A/N: Just in time for Christmas! Here is my first ever beta-ed fanfic! Many thanks to gaysandangels (on tumblr) :) This story is inspired by 'Menorahs and Mistletoe' by jancat10 - a Pride and Prejudice fanfic. I hope you enjoy my first attempt in writing an AU one shot! If this goes well, as in I get positive responses, I might consider expanding this universe.
Pick-up Lines and Mistletoe
When Clint Barton was a kid, he never really celebrated Christmas. Every other house in his neighbourhood would be beautifully decorated with red and green lights, with grand Christmas trees that sat in corners of living rooms, and stockings that hung neatly above warm fireplaces. But his house was always dark and gloomy. Clint lost his mother when he was five and his brother, Barney, six. Their father was the one who had driven her to the edge of insanity, which was what made her end her own life, leaving two sons (who were too young, really) to fend for themselves. Their father drank, a lot. He gambled, often. Every time he lost money from gambling (which happened really frequently), he'd get himself drunk and start hurling heavy objects towards the brothers.
That was an everyday occurrence until the day Barney turned fifteen. Barney had been unwrapping his only birthday present (something Clint got him that's really not worth mentioning) when they heard two clear raps on their front door. "Your father was in a car accident," the policeman had told them after they went barrelling down the stairs to open the door (nobody ever visits them). "The driver was drunk. They crashed into a tree. Your father didn't survive. I'm sorry." But the brothers weren't exactly sorry. They glanced at each other, not sure what to say, and then looked back at the officer. "Best birthday present I could have ever asked for," Barney had said in a matter-of-fact way. And from then on, life for the Barton brothers finally started heading towards the better.
A month later, the two of them moved in with a distant aunt whom they had never met till then, and decorated their first ever Christmas tree, ate their first Christmas turkey and were each given their first Christmas stocking. The brothers ended up joining a posh private school just round the corner of their new home where Barney met Tony, his life-long friend – hence the party.
This was one of Tony's many extravagant parties (that he throws every time there was something to celebrate for). His four-story mansion flocked with hundreds of people, most of whom Clint had never met before. The only few individuals he knew were all having fun with their own cliques, leaving him to pass this supposedly joyous day alone. Clint's brother was chatting away happily with Steve who had an arm wrapped around the waist of a small brunette in a figure-hugging red dress. Bobbi, Clint's ex, who was wearing a devastatingly revealing white dress that showed more skin than it covered, was with Jessica and Kate, his other exes, happily sipping cocktails and flirting with the bartenders. The host himself was nowhere to be seen; probably having mind-blowing sex with some woman he wouldn't remember the name of the next morning, as usual.
A wisp of rosewater and something unidentifiable caught Clint's attention, and his eyes immediately began their search for the source of the heavenly scent.
"Excuse me," he heard a small grunt from his right. He whirled around and started at the sight of a young girl with hair as red as blood and curls so beautifully messy they should never be tamed.
"I said, excuse me!" she repeated, giving him a once over then looked at him disapprovingly, clearly annoyed. His legs, on their own accord (and to his utmost dismay), shifted a bit to let her pass by.
"Sorry," he mumbled. Clint let out a small sigh and continued to scan the room for someone (anyone) he knew who might be remotely interested in making small talk with him.
Then just in the far corner of the room, Clint caught a glimpse of the redhead who had stunned him into silence just minutes ago, standing alone holding a glass of pink champagne. Huh, probably waiting for someone. He went to the bar and got himself a glass of martini.
Half an hour later, Clint was still watching the redhead, who was still standing alone, looking as if she wanted to be anywhere but here. He plucked up his courage, put on the most devilishly handsome smile he could manage, and walked towards her. He was careful as to not stand too close to the tree, leaving more than an arm's length between him and the redhead.
"Shouldn't you be sitting on top of the tree, angel?" Clint blushed a humiliating shade of deep red the moment the words came out of his mouth. The redhead spun around to face him, her mouth dropped open in a perfect 'o', one flawlessly shaped eyebrow raised, and a pair of fiery green eyes flashed at him with annoyance. The faint scent of rosewater hit him once again. Oh no, this looks bad, he groaned inwardly.
"Really?"
"Sorry, it's just, I…I'm not really good with these…these things: the bubbly mood, the happy couples and everything," he stuttered, hands gesturing towards the people around them. "I'm sorry, that was lame."
"It sure as hell was," She answered, simple and straightforward. After a short pause, she let out a small amused chuckle, "So?"
"Huh?" he stared at her in confusion, probably looking very much like an idiot.
"You come over all of a sudden, use that cheesy pick up line, and have nothing else to say?" she asked, raising her eyebrow again. Clint was damn well sure he wasn't backing down from a challenge.
"Nope," he replied, then looked past her and grinned wickedly, "but you do realise that you've been standing under the mistletoe for like half an hour, right?"
That got some reaction, Clint thought, as the redhead flinched, grumbled a string of expletives and stepped away from the offending green object that was dangling in the air.
"I'm Clint Barton. The younger sibling who is never out of the shadows of his much more amazing older brother," he said, nodding towards Barney (who was still surrounded by people) while moving closer to the redhead and reaching out his hand.
The redhead rolled her eyes and shook his hand firmly. "Natasha."
Clint grinned again, but suddenly faltered.
"What?" Natasha asked, noticing his sudden change of mood.
"Um…are you waiting for someone?"
"No. Wh-"
"Oh! Phew!" Clint interrupted, looking genuinely glad to hear her answer, "I just thought, you know, that such an attractive girl...uh lady…like you would be…uh…taken..?"
She laughed, her green eyes dancing with humour. He sounded so insecure that it was almost cute! "No, don't worry. I'm not."
"Do you have some place you'd rather be?"
She wrinkled her nose (which Clint found absolutely adorable, by the way) and shook her head.
"Well, would you like to get out of here then?" He said, grinning at her, then the sudden realisation of what he had just said hit him, and he added hurriedly, "Oh shit. Not like that, I mean do you want to leave this place? You know, like for a walk or something? Shit, sorry, I can't even say something without making it sound horribly stupid or wrong."
He looked at her sheepishly, a hand unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck. She broke into an easy laughter, and he found himself smiling at her once again.
"I think I'd like that," she replied, smiling up at him.
A/N: As usual, please leave a review and tell me what you think! And also, dearest loveliest readers, Happy Christmas!