Having only recently joined S.H.I.E.L.D., Leon, being a rookie, naturally didn't have the same independent authority as Hawkeye.
However, even so, his days were extremely "fulfilling."
It was unclear if it was Fury's arrangement, but in order to help him quickly familiarize himself with the special profession of an agent, for the next two months, Leon was practically non-stop, flying all over the world with Hawkeye, carrying out various missions.
Infiltration, intelligence gathering, document acquisition, eliminating terrorists, and so on—he did everything within the scope of an agent's work.
The various missions brought him not only an understanding of agent work and mission experience, but also considerable experience points that made him beam with joy.
After two months, Leon had gained as many as twelve thousand experience points by completing several system-issued missions.
Without even thinking, he immediately used ten thousand of those experience points to learn the other extraordinary skill, [Sharpshooting], from Clint Barton, "Hawkeye"!
With this, the skills he possessed gave him enough combat power to become a second "Hawkeye"!
However, the increase in combat power did not mask the burden and pressure brought on by the continuous missions.
Especially after he returned from the war-torn Middle East, that heavy feeling lingered like a shadow, unable to dissipate for a long time.
The crying faces under the flames of war made him question himself: "Does everything I've done really help this world at all?"
He didn't know.
He only knew that he needed some time to stop and adjust his mindset.
And so, Leon, who had just returned from a mission on the other side of the world, sat in the cockpit, flying the Quinjet, while grumbling to Hawkeye, who was sitting inside the jet, wiping various arrowheads:
"Boss, does this job of ours ever have holidays?"
Hearing Leon's thirteenth question, Clint Barton didn't even lift his head, continuing his work while replying with the same answer for the thirteenth time:
"Yes, and no."
Leon rolled his eyes, saying helplessly, "So is it yes or no?! Your answer is no answer at all..."
Ignoring Leon's minor mood, Clint Barton continued to explain to him:
"You know, it's not up to us; it's a matter for our superiors to weigh. As long as they say we can take a vacation, then we have a holiday. But once they say the world still needs us, the country still needs us, we can't leave for even half a step."
"The world needs us, and we must be available! This is the responsibility of this job!"
Blah, blah, blah... The two had been through life and death together, spending two months in each other's company, and Leon had learned a lot about Clint Barton:
He liked black; he liked to drink tequila; he liked to take out photos of his family from his pocket and gaze at them before going to sleep... You ask how Leon knew?
When they were on stealth missions in the wilderness, they had slept together countless times(with some distance between them)... Clint Barton had even revealed some information about his family, who were deeply hidden in his heart and never mentioned to outsiders, to Leon.
It's easy to imagine how close Leon's relationship with him was.
Over time, Leon was surprised to find that there was a good reason why this taciturn guy was good friends with his Uncle Phil.
Unlike Coulson's idealism and noble beliefs, everything Clint Barton did was driven by a strong sense of responsibility.
Whether it was for his country or his family, he was willing to give everything for them.
Perhaps this was another important reason why Fury and Coulson assigned Leon to him... Long flights are only made faster by chatting.
After setting the Quinjet to autopilot, Leon also got up from the pilot's seat, stretched, and walked over to Clint Barton, who was meticulously wiping arrowheads.
"Oh right, there's something I wanted to tell you."
"Speak."
"The other day, I suddenly got a call. Guess who it was from?" Leon didn't immediately reveal the answer, instead building suspense.
"Here's a hint, it's someone both you and I know..."
Before the mysterious Leon could finish his hint, Clint Barton directly interrupted him, "It's Norman Osborn, isn't it?"
"Uh?!"
The correct answer stunned Leon for a moment, then he asked with a bewildered expression, "How did you know it was him?"
Then, he suddenly hugged himself with both hands, looking at Hawkeye in horror, "Don't tell me you eavesdropped on my call?!"
Clint Barton smiled, completely ignoring Leon's dramatic performance, and continued in a calm tone, "Not only that, I also know that he called you to invite you to his mansion for his birthday party."
Leon frowned, feeling that things weren't that simple.
However, Clint Barton's next answer eased his furrowed brow considerably—"He also called to invite me, but I declined."
"So, this is just a small token of gratitude for us saving his life last time?"
"Should be," Clint Barton nodded in agreement.
"But I remember I didn't tell him our names? How did he know it was the two of us who saved him?" Leon raised his doubts again.
"Don't forget, he's the CEO of Oscorp..."
A meaningful remark instantly made Leon realize.
Indeed, as the head of Oscorp, Norman Osborn's intelligence sources were spread worldwide, and he had dealings with the military and the government.
Investigating one or two people was simply too easy... At this point, Leon seemed to suddenly remember something and looked at Clint Barton doubtfully, "Hey, wait! Why did you refuse? This is a perfect opportunity to relax!"
"I have something to do. Besides, I have no interest in these pretentious parties of capitalists," Clint Barton's tone seemed to carry a hint of scorn.
However, this answer made Leon even more curious, and he continued to press, "What could you possibly have to do? Or did Director Fury secretly assign you another mission?"
Seeing the strong inquiry in Leon's eyes, a trace of unnaturalness suddenly appeared on Clint Barton's face. He casually put down the arrowhead he was wiping, "Not really, it's mainly... Laura is about to give birth, so I want to take some time off to be with her..."
"Ah?! Really?! Laura's having a baby?!"
The unexpected answer made Leon excitedly wave his arms.
Only he knew that this news was like a flawless ray of light, shining directly into his heart, which had been clouded by slaughter, weeping, and death.
Some negative energy instantly vanished without a trace!
"Is it a boy or a girl? What's the name? Can I see a picture of him then?" Leon asked eagerly.
"It's a boy, named Callum..."
Inside the cold Quinjet, two elite agents who had just completed a mission chatted about children like this