Okay you guys we've got QUITE an interesting chapter here so here's chapter 17.
Natasha was grateful when the summer started to wind down and football practice started up for Clint. If Clint was at football practice during the day and Natasha worked at night, Natasha found that there would be no reason for temptation. She hoped it would work out for the best.
Both Natasha and Clint were so busy that by the time they would meet up with each other by the end of the evening, they were so exhausted that all they could manage to do is lounge on the couch and watch movies. They would sit in their usual position: her head resting against his shoulder and her feet tucked underneath her while his arm wrapped around her. By the end of the night, one of them was usually asleep.
Natasha had to admit that it seemed like she was avoiding Clint. It's not that she didn't want to be around him, she just didn't want another make out session that progressed to something more. It's not that she didn't want it to happen, she just wasn't sure if she was ready for it. Once she figured out that Clint wanted her physically, she had been scared to even touch him for fear that it would turn into something more.
When Clint asked her to tag along to his football practice one day, Natasha tried to make up as many excuses as possible, all of which were shot down by Clint. He knew her too well, and he could tell she was lying and making up stories. He knew why. Whatever had been going between them since the day he came home from the hospital, she was trying to avoid it, and he didn't blame her. For the most part, Clint had been the one to instigate those situations and it was his fault if it seemed like he was pressuring her. If she wasn't ready, then she wasn't ready.
After much persuasion, Natasha tagged along with Clint to football practice one day, and joined Peggy and Jane in the bleachers to watch the boys practice. Natasha didn't know why Clint had asked her to come; she guessed it was so it could at least seem like they were spending time together. She had no interest in watching the boys practice – the games were far more interesting – and Natasha had taken a liking to the game over the years, so she wasn't paying attention until she noticed a blonde cheerleader make her way over to Clint.
Natasha stiffened. If it were any other cheerleader, Natasha would not have minded, but this specific cheerleader was one that she hoped would never make an appearance in Clint's life ever again. She watched as the cheerleader flirtatiously flipped her hair at Clint as they talked on the field. Natasha didn't even realize she was gripping the edge of the bench so hard that her knuckles were white.
"Natasha, are you okay?" Peggy asked when she noticed how tense she was.
"No," Natasha said through clenched teeth.
Peggy and Jane followed Natasha's line of vision and noticed Clint on the field with the cheerleader.
"Oh, it's her," Peggy sneered.
"Yeah, her," Natasha said in agreement.
Clint stood there and talked to the cheerleader for a couple more minutes. It was clear that Clint didn't want to be talking to her - but being the gentleman that he was - he kept his cool and politely talked to her. Natasha couldn't help but get up and watch as Bobbi Morse made her way out of the stadium with a ridiculous smile on her face that Natasha couldn't help but want to smack off of her.
School started before they knew it, and Natasha didn't want to face the fact that this would be Clint's last year of high school. Next year he would be away at college and Natasha would still be stuck in high school with the queen bees and wannabes. Clint's parents got Clint to devise a list of colleges he was interested in applying in, and by the end of August, he had narrowed the list down to ten. Natasha tried to seem proud of him, but it was hard. Being in different schools within the same school district was one thing; a long distance relationship was another.
Along with the limited amount of time they had together, Natasha had to worry about Bobbi constantly talking to Clint. Natasha never had any sort of confrontation with Bobbi in the past but Natasha was constantly on high alert.
Natasha knew that Clint wasn't stupid either. Every time Bobbi approached him in the hallway, he instinctively flinched but he would quickly compose himself and be the super nice gentleman that he is. Many times when Natasha would see Bobbi approach Clint, Natasha would walk right up and lace her fingers through Clint's. Natasha knew Clint wouldn't do anything to hurt her, but Natasha felt better knowing that she made it clear to Bobbi that Clint – to say the least – was her territory.
It was hard for Clint to avoid Bobbi outside of school as well, specifically football games. Since Bobbi was a cheerleader, she felt that she could socialize with any football player, but she was always hovering around Clint. Clint knew Natasha didn't like it, and he always tried to avoid conversation with Bobbi at all costs. Clint didn't know why Bobbi was speaking to him, seeing as their last encounter was the eighth grade farewell dance, so he knew something was up.
Clint got the answer to his question in the beginning of October when the school announced that the seniors could begin voting for Homecoming King and Queen nominees. Bobbi clearly wanted to vie for Homecoming Queen, and she was trying to sway Clint to be her king. Clint had no desire to be Homecoming King, let alone be nominated for it. When Bobbi brought up the topic one day in the hallway, he made that perfectly clear.
Unfortunately, by the end of the week, Clint was nominated for Homecoming King, along with Steve and Thor. To Clint and Natasha's dismay, Bobbi was nominated for Homecoming Queen. Natasha knew Bobbi would put up a great fight so she could win Homecoming Queen and Clint could be her Homecoming King.
Natasha, in all honesty, didn't want to go to Homecoming. Not with Clint nominated as king and Bobbi nominated as queen. She knew Bobbi would win for sure, and Natasha didn't want to face watching Clint being crowned Bobbi's king.
On Homecoming night, Natasha took a seat among the crowd with Peggy, Jane, Bruce, as well as Pepper and Tony – who were both home for homecoming this year – and waited for the game to start. For the middle of October, it was unusually cold. Natasha was woefully unprepared, wearing a light pea coat and a pair of skinny jeans. She had no scarf or gloves, and the jeans clung to her skin which made it seem like she wasn't wearing any pants at all.
Natasha couldn't keep herself focused on the game. During half time, Homecoming King and Queen would be crowned and Natasha hoped Clint's name wouldn't be called. Natasha was sure Bobbi was going to win, and Natasha didn't want to know what Bobbi had planned if Clint was crowned her king.
Before she knew it, half time had arrived, and the floats were a blur as they paraded around the stadium. In all honesty, Natasha didn't even know what the theme was this year, and quite frankly, she didn't care. She had more important things to worry about.
Once the floats finished their parade, Principal Fury walked out onto the field and called upon the nominees to make their way onto the field. Natasha watched both Bobbi and Clint walked out onto the field separately. Once all of the nominees were lined up on the field, Principal Fury congratulated all of them on getting nominated, and then, he asked the marching band for a drum roll.
Principal Fury held a white envelop, which no doubt contained the winners. It was almost as if it was in slow motion for Natasha. She watched as Principal Fury placed his finger underneath the envelop flap and slowly tore across it to rip it open. He pulled out the card containing the winners' names, and Natasha held her breath.
"Your Homecoming King and Queen are…Bobbi Morse and Clint Barton!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as Natasha cursed under her breath. She noticed out of the corner of her eye, Peggy, Jane, Bruce, Pepper, and Tony weren't even cheering. Clearly they knew that something wasn't right either.
Natasha watched as Clint dragged his feet to get crowned while Bobbi hammed it up, acting like movie star as she waved at the adoring audience. Natasha had to admit this was really lame. Clint was handed a cheap plastic crown while Bobbi was handed a cheap tiara and a bouquet of roses.
That's when Natasha noticed Bobbi's body language. She was moving closer and closer to Clint by the second, and she kept leaning in towards him. It was almost as if she was waiting for Clint to turn towards her. And that's when Clint made the mistake. He just slightly turned towards Bobbi and she dropped the bouquet of roses, and reached up and kissed Clint on the lips.
Natasha put her head in her hands. She didn't want to watch this. She could feel the eyes of Peggy, Jane, Bruce, Pepper, and Tony on her.
"He pushed her away, Natasha," Peggy said reassuringly.
"He looks pissed," Jane said.
Natasha looked up and saw Clint stomping off of the field back to the locker room. She noticed Bobbi looked like she was about to have a hissy fit right on the field. Some things never change.
"She was out of line," Pepper said as she snuggled closer to Tony.
Natasha wasn't sure if she wanted to stay for the rest of the game. She did know for sure that she felt like the wide open stadium was closing in on her. It felt like everyone was standing too close to her for comfort.
"I need to get out of here," Natasha said as she hastily stood up and made her way to the aisle. She practically ran down the steps and made her way to the bathrooms. She felt like she was going to be sick. Going to the tight spaced bathrooms wasn't going to help but if she was going to be sick, it was probably best to not do it in the stands.
She pushed open the door and saw the last person she wanted to see right now. Standing in front of one of the mirrors was Bobbi, applying more lip gloss. Natasha stood in the doorway for what felt like an eternity, waiting for Bobbi to sense her presence.
"Stop staring at me, loser," Bobbi said without turning her head to look at Natasha. She applied another layer of lip gloss and smacked her lips together. She finally turned to look at Natasha with a mischievous smirk on her face.
"Enjoying the game?" Bobbi asked.
Natasha didn't answer her and reduced her eyes to slits.
"Don't blame me for your boyfriend's infidelity," Bobbi said.
"That was out of line you skank," Natasha hissed.
"Oh don't be such a baby. We were just having a little fun."
"Yeah, because Clint looked like he was having a blast," Natasha spat sarcastically.
Bobbi scowled and took a couple steps towards Natasha.
"I never understood what he saw in you," Bobbi muttered just loud enough for Natasha to hear.
"He can do so much better," Bobbi continued. "I don't see the two of you lasting once he graduates and leaves for college. He needs to grow close to someone else who's in his own class.
"I think I'm just perfect for him. He's a football player and I'm a cheerleader. We're both graduating this year. And I'm sure we'll have a stronger bond once Powderpuff football rolls around."
"Excuse me?" Natasha said.
"Powderpuff football. The school is starting it for the girls this year. A junior versus senior rivalry game that will take place the night before Thanksgiving. The football team is going to be coaching the girls. And since I'm going to be on the senior team, I'm sure Clint and I will grow even closer."
"He doesn't even like you, you dumb fucking bitch!" Natasha yelled in disgust.
"We'll see about that," Bobbi said as she tried to slink past Natasha but Natasha's instincts took over. She wasn't going to let Bobbi leave the bathroom without Natasha making herself clear. Natasha grabbed Bobbi's arm and swung her around so that she was facing Natasha. Then, Natasha grabbed her by the shoulder and slammed her up against the wall and pressed her forearm against Bobbi's throat. Bobbi squealed in alarm, but otherwise, didn't put up a fight. Natasha had her pinned against the wall so there was no way she could try to escape.
"Listen," Natasha sneered. "Clint is mine. He's my boyfriend. If you so much as look at him again, I will kick your mother fucking ass. You're all talk, but as evidenced right now, you don't know how to fight back.
Natasha felt Bobbi swallow in fear underneath her arm, but Natasha wasn't done.
"And just so you know, since I'm a junior, I'll be joining Powderpuff football. Not so I can keep an eye on you while you're around Clint, but so I can take you out. Do we have an understanding?"
Bobbi nodded, her eyes wide with fear.
"Now," Natasha said. "Get out of my goddamn face."
Natasha released Bobbi and she ran out of the bathroom with her tail between her legs. Natasha never thought she'd see the day that she would get to use her self-defense skills on someone but she was glad that someone was Bobbi Morse.
The Stroudsburg Mountaineers won the homecoming game 28-7. Natasha never got to see the rest of the game. She wasn't sure she could bear watching Bobbi prance around on the sidelines in her cheerleader's uniform for the remainder of the game so Natasha took a walk around the parking lot. Every so often, Natasha would hear a cheer erupt from the stadium and she hoped the Mountaineers had managed to score a touchdown.
When she heard the final buzzer, signifying the end of the fourth quarter, the crowd erupted in cheers and she saw the home side stand up in celebration. She assumed the Mountaineers had won.
Natasha waited for the crowds to dissipate before she made her way to stand outside of the locker room to wait for Clint. There was a part of Natasha that was sort of angry at Clint for letting Bobbi kiss him. He knew Bobbi's recent behavior was very suspicious so he should have seen it coming but Natasha knew she couldn't be mad at him since he pulled away immediately when Bobbi's lips connected with his.
Natasha heard the screech of the locker room door opening and watched as the football players filed out of the room. Clint was one of the last ones out of the locker room and he looked shocked to see Natasha standing outside the door.
"Hey," he said flatly.
"Hey," Natasha said a little perkier. He was shocked at how calm and happy she sounded.
"So…" he trailed off. He knew that the stunt that Bobbi pulled at half time was something he shouldn't be apologizing for, but he couldn't help but feel extremely guilty.
"So, about that stunt at half time," Natasha said innocently.
"I'm sorry. So, so sorry," he said apologetically. Natasha giggled and leaned in to kiss him. Clint felt extremely tense as she wrapped her arms around his back, but he relaxed as soon as the kiss deepened. She felt him place his hands on her hips and he leaned into the kiss a little more. When they broke apart, he was smiling at her.
"So you're not mad?" Clint asked.
"Oh, I'm furious, just not with you," she said running her hands down his arms.
"Why do you care?" he asked. "If she does it again, I'll knock her the fuck out. I'm not afraid to hit a girl."
Natasha giggled. "That won't be necessary. I have my own plan," she said, smirking.
"I don't like that look in your eye, Nat," Clint said. "It kind of scares me."
"Clint, you're going to have to teach me everything you can about football between now and the night before Thanksgiving," Natasha said.
"You're going to do Powderpuff football aren't you?" he asked.
Natasha nodded.
"Well, I guess it's a constructive way to take your anger out on her," Clint said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Right. Constructive," Natasha agreed sarcastically.
Clint smiled at her. "Is it wrong that I feel really turned on right now?"
Natasha's eyes widened and Clint noticed his mistake.
"Sorry, sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't – I mean, we haven't talked about this so I shouldn't have said that."
Natasha was silent. Clint knew that was why she had been avoiding him. Their sexual frustration was intimidating to her. They hadn't talked about it at all so jokes about a non-existent sex life were clearly off limits.
"It was just a joke," he said. "I'm sorry."
Natasha had calmed down and was letting out a long breath. "No, it's okay. I feel like maybe it's time we did talk about this."
"Tasha, I'm not pressuring you. I promise," he said defensively. "I'm sorry I said that."
"I'm not ready," she whispered.
"And that's fine," Clint said. "I'm totally fine with that."
Natasha let out another breath. "Okay," she said. "Okay, good."
He slung an arm across her shoulders and they started walking towards the parking lot.
"But really," he said. "The fact that you're angry is really sexy."
Natasha laughed and she wrapped her arms around his torso as they walked off into the night.
Well hello feisty Natasha! And for those of you that don't know what Powderpuff football is, it's flag football for girls. I did it my senior year of high school but we played dirty and we tackled so you can see why Natasha wants to do it haha.
As always, thanks for adding this to your favorites, signing up for alerts, and reviewing. So review away! I'll always love reading what you guys think!