i can go anywhere i want (just not home)

"you're trying to turn your liver inside out"

This time, the thing that creaks open isn't the window over the staircase.

It's her front door, and the lock jiggles for a second before opening and she's beyond confused because the only person with a key to this apartment other than her is Clint and her mother, and one of them is in Iowa and the other is in jail.

Regardless, the door opens a second later and a voice calls out, "Kate? You home?"

It's Clint. What is he doing here? If Kate's not mistaken, a year ago, he was making a big deal about being home for Christmas and now he's back where he started; New York City a couple weeks away from Christmas.

Kate gets out of bed and looks over the balcony, a million emotions running through her head when she recognizes Clint. What is he doing here? Why is he here? He should be in Iowa, not in New York.

"Why are you here?" he looks up when he hears her voice, confusion writ on his face.

"Why do you look like shit?"

Well, she guesses she appreciates the honesty.

"And I heard through the grapevine that you're trying to turn your liver inside out, so I thought that I'd come here and see for myself," Clint takes off his jacket, slinging it over the back of her couch and sitting down, "Come down here and talk to me."

"Clint, I'm fine, seriously, just go home," Kate responds, looking back at her bed a little desperately. She really just wants to go back to watching bad TV shows and sleeping her headache off.

"Come downstairs, Kate," he retorts in his father voice, and Kate sighs. He's not going to leave.

Begrudgingly, she trudges downstairs and to the couch, sitting as far on the other side of where he's sitting as possible. Her head is still pounding and she can barely keep hold of any thoughts, but she sits and waits for him to say something - anything.

"So is this what you were busy with last week?" he cocks his head slightly, looking more concerned than anything, "You know you could have told me, right? I mean, c'mon, this place reeks of booze and last I saw you, you refused to drink anything."

"Things change, Clint," Kate responds dryly, wanting him to leave as soon as possible. She really doesn't like this situation.

"Things change, yes," Clint nods, "however. You're my responsibility, even if I am in Iowa, and I'm here to see Natasha for her birthday tomorrow. I understand that you didn't want to come to Thanksgiving with Yelena being there, but that doesn't mean you can drink yourself into a hole."

"I think it's less damaging than going on a murder spree," Kate snips at him, and she immediately sees him stiffen a little bit.

"You know that that wasn't a correct reaction."

"There is no correct reaction!" Kate yells, "My life sucks! I lost my mom and my girlfriend and my fucking dog and maybe, just maybe, I wanted to cope in some way!"

"That doesn't have to be drinking, Kate," he's eerily calm and it only serves to make Kate angrier.

"Sorry, next time I lose everyone I care about, I'll go murder people. Seems like it all worked out well for you," Kate responds, standing and walking toward the kitchen. She's irritated when she realizes she's out of food and alcohol and walks back towards the living room.

"Kate, I'm trying to look out for you. Just because I've made mistakes in my past doesn't mean that you have to follow in those footsteps. You're smarter than that and you're better than that," Clint replies, standing up from the couch and trying to get a better read on her, "I know that Pepper offered you a place to stay. You should take it and get a fresh start."