Prompt ~ Did you put the mistletoe here just so you had an excuse to kiss me?
Ship ~ Clintasha
Characters ~ Clint Barton; Natasha Romanoff
Warnings ~ Mentions of sexual assault/harassment
AN/ I rewrote this at least 5 times and I still do not like it. It's just a really crappy story, but I needed to get it out today. I promise not all my stories are this bad, so if you are new to my account, please check out my other fics! :)
FC - 1
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Natasha had a love-hate relationship with mistletoe.
Too many bad experiences with men thinking that it was an excuse to do whatever they like with her. Besides, it was an outdated misogynistic tradition that had no place in her little bubble.
For the majority of her life in America, she had managed to dodge the ritual. Purposefully placing herself far away from the plant at SHIELD parties and gatherings
But then the 'Invasion of New York' happened, and she was thrust into the world of the Avengers. Since then all her carefully built walls had come crashing down, and the five other misfits had found a place in her heart (just don't tell them that). She even found herself looking forward to Christmas. Anticipating the cringe-worthy movies on Christmas Eve. The excitement of opening presents with the rest of her team. Everything there was about Christmas. It was a massive change.
In other news…Clint had happened.
Six hours after Loki had been taken into custody, he had said those magic words. He had told her about his feelings. Despite the whole of SHIELD thinking they had been together for ages, the pair only became a pair at that moment. A moment shared between the two assassins, under the cover of darkness in the ravaged section of Stark Tower that would soon become their home.
It was still fresh, but they had been friends for such a long time that they just melted together perfectly.
Even with her newfound family, and boyfriend, the idea of mistletoe still sent chills up her spine.
She had hoped that the red-berried plant would not make an appearance. However, living with a man built on traditions - Steve - a Norse god who basically created those traditions and a man with too much money, made that practically impossible.
Natasha had rolled her eyes when she spotted it in the trolley. Steve had basically forced them to all go Christmas shopping together, which was turning out to be very chaotic. But it also meant that Natasha was able to find out what decorations were going to be around the tower in the coming week. So she could better prepare herself for the unwanted attention.
She had asked Steve why they needed to decorate the tower in mistletoe, it seemed unconventional as it only made situations more uncomfortable. 'It's tradition' he had said, smiling in the way he always did when anybody mentioned traditions that had lasted from his childhood to now.
Steve, noticing Natasha's clear discomfort, hastily added that she didn't have to kiss anyone if she didn't want to.
It did make her feel a little better. It also made her realise that the Avengers were not like her old handlers - they would never force her to do anything she didn't want to. It was comforting to realise that. That she was safe. She was cared for.
The small conversation with the captain had definitely helped to quieten the anxiety that had threatened to bubble over.
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Over the next couple of weeks, she cleverly worked around the mistletoe, fortunately never finding herself stuck underneath it. Clint had playfully tried to trap her once, but she had stepped away at the last moment, laughing at his frustration.
She found it more heart-warming than scary that Clint wanted to kiss her. Because Clint would never see her as a piece of meat, he always saw her as a smart, intelligent woman, that was so much more than her reputation. And she loved him for that.
The archer, knowing her better than anybody else, noted her avoidance of the small shrub, and stopped attempting to 'spontaneously' find her underneath the mistletoe. Instead opting for other Christmas traditions. Hot chocolate next to the fire. Snowball fights. You name it, they did it together and had a blast doing it.
But even with all that fun and excitement, Natasha still felt like she was missing something.
She had noticed that after his last attempt, Clint had stopped trying to find her underneath the mistletoe, and a small part of her missed that. Missed the feeling of his childish pouting face against her shoulder when he realised she had moved at the last moment. Missed the determined look in his crystal blue eyes after he recovered.
So she formed a plan. The hunter would become the hunted.
Armed with pockets full of mistletoe, she stalked through the tower.
As soon as she found the sandy-haired man she pounced. Running up behind him and throwing her arms around his waist. As he turned around, she stuck her left hand in the air, holding up the mistletoe for all to see.
"Did you put the mistletoe here just so you had an excuse to kiss me?" He laughed jovially, realising what had just happened.
"Yup," she smirks as she leans onto her tippy toes to kiss him full on the lips. He returns the gesture.
The mistletoe drops to the ground, laying there forgotten as the pair break apart.
Even without the plant, which started the kiss, Clint continues on. Planting tiny kisses all over her face. Her mouth. Her nose. Her cheeks. Her forehead.
Natasha couldn't help the laugh that escaped her mouth as the archer's lips touched a ticklish spot. A real smile graced her pale face.
She realised that she didn't mind mistletoe, as long as it was Clint who was standing underneath it with her.
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Question Of The Day; What is the coolest gift you ever gave someone?
