xp_logs | Molly and Clint: Understanding

xp_bruiser posting in

Molly and Clint have another argument after come to an understanding after an argument but it takes a little work.

Kitty and Garrison had both left the room after their initial discussion. There were still a lot of things to do but they were taking a break to refuel and regroup while Clint looked through the data. "Did you really think I was just gonna randomly start playing with your toys without asking you first? That was the whole reason why we came down to talk to you. And now I look like a weirdo in front of Mr. Kane and Kitty. Why did you have to be a jerk about it? Hayes? Hayes? I'm not in the military, dude," Molly said, folding her arms with a deep frown.

Expression neutral, Clint answered, "Did you really think you guys could come down here and ambush me with alternate dimensions accessed through an unstable wormhole and I'd just agree to let you play with a system I've been building for months? And you're Hayes at the moment because you seem really hostile and I don't appreciate you throwing my dedication to the mansion and its safety back in my face like me skipping meals and missing sleep equates to being a dirty basement dweller."

Molly squinted. "That is NOT what I meant. It was you guarding the wormhole like you were the only one who could understand it or protect us. Why are you skipping meals and missing sleep in a mansion full of people who wanna help?" she said, making a face.

"Why do you think I didn't wanna come down here? Because lately it feels like even when you're around people you still wanna do things alone like it'll protect people if stuff goes down. Like leave to go on missions," she said.

So yes, she was still sore about that.

"You're literally the first person I asked for help and you treated me like a pariah. With help like that, who needs sabotage?" Clint asked, shaking his head. "The only people who come down here without me halfway begging are Darcy, Kyle, Matt, and Topaz -- who's all kinds of twitchy because the portal ate her. Then you three show up and wanna mesh this system I've cobbled together basically by myself -- excuse me for wanting some time to make sure this whole thing won't get fucked attempting integrate tech I'm unfamiliar with."

"I was hurt because you left!" Molly shouted, balling up her fists as her eyes brimmed with tears. "You left me. Sif left me on Earth instead of letting me stay on Asgard. Wade left me. My parents left me. Okay, they made the right call there because they turned out to be mildly evil but still...The people I get close to leave me. I didn't want to get close again because I was afraid you'd leave."

Clint shook his head slowly. "You were my friend. I couldn't even tell my brothers where I was going when I left." Pushing away from the desk despite knowing he needed to get started on the hardware compatibility, he continued, "As much as I'm sorry you felt abandoned -- despite Tasha telling people I was going on a mission, I'm still not going to apologize for doing my job. And if your feelings about that, about me, are going to impact your ability to work on this project, then maybe you should rethink your involvement.

"I have no reservations regarding your intelligence or your abilities, but the way you've treated me, especially how you acted today..." Clint shrugged as he headed for the stairs. "Maybe work on your professionalism."

"I'm not a 'professional' like you, Clint. This isn't SHIELD. I came here when I was 12 because some crazy lady and her robot son thought it'd be cool to kidnap me and the X-People rescued me. This is all I've known," she said. She felt a lump in her throat and swallowed it down.

"Then a version of your brother, one of my best friends, died. And so did so many of my friends and my teachers. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I tried to...to...say everything was fine. That your Matt doesn't deserve my being mad at him like Artie does toward everyone. He doesn't. But it doesn't stop me missing him, Or Yvette. Or so many others. Then Sif. Then Wade...So I'm sorry if I had a problem dealing with your being gone, not knowing you were gonna die too. I know you were doing a job. I know it was important. I know I freaked out. I'm sorry. I just...I'm just...trying to deal. And I guess I'm not dealing very well."

Turning to lean his shoulders against the wall by the stairwell, Clint tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. "Look, I know I can't understand all the shit you've been through. It's crazy. But most of our lives are crazy. So maybe you're not a professional like me, maybe you don't have the training I've had, but that doesn't mean you're not some kinda professional here and now, however you wanna define 'professional.'" He paused again, finally looking Molly in the eye. "Have you considered seeing a therapist? Doug's got a good one on lock. My old ones aren't really suitable, given the whole..." Waving his hand, Clint flailed a little. "Whatever. With universes colliding and whatever."

Molly shrugged. "I see one sometimes. We're working on stuff," she said quietly, rubbing her neck. "Kinda hard to be magically cured when you live in the Mansion de Weird. I think the only way to do that would be to become an accountant in Iowa or something."

She smiled a little. "You should see her face when I talk about hunting bilgesnipe with Sif."

"Man, Asgardians and their bilgesnipes," Clint said, shaking his head. He pushed off of the wall and walked back toward Molly, one arm extended. "C'mon, if you want we can hug it out. Just don't crack any of my bones when you squeeze. I kinda need them."

Molly's smile brightened before she bit her lip, then nodded a little. "Scout's honor. Y'know, if I were a scout," she said, hugging him gently.

"I mean," Clint said, half-smiling as he hugged her back. "I'm an ex-carnie, so... you're more of a scout than I'll ever be."

"Hmmm maybe," Molly said thoughtfully. "A few of us got kidnapped and taken to Genosha and we had to survive in the wilderness without our powers for a few days when I was 13. That is kinda scouty," she added, relaying everything like it was completely normal for a teenager to do.

"But being a carnie sounds funner. What did you get to do? Like work with Lions and stuff?"

"Nah, I was a kid. Me and my older brother were roustabouts -- basically ran around doing small, odd jobs." They'd been the carnival's bitches, basically, but everybody was traumatized one way or another, so whipping it out to compare didn't strike Clint as a productive way to spend his time.

"Oh," Molly said, taking the signal that he didn't want to talk about it. "That's cool. Well um...I should probably let you get back to work." She started up the stairs.

"See ya."