InsaneJournal

Who: Clint Barton & Kate Bishop
When: Today, Dec 1
Where: The beach
What: Clint pops the question
Rating/Warnings: Low/None
Status: Complete


Clint wasn’t one for big plans. They didn’t exactly go out and do a lot of fancy meals out or anything, and it wasn’t like they couldn’t, they just… stayed in more often. Clint didn’t want to make a big fuss about things. After the nightmare that shopping for the ring had been in general because what do you get girls and his usual trainwreck -he’d been married to Bobbi in the dreams for years but he’d never actually bought her an engagement ring, they’d just … whirlwind eloped.

He didn’t just wanna do that with Kate. So the ring shopping happened and it might’ve been a test of his ability to not murder snarky sales staff, but it was fruitful at least. So pizza dinner, because it was easy, and then walking Lucky like usual, it was still warm enough that they could let him run along the beach, in and out of the water at will.

Since it was quiet, just a couple of people milling around, Clint wasn’t in too much of a hurry, letting Lucky run wild while he and Kate wandered behind, arm over her shoulder and contemplating the ring boxed up in his pocket.

“Y’doing okay, babe?” Awkward and Clint were best friends.

It was warm enough that they could go walking at dusk or sunset, but cool enough that they could do it with longer sleeves, longer pants. Kate was sort of bundled up, since she’d been feeling a little bloated. Yoga pants. Stretchy, long-sleeved, t-shirt. Her hair was held back with a band, her tennis shoes dangling from her opposite hand. The sand was still slightly warm from the sun beating down on it all day. She had her free arm wrapped around Clint’s waist as they wandered along.

“...why wouldn’t I be okay?” She asked, turning to raise an eyebrow at him. “Are you?”

“I’m fine.” He probably answered that a little too quick but--- Well, he never really said he was smooth under pressure. At least not when it had nothing to do with the superhero business. “I just meant. You know, all the stuff that’s been going on.”

His eyesight, her gunshot wound, the healing processes for both. It just seemed to be a perspective maker all things considered. It was certainly how Clint looked at it all. Life being short and unpredictable and all that. “It’s been a little bit insane lately,” which was par for the course, yes, but maybe a little less intense would be nice, “that’s a bit stressful sometimes, right?”

“Things are normally pretty stressful around here,” Kate mused, “but it has been a little worse than normal lately.” She glanced over at him, wondering why he looked so awkward. Anxious. Kate looped her hand through the crook of his elbow and gave his arm a little squeeze. “But I’m okay. Things are calm right now, and that’s nice.”

They were calm. Sort of. Which was probably a short lived thing, hence the whole ‘should do this now’ sort of thinking. And they were in a fairly quiet stretch of beach, Lucky was off barking at something but still in view -because Clint could see him, that was a pretty big deal right this minute for him.

“They are,” and he didn’t know if he was agreeing to the stressful bit or the calm bit, but it sort of applied to both, didn’t it. “So um…” He really wasn’t sure how to ask though, he didn’t really do soppy stuff, and he wasn’t sure if there was another way to do that. Plucking the box from his pocket, Clint turned it over in his fingers for a second or two, “I um, I wanna ask you something.” He wasn’t sure if this was a get down on one knee thing or if there should’ve been a big romantic date. But then it didn’t really fit with them.

Taking a breath, Clint stopped Kate from moving, turning them towards each other before opening the box with a flick of his thumb and offering it out between them, “You wanna get hitched?”

Well, that was unexpected. But most definitely not unwelcome. Kate turned with a curious look when Clint said he wanted to ask her something. There was some witty reply barely on the surface, when he flicked the box open and inside was probably the most amazing ring Kate had ever seen in her life. Her heart sped up suddenly and inexplicably, and the air around her felt about ten degrees warmer. “Uh… yeah, I do.” She said, bursting into a grin. “Seriously? You wanna?”

“Yeah, yeah I do.” He echoed it back with a small laugh, because the grinning gave a good indication on things. “The last few months have been insane, and … I don’t wanna just live together, I wanna do the whole thing. So, marry me?”

Logical steps worked in some strange leaps with Clint, but this one really did feel like the right leap.

Kate actually laughed. She laughed out loud at the look on his face, the smile there, the laugh that came rumbling from his chest. She nodded, enthusiastically, happier than she could remember being in months. “Of course I will. Yeah, let’s do the whole thing.” She repeated his words back at him, then took his face in both her hands to pull him in for a kiss. It was a long one, too. They were the type of people to just go for it. See something you want? Get on it. That thing wasn’t going to get itself.

Finally she pulled back, grinning ear to ear. Grinning, but feeling like she might cry. Kate might just turn into a girl and cry right here in front of him. She was trying not to, but her eyes were welling with tears. “And Jesus, Clint, this is the world’s most beautiful ring.” She held out her hand, fingers splayed, so he could do the traditional thing and slip it on.

He couldn’t help but laugh against her mouth, grinning into the kiss while he felt that dip and whoosh in his gut because, fuck she said yes and while he sort of figured she wouldn’t dumb his ass it was still a rush of elation.

The fact that yes, this was the right ring, just made him grin more as he slipped it on her finger, twisting it to sit just right. “You should’ve been there buying it, pretty sure I was this close to knocking out the sales person for his smarm.” He’d save that story for later though. Just wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her into another hug and kiss before Lucky came barrelling back towards them, barking happily because apparently something fun was happening.

“You did fine. Better than fine. I’m glad you didn’t kill the guy, though.” Kate wore rings sometimes. She had a couple that were her mother’s, though most of her mother’s jewelry had gone to her older sister. But the feel of the weight on her finger was magical. She was gonna be distracted by this thing for days. Possibly weeks. It was just so pretty! Though Kate could ponytail it up with the best of them, she also had a fashion side. A girly side. It was coming through in the couple of tears now spilling down her cheeks. She barely had a chance to wipe them away before Clint wrapped her up in his arms and they were kissing again. Kissing like lovers, unafraid of who might wander by.

Better than fine was a pretty awesome step up from ‘fuck sake Clint’ so he was rolling with that right there. Lucky pranced around their legs, tongue lolling out, tail wagging like crazy before something near the water’s edge got his attention and off he went again. “I will take better than fine,” and the killing had been limited to glares of death, but it worked out all in all.

Chuckling again, Clint just used his thumb to wipe off Kate’s cheeks, keeping his arm around her shoulders to hold her in close. “God, that’s seriously like… You have no idea how crazy over crowded with thoughts my brain has been this week.” Since buying the ring it’d been nothing but ‘what if’ in his head. He’d had his fingers crossed for no crazy bullshit all week.

“I can imagine,” Kate sniffed, turning a little to press in against his chest. She lifted her hand to examine the gorgeous ring on her finger and couldn’t stop smiling. “Any more than a couple of thoughts in there and things ping pong all over the place.” It was a tease. The best her distracted and overjoyed brain could handle itself.

“I can’t wait to be married to you,” she added, then laughed at herself. “God, I’m so excited. This is really sad. I’m such a damn girl all of a sudden.”

He didn’t mind the lame attempt at teasing, it was half true really, just pressing a kiss to her forehead while she cooed over his apparently awesome choice in finger decoration. “Seriously, if it’s more than what to get for dinner, I’m a wreck.” They could both poke fun at him until she got her giddy little hormones under control.

“Honestly, I’m kinda glad you were the one that ended up crying. I think I’d need to turn in my man card if I were the emotional one.” But he heard somewhere that girls were meant to get emotional about weddings, especially if it was their own. So it made sense that actually popping the question, even if it was massively unromantic, it would be a bit of an emotional upturn. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone and Lucky hasn’t noticed yet.”

“That’s what you’ve got me for. To order pizza when it’s time.” Hey, pizza actually sounded pretty good right about now. And Kate could decide the toppings. Though, her stomach was a little twisty with excitement.

“Okay, good.” Kate replied, “I dunno what I’d do if Lucky found out.” Then she was wiping her face again with her sleeves. She took hold of his hand once they were done, lacing her fingers with his. The ring between them was definitely palpable. Seriously, man. This was going to be a distraction for a while. “Should we just… y’know… go do it? Go to the courthouse and get married? Tomorrow?”

It was a weirdly nice feeling, that ring just steady between them, pressing into their fingers. Clint was largely just amazed he’d finally managed to do it. “Really?” He wasn’t against it, not in the least. “I am game if you are. We can get the license sorted, pick bands and just… do it.” Clint didn’t need a big fuss. He’d text Barney to let him know and well, Tony would probably pout, but he’d come around after some coffee and food and stop the pouting.

“You don’t wanna, I don’t know, do some ceremony thing?” Clint did not mind either way. He would wear a monkey suit if Kate wanted to do the fancy thing, he’d pretty much let her dictate the whole thing. “We can do whatever you wanna do.”

“That’s all we really need. You, me, a couple witnesses and a couple of gold bands.” Or white gold, or whatever matched Kate’s new, amazing ring. She gave his hand a squeeze. “Nah, I’m not fussed. My sister was the world’s biggest Bridezilla, and I’m totally not into that.” She thought about it for a moment. “I have a white dress already, and we can just… go. Do it. Then have a big party and tell everyone what happened.”

Honestly, Clint would kind of prefer the whole thing to just be a quiet non-deal, wake up one morning engaged, bed that day married. It seemed like a good way to just usher it in. “If I don’t ask Tony to witness, he might excommunicate me. We can get it sorted tomorrow, get it all ironed out, do whatever.” He gave her hand another squeeze back and pulling her into his side, draping his arm around her shoulders with their hands still linked. “I’m liking your plan, Hawkeye.”

Kate chuckled softly. “I think Tony’s the perfect person to witness this.” She said, softly, cuddling in against his side. Her heart warmed at his using her nickname. “Thanks, Hawkeye.” She replied.