After that, Lucy had less than no idea why she ended up once again settled in the recliner with a book while Barton watched another movie, but it happened. He sprawled leisurely across the couch and offered her some of his popcorn, just like he had on her first night here.
Again, she curled her nose up disdainfully, saying, "That stuff looks disgusting."
"It's just popcorn. You told me you'd never even tried it."
"And I have no intention of ever doing so."
"Stick in the mud."
"Birdbrain."
Barton smirked as he replied, "Angel."
"Hellion."
"Lover."
"I was drunk!" Lucy burst out, springing onto her feet.
"Oh, come on," he complained. "And here I thought we were getting on a role!"
Lucy sighed in aggravation, replying, "The only thing you're getting on, Barton, is my last nerve."
"What are you going to do about it?" he asked with another smirk.
She was beginning to fear that he was going to make that expression a permanent fixture upon his face.
"You seem to forget that my brother will protect me if I ask him to," she pointed out.
"Not necessarily. He and I made a deal, and I think even he's smart enough to realize that aggravating me could mean I break my side of that deal where you're concerned, which we all know he doesn't want."
"And just minutes ago you were being such a man of your word…"
"And you were being a kind, concerned, feeling human being."
"I am none of those things, and you know it – not even a human being, really."
"You're right; that I did know."
"That's not what I meant! And, as you well know, I spent all of yesterday helping your people – and isn't that having humanity?"
"That depends on motive – and yours sucked."
"But I learned something, didn't I? And it's like you said – isn't that the point of this whole thing that Odin did to me?"
"Yes," Barton purred sarcastically. "And I'm very proud of you for being nice. It must have been so hard for you."
"Not as hard as such a thing would be for you," Lucy snapped.
"I can be very nice when I want to be."
"But you couldn't prove that by me."
"Would you like me to?" he asked her with a smirk.
"I would agree if only I thought it were possible."
"Watch it, Angel; I might just kill you yet."
Lucy didn't bat an eyelash as she said, "Now that I don't doubt."
"Of course not," Barton replied, settling more comfortably against the couch cushions as his movie got more interesting than the prospect of further verbal sparring with her.
However, neither one of them had expected for Lucy to be the one to get the chance to play nice for Barton; she certainly didn't feel like doing it when she was jarred awake at one very early Monday morning.
"What in the name of the gods?" she muttered grumpily, blinking as she tried to identify the noise that she'd heard.
Suddenly a scream split the air.
Barton?
Lucy stumbled to her feet and into the agent's bedroom, surprised to see him thrashing madly at his sheets in the dark.
"Jarvis?" Lucy called out.
"Yes, Lucy?"
"Tell Agent Romanoff that Barton requires her assistance."
"Agent Romanoff is with Captain Rogers and they have demanded that they not be disturbed tonight."
"Tell her it's urgent," Lucy growled, still hovering in Barton's bedroom doorway.
"No ma'am. She cut my unit out of her bedroom wall the last time I interrupted her time with the captain, and I don't wish to see the episode repeated."
"Oh, for the love of Odin…" Lucy mumbled, hesitatingly making her way towards the bed of the obviously troubled archer. "Barton," she hissed, hesitantly touching his arm.
He could kill her in an instant, and when in a sleep-induced haze, something told her that he wouldn't hesitate to do so if he got the idea in his head. But then again, there was no telling what he would do if he stayed so upset whilst still unconscious.
"Barton!" she called loudly, shaking him now as she moved to kneel on his bed.
He awoke with a jolt, very nearly falling off of the bed as he howled, "You!"
Lucy took that to mean – "I was the cause of your nightmares, wasn't I, Barton?"
He flipped on his side, turning away from the woman as he muttered, "Not everything is about you… but, in this case, yes, it is your fault. So thanks for that."
"I'm sorry, Barton," Lucy murmured, curling her legs up under herself as she sat on the bed.
"Sure you are, but if you are, it's only because I could kill you. You don't like me; I don't like you, and you're only sorry that you got caught."
"That's not entirely true. Yes, you could kill me, but you're starting to grow on me. It's nice to be able to match wits with someone. For so long, Thor was the only one who would banter with me, and he's not capable of the sarcasm that you possess. I find you very interesting, actually; I think I could perhaps learn to like you. Whether or not you like me is totally out from under my control, and yes, it is a bit depressing when one's evil plot to take over the world is foiled."
"Go away, Lucy."
She ignored him, continuing as if he hadn't spoken when she said, "Although that plan wasn't mine, you know."
He snorted.
"It wasn't! It was the Chitauri who approached me about it, and then they practically used mind control on me to get me to carry it out."
Barton shoved her none too subtly off of the bed and she barely managed to land standing on her own two feet as he ordered gruffly, "Go to bed."
The obscenity of being awake at this hour must be giving her strange ideas, Lucy decided, because she found herself nodding briskly and crawling up under his sheets – while feeling totally sober – without a word.
"What in the d*** h*** do you think you're doing?" he asked sharply, turning only to come nearly nose to nose with her.
"I caused your nightmare, so I'm going to stay with you until I've determined that it won't be coming back tonight. That seems only fair, don't you think?"
Barton glared until he realized she wouldn't be budging, then he sighed in what she thought might be exasperation before turning his back to her once more with a thoroughly disgruntled, "Whatever."
"Thank you," she murmured, kissing the back of his neck before she added, "Now hurry up and go back to sleep."