Chapter Text
Working at a fancy restaurant while finishing medical school was never a part of Clint’s plan. He thought he’d have enough savings for all his years in school but ended up short for one semester and this restaurant – where his best friend was manager at – was the one place that he knew would get him the most money the quickest because of the tips.
This was one of the more popular restaurants that a lot of people liked to frequent. The owner created it for people who liked discretion. No matter if it was government officials bringing their mistresses here, or CEO’s paying someone to sabotage their rivals, everyone who came here wanted their business to stay here. However, if any of the patrons accused any of the workers of spreading around the business that took place at the restaurant, they were dealt with. To be honest, Clint didn’t care who the mayor was sleeping with or why the CEO of one of the biggest companies was paying someone to kill the second biggest company owner – he was only here because of the high tip amounts Nat promised so he could finish school.
Clint had begun working at The Black Widow a year ago – right when his advisor had informed him that he was short on money for his last semester. A month into working customers had had time to figure out that he only talked when needed and never lingered around any of the tables long enough to hear things that weren’t meant for anyone’s ears but those at the table. Clint knew when to turn on the charm and when to be completely professional, he catered to what the clients asked for – in order to gain regulars. That ability was how, two months into working there, he became the server most requested by name.
~~
One of the people who became a regular of Clint’s was Mr. James Buchanan Barnes. Mafia leader – Head Boss of the Wolves gang. Mr. Barnes needed someone that would come to his table to do their job and leave without causing any problems.
Mr. Barnes was a very private man, he needed someone who wasn’t nosey since he only trusted a handful of guys with the most vital information there was about him. However, because he was known everywhere, he was a bit more lenient on his trust when it came to his business of buying and selling weapons of all calibers. No one could understand why he was more willing to trust people with information that could potentially send him to prison for life, but he knew no one would ever be stupid enough to cross him.
His reputation was a matter of international knowledge. Mr. Barnes was a professional and reasonable man. If someone couldn’t pay on time or tried to steal some of his merchandise, he didn’t torture them nor did he kill anyone. He would have discussions and give people more time or have a small counseling session on why they were stealing things for a living. Still, Mr. Barnes wasn’t always a reasonable and professional man. He was no fool, if you lied to him once – hell, if you even thought about lying to him to save your own ass or throw someone else under the bus – he had no mercy for you.
Being from Brooklyn, he learned quickly that people like to take advantage of the ones who wore their heart on their sleeves. He witnessed it multiple times and couldn’t do anything to stop it, so he did the only thing he could. He trained himself in the ways of microexpressions this way he knew exactly how to sess out whether or not someone was lying to him. There was one too times it had almost happened to his and his best friends’ mothers because their kindness wasn’t discriminatory. He had to protect his sisters and best friend from the people who use them for their own gain. So he went to the one place that he knew could help him protect his family.
It was there he was raised with the saying “people who lie about taking a pencil without permission are the same people who can be bought, and you’ll end up dead.” His anger helped build his reputation, but he always knew something would need to change if he wanted to stay off the cops’ radar.
Over the years, Mr. Barnes – or rather Bucky, as his best friend calls him – has worked on controlling his anger. Before he became a reasonable and professional man, Bucky was the leader who killed without a second thought. You took merchandise, you got a bullet to the head. You didn’t have your payment on time, you got dragged to the basement and tortured until he was satisfied. If Bucky was told someone saw you beating on your partner or kids, he didn’t need any proof – just that word was enough for him to go after the family you grew up with and make you watch what he and his men did to them. Mister James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes was a son of a bitch with a real mean streak, but now that he’d gotten it all under control it takes a lot more antagonizing for him to let his rough side back out.
That is until it comes to his little Birdie.
Bucky Barnes has never loved anyone outside of his sisters, mother, his best friend Stevie and Stevie’s mother Sarah. He’s had flings – of course he has – but his flings all knew it was nothing serious. If he felt that they had more feelings than what a one-night stand warranted, he never took it further than a kiss. But since he started coming to the Black Widow restaurant, he found that love for someone other than his family and Stevie’s family existed for him.
About six months after the opening day of the restaurant, in flew a little bird. The little bird was extremely professional, didn’t linger at tables or try to get pictures with any of the patrons, never caused a commotion about what one person was doing here with someone who wasn’t their partner. A little birdie who only sung when necessary and had a liking for the color purple. This little bird had made Bucky’s poor old heart skip a couple beats and that’s when he knew. He knew that birdie was meant to be his, but first, he had to capture their attention – then he could capture their heart.
First step in capturing the little bird’s attention was to show up and ask for him to be the server at Bucky’s table. Once that happened he’d let a month pass then build up the courage to ask his little birdie out on a date.
~~
Obviously, Clint knew it was the customers who needed the most discretion that asked for him. He never minded though, everyone respected him and in return, he respected them and their privacy. Clint never thought he’d enjoy working this type of job but had been proven wrong. He began to like having the short conversations with his regulars and listen in on the small snippets of their lives that they willingly let him in on. There was one man, however, that would request Clint every time he came in -which was every day- but he never stopped his guests from continuing on with their conversation while Clint was at the table. This man never tried to hide the fact that he was the leader of something and had a lot of mysterious power. But Clint also began to notice that even after he left the restaurant, that man constantly stayed on his mind.
It would be obvious to anyone that the man was extremely handsome, there wasn’t any way Clint could deny that. This man was the most handsome, had the loveliest gruff Brooklyn drawl, the bluest eyes and the sweetest smile Clint had ever seen, but most importantly, he was extremely kind to him whenever he came in. The man, Mr. Barnes, always made sure to ask how Clint was, how school was going, if anyone had been giving him any problems and if any little boys had asked him out yet. It always intrigued Clint how Mr. Barnes was the sweetest with him but everyone else got the brunt of his anger.
Today, for example, Mr. Barnes overheard someone say some ‘unnecessary things’ – which he didn’t catch – and Clint saw exactly how angry he could get. He watched in awe at how quick Mr. Barnes was able to get up and glide a good thirty-five feet across the restaurant to punch the guy about five times before a couple of other men pulled Mr. Barnes off him. He was yelling and cursing like a sailor, threatening to beat this man within an inch of his life. As Mr. Barnes was just bringing up the man’s hypothetical kids, Clint’s watchful eyes caught a couple of men reach for the knives on the table.
Now, Clint had to get his boss’s attention to try and warn her before things got even more out of hand – but he was saved from having to do so. Mr. Barnes had just finished whispering something into the man’s ear and was standing straight, fixing his suit jacket. When everything was straightened and back in place, Mr. Barnes suddenly slammed the guys face into the table and nothing but a crack was heard, and time froze.
In all honesty, it should have scared him. Clint should have been one thousand percent terrified of how quickly Mr. Barnes could flip his switch and get extremely threatening and in someone’s face – but he wasn’t. It made him like the man more.
Once time began to move again, the manager and his best friend, Natasha, tried to calm the situation down - the beaten-up man’s friends were still standing dinner knives in hand, ready to attack. It immediately got Mr.Barnes even more riled up and he started lashing out at everyone in his vicinity.
Clint snuck off to take his break the second his boss intervened. He sat in a chair near the employees’ room, currently debating whether to go back out there or hide in the back until things quieted down. When a voice next to him spoke, quietly mumbling, “You should go talk to him, doll. I’m confident that you are the only one in this building – in this city, that can calm him down before people really start getting hurt.”
Falling out of the chair, Clint peeked over the top of it and let out a small squeak. Standing there, right next to where he was sitting, was a man with light brown, almost blonde hair similar to his, and bright baby blue eyes. The new man chuckled when Clint kept opening and closing his mouth and nothing but soft squeaks came out. As he gaped at the man, he realized he’d seen him before and when Clint’s mind finally registered what he’d said – that’s when Clint understood this man had been sitting at Mr. Barnes’ table. Every time Mr. Barnes had come to Black Widow, this man had been right there with him. Taking a shaky breath, Clint finally managed to squeak out, “I’m just a server here, I’m n-not – you must have me mistaken with someone else, Sir.”
Shaking his head, the blonde man gently grabbed Clint’s elbow and led him back to where Mr. Barnes was still yelling. Clint didn’t really fight it, confused as he was, he was slightly intrigued by the man’s actions. Why the hell would Clint be the one person able to calm the handsome Mr. Barnes down?
Clint finally decided to ask blondie why he thought he’d be the only one who could calm down Mr. Barnes. But as he asked the question, he didn’t realize the man had led him right back to the area where he left Mr. Barnes, who was getting ready to flip a table. However, when he heard Clint’s voice he froze completely – hands clenching the edge of the table so hard his knuckles were turning white, his breathing leveled out immediately, and when he turned around it’s like the whole thing had never happened. He was completely calm again – back to the sweet and kind Mr. Barnes that Clint was used too in an instant.
~~
With Steve going to collect Clint to stop Bucky from destroying the place, no one noticed that the now broken-nose man who’d been at the start of this entire fiasco had slipped away to call his boss.
“Crossbones. Mission report now.” The man's boss grumbled out as soon as the call went through.
“Mr. Pierce, Sir. Barnes is at the Widow restaurant again where that spiky-haired blonde boy works – I did like you asked and said some things to see if Barnes would react and it worked. The head of the Wolves has a soft spot for this blonde kid, what do we do now?” Pacing near the entrance of the restaurant, Crossbones made sure Barnes wasn’t planning on leaving as his boss gave him his next orders.
“Back up is 5 minutes away, take out Barnes and Rogers. If you can’t complete that mission, help Red Skull complete his – take the boy.” Before Crossbones could confirm his mission, the line clicked, and he leaned against the wall waiting for the others.
~~
Everyone was glancing back and forth from Clint to Mr. Barnes – trying to figure out exactly what was going to happen to this blonde boy since he happened to stumble upon and wedge himself into the middle of the Wolves Mafia’s business.
Cleary, Clint figured no one was going to try and be the first to talk so he cleared his throat and said the first thing that came to mind. “You make a fantastic mafia boss, Mr. Barnes. Mafia leader or even a bull rider, you’d be great at that too, I think at least. Right, blondie? Tell him.”
Looking over his shoulder at the blond man, Clint could see he was trying to hold in his laughter with how red his face was getting. When Clint glanced around the room he noticed everyone was dead silent and looked everything from extremely amused to absolutely horrified though Mr. Barnes’ face scrunched up with amusement confusing Clint even more.
“What’s wrong with everyone? – I mean it’s not like Mr. Barnes murdered anyone today.” Clint saw everyone’s faces lose color but none of it mattered the second Mr. Barnes started laughing.
It was one of the most amazing things Clint had ever heard – he was so entranced by it that he didn’t notice Mr. Barnes had stopped right in front of him. “So, you knew I was a mafia boss this whole time, little bird? I knew those watchful eyes of yours would catch on sooner rather than later, but not this soon. How did you know? Also, please, call me James.”
Clint snorted and gave James a small smile when he grabbed his hand. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out, James. Although I never stuck around any tables for more than they needed me, I always saw everything on the table and heard the whispered conversations. You guys really should be more careful about that. Whispering means secrets, secrets mean blackmail.” Clint began digging his toe into the ground as he prepared himself for what he was about to say next.
Taking a deep breath Clint murmured, “Plus, you tend to take notice of your crush’s activities.” James grinned down at Clint amid his confession but before he could confess his own feelings, glass was being shattered, tables flipped and James tackled Clint to the floor as he pulled out a gun.
It took a minute for Clint to realize he was now laying on the floor, trapped in this building, surrounded by tables with guns being fired nonstop – all without any weapon or any idea of how to help. Still, slightly in shock, he looked around at James and blondie trying to find answers on what exactly was happening and why.
Natasha came crawling towards Clint from the office and handed him a training bow and arrows she kept here for ‘emergencies’ and she squeezed his hand. “Relax, hawk. We aren’t trapped, okay? We are safe and at home. We aren’t in that place, we don’t ever have to go back there. Use this and help your man.” Clint began to feel his panic of reliving being buried alive in a box during one of his medical research missions across the world. Nat had forced her way onto the team knowing he would need her, and she knew the second Clint registered the gunshots and felt the tables box him in, he would need something to keep him in the present.
“Hawk, come on, you gotta stay with me here. Clint – Clint!” The slap went unnoticed by everyone else but it did what Natasha needed it to. “There we go hawk, now, let’s help end this then you get your date, okay?” She gave his hand one more squeeze before slinking around to help blondie take out more guys.
When James emptied his gun, he sat back to pull out more rounds and reload . He looked over at his little bird and saw him trying to shake the dazed look from his eyes. Feeling the need to try and get his mind on something else, he took a shot at capturing his birdie’s heart. Taking a shaky, deep breath, James nudged Clint with his hand before cursing as a bullet hit the table in front of him and chipped the corner.
“Hey, uh, Birdie, I’ve been meaning to ask you something and thought there’s no time like the present. So, if we make it out of this alive, will you go on a date with me?” James turned back around and kept on firing back at – who Clint, assumed was – his rivals or someone who just didn’t like him, occupied as he was he didn’t see the incredulous look Clint gave him.
James did not notice Clint now wielded a weapon when he was reloading because he was concentrating on keeping the two men that were standing outside of the restaurant at bay. Clint took in their features and thought one of them looked vaguely familiar and thought back to where he could have seen him – it took him a couple of minutes before it clicked that he’d been coming to the restaurant and always sat near James’ table. It allowed him to direct his fear of being trapped towards extreme anger - he’d missed it. He didn’t notice it sooner and that pissed him off more than the fact that this guy was now shooting at his crush.
So, when he was sure no one was paying attention to him, Clint snuck around to the employees’ room and climbed up to the exposed high beams running across the Widow’s ceiling and began sending out arrows that never missed a target. When he aimed at the guy with a red mask and shot his gun out of his hand is when people started looking for who did it.
Clint jumped down and landed back next to where James was and with a determined look in his eyes, he shot three more arrows out the windows. “The hell do you mean if we make it out of this, Mr. James Barnes?! I’m getting that date before you even think about dying on me! Now get your ass up and shoot!” James nodded for his guys to start shooting to kill rather than injure them into retreating. With Natasha and Clint helping by shooting more than one gun or arrow at a time, it made everyone outside scatter once they realized it wasn’t just a scare tactic anymore.
After blondie and James’s other guys made sure everyone was okay Clint stormed up and clenched James’s shirt in his hand. “I don’t know what the hell that was and you can explain later. For now, you, blondie and your guys are on clean-up duty – enjoy!” James chuckled loudly and began helping in picking up the tables and chairs, sweeping up broken glass and discarded food. When he glanced back up, he saw Clint storming back over to him but as he was no more than five steps away, he tripped on a chair leg and fell right into James’ arms.
Staying frozen they stare into each other’s eyes until Natasha threw two pieces of bread and hit both men in the head with it. It seemed to snap Clint out of his daze, and he whispered, “I expect this date tomorrow night mister, we deserve to relax after today.” James made sure Clint was standing on both feet before he planted a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“Tomorrow it is then, little bird. You will be properly pampered after what happened today. You have my word.”