"I need your advice," Clint stated, sliding into the booth across from Kate. She looked up at him, completely unamused.
"And I need you to leave before you blow my cover. I'm tailing someone, Clint. Now is not the time," she snapped, keeping her voice low enough that the man she'd been watching all morning couldn't hear her.
"You shouldn't have anyone to follow," he replied with a frown, glancing around the diner discreetly. "Tell me you're not doing some kind of private detective bullshit again, please."
"It's for me, not a paying customer. Somebody broke into my apartment last week, and I'm following suspect number three today. What do you need my advice for, anyways? Shouldn't you be asking Natasha?" she shot back. He frowned again.
"She's what I need advice about. You know I've had a... thing for her. I want to actually do something about it, but I have no idea how to go about it. You're a girl, and you're kind of like her personality-wise. What would you like?" he asked, giving her a hopeful look.
She couldn't even be mad at him. It wasn't like she'd ever made her feelings known. In fact, she'd gone out of her way to make sure he'd never know, because she knew it would just drive him away. She could live with being his apprentice and his friend. She could not handle becoming his relationship guru. Not when all she wanted was for him to love her.
"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" she asked, avoiding his eyes. "It would change everything. If she doesn't feel the same way, it will ruin the friendship you've got going, Clint."
"I have to try something! I can't keep sitting around doing nothing and watching her be with other men on our missions. I mean I get that she'd still have to do that if we were together, but I'd feel better knowing for sure that she's thinking of me and not them," he told her earnestly. She nodded, her heart sinking.
"Then just come out and say it. Don't hint around like a moron, because that's just going to get you hurt when she doesn't catch on. She can't pretend not to get it if you say it exactly as you told me last year. If you're determined to do this, make sure she can't find a way to get out of telling you how she feels, too," she instructed, staring down at her mug of coffee. Her mark had left the shop almost ten minutes previously, and her day was thoroughly ruined. She was ready to just go home and sleep for a week or two. Maybe the nightmare would be over by then.
"Thank you!" he exclaimed, hugging her across the table. "I'll text you later and let you know how it went!"
And then he was gone, and Kate was trying to remember why she'd gotten involved in his life to begin with. Oh yeah, it was because he'd saved her life and she'd fallen in love with the idiot. Well, maybe it was time to move on.
Her phone rang after midnight that night, making her groan and almost throw it across the room. At the last second it occurred to her that throwing it wouldn't make it shut up.
"This had better be a fucking emergency, Barton," she snapped, pushing herself up to lean on her elbows.
"I thought you'd like to know that I'm officially dating Natasha. I told her exactly like you said, and she kissed me! I don't know why I was ever worried."
"Because you're an idiot. Can I go back to sleep now?" she demanded softly, knowing she wouldn't be getting anymore sleep that night. She briefly wondered if it was too late in the night to start bar hopping, but she knew better than to drink away her problems. The range should still be open. Shooting them away was better in every way.
"Yeah, sorry. I didn't realize it was so late. I just got home myself."
"That's because you keep freaking insane hours, Clint. I keep telling you to get a normal job, and you just keep ignoring me," she reminded him, sitting up all the way and pulling on her shoes.
"Sorry, can't hear you. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Katie!"
"Don't call me that!" she shouted into the dead line, knowing Clint had already hung up on her. "Asshole," she muttered to herself, grabbing her gym bag and heading out the door.
The gym was a good idea, because it was completely empty. Well, she thought it was completely empty; turns out, there was a back room that she'd never been in that catered to super soldiers. She'd met Bucky Barnes once before, when she'd had to pick Clint up from Avenger's Tower for a mission. He'd been silent, and she was sure he hadn't even seen her. She was wrong a lot, looking back.
"Hey, you're Barton's girlfriend, aren't you?" he asked quietly. He'd left the "Super Room" and was heading for the door when he'd spotted her and stopped.
"No. His friend, maybe. But he's officially dating Black Widow," she replied, hitting her bag with slightly more force than was necessary. Bucky's lips twitched as he watched. "You're Cap's best friend, right?"
"Yeah, that would be me," he admitted, leaning against the doorway to continue watching comfortably.
"Isn't there a gym somewhere in that giant tower?" she asked, pausing to look at him in confusion.
"I'm sure there is, but I was avoiding 'Cap' tonight. He's got it in his head that I need to have a real life now that I'm... myself again. I guess he doesn't consider me hanging around with him constantly a life of my own," he replied easily.
"Ah. Well instead of watching, how about a spar? I've been training with Clint, and I can beat him pretty easily. Give me a challenge!" she said with a smile that he returned.
They spent over an hour trading tips and just having fun. At the end, she gave him her number with the offer of a future gym partner when he needed to avoid Steve.
"I need your advice again!" Clint told her, slipping in through her window as she glared at him. "I don't know where to take her on an actual date."
"And I do?" she asked pointedly, closing her laptop. There was no way she'd be able to focus on her shopping with him there.
"You're a girl! We've been through this already," he shot back, staring at her pleadingly. "Come on, it has to be perfect and we both know I can't do this on my own."
He was right. The last time Clint had tried to plan something, he'd almost burned down a building attempting to bake a birthday cake. Kate had taken over all planning since then. She rubbed her forehead, trying to think of something Natasha would like. She'd only met the woman a handful of times, and she'd left a different impression each time. So she gave up thinking about her and thought more about what she'd like for herself. (These thoughts were just going to get her heart crushed later on. She knew it, and yet she couldn't stop.)
"Take her on a picnic, someplace where you know nobody can interrupt you. Turn off your phone and make sure hers is off, too. You tend to get calls at the worst times. Don't try cooking for yourself, because you can't. Find out what her favorite foods are and get them from the store or a restaurant. Just... be yourself there. She'll love it," she told him, staring down at her closed laptop.
"You think romance is the answer?" Clint asked incredulously. Kate glanced up long enough to roll her eyes at him.
"You came to me because I'm a girl. Well, so is she! Every girl likes to be treated as one occasionally, even Natasha Romanoff. I think you'll be surprised," she snapped. "Now go away. I was having fun by myself." She pointedly did not watch as he dove back out of her window, probably landing perfectly outside on two feet. He was such a show-off.
She probably shouldn't have been surprised to receive Bucky's text that night, but it took her a bit to determine that he was serious before she agreed to meet with him.
Recieved at 8:56pm: Are you busy tonight? Steve is driving me crazy and I thought you might like to escape with me. Gym?
Sent at 9:11: Yeah, I'll meet you there. You okay?
Received at 9:12: I'm fine, just stressed. You?
Sent at 9:13: I've had better days. Be ready to get your ass kicked.
He was already there when she arrived, leaning against that same doorway to wait for her. She waved in greeting, heading for the locker room when he grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Are you set on the gym tonight? I was thinking maybe we could do something else," he requested. She nodded, slightly confused.
"Sure, we can do whatever. What do you have in mind?" she answered, shifting her bag. He reached out and took it off her shoulder before she even realized what he was doing.
"I was thinking of going out for ice cream. There's a place I've been wanting to try, but I haven't had anyone to go with," he replied carefully.
She was confused, but not unwilling. He'd saved her from spending all night moping, so she was grateful. And clearly Steve had done something that had deeply annoyed him. Ice cream was a perfect comfort food, and she couldn't think of anyone better to eat it with at that moment, not even Clint.
"Yeah, alright. Ice cream sounds great," she agreed with a smile.
They drove separately, which allowed Kate time to think about how much to tell him. She didn't want to get into the whole situation with Clint, because it was embarrassing. She did not need to tell a guy she'd just met all about her love life- or lack thereof. She could tell him that she'd been avoiding Clint because of his new relationship, but she'd have to change it a bit so that he'd think it was simply how much Clint liked to talk about Natasha. That was at least partially true. He just didn't need to know that it was because her heart ached to hear it.
They met up inside of the shop, Bucky paying for both of their cones no matter how much Kate protested.
"It's a chivalry thing, I guess. I'm from the '50's, so it's just how I was raised. You'll get used to it," he informed her smugly. She was pretty sure he wouldn't have been so adamant if she hadn't tried to insist instead of just requesting to pay for her own.
"You're worse than Clint," she grumbled, making him frown. "No, that's not a bad thing. I didn't mean that as an insult. Clint is the most stubborn asshole I know when it comes to things like this. It isn't because he was raised right, though. He does it specifically because he knows it drives me crazy. You do it because it's the right thing to do. He just likes rubbing it in my face the whole time we eat."
"I don't understand how that makes me worse," he said carefully, watching her. She smiled slightly, wishing she'd never brought it up.
"I can get back at Clint later by kicking his ass. With you... you're not doing it to be mean. I don't really know how to handle that. All of the guys in my life have been jerks at one point. You're just... not," she admitted.
"I'm pretty sure that's not a bad thing. If Clint is such a jerk, why do you hang out with him?" Bucky asked curiously.
"It's complicated," she said quietly, wanting to change the subject. "So what did Steve do this time?"
Clint called her after the date. She knew that he would, but it still hurt her to think about them being together, so she didn't answer at first. Three calls later, she was too annoyed to not answer.
"What if I'd been busy? On a mission, or hiding from a criminal?" she demanded in place of a greeting.
"Well hello to you, too," Clint grumbled. "I just wanted to tell you that the date was a success. I thought you'd want to hear about it, since you came up with it."
"About that," she started, not thinking before she spoke. "Am I the one dating her, or are you? Eventually, she's going to realize that you're not coming up with your own ideas. I'm not going to help you figure out how to win her back when she does."
"Seriously, Katie?" Clint asked. She could hear his frown through the phone, but the nickname had her seeing red.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me Katie?" she shouted. "You are such an idiot, Clint! How long have we been friends, and you don't even know that I can't stand that name?! That's what my father would call me right before he started hitting or shouting!"
"I... I'm sorry," Clint tried, clearly surprised.
"No you're not, because you're just going to keep on using it! This isn't the first time we've had this discussion, you know. But then you go do something with Natasha and it's like everything I've told you means nothing anymore. Well I'm done!" she snapped, hanging up on him in the end.
She didn't answer her phone again that night, which meant that she missed Bucky's texts until the next morning.
Received at 8:32: Free tonight? I was thinking Mexican.
Received at 9:42: We don't have to do Mexican. Anything is good, even just the gym.
Received at 10:02: You okay?
Received at 10:58: Call me when you can. I'm worried.
Received at 11:45: I'm sorry for whatever is wrong. I hope you're okay. I won't bother you again.
She wasn't sure why Bucky would think he'd done something wrong, but she felt terrible for ignoring him when Clint hadn't even bothered to try calling again after she'd hung up on him. She started making her morning coffee before calling him, wanting to sound awake and at least partially cheerful so he wouldn't get the wrong idea.
"Hello?" he asked, probably assuming it wasn't really her.
"Hey. I'm really sorry about last night, Bucky. You didn't do anything wrong. I shut my phone off because I was avoiding Clint. It didn't even occur to me... I wasn't trying to ignore you, though," she told him, biting her lip. She sounded so crazy.
"Oh. What did Clint do?" he asked, confused. "I thought he was your best friend."
"You know how you need to get away from Steve sometimes because he drives you crazy? Well, the same thing happens with me and Clint. The difference this time is that I don't think I ever want to see Clint again at this point. He's hurt me too many times," she answered carefully.
"Then he's an idiot. You deserve so much better. Are you busy today? We should go out, just the two of us, and do things that make us smile," he replied after a few seconds.
"I'm free. I haven't gotten a call from my job in a couple of weeks, actually. I suspect Clint has something to do with that. He's kind of... well, he was my boss. I think I'll find a new job now," she told him. "Where should we go first?"
"Come by the tower. I'll drive, because it'll be easier to get around with just the one car. Or I could pick you up, if you'd rather do it that way?" he asked. She liked that he was giving her the choice of whether or not he'd find out where she lives. So far, he hadn't even asked.
"I'll go there, but maybe we can come back here for dinner. I'll cook, since I assume you'll be paying all day. Mr. Chivalry," she teased.
"Sounds perfect," he replied when he'd finished laughing.
Their first stop ended up being the zoo. It was one of Kate's favorite places to be, and Bucky hadn't been to it since he'd regained his memories. A lot had changed since the '50's, or so he told her. They ate lunch at the cafe there, which Bucky paid for, as expected. It wasn't until later that night, when Kate was teaching Bucky how to skate, that she realized she hadn't thought about Clint once all day. And when she did, it wasn't accompanied by the usual longing she felt every time she saw him in her mind. Something was changing, and she liked it.
Still, it wasn't until Bucky was parking in front of her apartment complex that she realized where the feelings had gone. They hadn't gone away, they'd just transferred to someone else.
"Are you sure this is okay?" he asked, looking over to meet her eyes. "I know how personal a person's apartment can be."
"I've had Clint over a hundred times. You coming upstairs with me is not a big deal, I promise," she assured him, even though she was beginning to realize that the opposite was true. She'd never brought a friend home with her before, not since moving out of her father's home. Only Clint had been inside, and she had only invited him once, when she'd decided to try to seduce him (and failed miserably). He just kept coming back afterward on his own. Now she was inviting Bucky up, although she had no plans to try to seduce him. The feelings were still there.
"Alright, if you're sure. And what will you be cooking?" he asked, following her up.
"Not sure yet. We'll have to see what I've got. I went to the store over the weekend, so my kitchen is stocked fairly well," she replied, keeping her voice steady. Damn, if she wasn't careful he was going to figure it out. She couldn't risk another friendship over these stupid feelings.
"Sounds good. I'm up for anything," he told her, smiling. She knew her answering smile was shaky, but he chose not to comment on it.
The decided on stir-fry, which Kate could make with her eyes closed. It had been her mother's favorite dish, so it was the first thing she'd ever learned how to make. Bucky praised her cooking, and gave her a few looks that she chose not to examine too closely. He helped her with the dishes and left shortly after they finished, with the promise to call her the next day. As he was driving away, she wondered very briefly if this was meant to be a date.
No. She decided that Bucky was just being chivalrous again and making sure that she was okay. She'd do the same to any of her friends. (She chose to ignore the fact that she didn't exactly have other friends.)
She didn't hear from him again for a week, during which she assumed she'd scared him off. She spent that week in the gym and at the range, taking her frustration and anger out on the punching bags and targets. There was still no call from SHIELD, so she put in an application at a local coffee shop, and she got the job. She started on a Monday, and she missed Bucky's first call because she was working. He didn't leave a voicemail, and he hadn't tried to call back, so she left it alone.
He caught up with her in the gym, late on Tuesday night. She'd finished her shift at the coffee shop and had gone straight to the gym to kill another defenseless punching bag. Bucky came in as she was leaving.
"Kate! Hey, I tried calling yesterday. I'm so sorry I couldn't call you sooner. We had an Avengers mission out of the country, an emergency involving Latveria. For once, Doom wasn't the bad guy we were fighting," he told her, holding her arm from when he'd stopped her from walking past him.
"And you didn't have time to shoot me a text telling me you were okay, or not mad at me?" she asked, keeping her tone blank. He looked confused.
"Why would I be mad at you?" he asked. "And I left a note with your landlord. Didn't he give it to you?"
"You're kidding, right? Mark is a bigger asshole than Clint. He doesn't pass on messages. In fact, he steals our mail half of the time. I guess I'm sorry that I assumed the worst. I actually wasn't even avoiding your call yesterday; I got a job at a coffee shop, since I haven't heard from my other job. I need the money for rent, you know," she replied after a few seconds.
"So you're not mad at me either?" he asked, sounding hopeful.
"No, I'm not mad at you. But I do have to get home, because I've got a morning shift tomorrow," she replied, smiling.
"Are you free for dinner? It's my turn to cook for you," he offered, smiling back in relief. She hesitated, knowing that it was a bad idea.
"Yeah, sure. I'll meet you at the tower?" she asked. Since when does she make good decisions? Besides, Bucky was her friend. This was something that friends do. Right?
"Just come on in when you get there. JARVIS will get you to my floor without a problem," Bucky replied, grinning.
The bad idea just kept looking worse. She made it into the tower without a problem, but she wasn't anticipating half of the Avengers to be standing around. Thankfully, Clint was nowhere in sight. Natasha was also not there. They were probably out together somewhere, and wasn't it nice that she wasn't hurting over that idea anymore? Steve, Tony, and Bruce were all standing in front of the elevator, watching for someone. Watching for her, she realized, as they assessed her.
"So you're Kate?" Steve asked, sounding suspicious. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "I've heard a lot about you from Bucky."
"We've all heard a lot," Tony interrupted. "I heard it from Barton, though. What's the story there?"
"With Clint or with Bucky? Although I suppose they're connected," she asked. They just stared at her, waiting. "Well aren't you welcoming. Clint was my best friend for a really long time. Bucky kind of took that position when Clint... messed up. But I assume you already know that."
"Yes, we've heard all of that. We're more interested in why you moved on to Bucky," Steve informed her, frowning. "We know all about what you did to Clint."
"What I did to Clint?" she asked incredulously. "He's started blaming me for this mess? Well fuck that! All I did was help him, and he treated me like shit. Bucky put me back together after he tore me apart! If he thinks that he can blame me for all of the shit he's caused, he's a bigger asshole than I ever knew!" She turned and headed for the doors, too angry to deal with them any longer. She made it all the way to her car before Steve caught up.
"Stop, I'm sorry. Maybe it came out wrong. He isn't blaming you for anything, but he's been in a really bad mood lately, and he broke up with Natasha. When we asked what was wrong, all he said was your name. We all kind of assumed that you'd done something to him. I guess it never occurred to me that he might have done something to you and is feeling guilty," he told her.
"Well he can shove his guilt up his ass. I'm not talking to him," she muttered, unlocking her car.
"You came here to have dinner with Bucky, right?" Steve asked, eyes widening at her action. She nodded, looking back over at him. "Please don't let us stop you. Tony and Bruce went back to their lab, so they're not in your way anymore. Look, he's been happier than I've ever seen him since you two started hanging out. I don't want to be the reason that goes away."
"You're not. I just... if everyone in there thinks I somehow hurt Clint, how long will it be before Bucky is believing it too? I don't want to lose another friend. He's all I've got left," she admitted, not sure why she was telling all of this to Steve Rogers.
"I'm pretty sure he's not going anywhere, since he shouted at me when I brought it up earlier. I think it's safe to say that he's on your side," Steve informed her calmly. "And I am, too, if it makes any difference."
"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel all better," she said, rolling her eyes. But it did make her feel better, enough that she locked her car again and let Steve lead her back into the lobby.
"I shouldn't say anything, but he really likes you. I don't know if you feel the same or not, and I don't care. Just don't hurt him, okay?" he asked, leaving her by the elevator. She stared after him, confused.
"I would never," she said to herself, getting into the elevator and allowing JARVIS to decide which floor she ended up on. Bucky was there waiting for her, with a candlelit dinner in the background. Her eyes widened in shock.
"So maybe this is a bit much, but... I got advice from Pepper and she assured me this was the way to do it," he started. It was so similar to what had happened with Clint that she had to laugh.
"Let me guess. She told you to just tell me, don't hint at it. And the candles were her idea, right? Make it romantic, because every girl likes being treated as one occasionally?" she asked.
"How did you know that?" he asked, biting his lip nervously. She had to smile, because she knew how nervous he really had to be.
"Because that is the same advice I gave Clint when he asked me how to ask out Natasha, and about their first date. Although this isn't really our first date. More like the second or third," she told him.
"So... you like me too?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, you idiot!" she answered, grinning. "I figured it was obvious. I thought that's why you didn't call me for a week."
"No... the mission was real. You can ask anyone here," he said quickly.
"None of them really want to talk to me right now. Besides, I trust you," she told him, stepping closer at the same time that he did.
"You do?" he asked, meeting her eyes.
"Yeah. I think I have since I met you," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck when they were close enough. "And I've liked you for nearly as long." She didn't get to say anything else, because he was kissing her.
Clint apologized to Kate almost a month later. She learned from Tony that he and Natasha had gotten back together fairly quickly, when she figured out what had happened. And after they worked through it together, Clint had called Kate to try to fix what he had broken. He would never know what he'd lost, but Kate was happy with that knowledge.
Six months after she moved into the tower with Bucky, Clint showed up on their floor for breakfast. He didn't say anything for a really long time, and eventually Bucky took the hint.
"I'm going to hit the gym, see if Steve is up yet. I'll be back later," he said quietly, kissing Kate quickly on his way to the elevator. As soon as he was gone, Clint started talking.
"We've been together for almost a year, and I love her so much, Kate. I want to propose," he started. Kate rolled her eyes.
"Let me guess, you need my advice?" she asked. He nodded. "Fine. Last time, though. And I mean it this time!"
"That's what you said last time. And the time before that," he pointed out. She glared at him until he realized what he'd said. "Right, shutting up now. Advice please!"
"She liked your first date. I know for a fact the clearing is still there. So you're going to recreate that date. Get all of the same foods, the same cloth that you used, everything. The only difference will be that you propose at the end. And don't say something dumb, either. Tell her exactly what you just told me. That you love her and you want to be with her for the rest of your life. She'll say yes," Kate instructed, trying not to smile.
"Romance again?" Clint asked with a grimace.
"Remember what I said last time you asked me that?" she shot back pointedly.
"Yeah, yeah. Girls like romance, blah blah blah. Fine, I'll do it your way. You're sure it'll work?" he replied nervously.
"Oh yes, it will work," she said, smiling to herself and playing with the ring on her left finger.
It worked.