Natasha's birthday celebrations continued with her friends in a bar that night, mostly organised by Clint and Wanda. They had invited friends from college, and Wanda had invited along her new man friend, the one night stand that she never wanted to get rid of, even despite Clint and Natasha's teasing.
Natasha stepped out of her room, pulling at the hem of her dress around her thighs slightly, smoothing out the tight material as she headed to the door with them dressed equally as fancy.
"Wow, birthday girl!" Wanda whistled, "You look-"
"Disgusting." Clint teased, giving her a wink as she laughed and Flinching away when Wanda firmly pinched his arm.
"Thanks!" She rolled her eyes playfully. "Now, are we going to party or what?"
***
Val handed her a shot then passed one to Clint and Carol too, something an unnatural colour of electric blue that rippled when she clinked her own shot against theirs. "Happy birthday Nat," she kissed her cheek, "Down it babe, before I do it for you."
Natasha didn't need much encouragement, throwing it back as did Clint and Carol, all three of them shivering at the sharpness of the liquor while Val was unaffected.
"Ugh, what was that?" Carol grimaced, wiping her lips on the back of her hand.
"No idea. But if you're able to stand straight at the end of the night, it didn't work." Val shrugged with a smirk.
She laughed, setting the empty glass down to pick up her cocktail again, feeling Clint tap her shoulder before his lips were at her ear.
"Water to recover from whatever the fuck that was?" He suggested and she nodded in agreement.
He moved to the bar, wanting to avoid another killer hangover tomorrow or dragging Natasha off the ground mid way through the night. Wanda grabbed his arm before he could lift the glasses of water the bartender gave him, and beamed up at him excitedly. "Clint! I want you to meet my Vince, my boyfriend!" (Vision - Vince? Idk)
"Good to meet you," he smiled politely, shaking his hand as Clint stared at him dumbfounded. He 100% knew this guy, god knows from where. Was it the gym? Somewhere in the city?
Wanda nudged Clints ribs and he quickly shook out of his awkward silence. "Right! Hey! Sorry, man, I think the shots are hitting me hard already," he tried to laugh it off.
"Sorry, I hadn't realised you were Wanda's roommate. Otherwise I would have introduced myself a few weeks ago when I bumped into you on the porch." he chuckled softly, "Though I didn't want to interrupt your moment with your girl, Sorry if I ruined it. Looked pretty intense."
Fuck.
"A girl, huh?" Wanda raised a brow at Clint, who gulped hard as the water he used to distract from his reaction. "What girl?"
"Oh, it wasn't anyone, I don't even remember. Could have been the old lady that always talks to us when we get mail-"
"Nah, it was the red head, yeah?"
"Definitely wouldn't be a red head." Clint faked a lost expression, cursing himself for how utterly stupid his response was, but he'd panicked.
"How many red heads do you know, Clint?" Wanda frowned.
"Yeah, that's her there." He nodded to Natasha who was too busy talking to Val to notice, already giving into the pressure of taking another shot. "You were hugging or something, I remember getting out of their fast because her lipstick was smudged all on your-"
Clint laughed loudly, patting the guys shoulder roughly before giving it a squeeze. "Great story man! Hilarious! Shall we get some drinks?" He signalled for the bar man quickly, paying for their drinks as he ignored Vincent's dumbfounded expression. Thankfully, he shrugged it off. Wanda, did not.
"Something you want to tell me?" She murmured to Clint while Vincent was preoccupied ordering for them.
"Nothing to tell." Clint lied, causing Wanda to raise a brow.
"You are a terrible liar, Clint Barton,"
***
"Nat!" Clint yelled over the music, gaining her attention and motioning to the water. "C'mere"
Natasha was currently on the dance floor, the night edging on into endless birthday cocktails and powerful dance music which fuelled her impending hangover tomorrow. The water was long forgotten. She nodded, calling back the false promise she'd be there in a minute, before continuing to dance with Scott. He was her perfect buffer from Sam, who obviously tagged along because he not so secretly adored her. She had to admit, Scott had moves...and the flair of his arms did mean there was an acceptable personal space created around them. Wanda was closing in on her, and Clint started to worry.
"Nat!" Clint yelled again, urgently motioning her to come to him, but she just smirked cheekily thinking it was some sort of game as she waved back. Wanda was easing her way to her smoothly, Vince in hand and a determined sort of look on her face. "Fuck." Clint muttered to himself.
He wasn't necessarily in the wrong.
Well.
Yeah, he hadn't exactly stopped things...yeah he tried to escalate it further...yeah he knew she had a boyfriend. But she knew all those things too.
Wanda wouldn't out them, he knew that too. But word could spread, especially if Vince didn't keep his mouth shut and he didn't want that for Natasha.
He could see the shock in her face now as Wanda introduced her to Vince, and she caught on way quicker than he did, smiling politely, hiding how drunk she felt and nodding a hello. Wanda was right though, it was written all over her face as her smile was too quick and too brief. She looked too guilty and alarmed for it to be genuine.
They were caught, Wanda no doubt had questions and was already dragging Natasha away from the dance floor. He sighed, leaving them to it, as he order himself a beer to get through the night. He was going to need it.
***
"Whyyyyyy did you tell me!" Wanda huffed as they stood outside the bar, away from the noise and any other distraction. Her arms were folded tightly, hip popped in her stance while Natasha blinked dumbly at her, leaning against the wall.
"No idea what you're talking about..." she shrugged.
"Oh cut the bullshit!" She rolled her eyes, "It makes so much more sense to why you two were so off that night. So what happened? Just a kiss? Did you fu-"
"Okay! Wanda, no!" She held up her hands, huffing. "It was a stupid kiss, nothing more, nothing less. Absolutely wont happen again."
"That's what you said the last time. Are we forgetting all that drama?"
"Really Wanda, it was just for...for cloooosure." She elongated the word, trying to suss out if Wanda was actually buying it. She wasn't.
"Sex is for closure, break up sex. Kissing is an entirely different thing,"
"Not for me. Or Clint." Natasha frowned, determined. "Look Wanda, lets just forget all about it. Clint and I already had. It was just one of these stupid things."
She paused, "James doesn't know, does he?"
"Of course not." She shook her head urgently. "He can't know, because it was this stupid meaningless thing that meant nothing. He would never forgive me."
Wanda's sighed too, "Well if that's your choice, You know I'll stand by it. Keep my mouth shut." She smiled softly. "But ew, you kissed Clint." She laughed in a sing song voice that made Natasha groan and cover her face.
"Please don't." She muttered, dropping her hands. "And can you pleeeeease tell your boyfriend that I am not dating Clint? Or that it wasn't what it looked like or something?"
"I'll get right on that," she nodded, taking her hand to pull her back inside, stopping short when they ran back into Carol and Val, who had been smoking around the corner of the building.
"Who's James?" Val asked, a cheeky grin, stubbing out her cigarette. "And you had a little kiss with Clint? Cute!"
"You heard nothing," Wanda warned when Natasha didn't speak. Natasha wasn't sure if it was the thudding bass of the music from the bar or her own heartbeat she could hear in her ears.
"Relax. We wouldn't say a thing." Carol promised honestly, "I do want to know who James is though, you know, your secret boyfriend,"
"Wondered where all you beautiful ladies had gotten to," Sam frowned as he stepped out to join them. "What's this about Natasha's secret boyfriend?"
"Oh for the love of god," Natasha muttered, rolling her eyes. "Can we please drop it?"
"No way! Why you hiding him? Worried we would scare him off?" Val smirked.
"Is it the guy with the dark hair? Tall, sometimes walked around campus with a leather jacket?" Scott appeared too.
"He goes to college with us and you haven't mentioned it?!" Carol interrupted, Okoye and Clint stepping out to join them.
"You know there's alcohol inside, right?" Clint mentioned, carrying everyone's belongings incase they were on the move. "Why are we out here?"
"Alright Casanova, you seem to know." Val raised her brows. "Who's the lucky guy that's got Natasha?"
"Who the fuck is Casanova?" Clint asked confused.
"Definitely not you," Sam teased, Carol and Val just shared a look.
Natasha could feel the fresh air making her head spin, and she squeezed Wanda's hand quickly when she swayed slightly, regretting every drink she'd been gifted.
"Look, lets drop it, If she wanted to mention it she would,"
"No way! Scott said he's seen the guy,"
"When?" Natasha asked, frowning as Scott innocently shrugged.
"You were on the subway heading to Brooklyn, holding hands. I waved but it was busy, you couldn't see me."
"Not surprised, ant man," Sam snorted.
"Hey! 5ft 6 isn't small for a guy, it's average." Scott snapped back.
Okoye rolled her eyes at them both, easily towering over both men. "It's freezing out here, can we hurry this up? All I've got is Natasha dates some guy at college with dark hair, and a leather jacket. Could be anyone. We done? Can we go party now?"
She sent a wink Natasha's way, and she was grateful for it. Clint threw Nat her jacket and she pulled it on and took a breath.
"If we are all done speculating on my love life, can we get to another bar? I need another drink." She was thankful that most of her friends seemed to agree, following one another along the street as they made their move.
"What kind of leather jacket, Scott." Val asked, mostly just to tease Natasha as she link her arm with hers and gave her a nudge. She rolled her eyes in response.
"One of those cool vintage ones with a patch on the sleeve. Think it's a sign or something." Scott shrugged.
"Like...like the one Professor Barnes wears?" Carol frowned, casting a look to Natasha.
"Who's that?" Scott raised a brow, oblivious that every pair of eyes except Wanda and Vince's had turned to Natasha. She was upfront and talking him out the story of Natasha and Clint, missing the realisation happening behind her.
"Professor J. Barnes...is the J for James?!" Val asked, somewhat cautiously.
"Oh hell nah! No way!" Sam piped up quickly, looking at Natasha.
Clint was the only one around in the know to come to her defence as Natasha laughed and shook her head.
"C'mon Natasha dating a professor?" Clint said in unison as Natasha scoffed.
"Are you all out of your minds?" She snapped, a little too quick.
"You aren't exactly denying it, Nat." Sam raised his brows.
Okoye stepped in again. "Alright, guys. This is ridiculous, if she is or she isn't doesn't really concern any of you."
"It does if she feels like she can't talk to us about it," Val said, glancing at Nat. "That's a tough secret to bare."
"Oh my god." Natasha huffed, aware her heartbeat was rapid in her chest now. It was getting harder to focus, harder not to panic.
"There's an easy way to sort this," Sam shrugged, already on his phone. Clint stepped up before Natasha could.
"C'mon man, just drop it." He tried to take his phone, already seeing he was on the college website, accessing faculty photos of each professor. Sam pulled away, trying to show it to Scott.
"He knows the guy, so he'll-" Clint snatched Sam back out of nowhere before Scott could even look, and he looked visible relieve he didn't have to be the one to make the call on this. Sam shoved Clint away firmly, causing Clint to grab him and pin him to the nearest wall.
"I swear to god man, if you don't drop this now-" he hissed, ignoring the crowd of friends trying to calm them down.
"What you protecting her for?" Sam muttered, "She ain't your girl.." he lowered his voice so only Clint could hear. "Just strings you along."
Clint shoved him harder against the wall, and Sam responded by punching him clean on the nose to get him off, causing it to bleed. Clint retaliated by giving him a black eye as the brawl broke out quickly.
"Enough!" Natasha snapped, pushing them apart and standing between them. Wanda and Vince had jogged back, standing just as confused as to how the night had taken such a drastic turn. The two men were breathing heavily while glaring at one another, and Natasha knew round two was imminent.
"It's true, alright?" She dropped her arms as she huffed. "Are you all happy? I'm dating the history professor. No, I'm happily dating the him. I stay at his apartment in Brooklyn whenever I can, we are going on vacation together, he bought me this necklace for my birthday, and, heaven forbid, I really fucking like the guy despite him being twice my age, or this being inappropriate or whatever." She gave each of her friends a stiff look in turn.
"He has never been 'Professor Barnes' to me, and won't ever Be. Whatever concerns or opinions you have, drop them, because I've been through everything in my head a million times and it doesn't change a god damn thing. He's just a guy I'm dating, alright?"
There was a silence between the group for a moment, no one saying anything until Clint accepted a tissue from Carol to wipe the blood from his nose. Val resting a hand on Natasha's shoulder, squeezing it gently.
"If you're happy, that's all that matters." She assured her, and her friends nodded in agreement, dumbstruck by the confession, but supportive. At least, they would be eventually. "But obviously we've got a lot of questions..."