The Lone Wolf (Clint Barton)

Chapter 4: Ranch Life

Jackie POV:

I watched as Clint did his training routine, as he had asked for me to once again coach him. I gave him tips about different things that he had always had problems doing. Nat was in town exploring and grabbing some food and other necessities for us. After he was done with his warm-up, we moved to my shooting range. I picked up my recurve bow and grabbed some arrows, turning to Clint checked out again, something that had been happening a lot since Loki.

They were now calling the battle The Battle of New York. Ed, Cap, Thor, and Dr. Banner were getting a lot of attention from the press and the public. Clint, Nat, and I were the 'unnamed heroes', which is what they called us. Sighing, I went over and snapped my fingers in front of Clint's face. No response. Again, no response. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Groaning, I set down my bow and quiver, grabbed his own, and set them down. Still no response. I pushed him into the wall, and he spun around, trying to punch me but I ducked.

Clint's eyes went big and he started hyperventilating. I pulled him down to the floor and stroked his hair. "Shh, it's okay, любовь." I waited until the panic attack cleared. I rubbed his back when he sat back up. "You okay now?" I asked. Clint nodded and continued to study the floor. He hated having problems, especially since I was the one who calmed him down. Standing back up, I offered him my hand. Taking it, Clint hauled himself back up. He tried to pick up his bow and quiver, but I was faster and grabbed both of our archery sets.

"Jackie!" Clint groaned. "Come on, I wanna practice!"

I rolled my eyes, putting them both away in one of my many safes. "You almost always hit the target, Clint. I want to know more about you. We never really talked about ourselves." I state.

Sighing, Clint grabbed some water and we headed outside to the porch. "So, who asks the first question?" He asked.

"That is a question Clint, so I guess you did." I joke.

Clint shook his head and smiled. "Well, then, your turn."

"What's your full name?"

"Clinton Francis Barton."

"You're kidding me, Francis is your middle name?"

"Yup," Clint said, popping the p. "My turn. What's your full name?"

"In Russian or translated over to English?"

"English. Nat won't teach me Russian."

"Winter Jacklyn Thompson."

"Jacklyn is actually your middle name?"

"Yeah, I don't like my first name so Jackie or Jacklyn works. Now, my turn. What's the worst mission you have ever been on?"

"Probably Budapest. Nat and I almost didn't make it out of there alive. How did you learn so much stuff about weapons?"

"My actual dad taught me." I paused, remembering my dad's face as he carefully guided me through the steps of assembling a gun. "He taught me almost everything I know about weapons, survival, and hand-to-hand combat. SHIELD and Fury just helped me with some things that were important to know about in SHIELD. How'd you go deaf?"

"Failed mission. A grenade got thrown my way and I didn't spot it fast enough. I was in the hospital for a couple of weeks before they let me out. Natasha stayed with me the whole time to make sure I didn't sneak out. How do you know how to calm me down? Nobody else can. Believe me, they've tried."