36 : DOUBLE DATE WITH THE BIRDS*
This disastrous date happened because Steve and Natasha lost their bet with the Birds, Clint and Bobbi. The bet that the Cold War refused to speak of it.
Natasha and Steve were standing awkwardly in front of a mirror, eyes looking at their outfits for today's date
"Tell me again why did we agree to this?" Natasha asked
"Because we lose a bet with them"
"They cheated!" The spy accused "No way in hell Clint could beat you in this life or the next"
The couple met up with Clint and Bobbi in the living room. The spy looked really irritated with her outfit.
"Tell me, whose idea this was?" Natasha asked
"Me, why?" Clint replied
"So I can shoot you in the head for this stupid idea!"
"Come on, Nat. it's just a renaissance fair!"
"I'm okay with the renaissance fair but what's with the costume?!" The spy bellowed
"So we can perfectly blend in" Bobbi chimed in "And you look good in that costume, Natasha so don't worry"
"Yeah, you two look better than us" Clint nodded in agreement "So stop complaining because I've been through a lot of trouble to get us these costumes!"
Steve sighed "Let's go before Stark see us"
"Too late!" Tony said from the stairs with a camera in his hand "You guys look like you just came back from Asgard"
Steve leaned into Natasha and whispered "I agree this is a bad idea"
They went to Central Park. The costume did their magic because no one recognized them at all. Steve and Natasha were in royal family costumes while Clint was an archer and Bobbi was in a pirate wench costume.
"We look stupid" Natasha muttered as they were heading into the fair.
"No, we're not" Clint corrected. "Look at everyone else. They are really comfortable with this"
"I will never go on a double date with you again"
Clint shook his head, taking Bobbi's hand and led them to the archery range. He signed himself up for the competition. Natasha felt a little competitive and signed herself up too. Steve and Bobbi watched as the two best friends made a bet.
"You cannot top me, little spider" Clint said "This is my thing"
"Oh please, the last time I checked we're tied in shooting practice"
"Whatever, princess. Loser will pay for lunch"
Clint fired the first arrow and it hit the bullseye. Natasha fired hers and it stuck at the back of Clint's arrow. The crowd cheered in surprise at the skills of the two.
"Trick shot" Clint nodded in approval "Nice try, Widow. But I'm still the best"
The archer fired his second arrow and it went through the two arrows before sticking in the target. Natasha was not one to back down from a challenge but Clint still beat her.
"Babe! Looks like we have a free lunch sponsored by Captain Spangles and the Little Spider" Clint boasted as he approached Bobbi and Steve.
Natasha sighed "Your lunch is one hot dog, Barton"
"You're cruel" The archer said "I'm really looking forward to a nice buffet"
"Fine, just pick one and be done with it"
Bobbi and Natasha drug them to the Labyrinth. They spent an hour trying to find the center of the maze and another hour just to find the way out. Steve had to carry Natasha out of the maze.
Bobbi and Clint looked as though they really enjoyed this date while Steve and Natasha were just walking around the area and sat down watching Clint as he joined a fencing competition.
"I never knew he was good with sword too"
"He grew up in a circus" Natasha told "He can do many things but he loves to stick with his bow and arrow"
The two watched as Clint won the competition and came back to them with another trophy.
"This renaissance fair was created just for me" Clint said happily "I can win anything!"
"Because you are the only person who uses a medieval weapon everyday" Natasha said
"You do realize that your boyfriend also uses shield" Clint retorted "My bow and arrow are more high tech that Steve's shield"
"Do we really need to discuss this now?" Steve asked
"No, I am not quite done here, Steve" Natasha said "You and me, tomorrow, training at dawn"
"Yeah, whatever, Spidey but beware, I might kick your ass"
Steve had to pull Natasha by her arms to prevent her from killing the archer. Before Natasha was lose from Steve's grip, an old man walked right up to them and said,
"You two are strong young men" He asserted Steve and Clint "There will be a traditional game for a couple to participate in."
"What is it about, sir?" Steve asked
"Every young man has to prove themselves to be worthy of their fair maiden. They will climb the castle to prove their love for her"
Clint and Steve looked at each other "Sounds like fun" Clint said "We can do it, Cap"
"Good, you two beautiful ladies come with me and you guys waiting over there"
Natasha sneaked a kiss before letting go of Steve's hand. Clint did the same with Bobbi before the men walked toward the waiting area where many people were gathering to witness the young brave man prove their love.
"It's not only the wall, Cap. And it has a lot more obstacles" Clint noted "Maybe we have to climb with bare hands"
"It's not that hard, Barton"
"Well, you are the super soldier, Cap" Clint replied "I am a mere human"
Before they continued with their conversation, the announcer began to speak about the rules of the game.
"Gentleman, please remove your shirts."
"What?!" Clint and Steve said in unison
"The game commissioners decided to make it harder for the competitors this year. You will be cover with oil"
The men started to take off their shirts while Steve and Clint were reluctant to do so but they had to take it off eventually. They could hear audible gasps. Women all looking at both of them, mostly Steve's godly perfect body.
"We didn't sign up for this" Clint muttered with the referee.
"You didn't read the regulation before you signed up so it your guys fault" He said back.
"Whatever, Barton. Just do it and be done with it"
The game began and everyone headed to the first wooden wall. Steve and Clint could pass the first wall pretty easy. Steve could pass every obstacle without any difficulty. The two heroes were standing at the last wall.
"It's damn tall, Cap" Clint said "We cannot climb this thing"
"I think I can" Steve replied "They have a few hole for us to grab and make a climb"
"I will follow you then"
Steve took his time to calculate his route. He made the first jump and grabbed the first hole with one hand and another to help Clint swing up to the next.
"This is like a teamwork training" Clint said
"Yeah, but you pack on some weight, Barton" Steve told
"Blame it on Bobbi. She's a damn good cook"
They reached the top of the wall and found their girlfriends there. Their first reaction toward the men were the same.
"Why are you not wearing your shirt?! Natasha asked, folded her arms
"They changed the rule" Steve explained "We didn't know"
Natasha's look made Steve gulped but the spy took his hand and head to the stairs. The old man told them that he had to carry her back to the finish line too. Steve picked Natasha up and headed to the finish point with Clint following behind.
They were the only two who succeed with this challenge. After they put their shirts back on, the game organizer gave them their prize.
"Wow! King and Queen Ballroom Dance tickets" Clint exclaimed.
"We should definitely do this together" Bobbi said and turned to the Cold War.
Natasha shook her head adamantly "No"
"No for me too." Steve said "Maybe you should invite Thor and Jane. You can take our tickets"
"Why? It's gonna be fun and we can dress up just like today"
"Barton! What's with you and dressing up?" Natasha asked
"You guys suck!" Clint muttered before took the tickets from Steve's hand "We will not invite you to any of our double dates forever"
Natasha and Steve knew that it's not true because Bobbi likes them a lot and Clint wants to spend time with Steve and Natasha more than Tony.
The rest of the day was just Steve and Natasha sitting together in the park, soaking up the sun and watching Clint and Bobbi participated in many competition.
"We're like their parents" She noted "We came here and watched them have all the fun"
"I gotta admit this. Dressing up in a medieval costume like this is not my thing"
"Yeah, me too." She smiled "I just didn't know that the Birds were into this kinda stuff"
"Maybe they want to try something else"
Natasha shrugged "Nah, this is too weird that we shouldn't agree to do it"
"Hey! Mom and dad. I'm hungry again" Clint spoke as he approached the couple
"We should go back to the tower"
"Agreed, I'm really tired and really need to get out of this freaking costume" Natasha said.
"Well! Look who's back from the renaissance fair." Tony teased the four of them immediately.
"Watch out, Stark. Natasha acquired lots of new weapons" Steve warned.
"Yeah, dude. She has her mace and sword" Clint said as he opened the fridge "Can someone cook something for me to eat?"
"I just ordered us pizzas!" Darcy shouted from the couch. "It's our movie night"
No one noticed that the spy and the soldier already snuck up to their room. They needed to clean themselves up especially Steve. The couple changed back into their pajamas immediately.
Steve headed to bed for a nap and Natasha followed.
AN:
- Thank you to my proofreader, RushmanNatalie!
- Please kindly leave a review!