cognitived | mental link;

[ It's borrowed time, part of him whispers. The strength of their connection means nothing should Clint's symbiote slip out of sync with him again, should it be Sam's own that succumbs next time. He is fooling himself believing that they've become woven together so tightly, through accident and practice and closeness and trust, that they cannot be unraveled. That he won't be so much more incomplete when it happens again.

It doesn't matter. It's part of them now, and Sam's so accustomed to the taste of Clint's emotions, the wordless ideas and sensations, that their absence would be stranger than their presence.

Like now. The sense of danger fills him, sharp and wary, as clear as if it were his own, save for the fact that the feathers that flavor Clint's mental signature are subtly different from Sam's own. He leans closer, reaching out mentally with a wordless question, searching automatically for Clint's observations, his opinions. ]

Hmm, there's never enough things that want to kill us or take us out somehow.

[ they ebb together, too easy, too familiar. beloved. sam's shoulder leaning into his, the mental press of fingertips against the yield of his mind, accepted, welcomed wordlessly. sam's the one with more information, here, but clint still answers. observe, investigate, carefully, cautiously -- another self-assigned mission in a life-long stream of them.

the assassin might've become a superhero, but changing a name didn't change the nature of the beast beneath. ]

Don't jinx it. [ he snorts, scrubbing a hand through short shorn hair. breathes in deep, fingers slipping to press against temples. and he already knows, but: ] You're not going to stay away from this, are you?

[ There's a quiet, thoughtful hum in response - caution, caution, Sam agrees, and he doesn't know much more than Clint at this point, but he gives it over anyway. She'd accepted his help working on her shit only as it relates to shielding, and only because she says what she's got in there might kill someone else if it gets out into the Nest at large.

He huffs a laugh back, leaning in to watch Clint's reaction. Even though Clint knows the answer to what he's asking, Sam's expecting the question. ]

Have I ever? [ There's a press at Clint's mind - a warm breeze, the brush of feathers, meant to be both soothing and tugging. ] With all the work we've done on shielding, I think I've got the best shot at it. [ Other than maybe Prince or Cathaway, or one of the older Hosts like Ilde, but Sam can't see Shepard going to any of them for this. ]

[ clint accepts the information easily, taking a moment to pick through, thoughtful and careful. it's not much, but it's enough to get a bare-bones idea. sam's right, of course. the nest can't afford to have this out there, a bomb ticking away in the midst of their melded minds.

so clint rolls his eyes and playfully shoves at sam's shoulder, relaxing into the feather-brush reassurance ebbing at his mind. ]

Yeah, yeah, like you'd let it go even if you weren't.

[ but he is, and they both know it. ]

[ When faced with it, Sam almost feels like he should have asked for more - but at this point he doubts more details will change his mind, and he's not willing to risk setting the bomb off by trying to draw it out before countermeasures are in place.

He chuckles at that shove, leaning over in exaggeration before shoving him back. ]

You know me too well.

[ It's teasing, even though almost as soon as Sam says it, he realizes that it's not quite true. It can't be too well if he likes how much Clint knows him. ]

I'll call you, if I need backup to contain it?

[ probably, but that's coming from a paranoid spysassin. more information is always a plus in clint's book. still, as he said before, clint's not surprised at all that sam agreed. easier to give in and provide back up, since knowing their luck they'll need it.

there's a huff of laughter, even as they fall back into each other, easy affection. ]

Yeah, I'll be ready.

[ an unneeded agreement -- they both know clint would be ready to offer help regardless. despite the fact that he's probably not the best option when it comes to containing minds. ]

[ Sam's still learning, there, still balancing the line between the need for more information and the respect for others' privacy. After the Raft, with Clint in his head... well, these days he leans towards paranoid, too.

He's one of the best options because Sam trusts him. Because he needs that support, and even though he probably didn't need to ask for it, it feels good to have it confirmed.

In the end he pulls on Clint’s strength to help him keep everything contained between him and Shepard, instinctively, but he doesn't have time to actually ask for back up before he's out.

The next day, as Sam wakes, it isn't so much that he reaches out to Clint - he's already there as soon as he wakes, his mental presence stirring as it hums alongside Clint’s. ]

( Don't recommend that. )

[ in the end, Clint isn't expecting what happens. Sam yanks at the threads tying them together, borrows strength and will and walls everything up between him and Shepard. It leaves Clint gasping for breath, too dazed to do little more than wordlessly reach back over the gap between them. Worrying. At the SUDDEN silence, the unconscious mind. Shepard calls him, and Clint is two steps from panicked, firmly lodged in the mindset of assassin.

It's not the best first meeting. But it's also not the worst.

Still -- relief swamps him, spills over through the strengthened threads of their connection like wave to shore. Relief, reassurance and a heavy dose of worry thrumming right there beneath his mental voice. Clint curls tighter around sam, grateful that he wasn't under for longer. Before sharpening. ]

( Next time give me a better heads up, man. )

[ he's v disappointed in you, mister. ]

[ Sam settles back into himself, back into the spaces in Clint’s mind where he belongs. Feels Clint's presence resting back in Sam’s own mind, like home, and eases back down.

Sorry, shit he's sorry, and that bleeds across when he feels the worry coming off Clint, even before his relief sharpens. ]

( I will. ) [ There's no point in a worded apology, not when Clint can feel it and the agreement to do better next time is worth more. Sam pulls closer, the press of his forehead against Clint’s as he gently brushes over Clint’s mind - as he would if he were brushing a hand through Clint’s hair, or running over his skin to check for injuries. ] ( You okay? )

[ What tension had settled into his frame over the past day and a half eases, slowly. Sloughed away as Sam settles back into the places of Clint's mind where he'd belonged. It'd been almost too empty without the living thrum of their shared mindspace, an ache Clint is hesitant to repeat.

Better, now. Better, with Sam here, living, breathing, apologizing with every breath. ]

( I'm good ) [ Fond, he reaches back for Sam, curls them together. Closer, closer, watchful. ] ( How're you feeling? )

[ Too empty, far too empty. Sam learned that back on Concordia, and that was when he was only just starting to realize how deep their connection now. There's still guilt that he put Clint through that, an undercurrent to the reassurance and joint relief. It fades a little the more their minds flow over each other, a sigh of quiet joy as the last puzzle pieces slip back into place.

The press of touch, soothing and fond, as they curl closer. ]

( Like I got kicked in the chest by a mule, but ain't the first time either of us've felt that. )

[ There's an impression of laughter, soft and fond. The press of a palm cupping the nape of Sam's neck, soothing, drawing him in in in. Ever the sentinel, watchful, under the last edge of guilt subsides under quiet joy.

Good, good -- they both ease. ]

( You more than me, bud. )

[ This is a lie. ]

PRACTICAL if we're gonna win this one, some of us might have to lose it.	RESILIENT do you know what it's like to be unmade?
SKILLED if i miss, it means im just another dude with a bow.	DETERMINED this is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for.

mental link;

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lmao i just noticed my phone auto capsed sudden

fshdkasdl i just assumed it was clint's commentary

r i p