Chapter Text
The party was already in full swing when she walked in. She didn’t make a habit of turning up to these things late, but Jane was particularly difficult to pull away from the labs that night. Darcy had also spent 20 minutes in front of the mirror, applying and reapplying different shades of lipstick until she was done convincing herself that it would all be okay, there'd be enough people there that she wouldn’t have to see him. So yeah, she was a little late. But that’s fine. She walked into the penthouse just behind Jane, scanning the sea of unknown faces til her eyes rested on Thor, in the middle of a gaggle of SHIELD agents enthralled by whatever story he was telling. The pair made a beeline for him, swerving through the crowd.
“Jane! Darcy” Thor cried as soon as he noticed them, pulling away from his audience to embrace Jane, dipping her dramatically as they kissed.
Darcy shuffled on her feet while she waited for the two to be reacquainted. It had only been about 6 hours since they’d last seen each-other, but who was she to begrudge true love, just because she wasn’t getting any.
“Drinks? Fruity cocktails all around? I’ll be right back!” she chirped when the two lovers finally came up for air. Jane smiled at her sheepishly and nodded. Thor beamed.
Making her way to the bar she was stopped now and then by a handful of agents she knew from around the place, but didn’t stop to chat longer than saying hi. She needed booze and she needed it pronto. Luckily, Tony’s parties were always well stocked. She leant up against one of the many bars positions around the common area and looked out over the dark, glittering, New York skyline. That view never got old.
Her drinks were placed next to her by the bartender and she smiled in thanks. Of course, even just for a last minute party to celebrate a successful raid on an old HYDRA base, Stark had spared no expense, and the cocktails were served in ridiculously delicate crystal glasses. Darcy pouted and stared at them, debating whether she could manage to carry three glasses back across to Jane and Thor, or if two trips were the smarter option. Before she could make a decision, a pair of hands reached around her and picked up two of the drinks.
She tensed when she realised who the hands belonged to. Of course she couldn’t avoid him for more than three minutes. He was a super spy, for god’s sake. If he saw something he wanted, he usually got it.
“These all for you?” Clint smirked at her, but she didn’t meet his eye. Even without looking at him, she could feel his gaze raving up and down her body, and she flushed when she realised how close they were standong. “You know the bar’s open all night, Lewis”
“Get lost, Barton” she snapped back before grabbing the third drink and necking it in one. The alcohol burned as it went down her throat but she didn’t care. She snatched the other two drinks out of his grasp, proud that none spilled, and stepped towards Jane.
“Woahhh” he stepped back in front of her, blocking her way and placing his warm, rough hands on her shoulders. “I just wanted to talk, you’ve been avoiding me”
“I’ve been busy” Darcy still couldn’t meet his eye, instead stared straight forward at his chest.
“C’mon Darce, we both know that’s bullshit.”
“Bullshit? What’s bullshit is you punching my boyfriend and breaking his nose” she hissed, shrugging his hands off of her and barging past. He didn’t try and stop her this time, so she made it back to Jane unhindered, both drinks now empty.
“Sorry guys, got a little thirsty” she mumbled, glancing back to the bar. She could see him standing there still, fists clenched at his sides and doing his best to glare a hole into the floor. Jane followed her eyeline then patted Darcy’s arm and gave her sympathetic smile.
The rest of the night passed by rather uneventfully, for an Avengers’ party anyway. By around 1am the SHIELD drones and socialites had all gone home. Darcy was sprawled over one of the curved sofas in the middle of the roof with her feet in Sam’s lap. Steve was up front doing a truly spectacular rendition of Hit Me Baby One More Time, dance moves included. Everyone was cheering and singing along, erupting into a raucous applause when he finished. Tony shot to his feet and took the mic.
“Steve Rogers everybody! Who’s up next?”
Natasha kicked Bruce forward and someone queued Careless Whisper for him. Next was Hill and Pepper dueting Islands In the Stream, followed by Thor and Sif belting out an Asguardian war song.
“Splendid performance, but not really the point of karaoke” Tony mused when they were done, again taking the mic and asking who was next up. Waggling his eyebrows, he turned to wear Darcy was laid, “Lewis? Wanna show us what those pipes can do?”
“Unless you want the whole building to shatter, I’ll pass thanks” She laughed and took another drink. A loud snort came from somewhere behind her and they all turned.
“Oh come on Lewis, I’ve heard you scream, why not share with the group?” Clint leered at her from where he was perched on a high table. She hadn’t even known he was still at the party until then. She glowered at him over the back of the sofa, this time not afraid to meet his gaze. Everyone was silent, their eyes darting between Darcy and Clint, waiting for something to happen. It was no secret that they’d been a thing, not since Clint had put Ian in the hospital. It was also no secret that they hadn’t spoken since.
“I think we should call it a night” Steve coughed and started gathering up empty beer bottles from the table. Everyone else followed suit and cleared the room not long after, leaving Darcy and Clint alone for the first time in weeks, eyes still locked on eachother. What felt like an eternity passed before he finally sighed and looked down.
“What the hell was that about?” Darcy seethed through gritted teeth. Everyone knowing that they’d been sleeping together was one thing, it was unavoidable when you lived and worked in the same building, but having her dirty laundry aired in front of the whole team was another.
“I-” He started but stopped pretty quick and ran a hand through his hair. Darcy felt her resolve falter for a second, noticing the way his sleeves rode up as he moved to sit next to her, exposing the bulge of his arms. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry?” her voice pitched.
“Yeah, damn Darce of course I am. I shouldn’t have said that. I was angry. You won’t talk to me!”
“What’s there to talk about? We’re over, Clint” She sighed, really not wanting to have this conversation again. “In fact no, we were never anything in the first place.You made that abundantly clear.”
He was silent for a moment, face tense. That small vein above his brow pulsing like it always did when he was deep in thought.
“I moved on, Clint” she said, softer now, almost a whisper. Like she was scared of the words. “I was happy, I was living my life, like you said.”
He snorted then, broken out of his trance. “With the intern?”
“Ian. How many times, his name was - IS - Ian”
“I know his name,” Clint mumbled, then louder, “but come on Darcy, you can’t expect me to believe you were happy with him. Comfortable? Maybe. Bored? Definitely. And where is he now? He’s four thousand miles away and you haven’t spoken in three days”
“How do you know we haven’t spoken? Barton I swear to God, did you bug my phone?”
“What? No. Jesus!” he defended, looking genuinely offended at the suggestion. “I overheard you talking to Jane this morning”
Darcy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was too drunk for this. Yes, life with Ian wasn’t the most exciting or glamorous, but it was normal, and safe. He loved her, and she loved him. Or she told herself she could love him, could settle for safe and easy. They’d only been together 3 months, she wasn’t really sure yet. It was just meant to be a quick fling while she was with Jane in London, then one thing led to another, and he was sat next to Darcy on a flight back to New York.
Ian had only been in the city for three days when Clint let himself into Darcy’s apartment, drunk, something he’d done countless times before. Only this time he was fresh off an assignment and hadn’t got the memo about Darcy’s new beau. He’d flipped out when he found him in her apartment assuming he was a burglar, or spy, or worse. He was lucky that a broken nose and a couple minutes unconscious were all he left with. And leave with, he did. After a night in the hospital for observation, he packed his bags and went home to London.
“I don’t want to talk to you about this. I’m going to bed” She stood up to leave a little too quickly, forgetting how much she’d drank, and tumbled forwards.
His arms were wrapped around her waist and pulling her up before she even realised she was headed face first for a glass table. Clint had her back pressed against his front now, she could feel his chest lift and fall with every breath, his warmth a familiar comfort against her. He removed one arm from her middle, only to raise it, pulling hair back to one side. His hand trailed gently down the side of her face and neck, across her collarbone and down the opposite arm till it reached her fingers. He wrapped his hand around hers, and on instinct, she thread her fingers through his. Goosebumps rose on her skin where he’d touched her. Her breath caught in her throat as he pressed his lips tenderly, slowly, against the crook of her neck.
“Did Ian make you feel like this?” He spoke into her skin and she moaned as the kisses continued. Feather light up and down the side of her throat. She bent her neck, giving him more access, his hand tightening on her hip. “Did he make you moan like I can Darcy? Did he make you scream? Come?”
Darcy whimpered when he pulled his lips away from her skin, but he was already spinning her around to face him, pressing their bodies together as if his life depended on it. He crushed his mouth against hers before she could take another breath. He was hot and heavy and unyielding against her, and she kissed him back with just as much vigour.
Her heart was pounding so hard that she was sure Clint could feel it through her chest. It was like someone had turned all her senses up to a thousand, electricity was coursing her veins, every hair standing to attention.
“Mine” Clint growled, not breaking contact, but the word was enough to snap Darcy out of the trance he’d put her in. She broke away from him with a push to his chest and took as many steps back as she could before she felt like she was going to fall over again. He made to follow her, to grab her and pull her back into him, but something about the look on Darcy’s face made him stay where he was.
“I’m not yours, Clint” she fought back the tears threatening to spill as she spoke, but they glistened there just on the surface, “I’m going home. Please don’t follow me.”
She walked away before she heard his reply.