Chapter 26 – Drinking Buddies

Grant Ward knew he was a coward when he snuck out of Skye's window while it was still dark. The hacker had still been fast asleep when he had pulled his clothes back on and carefully made his way back down the side of the building. Checking for signs of surveillance, and finding none, Ward started to head back to his own apartment.

Mentally Ward was kicking himself, not only had he spent the night with Skye but he'd snuck out before she'd woken up, even after promising himself he'd try for forever, not a one night stand. However he knew that despite the yelling and the anger expressed during the night neither of them would regret it, despite everything it was what both of them had needed. Ward had briefly wondered about staying until Skye woke up but that would have led to an awkward conversation he was sure neither of them wanted to have, it also would have increased Ward's chances of getting caught if he had to make the climb down from Skye's room in day light.

It was defiantly past midnight by the time Ward managed to make it to his apartment. Despite the time he wasn't surprised when his land lady poked her head out when he closed the front door behind him.

The elderly woman gave him the once over, taking in Ward's appearance, "Was she pretty?"

Ward smiled and shrugged, remembering at the last second that as far as this woman knew he couldn't talk.

"Good," His land lady replied, nodding, "You deserve some fun. You work too hard." With that she returned to her own apartment, closing the door behind her.

Ward shook his head, holding back the urge to laugh. Despite her age that woman could hear a pin drop a mile away and be able to tell what surface it hit. In her younger years she would have made a great SHIELD agent.

Climbing the stairs to his apartment Ward quickly noticed something was off, he was a perfectionist when it came to security, and so leaving his apartment door ajar was never an option. The open door told Ward the intruder was either a novice, and therefore easy to deal with, or a friend who wanted to give Ward some advance warning of their intrusion, probably so he didn't react by pulling the trigger. Lucky for whoever was inside Ward didn't carry a gun, he hadn't taken one on what was supposed to be a surveillance job, just another reason for Ward to mentally kick himself.

Ward entered the apartment carefully, checking for intruders but making it seem like he hadn't notice the open door. The intruder was easy to spot for someone of Ward's training, a civilian would have had a harder time spotting the man in the corner of the room surrounded by shadows. Keeping his back to the intruder, hiding the fact that he had noticed him at all, Ward made his way into the kitchen, he felt the intruder move behind him but still didn't respond. Reaching into the cupboard Ward pulled out a bottle of scotch and poured two generous glasses.

Taking a sip from one Ward sighed, "If you're going to shoot me get it over with," He slide the other glass to the side, "Otherwise join me for a drink."

Ward expected some reaction and a bullet past his ear was the most likely and logical one, he was not, however, expecting an arrow to lodge itself in the kitchen bench next to the glass of scotch and where his own hand had been seconds ago. Ward was actually surprised enough to jump. This earned a laugh from the intruder, who Ward now spun to face.

Clint Barton looked annoyed, "Fury said you couldn't talk. Are you telling me I spent my entire trip here learning dirty words in sign language and I don't even get to use them?"

"I was mute not deaf, Barton," Ward growled, "And I would appreciate it if Fury continued to think I was."

Lowing his bow Barton scoffed, "You want me to lie to the world's greatest liar?"
Passing Clint the scotch Ward shrugged, "Not lie exactly, just omit some of the truth."

Placing the bow on the bench and accepting the drink Clint glared at Ward, "You've been spending some quality time with Nat haven't you?"

Taking a sip of his drink Ward shook his head, "Not the same way you've spent quality time with her."

Taking a longer drink than Ward had. Clint also shook his head, "Agent Romanoff and I haven't been that close since New York. From what I hear she's holding out for one of her Red Room instructors who recently defected." Clint looked at his glass, deciding whether to take another drink or not, "But we both know I'm not here to talk about Nat."

Ward almost laughed, "I missed a check in with Fury. He probably jumped to the conclusion that I joined back up with HYDRA, then thought I might be dead or too injured to contact him. So he sent you to make sure it was the later and if it was the former make sure it became the later."

Clint shrugged, "Pretty much. Basically if you were defected or dead I was to take over the surveillance job. If you weren't I was to find out why you missed a check in and if you are still capable of doing your job. Apparently you are, so care to explain why you missed your last check in?"

Ward took another sip, thinking how to phase his answer without revealing he'd been with Skye. Sighing, Ward shrugged, "One of the people following Coulson's team caught up with me. I ended up in coma, only just managed to spring myself from an overprotective nurse."

Clint raised an eyebrow, clearly amused, "A. Was this nurse hot and B. You lost a fight?"
Ward was not as amused, "Yes, she was hot, at least by my standards. And yes, I lost a fight and that's all I'm telling you. I don't trust you and I don't trust Fury but at least Fury knows what I am up against. I've got a feeling you don't."

Putting the glass down, Clint held his hands up in mock defeat, "No I don't know what you've been up against, and Fury didn't feel the need to tell me. But I have to tell him something when I check in."

Finishing his drink Ward shrugged again, "Tell him I've met the bleeding man." Seeing Clint's confused look he added, "Fury will understand."

Barton shrugged and poured himself another glass, "Whatever." He then topped Ward's glass up as well, he raised his own glass in a toast, "To being told half-truths."

Ward raised his glass, "To telling the half-truths."

Author's Note: I promised an Avenger and an Avenger I delivered. Although I have no idea why Clint sounds like Tony a couple of times.

Just letting everyone know there will be a lot more Skye chapter know that she is knows that Ward is following her, I know this is meant to be a Ward fic but there are some chapters that are better from Skye's point of view.

I know people want longer chapters and I am trying but I write this story by hand first and most chapters take up three or four pages which I think is long enough. I promise to keep trying to write longer chapters but I won't guarantee it.

Please review.