Work Text:
Clint hung by his ankles from the fire escape picking off green bouncing slug-jellies one by one. He heard the familiar tone indicating that Natasha had opened a private line with him and listened with one ear for what he assumed was a pretty damn important message.
“Hey, are you free on Friday? Like, around 8pm on Friday?”
Clint blinked, took out two jellies as they jumped at his head with one arrow and then blinked again. “Yes?”
“Perfect, I’ll meet you outside the 34th and 7th entrance to the Penn street station.” Her private line toned again, signaling that she’d hung up on him.
Shaking his head in bewilderment Clint continued to shoot until Tony flew overhead sprinkling something over the jelly infestation causing the little shits to squeal and disintegrate.
*
“Hey Phil?” Natasha was suddenly lounging in the wide-open doorway of the mobile command unit Phil had stationed at the perimeter of the slug-jelly infestation to keep an eye on things. Now that the jellies were being neutralized most of Phil’s crew was outside the van collecting evidence, dealing with civilians and helping with the clean-up. “Are you free Friday, around 8pm?”
Phil raised an eyebrow at her. “I can be.”
“8pm, outside the 34th and 7th entrance to Penn street station.” She shot two fingers guns at him and sauntered away.
“Did you just shoot finger guns?” He called after her, and received no reply.
*
Phil stood next to a stone statue that appeared to depict a stick figure mid-run and flipped through the local news on his phone. He’d managed to find time to run home and change into something more comfortable, namely a pair of jeans, a black short-sleeved dress shirt and a leather jacket, before heading for Penn Station. Not knowing what Natasha had in mind for the evening, he went for comfort and casual.
“Hey Phil, fancy meeting you here.”
Clint’s voice brought his attention up from his phone. The Avenger stood in front of him in sneakers, grey slacks and a grey scoop neck shirt under his own black leather bomber jacket.
“Clint.” He smiled, putting his phone away. “What are you doing here?”
“Natasha told me to meet her here. She never said what we would do though.”
Phil’s brow furrowed. “Natasha asked me to meet her here…at 8 o’clock.”
Clint’s phone began to ring and he held up one finger as he pulled it out of his back pocket to answer it. “Nat?” His brow furrowed for a moment before he held the phone out between them and pushed the button so Natasha would be on speaker phone.
“Hey guys!” her voice was unusually cheerful. “Look, something came up, so you two go on without me! Enjoy your date!” Clint’s phone gave a beep to signal that Natasha had hung up on them.
“Enjoy our date?” Phil blinked at the phone for a long moment before looking up at Clint. He was surprised to see Clint staring at his phone in somewhat similar bewilderment, but with a very adorable blush across his cheeks.
Clint slowly put his phone back into his pocket, seeming to gather himself before finally looking up at Phil. “Well…I’m game if you are.”
Phil had known Clint for a long time, had enjoyed his company almost as long, and he thought perhaps he knew just how hard it had been for Clint to be even that forward. “Thai or Italian?” he asked, letting himself smile warmly as he considered what would no doubt be a wonderful evening.
Clint’s answering smile was sweet and just this side of shy. “Haven’t had Thai in a while, you know a place?”
“I do.” Phil tilted his head in the direction of a Thai place Sitwell had been threatening to drag him to for upwards of two months. “Shall we?” Without really thinking about it he offered Clint his elbow and without hesitation Clint linked their arms.
“So how was work today?” Clint asked cheekily as they moved down the busy sidewalk towards dinner.
“Oh, it was goo-reat!” Phil managed to say with a straight face causing Clint to groan and throw his head back.
Natasha stepped out of the shadow of the doorway to Penn station and watched the two men walk away, arms linked. Touching her finger tips to her lips she blew the pair of them a kiss and headed back into the station towards home.