Chapter Thirteen: A More Welcome Visitor
Clint couldn't stop the smug grin that curved his lips as he watched May stiffen and then straighten her shoulders, her mouth a tight line as she quirked one brow upwards, her chocolate eyes drifting between him and Shay before she said exasperatedly "Don't call me that, Barton."
"Really? You're going to tease the BAMF woman while you're wearing a towel?" Shay's stunned voice had him turning his head to look at her. His grin widened as he closed the distance between them, setting the pistol on the counter he draped one damp arm around her shoulders.
"Eh, it's May. We trained and worked together for a time, it's nothing she hasn't seen before." The first inkling he had that he'd said the wrong thing was Shay shoving his arm roughly from her shoulders and back stepping away from him, with a frown he studied her face, her lips held a sudden tightness to them as her eyes flickered.
"Oh" Shay's tone of voice was tense and Clint noticed her gaze was now locked on May, it struck him then that she was jealous, deep down he was pleased that she obviously felt deeply enough for him to be jealous but at the same time it concerned him that she pulled away.
"I….We never…" Clint sighed scrubbing a hand over his face before glancing briefly to May who had a slight smirk gracing that stern face of hers, turning his gaze back to Shay and finding his voice again he continued "It wasn't like that, we were partners for a time and she had to tend to my injuries on occasion."
As Shay dropped her gaze from his, Clint turned his attention back to May his hands dropping to the counter as he spoke "So, what brings the Cavalry to my home?"
"The new Director of SHIELD sent me to get you for a sit down. They want to find out if you and Romanoff are still willing to work for us after everything that's happened."
Clint saw that May was still unimpressed by his use of the infamous nickname, but other than the slight grimace she said no more, instead she shifted her positioning to prop herself against the doorjamb with her arms crossed over her chest.
Watching May's eyes move Clint got the impression Shay was moving to leave the kitchen, as much as her sudden uncertainty in him hurt, he wasn't entirely sure at the moment what he could do to change her mind.
"Funny, Hill was here yesterday and told me we were privatising World Security, she never said anything about SHIELD rebuilding." Soft thudding on the stairs let Clint know Shay was headed back upstairs, though his gaze remained on May who had twitched slightly at his mention of Maria.
"Well, I should have expected that, given that she's the one who told me where to find you, though one of my team is still looking for Romanoff." Clint couldn't help but chuckle at that, if Natasha was off the grid no one was going to find her if she didn't want to be found.
"So who's the girl, Barton?" In all honesty Clint really should have expected that question from May, but his thoughts had been distracted; looking to the ceiling briefly he tried to think of the best answer.
He knew SHIELD had strict policies on notifying superior officers upon finding your soulmate, but with SHIELD essentially having been torn down and obviously in the process of being rebuilt was he even still a part of it anymore?
"She's with me, and before you ask she's staying with me. Her life depends on it." Dropping his gaze from the ceiling Clint blinked when he found May now leaning on the counter directly in front of him, it was always disconcerting the way she and Natasha could manage to move without him hearing them.
"So, this new Director, are they asking or demanding my presence?" Drumming his fingers idly on the counter Clint watched May carefully, the slight twitch to her lips was all the answer he really needed.
"I'd suggest you come and see for yourself Barton, it might be….enlightening?" May had never been one to speak in riddles and Clint found his curiosity piqued as to who Fury had chosen as his successor.
"Is there a time factor?" He had the feeling that there were any number of things May wasn't telling him.
"We could use your help at any time, a fact of which you're well aware. But – yes, possibly. We've got some fairly immediate, serious problems. I'm not at liberty to reveal all the details to you. You'd need to come and meet the Director."
He leaned on the counter, staring at May. She met his gaze unflinchingly, and he thought of how much he once trusted this woman. How much he owed her. He'd been utterly shocked when he'd heard she'd gone back into the field, he'd thought after Bahrain that she never would.
"I owe you a debt I can't repay, you know that," he said quietly. "I'd have bled out from the torture if you hadn't stormed the place."
"We don't talk about Bahrain, Hawkeye," May said just as quietly, but her eyes never wavered. "You owe me nothing. And you know I'd never use that to force you to come with me, especially not with a civilian you have to protect." Her eyes slid to the side then, and Clint turned his head to see Shay standing in the doorway, her eyes glassy with tears.
Oh, shit. How much did she hear?
Clint stood frozen as that one thought rattled through his head, though when Shay wrapped her arms around her midsection and hung her head in order to conceal her face with her hair he was again struck by just how fragile she looked, the wavering of her voice when she spoke not helping the image any. "How many times have you almost died?"
"I'll give you two some privacy. When you've made your decision, Barton, come find me down at the front paddock."
May's words and the squeak of the flyscreen door as it opened and closed registered in Clint's peripheral thoughts, crossing the kitchen to where Shay stood in the doorway he scratched nervously at his neck before murmuring "Too many, I try not to keep track anymore."
The slight shudder to her shoulders told Clint she was either silently crying or trying to hold back the unshed tears he'd seen in her beautiful eyes, before she'd retreated behind her thick dark hair, it broke his heart to see, reaching out he enveloped her in his strong arms tugging her gently into his chest.
Tilting his head to brush his lips over her hair Clint murmured softly "Until a week ago I never had a reason to care if I lived or died on the job Shay, this….you changed that. After the shit with Bobbi, I never thought I'd find you, let alone have another chance at happiness. And while it's true that I don't trust easily, I think I entrusted my heart to you that night in the hospital."
Leaning back slightly as he moved one hand to hook his fingers beneath her chin and tilt her head up, Clint looked down into those glassy chocolate eyes with a sad smile as he continued "I'll never hurt you, never cheat on you, but if you don't think you can handle my job….my life, then I'll set you up somewhere safe and you'll never see me again. Granted it'll probably break my heart to do it but I want the best for you darlin', even if that means me not being in your life."
He felt her arms uncurl from her midsection as he watched her worry her bottom lip with her teeth, when both of her hands reached up to cup his cheeks he blinked, not entirely sure what decisions she was warring with behind those dark eyes.
"I swear to god, if you walk out on me I will hunt you down, beat the shit out of you, patch you up and start over again." Her threat was a breathy growl that he didn't even have a chance to respond to before she rose on her toes to close a fraction of their height difference to crash her mouth onto his in a bruising kiss.
When she pulled back to allow them both a chance to breathe, his brow furrowing, when he opened his mouth to speak her hand slid from his cheek to cover it so she could speak again. "I can't promise that I won't get jealous, you seem to work with a few fucking gorgeous women that I can't even hold a candle to, but I want this to work. I'm tired of living a half life."
As her hand fell away from his mouth Clint's mouth curved into a cheeky grin as his calloused thumb brushed across her lips, when he spoke his tone was a teasing murmur "If it helps, I'll teach you how to beat the shit out of me?"
"I do have some ability in hitting things, and some other very old very rusty skills that could probably use some refreshing. I don't like feeling like a burden that you have to protect."
"Not have to darlin', want to, entirely different thing. Which reminds me, is all your stuff still packed?" As her eyebrow quirked curiously he turned them and reluctantly stepped back from the comforting embrace of her body into the hall, before making his way up the stairs.
"Why?" Her voice drifted up the stairs behind him, causing him to turn and look to where she was standing at the bottom.
"We're taking another trip. I've been summoned to meet the new boss."