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Clint was pretty sure they had finally managed to get lost somewhere worse than Turkmenistan like he had when he was on a long op and had to hightail it away from a shit ton more mercs than they had intel for, ended up running longer than he meant to, called for extraction and still didn’t stop. Needless to say, he ended up somewhere where they were pretty sure locals didn’t even go.
And now of course, the Bus was out of fuel, had an 0-8-4 on board, and were on an abandoned air strip in...well they weren’t actually sure since the rebels had knocked out a lot of their shit but it was somewhere in Africa. That much he was sure of! Oh, and help was on the way. But it would take at least two days for SHIELD to have a detachment available. He was pretty sure this was Fury punishing them. (Them being himself and Phil. And Tony too. In a roundabout way.)
So now they were stuck, lost in the middle of no where Africa with nothing to do. It’d already been hours and he could see how it was getting to Skye and Fitz. Both of whom did not do well with just sitting around. Since they were all in the common area, Clint decided they should play a game. One they would often play at the tower. It was actually how they became a real team together. And how Steve and Tony finally got together…
“Hey Jem, do you have a vial of QNB-T16?” Clint asked her, giving one of his real smiles. He was getting a lot more comfortable with the group of them but he still missed the Avengers something fierce some days. Even if it’d only been a month. Thank fuck for secure video calls and Tony Stark.
Jemma tilted her head, thinking about it before she nodded. “We do. Why?”
Clint gave a little laugh. “Because, we are going to play a game. Avengers style. Go get it. Just the vial. Not the gun as well. Skye, can you get seven paper cups and the orange juice please? Everyone else form a loose circle sitting on the floor. And yes, even Grant and Melinda are playing.”
Skye jumped up, following Clint’s request without hesitation. He would’ve gone to get it himself but he wanted to get everyone organized and cooperative up here. Plus, he had a feeling it made her feel good. Doing small things like that for him and Phil. Knowing that they trusted her and thought of her first for them. The adoption papers for the twenty-one year old hadn’t gone through yet so she wasn’t officially a Coulson in name but they had spent a lot of time over the last few months, getting to know each other. He’d even found her and Phil once, sitting in Lola, having a nice talk. It was really heartwarming. They’d have to take her for a flight soon.
Jemma on the other hand, didn’t blindly follow what Clint said. He wasn’t actually her SO after all. In fact, he may have been higher on the food chain but they all knew his husband’s word was law. The thing she didn’t know was that when they weren’t on the clock and out of the bedroom, he had pretty free reign at being king. So he just gave Phil a look that said ‘trust me’ and Phil nodded at her.
It didn’t actually take long to get everything he needed in front of him. As he poured the juice, he started to explain the rules to the group. “So here’s how it goes. This game is actually something Tony and I came up with after he and Bruce had a Science Bros bender playing with a way to combat sodium-pentothal one weekend. It’s kind of like Extreme Truth or Dare. Obviously you cannot lie because of the sodium-pentothal. As for the dares, they must all be executed within the safe zone. For this game, that is the Bus. No leaving it. No weapons. We learned that after Natasha had a bit of an instinct kick and stabbed Steve....It was a little funny after the fact though.” He poured a few drops into each cup before passing them out. “Bottoms up.”
Getting them to drink it was surprisingly easy. Ward only took a long look and peer pressure. Which was a fabulous motivational tool. It was kind of funny to watch. “Diluted in orange juice like this means we can skip the nap at the end. Thank fuck. So, I guess I’ll start. Agent Ward, truth or dare?”
Grant twitched when Clint went straight for him. It was kind of amusing to watch how socially inept he was. They would break him out of his shell one day. Even if it killed the poor boy. Which, hopefully, it wouldn’t. Especially since his terrible social skills may one day actually get someone else killed. He’d never be able to seduce a mark like that. Hell, he’d never be able to distract a mark like that.
“Truth.”
Clint grinned at him. The truth always was fun like this. It meant they could air their grievances but they could also get some seriously funny responses too. Depending on the question asked. “Sounds fair. What is the worst injury you’ve ever AMAed for?”
“I…” Ward grimaced, looking for all the world like he didn’t want to answer. Then again, this was admitting weakness and failure so he probably really didn’t. “I had a broken clavicle, fractured humerus, fractured wrist, two broken fingers, sprained knee, and a bruised coccyx. All on my left side thankfully so I could still shoot, even if I could barely walk and could not sit. There was no way I was staying in medical when I had to lay on my stomach though. That felt far too vulnerable.”
Phil blinked slowly at Grant. “Damn. And I thought dealing with Clint and Natasha when they were inured was a pain. Though I suppose the fact that the entire medical staff isn’t afraid of you and don’t have you constantly under supervision so you don’t escape into their ventilation system is definitely an improvement over their little Houdini and Bathory routine.”
Clint let out a little laugh that was definitely not a giggle. Nope. It was a manly chuckle of manliness. “You know, she’s never bathed in the blood of the medical staff. Just threatened to while heavily mediated. And to be fair, you think my Houdini routine is cute…”
“Yes I do. When you’re not at risk of dying from pulling your stitches ,” Phil hissed, glaring at him.
Skye grinned at them. “I really enjoy watching the two of you like this. It makes me feel like I finally have something I never had before and could never hope for.”
“We are lucky to have you as a daughter. We never knew we could be lucky enough to have children in any capacity and you are amazing,” Phil told her gently before clearing his throat and nodding toward Grant. “Ward, pick someone.”
“Uh...Skye? Truth or dare?” Grant asked, looking unsure. Gods Clint was going to break him into pieces and build him back up even if it took forever to do it. He seriously needed it. In his head danced hundreds of plans to do just that.
Skye actually went a route that surprised Clint when she replied with, “Truth yo.” He figured he would go with dare. She was a lot like him, leaping without looking and hoping there was a net somewhere or someone to catch them. It was one of the myriad of reasons he already loved her and could see why Phil loved her too.
“What makes you happy?” Grant asked, looking like he literally tossed out the first thing that came to mind. He definitely did actually. This was Ward they were talking about. Melinda was having more fun than him.
Skye looked down at the middle of the circle, obviously not wanting to actually see anyone when she answered. “In theory? Curling up with my dad's, watching movies, and just spending time together as a family. In practice?” She frowned, looking like she wasn’t sure what made her happy. “I guess hacking? I like that it’s like an ever changing puzzle. That there will always be someone out there who is better than me, that I can learn from or best.” She cleared her throat. “Jem, truth or dare.”
Jemma looked at her with wide eyes. “Oh dare. I have no desire to do a truth right now.”
Skye hummed a little as she thought of an appropriate dare. Clint could see it in her eyes. He knew she would do the Coulson name proud. (Even if the paperwork hadn’t come through yet. It would. Soon.)
“Umm...blow a raspberry on Ward’s stomach,” she finally settled on after a moment, looking between them. He was curious what made her choose Ward and not Fitz for that. Was he gay? Bi? Some other sexuality like Clint himself? If he was, Clint was thinking of someone that might be perfect for the young scientist. He knew that the man would adore the little Scot.. The question was how would he feel about the other man.
Jemma flushed a bright red, obviously embarrassed by the dare but not backing down. Grant on the other hand looked horrified. The girl stood, walking across the circle with a nervous confidence. Yes that sounded like a strange contradiction but Jemma Simmons made it fucking work .
She looked down at Ward, biting her lip. “Please lift your shirt so I don’t have to lift it me’self. Because one way or another, this is happenin’,” she told him with a serious expression, obviously trying that route to make him do it. He did tend to respond fairly well to authoritative figures.
The older man swallowed, looking away from everyone, head turning to the side as he lifted his shirt up enough to give her access. He looked uncomfortable and was obviously not lifting his shirt up because he was worried about would come out of his out of his mouth under the influence of the drugged orange juice.
Jemma, being only human, took a moment to drink in Ward’s body (he was married, not fucking dead), before bending down and sealing her lips against his hard stomach. A swift puff of breath caused the sound to spread throughout the living room area of the Bus. No one laughed though. Even if there were a lot of little smirks and smiles.
She stood up, shuffling back to her little seated area. She looked to the man who was like her twin and practically attached to her hip to the point that they were referred to as one person (he was pretty sure neither of them actually cared about that fact). “Truth or dare, Fitzy?”
The other genius shrugged a little. “Truth for me. Dun’ wanna go through that yet.”
Jemma nodded, obviously having expected it and already having a question ready for him. Like he’d already said over and over to Phil. They were fraternal fucking twins, separated at birth and raised across the damn green grass. They even had their own language. “What movie villain do you find attractive?” There is a victorious look in her eye as she asked. Almost like she’s been trying to find out for a while and has finally found a way.
Fitz mostly looked resigned to the fact that he would, in fact, have to answer the question. And honestly too. Which obviously pained him. “Cillian Murphy. As Scarecrow in the new Batman movies, or as Jackson Rippner in Red Eye. He just has this dangerous air about him. It’s wonderful. Intense and deadly yet still sexy.” A deep flush bloomed across the engineers cheeks at that. Well, that answered at least one question. Maybe.
Clint nodded. “He is definitely delicious. I loved him in Breakfast On Pluto and he was brilliant in 28 Days Later. One of the best zombie flicks out there. His voice is so seductive too.” He couldn’t help but smirk a little. Cillian’s voice tended to have just the faintest trace of Irish in it that he wanted to roll around in.
Melinda rolled her eyes but both Skye and Jemma gave their verbal assent. They were all secretly teenagers. Well, to be fair, Skye and FitzSimmons practically were teenagers. But that was far outside the point. Melinda was like the aunt. She did feel like his and Phil’s sister most days and considering he was pretty sure she was sleeping with Natasha, who really was like his sister, it made sense.
Fitz sighed and asked, “May, truth or dare?”
Melinda, being her weird self, went the harder route. At least the harder route in his mind. “Truth.”
“Would you rather lose your sight or your hearing?”
Melinda frowned but her response was fast, as though it was something that she’d thought about before. With someone like her, it probably was. “Definitely my hearing. Clint has shown that hearing is something you can compensate for and overcome while still being completely effective in the field. Being blind, I couldn’t do what I do now. I would never be able to fly again, and flying is what brings me the most joy.”
Mel’s reply made Clint blush. Sure, the Avenger’s knew about his hearing loss but it was not something he spread around. In fact, inside SHIELD itself, there were probably only a dozen or so agents who actually knew of his deafness. His hearing aides that he wore at work and in the field were small, flesh colored, and practically impossible to notice. Now the ones he wore at home or on vacation? Those were clunkier and a lovely shade of purple. Completely him. Maybe though, now that they knew, he could wear his purple ones around the Bus.
“I didn’t know you were deaf pops,” Skye said, the serum making her admit it without actual thought by the way she blushed.
Clint shrugged, tapping on his hearing aide so the latch popped out, making it easier to fish it out. “It was a sonic arrow explosion. It went off as I was drawing it from my quiver. I’m over 85% deaf. It’s been years though. It didn’t help that I had already been 35% deaf before the accident. Though, in a way I guess it did because I already knew how to sign.”
He put his hearing aide back in before demonstrating by signing Do you sign? out expertly with a little smile. He was actually watching them all to see if there was a spark of recognition in any of them with his movements. No one (other than his dear love) seemed to understand though.
Phil chuckled and signed back Why yes, I do. A hot man made it worth learning.
“We can actually sign in Russian too. Though not as fluently.”
“Why?”
“When the Black Widow tells you you’re learning something, you do it. She wanted to be able to talk in her mother tongue, even when I had my aides out though so I went with it and well, Phil and I like knowing all the same languages so he learned it too…But anyway, Melinda, pick someone.”
“Phil, truth or dare.” To most it would look like she said it without inflection or emotion but Clint had known her long enough to parse them out. She was actually enjoying this. It was nice to know.
Phil made a little hum of contemplation. It was actually a really cute sound. “I want a dare.”
Melinda smiled one of her scary little grins. One that made most people do the smart thing and run for the hills. “I dare you to sing the most annoying song you know all the words to while Skye records it and then upload it to Darcy’s youtube.”
“I find myself hating you just a little bit right now, you evil woman,” Phil hissed with a unheated glare. “Fine. Skye, get your phone.”
What are you singing? Clint signed to him with a smirk. He’d already pulled his Stark Player out of his pocket. It had over 30,000 songs on it. Chances were high it had the damn song.
Phil turned his glare to his husband. Fucking Call Me Maybe. I know you have it.
He couldn’t stop the snort. Oh this was going to be good. It was going to completely undermine how they looked at his husband but it was going to be fucking amazing for him. Sure, they all know Agent Coulson but none of them really knew Phil . The man he fell in love with and proposed to in the middle of a firefight, a hail of bullets not even flustering him while he pulled out the ring box.
Don’t forget to dance. He signed back with a wink.
“My husband is an ass but are you ready Skye?” Phil asked, shrugging out of his suit jacket and loosening his tie, his sleeves being rolled up to expose his forearms until he looked completely relaxed and delightfully ruffled.
The young brunette grinned, nodding enthusiastically. “All set up dad. Just tell me when to hit record.”
Phil took a deep breath to center himself, shaking out his muscles, before he nodded and said, “Okay, hit it.”
The music started up and Phil started singing soft and confident. Just like when it used to just be him and Clint on a fun Saturday morning making breakfast all alone in their apartment. “I threw a wish in a well, don’t ask me, I’ll never tell. I looked to you,” he pointed at Clint, “as it fell, and now it’s in my way.”
His hands flew up to cover his chest, eyes comically wide. “I’d trade my soul for a wish, pennies and dimes for a kiss, I wasn’t lookin’ for this, but now you’re in my way.” He threw an exaggerated pout towards his husband.
“Your stare was holdin’, ripped jeans, skin was showin’,” Phil ripped his shirt off, buttons violently flying around the room. Fuck he was such a dork. “Hot night, wind was blowin’, Where do you think you’re going, baby?”
Clint jumped up, joining him for the chorus and it was just like they were back in New York with Pandora playing in the background. “Hey, I just met you!” They pointed at each other. “And this is crazy .” This circled a finger around one of their temples. “But here’s my number, so call me maybe?!” They made the call me sign.
They continued dancing around together, singing with voices that complimented the other perfectly. “It’s hard to look right at you baby, but here’s my number, so call me maybe!”
By the end of the song, they were nothing but a case of laughter, out of breath with happiness, eyes shimmering. Clint collapsed back into his spot, grinning at his husband. “Fuck Phil, I’ve missed that. Saturday mornings haven’t been the same in the last two years.” Although Clint had preferred songs like Whistle and Hey Mama. Really any song with a heavier sexual innuendo whereas Phil liked anything upbeat.
Phil smiled at Clint, a softness around his eyes. “I have too. Couple great dirty songs have come out. Perfect for your filthy mouth. Next time we’re home, we are queuing them up and spending all day baking.”
Skye let out a happy little sigh. “You two really are like perfect together. Oh! All uploaded. I totally hacked Darcy to do it but I told her about the little strip show so I’m sure she will love it.”
“Oh she will. Though I think she sees Phil more as a father figure like you do. He gave her Electozoid after all,” Clint told her with a little huff of a laugh. That had been a good day. They had been ready to leave New Mexico and go on to the next assignment when Phil had said they had a pit stop to make, resulting in them meeting up with the scientists and their intern, whom he gave a brand new, highly volatile taser. He had a thing about tasers and respect for anyone who used them.
Phil rolled his baby blues at Clint with affection. “That woman is a menace. But a terrifying one. And strong, in a lot of ways. I like her. So sweetheart, truth or dare?”
Clint hummed. Both had merit and knew he would get the chance to do both. He decided to go with a dare first though because Phil could get creative and he wanted to see what was going on in that devious mind of his. “I believe a dare from my darling?”
“I dare you to sit astride another player's back or lap and pedal as if riding a bicycle. Pantomime an entire Tour de France style race complete with hill assents, passing other players, and a triumphant finish. The performance should last at least two minutes and will be timed.” Phil gave him his best shit eating grin, obviously enjoying himself. He was such an evil bastard. Fuck he loved that man.
Sighing deeply, he looked at Melinda. “Alright Melinda, get in the middle because there is no way I’m doing this with anyone else. Skye is my daughter and the science babies are just a bit too innocent for me. And well...Ward has too much of a stick up his ass. I’d rather not accidentally impale myself on it.”
Skye snickered, shaking her head. It was freaking hilarious to her, he was sure. Clint just rolled his eyes. “You know babe, if you wanted us to have a threesome, you should’ve said something back before we got married. I refuse to have an affair. You are the only person for me.”
“That would never happen and you both know it,” Melinda told them as she laid on her stomach, a smirk firmly in place. “Now hop on, you have a race to win Clinton.”
“And the Calvary is the best bicycle in town.” Clint threw his leg over her, coming to rest in the middle of her back. His hands went to rest on her shoulder blades to help steady himself. “Someone count me down.”
“Three....two...one...go go go!”
Clint started moving, bouncing, bobbing, and weaving as he went. His body was giving Mel’s back a workout. He was pretty sure he heard her spine pop at one point. Hell, he even moved to the side ‘passing’ another player at one point that half of her came up off the floor. At the sound of the two minute mark, he through his hands up with a triumphant cheer, crying out with glee. “Booyah bitches! Hawkeye will always kick ass!”
The group gave a resounding laugh as Clint pushed off. It was easy to move back over to where he’d been sitting before, leaning against his husband with a smile. “You are an asshole but it’s one of the things I love so much about you,” he whispered softly into his ear.
The next round started with Clint asking Grant, “Truth or dare Ward?”
“Dare I guess?” He sure didn’t sound confident about it though.
“I dare you to put your hands behind your back, with a blindfold on, and have someone of your choice hand feed you an assortment of foods of my choice,” Clint told him with a smirk.
Ward looked like he wanted to use some of that expert training and see if he couldn’t best him for once and kick his ass for that. It would be a hilarious experience though. They had some...unique...shit in their fridge. Things like mini fruit pies, buffalo chicken meatballs, chocolate filled strawberries, caprese pops, parm crusted crab cake bites, taco “cupcakes”, gingerbread cheesecake bites, and rolo turtles. Yeah, they had maybe way too much fucking sweets around here. They really did. He grabbed one of them all. Hell he even grabbed a reese's peanut butter cookie cup while Phil grabbed a blindfold for them. (No need to tell anyone just what they use it for.)
Unsurprisingly really, Grant picked Skye for the person to feed him. Watching his new daughter feed the most socially uptight asshole like that? Yeah, that might have backfired just a bit. He should have maybe thought through it a bit more. Granted, he was pretty sure if Skye had eyes for anyone aboard, it was probably Jemma. Really, he and Phil should sit down and have the ‘do you like boys, girls, either, neither, more, or other?’ talk.
Actually, the Avengers were already planning on going to Pride this year. Maybe he could convince Phil and Skye to accompany him, if not the rest of the Bus team. He knew they were going to make a splash either way. Especially by that time, the Avengers would be home to Steve and Tony Stark-Rogers.
When Grant was done, he cleared his throat, thumb swiping at a stray bit of chocolate let in the corner of his mouth. “Skye...truth or dare?”
“Dare. Totally dare.”
Grant nodded. “I dare you too...uh...read the last text message you received out loud?”
Skye raised a brow but just silently drew out her phone, pulling up her messages, exaggeratingly clearing her throat. “ Holy shit Coulson and Coulson can get down. I just want to lick them all over. I bet they fuck like beasts. Look how flexible they are! I am so jealous you bitch .”
Clint’s eyes went wide. “How the fuck did you get Darcy’s number and when did you make fucking friends with her?” he gasped. He wasn’t surprised by what she said though. It was completely normal for the feisty college grad. Considering some of the things she said down in New Mexico? That is downright tame.
Skye shrugged a bit. “We met on a forum. She’s kind of awesome. She works with SHIELD now too. Something about Dr. Foster deciding to work for them and Stark both. I didn’t understand it really. But she decided she wanted to be a quote ‘bad ass agent lady’ like...well like you da.” She nodded towards Phil.
“Yeah, that’s definitely Darce.”
Skye let out a little laugh. She shook her head. “Jem, truth or dare?”
Jemma chewed on her lip for a moment. “Truth please.” Always adorably polite. So very British.
“What would it take for you to be romantically involved with a coworker?” Skye asked softly. In that moment, it was like it was the most important question in the world and she had to know . Clint knew that feeling. His husband had once been his SO after all.
Jemma’s fair skin turned rosy as she blushed, fingers running through her dark, wavy hair. “Well...they would have to ask me out on a proper date. I refuse to be just a simple conquest to anyone. If they were to try proper though...and I actually liked them...SHIELD doesn’t have any real frat regs,” she said with a shrug, looking down at her lap where her hands were folded. She seemed almost too shy to look at Skye as she answered, while Skye herself hung on her every word.
Clint would definitely have to help them. Maybe give Skye some advice. He wanted her to be as happy as he is with Phil and he can really see the two of them happy together. Actually, he really needed to figure out Fitz’s sexual preferences because he really might have someone perfect for him. Mack took care of Lola when he couldn’t and was a pretty awesome guy.
“Fitz...truth or dare?” Jemma asked after a bit of an awkward moment.
Leo sighed, swallowing. “Dare.”
Chewing on her thumb, Jemma appeared to be thinking. She was a very curious person. A puzzle Clint was still trying to work out. there was something about her, something in her past that he hadn’t figured out yet since Clint didn’t read in depth about them. “Slow dance with Clint to I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing. Since he’s as close to your dream guy as you’ll find around here.”
There was definitely a story there but he had no idea what the story was. However, it definitely answered a couple questions and had him itching to make a few phone calls to set a little blind date up. Fuck knew they could use a good mechanic around here if things actually worked out between them.
In the mean time, Clint stood up with a happy little smile. “I would love to share a dance with a wonderful man like Leo. Thank you Jem. What do you say? May I have this dance Leo?” It was probably the first time he’d ever used his given name in direct reference to him but he wasn’t going to call him Fitz. Not like this.
Leo stood up, visibly nervous but still happy under it. “I would love this dance Clint. As long as your husband promises not to shoot me or otherwise cause me harm.”
Behind him, he knew Phil was smiling. “Don’t worry Leo. I quite enjoy watching Clint dance with other people. It’s one of the main reasons I made him go through every SHIELD dancing class while I supervised. He’s actually a wonderful dancer so you are in great hands.”
Phil’s words definitely had Leo relaxing some. Which was wonderful because a tense dance partner made the dance feel stiff and awkward. He was kind of hoping this could be something wonderful to make the young scientist smile and feel good about himself. “Ready?”
Leo gave a soft smile and a little nod, slipping into Clint’s personal bubble, a hand going to his shoulder, with the other easily grasped in Clint’s. He put one hand on Leo’s waist, the other gave Leo’s hand a reassuring squeeze as the music started. The steps started simple, warming him up more than anything before the first chorus hit and Clint found himself pushing them into harder steps.
All the while, Clint kept his eyes locked on Leo’s, singing along with the music He loved his husband and he would never leave him but in that moment, it was just him and Leo. It was what Leo deserved. His full, undivided attention.
Despite both of them being short, Clint still had the height advantage so when the song came to an end, he had to lean down just a little to give him a chaste, tender kiss. He whispered, “thank you for such a lovely dance Leo,” against his lips, giving him a gentle smile, before stepping back. He could see that Leo knew it didn’t mean anything. Not like that at least. Yes, it meant a lot but not like that. Leo Fitz was a wonderful man but Phil Coulson was his soulmate. There was no topping that.
Leo looked close to tears as he asked May a simple, “truth or dare?”
May shrugged and went with, “Dare too.”
“I dare you to dip your finger in nutella and have Phil lick it off,” Leo said after a moment. There was a devious little smile playing around his eyes now that he’d centered himself. Clint was impressed with how fast he was able to do that. Most people? It took a lot longer to calm down and find their center, let alone use it.
Skye jumped up, rushing to grab the nutella was Mel just stared Leo down. At least until Clint through one of his cookies at her. “Be nice.”
Skye came back quickly with an eager grin that was kind of scary for his daughter to be wearing. Then again, her fathers were the man who could kill you with a sack of flour and the man who never misses with a paleolithic weapon. The grin was definitely familial. Even if she’d only been theirs for a month (for Clint or a year for Phil).
Melinda was quick to dip her finger in. It came out liberally coated. And giving off so many future ideas for food play. Why had they never brought the fucking nutella into the bedroom?! Jesus that would be fun to lick off of Phil. All over. Especially since, despite being nothing more than friends, it looked absolutely obscene when Phil started licking at Melinda’s finger until all the chocolatey hazelnut goodness was gone.
“Well that was an experience I need to repeat. Preferably with my Russian assassin. Phil, truth or dare?” Melinda’s eyes twinkled and wow. That was so much more than Clint needed to know about what Natasha and Melinda got up to during girls nights. He was...pretty sure...they weren’t dating so what? Were they just like, friends with bennies?
Phil hummed, tilting his head side to side in a move that only happened when he was out of the suit. When he was strictly Phil Coulson and not Agent. “Truth I suppose.”
Melinda nodded, a wicked twist to the corner of her mouth. Well this could be either really good or really bad . It depended on where her mind went first. “If you could relive one of your happiest days which one would you chose?”
The question threw Phil for a loop by the looks of it. There were quite a few good days in his life he wouldn’t mind reliving from what he'd told Clint. All at different stages and different ages. Most of them with the man he'd married. He closed his eyes and let himself drift back to that summer's day. “June 19th, 2000.” Clint felt himself blushing. “Strike Force Delta was taking care of some issues in Malta when they started to shoot at us.”
“And we ran out of ammo so rather than retreat or anything simple like that, Phil decided to grab the flag flying near us, and use the pole to skewer the last few enemies while Tashi used a knife and I pulled an arrow out of an already dead guy. When it was done and we were standing there panting for breath, I looked at Phil and asked him to marry me. As serious as a gsw. I told him he was the most competent man I’d ever met, there was no one I would ever want to be with and that I wanted to spend my life with him, if he’d have me. Of course as I was asking, backup arrived on both sides so bullets were flying everywhere but neither of us cared,” Clint said, picking up the story with a little grin. “That’s the day you would want to relive?”
Phil nodded, just a little bob of his head. “Yes. It was the first time I thought that maybe, just maybe I could have forever too. After that, we went to this little jeweler, got our rings, and got married as soon as we got back to the states and could round up Mel, Nick, and Jasper. Nat was already with us.”
The wedding was just a simple city hall affair. Nothing overly extravagant. It wasn’t about that after all. It was about what came after. Getting to live the rest of his life with his husband. Not once, in the entirety of their relationship, has he ever regretted it either. They got their tattoos the next day since Clint hated not being able to shoot with his ring on.
“Before you ask babe, I’ll take a truth by the way.”
Phil’s laugh made Clint shiver. Nearly 15 years of marriage and it still felt like they were newlyweds when he laughed like that. So happy with his choices. His eyes twinkled when he looked at Clint, full of love. “Alright darlin’. What dream or goal do you have that you have never shared with anyone else?”
Clint swallowed hard at the question. There were a lot of them. Some more significant than others. Some with larger implications than others. One kept coming back to the front of his mind though. Like it wanted to be heard and refused to be ignored. When he spoke though, it was in the Romanian his mother had taught him as a baby and the gypsy woman in the circus would help speak with him as he grew. “Visez de a cumpara o casa. O fermă. Visez o familie. Un catelus. Un loc unde putem imbatrani între misiuni. Un loc unde sufletul pereche mea și eu aparțin pentru totdeauna.” By the time he was done, he was blushing hard.
Phil’s eyes went tender. He reached up, cupping Clint’s cheek. “Acum, că ne-am Skye, este timpul pentru asta. Te iubesc Clinton Coulson. Mai mult decat cuvinte pot spune vreodată.” He leaned closer, kissing him tenderly.
“Te iubesc la fel de bine,” Clint whispered against his lips. “Next time we’ll have to play Paranoia or maybe Don’t Get Me Started.” He grinned at the rest of them, happy that this was starting to feel like a family much like the Avengers did.