#[ VERSE; Gammarageee ] tag pending

[mastcrmarksman]

@gammaragee ⸻ "You can't choose who you fall in love with."

❝ What if that person is you, Bruce? ❞

That's a loaded question as if he's been holding onto that for a while. As if it's been locked into the chamber, last bullet, and this was the perfect shot, the only shot. The guy kind of walked right into that one. Finally, this weight that he had been carrying around with him for so long has finally been allowed to lifted off.

The load is by no means gone entirely, but something that he's been able to grow around. It's something that he's dwelled on, that's followed him since the last time they were sat across from each other. Part of him woneders if that was good for him by any means. It's a little stone that's settled in his chest and he no longer has trouble with it being there.

The shape of it, the ache of it, was all too familiar to Clint. It was that feeling of when he was left alone, when suddenly there was an abscence that he wanted to run away from. Something he had run from, that followed him, and made a home. He's had long enough to brood on this, that the feeling has settled like dust.

Was it messed up that where his own peace had came from with the decision to agree, to help, to shoot Bruce Banner was resolving that he had to have; that he did do this out of love. That while the man was gone, had been dead, he realized that the scientist and him were alike more than different. The few and far talks they had when th man had just been man, they knew parts of each other's childhood that other's wouldn't. From memory, from their own stories.

Bruce's the one that had looked at him and said what other's didn't, because he knew, because he knew aabout his dad, about Jacques and Buck, and his brother. A fact of himself, he escapsed and ignored, even if right now he was wishing that he had met Bruce at a bar in the evening than a roadside diner in the afternoon. Clint pushes his fork around on the plate, he's not sad about this fact, about this reveal.

Do they really have time for this? No, but Clint's had a lot more time to think about this, think think about Bruce. ❝ I just thought you should know that I love ya, buddy. I... ❞ He's sorry it didn't work out, but then, ❝ So you know I was glad to do it. ❞ Not for the reasons he gave in court and he wasn't lying then either. he saw the green, saw the vision, saw the need to protect everyonr but every day in that jail celll, in his solitarie; he thought about Bruce Banner. His memories of him and the Hulk, of that moment.

When he hit the road with each twist of knife as people thanked him, his resolve only pushed towards torward this feeling for Banner. It's one he had before, already had been going (why else would he have kissed him). With him being dead and gone, only encouraged him to say it, to take every shot he had and this was that moment. You miss every shot you don't take.

❝ I've, uh, had time to think 'bout that. ❞ He picks up the cup of coffee to take a sip, Clint's not expecting Bruce to say anything. He'd sooner assume he'll get up and leave, or find himself looking down at the Hulk (who he really doesn't want to have this conversation with at the moment).