We Might Fall

Chapter 4: Clint of Truthful Promises

10pm. She thought bitterly. 10pm and I'm only just getting off work. She turned the corner and found herself nearing the bridge. Sure, the walk past the bridge added a good half an hour to getting home, but she enjoyed it – and it was slightly more in the open than the backalleys she had previously walked through. She felt safer, and she wasn't sure whether that was because it was a generally safer route, or if it was because it was past the place where she'd met Clint.

After his first visit to her apartment, it had gone on to become a regular thing. For a week, he turned up every other day, but at the end of that week…

"I've got a mission. I'll be gone a couple days."

He'd said a couple of days. It had been 6. Hallie was worried, to say the least. But she was trying not to let it get to her. Needless to say, her insomnia was worse. She'd slept a total of 5 hours and 37 minutes in the last 6 days. Not that she was counting.

But as she finally neared her front door, checking her watch and reading 10:42, she felt a wave of tiredness wash over her. Her fingers fumbled with her keys until she finally managed to get it unlocked, shoving her door open and flicking the lock before she dropped her oversized bag and kicked off her shoes, curling into herself on the couch.

She was asleep within minutes.

"I'll take over. Get some shut-eye before we get back."

Clint snapped out of his slightly dazed position in the cockpit of the quintjet, looking up at Tony and nodding, flicking the jet to autopilot as he rose with a brief thanks to the Stark.

He found a secure spot in a seat slightly further away from the majority of the team – Natasha was talking quietly with Steve and Bruce was sleeping in a seat of his own. Thor had made his way over to talk with Tony, and, comfortable with the state of the team, Clint rested his head back and closed his eyes.

I hope she's not worried.

27. That was the 27th time he'd thought about Hallie in the, what, 7 days they'd been away, now? Not that he was counting.

He knew that they still had a few hours before landing, and at a glance it would be around 3am when they did – the whole team would just crash.

He wouldn't. He never just crashed. He always walked.

As his muscles became less tense with a deep exhale, he rested a hand over his eyes.

Maybe this time he would skip the walk.

Hallie stifled a yawn as she left the red ink marks of her favourite pen all over the manuscript she had just finished. The entire thing was riddled with mistakes and she hadn't the faintest idea how it had made it through the first branch of editing in the state it was in.

She rose from her desk and headed into her boss' office, leaving it on his desk at his absence before going back to enter the necessary information in her computer.

As she filled in the final section and printed a copy, she glanced at the clock above the main reception desk. 3pm. She gave the girl at the front desk the hard copy of the manuscript details, grabbing her bag and signing herself out with various goodbyes around the office as she headed home, this time not bothering to take the longer way by the bridge.

If he's back, he'll come. She pursed her lips at the thought. But what if he doesn't? What if he never comes back? What if he dies, or decides he doesn't like me anymore? She sighed and shook herself out. Nope, you are just really, really tired. You need some rest.

Before she knew it she was in front of her apartment and unlocking the door, only to scream and clamp her hands over her mouth at the sight of the man on her couch as she walked in.

"Clint?!" She yelled, "What the hell are you doing here?!"

He was up in a second, his arms resting on her shoulders. "Calm down, Hallie." With his tone of voice, he almost could have been pouting and it wouldn't have been surprising. "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

Hallie shrugged him off with a sigh, calming surprisingly quickly, and threw her bag down before sitting on the couch Clint had just rose from. Part of her couldn't help but notice the warmth from where he'd been sitting. "I am," She sighed again. I really, really am. "I'm just tired and I didn't expect you to be in here – actually, how did you get in?"

He threw himself down beside her with a sheepish grin. "Well, I definitely didn't sneak in through the kitchen window – you should probably start locking that."

Hallie gave him a tired look. "Why do I get the feeling you'd find yourself a way in even if I did?"

Clint laughed and nodded. "You're probably right about that." He paused before beckoning her with a flick of his head. "Come here, you look like you've had a long day."

Hallie hesitated before smiling softly and resting her head on his shoulder, allowing him to put an arm around her. "It's only 3pm, as is the life of an insomniac – all I did was finish editing the manuscript I've been working on. You're the one who was on a mission for a week. How did that go, by the way – although, actually, I totally understand if you can't tell me, special forces, it would, uh, make sense that you couldn't? Well, I mean, it's probably illegal, so-"

Clint laughed and cut her off. "Hey, it's alright. Technically, I probably could tell you. But even if I could, I wouldn't want to. It's not exactly a fun conversation."

He felt a shrug from beneath his arm. "Hey, I'd understand if you didn't want to talk about it – I imagine it's taxing work, and I mean that physically and mentally. But I've always got open ears – conversations so very often aren't fun."

"Wow," He let out a humoured exhale. "Wise Hallie. I think I like Wise Hallie?"

There was a laugh in response. "You think you do?" The two both laughed – they seemed to do that around each other often. "But what did you mean by 'technically'?"

Clint pursed his lips. "Well, uh, in my company, technically if you're seriously involved with someone you can disclose information to them, to an extent, as long as you exercise caution."

Hallie shifted from under him and turned to be cross-legged, facing him. "Are we seriously involved?" It was the talk they'd both been waiting for, particularly after having been apart for a week.

Clint brought his hands together, having already anticipated what he needed to say in this conversation. "Well, I'm an agent on the special forces. I'm never completely safe, which would, by extension, mean that you'll never been completely safe, just by being involved with me. You could have to deal with loss one day, having children could be problematic and difficult, as would a life with me in general. My job doesn't exactly pay well, and I can be gone for weeks at a time, leaving you on short notice without any warning, and my co-workers, if you were ever to meet them, are probably difficult people to deal with. You wouldn't be able to tell anyone about me, specifically…" He took a breath. "A relationship with me is going to be rocky – and we're moving fast. But if you're willing to try, with all that and more, then I am too."

Hallie gave a half-hearted smile after a few moments of silence. "You've really thought this through."

"Working in an area like this, you have to."

She nodded and the smile faded, her lips replaced by a serious line. "I'm willing to try. Nobody has made me laugh like you have – this is the first real passion I've felt since I came here. And I've been sleeping more, which is crazy." You have no idea, Clint couldn't help but think. "So, if you're willing, I'm willing."

Clint couldn't help the tired smile that lit up his face, and he beckoned her towards him once again. This time, she cuddled closer into his side, craving the warmth and familiarity. "Just so you know, I've been sleeping easier, too." He told her, resting his head on hers lightly. "Girlfriend." His lips curled upward, happy with the sound of the word.

She chuckled in his arms. "Boyfriend," She spoke teasingly. "We really are teenagers."

The pair laughed at that before resting in a comfortable silence. The silence was broken when Hallie turned herself around, ending up lying with her head in his lap, looking up at him. "So, we're exclusive. In a relationship. 'Together'." He laughed at what he considered to be her adorable frown. "We'll make this work, yeah?" She looked into his eyes and he once again caught himself admiring the stunning azure that was close to stopping his heart altogether.

I am falling fast. Fast, and completely.

"Did you see Barton leave today?" Tony addressed Natasha as he sat down in the general living area, flicking through various surveillance feeds tracking the aforementioned man's exit of the tower earlier that day.

The spy blinked. "No." She denied simply before returning to the book that was resting in her lap.

Tony smirked. "He's slippery as always." He mused. "I'm willing to bet he's deliberately being sneaky – sneaking off for a girl."

Steve spoke up from his place on the couch a seat away from Natasha, who appeared to be paying little attention to the billionaire. "You should leave it alone, Tony. Don't meddle with this – you've seen as much as the rest of us how much more focused Clint is, how much… better he seems."

Tony nodded animatedly. "Yes, but that's exactly why we have to meddle!" He exclaimed, reviewing the footage on his tablet. "I want to know who's made our bird go soft."

Natasha screwed her nose up at his words. "He hasn't gone soft."

This time it was Bruce who spoke as he sat in the available armchair. "Isn't anyone else worried about what could happen if he brings a citizen into this?" He gestured around the room, at the air in general, and the rest of the present Avengers knew what he was referring to.

Tony nodded, suddenly becoming serious. "We all are; which is why I want to know who this mystery woman – or man – is before he goes running off with them."

Of all their disagreements, this was one thing they could all agree on.

"We'll make this work, yeah?" Hallie was looking up at him with those eyes, and he said the most truthful thing he's said in years.

"We'll give it our best shot." He told her, not moving his gaze.

Hallie's lips twitched. "I'm a pretty bad shot."

Clint laughed and felt his muscles relax. "You're a terrible shot." She pouted playfully, to which he responded, "But I'll be good enough for the both of us."

A/N: So, good news is I'm not dead and I fully intend to, even if it takes a long time, continue this story. I'm also currently writing a Glee story, while working on an original novel, and I just started a story for The Flash.

So, I'm taking on a lot in amongst my last year of high school and updates may be skewed. But I love this story and I want to thank each and every person who has followed and reviewed at any time, because you jolt me into writing a little more each time.

Now, it's 1:27am and I need to sleep. So, goodnight, and thank you all so much. I'm writing this as much for you as I am for me.