Prompt: Avenger(s)
From: avengers-tables .livejournal under 50-word prompt (yes, I do intent to use all 50 words)
Pairings: Clint/Darcy
The first thing Darcy becomes completely aware of as she is pulled from her slumber is the source of her interrupted sleep: her ringing cellphone. Normally, Darcy wouldn't have woken from her slumber for a buzzing device, but it isn't her normal cellphone ring that cuts through the room. No, it's the special ring she set for Clint: the Carrie Underwood song about Cupid running around with a shot gun. The imagery is entertaining enough that Darcy was willing to set aside her issues with the genre to use it for her boyfriend's ring tone.
It's also guaranteed to wake her up because, much like her father, the ring tone could be both good or bad. And given she's getting the call before the sun is up, there's a better chance it's bad than good. God, if he's in the hospital, she's going to kick his ass.
Snatching up the device, she fumbled a bit before managing to get the phone open. At least it's not the primary SHIELD line. She knows the hospital number by heart at this point; she's gotten so many calls about her dad from there over the years she can't even begin to count them all. "Clint?"
"Darcy," greets Clint, his voice brimming with excitement. Excitement, good. That probably doesn't mean broken bones. That's a good sign. But now she kind of wants to murder him for scaring her at...whatever the hell time it is. "Darce, I've got amazing news!"
"News that required you to wake me up?" grumbles Darcy, fumbling for her glasses as she sits up in bed. One of her hands disappears into her hair, scratching at her scalp as he speaks.
"Shit, sorry Darce," apologizes Clint, his voice going from excited to apologetic in a second without managing to lose the actual excited tone. "But I've got big news!"
Darcy could feel a smile tugging at the corner of her lips as his excitement leaked over the line. No matter how annoyed she is him, his excitement always makes her smile. Damn it, she sounds like a romantic sap. "Yeah? You reassigned to New Mexico again?"
"No, better!" exclaims Clint, his excitement bubbling over. "I'm on the roster!"
Roster? He didn't mean the Avengers roster, did he? She knew he had been on the short list for the team (not that he knows that she knows, but hey, she isn't going to tell him that), she just hadn't been sure he knew. The final roster is all theoretical to boot, so she isn't sure Fury is even talking to anyone other than her dad about it. "What roster?"
"It's a super covert team," explains Clint and damn he sounds excited. "I can't say much about it, but we'll be a high-powered team to tackle some of the biggest threats. Darce, I made it."
Oh, he is definitely talking about the Avengers roster. It's the only major covert ops roster out right now that he'd be excited about. She knows only because Fury has a bad tendency to leave her alone in his office and she isn't exactly computer stupid or inclined to mind her own business; then again, he might have done that intentionally. It's a very badly kept secret in her family that Fury wants her on board at SHIELD as soon as she finishes school and that he wants her in the loop before she joins. It's the reason things tended to 'slip out' when she's around, despite her father's glares.
"Darce, you there?" calls Clint, bringing Darcy's half-asleep mind back on the conversation. Right, Avengers roster. Clint made the team. She needs to say something believable.
"That's awesome Clint," congratulates Darcy, a yawn working its way out at the end of her sentence. "What are you gonna be doing?"
"I can't really say," admits Clint, his voice a bit sheepish. She could hear sadness in his tone, likely over the fact that he can't share more and it nearly drives her to tell him that she's already familiar with the roster. Except she might actually know more than him at this point, so she kinda can't risk giving that piece of information away.
So she opts for comfort. "It's okay, Clint. That's cool all the same. Just be safe, okay? I don't wanna go back to sleeping alone on my breaks."
"Good to know where I stand with you," chuckles Clint. "Nat said I make a good body pillow."
"Yeah?" teases Darcy, shifting so she can rest her chin on her knees. "Just remember, you're my body pillow now. She had her chance."
"She claims I'm still hers when she's cold until, and I quote, 'your mystery girlfriend shows herself'," states Clint, chuckling. "I don't think she believes you exist, no matter how amazing I tell her you are."
"Mm, I'll just have to correct her in person when I get to New York," jokes Darcy, another yawn blurring a few of her words as she speaks.
Clint's amused chuckle makes her smile. "Get back to sleep, Darce. We can talk about this when you've managed to get some coffee."
"That sounds good," agrees Darcy, yawning again as she shifts to snuggle down into her bed again. "Be safe, Clint."
"You too, Darce," returns Clint. "Be safe and don't let Jane drop anymore Norse gods into the world."
"I'll try to stop her," assures Darcy, "but I'm not holding my breath. She's stubborn."
"Not sure stubborn describes it," laughs Clint. "Night Darce."
"Night Clint," parts Darcy, listening as the dial tone filled her ears. It takes her a second to actually drop her phone back on her nightstand, her mind focusing on Clint's big news now that she doesn't have to worry about giving herself away.
The Avengers Initiative is like a doomsday team. They are literally going to be facing things normal people aren't considered capable of facing. The damn roster includes Captain freakin' America and Mr. definition-of-narcissism Stark. This wouldn't be some walk in the park team and making the roster is an honor; it's also terrifying for Darcy because she's seen the definition of what qualifies as an 'Avengers Emergency' spelled out on paper.
But even knowing Clint would be in horrible danger and that he'll basically be a 'dude with a bow' among superhumans and gods, she's happy for him. Clint wants this position. He wants the chance to be a good guy and do everything he can to keep the world safe. Even if he's just human, he has all of the will and drive of Cap. That drive to keep others safe? It's half of why she'd fallen for him (another fifth was his arms and the rest was just his personality). This kind of a position is precisely what he wants and she wouldn't dissuade him from taking it on.
Besides, she can always monitor what's happening from the control center.
Settling back down into her bed, Darcy closes her eyes and tries not to think too much about Clint's new position. It would be hard not to worry constantly about him, but she could do it. Clint needs her to support him, not express endless worry for his safety. Of course, the endless worry would be expressed to, but right now, when there isn't any danger, it's not the time. She'll wait until his first injury to express her worry. And until then, they'd just enjoy the fact that Clint has managed to prove he is absolutely extraordinary, even if he's only the guy with the bow.