New York City, Thursday

[so_hawkward]

Rooftop potlucks were a typical event at Clint's apartment building, so he hadn't been terribly surprised that Thanksgiving was treated as a more special version of that. There weren't many residents who had family around to visit, or to invite over, but that at least meant they were spending the holiday around people they actually liked. It also meant Kitty was getting a lot of fascinated attention, which Clint was trying not to notice or worry about. Besides, he had bigger things to worry about, like the fact that Grills had somehow acquired a deep fryer for the turkey, and was poking away at it.

"Are you sure those things are allowed here?" he asked for possibly the third time. Or fifth.

"I told you, it's totally safe up here. And besides, the cops have better things to do on Thanksgiving than come up here, and they certainly ain't gonna arrest you, right Hawkguy?"

Clint... wasn't entirely sure about that, to be honest. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, awkwardly ducking away to look for Kitty. Someday, that answer would get old, but he was pretty sure it was still okay now.

[For Kitty! NFB and all that jazz.]

Comments

[throughaphase]

Kitty was having a great time so far meeting all the neighbors and maybe trying to get any good stories about Clint, which was why her smile was totally innocent really when she saw him. "So your friends are great," she decided.

[so_hawkward]

"My friends are going to burn our building down," Clint said. "But they're being nice to you, right? Not bugging you too much or anything?"

[throughaphase]

"Nope, they've been awesome," she assured him. "Somehow friendlier than I thought they'd be, actually."

[so_hawkward]

"It's okay, it's always a surprise when New Yorkers are nice, I know," Clint said. "Also, anything they say about me is a lie." That covered his bases nicely, Clint thought.

[throughaphase]

"What if they say you're really awesome and the best landlord they ever had?" she challenged.

[so_hawkward]

"Barney's probably a better landlord than me," Clint said, "which reminds me, we need to get him to come out of the apartment. He's gonna insist he shouldn't come up because he didn't cook anything and we can't let him."

[throughaphase]

"I brought enough for both of us, so his argument's invalidated," Kitty decided. "Does he do this a lot?"

[so_hawkward]

"I don't know. He didn't use to?" Clint said uncertainly. "He likes being around people, or at least he always has. But I'm also still figuring out what he's like after not seeing him for a while. I think maybe everyone being friendly weirds him out."

[throughaphase]

"Ah. Well, at least on Thanksgivukkah it's kind of supposed to be that way," she tried.

[so_hawkward]

"True. Is that what we're calling it?" Clint asked with a smirk.

[throughaphase]

"I'm pretty sure that's its official name. There's a Wiki page on it." No seriously, there was a Wiki page on it. "Figured it out while doing recipe searches."

[so_hawkward]

*googles* Dear Wikipedia: OMG

"You know you didn't have to make so much food, right? I mean, I know I'm going to appreciate it and everyone else will too but... it was really nice of you," Clint said. "And anything you want to do for Hanukkah tonight, I'm totally game for. If that's not religiously offensive or anything."

[throughaphase]

"I know. I maybe overdid but I was kind of excited at how I wasn't making food poisoning." Also she wanted to impress people, shh. "And that's not offensive. This is one of our fun holidays, so I figure the overlap in Thanksgiving means the plan for later might be 'food coma.'"

[so_hawkward]

"Food coma plus cuddling with Lucky?" And him, but Clint wasn't going to include himself out loud. "That does sound kind of festive."

[throughaphase]

"I love that plan. I don't suppose you do the Christmas tree or anything on Thanksgiving, huh?" She was going to guess no, but she'd check.

[so_hawkward]

"No. I, uh, don't usually have much of a Christmas tree." Would she be surprised? Probably not.

[throughaphase]

Nope, so not surprised. "Why not?"

[so_hawkward]

Clint shrugged. "Lots of reasons. I'm not super religious, I haven't always had a steady place to stay at the holidays, it's a lot of work to keep a tree alive and all that... it's just never been a big deal."

[throughaphase]

"It's not really a religious thing, you have a steady place now and trees come fake and pre-lit these days," she pointed out. It wasn't really her holiday so she didn't really care, but still.

[so_hawkward]

Clint ducked his head a little, looking embarrassed. "Yeah, I know. One of those pre-lit ones might be nice. I was more thinking about lights for the place, in Fandom. 'Cause a tree would just be for me and Natasha, but lights would be... you know, normal. Is that weird?" He really shouldn't have had to ask someone else for verification of proper celebrating - especially someone who didn't even really celebrate the holiday - but that was Clint's life.

[throughaphase]

"Nope. Lights are pretty. That's why they're going to be all over my bar," she said. "Go for it. You might as well do something to celebrate if you'll be around for the holiday."

[so_hawkward]

"I don't know what I'm doing next week, let alone next holiday. But I might be around," Clint said, smiling a little. "Really, it depends on what you're doing, I think."

[throughaphase]

"Well, if you give me that kind of power I'm gonna say right off that I'm spending it with you," Kitty smiled. "Otherwise I hadn't thought about it."

[so_hawkward]

"Then let's say I'm going to spend it with you, and we can figure out the rest later?" Clint suggested.

[throughaphase]

"Sure. Does this mean I get to book you for New Year's, too?" she checked.

[so_hawkward]

"I don't see why not. Especially New Year's Eve. Any holiday that involves kissing, I'm laying claim to right now," Clint said.

[throughaphase]

"So that means Valentine's Day, too," Kitty told him. "...We need more kissing holidays."

[so_hawkward]

"Birthdays count too," Clint said with a grin. "And there could be Christmas kissing or something."

[throughaphase]

"Ooh, mistletoe. We can keep that up from now until like, January, I think," she said with a smile.

[so_hawkward]

"See, you're so smart," Clint said, leaning over to give Kitty a kiss on the cheek.

From over by the fryer, that got a "Woo!" from Grills.

"Okay, we can't come here anymore," Clint said.

[throughaphase]

Kitty laughed and gave Grills a wave, slipping her arm around Clint's waist. "They're just having fun. We can come back as much as you want and they'll be so used to it that they won't say a word."

[so_hawkward]

"They're going to talk about us, and it's going to be weird," Clint said. "I'm not a center of attention type of guy."

[throughaphase]

"And what are they going to say?" she asked. It was possible she was entirely used to her friends taking too much of an interest in her love life.

[so_hawkward]

"That they don't know how you put up with me. Same thing everyone else says," Clint replied with a laugh.

[throughaphase]

"Oh, is everyone saying that?" Kitty laughed.

[so_hawkward]

"That's what Barney says. And Tony, even though he hasn't met you. And I think the bike messenger is hoping you'll switch teams," Clint said.

[throughaphase]

"Well I do like her hair," Kitty admitted. "Anyone who says that just doesn't see you like I do. Naked."

[so_hawkward]

"I have had a nicely low number of accidental naked incidents here," Clint said, at least partly joking.

[throughaphase]

"Aww, does that mean I won't see any?" Kitty teased.

[so_hawkward]

"You'll get some non-accidental nudity if you play your cards right," Clint said, complete with an eyebrow waggle.

[throughaphase]

"Ooh. And today I'm thankful for a boyfriend who'll take his clothes off..." She was even good and didn't say it too loud so anyone would talk.

[so_hawkward]

"I'm very thankful for you," Clint said quietly in return. "And not just because of the number of times you've saved my dumb ass in recent months."

[throughaphase]

"I'm thankful for you, too. Nakedness aside," Kitty said, more seriously. "I can't really picture things without you anymore."

[so_hawkward]

"You know, that gets a little less terrifying every time you say it." Clint smiled at Kitty, but he wasn't really kidding. "And I feel the same way."

[throughaphase]

"Does that mean I should say it more?" She was only half-teasing, too. "I wouldn't want it to stay terrifying."

[so_hawkward]

"I think you could say it as much as you want," Clint said awkwardly. "You don't have to say it for me, say it because you mean it."

[throughaphase]

"Sweetheart, I'm always gonna mean it," she assured him. "I think I tone it down to not make it weird, maybe."

[so_hawkward]

"I appreciate that," Clint said sincerely. "But I also don't want you to like, guard what you say with me. I know I don't always respond in kind, but I can try."

[throughaphase]

"I don't always need you to say it back," Kitty told him. "I can tell how you feel. As long as you tell me if I'm like, smothering you or whatever."

Because Kitty was a huge smotherer, of course.

[so_hawkward]

"As long as you don't try smothering me with a pillow, I think we'll be fine," Clint said. "Experience tells me that's not so much fun."

[throughaphase]

"...Please tell me no exes have ever tried to smother you with pillows," Kitty said.

[so_hawkward]

Clint thought about that for a moment. "Does someone I slept with who I probably shouldn't have slept with count as an ex? 'Cause if not, then no."

[throughaphase]

"Not an ex, no. Why was there attempted smothering?" Note that she didn't assume he did something to earn that.

[so_hawkward]

"Um, she might have been an international criminal," Clint said, giving Kitty his most adorable look. "There was some bad intel, I thought the mark was a guy and... yeah."

[throughaphase]

Luckily Kitty didn't really care about the girls that came before her, but sigh, Clint. "See, this is why it's a good thing you found me. This sort of thing only happened once, right?"

[so_hawkward]

Clint had to think about it for a moment, but he finally nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't a regular thing, thankfully. You've definitely raised the average standards of women I've been with."

[throughaphase]

"I'd say so, if you had to think about that," Kitty teased. Well, half-teased.

[so_hawkward]

"I kind of have a weakness for pretty women?" You know, in case Kitty hadn't noticed. "And unfortunately, my line of work doesn't always put me around the best women. Now I don't have to worry about that."

[throughaphase]

"So if your line of work put you around a not-so-great woman..." She totally trusted him, she just wanted to know what he'd say.

[so_hawkward]

"Nothing would happen now," Clint said, because even he knew there was no other right answer but that. "I'm not gonna wreck this if I can help it."

[throughaphase]

"Good," Kitty said, ducking in to kiss him lightly. Deal with it, neighbors. "But if you wake up with my name on you one morning, this story is why."

She was probably kidding? It'd probably be in Sharpie anyway.