Work Text:
It was a lazy weekend at Avengers Tower. Most of the team were away, on whatever passed for a holiday when you were a superhero. Pietro and Clint were the only two who hadn’t had any plans and were therefore left with the entire place in which to continue completely avoiding whatever bizarre sexual tension had been building up between them since Pietro’s return from the almost-dead.
Pietro stepped onto the elevator, earbuds in, and pushed the button for the gym. He was planning to spend the morning working out, then the afternoon sitting in his room and totally not thinking about what Clint was doing. The doors were just sliding shut when a hand slipped between them and they slid back open. Clint stepped inside, quiver and bow swung over his shoulder and earbuds in. Oh boy. This workout was about to get a lot less productive, wasn’t it?
The doors slid shut and the elevator began to move. They stood against opposite walls, casting furtive glances at each other and not speaking. Suddenly the elevator jolted to a halt, but the doors didn’t open. Pietro frowned and pushed the button again, but there was no movement.
“Are we stuck?” Clint said, tugging out his earbuds.
“Observant as ever, Hawkeye,” Pietro said.
He pulled out his own earbuds and tucked them into his pocket, then tried the button again. Still nothing.
“Any idea how to fix an elevator?” he asked.
“Not when I’m inside it.” Clint paused. “Okay, not from the outside either. You?”
“Definitely not,” said Pietro.
They stood in silence, staring at the doors as though they might magically open.
“Sooooo,” said Clint. “We have to wait ‘til somebody gets home, then.”
“Oh god,” Pietro groaned. “Do we even know when that will be?”
“….I think Stark gets home tonight….”
“How late tonight?”
“Ten, maybe?”
“It’s eight in the morning. Are you telling me we’re gonna be trapped in an elevator for…. fourteen hours?”
“Hope you used the bathroom,” said Clint.
Pietro groaned.
“This is gonna be hell.”
Clint gave him an odd look. He seemed almost offended.
“What, ‘cause you’re stuck with me?” he said.
“What? No, that’s not what I meant,” said Pietro. “Why the hell would you think that?”
“I dunno, you… kinda avoid me a lot.”
“I don’t… okay maybe a little… but…. dammit, Barton, don’t make me actuallywish I was stuck in here with someone other than you.”
Clint didn’t answer, so Pietro tried the button again to no avail.
“So you admit you do avoid me,” Clint said suddenly.
Pietro bit his lip and didn’t look at him.
“It’s for good reasons,” he said.
“What could possibly be a good reason for you to avoid me?” said Clint. “We’re friends. Oh wait, lemme guess, you got bored of me. I’m too slow or too old or something.”
Pietro finally looked at him. Were they really having this conversation? Now? When they were doomed to spend the entire day in an elevator?
“I didn’t get bored of you. That would never happen.”
He hadn’t meant that to sound so… heartfelt. They stared at each other a moment, still leaning against their opposite walls.
“Okay,” Clint said at last. “So why do you avoid me?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Giving up on the buttons, Pietro slid down to sit on the floor. Clint stared for a moment, then sat down too.
“Try me. I’m pretty smart,” he said. “If you don’t think I’ll understand, then explain it to me.”
“You sure you want to talk about this when we can’t escape each other afterward?” Pietro said.
“Well, we had to have this conversation sometime. I guess we just needed an elevator breakdown to make us stop being such babies.”
Pietro sighed heavily and stared down at his hands.
“I’m not very good at this sort of thing,” he said. “Emotional things. Human connections. Whatever. I’ve had only one person for over half my life and… I never had to worry about that relationship. Wanda’s my sister, it was something I could always depend on. But now I’ve got…. friends. Lots of them. And I don’t know what to do about it. I keep holding everyone at arms length because I… I’m afraid to get close to anyone. Especially you.”
He glanced up at Clint, who was listening with such earnest intent that Pietro was a little unnerved. He didn’t particularly like talking about feelings and it was weird having someone be so interested in what he had to say.
“Why me?” Clint asked, his voice unexpectedly quiet.
“Well… because… I died for you. And because… ah, fuck, I dunno how to say it… I told you, I’m not good at this sort of thing.”
“Try and explain it,” said Clint. “We’ve got time. All day, in fact.”
“Yeah, and if what I say makes things awkward, you’re gonna have to sit in here with me until Stark gets home to let us out,” said Pietro.
“That’s a good point. But you know what, I don’t give a damn if things get awkward. I care about you and I wanna know what’s wrong.”
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Then why are we avoiding each other?”
“Oh, now you’re avoiding me too?”
“Yeah, a little.”
“Alright, I opened up, it’s only fair you explain yourself too,” said Pietro.
“You did not open up, you got like one foot in the door, then hid under the sofa,” said Clint.
“Your metaphor is shit.”
“Whatever. Fine. I’ll explain myself. But only if you promise to tell me why you’re so unwilling to get close to me.”
“Fine. I promise.”
Pietro looked at him expectantly and Clint sighed.
“Well,” said Clint. “Like I said, I care about you. A lot more than I let on. You’re a little shit, but… I’ve got a bit of a soft spot for you. A kind of big soft spot, if I’m being totally honest. I don’t want to avoid you. I want the total opposite. But… well, I’m not very good at feelings either.”
“What do you mean, the total opposite?”
“I want to spend time with you. Not just training, or when the others are around. Just… you and me.”
Pietro smiled a little.
“I want that too,” he said.
“So why aren’t we doing it?” said Clint.
“Because I’m scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of how much I want it,” said Pietro. “I’m worried I might… come on too strong. That… that we’ll start spending time together, then you’ll… decide you don’t want me that much after all.”
“Pietro…”
“Or that I’ll lose you.”
Clint stared at him.
“W-what?” he murmured.
“Shit, that was too much,” said Pietro, burying his face in his hands. “I knew this would happen, it’s too much for you, I-”
Suddenly, Clint took his wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. He was kneeling right in front of Pietro now, looking startled and a little bit sad.
“You’re scared of losing me?” he said.
Pietro nodded.
“I’m scared of losing you too.”
Now it was Pietro’s turn to stare in surprise.
“Really?” he said.
“Of course,” said Clint. “Hell, I’m scared of how much the thought of losing you scares me. I told you, I’ve got a soft spot for you, and… I’m pretty sure your death would break my heart.”
Pietro’s breath hitched in his chest and he just stared at Clint for a while.
“I have no idea what I’m supposed to say to that,” he said finally.
“Seriously, dude? I spill my heart to you and you-”
Suddenly, without thinking, Pietro grabbed the front of Clint’s shirt and shut him up with a kiss. Clint made a muffled sound of surprise, bracing his hands on either side of Pietro’s head to keep himself from toppling into his lap. The kiss only lasted a second before Pietro pulled away.
“Oh god, I’m sorry,” he said quickly, though his head was spinning and he wanted nothing more than to pull Clint in again.
“What was that for?” Clint said.
“I… I didn’t know what to say, so… well, I guess that was my explanation for… everything.”
“That was…. so you mean…. you mean you…. you want… me?”
Pietro bit his lip and nodded.
“So why the fuck have we been avoiding each other all this time?” said Clint.
“Because we’re emotionally stunted idiots, apparently,” said Pietro.
“Obviously.”
They stared at each other, both a little breathless.
“Can we, um…. do that again? The… kissing thing?” Clint asked.
“Oh hell yes,” said Pietro.
He pulled Clint in again, more gently this time. When their lips met, Pietro’s heart soared. Sure they still had a lot to figure out, a lot of issues to work through, but at least they could do it together. Pietro smiled against Clint’s mouth and deepened the kiss.
Thank god for broken elevators.