Author Note: Before I start rambling on and on thanking all of you, I want to give an announcement/update on the third installment to the series. So it goes like this: I'm going to start actively trying to get an original work published this year and so I need to free up some of my mind in order to focus on said original work. There will be a third installment, however, it'll just be more like Mini-Vengers or This One Time where it'll be a string of usually unrelated one-shots rather than a full story with a plot. I'm not ready to give up these characters yet but I also want to peruse other things. So the happy-medium I see is to stick to one-shots and fluff. If I get to upload it before the epilogue for this story, I'll let you know in the A/N otherwise I'll upload a separate chapter titled Third Installment, pointing you to it :)
Also, I need to take a second to thank you all for all of your loveliness. Seriously. I'm not going to bore you by going on and on about how grateful I am even though I could fill a novel with my gratitude. I just want to say thanks. Cause my job in this whole thing is to write- to make each chapter as good as I possibly can- but it's your job to read it and give feedback. And you've all done such a lovely job ;) No one told you you have to read every chapter and no one told you you have to review them as well; but most of you all do both, and that means the world to me. I just hope that I've created something you all enjoy as much as I do :)
So I gotta say thanks to all of you!
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Also, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to WhatTheValhalla! Sorry it's so late but I tried my best to make chapter 21 your birthday present :)
And finally,
Enjoy!
All the guys had to dress up for their night out on the town. It was pretty much an unspoken rule they all abode by even if they hated it. So they suited up in Armani instead of iron. It was always surprising to see how well the guys dressed up- especially Thor and Bruce who were the least dressy of the group. But on such special occasions they pulled out their nicest clothes which is why Clint was wearing a black button up under a silver sport coat and nice jeans. Bruce was also wearing nice jeans but with a denim button up, the sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. Surprisingly enough Tony opted out of a suit that night, going with jeans, a button up and tie under a sweater. Even Steve wore jeans- an uncommon thing for him- with a white v-neck and a blazer over top. But no one could outdo Thor. He'd gotten a Zegna suit recently but hadn't had a chance to wear it so he broke it out for Ryland's birthday celebration. It was tailored perfectly to his large frame and the crisp white dress shirt he wore underneath only did wonders for him. The entire time he was getting ready Jane just sat back and fanned herself.
Ryland was still dressed up from dinner, having kept the slacks and white shirt but lost the tie and traded the jacket for a vest. Anya had messed up his hair when they were on the beach so he tried styling it again but she just messed it up once more.
"It looks better messed up." she giggled as she sat on the counter in his bathroom watching him get ready. She was still wearing her dress but she'd let her hair down so Ryland ran his fingers though her curls, messing them up the way she messed up his hair. She grumbled but let him lift her off the counter by her hips and put her on the floor.
"How do I look?" he asked, stepping back with his arms out. As much as she wanted to wrap her arms around him she just signaled for him to spin around so he chuckled and turned his back to her.
"Ass-tastic." she replied, slapping his butt.
"Sometimes I believe you only love me for my ass." Ryland retorted as they left his bathroom and headed to the lobby where the rest of the guys were all waiting. The same rules the guy always had still applied; be respectful, don't cause a scene, don't drink and drive, stay away from paparazzi and don't let Tony convince anyone to do shots. But this time there was one extra rule: look out for Ryland. Even though the goal was to give the guy his first drink they had to watch his back and make sure he didn't do anything too outrageous. Pepper was especially worried about him but she knew the guys wouldn't let anything too terrible happen, especially given they were able to convince Steve to tag along. He'd watch out for Ryland even when Tony got wasted and insisted they do something crazy and stupid.
"Have fun but be safe." Mickey told them as she tucked the tag in on Steve's shirt. It was common practice for the wives to see off the guys- if just to remind them they were gentlemen at heart and if they acted otherwise the girls would kill them. They'd also have a little party of their own, a girls night at home.
"We'll be perfect gentlemen." Steve replied, kissing Mickey's cheek.
"Says the guy who can't get drunk." Clint snapped, shooting Steve a look. "Of course you're gonna be a gentlemen, when aren't you?"
"Wanna find out?" Steve threatened jokingly and Clint threw his hands up in defense.
"Quit pissing off the super soldier, honey." Natasha chastised as she fixed Clint's miss-matched buttons. "And just because you're getting shit-faced doesn't mean you can't be a shit-faced gentlemen. That goes for all of you. Even you, Rye."
Anya bit her lip not to make a comment, rather just stood between Ryland and Bruce as they waited for their ride to come around to the back of the tower. Luckily Clint was the first out the door so Anya could sneak a quick kiss from Ryland before he headed out with the guys. Natasha, Jane, Mickey, Pepper, Danni and Anya stood back and watched the guys leave. Almost as soon as the door closed behind them Natasha shouted, "Finally! Someone get the wine!"
XXX
The club Tony picked was, of course, swanky and high class. He reserved a private lounge for the guys away from the crowds and commotion. Of course that didn't stop anyone from trying to get in but the guys were all pros at handling fangirls. One girl even grabbed the bottom of Steve's jacket to slow him down but Clint interjected, breaking her grasp by inserting himself between the two. They got to the lounge just as a group of girls decided the space right in front of the lounge was a great place to dance. But the club had security at the entrance.
"They're like piranha." Bruce joked as the girls tried convincing the guard to let them through. Every girl in town wanted to help Ryland celebrate his 21st but there was only one girl he wanted there. So he just ignored the other girls- as hard as that was with their small outfits and suggestive dance moves.
"To Ryland and to twenty-one!" Tony cheered, raising the first round of shots. Everyone followed suit then threw back their drinks. Ryland did a pretty good job of keeping a straight face so they ordered another round. And another. And another. And another.
Ryland was pacing himself- wanting to remember at least something from the night. Tony however was already off mixing alcohols. Bruce was trying to reign him in but to no avail. So they just let him drink and drink until he was just wasted enough to be highly entertaining.
"Quick night for Iron Man." Steve teased as Tony fell over onto the couch.
"I wanna dance! Thor come dance with me!" Tony exclaimed drunkenly, grabbing Thor's arm. Caught off guard, Thor stumbled out of the lounge behind Tony who flung the helpless Asgardian into the middle of the dance floor. As bad as everyone felt for Thor it was just too funny to watch him panic and unsuccessfully try to worm his way back out. When Tony joined in and immediately made it inappropriate that's when Bruce and Steve stepped in to help.
Clint however made no effort to help and just fell to the couch beside Ryland asking, "Feelin' the buzz yet?" nonchalantly.
"Yes but luckily no as much as Dad." Ryland replied as he watched Steve and Bruce try to pull Thor and Tony out of the crowd of woman gyrating all up on them. They were hilariously unsuccessful.
"Great then this is a good time for us to talk." Clint said, getting serious all of a sudden and making Ryland start to worry. "You're perfectly drunk enough to be afraid of me but not so drunk that you'll forget everything I say in five minutes."
"I'm not..." Ryland started to say but Clint held up a hand to stop him.
"No don't talk," Clint interjected, deriving sick pleasure in how wide Ryland's eyes got. "I'm only going to say this once, Ryland, so listen closely, okay? Are you listening?"
Ryland could only manage one pathetic nod.
"You are my family," Clint continued, his blue eyes going cold and almost silver like. "I'd never hurt you. But if you make my Little Bird cry I will make you cry."
"I would..." Ryland tried to protest but again Clint held up his hand to make him stop so Ryland complied. He really had nothing to say anyway. Hell he couldn't even think straight let alone convincingly reply. So he just sat back and tried not to let Clint see just how sweaty he'd just gotten.
"Let me finish," Clint told him seriously. "Anya is much like her mother. She likes to act tough and pretend bullets bounce right off her. But in reality she's soft, she's sentimental and goofy and actually quite fragile. She'll never admit to any of those things but you and I both know it's true. And if you take any one of those things away from her I will make your life a living hell."
"Anya is..." Again Ryland tried to defend himself but Clint silenced him.
"Still not done," Clint told him calmly but with an undeniably threatening undertone. "Anya, Irina and Natasha are my main priority in life, and given that I'm retired, I have nothing better to do than waste copious amounts of energy protecting them from everything. And believe me that does not exclude heartbreak. I know my skills have gotten a little rusty and I'm not as good as I once was, but if my Little Bird ever comes home crying, you can believe I will dust off any means necessary to get even. Because at the end of the day it's my job to protect my girls from every enemy. And by kissing my Anya...you just became enemy number one."
Ryland gulped so loudly they could both hear it over the music. But Clint didn't say anything else after that, just kept his eyes trained on Ryland without saying another word. Ryland wasn't sure if he was supposed to speak then but wasn't going to try just in case he wasn't supposed to. So they wound up just sitting there for a minute in the worlds most awkward silence. Then Clint said, "You can speak," almost as if he was talking to a prisoner or something.
Ryland gulped again, taking in a deep breath. He stuttered for a minute, fumbling for the right words and tripping all over logic and reasoning. But then he stopped, closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and remembered Anya. Remembered the way she smiled at him and how it seemed to brighten the whole room. Remembered how soft her skin was and how sometimes he could just sit, stroking her leg or arm or neck, just marveling at how soft she was. Remembered how perfect it felt to kiss her and hold her in his arms and just be with her. Remembered how important she was to him. Then he opened his eyes slowly to face Clint head-on.
"I respect you, Clint." he started off calmly. "And I respect the relationship that you have with Anya. I hope that one day I'll be as loving a father as you are. However, I am not your enemy. I'm your ally, Clint. All you want is for Ace to be happy, right?" He waited a second for Clint to nod before continuing. "That's all I want too, and you and I both know that being with me makes her happy. You may not see it yet but if you could see her smile sometimes...god I swear it could brighten the world. I know because I'm just as happy as she is. And if I make her that happy how bad of a man can I be?"
"You can..." Clint started to say but it was Ryland's turn to hold up his hand.
"Please let me finish." Ryland requested. Something crossed Clint's face and for a second Ryland thought it might have been respect but Clint covered it and remained neutral as Ryland continued his speech. "Furthermore, if I ever hurt Ace, if I ever make her cry, you can bet it will be unintentional. I will always try my hardest to give her everything she wants and needs and never make her cry. I will always try my hardest to treat her with every ounce of respect, love, patients and understanding that she deserves. But I am only human. And I can only promise to try. And if- or when- I mess up and fail...I'll kick my own ass for you."
They both fell silent after that. Neither said a word for a few minutes as the club went about it's loud culture around them. The bass on whatever song was playing literally made the glasses on the table shake but that didn't stop Clint front picking up two glasses of whiskey and handing one to Ryland. "Well okay then." was all he said before throwing back the drink and standing up. Ryland quickly drained his glass as well as he watched Clint mosey out to the dance floor, attracting attention and lots of female hands as he grabbed Tony by the shirt collar and dragged him to the bathroom- no doubt to throw some water in the drunkards face. In doing so he also cause an out for the rest of the boys to scurry away from the maddening crowds.
As the guys joined Ryland back in the lounge it suddenly dawned on him that Clint just okay-ed his relationship with Anya. He'd actually said okay. Though the implications of that would only settle in when the whiskey settled, it was still great news. So Ryland grabbed another shot and threw it back with a satisfied smile. Then reached for another. Then another. And another. And soon enough the guys were dragging him and Tony back to the tower like two drunken sacks of potatoes.
Everyone else in the tower had long since gone to bed so as the elevator stopped at each floor the guys tried to be as quiet as possible. Mickey didn't even stir when Steve stripped down and joined her in bed as quietly as possible. Jane woke up just in time for Thor to toss his pants in the hamper. She quickly motioned for him to just go to bed like that so he chuckled and complied considering Dahlia and Kellen were fast asleep down the hall. Danni was asleep but Bruce had to wake her in order to get in bed cause she was sprawled out across both sides. Poor Pepper had to get both Tony and Ryland to bed and taken care of- something no one was envious of. But when Clint made it to his apartment he was surprised to see the lights on and Anya sitting on the couch reading a book.
"You waited up," he mumbled as he sat beside her, tossing her legs onto his lap. Usually Natasha waited up until he got home from a boys night out but the last few times she'd been unable to stay up. She drank with the girls and stayed up as long as she possibly could but always wound up falling asleep on the couch before Clint made it home. On nights when he was sober enough he wound up carrying her to bed and on the nights when he was really drunk he just laid down on the floor in front of the couch.
"Mom tried but she clocked out a while ago so I figured I'd stay up for her." Anya replied offhandedly as she marked her page in the book and set it aside. "How was your evening? You're looking surprisingly sober."
"I indulged only as much as I could take." Clint said as he leaned back into the couch with a sigh. "Can't say the same for the Stark's though."
Anya chuckled at the thought before adding, "At least they'll be taking care of each other." She didn't envy either of them the night and morning ahead. But given the few times she'd seen Tony drunk, they were in Pepper's more than capable hands. Anya had watched Pepper take care of Tony's hangovers just as she'd seen Natasha take care of Clint's and vice versa. Anya could still remember the first time she was old enough to understand why Clint was acting so weird the morning after a boys night. She shook her head at him and sternly told him that he needed to act right even if he didn't act right the night before. After that Clint stopped hanging around the girls when he was hungover, just locked himself in the gym or the bedroom till he was less emotional.
"Well I'm headed to bed then," Anya mumbled as she went to stand up but Clint kept his hands on her legs in order to keep her there a minute longer.
"You know you can talk to me, right?" he asked and so Anya eased herself back into the couch apprehensively. "You know that, no matter what, I'll always have open ears for you, right? That I'll always be there and always try to stay as objective as possible."
Anya hesitated a minute, unsure of where the conversation was headed. "Umm...sure, Dad, I know I can talk to you."
"About anything," Clint added seriously. "I know there are certain things you'd rather talk to Nat about or Irina about. But you should never feel...shy about talking to me."
Despite the little voice in the back of her head telling Anya to say okay and go to bed, she instead asked, "What brought this on?"
Clint gave her a look; a classically Clint look that expressed a million things in his eyes alone. Anya had her own version of that look but Clint had it perfected- to the point where Anya knew exactly what he was saying before he even opened his mouth. "Come on, Ace, you know what brought this on." he said evenly, the look holding.
Anya had to turn her head down, unsure how to respond. "How long have you known?" Anya asked so quietly he almost missed it. Instead of looking up at him she fiddled with a frayed edge on the book she'd been reading before he came home.
"A few weeks," Clint replied. "almost as long as you two have been dating."
"How?" she asked but he just smiled wickedly and told her he had his secret ways so she didn't question it.
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to say anything and that you'd come to me." he murmured.
That's when Anya finally looked up so she could see his face when she said, "I was going to, I was just waiting for the right time. Though I don't know when the right time would've been. I guess I just wasn't sure how you'd react."
Clint nodded slowly, understanding her predicament as well as his own. They were silent a minute before he reached out to her in an open invitation to a hug that she just couldn't resist. So she shifted on the couch and curled into his side as he said, "You're my Little Bird which means I'll always love and protect you. But above all the hopes and dreams I have for you, I just want you to be happy. I've always known the day would come when I'd lose you to someone or something else but I honestly wouldn't care if it was S.H.I.E.L.D. or stripping for singles in Greenwich Village; so long as you're happy. And I can tell Ryland makes you really happy- he always has."
Anya smiled and shifted to look up at him. "So...you're okay? You're fine with Rye and I dating and everything?"
Clint paused a second before nodding once. "If you're happy then I'm happy, Kiddo." but then, for good measure had to add, "But the second you're unhappy, I'm furious."
Anya chuckled even though he wasn't entirely kidding. "Thanks, Daddy." she said as she kissed his cheek lightly. Then she stood up from the couch and held her hands out to help him up too. He tucked her under his arm as they headed back down the hallway together, only separating to go to their separate rooms after exchanging goodnight hugs.
But before they separated for the night Anya stopped in her doorway. "Daddy?" she asked as he stopped just outside his bedroom. He looked back at her with a look only a father could wear- a level of adoration and love only a daddy could feel for his little girl. So Anya smiled back and him and said, "You'll never lose me." which brought a wide smile to his face. But he didn't feel the need to reply as he just disappeared into his room.
But then his head popped back out into the hallway and he said, "But seriously no stripping okay?"
XXX
The next morning was rough for the Stark boys but hilarious for everyone else. Tony just shoved some pills and tried not to dwell on the pain in his head all the while Ryland was stuck in the bathroom throwing up. In fact no one saw him until well into the afternoon when he finally moseyed into the communal kitchen in disheveled sweatpants and even messier hair. No one was surprised to see his slipshod state but everyone was more than shocked when he walked right up to Anya and kissed her her square on the mouth- and not a quick kiss either but a genuine one. Clint wasn't in the room but going from basically no physical contact to a serious kiss in front of some of the family was shocking. Then Florence squealed a little and everyone relaxed.
"Ugh, finally." Danni exclaimed with a chuckle as she handed Ryland a cup of coffee. Anya blushed a little at the way everyone was looking at them but even more so at the way Ryland was looking at her. Now that it wasn't a secret (or so they weren't trying to keep it a secret) he didn't hold back the lovely glimmer in his eyes as he smiled at her.
"How are you feeling?" Steve asked after a minute. Both Anya and Ryland were glad no one was making a big deal of their relationship and were happy to move on from the subject. But Florence wasn't quite ready to move on so she scooted up a chair right beside Anya and started drilling her with questions.
"I feel like I got hit by a truck." Ryland replied to Steve.
"You did," Natasha told him as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "a fat-ass truck with a driver named Cuervo, Jose Cuervo." His only response was to pull a face suggesting he'd forgotten Jose was involved last night. Honestly no one would blame him for not remembering the names of all the liqueurs he partied with last night considering Tony started mixing drinks right away. There was definitely some whiskey and vodka, apparently some tequila and he had a vague remembrance of some rum. Whether or not those drinks went together or were separate, he couldn't remember though his pounding headache would suggest they were probably mixed at some point throughout the night.
"Drink a lot of water." Danni suggested, tossing him a water bottle from the fridge. "If you hadn't passed out right away last night I would've suggested you drink a few last night as well- that usually helps keep the hangover at bay."
"Damn," Ryland grumbled as he finished his coffee and cracked the seal on the water bottle. "someone really should've told me that last night cause this is hell."
"Welcome to adulthood!" Natasha exclaimed teasingly, cracking him on the back of the head and making him literally squeal in pain. He just downed the water in his hand, rubbing the back of his head as he fell into the chair beside Anya.
"You're lucky you don't have class today." Bruce commented as he went about fixing some eggs for Ryland. "My first hangover came the day of a serious final."
"The smarty-pants are always the idiots." Danni teased, smacking Bruce's butt as she passed behind him.
"I don't have any classes but I need to get better soon or else I'm dead to the world all day." Ryland replied, face down on the table. Anya ran her fingers through his hair, massage his scalp to help with his headache but he was almost positive the only fix for such a sore head would be to just chop it off. But after a minute he mustered up the ability to sit up and motion for Anya to follow him into the living room where they sat on the couch together.
"So I talked to Clint last night." Ryland started off as they sat side-by-side on the couch. Anya was about to tell him about the conversation she'd also had with Clint but Ryland spoke over her. "What he said doesn't matter other than the fact that he's okay with us being together..."
"He said that to me as well when he got home." Anya sneaked in before Ryland could finish his sentence. She turned towards him, cocking herself sideways on the couch and throwing one of her legs over his lap comfortably. Out of instinct, Ryland laid his hand on her thigh even though his mind was elsewhere.
"Good," he mumbled absentmindedly. "That's great but I have to say something. Can you just listen for a minute? Cause I'm really hungover and I'm only gonna be able to say this once." Anya had to withhold a chuckle but she reached over and grabbed his hand, twisting their fingers together and promising to listen carefully.
"I'm all ears." she swore as she traced nonsensical patterns on the back of his hand.
He smiled a little, resisting the urge to kiss her, then sucked in a deep breath and said, "I made some promises to your dad last night that I want to make to you as well. You deserve to know my intentions for the this relationship right here and now as things are just starting out." Those words sobered Anya immediately and she gave her attention to him completely. "I promise that I will always try my hardest to give you everything you need. If you need a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold or just someone to direct your anger at, I promise I will always be there for you. I promise I'll always try my hardest to be patient with you and treat you with every bit of respect that you deserve. And I promise, Anya Catarina Barton, that I will always love you no matter where life takes us, no matter the battles we face or the trouble that comes our way. I've loved you since I was four-years-old and I will love you until I die. But you'll have to be patient with me too. Because, as much as I will try, I'll also mess up. I'm still a man after all which means I will, at times, be insensitive or piggish or oblivious or even downright stupid. And when I am any of those things, I just hope you'll be beside me to knock me on the side of the head to snap me out of it- and most importantly love me through it."
Anya's fingers had long since stopped tracing patterns on his hands and her whole body had gone still except for the little tear that escaped from the corner of her right eye. It rolled down her cheek and caught in the raised corner of her lips, confusing Ryland because it was actually a tear but she was also smiling. So he just sat as still as possible as he waited for her to explain or respond or just do something other than smile and cry a little. It took a bit longer than he'd hoped but finally she moved to grab his face between both of her little hands. Leaning their foreheads together, she didn't say a word for another minute. Then she brushed her lips against his and whispered five words that made the past 17 years worthwhile.
"I'll always love you, Rye."
Author's Note: Another big thankies couldn't even do you justice, so I'll just point you to my Polyvore (samitballi. polyvore. com) for a set titled Armani not Iron for a look at the guy's suits :)
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!