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A pair of watchful, bright eyes was watching the screen, a figure covered in shadows, a turned back only being visible. Dr. Banner ended up staying on board the Helicarrier longer that he thought he would be, his presence being more than useful even though he wasn’t as welcomed as he hoped he would be. This changed a bit after the Hulk helped “The Avengers”, and now he made a brief stop on board to pick up everything he brought with him.
Even though he gained the trust of most of his teammates, he was still treated with caution by most of the SHIELD agents. Agent Barton was no exception to that rule, and even though he fought alongside the Hulk, he still hasn’t met Bruce. Natasha was sure to tell him everything that happened on board when Bruce got angry, but Clint couldn’t help but be curious about this strange, lonely man, his appearance having no resemblance to the enormous, green rage creature that Clint crossed paths with. His back was still turned against the camera, but the archer caught himself staring at the black wavy hair, the tight purple shirt leaving little to his imagination. Without hesitating, he grabbed his bow, only because Natasha insisted, and headed to the lab, the door sliding to the side before he reached for the button, the older man standing in front of him, with a startled, dark look on his face.
“Leaving already, Dr. Banner?”, Clint asked with an eyebrow raise, blocking the exit as he leaned to the side.
“My work here is done, Agent..?”, Bruce replied, adjusting the briefcase in his hands, looking over Clint’s shoulder.
“Barton. Codename Hawkeye. I’ve being watching you, Dr. Banner, big fan of your work even though most of it is hard to understand. Still, it must be important if they dragged you here”, the blonde said with a shake of his head, his trained eyes looking up and down, as he offered his hand out to him.
“Bruce Banner, good to meet you, and thanks. Not interested in the Hulk though? That’s a first, Tony Stark was pretty interested about him”, Bruce said with a faint smile while shaking his hand, Clint shivering slightly at the pretty sight.
“So that’s why Stark insisted on showing you around his tower? Pretty ugly, isn’t it?”, he joked,. “I’ve seen what.. he can do, I’m pretty interested on you right now, what’s so special about you, Doc?”
“Nothing. I’m just a regular guy”, Bruce replied with a steady voice, taking his time to notice the details of the other’s face, as well as his built, strong arms, used to holding the bow between his slick fingers.
“Modest. I like that, not like the tin guy”, he chuckled, moving inside the room and leaning against the counter, having no intention of walking away. “Natasha told me about your little.. talk here”
“Oh. So you came here in pity then? Or just to watch over me? I see the bow, you know”, Bruce commented somewhat coldly.
“No. I came here to meet you and say goodbye properly. I don’t know when we’ll meet again but on behalf of SHIELD you can contact us whenever you need any help. Well, to be honest, I didn’t ask for a permission to talk on behalf of the rest, but you can contact me. We’re meant to be Avengers now, right?”, Clint said with a wink, trying to sound serious about it.
“That’s very.. considerate of you, I’ll keep it in mind, Barton”, Bruce said slowly, being caught off guard by this act of somewhat affection.
“Clint. Not Barton. No need to be formal about it, Bruce”, the blonde replied with another flashy smile, patting him on the shoulders as he stepped outside.
“How about a cup of coffee later? Clint? Outside, not in here”, the scientist asked quickly before Clint managed to get afar.
“Are you asking me out, Doc?”, Clint asked playfully, stopping but without turning his head back.
“I don’t know. Maybe. We’ll see.”, Bruce blushed, eager to hear Clint’s reply.
“Good. 5pm. Meet by the docks. Be there”, the archer grinned, disappearing into the shadows.
Bruce was happy that Clint couldn’t see his reaction, a bright smile appearing on his face, a genuine smile that made him feel kind of fuzzy inside, looking forward to the implied date. Maybe this would end up nicely, a nice conversation over a hot drink, no formalities or agent talk, just two normal people talking about their lives. Yeah, he could do that. He carried on packing, leaving the laboratory with a smile, ignoring the fact that Clint was watching him from the other side of the screen, giggling to himself.
“Be there.”