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Bucky was curled up in the corner of the main lobby at Avengers Tower in a chair he moved to this exact spot for this very purpose. He liked the large open area with the big glass wall that allowed him to watch people on the street. Not that he went out much for anything other than Avengers calls. It was a baby step according to his therapist. A baby step no one else, not even Steve, knew about. He wasn’t ready to share. That was why he was in the shadows, watching the people flow by as they were out and about on a Friday evening in Manhattan. It was interesting to watch the fast paced New Yorkers, the fashions and mannerisms so foreign after all this time.
He heard the elevator doors opening and glanced over, his jaw dropping at the sight of Clint and Natalia all decked out in outfits that wouldn’t have been out of place in a 1940s dance hall. Clint even had a brown fedora angled jauntily on his head that exactly matched his trousers, vest, and the suit jacket slung over his shoulder. Natalia’s swing dress was an eye popping blue that matched the tie almost hidden under Clint’s vest. Their shoes were even the brown and white style he faintly remembered. What were they up to? Why were they in clothes he’d have happily worn back in the day?
Both looked around furtively and all but rushed out the door, even as Natalia pulled on a coat just as vintage as the rest of her outfit. Bucky didn’t miss the night security guards pointedly looking the other way. Interesting.
It wasn’t a date, that much had been made perfectly clear months ago when Tony had teased the pair about being inseparable and “just admit you’re dating already”. Clint had scowled and Natalia had muttered in Russian about idiots. In short order, it had been made perfectly clear that they were merely very, very close best friends. Bucky had felt for them honestly. He definitely had grown sick and tired of the innuendo and comments about him and Steve. So, he kept his mouth shut as the duo all but ran out of the building.
Then he settled in, curious as to what this was all about. The night security guards looked amused, but left him to it. It was hours (nearly 3 a.m.) before the duo returned. They were laughing and leaning on one another, both yawning. Really, it was criminal for Clint to look that damn adorable at 3 a.m.. Not that Bucky didn’t find him adorable at every other hour of the day. Which he’d told himself to stop thinking about, damn it. The blond wouldn’t ever be interested in him. No sense in continuing to pine after him.
“Every single time.” Natalia braced herself on Clint, leaning down to pull off her shoes. There was one of those happy sort of groans a moment later when the first shoe was removed. “So much better.”
“You know they kill your feet,” Clint teased around a yawn. “Yet, you never listen to me.”
“I’m not going to look like an idiot, Clinton Francis. If I’m going to swing dance, I’m going to do it properly.”
Clint rolled his eyes, steadying her and holding his hand out for her shoes. “You already have to dance backwards, Nat. Some of them wear comfy shoes, you know.”
Natalia hooked the straps of her shoes over his fingers and huffed, shooing the blond towards the elevator. “That would mean you wear one of your zoot suits so I can wear one too and be able to wear flats.”
“Next week,” the blond replied wearily. “You can even pick which one you want me to wear.”
Natalia laughed, and he barely caught her, “That means we Lindy Hop … properly,” as the doors closed.
Clint’s playful groan, however, wasn’t difficult to hear at all.
Bucky’s eyebrows shot up. They did this weekly? No wonder they both kicked everyone else's asses during training. He went up to his apartment not long after, curiosity sated … for now.
--**--
Clint settled in his favored oversized chair for team movie night. Tony had tried to change it from Saturday to Friday, but Nat had done her death glare thing. He knew she loved getting out and dancing and being anonymous. That was the one good thing about being the least popular Avengers, the ability to go out in public and not be immediately identified. He didn’t mind dancing either, it was fun and he was actually good at it.
“What movie are we watching?” Sam asked, settling in one of the oversized chairs with a bowl of popcorn as big as his head.
“Bucky picked,” Steve said gleefully. “He won’t tell what he chose though and Tony is about to lose his mind because JARVIS is also keeping it a secret.”
Clint chuckled, catching the huge bag of Red Vines Nat tossed his way before she shifted him over and got comfortable in his/their chair. “Are we taking bets on genre or anything?”
“Nooopppeeeee,” Tony grumbled, pouting all the while. “Terminator said to just shut up and watch.”
Steve led Tony over to one of the loveseats. “Sit, Tony, and no comments either. Okay?”
Clint was curious. Even more so at the really old school MGM logo showed up. Then he grinned. Follow the Fleet was up there near the top on his secret list of favorite movies. Growing up, the only movies he and Barney could afford to see were the old black and white ones at older theaters that no one really cared if they snuck into. Over the years he’d kept up the habit and tried to catch film festivals when he could. The hours spent in those old theaters were some of the most peaceful memories he had of his childhood.
He’d admitted his secret hobby to Nat and she’d latched on to it with a fervency second only to his crush on Fred Astaire (or hers on Jane Powell). That was how they’d ended up having a standing dancing non-date (barring missions) every Friday at a swing dancing club Nat had found. Clint liked that dancing was something that he was good at. Nat called it a weekly reminder that he wasn’t always a clutz. Clint just called it fun. He was a performer at heart and the dance club fed his need to perform well enough.
He curled up, enjoying the movie and not quite hiding his snickers when the mutters started about how impossible some of the moves were. He laughed aloud when Nat finally broke, snipping, “Not impossible at all! Shut it. We’re trying to enjoy the movie!”
“Yeah, shut it,” Bucky grumbled. “Or I’ll make sure all the movie nights are Fred Astaire movies until we’ve watched every single one of them.”
Nat slapped her hand over his mouth before Clint got any ideas about being a menace just to make sure they got to watch Fred Astaire movies for months on end. He huffed and licked her palm. She glared, but dropped her hand. Pouting, he focused back on the movie. She liked to ruin his fun.
When the movie ended, he was almost sad. But, it wasn’t like he didn’t already have all the movies cued up - thanks to JARVIS - on his own tv. Instead of the lights coming up, another movie started. Oh. Ohh. Excellent.
Tony dragged Steve off, but Bruce, Bucky, and Sam all stayed right where they were. Clint may have made a contented noise when Royal Wedding started. He adored this movie!
“I don’t know this one,” Bucky admitted, once JARVIS paused the movie so they could all go grab more snacks. “JARVIS suggested it. Said it came highly recommended. Didn’t say who recommended it though.”
Clint waited until Sam was in the kitchen, trusting Bucky and Bruce not to tease him. “It’s really good. Probably best that Tony isn’t here to complain that dancing up the walls is impossible. I mean, they flipped the cameras to film it, but he’s still doing it. If that makes sense?”
Bucky outright grinned. “I think that’s the clip or whatever it’s called that JARVIS showed me. There was another one. Dancing with a coat rack?”
Clint laughed. “Yes! Oh! Wait until the boat scene. Props to Jane Powell, seriously! Dancing in those shoes, backwards and … oops no spoilers.”
Pouting adorably (and where the fuck did that thought come from?!), Bucky stole one of his Red Vines. “I used to dance every week. Never got into the real Lindy Hop though, I wasn’t good enough at it. I figured watching other people dance on the television was as close as I’d get to that sort of thing now. Dancing isn’t the same these days.”
Clint ignored the Red Vine theft, slouching against the side of Bucky’s chair. “Aww, Lindy Hop, yes! Come on. It’s not that difficult.”
Those grey blue eyes widened comically and Clint snickered as Bucky opened his mouth to respond.
“Don’t encourage him.” Nat strode back in, tray with a teapot and mugs in hand. “Sam said he’s off to sleep, but hopes we enjoy the other movie. Who wants tea?”
“Tea would be wonderful,” Bruce said, moving from his seat at the back to the loveseat where Tony and Steve usually sat.
“I’m getting coffee,” was Clint’s teasing reply. She knew how he felt about the teas she liked. Eww. “Any other takers?”
“That’d be great,” Bucky said, ducking his head and blushing. “Thanks.”
Clint tripped twice just trying to make it out of the room. Lovely. Oh well, it wasn’t like anyone was surprised by his klutziness at this point. JARVIS had the coffee already brewed and so it was simple to grab the carafe and two mugs before heading back into the movie room. He set it all on the low table and promptly tripped over the rug and landed almost in Bucky’s lap. “Oh fuck! Sorry!”
Chuckling, Bucky helped him upright. “You didn't dump coffee in my lap, so it’s fine.”
Clint could feel the back of his neck heating up and he winced. “You’ve gone and jinxed it now.”
Nat snickered, sitting with Bruce. “Don’t say he didn’t warn you.”
JARVIS chose that moment to restart the movie. Clint found himself shuffled over to sit next to Bucky and couldn’t bring himself to move. He wasn’t going to think about why. It wasn’t as if Bucky would look at him like that . No matter what Nat had to say on the matter. This time she was wrong. There was just no way.
He took the coffee cup Bucky passed to him and set his massive bag of Red Vines between them. Then he simply lost himself in the movie. Otherwise, he’d be an anxiety ridden mess and that was not cool, not at all. By the time Royal Wedding was over, he was dead on his feet. Sleepily, he mumbled “good night” and made for the elevator. If he fell asleep to thoughts of the dark haired, grey-blue eyed object of his affections, well … no one had to know that. Right?
--**--
“So,” Natalia said, elbowing the still half asleep blond on the stool next to her. “You have to settle an argument.”
Bucky winced. “Why?”
“‘Cause you would know better than anyone,” Clint muttered, finishing off the entire pot of coffee he was cradling like a mug.
He was grateful that someone had started another pot of coffee with the spare pot for just this sort of morning. “What about?”
Natalia sighed. “Clint claims the Lindy Hop isn’t any more difficult than more common swing dances. I say he’s wrong. So?”
Before he could answer, Tony and Steve came in, chatting loudly and fooling no one with their attempts to make it look like they’d not spent the night together. “Ask Steve.”
“Nope. You answer.”
Rubbing a hand over his face, he shrugged. “Depends on the style of Lindy Hop.”
“What’s a Lindy Hop?” Tony asked, cutting off mid sentence from what he’d been saying to Steve.
“It’s a dance. Why are we talking about forties era dances?” Steve honestly looked confused. “Is this about the movie we watched last week? Because, that wasn’t exactly Swing.”
“Swing and Lindy Hop are different.” Clint sat up, looking more awake as the coffee kicked in. “Similar, but not the same.”
“How would you know?”
Bucky glared at Tony, he just couldn’t resist. “Rude.”
Natalia looked irritated as she stood and pulled Clint to his feet. “JARVIS?”
“Aww, Nat, no!”
“Yes, Clint. Come on. You’ve had two whole pots of coffee.” She kept her grip on the blond’s hand and flicked through the holo screen JARVIS provided her. She grinned, tapping the screen.
Bucky sat and prepared to shut Tony and Steve up if needed. Sing, Sing, Sing began playing and Natalia pulled Clint out into the open area. His jaw nearly dropped as they really got into the dance. Steve looked utterly stunned. Tony just did that slow blink thing and mumbled, “You recording this, JARVIS?”
JARVIS didn’t reply, clearly not wanting to interrupt the music. Sam and Bruce joined them, staying over near the elevator, both grinning at the impromptu show.
“But, he trips over his own feet!” Tony exclaimed as the song ended. “How can he do that?”
“You’re just jealous.” Bucky winced, but didn’t apologize for it. Clint was blushing and looking all embarrassed now and that wasn’t right at all. “No way on Earth you’d pull that off as well as Clint just did.”
“You couldn’t either,” Steve said, his tone a dare.
Natalia laughed, leaving Clint to catch his breath whilst she stalked over to him. She proceeded to pull him to his feet. “Prove Steve wrong.”
Now he was the one blushing. “I’ve not danced in about seventy years!”
She looked smug as she dragged him over to the blushing blond. “Let Clint lead. It’ll come back to you.”
Steve proved what a punk he was. “Yeah, Buck, let Clint lead. You wouldn’t want to prove me right, now would you?”
Scowling at his alleged best friend, Bucky stepped up to the now amused, though still blushing, blond. “Well? No Lindy Hop, I’m not that good.”
“Ha! Bet you could do it.”
“Clint, play nice,” Natalia teased. “JARVIS, play the song please.”
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy began playing and Clint’s entire being lit up. “Ohhh, The Anderson Sisters!”
No longer surprised by Clint’s music knowledge, Bucky mentally crossed his fingers that he’d not make a fool of himself. It didn’t take three turns before he was keeping up with Clint. He suspected the man was taking it easy on him, but it was hands down the most fun he’d had in nearly seventy years. He was grinning and laughing even as Clint visibly relaxed now that he was focusing on the dancing again.
Bucky had known that Clint was inherently a performer - all of the stories of the circus and his general demeanor were big indicators. But, it wasn’t until he watched close up that he could actually see just how happy Clint was. It made him want to up his game, see if he could make the adorable blond even happier. One song bled into another and it wasn’t until Natalia called a halt that they stopped dancing.
“Foods ready!” Steve called out cheerily. “Water for you two instead of coffee. I’m almost exhausted and I was just watching!”
Natalia shook her head. “You just sealed your fate.”
Bucky blinked. “What?”
“I’ve made a tailors appointment for you later today. You have to be ready for Friday,” she said as if she’d not just rearranged his life. Not that he minded. But, surely he should be complaining for form's sake. Right?
Clint snickered. “You need to ask, Nat. Manners and all that.”
“So, Bucky,” she retorted dryly. “Want to go dancing with Clint on Friday?”
“Do you arrange all of Legolas’ dates, or is this a special occasion?” Tony, of course, had to jump in and play the jokester.
Bucky just glared at Steve’s secret boyfriend. It shut him up quickly enough. Good.
Clint leant down, almost whispering in his ear. “You can say no. I know you don’t like leaving the Tower.”
“I’d love to.” He grinned, realizing just how much he meant that. Then he addressed the smug redhead. “That is if Clint doesn’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
“Still not doing the Lindy Hop,” he replied teasingly.
Clint’s laugh was music to his ears. “I’ll change your mind eventually.”
Bucky had a feeling that Clint wasn’t wrong at all. In fact, he might do just about anything if it meant seeing Clint this damn happy.