he thought he knew mental and physical strain, all knotted up together in rope-cord muscles, but it’s nothing compared to chasing natalia romanova. she’d made him, far sooner than she should have --which, great intel, sitwell, nearly getting him killed-- and he’s been scrambling ever since. he’s bone-tired, but even deeper than that is his dogged determination.
his first solo assassination-- his chance to prove himself. he can take out this assassin-cum-mercenary-- she’s been killing almost as long as she’s been alive, according to the (surprisingly) slim file he was given on her. her alleged hits, crimes, exploits could fill up a cabinet-- but the information on her (likes and dislikes, mo, allies, aliases) is concise enough that he could fold it up and put it in his pocket.
and he’s paid for this incomplete assessment of his target-- chasing her though fuck-all europe (though never back to her home country). she might be smart, quick on her feet, but he’s got one thing going for him-- he’s stubborn as all hell. he’s (miraculously) managed to stay less than a day or two behind her, and thankfully she seems to be running out of steam.
that, or it’s a trap and he’s going to regret this change of pace very fucking much.
still, arrogance bleeds between his teeth. he might be newly-minted, but they chose him for this job. he’ll never let them know it’s driven him nearly to wit’s end, because he’s here, he’s closing in on the notorious black widow.
his bow’s slung over his chest, gun strapped to his thigh and knife in hand because he’s got a sinking feeling she’ll go for the up-close-and-personal approach and he might have to go for a lethal cut instead of the long-distance kill he’s secretly hoping for.
----sure he was trained, pulled and stretched until he fit well enough into the mold of ‘agent’ for shield to send him out, but his instincts are still dirt-floor below-the-belt moves. desperate moves--the kind of survival fighting he learned under a fist and cloudy carnival lights.
and above all, that might be why clint barton got the assignment: he’s scrappy.
@bolshoii || ( starter; new arc )
