Comic booking it

[from_a_distance]

Clint was not one to frequent comic shops. In fact, he usually stayed as far away from them as possible--not because, like the other Avengers, he was afraid he might be recognized, but because he was pretty certain he wouldn't be, and that got a little old after a while.

But Coulson had been moping because he couldn't get in to get his Captain America comics for a couple months, and Clint didn't like to see Coulson moping, so he decided to stop by and pick them up for the agent. He'd probably just drop them on his desk when Coulson wasn't around, but at least he knew it would make the man smile.

Comments

[from_a_distance]

"I know, I know," Clint grumbles again. "Virtual crap."

[mediumdrip]

"Crap?" Blaine asked, frowning a bit. "Isn't that a bad word?"

[sonofcoul]

"Yeah, Barton, isn't that a bad word?"

[from_a_distance]

He...actually thought that was using the not bad word.

"It's a...it's a word we only use at home."

[mediumdrip]

"Oooh, so I can say it but not at school?"

[sonofcoul]

Coulson looks over at Clint, not even bothering to conceal his amusement.

[from_a_distance]

Clint rolls his eyes at Coulson before answering.

"Yeah, exactly. And...not in front of Miss Emma. Or your social worker."

[mediumdrip]

"Okay... Just us then? Like a secret? But not a scary one."

[sonofcoul]

"Well, it's definitely not a scary one."

[from_a_distance]

"Yeah, kind of like that."

Clint frowns because he was asked to keep a lot of secrets as a kid, and he knows Blaine probably has too.

"But you know...if anybody ever asks you to keep a secret and it makes you uncomfortable, you can tell somebody. Me or Phil or Miss Emma or someone you can trust, okay?"

[mediumdrip]

Blaine frowns a bit. "Isn't the point of secrets that you don't tell anyone?"

[sonofcoul]

"Yes, usually, but some secrets can be dangerous to keep. Like if it's a secret that's dangerous or can hurt someone." He looks thoughtful for a moment. "Like if someone told you they were going to blow up a building, but told you to keep it a secret, that's probably not the best secret to keep, right?"

[from_a_distance]

"Or if they were hurting somebody," Clint adds carefully.

[mediumdrip]

"Okay..." Blaine says softly. "There's a lot of rules about secrets."

[sonofcoul]

"It's really a lot of details for one rule about secrets. Don't keep a secret if keeping the secret will do more harm than not keeping it."

[from_a_distance]

"And if you're not sure, you can talk to someone you trust and they can help you decide."

[mediumdrip]

"But telling means that it's not a secret..."

[sonofcoul]

"You can tell some things about a secret without telling the whole thing. Or you can decide on one person who you trust wouldn't tell anyone else a single word about the secret as long as it's the kind of secret that's okay to keep secret. Then it's still a secret, it's just that it's also a secret between you and that person."

[from_a_distance]

"Yeah, exactly. You gotta be sure it's someone you can absolutely trust. No matter what."

[mediumdrip]

"Oh... Okay..." Blaine frowns a bit, not sure he has anyone like that, though Clint would be the closest.

[sonofcoul]

"I know it can be hard to find someone like that. And sometimes it takes time before you decide that you're willing to trust someone that much."

[from_a_distance]

Clint nods. "That's okay, too. Trust is...hard."

He knows that better than most.

[mediumdrip]

"So what do I do if I have to tell someone but I don't know who? Can I tell you two?"

[sonofcoul]

"You absolutely can. We're good at secrets."

[from_a_distance]

"Yep. Kinda goes with the whole hero thing."