"Hey Angie, you seen my arrows?"
"Yeah, I've seen them, who hasn't?"
"I mean recently"
"How recent is recently?" She said trying to throw him off but he caught the tone of mischief in her tone.
"Cough 'em up Ange" he said putting his hand out. Angie wheezed and hacked sarcastically.
"Apparently I've already digested them"
"Very funny, now where are they?"
"You'll have to catch me to find out" she said breaking into a run.
"Angie! Aren't we getting a little old for this!" he shouted as he ran after you.
"Whose getting a little old, certainly not me!" she shouted back from the top of the stairs and then started giggling hysterically as she started running again.
"Oh fine" he said getting that smile he always got when reminded of his childhood. Him and Angie had been playing this game since he had first met her, back when he performed with the circus and she was the circusmaster's daughter. He ran up the stairs just in time to see a trail of blonde hair disappearing around a corner and into the upper storey of Stark Tower. He ran after her and she jumped behind a bar stool and screamed.
"Hand 'em over Angie" he said "I've got you cornered."
"No you haven't" she said flipping up onto the bar and sliding down it and past Clint. She was about to escape when he caught her by the arm she jerked her arm so viciously that they both slipped on the tile and lost their balance. Quicker than thought he put his hand under her head so it didn't hit against the floor.
"Oof" she said as all 170 pounds of Clint Barton fell on top of her.
He just looked at her, he'd known he was in love with her for a long while now and though he was quite certain he was just a big brother to her he couldn't help but be drawn in by the look in her eyes, it was something he'd never seen before, it was something gentle and refined but with fire just underneath, like a flame burning underwater or something. He kissed her softly, fondly, longingly. She looked up and barely whispered "Clint" and then she smiled. He kissed her again and her arms wrapped around his neck while one of his curled around her waist, the other remained behind her head supporting it, cradling it.
He kissed her again and again, feeling that he had slipped into some sort of dreamlike world where Angie loved him just as much as he loved her. She started kissing him back and once for a brief moment both their eyes were open and he caught sight of that deep fire growing stronger. She kissed him long and hard not daring to think about how much had changed since just yesterday. She would have never thought of Clint as anything but a friend until he had kissed her. She felt that somehow she'd always loved him like this she'd just never taken the time to think about it. She felt his breath on her neck as he kissed it with his strong but gentle lips. She ran her fingers through his hair and he sighed deeply, giving her neck one final kiss before returning to her lips. He tentatively touched her lips with his tongue, she didn't resist and he began to explore the contours of her mouth with his tongue. His hand slowly made its way under her shirt when all of the sudden he heard Tony say "Where is - Whoa! Did I interrupt something."
Clint got up and then helped Angela up.
"Yes, as a matter of fact you did."
"Won't say I'm sorry, it looked like fun" he said winking. "Yeah, so have you seen my bottle of scotch?"
"You mean the one you finished off last night" Angela said snappishly.
"Oh, right, well if you two don't mind I'm going to have myself a drink of whatever I didn't finish off last night."
"No, we don't mind" Clint said. "Hey Angie, there is an ice cream place down the street"
"You don't even need to finish Clint, of course I do."
They smiled at each other and walked out, leaving Tony laughing and rubbing his neck in bemusement.
Angie and Clint sat down at a table with their soft serve ice cream cones. She beamed at him as he smiled over at her.
"So" she let it hang there for a few seconds. "Come on Clint, we're too good of friends for beating around the bush."
"You've always been really direct, and while I could say I'd always loved you, I certainly didn't realize it for a long time, it was around last year at that one kind of formal party that Stark was having for the grand opening of whatever it was and you showed up all dressed up and all evening all that I could do was think about all the things I liked about you. After that I haven't really been able to get you out of my head. Cheesy, I know." He said running his hand through his hair.
"No, its really sweet, I wish I could say the same. I didn't really start realizing it was you, and always was you, that I loved, until about an hour ago when you kissed me. Then I started thinking about all the little things I'd dismissed as things I did out of friendship when it was really something deeper I felt, I just didn't take the time to think about it."
He smiled and Angela blushed and looked very intently down at her ice cream cone. They fell into small talk over their ice cream because after what had been said there was nothing left to say, they were in love and now both sides knew their love was returned. They started talking about their childhood antics when all of the sudden Clint randomly said "You have no idea how much I wish I was that ice cream" catching Angie off guard and mid-lick. She laughed smiled and blushed. They both leaned in over the little circular table their lips sticky with ice cream and tasting of vanilla. Their kiss lasted a long time as they slowly kept leaning closer and closer over the table. They kissed back and forth for a couple of minutes. "Hey Clint."
"Mhmm" he responded happily.
"You've kind of gotten ice cream all over me."
His eyes flew open. His ice cream cone was partially melted into Angie's shirt. She giggled as he franticly began grabbing napkins and wiping off the ice cream. He turned a little red as he realized where his hands were. He continued wiping the ice cream off of her and they both started laughing their heads off.
"I cant believe I just did that to you" he said chuckling.
"Its okay"
"I know, I wouldn't be laughing otherwise. You can take just about anything and still laugh it off. You've always been great like that." He said gently wiping some ice cream off of her throat. "So, you game?"
"For bein' your girl?" She was surprised at how she knew almost for certain that that was what he was asking, 'we are that close' she thought to herself, silently kicking herself for not realizing the gem of a man that Clint was for so long.
"Yeah, that's right" he said smiling back at her.
"You know I am" she said and kissed him. He got out of his seat and took her hand and they walked to a nearby park. Clint climbed one of the trees and helped her up. He just held her there in his lap and they watched the stars.
"Its just like old times" she whispered.
"Only now you're mine, and" he softly whispered "I'm yours. Forever."
She sighed and slowly fell asleep in his arms.