Coulson POV
Clint mumbled in his sleep. I looked up tiredly from the paperwork Sitwell had handed me and glanced at the clock on my desk. It was almost three o'clock in the morning. I rubbed my eyes and pushed my chair back.
"No! Please, Jacques," Clint whimpered.
I glanced over at him sharply and listened carefully. The same thing was repeated a bit more frantically and I moved over quickly.
"Clint, wake up."
The kid jerked awake and I caught his fist before he could punch me in the face. His hand trembled in mine and he started hyperventilating.
"I'm sorry. I...sorry," Clint gasped.
"Clint-"
"It wasn't- I'm fine. I'm absolutely fine," the kid whispered.
I couldn't tell if he was talking to me or to himself. Clint pulled his wrist out of my grasp and pulled at his hair.
"Clint," I repeated, catching his wrists again.
His eyes flicked to me and a frown crossed his face. I let go of his wrists when I noticed that he was about to go into a fullblown panic attack.
"We can talk about it," I offered.
Clint's eyes snapped up to mine and he shook his head frantically. I stepped backwards when he shot to his feet.
"Clint," I called as he started for the door, "Clint, come back."
He froze with his hand on the doorknob and I waited for him to run off. Instead he just sank to the floor and pulled his legs up to chest. I reached over and snagged the blanket off the couch before moving over quietly. Clint didn't respond when I draped the blanket around his shoulders, or when I sat down beside him.
"You're safe here," I told him, "Especially in my office, Clint. We don't have to talk about it, but I would like to know what happened to you."
"No, I-I can't-"
"Hey, it's okay, Clint."
"It's not. It's not," he stammered, pulling at his hair again.
"Clint. It's okay. You're safe here," I repeated.
I hesitated before wrapping an arm around his shoulder loosely, allowing him plenty of leeway to run off if he needed to. To my surprise, he turned and buried his face in my shoulder.
I decided not to say anything as I picked him up and carried him back over to the couch. His hand caught my wrist as I headed back towards my desk, and I turned to look at him.
"Can you keep watch?" He whispered.
"Of course. I've got work to do anyways."
Clint let go after a moment and I sat down behind my desk again. I clicked out of everything on my computer and turned it off once Clint was asleep again. He didn't stir as I moved over and pulled the blanket back up to his shoulders.
I stayed up for a few more minutes to make sure Clint wouldn't wake up, and then quietly left to snag a pillow from Jasper's office. The other man didn't bother asking, and I walked quietly back into my own office. I breathed a small sigh of relief when I noticed that Clint was still asleep. I tossed the pillow on the floor near the couch and sank down to the floor, loosening my tie to slip it over my head. I tossed it and my suit jacket onto my desk and shifted until I found a comfortable position to go to sleep in.
I woke up when I heard a thud. Clint was frozen by my desk, hand still raised towards the shelf. I sat up and he looked away, crouching down to pick up whatever he had dropped.
"Didn't mean to wake you. It's four and I figured I would get started without you," he said softly as he sat back down on the couch, pulling the textbook into his lap.
I stood up and grabbed my jacket and tie off my desk and moved over to the couch to sit down next to Clint. He turned so that his feet were on the couch and he was facing me. I reached forward and tugged the book out of his grasp.
"Get some more sleep, Clint. No lessons today."
"Why?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Just follow the order, Barton, and get some sleep."
He eyed me suspiciously for a moment and I stood up, moving back over to my desk.
"Can I go to the range?"
I studied him for a moment and nodded. Clint stood up and moved towards the door, I waited patiently when he paused.
"You can come too, if you want?"
I rose to my feet and followed Clint out into the hall.
