Duyên || Clint Barton

030 || captain

•••

With the finals in full swing, I had taken to retreating back to the gym when the stress would get too much, meaning I was spending a hell of a lot of time with Steve.
Ever since arriving at the compound I had been shocked at how level headed the captain had seemed to be, especially since his mood in Wakanda couldn't have been further away from the easy going persona he had adopted. Turns out, due to the therapy sessions he had been forced to, Steve had finally found a good way to output his anger healthily, taking to pummelling punching bags instead of holding all of his tension in. Whilst this didn't ward off his anger all the time (sometimes resulting in broody mornings) he was always quick to apologise.

"Hey! Steve-o! Spar with me!" I grinned, skipping into the gym as I tied my hair into a ponytail. The blonde chuckled and stepped away from the punching bag, raising an eyebrow at my enthusiasm.
"Procrastinating?"
"You know it - I have my last test tomorrow and I'm shitting myself"
"Shouldn't you be revising then?"
"You're starting to sound like Nat" I scoffed, taping my knuckles as I spoke, "I just need to get rid of this nervous energy. I couldn't sit still"
Steve just shrugged, stepping in front of me and raising his fists with a challenging smirk.
"Ready to lose again?"
"In your dreams Rogers"

Sparring with Steve was liberating. Whilst I was very obviously outmatched, the fast pace allowed my brain to switch off and solely focus on my movements, as well as making sure my skills were still in tact. The fluidity of it felt soothing, almost therapeutic.
The gym's silence was broken only by the subtle noises of our bodies clashing, the occasional quip thrown back and forth in a moment of victory.
"Almost hit me that time Grace, you're getting there"
"Very funny Elsa, did it take you the last 5 minutes to come up with that one?"
"Pfffft. No"
By the time we stopped, I was exhausted, though proud to see I had made Steve work up a sweat. Helping me up off of the mat, we both walked back over to our water bottles, throats parched from thirst.
"You know you're going to smash it tomorrow - you have nothing to worry about" Steve said nonchalantly, taking a deep gulp of water, "you've patched us all up more than once, hell, you practically were a doctor already"
A sad smile settled on my face as I ran through all of the times I helped the team, my mind mostly focusing on the twins and Clint.
"I miss them"
Steve's eyes burned into the side of my face, seemingly reading every single thought that was rushing through my mind as he reached out to rest a hand on my shoulder.
"Me too"
"Hey Steve?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think we'll ever get them back?"
He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before answering me.
"I don't know"

•••

"Hey, Grace wake up! Your final starts soon and Rhodey made you waffles"
I groaned and batted the intruder away, only receiving an amused chuckle in response.
"Get up lazy ass or Steve will have eaten them all. Bruce is popping by too so I wouldn't be surprised if he takes some as well"
"Noooo don't let them take my food Nat" I mock-cried, blearily opening my eyes and latching on to the redhead's waist, "I need the sustenance"

Sleeping in each other's beds had become routine in the past few weeks. After the incident at Tony's we just never stopped, the comfort of sharing a bed was something we both needed so we said fuck it and did it.

"Get up and I'll go guard it. I promise"
"This is emotional blackmail" I grumbled, crawling out of bed and sulking to the bathroom, glaring at Nat lightly as I passed.
"You're welcome"

After a rushed shower, I threw on some comfy clothes and sprinted to the kitchen, throwing myself onto the chair next to Nat and immediately piling my plate with food.
"Grace?"
"Mhm?"
"Bruce is here"
I looked up from my waffles to see everyone watching me with an amused expression.
"Ah! Sorry! Bruce you're alive!" I cheered, leaning over the table to pat his shoulder lightly, "glad you're here. I haven't seen you since Ultron"
"Uh - Thanks?"
Bruce rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, a slight blush rising on his cheeks.
"I hope you're planning on taking Nat on a date cos I'm pretty sure you owe her one - OW!"
I was cut off as Nat delivered an incredibly harsh blow to my stomach, her face turned stony, whilst Bruce looked like he'd like to be swallowed by the floor.
"Oh. Sorry I'm stressed, I have no filter this morning - I'm going to leave now -" I grabbed another waffle before fleeing the awkward tension of the kitchen.