Suit guy?
11 years ago
The hotel is a dump, but they let him keep Macy inside. He had already ordered three cheeseburgers and now he’s eating them while looking at the window for any strange motherfuckers.
Call him fucking paranoid but yesterday he saw Andrev’s death as a suicide on the newspaper, and he is sure as hell that didn’t happen.
The fact that Clint, a circus nobody made it alive its a miracle.
“Maybe he likes cats” he tells Macy but then he wants to smack himself, he almost got killed by a fucking assassin. Wait a goddamn minute.
He was sure the guy had a metallic armor, but now that he isn’t so panic filled anymore he can finally think rationally.
“What the fuck?” He says out loud and a piece of bread goes flying out of his mouth, but he barely notices.
The guy had a metal arm. An actual metal arm, because the knives had been deflected with a dull sound and how is that even possible?
He door lock clicks and Clint almost chokes. Oh fuck no, he looks at Macy and the cat looks curiously back.
He grabs the pole of the lamp and swings it with all his might just as the lock gives out. The intruder avoids getting hit in the face but Clint is faster. He punches him squarely on the face and grabs the telephone to strangle him-
“Suit guy?” He asks, surprised.
The guy doesn’t even flinch at the telephone cord across his neck “it’s Coulson” and then he touches his busted lip looking thoughtful “good evening Clint”.
And after an awkward pause, they both glance down at newspaper spread on the bed ”I know you were there” Andrev smug as shit face black and white photo stares back, he feels a little guilty about stealing his shit but is not like he can say anything now.
Wait a second “are you goddamn crazy?! You sent that scary guy to threaten me? I almost got killed!”
But Coulson frowns at him and closes the door behind him “we sent no one”
“Who the fuck is we? I don’t know you dude” Clint isn’t thinking, he is fucking panicking “Look, I don’t want this, whatever fuck up shady business this is”
Coulson smiles, it’s strange comforting and paternal and no. Damnit Clint don’t go there.
“We are a special branch of the government”
What? He doesn’t even own a legal ID. Its no wonder he can’t get a job worth a damn.
“Tell me about this “guy” and I will tell you about a stable income for you, what do you say?” And then he looks at Macy “I will even let you keep the fler- the cat”
“seems like she likes you already”
And Clint hesitates. Its true that he's a little desperate of not making ends meet, of getting the short end of the stick.
But what does he have to lose?
“Alright” he finds himself saying "I'll tell you all about it" and tells him the whole thing.
Coulson-guy gets a sour look on his face for a second as he looks back at the newspaper.
“What?” Because Clint knows those looks. Its nothing bad, the Doctor says but he can’t hear a goddamned thing.
Barney kicks at his face, and the sole of his boot is hard. It makes him so, so dizzy. His ears are ringing.
Coulson looks back, thoughtful.
“What is it?” He hates not being in the loop. Worrying about being stabbed in the back in the middle of the night, of someone killing his cat. Macy purrs on his lap as Clint works his fingers through her shiny orange fur in retribution.
Thank god Macy never encountered Trickshot.
“Clint, I-” Coulson guy says smothering the frown off his face “No one has to know about this”
“Why?” He asks wary, almost stopping his pets when Macy head butts his hand.
“If the man is who visited you is who we think, then he’s extremely dangerous”
He got that alright, fuck man I know he wants to say. But what does he know really? “he could have killed me” he mutters.
“But he didn’t” Coulson says “that’s another reason why we want you to work for us”
“With us” he adds as an afterthought.
“Will I see him again?” He doesn’t know why he asks, but there was something wrong with the guy with the piercing eyes, apart from being a literal assassin.
What kind of assassin has never seen a cat before?
“The soldier? That’s highly unlikely” Coulson says and well shit If that ain’t a relief.
“Alright” Clint says weary, promising to himself if this is another Barney situation he will burn him right back.