Short, sappy, possibly sweet. Take it how you will and enjoy.

Illusinia

Prompt: Letters

From: avengers-tables .livejournal under 50-word prompt (yes, I do intent to use all 50 words)

Pairings: Clint/Darcy

It was with a heavy sigh that Clint drops into the chair before his desk, spinning slightly with his forward momentum. This isn't a S.H.I.E.L.D drone desk of course, its the desk in his room with the computer that he doesn't use for anything other than e-mail and the occasional report. Which usually never got turned in anyway. At this point, Coulson has actually almost completely stopped asking.

Opening a browser window, he clicks over to his e-mail and starts to skim. Half of the requests are report reminders (Coulson still had to try at least sometimes) while the other half appear to be Stark-related spam. Stark-related spam being random shit that Tony finds and decides everyone needs to see. Fury's e-mail appears to be on a few of the messages. Those Clint is almost tempted to open. Almost.

Deleting everything Stark-related that doesn't look important (which is all but one of the fifty or so e-mails) and sorting the S.H.I.E.L.D stuff into the 'folders' he keeps connected to his account (most had names like 'consider lighting on fire', 'hell no', and 'this isn't a request'), he found himself left with one e-mail that didn't relate to either Tony or Coulson. The address was one he wasn't familiar with, but the subject heading told him who had sent it: 'E-mail has replaced letters'.

The quip brought a smile to Clint's face. Darcy would feel the need to point that out. After their last conversation though, the sentiment behind the e-mail was really what counted.

It had been one of their last evenings together before she left to return to school. They'd gone into the desert for some private time and to just enjoy each others company under the stars for a bit. Between Jane's insane drive for work that tended to drag Darcy off for hours and Clint's own S.H.I.E.L.D. schedule, they'd found that alone time only happened when they disappeared together during their 'time off', which wasn't really time off so much as time that was theoretically theirs to utilize how they wanted. Although, that night really was Clint's time off. Coulson had given him the night off rather abruptly and told him to enjoy it.

"So you were Army, huh?" asked Darcy with a smirk, drawing Clint's attention towards her. He nodded, causing her grin to widen. "Wow. I bet you had women swarming you."

"Hardly," sighed Clint as he sipped his own 'liquid bread' (Darcy really needed to not show him internet phenomena like the Beer Song). "There wasn't anyone interested in me back then."

The derisive snort that came from Darcy wasn't a surprise. "Sure you didn't. Bet you just didn't notice anyone wanted to jump your ass. Which I guarantee someone did." For a moment, she leaned back to examine said ass before leaning forward again and grinning. "Yep, definitely a jump-able ass."

"Nope," corrected Clint. "I didn't have anyone stateside and no one I met was ever interested in hanging around with a sniper who played with a bow."

"But the bow is awesome," insisted Darcy as she leaned back against the back of the backseat of the jeep who's trunk they were currently in. They'd filled the open trunk with blankets and made something of a nest, with full intentions of messing said nest up later.

Clint shook his head and tossed his empty beer bottle into the backseat with a few others. "I think so, but apparently no one else did. I never even got a letter while I was in the Army." The look on Darcy's face melted into one that was far softer than he'd ever seen. Almost like she could understand somehow.

Throwing her own bottle in the back after downing the rest of her drink, she grabbed his hands and tugged him down so they were laying in their nest. One of her hands slid up to cup the back of his neck, pulling him over so they were eye to eye. "Starting when you get back, we're going to change that. I'm not gonna send letters, 'cause those take too long, but I'm going to start e-mailing you. I don't know about back then, but there are people around who love and care about you now." Leaning up, she kissed him softly, slowly, before laying down again. "And I intend to remind you of that fact."

"Darcy," murmured Clint, even as she pulled him flush against her body. For a moment, he just let her words wash over him. He didn't talk about his time in the Army often. Mostly he tried to forget that time of his life. It had certainly been one of the lonelier time spans. Her words were like a balm though, soothing some of the older hurts he'd sustained.

Her lips connected with his again, but she made sure that the kiss was well controlled. Soft and soothing for the several minutes it lasted before they broke away. "Clint."

They didn't say much more after that, their conversation being replaced by actions. Ones that reflected exactly how they both felt.

Smiling at the memory, he opened the e-mail and silently read through the text. It wasn't long. Mostly just a few words about her day, asking if he was okay, and promising to call him that night for some hot, steamy phone sex that would leave anyone monitoring his line in a puddle of goo. Mundane, everyday stuff. She could have easily called and told him as much. But somehow, knowing she took the time to write the e-mail added a value to her words that no phone call could make up for. She cared enough to write him in order to erase prior feelings of isolation that still haunted him to this day. Somehow, that simple e-mail started to eat away at years of hurt.

And as he started typing out a response, giving her what little information he could, the past that normally hounded him seemed to ease up a little. He wasn't running away from everyone he met any more. Now, he was running towards one.