Chapter 5
Natasha wasn't really sure what to make of the two guys who had apparently just found each other. Instead, she chose to roll her eyes and let them have their happy moment. Maria and Sharon, apparently not of the same mindset, had moved to stand next to the new couple, leaving Natasha alone with Clint - who she was still ignoring, by the way - Sam, and T'Challa.
"Oh, that's cute." Sam said, breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen over their table. "Much cuter than how we met, huh?"
T'Challa snorted - wow, so princely of him - and shoved Sam, although he was smiling the entire time.
"Oh, yeah, c'mon." Natasha shoved Sam from the other side, ignoring the glare he levelled her with. She was practically immune anyway. "I haven't heard that story in a while."
Sam groaned, laying his head down on the table with more force than was probably necessary.
T'Challa chuckled, settling his hand on the back of Sam's neck. "It's not so bad."
Natasha smirked, chancing a look at Clint, who seemed interested. In the story and her, if she was reading his body language correctly. "It kinda is."
Sam groaned loudly and Natasha couldn't help but laugh, even as she was aware of Clint's gaze fixed on her. She tried to ignore it, if only so Sam and T'Challa wouldn't notice, but she couldn't avoid the truth: she was curious about him, too.
It wasn't just his appearance that drew her in; she really couldn't care less about any of that. His eyes were kind, but then again he had tried to help a girl he didn't know when he saw she was in trouble. The fact that he had a dog was also a plus. Dogs were very good judges of character, after all. But what got to her the most was that he looked at her with interest, not judgement. He had every reason to walk out that door and never speak - well, speak or sign - to her ever again, but it didn't look like he was even considering it.
If he knew her, knew who and what she was, there was no way he would sit there and look at her with such honesty in his eyes. Natasha wasn't used to it and she really didn't know what to think about it.
Before she could tear her eyes away from the annoyingly cute blonde, she heard Sam saying, "Ohhh. Nat, do you have a cruuuuush?"
She was going to kill him.
"I don't get crushes, dumbfuck." She gave him a hard stare, silently willing him to shut up. "Now go back to being cute with your boyfriend."
"Aw, did you just admit we're cute?"
"I will cut you, Wilson. Just wait."
"Leave her be, Sam," T'Challa said in an attempt to diffuse the situation. The look in his eyes told Natasha this wasn't the last she had heard of it. "We should be going, anyhow."
"Already?" Natasha raised her eyebrows in a question.
He shrugged, gaze moving to Clint for a split second. "We will see you later, Natasha."
Well, shit. He knew something was up. She doubted he knew the details of what was going on, but he knew something.
"Yeah, see you." She waved half-heartedly as T'Challa pulled Sam out of the door.
It took her all of two seconds to realize she was now sitting alone with Clint, a fact she was not overly thrilled about. Sure, Maria and Sharon were still there with the other couple - Natasha thought Maria had mentioned a Steve, but she hadn't really been paying attention - along with the twins and V. She was actually kind of surprised none of them had left yet, but maybe Wanda thought she couldn't leave. Work and all that.
Sighing, Natasha turned back to Clint. "Give me one minute. I'll be right back."
Without waiting for his response, she stood and walked over to Wanda's booth. V looked up at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "You need something, Nat?" Wanda asked, voice uncharacteristically quiet.
"No, not at all." She studied Wanda, noting that at least her hands had stopped shaking. "I just wanted to let you know you can go home. The shop is closed for today and don't you dare argue with me, Rogers."
Pietro laughed, shooting her a knowing grin. "Normally we'd be out of our hair in seconds, but our big brother's sitting over there and we're waiting to see how long it takes for him to notice us."
"Who, Clint?"
"No." Wanda spoke up, although she still didn't sound like she usually did. Her voice was...emotionless. "The other cute blonde."
Sneaking a glance over at the other booth, Natasha was surprised to see the darker haired guy staring at her. It wasn't uncomfortable, just weirdly intense. He was sitting next to Maria, the other side of the booth occupied by Sharon and the "cute blonde" who had to be Steve.
Turning back to Wanda and Pietro, she shrugged. "He is cute, I'll give you that. Seems like he just met his soulmate so you might be waiting a while."
"Wait, what?" Wanda stared at Natasha in disbelief. "Are you sure?"
"Since I was sitting right there, yeah, I'm pretty sure." She crossed her arms, giving V a look, although he still wouldn't look at her. "Mind if I borrow your boyfriend?"
Wanda shook her head, pulling her hand out of his and instead letting her brother wrap his arm around her. "Just make sure you return him."
"Will do."
Natasha wasn't sure V would really get up and walk over to the register with her, but he did. His expression was carefully blank, arms resting at his sides.
Yeah, he was pissed.
Natasha sighed, leaning back against the counter. "C'mon, hit me with it. It's my fault, right?"
He blinked, eyes focusing on her face. "You are fishing, Natasha."
Rolling her eyes, she mocked his tone, "You are evading, Vision."
"No, Natasha, I'm not." He paused as she rolled her eyes again. "Wanda is okay. I am not angry."
"Then what is it?" She practically demanded, unable to pinpoint why he was acting so weird.
"It's..." He looked away and oh. Shit. Did he know Clint? "Why are you avoiding him?"
Now Natasha was the one to look away. "It's not that I'm avoiding him, per se. I just... Let's say it's complicated and leave it at that."
"I know we're not exactly friends, Natasha, but I'd like to think I know you well enough to at least get the truth. Or," He paused, as if unsure of his next words. "If not me, he at least, deserves the truth."
He was right, of course. Natasha just didn't want to admit to the truth.
Besides the fact that Natasha was aromantic and asexual and this guy wasn't likely to be okay with either, she just didn't believe in the concept of soulmates. Sometimes they worked out and those were the relationships the media talked about. But other relationships, the ones that ended in heartbreak and pain, those were the ones Natasha knew the most about.
Natasha thought it was the world's great irony that as an asexual aromantic woman she had not one, but two soulmates. God, she hoped it was only two.
Turning back to V, she gave him a small smile. "Thanks. I'll, uh... I'll do that."
He returned the smile and walked back over to join Wanda and Pietro, who were now glaring daggers at Steve. Sometimes Natasha wondered about her ability to befriend the weird ones.
Shaking her head, she walked back over to the booth she'd been sitting at with Clint, prepared to apologize for being a shitty person in general. Instead, she was greeted with an empty booth. Shocked, she stood there for a few long moments, not quite able to process the fact that he had left.
Sitting down on one side of the booth, she settled her arms on the table. She couldn't really blame him for leaving. After all, she hadn't given any impression that she cared in any way, Natasha couldn't help but feel a little sad.
Sighing she glanced down at the table, surprised to see a post it note sticking to the surface. It wasn't the fact that it was there thay surprised her, but the fact that she hadn't noticed it before
Picking it up, she stared at the barely legible words scribbled onto it.
Natasha.
Had to go. Family thing. Text me if you want.
Clint.
Beneath his name there was a phone number with a little smiley face next to it.
Huh. She'd expected a lot of things. A "fuck you" definitely. Maybe a "go to hell". But a "text me"? Not so much.
Pulling out her phone, she opened a new message and started typing.