Nomad | Hawkeye FF ✓

THIS IS A WOMAN'S JOB

"I know she came off the jet, but where afterwards is what I'm asking. Frig. I feel like a wild animal in chase of my prey—I can feel everyone's eyes on me. Just to satisfy everyone, and make them think I'm deranged, I feel like yelling, 'caw caw mother—"

    "Clint."

    "What?"

    "Shut up," Audrey said. "And stop freaking out. She's most likely in her room. If I witnessed what she did today, first place I'd go to is either my room, the gym, or the streets."

    Adjusting his hold on his cellphone as he raced up a flight of stairs in the Triskelion, the man's eyes widened into saucers as he began to panic. "You don't think she's out on the streets, do you? She could be anywhere!"

    "Okay Clint, calm down!"

    "I—I'm calm, I'm always calm, what are you talking about?" He let out a breathy laugh. A fake smile was plastered to his face as he reached the top of the stairs. "It's not like it's been, what, two freaking hours since we last saw her, ya I'm so calm," he barked out in a tight whisper, and scared a young lady who walked by him in the hallway. 

    "Hawkeye," Audrey said a bit harshly, then he heard the intake of a single breath as it was released slowly afterwards. "Go and check her room. I'm at the security gate right now, I'll be in ASAP," she answered more gently. 

    "Fine. I'm phoning the rest of the team to see if they've heard from her," he paused, then resumed to say, "I should have ran after her—dammit! I screwed up again."

    "No, you failed."

    Leave it to Audrey to tell the truth without an ounce of remorse, he thought, rolling his eyes.

    "Is that supposed to make me feel any better?" he asked, squeezing by two bulky agents in the hallway. He didn't miss Audrey's short chuckle as his attention was on everything and everyone wherever he walked. He always scanned each corner and hall he came upon and, as he did so, the hero felt he would find her in the next turn he took, or stop he made in the lounge areas.

    "That's not what I meant," she sighed, compelled to answer in a manner worthy of wisdom rather than sarcasm, for the Avenger was in an obvious state of worry. "We fail in a lot of areas of our lives, Clint. But without those failures, we wouldn't learn from our mistakes. Go find her, make it right, and the fact that you will be there for her this time, will go to show her that you care—that someone does."

    Half his lip quirked upward as he mischievously had to ask, "So, are you saying you don't care about her?"

    "Oh, that is it! I'm hanging up on you right now—goodbye!"

    Clint laughed, but soon as he fell back into his rhythm in search for Sophie, he frowned. 

____

    "Did you check her room already?" Steve asked from behind Clint in the elevator.

    "Not yet," he answered without looking over his shoulder. His words were clipped and sharp, his mind somewhere else.

    A few calls later to each of his teammates, and a brief explanation, Clint had them all rounded up and on the elevator headed straight to Sophie's quarters. Since they all had to report to Fury's office for a brief mission report the minute they all returned, which translated into being an hour later, they hadn't bothered to change and simply wore their suits as if ready for another mission.

    Audrey still remained absent from the six Avengers, and hopefully on her way, Clint thought.

    Steve's eyes wandered over to Natasha, who at the same time, looked over at the soldier. Both communicated through their eyes, having thought the same thing. They've never seen Clint so agitated and worried before. The man always seemed collectively cool, witty, and sarcastic.