Clint's eye snapped open at the same time that he sat straight up and peered into the darkness around him. He had two main concerns whizzing around his brain: 1) Where the fuck was he and 2) What the fuck had woken him up. His well trained senses told him to be wary and alert as he could be in immediate danger.
A sudden snuffling sound caused the archer to leap up and away from the noise. Upon him doing so the noise snuffled again but Clint could hear the underlying discontentment in the noise. Peering down at the source through the pitch black he could make out Dr Bruce Banner snoring softly in the bed with his blanket strewn around him.
It suddenly clicked with Clint where he was and slowly the events of the night before began to seep back into his memory. Mixed emotions rushed through his body but a sad smile ghosted across his lips.
The archer slipped back into Banner's large bed and gazed at the man beside him as though he could penetrate his thoughts. He needed to know if last night meant the same to Bruce as it did to him. It was common knowledge around the tower that Bruce avidly stayed away from one night stands or hook ups but Clint couldn't help but worry that perhaps, after weeks of back to back missions, the doctor only needed someone to release tension with. Clint felt a stab in his chest at the thought of just being a convenient warm body for the other man.
He swallowed thickly and closed his eyes. A six month crush on Bruce had only intensified up until tonight. Clint hoped, despite Natasha's wise advice, that spending one night with the man would expend all the sexual tension Clint was harbouring for the man. However, Nat had once again been proven right as he could feel his heart tighten as he gazed down at the older man. Their one night together had only aided his infatuation with his fellow Avenger.
The sigh he released echoed around the room, followed by the muffled sound of springs as he pushed up from the bed with the intention of leaving and never mentioning it again. He didn't want his jovial and carefree attitude to be replaced by one of longing and pining; his reputation wouldn't withstand that. He could only imagine what Stark would say if he saw that Clint was in love with someone so unobtainable.
He began to stand when he suddenly felt a hand grab his wrist. The panic was communicated into the tightness of the hold. The archer turned, confused, to see Bruce's large brown eyes peering up at him with an obvious maelstrom of emotions inside.
The doctor whispered, "You're leaving?"
"I-l didn't know if you wanted me to stay." Clint realized how lame he sounded but his tired brain was too busy focusing on his emotional pain to form coherent sentences.
The frown was clear even in the darkness, "Please stay." The words struggled to tip off Bruce's lips as he hesitated. Tomato red began to spread across his cheeks, "I really like you and... If you wanted it too, that is, I'd really want more than just this. I've liked you for-"
Suddenly, his words were silenced by Clint pressing their lips together firmly. Tangling his fingers in the man's short curls, the archer couldn't help but grin against the other man's lips.
"I don't need any more convincing." He mumbled, climbing back under the thick duvet and kissing harder.
The doctor kissed him back passionately which made Clint's heart flutter. He felt like a teenage girl but at this moment, he couldn't bring himself to care about that fact. All that mattered was that Bruce would love him tomorrow.
—
Inspired by Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles