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Claire finished adjusting the strap on her heel, straightening up and taking a stumbling step forward before regaining her balance.
“I hate heels. Why am I wearing heels?” She complained.
“Because we are attending a nice event that requires a very formal type of dress and you know Coulson would never have let you go in flats or Converse.” Nat replied from the vanity, giving himself a once over in the mirror and untying his bow tie for the hundredth time.
“At least I wouldn’t be stumbling around like an idiot and blowing our cover.”
They were going in undercover for this event; a nice little social gathering that required higher than normal dress than normal and a new story that they had never really practiced with before.
“How do we even act married anyway? How do married people act?” Claire asked, coming up beside him to observe his messy bow tying with an amused smile.
“How should I know? I can only assume that they act like regular couples, but they have a ring around their finger to symbolize how much they love one another.” Nat said, letting out a frustrated sigh, dropping his hands to his sides.
“Wow. I sensed some bitterness in that sentence. Would you like to try again?” Claire teased, swatting his arm so he would turn to face her. “Let me do it.”
Claire reached up to take both ends in her hands, starting to tie it without a problem. This hadn’t been the first bow tie she had tied and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
“Why are you so nervous?” She asked after a moment. “You’ve never had a problem tying your own ties.”
“I’m not nervous. I just want it to go well.” Nat said firmly.
“Doesn’t it always go well? Why would tonight go any differently?”
“Well, for one, you trying to walk in heels could blow our cover and the fact we have no idea how married couples act could also blow it for us.”
Claire stared at him for a long time before her lips curled into a smile.
“Did you just make a joke?” She asked and Nat rolled his eyes. “You did! Nat, you made a joke!”
“So? I make tons of jokes all of the time.”
“Not good ones. We both know I’m the funny one in this relationship.”
“You laugh at videos of dogs trying to sing Adele.”
“They’re funny! You just don’t like dogs!” Claire exclaimed. “I can’t believe I’m married to a cat person.”
Nat laughed and Claire smiled wider. She loved hearing him laugh out loud like that, usually all he gave were amused chuckles or hums.
“Alright, alright. Finishing touch!” Claire said, picking up the small ring box and opening it, tipping the two rings into her empty hand and setting the box aside. “Ready for rings?”
Nat took the ring meant for her out of the palm of her hand. Before she could protest, he took her free hand and gave it a squeeze causing the words to die in her throat.
“We might as well do it right, right?” He asked teasingly and she swallowed before slowly nodding, face getting a bit warm under his stare.
“Do you, Clarice Francine Barton, take me, Nathaniel Romanov, to be your husband?”
Claire wrinkled her nose in distaste. She would have been laughing off his attempt to be serious if she weren’t so offended. “Full name? Really? You know I hate my full name.” She complained and his lips curled at one corner.
“I love your full name, just like I love your shortened name.” Nat teased and Claire huffed, swatting at him again while her face only grew warmer.
“I hate you.”
“And now we’re really acting like a married couple.” Nat said, pleased. “Though…You haven’t given me an answer yet.”
Claire blinked, then slowly nodded. “Well, I mean yeah, obviously.” She replied and he slid the ring onto her finger with ease. “Do you take me to be your wife then?”
“Of course.” Nat replied easily and she swallowed before sliding his ring onto his finger in return. “
Nat leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, squeezing both of her hands in his own.
“We should get going.” He murmured, lips hovering against her forehead.
“We should.” Claire agreed, releasing his hands in favor of linking their arms together. “I’m holding onto you for the entire night for balance. If I go down, you’re coming with me.”
“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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“You called me ‘sugar bear’.” Nat said under his breath, sipping from his glass, eyes scanning the crowd for the target.
“Don’t married people call each other annoyingly cute names like that?” Claire asked curiously. “ I thought I was doing it right. You think I know what married people do?”
“Sugar bear though.”
“What would you rather I said? Dearest? Darling? Sweetheart?”
“How about my actual name? There’s nothing wrong with my name.” Nat grumbled.
“We’re undercover. I can’t just go around calling you by your real name.” Claire complained.
“I’d rather you call me by my name rather than some lame pet name.”
Claire rolled her eyes, scowling.
“It was a cute affectionate pet name!”
“You would be wrong.”
“You’re stupid. I can’t believe I married you.”
Nat snorted into his glass, eyes focusing on a man across the room.
“Target locked. Let’s move.”
“Alright, but if you think this argument isn’t continuing when we get back to the room, you are so wrong.”