It wasn't often that a mission ended early, without complication. No one was injured, there was no long debriefing. Everything had gone smoothly, and Fury gave the team the rest of the time off.

Clint knocked on your door and held up two tickets.

"What are those?"

He sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" as he swayed his hips side to side, and you laughed.

"Come in."

"You up for some baseball?"

"What happened to your mission?"

"All done. I'm free for a few days. Last time we talked you said you'd never been to a live game, so..."

He waved the tickets and you grabbed for them, but he pulled them away.

"Get dressed. Game starts in an hour."

You scanned the stadium in awe. It was so much bigger than it looked on television. The sun on your face, the smell of the popcorn, the grass... it was an experience all its own.

Clint led you to your seats, right behind the home team's dugout.

"These seats are amazing."

"Working for SHIELD has its perks."

Once seated, Clint crossed his ankle over his leg and threw his arm around your shoulders. You leaned into his casual embrace and munched on some popcorn.

The two of you cheered and booed along with the crowd as the game progressed. You both moved around, but Clint always found his way back to having his arm around you. It was a default position for you, a comforting connection between two best friends.

As the eighth inning ended, the kiss cam started again. The two of you laughed and awed at the couples on screen until the camera landed on you. Clint shook his head and slashed across his throat with his hand, and you laughed.

"Not dating," he said.

The camera moved on, but came back to you and Clint.

He shook his head again. "Not dating," he said louder.

"You know they can't hear you, right?"

"They apparently don't understand a head shake, either."

When the camera didn't move on, Clint sighed and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek. The crowd around you clapped, and the camera moved on, but was soon on you and Clint again. He let out a low growl.

"Oh, son-of-a-bi—"

Clint grabbed your face in both hands. His last word still clung to his lips as they met yours, leaving his mouth open just a little. You laughed as the crowd around you cheered, but then there was a shift. Clint's lips pulled away just a bit before pressing more firmly, and his thumb brushed your cheek. The sounds of the crowd faded as you kissed him back, pressing a hand to his chest and sliding it up to his neck.

Clint pulled away just enough to break the kiss and look into your eyes. You could almost see the wheels in his head turning. He leaned back in his seat and put his arm around you again. As you settled against him he kissed your temple and whispered.

"We'll talk later."

You could only nod.

Your mind kept drifting back to the kiss for the rest of the game. You'd never looked at Clint as more than a friend. Obviously he was attractive, sexy even, but he was Clint.

But that kiss. Something changed. When you looked into his eyes after that kiss you saw more than a friend. He was suddenly more than Clint, the goofy, sarcastic buddy that never let you down. He was Clint, the man you wanted to kiss you again.

But he went back to watching the game.

You were thankful you'd taken his motorcycle to the stadium. There wouldn't be any awkward silence on the ride home.

The awkward silence came as he followed you up to your apartment. You let him inside and went about putting away your things before he finally spoke.

"Why haven't we done that before?"

You shrugged. "You've never shown up on my doorstep with tickets before."

"Not the damn ballgame."

You glanced at him before looking back at the floor. He was standing there with his baseball cap in his hands, fiddling with the edges.

"The kiss, Y/N." He took a step closer to you. "Why haven't we done that before?"

"Because friends don't kiss that way."

Clint nodded. "No, I guess they don't."

He tossed his hat onto the coffee table and grabbed your wrist, then he pulled you against his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Ending our friendship."

Clint moved in slowly as he spoke, giving you time to stop him if you wanted to, but you didn't want to stop him. His eyes searched yours until your lips met, then you melted into him. You wrapped your hands around his neck, pulling him closer, and he sighed into your mouth.

He cupped your face in his hands, deepening the kiss before he wrapped you in his arms.

"We're stupid," you whispered against his lips.

"Idiots."

He backed you toward the sofa and lay you down, his hips settling between your legs in a way that made you moan.

"Shit," he breathed out as he buried his face in your neck. "That sound."

You kissed his neck and shoulder until he pulled back and stared down at you.

"Let's slow down," he whispered.

"What?"

"Our entire relationship changed with that kiss. Let's not jump in head first."

"Second thoughts?"

He cupped your face with one hand and brushed his thumb over your cheek.

"Sweetheart, every part of me is screaming to keep going." He pressed a soft kiss to your lips. "But I don't want to wreck what we already have."

"Me either."

"I love you too much to mess this up."

You could only grin, your cheeks burning.

Clint chuckled. "Are you blushing?"

"It's stupid."

"Tell me."

You hesitated.

"Tell me, or I'll find that ticklish spot on your side and—"

"Ok! Ok." You still hesitated.

"Well?"

"You told me you love me."

"I've told you that a bunch of times."

You covered your face. "I know. It's just—"

Clint pulled your hands away. "What?"

"It felt different."

"Maybe it was."

You ran the tips of your fingers over his lips.

"I love you, too."

You barely had time to move your fingers from his lips before he kissed you. His hand rested on your hip, squeezing just enough to pull a whimper from you.

"I never thought we'd be doing this."

Clint ran his nose along yours. "It feels like the most natural thing in the world."

"It really does."

He shook his head. "Absolute idiots. The both of us."

You laughed, and Clint sat up, pulling you with him.

"Have dinner with me tonight."

"Weren't we doing that anyway?"

"Yeah, but that was dinner with best-friend-Clint. You've never had dinner with boyfriend-Clint."

"Boyfriend?"

"Too soon?"

"Not at all." You smiled, and Clint actually blushed. "Ok, boyfriend-Clint. It's a date."