Flowers... flowers weren't the kind of thing that Clint would get for Steve or the kind of thing that Steve would really want...
The Fish
Clint had never actually had a date on Valentine's Day before. It had never been a huge priority and the whole day itself had always seemed shrouded with too much anticipation and expectation so, like most holidays, Clint just asked for some kind of assignment and hoped that whatever wise-acre there was in charge of distributuion didn't have some love struck romantic view of the world and gave him something that sounded like a rom-com spy movie.
He had wised up a few years ago when he'd brought Natasha on with SHIELD and now went out of his way to get a large bouquet of white and purple roses to pass out to all the women and a few of the men he knew. Always selecting a few to bunch together to give to Natasha and whens he came along later, Kate Bishop. He knew that they would always grouse and give him a displeased look over the flowers but he also knew that they stood for at least a week in vases before being tossed.
But now, with Steve... it was a whole different mine field. Flowers... flowers weren't the kind of thing that Clint would get for Steve or the kind of thing that Steve would really want. He's accept them graciously and probably put them in a vase on display until they fell apart but flowers... it wasn't quiet right.
And most of the other 'normal' Valentine's Day kind of gifts didn't really fit either. He couldn't handle chocolate personally and Steve didn't really have much of a sweet tooth anyways. Jewerly was probably even more misinterperated than the flowers would have been. Lingere... yeah... that would just be wasted...
Though let Clint have a few minutes to picture Steve in a corset... just for the little laugh it brought him...
Steve wasn't the type of person to want things he couldn't make true use of or have a purpose for and Clint wasn't the type to give frivilous gifts either.
Well... that was a bit of a lie. For Steve's birthday he'd gotten the soldier a pet. A beautiful red, white and blue Butterfly Betta. The soldier had developed a liking for fish, especially after a trip to the city aquarium and Clint had found the fish online and bought it for him. They hadn't been together then. Still only just testing the waters for friendship but Steve had loved the creature and he still swam happily in a tank in Steve's living room. Replacing the space that would have held a television.
It would be going out on a limb but Clint started to research, he'd heard that Bettas do alright in community tanks if things were carefully balanced. He looked around at the local pet stores, asked on fish blogs and talked to exotic animal dealers. He did /not/ want to mess this up, it wouldn;t have just been a mistake but it could cost the Betta his life if it was mishandled. And Steve was attached enough to the fish that the archer knew it would be a blow to Steve.
He only dared the attempt when he was absolutely sure of how to handle things. So early on the morning of Valentine's Clint headed down to the pet store that he'd had the Betta ordered to and with the help of a smiling girl picked out a half dozen brightly colored Neon Tetras, two large Apple Snails and a trio of Ghost Shrimp.
All collected into a plastic bag with a bit of tank water and a blast of oxygen to keep them alive until they got where they were going. Clint cradled the plastic bag close to his belly as he walked out to the subway to head towards Brooklyn. His eyes keep moving down to the bag in his lap, watching the brightly colored Tetras flicking around in bright flashs of red and blue.
He should have driven, given the time to thing and mull things over he starts to second guess himself. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe it was wrong to try and give something to Steve at all, much less more pets. Hell much less more pets that will have to be carefully mixed in with his existing pet and with the chance of killing his beloved Betta. Why is Clint even bothering to try? He could ruin everything with this little plastic bag of fish and snails and shrimp...
Before he could talk himself out of the gift entirely Clint got off at the right station and walked the few blocks to Steve's building, letting himself in the still broken door and climbed up to the soldier's floor before knocking on the door and standing back nervously. He ddn't have to wait long before Steve answered the door, still in his pajamas, coffee in hand and his hair, as always, perfectly styled in that Forties swoop that no amoung of rubble, bombs explosions or noogies could dislodge from place.
Steve blinked tiredly at him and smiled in a bemused way, far to used to Clint's coming and going at all odd hours.
The archer held out the plastic bag towards Steve and spoke softly. "Happy Valentine's, Steve."
There was a long pause of silence and non-movement that worried Clint and had him curling more and more in on himself... then a solid set of arms wrapped around him tightly, careful to avoid the bag of fish, snails and shrimp. Steve burrowed his face into Clint's hair, enough that the archer could feel his smile. Clint instantly relaxed, hanging onto the bag with one hand and using the other to awkwardly hug Steve back, pressing his face into the top of the soldier's shoulder. He shut his eyes happily and breathed in the scent of Steve's shirt and skin.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Clint. Coffee's fresh, come help me get these guys settled in their new home."
Clint could only nod and hum against Steve's collar bone.
A/N: TO ANYONE THAT HAS IDEAS ABOUT MAKING A COMMUNITY TANK WITH YOUR BETTA! PLEASE RESEARCH! There is SO much that can go wrong if its not handled correctly so please read and research before trying to turn your Betta's solitary life upside down.
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!