Kate. "Let Bucky know we can meet up in my room and get dinner ordered."
"On it, CB1." Kate dragged her bow and quiver out of the vehicle, then skipped over to the stairs and up to her room.
Clint kept an eye on Kate until she entered her room, then led Lucky to a grassy area in front of the hotel. As the dog took his time sniffing every blade of grass to find just the right one, Clint pulled out his phone and sent a text. 'Just checked in, should be there tomorrow.' His phone buzzed with a response. 'I'll let the kids know. Roads okay?' Clint responded. 'So far, so good. Bringing a few strays.' Another quick buzz. 'Surprise, surprise.' Clint gritted his teeth. He knew she'd been bitter about that, especially since Sokovia. She had been okay with him showing up with Nat after the events in Budapest. Needless to say, bringing home an entire team unannounced was a different story. "Yet another black mark in my ever-growing ledger of shit I did wrong in my marriage." When Lucky finally decided he was finished, Clint led him up the stairs after stopping at the SUV to grab his bow and quiver. As soon as Clint shut the door to his room and unhooked Lucky from his leash, the dog sniffed around the room, finally jumping on one of the beds and making himself comfortable in the middle of the mattress. Clint chuckled at Lucky's antics, then put his bow and quiver down next to the suitcase Bucky had brought up and sat next to the armoire. He then went to the bathroom and washed his face. Clint looked at himself in the mirror and shook his head. "Damn, still can't believe it. When did I get so old?"
"Nah, you're not old. I think I've got the title of old man, you young whippersnapper." Clint turned around and saw Bucky standing in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed across his chest, and smirking.
"I'm gonna have to disagree with you there, Buck. Ask Kate. I've lost track of how many times she's called me old man."
"At least 35 times." He could hear Kate's sing-songy voice coming from the main room.
"How bad of a spy am I that I didn't even notice you two in here. This time I'm retiring and staying retired."
Bucky shook his head. "Don't know what happened the first time you retired, but since it sounds like it didn't go well, I'd say you're probably not going to do it again."
"Besides, CB1, what would you do with all your free time? I mean, it's not like I'm going to need any additional training, seeing as how I'm the world's greatest archer." Kate had collapsed on the bed next to Lucky, stretching out her legs so Lucky could prop his head up on them.
Bucky scrunched up his face and looked puzzled. "I thought you were the world's greatest archer?"
"Technically, it's the World's Amazing Hawkeye. At least that's what it said on the banners." Clint strode past Bucky, punched him in the arm (the non-metal one, he wasn't that much of an idiot), then sat on the edge of the unoccupied bed.
"Banners?" Bucky and Kate questioned in unison.
"Yeah, like they hang up around circuses and carnivals to advertise the acts." Clint looked from one to the other. "Well, crap, another story to share. I would've thought all that went out in the info dump Nat released during the downfall of HYDRA." He sighed. "Sit back, kids, let me tell you a tale."
"Can we get food and drinks before you start?" Kate asked. "I have a feeling this may take a while."
"Stifle it, Bishop." Clint pulled out his phone. The others continued to stare at him. "I've got the pizza place on speed dial, so sue me." Lucky lifted his head at the mention of pizza, living up to his name. Clint ordered several pizzas and drinks, then disconnected the call. Bucky sat in the unoccupied chair, extended his legs, and propped his legs up on Clint's bed. Once he made himself comfortable, Clint began to share. "My brother and I joined the circus, not going into details why. We started out cleaning up, shoveling shit, feeding animals, and doing grunt work. I was cleaning up and found a bow and some arrows lying around, so I picked it up and started shooting and hitting the bullseye every time." Clint leaned back against the headboard, a faraway look in his eyes, remembering back to a time when his mom bragged about him never missing. 'Another memory for another time,' Clint thought to himself. Clint shook his head, bringing himself back to the present, putting the memory back where it belonged, deep in his brain. "Anyway, apparently, one of the archers saw me and was impressed and a little pissed because he thought I was aiming for his job," Clint smirked. "No pun intended." The notification tone on his phone went off, alerting him to the delivery driver pulling into the parking lot. "Going to get the food. Be right back." Clint left the hotel room and went downstairs to meet the driver.
"Well, now the design I drew for his uniform really does fit," Kate said, smiling.
"Uniform design?" Bucky asked.
Kate nodded. "I told him he needed to work on his image. Hold on a sec." She jumped up, dashed to her room, and returned carrying a wadded-up napkin. "Ironically, he told me his wife would divorce him if he ever wore a ridiculous outfit." Kate grew quiet. Bucky couldn't think of anything to add, so he kept his mouth shut.
The door kicked open, and Clint walked in, carrying several pizza boxes and a couple of sacks on his arms. "Dinner is served," he grinned, making his way over to the table and setting the bags and boxes down. "There's plates and silverware, along with drinks." Clint stepped back, making room for Kate as she darted over to the food. After filling her plate and getting her drink, Kate went back to the bed and sat down. Lucky tried nuzzling his head onto the plate, but Kate swatted his nose and shoved him away. "Go ahead, Buck, help yourself." Clint left to go to the bathroom, so Bucky followed Kate's lead and fixed himself a plate and something to drink, then returned to his chair, setting the drink and plate on the end table. Clint got his dinner, made himself comfortable on his bed, and the trio ate in silence.
"Okay, CB1. Time for you to finish your story."
"Yeah, yeah, Katie." Clint took a drink. "Swordsman – Jack Duquesne, and Trick Shot – Buck Chisholm, took me under their wings, molding me into a showman, and teaching me about different weapons and projectiles."
"Wait a minute," Kate interrupted. "That name."
"Yeah, it threw me for a loop, too, Kate. I checked. Not the same person, just a weird coincidence."
"What's with the name?" Bucky asked.
"Kate's almost stepfather has the same name as Swordsman," Clint answered. Bucky wasn't convinced, catching a hint of something unsure in Clint's voice. He decided he'd follow up on that later, returning to listening to Clint tell his story. "He and Trick Shot worked with me, teaching me nearly impossible shots until they were sure I could perform in the show. I started as the warmup act, then worked my way up to seeing 'The Amazing Hawkeye, the World's Greatest Archer' on banners and advertisements. It was heady for a young kid, but I enjoyed it, knowing I wouldn't fail and would have all the attention on me."
"So, how come you left?" Kate asked as she fed Lucky pizza bones.
"Found out the circus was a bunch of criminals, so got out when I could." Clint didn't feel the need to share he was left for dead by the duo and his brother Barney. "Eventually, I got recruited to join SHIELD, and here I am."
"Did you have a costume?" Kate asked.
Clint smiled and shook his head. "Yep, looked a lot like the picture you doodled at the diner."
"Oh, you mean this one?" Kate happily handed Clint the napkin with the drawing on it.
"You kept this?"
"Well, duh, of course."
Clint snorted. "Hold on. I've got a pic somewhere." He pulled out his phone, then ran a hand through his hair. "Can't believe I'm letting you see this." He scrolled through his photo album until he found what he was looking for. "Here." Clint handed the phone to Kate.
Kate yanked the phone from his hand, looked at the display, and let out an unladylike guffaw before handing the phone to Bucky. "That is priceless!" She roared after somewhat regaining her composure. Bucky began chuckling after viewing the photo of Clint, wearing a ridiculous purple mask, purple gloves, and purple boots over a purple and blue set of tights. "I'm guessing SHIELD vetoed that outfit," he commented, handing Clint's phone back.
"They couldn't say no quick enough, thank goodness." Clint pocketed his phone. "Hard to be a spy when you're dressed like that."
"Yeah, not very conspicuous," Bucky commented.
"I still think your problem is branding, CB1. You could always wear your new outfit."
"Still not totally stealth, but definitely an improvement." Clint looked over and caught Kate yawning. "Okay, time to wrap up the social hour. Come on, Lucky." The golden retriever hopped up on Clint's bed, thinking he would be getting fed some more, then got the sad puppy dog look on his face when Clint stood and grabbed the leash. He clipped it to Lucky's collar and left the room. When he returned, he saw Kate and Bucky had disappeared, but someone had boxed up the remaining pizza and taken away the empty boxes. After Clint unhooked Lucky's leash, the dog jumped up on the bed previously occupied by Kate.
Clint grabbed some clothes out of his suitcase, then headed to the bathroom for a shower. He turned on the shower, letting the water get as hot as possible before climbing in. Clint stood under the showerhead as the water pounded on his aching muscles, something he caught himself doing more and more the older he got after sitting in one place for long periods. He remembered a lot of the missions SHIELD had sent him on, where he had to be still for hours, sometimes days on end, waiting for his target to make an appearance. Clint was pleased with how his body held up during the fight with the Tracksuit Mafia. Admittedly, though, he took most of his beatings from Yelena. At one point, he knew he gave up, willing her to punish him for letting her sister die. Then, he realized he needed to live to get back to his kids and tell Yelena the true story of what happened to her sister. Clint stayed in the shower until the water cooled. Finally, he stepped out of the shower and into the steamy bathroom. He quickly ran a towel through his hair and dried off, then put on a t-shirt, then sweatpants. Clint heard Lucky snoring on the other bed and chuckled as he pulled the covers back and climbed into his bed. Before he knew it, Clint had drifted off to sleep.
