Maybe it wasn't their best idea to watch Clint try out for a team. Lint wanted nothing more than to join an archery team but it seemed the school decided not to have one. They had the equipment but no desire to have a full out team. Instead they decided that to use the equipment you must either:
a) Be best friends with a gym teacher, which Clint was not.
b) Be on the Track and Field Team.
This meant Clint was showing off all the different ways he could run around. He could run and pass things to other people. He could run and jump. He could run and jump with a long stick in his hand thus vaulting his way over something. He could run in circles like a chicken without its head. He could also throw just about anything put in his hands with impressive accuracy, granted they looked for distance instead of 'hit this target'. Why was only the track team allowed to use the archery equipment again? This fell under things Bruce would never know.
What he did know was Natasha wouldn't join him for a while yet and he was stuck on hard benches reading ahead in his physics textbook without a second thought, now and then glancing up to see how Clint was doing. For the most part, Clint was waiting in line. Still, when Clint did go up to do his jump he still did well at it, not the best but better than some. Bruce didn't watch when Clint walked over acting like he was on cloud nine.
"I think I got this in the bag, as long as the coach decides to forgive my record," Clint smirked as he sat beside Bruce.
"He'd forgive you if you stopped asking about an archery team every day," Bruce stated.
"They have all of this wonderful equipment and it just collects dust. They clearly should be training us to be able to hunt in the wild with it by hitting a perfectly still target," Clint folded his arms over his chest.
"Remind me why I hang around you when Natasha isn't around?" Brue raised an eyebrow as he looked at Clint.
"Because I'm adorable, having amazing charm and a nice ass," Clint grinned widely, leaning in close. If Bruce wasn't used to Clint and Natasha getting into his personal space all the time, he'd probably hit him with the science book. Even now it was still tempted but for other reasons, not for being in his personal space.
"Nope, none of those describe you," Bruce shook his head.
"My ass takes that as an insult."
"Is your ass the butt of all of your jokes?"
"Okay minus whatever points we count for the pun," Clint bit back a laugh as he shook his head. He watched his competition for a bit.
"I'd like to point out, I didn't start the topic," Bruce shoved Clint lightly with his shoulder.
"Now I want to know why I'm friends with you."
"Because I'm smart, make sure your grades actually let you onto a team and you think my sister is hot," Bruce went back to his book.
"…I can't argue any of those points," Clint shrugged, "Any idea what my average has to be in order to stay on the team?"
"Probably a C average, might be best if you aim for C+ or B- though, granted considering it's out final year you probably want to aim higher buuuttt that assumes you want to go to any form of university," Bruce replied.
"Don't have the money, at best I might be able to save up and get into a trade school one day but for the most part unless track and field gets me a free ride somehow, I think I'm gonna have to come up with some sort of other plan. I'm thinking of running away and joining the circus," Clint mused out loud.
"Aren't you a little old for the 'run away and join the circus'?"
"You can never be too old to run away and join the circus. Whimsy has no age limit and therefor neither does the circus for the circus is pure, unfiltered whimsy."
"Please never say whimsy again," Bruce looked at Clint again who was grinning like a madman, to be honest Bruce as partly convinced he was.
Clint put his hands on Bruce's shoulders and looked him right in the eye, "Whimsy, Bruce. Amazing E for everyone whimsy."
"You just said it two more times, it's making me want to call stranger danger," Bruce stated.
"Nice try but wrong use of the word stranger, you're slipping Bruce," Clint got up, getting ready to go back to the trials.
"Nope, I decided I no longer know you."
"Rigggghhtttt, wish me luck."
"Whatever you want strange man who creeps me out," Bruce smiled slightly as Clint ran back out onto the field to show off in the next event. Bruce didn't pay much attention as the lines started again. Then a shadow fell over his book causing him to briefly look up… and up… and up. He found he was being towered over by a very intimidating boy. Bruce guessed he could easily be a bouncer at a bar and no one would try anything. Behind him he had two friends and based on the matching jackets they all wore with the school's colours, he guessed they were part of a team. He was also guessing it was a football team or a contact sport of some sort.
"Something wrong?" Bruce questioned as he used one hand to push his glasses up and into their proper place.
"I hear your sister freaked Yelena out last night," the boy leaned down to glare at Bruce, "not very smart. Granted I warned her about going to study with a pack of freaks."
"I had nothing to do with that and I'm sorry if my sister upset Yelena, I spoke with her about it and I'm sure it won't happen again," Bruce stated.
"I know it won't, cause I'm gonna show your sister what happens when she messes with someone important to me. I'm also gonna make sure that you keep helping Yelena with her homework whenever she asks you. Gonna put ya in your place, freak." Bruce tried not shrink back when he heard the knuckle crack. He wanted to yell for Clint but right as he opened his mouth to do so he found the fist of the boy rammed into his stomach knocking the wind out of him. "Ain't no one gonna help you."
Bruce closed his eyes against the pain as he started to cough, he managed to look up hoping he could find a way to reason with the boy. He tried to cover his stomach to stop it from getting hit again but the boy's friends grabbed his arms and pulled them away. He saw the boy draw his arm back for another punch but he also saw a backpack hit one of the boy's friends in the head before the first made contact with him again, forcing his eyes closed once more. With one arm free he tried to protect himself once more. He could feel the tears threatening. There was a third punch, and his other friend yelled in surprise because of something and his second arm was free. Then a fourth punch, this time to his face.
Bruce waited for another but instead he heard the boy call out, "what the?" The moment of surprise was gone with the boy yelling in pain.
"You think you can touch my brother?" Natasha? "That was a big mistake on your part. You want to touch him you have to get through me first. Does that sound like a fun time to you?"
There was another yell of pain from the guy, Bruce still didn't open his eyes, he just curled in on himself, wrapping his arms defensively around his stomach. Everything hurt.
"Come near him again and I will end you," Natasha growled, "now get out of my sight." Bruce didn't open his eyes even as he heard the boys run away and heard Natasha take a few calming breaths. He finally opened them when he felt her hand on his back, "You alright?"
He gave her a weak smile as he looked up at her, "Yeah, I'll be fine. You know you're dead meat at home if anyone finds out you got into a fight."
"I don't care, they were hurting you," Natasha, glared in the direction the boys had gone just in case they tried to double back, "I'm sure Dad will understand ad Mom will forgive me."
"I'm sure," Bruce nodded slightly. He could see Clint just past Natasha running towards them. Based on how close he was, Bruce could only guess that either he had just started coming or had seen the fight and was just stuck on the other side of the field. When he was close enough, Bruce could see how heavily he was breathing confirming Clint had been on the other side of the field and based on the concern in his eyes with a level of anger, he had seen the fight.
Natasha got up to grab her bag from where it had landed after she tossed at the first boy. She looked at Clint who took a moment to catch his breath. "I saw what happened," Clint started to huff out, "I tried to get over as fast as I could but you were faster."
"You never miss anything," Natasha commented, "I swear if I see those boys again I'm making sure they can never reproduce."
"You were… amazing in that fight," Clint took a step closer to Natasha and she seemed off guard by the statement. "I've never seen anyone move like that."
"Thanks?"
Bruce waited, somewhat confused at what was going on.
"Natasha," Clint's voice was barely a whisper, "do you… do you want to go out with me sometime? Like… on a date?"
247 Days.
