bakerstreet | (no subject)

[ooc: Probably the norm for them on mission.]

[ It's one in the afternoon. A comfortable time between the hours of 1. Veronica being at home, 2. Clint being at or coming home from work, and 3. nosy neighbors.

All three explain, but not entirely, the panicked but pleased feeling Veronica is currently trying to suppress through text as she stares at the bouquet that is sitting on the kitchen countertop:— ]

did you buy me flowers??

[ He gets the message in the car. For all that he's supposed to be a law-abiding citizen (i.e. don't text while driving), he checks his phone, and almost offroads when he sees the double question marks. What do double question marks even mean? Would just one be considered passive aggressive? Do two indicate honesty? Or extra confusion? Is the question rhetorical? ]

i think like 20??

[ It's weird. It's&mdash not that weird. It's personal, is the thing Veronica is probably trying to articulate. She interned at Quantico, she wrote a Perfect Murder paper that somebody actually implemented in real life — Veronica Mars is sort of really, really smart.

And as someone who is really, really smart, she also knows that one make out session does not a... herd (?) of butterflies make. More to the point: NOT ACTUALLY MARRIED.

The flowers sit on the counter. One of them droops lightly in her direction, sort of like it's saying I'm a flower and I find your existence hilarious, tiny blonde spawn. ]

i know i am staring at them

[ It would make it weird to ask why, right? ]

is this our fake anniversary??

[ Bobbi knows how the undercover thing goes, having just gotten herself and another agent out of Hydra laboratories. She's mostly been working with Coulson and his agents after being stationed in the west for quite some time, but is pretty pleased to be stationed with someone she's heard about but hasn't met personally until now.

At least flirting with her partner keeps things in character.

Ever since Cap took down the Triskelion, everything has been in disarray and it's difficult to keep tabs on people - and specific subjects on SHIELD's list of gifted people and objects. They're here to investigate the situation in Madripoor after hearing about unusual activity. So much of the world still considers SHIELD to be a terrorist organization, so they have to be careful. At least lying is a main part of the Academy's lesson plan.

Today, they're playing tourists, with Bobbi ready with the camera and selfie stick, sitting atop a double decker bus among a bunch of other tourists. She's all smiles, and most of them are pretty genuine despite being on a mission. ]

I gotta say, I'm glad to be out of the cold weather.

[ It's not a bad gig, playing tourist. (Or, well, being undercover. Not his favorite thing in the world, but 1) he's never been to Madripoor before, 2) they get to go on one of those huge tour buses, and 3) she's pretty cute, so it works out in his favor. Most of it is just getting used to responding to Carl instead of Clint, which, he'll admit, he's still working on.)

He's wearing a t-shirt and shorts (all of his clothes are his own, nothing extra has been purchased nor provided, though whether that was Clint's call or at SHIELD's instruction is hard to tell), sunglasses perched on the bridge of his nose and one arm slung over the side railing of the bus. And, for whatever his reservations are about the entire endeavor — especially given the spectacular fashion in which SHIELD had gone down, and the whole New York was almost overrun by aliens and I was under mind control thing — he looks like he's having a good time. ]

You're telling me, [ he says mildly, the gold band on his ring finger tapping against the rail. ] Kind of like vacationing in Florida or whatever it is old folks do, right? Get out of the city winter.

[ She hasn't been to Manhattan in a while, but she really wants to transfer there - though she supposes that going through the process of transferring is unnecessary at this point. It's sometimes still difficult to swallow. Snow isn't something she sees for extended periods of time.

Beth, as she's called today and for the duration of their stay here, turns the camera around to take some tourist shots while also scouting the area for anything similar to gamma radiation. ]

Could you picture us doing that when we're old? [ She chuckles. ] I don't know if I'd want to leave New York in the winter.

Got a bit too chilly for me last year, [ Clint confesses. (Part of him thinks it might just be because he's getting old. He'd grown up in the midwest, after all; it wasn't as if the snowfall there was anything to laugh at, but— maybe it's the city miles.) ] Not that I think Florida is the ideal vacation spot, but I wouldn't mind, say, a trip down to Charleston instead of watching them light the big tree.

[ It's silly hypothesizing, especially given the fact that they aren't actually married, but it's fun nevertheless. He doesn't get a lot of time for conversations in this vein, so being able to just shoot the shit is something he appreciates. ]

But— it does look pretty.

[ She’s from the South. She gets it. It’s the wind tunnel that the city creates, how the weather slows down a place that needs to maintain its ninety miles an hour speed. The city is great, but it becomes a different beast in the winter. It’s for tougher skinned people. ]

Savannah would be nice to see in the winter. Haven’t been in a long time.

[ There’s a great deal of honesty underneath all the espionage, she realizes. Maybe she’s already given him too much information, but her record is clean. And, at this point, publicly accessed information.

Besides. Carl and Beth would probably enjoy vacationing in Savannah. ]

[ If he's being honest, Clint doesn't really know how to do espionage, otherwise. As contradictory as it sounds, he's equal parts inherently honest and a liar. His lies are always poorly crafted unless grounded in something true, his feelings so often worn on his sleeve, just quietly enough that most never quite notice.

He nods at the mention of Savannah, contemplative rather than dissecting. (He hasn't read her file, not out of laziness but because it seems like— well, what he has to know, she'll tell him, and what he needs to know with regards to the mission, he already knows. It's her business, isn't it?) ]

I don't think I've ever been, [ he confesses, reaching over to take the camera from her. ]

[ Bobbi's read up on Clint. Just the basics, just enough to keep the conversation natural and not sound like it's entirely put on. With a silly grin, she hands him the camera. ]

Selfie stick or no?

[ She waves the contraption. ]

I thought this was dumb, but it's proven to be pretty useful.

[ Without even the faintest hint of sarcasm or insincerity in his voice: ] I love 'em.

[ For all that he isn't particularly technologically forward in his day-to-day life, he's good about getting on board with whatever tech he's sent for a mission. Selfie sticks don't really fall into that category, but— whatever. Museums may not like them, but they're the perfect tool to have along on a trip. ]

Just gotta— [ a beat, as he angles the selfie stick ] —get a good angle, yeah? Never been great at taking pictures, but this does make it easier.

[ Bobbi laughs. It’s not a mocking laugh this time. Mostly she’s pretty damn amused to hear how genuine he is about this piece of technology. Plus, the double-sided camera doesn’t hurt. The data’s already being sent to their base. Tonight, they wait for further instructions.

Instantly, she leans into him, shoulders bumping in a way that reminds her so very much of grade school. It’s dumb. It’s also not the worst feeling in the world. Extending an arm, she adjusts the camera itself slightly before grinning toothily. ]

There.

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clint barton | mcu

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IGNORE MY CONTINUING FAILURE TO PROPERLY USE THE HOVER MENU

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ok let's do dis

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