something we should have done sooner
Disclaimer: I own nothing (sadly).
This was the first Avenger fic I wrote but for some reason was hesitant about posting it. However, I did promise my friend I would post this for her birthday (which was a few weeks ago- so happy belated birthday!) and so here it is! Hope you enjoy!
"They look so happy don't they?" Natasha leans across to Clint as they watch Pepper and Tony dance together arms wrapped each other; Tony looking handsome as ever in his suit and Pepper looking stunning in her long white wedding dress.
"Yeah." He nods at her moving to sit in Tony's empty seat as he sweeps Pepper around the dance floor. They're the only two still seated at the top table where Tony had insisted all the Avengers and their partners sat along with Pepper's parents, claiming that Thor (who had travelled back from Asgard) would want the table suitable for a prince but they know it's because they're the closest to a family anyone of them have.
He's right Natasha decides; she's never seen Pepper look so happy and Steve and Darcy are dancing together the latter trying to teach the former some of the dancing more suitable to the twenty first century while he tries to show her some of the dancing from his era. It makes for a rather humorous situation and she knows that Clint's refusing to look at the two for fear of bursting out laughing.
Even Bruce has been persuaded onto the dance floor by a rather tipsy Maria Hill and so it's just Clint and her still sitting sipping champagne and finishing off the rest of the desert. "I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress before." Clint reaches across him and grabs Jane's unfinished plate of chocolate mousse.
"Do you really think I'm a dress kind of person?" She raises her eyebrows at him and steals a sip of his champagne.
"You should be." The words slip out of his mouth before he really thinks them through. Maybe he's had too much champagne but even his alcohol clouded brain can't deny the fact that she looks beautiful in a floor length black dress; he smiles slightly as he realises that she's rarely out of black.
But his words cause an uncomfortable silence and he sneaks sideways look at her to see a faint blush on her cheeks and a small smile creeping across her face. And so he risks his chances and takes the plunge. "Do you want to dance?"
He's still not looking at her as she turns to face him her smile spreading to grin. "I'd love too." She answers and his head snaps towards her with a matching grin on his face.
"Shall we?" He stands and offers her hand which she accepts willingly as they join the throng of people dancing. Pepper may not have invited many people but Tony it seemed knew the world and his wife and was inviting them all to what he claimed was the event of the year.
"Tony's staring at us." Natasha informs Clint scowling at the billionaire over her partner's shoulder. "So's Jane."
"And Steve." Clint adds with a sigh as the Captain lets one of Tony's friends cut in to take Darcy round the floor and moves away joining Bruce whose giving his feet a rest too. Natasha cranes her head round to follow Tony as he and Pepper join the others and money starts to be exchanged between the men.
"I think they bet on us." She glares at them who by now are carefully keeping their eyes away from the pair, preferring not to see Natasha's anger. Pepper hits Tony over the head and mouths an apology at the Russian and then after much protest kisses the side of his head where she whacked him.
"Let them." Clint twirls Natasha under his arm and then tugs her back close in an effort to stop her from stalking over to their supposed friends and giving them a piece of her mind. She opens her mouth to protest but catches his eye and relents, adding fuel to the fire and leaning her head on his shoulder as the band drops to a slow song and they start to sway gently.
"Do you think we'll ever have what they have?" Clint muses out loud breaking the silence that had fallen. She lifts her head to follow his gaze to both Pepper and Tony and Jane and Thor, who have all returned to the floor Tony still occasionally massaging his head and looking disgruntled until he looks back up at Pepper and all is forgiven and forgotten.
"What do you mean?" Her head drops back to his shoulder and ignores the thumbs up Darcy gives her.
"Love, marriage, a family." He lists them off tucking her closer against his chest. "Would you want that?"
She waits a moment to answer gathering her thoughts during which Clint regrets ever opening his mouth. "Depends on who I'd have it with." Her answer throws him despite the fact it's the one he unconsciously wants.
And then his mouth betrays him again. "What if it was with me?" She doesn't answer and he's just about decided that he's never drinking again when she does.
"I think I would." She nods keeping her eyes firmly aware from his face. He almost freezes as her soft voice cuts through the music and then takes her hand and tugs her gently outside onto the grass outside the reception room.
She eyes him warily now as he drops her hand and stops a couple of metres away from her running a hand through his hair. "Shit." He mutters to himself and tugs at his tie frustrated.
"Clint." She approaches him placing one hand on his chest and the other takes his hand dragging it away from its attempt to either rip his tie or strangle himself.
"I'm not good with things like this." He admits snappily. "I don't know what to say." She raises her eyebrow at him with the familiar expression that warns him not to keep her waiting. "I think I'm in love with you." He finally tells her dropping his gaze to the grass.
She takes a step back as the words hit her despite the fact she knew they were coming. "You think?" He raises his head to look at her shadowy figure in the darkness of the garden with the only light coming from the room where the others are gathered.
"I know." He mutters. "I'm in love with you." He gauges her reaction and then ploughs on. "I miss you when we're not together, I hate the fact that you might get hurt at any moment when we're facing some idiot trying to take over the world, I'm terrified that one day you might not come home from work and I'll have to figure out what to do without you and I want to spend every moment I can with you because I do love you. I know you better than anyone else; you're my best friend."
He stops and breathes deeply as she blinks at him. "I know you think that this might change everything; that it might compromise us on a mission but it doesn't. I'm not going to want to see you hurt any more or less than if we're together or not. I'm not going to do anything stupid or put you first in a fight any more or less than if we're together or not. Nothing will change only that we'd be together and have some chance of a life outside of all this."
He finally runs out of things to say and as she continues to stand shocked he decides that he's never opening his mouth again because as shown tonight he no longer has a verbal filter and he can no longer hide any secrets from her or anyone. He wonders briefly how things between them got to this point tonight but then she's stepping towards him and he loses his train of thought.
"I thought you said that you weren't good at this." She whispers and he blinks down at her confused. "I want it all with you; the marriage, the family, the love. I love you." Before he can say anything else her lips are pressed against his and his hands are running down her back as hers tangle in his hair.
"So we're doing this." He asks her as they draw apart.
"We are." She nods leaning her forehead against his. They stand there together in the darkness for a moment until the silence is shattered by thunderous cheering and clapping. Almost as one they whirl round to see the Avengers, Jane and Pepper standing a few metres away from them grinning wildly.
"Nice going Barton." Tony whoops earning himself an eye roll from his wife. "Never pegged you as a romantic." Clint scowls at him while Natasha starts towards him; bridegroom or not she will harm him. Steve recognises this and interjects quickly coming towards them smiling.
"Took you long enough." He grins clapping her on the shoulder and shaking Clint's hand. He's happy for them they both know but there's a sad, reminiscent look in his eye that they know belongs to a woman lost in time but forever with Steve.
"Congratulations my friends." Thor bounds towards them dragging both Jane and Bruce behind him. Jane kisses Natasha on the cheek while the men all shake hands and really Clint decides they're acting like he's the groom. He notices Tony reluctantly slipping Steve some money and realises that this is a moment many of them have been waiting for.
"You're in love with her?" Tony slaps him on the back. "She's scary." He backs away nervously as Natasha raises a fist in his direction and moves threateningly towards him. Pepper steps between them and gives Tony a pointed look until he mutters an apology. Clint half wonders why they even bothered to get married when they acted so much like a married couple before anyway.
Finally they move back inside for it's getting late and Tony and Pepper have to be around for people are starting to leave. "When do you think we can leave?" Clint whispers in Natasha's ear but he's never been particularly good at whispering and so most of their friends end up hearing.
"Now." Steve suggests. "These two just got married it really wouldn't surprise me if that means we're under attack by something tomorrow." Jane smiles slightly sheepishly and waves them on their way. It takes a while for them all too actually leave but eventually Clint and Natasha find themselves sharing a cab with Steve and Bruce back to the Avenger tower.
They're all slightly sleepy and tipsy and so there's little conversation as Natasha slumps against Clint half asleep. It doesn't take long for them to get back and soon they're standing in the corridor between their two rooms looking between each other nervously. Both Steve and Bruce had disappeared into their own rooms as soon as they arrived and Clint's eternally grateful that Tony's not there to make some 'helpful comment'.
"So…?" Natasha mumbles and Clint's painfully aware that in their entire history of working together this is the most awkward few minutes they've ever spent together. He forces himself not to repeat her nervous 'so' for it only makes the situation more awkward and so he stands in front of her shifting occasionally for something to do.
Eventually Tony and Pepper amble past hand in hand; Tony opens his mouth to say something but closes it again as Pepper elbows him sharply in the ribs and settles for an exasperated yet amused look.
That settles it for both of them and as Natasha throws herself at him lips meeting and hands tangling in hair Clint shoves the door to his room open and propels them both backwards until they land on his bed.
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"Morning" Natasha rolls onto her side and presses a kiss to his cheek smirking as her elbow jabs his ribs and he winces.
"Morning." He mumbles against her hair pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Last night was…" He trails off grinning widely at her as she rolls over and onto him so she can kiss him properly.
"Something we should have done sooner."
Thanks for reading- reviews are always welcomed!
Tacx