Clint/Delaney
“Is Agent Barton always like this?”
Ever since the Battle of New York, Stark had been busy renovating an entire floor of Avengers Tower into a state-of-the-art medical facility. Quite understandably, Delaney had been quite shocked to find out she had been hired to be the Avengers’ doctor. She had already been directed to her studio apartment on the residential floor, but was now watching with amusement as none other than the Black Widow was trying to coax Hawkeye into staying long enough to be checked over.
“I'm afraid so, Doctor. Agent Barton does not care for hospitals,” the Tower’s AI responded.
“Hello. I'm Dr. Delaney Evans,” she greeted the Black Widow. “JARVIS tells me Agent Barton here is being a little too difficult for my staff.”
“Am not,” the injured man grumbled.
Delaney tried her best not to react. Those two little words had been scrawled on her inner thigh since birth. She had always expected that she would meet her soulmate as a child, perhaps arguing over who who was ‘it’ in a game of tag. She definitely hadn’t expected her soulmate to be a superhero with an aversion to hospitals.
“Oh really? Tell me, then, why three of my nurses have complained about you in the past forty-five minutes,” Delaney said.
Clint’s eyes went wide for a second, then he grinned. “I knew one day I’d hear those words,” he said gruffly. “Ever since I got them, I’ve always been a difficult patient. I had to find you.”
Delaney chuckled. “Always thought I’d find you on the playground as a kid, not here,” she said, testing the movement in his wrist. “Though I’m definitely not disappointed.”
Clint and Natasha’s eyes met and shared a smile, seeming to Delaney to mean more than their close camaraderie. She had seen the footage, how the agents moved as one. “I’m sorry. You two are involved, aren’t you?” She didn’t have two soulmarks; did he decide not to wait for her?
Ah hell. Clint’s heart sank as he realized what Delaney assumed. She thinks I don’t want her. He tugged her against him and kissed her hard until she melted against him. When she opened her eyes and met his, the look she gave him made Clint want to kiss her senseless.
Clint’s arms drew tighter around his soulmate. “Delaney, Nat and I are strictly platonic. Trust me, her tastes are more no-nonsense brunettes and Scottish geniuses. I’ve been waiting for you for thirty years. No way in hell I’m letting you go that easily.”
Natasha cleared her throat, giving the pair an amused look. “Clint is like family. And now so are you.”