Title: Secret Admirer
Pairing: Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis
Genre: Romance
Rating: K+
Chapter(s): 1/1
Word Count: 3,306
Summary: Darcy Lewis has a secret admirer.
"No, Coulson, I'm fine," Darcy said again. Ever since she broke up with her boyfriend everyone had been walking on eggshells around her. It made no sense. She broke up with him. Yeah, sure he cheated on her, but she was an adult. And, she was pretty certain everyone around her forgot that sometimes.
"Are you sure? You have some extra vacation days," he ventured.
"I'm not a china doll! Yeah, sure when I found out he had been cheating on me sucked…it still sucks, but I'm not going to let something like that keep me from living my life. I can function as a singular unit, thank you," she exploded. To her surprise Coulson smiled.
"Good, you have a ton of paper work on your desk," he replied.
"Well, that is not how I expected that conversation to go," she mumbled to herself. But her little rant was right; she could function as a single unit. Mind numbing tasks helped though, so she happily (as happy as she could get) started on the paperwork.
"Darcy Lewis," someone said sometime later. She pushed her glasses up her nose and found an agent handing her a package.
"Yeah," she answered suspiciously.
"This is supposed to be delivered to you," he replied.
"Um, okay. Thanks, I suppose," she replied taking the package.
To her surprise it was covered in brown paper and tied up with string. For a split second she wondered if this was from Steve. Then she saw the handwriting and realized the messy scrawl was not Steve's. She had seen his mission reports and they were flawless. Suspiciously, she untied the string and pulled the paper off the package. Inside was a white box, so she popped off the lid. Her eyebrows disappeared into her hair line. Someone had sent her hazelnut coffee (which was her favorite) and a small leather bound journal. She found a small, typewritten note under everything.
Darcy,
Sorry that your idiot of a boyfriend cheated on you. I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
C
Darcy knew about seven people who had a C in their names. There was Clint Barton, but she almost laughed aloud at that thought. Clint Barton showing that he wasn't an emotionless robot? That was a funny idea. There was Charlie from recon, but she doubted he was any more likely to do something like this than Clint. Darcy was at a loss, so she did what anyone would do: she analyzed the handwriting on the package label. When that didn't work, she decided that she liked the mystery.
After making sure that the coffee wasn't poisoned, she made herself some. The fact that this mysterious C knew her favorite coffee wasn't surprising. It was a well-known fact how the assistant to Agent Coulson took her coffee. It was a way people received extra leniency while doing reports. Clint Barton used this tactic a lot. Darcy giggled when she had the mental image of Clint in Starbucks trying to find the coffee she liked. It was such an absurd idea that he sent it to her.
If nothing else the silly care package lifted her mood and she was able to get through the day. It also gave her something to focus on, as she was trying not to focus on the fact she wanted to use her Taser against an unfortunate man. She was turning off the last light in the office when someone opened the door. To her surprise she found Clint Barton. He held out a file to her. Puzzled, she took it and looked at it. It was all the paperwork that he needed to hand in.
"Thanks, but why all of them…all the sudden?" She asked suspiciously.
"Are you complaining?" He asked smirking.
"No, no I am not. I'll file them tomorrow. I'm exhausted and ready to sleep in my own bed. Maybe even watch some kitten videos on YouTube," she replied. Clint chuckled.
"Kitten videos?"
"They're like two minutes of small, furry, cuteness. It is hard not to enjoy them. That's why I watch them when I'm having a bad day," she told him.
"Right, you're ex cheated on you. If you want—"
"I don't want. I'm an adult and I think some of you tough agents forget that I'm equally as tough. I just can't kick butt the way you do," she said.
"Fair enough," he replied. "Well then Darcy Lewis, I'll see you tomorrow morning bright and early."
"Bye Clint," Darcy replied. She hadn't realized they were already outside.
She walked the two blocks to her apartment. When she locked the door, she changed into her fuzzy pajamas. She made herself some hot chocolate and pulled out her laptop. After watching a couple kitten videos, she curled up in bed. She tried to slow her mind down so she could sleep, but it just wasn't working. Eventually, she found herself listening to soft music which gave her something to focus on and not thoughts about her ex or Clint. She wasn't certain why she was thinking of Clint, but thinking of him wasn't as painful as thinking of some other people.
The rest of the week passed in a blur. Darcy was thankful that Coulson was making her extra busy. She wondered if he was really good at reading people or just a mind reader. Darcy was half convinced it was the latter. On Saturday she had to come in during the morning and finish some of the paper work. She wasn't complaining though. Hardly anyone was in the offices today and she didn't actually have to follow dress code. So she was in a sweater and a pair of jeans. She had just made herself some coffee when the door opened. She assumed it was Coulson so she just said,
"Good morning."
"What are you doing here?" Clint asked. Surprised, she looked up.
"What are you doing here?" She challenged.
"I asked first," he responded.
"I actually work in this office," she replied with her eyebrow raised. She noticed he was hiding something behind his back.
"Fine, I was delivering something to Coulson. Top secret mission stuff," he replied.
"I hope you lie better than that out in the field," she replied looking back down at her paper work.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied. She snorted.
"Just put it in his office. The key is in the plant," she told him.
"How do you know?" He asked.
"I'm more observant that people assume, thank you," she shot back.
"Sorry, sorry. So what are you doing in here on a Saturday? Even Coulson takes off Saturdays when nothing disastrous is going on."
"Catching up on paperwork. We were suspiciously busy this week," she said.
"Do you know when you'll be done?" He asked curiously.
"An hour or so. Why?" She inquired narrowing her eyes at him.
"You and I going out to lunch. This way I have an excuse and not meet Tony at that disgusting Shwarma place."
"Alrighty then, bird-man," Darcy commented smirking and his frown when she called him "bird man."
An hour and a half later, Darcy and Clint were both sitting at some deli by the SHIELD offices. Darcy was eating a turkey sandwich with barbeque chips. When questioned on her chip choice she scowled menacingly and replied that they were the best chips. Clint held up his sour cream and onion and disagreed. Their conversations were interesting. Darcy would tell him the antics that agents used to get leniency and Clint would tell her about some of his funnier mission.
"Okay, so someone actually got themselves caught up in the rafters?" Darcy asked smiling.
"It took Natasha and me to get him down too. Granted Natasha was holding a gun to his head so he didn't push me off and I didn't die, but there was one point where it took both of our knives to get through whatever he was tangled in. It was a mix of dinosaur boogers and Spider-Man's webbing," Clint told her making Darcy giggle. He smiled at her kindly. Over the past week he had noticed that she was moping, not just her regular grimace type of moping either.
"Thanks for inviting me out to lunch," Darcy said.
"Sure, no problem, sweetheart," he replied. She scowled.
"Sweetheart?"
"What?"
"It's a pet name," she replied. "And a lame one at that."
"I like it. You can't make me stop using it," he replied smugly. She scowled, but he saw she was hiding a smile.
They went their prospective ways half an hour later. Darcy was surprised how much she enjoyed talking with Clint. Honestly, she hadn't been certain that they really had anything in common. She was a political science major and he was a secret agent. If those worlds were any more separate they would be on opposite sides of the galaxy. They both enjoyed reading. When looking at Clint you wouldn't think he was much of a reader, but apparently plane rides and undercover missions worked better when you had a multitude of books. They also enjoyed making fun of stupid people. Darcy suspected that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
The next Monday she received a candle. That was a little weird. Only a few people knew she really enjoyed cinnamon candles. Again, tied to the side of the cinnamon candle, was a note. I heard cinnamon was a relaxing smell. Seems like you could use it. –C. She looked at the monstrous stack of paper work on her desk and even on the floor. She realized that she could use it. After finding a box of matches in the break room—which she didn't want to know the original intent for—she lit the beautifully smelling candle. It filled her office with a calming aroma. Leaning back in her chair, she sighed happily.
The next Monday was cold. It was beginning to get chilly outside. The crisp November air was like ice on her skin. Her coat only did so much to protect her toes, fingers, and nose. When she walked into her office, she could smell the hazelnut coffee brewing and saw another package on her desk. She instantly knew what this gift was. It was a plush, cozy blanket. It was tied up with ribbon and a bow. She chuckled and realized that it wasn't any warmer in the building than it was outside. Maybe SHIELD wasn't the best at everything. The note said: I had a little forewarning the building wasn't going to be all nice and toasty. So I figured this gift was better suited than the original one I had planned. –C.
This note told Darcy two things. The first: he knew a lot of people, and the people he knew had insider knowledge. Maybe he was close to Coulson. The second: He planned ahead. That in of itself made Darcy blush. He actually put some forethought into these gifts.
The rest of that week was great. There was just no other word for it. She had lunch a couple times with Clint. Their new blooming friendship was going well, maybe a little too well. They liked the same book and television shows. Although, Clint admitted to being a couple seasons behind in Doctor Who. Face-Off, however, he made time for every Tuesday night. If she wasn't careful she would end up staring off into space imagining that Clint was her Secret Gift-Giver. Maybe she would set up a trap for him, the gift-giver not Clint. Thinking about it, she kind of liked the mystery. If the month passed and he didn't ask her to meet him, she would make the first move, until then she would be content to be wooed.
She was currently at lunch with Clint. They were sitting at a small Bar & Grill place. There were sports playing on televisions placed all around the room. Yet, Clint was listening attentively to her rant about Agent Ridgewell. She briefly wondered if she had something on her face, but pushed that thought aside. She checked before leaving, and their food hadn't come yet.
"You're not saying something," he pointed out after she had finished her rant.
"I've gotten Agent Ridgewell out of my system, so yes. I have said everything," she replied.
"Nope, maybe about Agent Ridgewell, but something else is on your mind," he told her taking a drink of his soda.
"Fine, the past month-ish, on Mondays, I've gotten a…package," she said, honestly she wasn't certain how to categorize it.
"Package?" He questioned.
"Every Monday, I've been getting these gifts. They're coming from someone in SHIELD, because they are being delivered to my desk. I've been calling him the Secret Gift-Giver," she said. "Coulson knows who he is, but no matter how much I annoy him he won't tell me."
"Secret Gift-Giver? Why not Secret Admirer?" He questioned.
"Because, he has said nothing romantic in the short notes I get from him," she said.
"Darcy, if he's taking the time to give them to you, he's interested. Maybe he's just afraid you won't return his feelings," Clint replied rubbing his thumb against his palm. It was a nervous habit that Darcy had noticed in him long ago. She worried that the "Secret Admirer" would be disappointed, because she had less-than-platonic-feelings for the less-than-feeling man in front of her.
"Maybe you're right," she replied thoughtfully.
Her Clint inspired epiphany was two weeks ago. Since then she had received a small clock that looked like the Eiffel Tower. She had only told two people that she had always wanted to go to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower: Clint and Coulson. She was absolutely certain that Coulson was in on it. The second gift was in a shoe box. When she opened it she found six little action figures. They were the Avengers. Each one made a noise and she giggled at them for the rest of the week. Clint made a passing comment that his figurine looked like a disfigured doll. She didn't tell him that his doll was her favorite.
Today was Monday. In fact it was the last Monday of November. This meant that if he didn't make a move today, Darcy would. She wasn't disappointed. When she walked into the office and found a giant bouquet of various flowers. There were sunflowers, lilies, orchids, and daisies. They were absolutely gorgeous. Thinking about it, this C person had probably spent a lot of money on the little gifts she had been receiving.
"You know who this person is, don't you?" Darcy asked Coulson. He shrugged.
"Read the card, Lewis," he said.
Sitting down at her desk she pulled the card out from the bouquet. It was folded over and typewritten like the very first one she had received. This note was a little bit longer than all the other ones were. Most of the others were an explanation of why she received them. Today that wasn't the case. Coulson gestured for her to read it out loud. Would she be sharing something personal if she did? She quickly glanced over the note.
"Dear Darcy, I hope you will be willing to join me for dinner tonight. I'll meet you on the bench outside SHIELD at five-twenty. Signed C," she read aloud.
"Well, I hope you're going," Coulson said.
"I think I am," she mumbled. If nothing else, she was going because she was curious as to who was sending her all this.
Going through the day was nearly torture. She was so anxious about tonight. What if he was a jerk? She immediately squashed that theory. If he was a jerk, he wouldn't have done this whole secret admirer thing. What if he was really old? That was a possibility. I mean stuff like this only happened in Hollywood and in the fifties. She briefly wondered if it was Steve, but she knew he didn't have the guts to meet her in person. Plus, he didn't have a "C" in his name. At five o'clock she started getting ready to leave. Coulson was smirking at her.
"It is really disconcerting that you know who I'm meeting but I don't," Darcy commented. "I mean you're my boss. That's weird."
"I know everything. It's just in the job description," he replied. Darcy wasn't really certain how to respond.
"Okay then, well I'm going to go," Darcy said. Coulson nodded and walked back into his office.
It took her longer than it normally would've to reach the bench outside. In fact she was a little late. She didn't reach the bench until five-twenty-one. She sat down and tried to calm herself down. Apparently, the secret admirer was late too. She wondered if this was just a ploy to embarrass her. Then again, she wasn't in high school anymore and most of the agents were aware that she could make their lives very painful with loads of paperwork. She was about to leave when Clint sat down.
"Hey, what are you doing out here?" She asked.
"Nothing much, what about you?" He asked. He was obviously lying. He didn't lie very well around her.
"Right, well I'm meeting someone actually," she replied.
"The secret admirer?" He asked. She nodded.
"Yeah, he left me a bouquet of flowers this morning with a note that said to meet him here at five-twenty," she told him.
"You don't seem excited," replied Clint in an odd voice.
"I am, but it's just that…" I like someone named Clint Barton, but he's so far out of my league it would be laughable to admit it.
"You like someone else," he supplied. "What if this someone ended up being the secret admirer?"
Darcy laughed. "That would be a one in a million shot. He isn't exactly the romantic type; well at least he hasn't shown me he is."
"So who do you think it is?" Clint asked.
"I really have no idea. For a while I wondered if it was Steve and he had a secret first name that started with a C but when I got the note today to meet him…as great of a guy as Steve is, he wouldn't have the guts to meet me and tell me who he is."
"Anyone else?"
"Honestly I have no clue. Enough about me, what about you? There is totally a reason you're here," Darcy prodded.
"Yeah, I'm here to tell someone that I was the secret admirer," he said looking at Darcy. Darcy laughed.
"That's funny."
"I'm being serious."
She looked at him and nothing suggested otherwise. Her heart beat quickened and her palms were sweaty. She was turning back into a teenage girl. For a while now she knew that her feelings were more than platonic towards the archer, but she never thought he would ever return the feelings. Now that she was staring him in the face she couldn't even formulate the words to let him know she felt the same way.
"You're speechless. Either I seriously surprised you or I am not the person you have feelings for," he said. Somehow she managed to smile. "That's creepy."
Instead of responding she hugged him. Darcy wasn't really one for touching or romantic, gooey emotions, so since her voice wasn't working a hug would have to do. He wrapped his arms around her middle and hugged her back. His embrace was warm and oddly relaxed considering his strength and general stiffness.
"Thank goodness it was you," she mumbled.
"Oh?"
"Don't be dense, Clint Barton, you knew I had feelings for you," she grumbled.
"Secret agent's honor, sweetheart. I had no idea," he replied. She pulled away and smiled slightly.
"I suppose we should go to dinner?"
"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," he replied.
He took her hand and led her down the street. Besides being ridiculously flabbergasted that Clint actually liked her too, she was happy. She felt like a love-struck teenager and for the first time in her life, she didn't care.
...
Clint is a little OOC, but darn it I ship Clint and Darcy a lot. Except in the comic book verse, there I ship Clint and Kate because they're both supper sassy and I love Kate.
~songweareplayingforyou