"Okay, fine, I can always invoke the memory of that time I TOTALLY SAVED THE DAL. WINK WINK. HINT HINT, THERE, TRICKSTER!" Subtlety... not exactly Kenzi's strong suit. Trick merely rolled his eyes and deposited a bottle with two shot glasses in front of them.
She grinned at Clint, pouring them each a shot of the green stuff. "Sweeeeet. I still got it. Okay, so you can just make it up to me instead." Kenzi clinked her glass against his before downing the shot and slamming her hand down on the bar. Damn, that shit is strong.
"Wait, you mean you're not having a totally fun time with the easiest job ever? You got the cushy life, dude. You sit in your car with cheeseburgers and watch skeezy dudes bang chicks they aren't married to and vice versa. I should be going with YOU." Boring, quiet, un-dangerous stuff. The good life.
... Yeah, no. They both got bored too damn easily. As much as Kenzi loved to complain, she loved the dangerous shit even more.
"Hmmmmm, fine. Deal. I'll cut you in and you can help us out because this dude is a bitch to find and that's kind of your area of expertise. You just gotta promise me you're gonna be uber ultra careful." She held up her little finger. Pinky swear. If it seemed like Kenzi had gotten more paranoid about Clint's safety than usual, it was probably because she really had. These fae would live forever. They could heal in no time. Clint and Kenzi? They were only human. Like fuck was she going to risk losing him.
"Vex called us up to run another mesmer out of town. Dude showed up and started getting all up in Sir Douche-a-lot's business and he can't take care of it without making it a light vs. dark thing. So messy. Help me find him and I'll be your best friend forever?"
Clint's gaze fell on Trick, making a face. "Well, if I knew that's all it took...I wouldn't have to be payin' for all my drinks." He would have to make it a note to save some all important fae to get some favors around there. Preferably favors that involved free drinks. He shook his head with a laugh before taking the offered shot, shaking his head a bit. Just a little bit strong. Yeah, he would have to agree with Kenzi at that before side-eyeing her when she stated that he would have to owe her. He wasn't sure if that's how all of this worked, but he knew he didn't like the assumption of owing anyone anything. "You wish," he grumbled under his breath as he ran his hand down his face.
"Cushy...as in boring, you mean. 'm gonna go insane, Kenz. Insane. 'm one foot out the door to just poppin' a cap in the next person who hires me cos they can't read tells. I mean...your wife smells like sex when you haven't had sex in a month and suddenly you can't tell? I would tell." But he was trained to notice small details. That might be a big difference. He didn't think in 'normal people standards'. He thought in standards where...jumping off the edge of tall buildings without a safety net was just another day in the office. Clint was keeping tabs on the Avengers. When they were avenging that was. He wasn't even surprised that they didn't really skip a beat when it came replacing him with a new member. Sitwell was the Avengers' wrangler now and he knew he just wouldn't be as good as Phil Coulson.
His brow arched when he saw her hold out her pinky before looping it in his and bringing her hand up to kiss it with a smirk. "Scout's honor...no unnecessary trips to the hospital if it's avoidable." Clint was used to dealing with people who would outlive him. Who outgunned him. It didn't really help him feel an less significant when they decided they needed to save him. And...there really was no going around that. He knew he had been a replaceable member since he had been put on the roster. He didn't question it. When someone compared him to Stark or Rogers, it was always going to be them before him. Affordable losses and all. But it didn't mean he couldn't take care of himself. He could. He was more than capable of it.
"Mes...mer. Excuse me 'm still tryin' to pick up the lingo here. What should I expect?" He leaned his head against his hand as he slid the bottle closer to him and pouring it into the shot glass. "Can I kill 'im? Would that be allowed?"
"You're already insane. You run around shooting things with arrows and used to wear spandex or whatever it is super heroes use to keep their junk from moving around while saving the world."
Even if she was so totally beyond comfortable with Clint that she would totally take him with her to buy underwear or get changed in front of him or any other typically TMI activity, she could not handle his adorable gentleman tendencies sometimes. He gets an arm punch for the hand kiss. "Knock it off, you huge dork. I hate when you pull the chivalry moves all sneaky like some white knight ninja. Go back to being a total jerkass like normal."
There is not enough alcohol to cover up her blushing. Maybe no one would notice. Maybe Hale would stop giving her sad/angry looks every now and then before covering it up with a neutral expression and acting like he doesn't care. He pulled the same stuff when she was with Nate all the time.
Kenzi did another shot before nodding and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Killing's totes allowed in self defense. And trust me.... we'll probably need to defend ourselves. Mesmers...." Her eyes widened briefly. Fuck. This was turning into the worst idea ever. She slowly turned to look at Clint with a solemn expression. "Mesmers are like puppet masters. They can make you do anything they want. Strike the hands as fast as possible to neutralize them. Bam. Can't do jack shit without their hands."
It was the controlling aspect that Kenzi didn't like. Not for Clint. She'd never let him lose his will like that ever again.
"Leather, I wore leather. Spandex is outdated 'n 'm ashamed you would even suggest that I would wear it."
He fought back a laugh the entire time he said that. Clint had never taken himself seriously wearing his costume but it was way more discreet and...better than what Steve had to wear whenever they went out on the field. When he first saw the costume Phil had designed for his hero. He had all but fallen out of his chair laughing. Something Phil had expected but then he had corrected himself quickly by saying the cap would love it. Clint could still remember the look of utter joy in Phil's eyes at the idea of being able to help design a costume for his personal hero to wear. Clint allowed the fist to hit his shoulder. Even on a good day, it still didn't hurt him. "'m not a jerkass. 'm sometimes chivalrous with a side of sarcasm. It's a beautiful mixture, don't get me wrong." Oh, Kenzi. Clint noticed all. He ducked his head with a light-hearted grin crossing his face at the blush like some kid before pouring himself another shot. God he was going to end up regretting this.
But he didn't like the memories that typically lit up at stupid o'clock in the morning. He didn't like the regret. And he especially didn't like what Kenzi had mentioned about mesmers. What is it with faes that could take over a person? Was it universe against him or something. He had nearly frozen up at the idea. His smile fading before he looked over his shoulder at Bo trying to get some information. Apparently Dyson and Hale had invited themselves into the interrogation party while the "useless" humans decided to take shots and talk shop amongst themselves. Clint flexed his hands a bit before downing the shot and sliding the glass away from himself. He was capping himself off for the night, something about knowing he needed to get his head in the game clicked on inside his head. "Chop...off the hands? I got...some new toys with this mesmer's name on them." He smirked before he moved to his feet, catching Hale's sad/angry look from the reflection in bar mirror.
He was going to be a jerkass now. He had to be. Jealously was never a good thing in men. Hale seemed like the quiet jealous type. Clint was the openly jealous type and had, already, on more then one occasion walk in with Hale and Kenzi flirting up a storm. He could always blame it on the al-al-alcohol as he leaned over. "I promise, 'll be good. No touchin'. I got some sources, 'll go hit 'em up and get back to you guys with what I got." Clint leaned in before pressing his lips against hers and making a quick bee-line for the door as he pulled out the keys to his bike. The smirk on his face as he passed Hale might have been a hint to the siren...and he was pretty sure he didn't want to face the wrath of Kenzi if he turned around with some stupid smirk plastered on his face.
Wh-- did that just-- how did-- .... WHAT THE FUCK!
Kenzi was left staring at the empty space Clint had just been occupying, wide-eyed, shocked, and unable to process what had just happened. Did he really just--
She reached up slowly to touch her lips in a daze before shaking it off and clearing her throat, trying to play it off like nothing happened. But something did happen. Something she'd been hoping would happen for a really long time, but never thought it was actually possible. She wasn't Phil. No one could replace Phil. The memory of Phil Coulson had kept her from acting on any feelings she might have for Clint out of respect and love. But somewhere down the line her love for Clint had shifted from something into something more. And he just kissed her.
... and then LEFT!
Another shot. And then another. She sat alone at the bar until Bo was ready to go home and was quiet the entire way home. She went straight to her room and crashed, but she didn't sleep. Not really. Her mind was too focused on trying to sort things out to let her sleep. It was just a lot of tossing and turning and running on autopilot when she finally got up until she couldn't take it anymore.
She threw on her jacket and headed straight for Clint's place looking like some kind of sleep-deprived, slightly hungover zombie as she pounded on the glass door. Seriously. She was on the verge of hulking out, here. How could he just do that and leave?! Kenzi needed answers, and she was damn well gonna get them. By FORCE!
Typically, Clint would have stayed for the reaction.
For some reason, he didn't want to see the girl's reaction. It'd been five months and Phil's loss was still a deep wound. It'd been five months and he knew Phil was never, ever going to come back. He had learned to deal with loss because everyone he knew eventually went away. The fact of the matter was, even in Arkham -- he knew if he wasn't with Phil, he would be flirting Kenzi up every waking moment until she gave in. He knew Phil wouldn't have appreciated him mourning over him for even a minute. He still dreamt of him. He would always dream of him because SHIELD agents never got what they wanted. They never got the moments of peace they had. Or the moments of peace that Kenzi brought to Clint. It was understandable why he was drawn to her. Even when the doctors back in SHIELD got him to speak of Kenzi, they just assumed she was a method of coping for Clint. The one person out of everyone who he loved deeply. Even if they said she was imaginary. Fuck imaginary, Kenzi was real.
Clint wanted to show them desperately that Kenzi was real and return to his home (sometimes). Other times, he was just happy there. He was even happier when he got to hit up his informants on the news about new fae in the territory. Apparently the mesmer was sneaky, but not sneaky enough. Clint already had a trail and a list of potential people the guy was puppeting. Some of which were store owners on the street he lived on. Not good. He couldn't see a clear pattern as of yet but he knew he would eventually. Clint had gotten home an hour before Kenzi had shown up and was already at work. On the corkboard that had been left over by the previous shop owners was all the intel he had gathered so far. Fuck, he didn't need SHIELD. He was a force in and of himself as he stood in front of the board after thirty minutes of analyzing traffic cameras he had just 'stumbled' into on accident, flipping one of his katana in one hand. He didn't jump per say when someone pounded on the door before he went to answer it with a cup of coffee in his hand, brow arching as he looked on at Kenzi.
"...so what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Clint's in business mode. He missed it. Let him have business mode for a little bit longer Kenzi.
Clint would get about three minutes of business mode. Just long enough for her to glare at him and push her way inside, letting the door shut behind her. No, not even three minutes. Because it took LESS than three minutes for her to just stare, expression softening from anger to confusion before melting into want and an inability to ignore it any longer.
Kenzi pushed up on her toes and kissed Clint a lot more urgently and way the hell more intensely than he'd kissed her at the bar. Coffee be damned. Glass store front be damned! She needed to know. Was this supposed to happen? Was it going to ruin everything?
When she pulled away, it was only to delivery a swift punch to the gut that Clint likely wouldn't even feel, but it still made her feel better. "What the hell was THAT? You can't just pull something like that and then LEAVE! Why the hell would you leave?! I was so freakin' confused and I don't even know what the hell is going on right now and you just acted like it was nothing! ... Oh my god... was it nothing? Did I totes just not even realizing that it wasn't even a thing?"
Possibly on the verge of hyperventilating here. Maybe she should have considered that before randomly making out with her best guy friend.
Clint would find that he didn't really miss business mode as much as he missed Kenzi mode. He watched the emotions play on her face as she tried to process what he had done in the bar before hastily making his exit stage right. The words were at the tip of his tongue what he could say that didn't sound like 'I was jealous of Hale' because that made him sound completely reasonable about the entire thing of course. But it didn't. Clint's words faltered the moment Kenzi pushed herself up on her toes to kiss him with way more emotion than he had before he had left the bar. Coffee and store front window be damned.
He kissed back. He would have brought his arms around her if she hadn't delivered a swift gut punch right after she broke the kiss as quickly as she began it. Tease. The situation spiraled soon after words started sputtering out of her mouth before reaching his hands up and framing her face with his hands. "Hey, hey, hey. It's a thing. Trust me. A good thing, I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't a thing, Kenz." He leaned in to press his lips against hers again, laughing a little in the small space between them. "I was jus' gettin' sick of fuckin' Hale's looks whenever he saw us together." Now he would have to deal with it a little more of those looks from Hale.
"I'm sorry...'m...I didn't really know how you would react to it."
She's the tease? That's rich coming from the king of kissing and running.
Kenzi put her hands over his to keep them in place and rested her forehead against his, biting her lower lip. "Hale has a different fae-lady every week. He'll get over it."
Her friendship with Hale was still just a friendship. That's probably all it would ever be. He was a few hundred years older than her, versus the significantly smaller-by-comparison age gap between her and Clint. And Hale was fae. His family had been a huge problem when she'd pretended to be his girlfriend to save his ass. How would they react to them actually dating? No. That wasn't a thing.
This was.
"Idiot. The hell did I even tell you the first day you showed up at the crack shack?"
If Clint knew that he could compare what Kenzi and Hale had to what he and Tasha had on some level. But he didn't so he just rolled with the fact that Kenzi didn't seem interested in the fae-dude that seemed to want to jump her bones every time Clint saw him. If Kenzi had been around every time Clint and Hale met up, she would probably notice the puffing of the chests and trying to intimidate one another subconsciously even when Kenzi wasn't even there. "I ha--I can't even say I have a different lady every week. My social life has gone downhill. It's a damn shame." All because he couldn't get passed Phil or Kenzi in his mind. He legitimately had tried. He didn't dare tell Kenzi the conversation he had with one chick just a week ago where the words 'it happens to everyone' was uttered before she gathered herself up and waltzed out the door.
Dyson got a good chuckle out of it when Clint was drowning himself with coffee the next morning though. Yeah, Kenzi wasn't ever going to find out about that. Ever.
Clint, honest to whatever holy thing there was, nuzzled her before giving a sharp laugh at that. "I love you too, Kenz." He loved Phil. But this was a different kind of love. Just as strong, just...different. Kenzi should know by now he never threw that word around without meaning it with every fiber in his being. "I didn't...can this be a thing? Cos I want it to be a thing." Cos she ruined all other women for him. Even Tasha. He didn't think that was possible considering who Natasha was to him and the meaning behind her existence in his life.
Clint was different from any other guy she'd ever been with. Before she'd met Bo, when they were stuck at Arkham, and even afterwards. Guys were always tearing her down and taking chunks out of her self esteem. She always seemed to end up with the ones that were terrible for her or the ones that didn't think she could do anything. Even Loki had kept her at a distance and never really gave her what she needed. Clint had believed in her from day one. He'd always been there to fix any damage and he always had her back. No matter what.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, pressing up against him. "It's totally a thing. Always has been."
Kenzi would have waited forever for Clint. Even if it had killed her a little bit every day to see him talking to other girls. Even if she'd thought for sure he would have gone after Bo until the incident. She just wanted him to be happy. Whatever he chose, she would have stood by it.
But he totally dropped the L word. Those other girls better back the fuck off now, or shit was gonna get violent.
There wasn't much that Kenzi could do then get the man's support. He had lived through some similar form of people telling him what he could and couldn't do. Of people treating him helplessly because he wasn't some powered up superhero that offering his support to someone who was in the same position as him was a necessity and pretty much the obvious choice to him. Being there for Kenzi was always going to be the obvious choice for him especially when she had been there for him. Even allowing him to go out onto the field with bruised ribs and a broken arm. If she had any doubts about his abilities, she would have never let him out there. But she let him go (he was healed, yay) and then everything just fit back into place for him. He just fit back into place.
"Oh, good good. I thought I was startin' to go insane, mixed signals 'n all that." Clint laughed a bit, a smile tugging on his lips as he held her up so she wouldn't have to tip-toe any longer. Let it never be said that Clint Barton was a terrible guy. He did small favors, he's not sure if they were good favors but they were small favors just the same. "Yanno, I gotta say 'm really glad you ain't a figment of my imagination, Kenz." He never admitted that he almost started believing the doctors at SHIELD that what he thought up wasn't real. That Arkham was just a coping mechanism and he was really at his breaking point. He didn't want to admit it. But he had.
"If mixed signals are tripping you up, how about I make this as CLEAR as freakin' possible. Bedroom. Naked. Now. Was that mixed up even a little? Because I don't think I could unmix that any more than it already is."
Obvious choice is right. Even if he wasn't the gorgeous hunk of man meat that he was, they had a connection. It ran deep. This was just a natural progression. They had no secrets and he knew more about her than anyone else did. She felt safe with Clint. He'd never hurt her. She wasn't sure she deserved it, but like hell was she letting it go.
"Me, too. But even if I WAS a figment of your imagination, you'd have to be pretty damn awesome to think me up. So really you'd be winning either way. Crazy with the coolest brain ever or sane with the coolest... girlfriend ever."
Did she seriously just say that? The thought of commitment was giving her hives, but that's totally what it was. Since Arkham and for the last five months, she'd been totally committed. There was no one else Kenzi would rather spend practically every second with. Not that she wanted to jinx anything or freak him out!
Clint's brows shot up at that when he heard that as he took a couple steps back, pulling his shirt over his head. "I do take direction very well, jus' ask 'bout anyone." He tossed the shirt to the side before reaching out and pulling Kenzi closer to him, leaning in to kiss her with a smile on his face. "No mixed signals at all when you say it like that, Kenz. Jus' thought you should know that."
Their connection did run deep. Deeper than Clint would have like say but he did acknowledge whole-heartedly. There was honestly nothing in the world that would make him leave her side. Even if his friends came pounding on his door to take him back to New York, he would literally brush them away for Kenzi. Why? Compared to all that he did in lieu of just...standing on a building and watching the fight swirl below him. He thought he would make more of an impact with Kenzi. He felt happier with Kenzi.
"I dunno...'ve heard I make a pretty lame boyfriend. I can't cook with a shit. Ha--well, I always have money, nevermind. Commitment issues!" Clint pointed out as he slid his arms around her, grinning a little. "I have commitment issues. Somethin' 'bout I don't open up well eno--" Well that was pretty much going to be a none issue for them actually. Clint already talked to Kenzi about everything. Even how he was feeling. He didn't even have those discussions with Natasha and they had been partners for years. "Yeah, I got nothing that's gonna scare you off. Sorry 'bout that, guess you're stuck with me as a boyfriend, beautiful."
The happiness was definitely a mutual thing. She wasn't sure she'd ever get used to kissing him, and she kind of hoped that she wouldn't. That way, she'd never take it for granted. And it wasn't like she hadn't thought about/dreamed of/wished for this before. Holy damn, it's really happening.
"No one else I'd rather be stuck with, circus boy." Her grin mimics his as her hands slide down his chest and grip his waist, tugging him towards the bedroom. "I've been putting up with your lame ass long enough to know how to deal with you. You're just as stuck."
She kisses him again, releasing her grip and moving in closer. Her mouth finds his jaw and then his neck as she trails her hands up his back. Holy freakin back muscles, batman. Why is he allowed to be so gorgeous and also wonderful and hilarious and beyond nice and always there for her-- clearly Clint cheats at life. No one can be that perfect. But he totally is.
"Goddamn. Just shut up and show me how good your aim is."
She grinned at Clint, pouring them each a shot of the green stuff. "Sweeeeet. I still got it. Okay, so you can just make it up to me instead." Kenzi clinked her glass against his before downing the shot and slamming her hand down on the bar. Damn, that shit is strong.
"Wait, you mean you're not having a totally fun time with the easiest job ever? You got the cushy life, dude. You sit in your car with cheeseburgers and watch skeezy dudes bang chicks they aren't married to and vice versa. I should be going with YOU." Boring, quiet, un-dangerous stuff. The good life.
... Yeah, no. They both got bored too damn easily. As much as Kenzi loved to complain, she loved the dangerous shit even more.
"Hmmmmm, fine. Deal. I'll cut you in and you can help us out because this dude is a bitch to find and that's kind of your area of expertise. You just gotta promise me you're gonna be uber ultra careful." She held up her little finger. Pinky swear. If it seemed like Kenzi had gotten more paranoid about Clint's safety than usual, it was probably because she really had. These fae would live forever. They could heal in no time. Clint and Kenzi? They were only human. Like fuck was she going to risk losing him.
"Vex called us up to run another mesmer out of town. Dude showed up and started getting all up in Sir Douche-a-lot's business and he can't take care of it without making it a light vs. dark thing. So messy. Help me find him and I'll be your best friend forever?"
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"Cushy...as in boring, you mean. 'm gonna go insane, Kenz. Insane. 'm one foot out the door to just poppin' a cap in the next person who hires me cos they can't read tells. I mean...your wife smells like sex when you haven't had sex in a month and suddenly you can't tell? I would tell." But he was trained to notice small details. That might be a big difference. He didn't think in 'normal people standards'. He thought in standards where...jumping off the edge of tall buildings without a safety net was just another day in the office. Clint was keeping tabs on the Avengers. When they were avenging that was. He wasn't even surprised that they didn't really skip a beat when it came replacing him with a new member. Sitwell was the Avengers' wrangler now and he knew he just wouldn't be as good as Phil Coulson.
His brow arched when he saw her hold out her pinky before looping it in his and bringing her hand up to kiss it with a smirk. "Scout's honor...no unnecessary trips to the hospital if it's avoidable." Clint was used to dealing with people who would outlive him. Who outgunned him. It didn't really help him feel an less significant when they decided they needed to save him. And...there really was no going around that. He knew he had been a replaceable member since he had been put on the roster. He didn't question it. When someone compared him to Stark or Rogers, it was always going to be them before him. Affordable losses and all. But it didn't mean he couldn't take care of himself. He could. He was more than capable of it.
"Mes...mer. Excuse me 'm still tryin' to pick up the lingo here. What should I expect?" He leaned his head against his hand as he slid the bottle closer to him and pouring it into the shot glass. "Can I kill 'im? Would that be allowed?"
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Even if she was so totally beyond comfortable with Clint that she would totally take him with her to buy underwear or get changed in front of him or any other typically TMI activity, she could not handle his adorable gentleman tendencies sometimes. He gets an arm punch for the hand kiss. "Knock it off, you huge dork. I hate when you pull the chivalry moves all sneaky like some white knight ninja. Go back to being a total jerkass like normal."
There is not enough alcohol to cover up her blushing. Maybe no one would notice. Maybe Hale would stop giving her sad/angry looks every now and then before covering it up with a neutral expression and acting like he doesn't care. He pulled the same stuff when she was with Nate all the time.
Kenzi did another shot before nodding and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Killing's totes allowed in self defense. And trust me.... we'll probably need to defend ourselves. Mesmers...." Her eyes widened briefly. Fuck. This was turning into the worst idea ever. She slowly turned to look at Clint with a solemn expression. "Mesmers are like puppet masters. They can make you do anything they want. Strike the hands as fast as possible to neutralize them. Bam. Can't do jack shit without their hands."
It was the controlling aspect that Kenzi didn't like. Not for Clint. She'd never let him lose his will like that ever again.
"Not gonna let him touch you, Clint. Not ever."
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He fought back a laugh the entire time he said that. Clint had never taken himself seriously wearing his costume but it was way more discreet and...better than what Steve had to wear whenever they went out on the field. When he first saw the costume Phil had designed for his hero. He had all but fallen out of his chair laughing. Something Phil had expected but then he had corrected himself quickly by saying the cap would love it. Clint could still remember the look of utter joy in Phil's eyes at the idea of being able to help design a costume for his personal hero to wear. Clint allowed the fist to hit his shoulder. Even on a good day, it still didn't hurt him. "'m not a jerkass. 'm sometimes chivalrous with a side of sarcasm. It's a beautiful mixture, don't get me wrong." Oh, Kenzi. Clint noticed all. He ducked his head with a light-hearted grin crossing his face at the blush like some kid before pouring himself another shot. God he was going to end up regretting this.
But he didn't like the memories that typically lit up at stupid o'clock in the morning. He didn't like the regret. And he especially didn't like what Kenzi had mentioned about mesmers. What is it with faes that could take over a person? Was it universe against him or something. He had nearly frozen up at the idea. His smile fading before he looked over his shoulder at Bo trying to get some information. Apparently Dyson and Hale had invited themselves into the interrogation party while the "useless" humans decided to take shots and talk shop amongst themselves. Clint flexed his hands a bit before downing the shot and sliding the glass away from himself. He was capping himself off for the night, something about knowing he needed to get his head in the game clicked on inside his head. "Chop...off the hands? I got...some new toys with this mesmer's name on them." He smirked before he moved to his feet, catching Hale's sad/angry look from the reflection in bar mirror.
He was going to be a jerkass now. He had to be. Jealously was never a good thing in men. Hale seemed like the quiet jealous type. Clint was the openly jealous type and had, already, on more then one occasion walk in with Hale and Kenzi flirting up a storm. He could always blame it on the al-al-alcohol as he leaned over. "I promise, 'll be good. No touchin'. I got some sources, 'll go hit 'em up and get back to you guys with what I got." Clint leaned in before pressing his lips against hers and making a quick bee-line for the door as he pulled out the keys to his bike. The smirk on his face as he passed Hale might have been a hint to the siren...and he was pretty sure he didn't want to face the wrath of Kenzi if he turned around with some stupid smirk plastered on his face.
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Kenzi was left staring at the empty space Clint had just been occupying, wide-eyed, shocked, and unable to process what had just happened. Did he really just--
She reached up slowly to touch her lips in a daze before shaking it off and clearing her throat, trying to play it off like nothing happened. But something did happen. Something she'd been hoping would happen for a really long time, but never thought it was actually possible. She wasn't Phil. No one could replace Phil. The memory of Phil Coulson had kept her from acting on any feelings she might have for Clint out of respect and love. But somewhere down the line her love for Clint had shifted from something into something more. And he just kissed her.
... and then LEFT!
Another shot. And then another. She sat alone at the bar until Bo was ready to go home and was quiet the entire way home. She went straight to her room and crashed, but she didn't sleep. Not really. Her mind was too focused on trying to sort things out to let her sleep. It was just a lot of tossing and turning and running on autopilot when she finally got up until she couldn't take it anymore.
She threw on her jacket and headed straight for Clint's place looking like some kind of sleep-deprived, slightly hungover zombie as she pounded on the glass door. Seriously. She was on the verge of hulking out, here. How could he just do that and leave?! Kenzi needed answers, and she was damn well gonna get them. By FORCE!
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For some reason, he didn't want to see the girl's reaction. It'd been five months and Phil's loss was still a deep wound. It'd been five months and he knew Phil was never, ever going to come back. He had learned to deal with loss because everyone he knew eventually went away. The fact of the matter was, even in Arkham -- he knew if he wasn't with Phil, he would be flirting Kenzi up every waking moment until she gave in. He knew Phil wouldn't have appreciated him mourning over him for even a minute. He still dreamt of him. He would always dream of him because SHIELD agents never got what they wanted. They never got the moments of peace they had. Or the moments of peace that Kenzi brought to Clint. It was understandable why he was drawn to her. Even when the doctors back in SHIELD got him to speak of Kenzi, they just assumed she was a method of coping for Clint. The one person out of everyone who he loved deeply. Even if they said she was imaginary. Fuck imaginary, Kenzi was real.
Clint wanted to show them desperately that Kenzi was real and return to his home (sometimes). Other times, he was just happy there. He was even happier when he got to hit up his informants on the news about new fae in the territory. Apparently the mesmer was sneaky, but not sneaky enough. Clint already had a trail and a list of potential people the guy was puppeting. Some of which were store owners on the street he lived on. Not good. He couldn't see a clear pattern as of yet but he knew he would eventually. Clint had gotten home an hour before Kenzi had shown up and was already at work. On the corkboard that had been left over by the previous shop owners was all the intel he had gathered so far. Fuck, he didn't need SHIELD. He was a force in and of himself as he stood in front of the board after thirty minutes of analyzing traffic cameras he had just 'stumbled' into on accident, flipping one of his katana in one hand. He didn't jump per say when someone pounded on the door before he went to answer it with a cup of coffee in his hand, brow arching as he looked on at Kenzi.
"...so what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Clint's in business mode. He missed it. Let him have business mode for a little bit longer Kenzi.
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Kenzi pushed up on her toes and kissed Clint a lot more urgently and way the hell more intensely than he'd kissed her at the bar. Coffee be damned. Glass store front be damned! She needed to know. Was this supposed to happen? Was it going to ruin everything?
When she pulled away, it was only to delivery a swift punch to the gut that Clint likely wouldn't even feel, but it still made her feel better. "What the hell was THAT? You can't just pull something like that and then LEAVE! Why the hell would you leave?! I was so freakin' confused and I don't even know what the hell is going on right now and you just acted like it was nothing! ... Oh my god... was it nothing? Did I totes just not even realizing that it wasn't even a thing?"
Possibly on the verge of hyperventilating here. Maybe she should have considered that before randomly making out with her best guy friend.
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He kissed back. He would have brought his arms around her if she hadn't delivered a swift gut punch right after she broke the kiss as quickly as she began it. Tease. The situation spiraled soon after words started sputtering out of her mouth before reaching his hands up and framing her face with his hands. "Hey, hey, hey. It's a thing. Trust me. A good thing, I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't a thing, Kenz." He leaned in to press his lips against hers again, laughing a little in the small space between them. "I was jus' gettin' sick of fuckin' Hale's looks whenever he saw us together." Now he would have to deal with it a little more of those looks from Hale.
"I'm sorry...'m...I didn't really know how you would react to it."
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Kenzi put her hands over his to keep them in place and rested her forehead against his, biting her lower lip. "Hale has a different fae-lady every week. He'll get over it."
Her friendship with Hale was still just a friendship. That's probably all it would ever be. He was a few hundred years older than her, versus the significantly smaller-by-comparison age gap between her and Clint. And Hale was fae. His family had been a huge problem when she'd pretended to be his girlfriend to save his ass. How would they react to them actually dating? No. That wasn't a thing.
This was.
"Idiot. The hell did I even tell you the first day you showed up at the crack shack?"
You know I love you, right?
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Dyson got a good chuckle out of it when Clint was drowning himself with coffee the next morning though. Yeah, Kenzi wasn't ever going to find out about that. Ever.
Clint, honest to whatever holy thing there was, nuzzled her before giving a sharp laugh at that. "I love you too, Kenz." He loved Phil. But this was a different kind of love. Just as strong, just...different. Kenzi should know by now he never threw that word around without meaning it with every fiber in his being. "I didn't...can this be a thing? Cos I want it to be a thing." Cos she ruined all other women for him. Even Tasha. He didn't think that was possible considering who Natasha was to him and the meaning behind her existence in his life.
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She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again, pressing up against him. "It's totally a thing. Always has been."
Kenzi would have waited forever for Clint. Even if it had killed her a little bit every day to see him talking to other girls. Even if she'd thought for sure he would have gone after Bo until the incident. She just wanted him to be happy. Whatever he chose, she would have stood by it.
But he totally dropped the L word. Those other girls better back the fuck off now, or shit was gonna get violent.
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"Oh, good good. I thought I was startin' to go insane, mixed signals 'n all that." Clint laughed a bit, a smile tugging on his lips as he held her up so she wouldn't have to tip-toe any longer. Let it never be said that Clint Barton was a terrible guy. He did small favors, he's not sure if they were good favors but they were small favors just the same. "Yanno, I gotta say 'm really glad you ain't a figment of my imagination, Kenz." He never admitted that he almost started believing the doctors at SHIELD that what he thought up wasn't real. That Arkham was just a coping mechanism and he was really at his breaking point. He didn't want to admit it. But he had.
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Obvious choice is right. Even if he wasn't the gorgeous hunk of man meat that he was, they had a connection. It ran deep. This was just a natural progression. They had no secrets and he knew more about her than anyone else did. She felt safe with Clint. He'd never hurt her. She wasn't sure she deserved it, but like hell was she letting it go.
"Me, too. But even if I WAS a figment of your imagination, you'd have to be pretty damn awesome to think me up. So really you'd be winning either way. Crazy with the coolest brain ever or sane with the coolest... girlfriend ever."
Did she seriously just say that? The thought of commitment was giving her hives, but that's totally what it was. Since Arkham and for the last five months, she'd been totally committed. There was no one else Kenzi would rather spend practically every second with. Not that she wanted to jinx anything or freak him out!
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Their connection did run deep. Deeper than Clint would have like say but he did acknowledge whole-heartedly. There was honestly nothing in the world that would make him leave her side. Even if his friends came pounding on his door to take him back to New York, he would literally brush them away for Kenzi. Why? Compared to all that he did in lieu of just...standing on a building and watching the fight swirl below him. He thought he would make more of an impact with Kenzi. He felt happier with Kenzi.
"I dunno...'ve heard I make a pretty lame boyfriend. I can't cook with a shit. Ha--well, I always have money, nevermind. Commitment issues!" Clint pointed out as he slid his arms around her, grinning a little. "I have commitment issues. Somethin' 'bout I don't open up well eno--" Well that was pretty much going to be a none issue for them actually. Clint already talked to Kenzi about everything. Even how he was feeling. He didn't even have those discussions with Natasha and they had been partners for years. "Yeah, I got nothing that's gonna scare you off. Sorry 'bout that, guess you're stuck with me as a boyfriend, beautiful."
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"No one else I'd rather be stuck with, circus boy." Her grin mimics his as her hands slide down his chest and grip his waist, tugging him towards the bedroom. "I've been putting up with your lame ass long enough to know how to deal with you. You're just as stuck."
She kisses him again, releasing her grip and moving in closer. Her mouth finds his jaw and then his neck as she trails her hands up his back. Holy freakin back muscles, batman. Why is he allowed to be so gorgeous and also wonderful and hilarious and beyond nice and always there for her-- clearly Clint cheats at life. No one can be that perfect. But he totally is.
"Goddamn. Just shut up and show me how good your aim is."
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