By the time Friday came, all of your furniture had been delivered and set up. You were even mostly unpacked, though that wasn't much of a feat considering most of your belongings were art supplies. You'd even found time to pick up the books and supplies you'd need for the semester. And, as you predicted, Clint gave you entirely too much money.

It was midafternoon when someone buzzed to be let in. "Yeah."

"It's me," came Wanda's chipper voice.

You grinned and let her in. You already had the front door open before she arrived, arms heavy with bags and packages. "Holy crap, Wanda. Are you moving in or what?" you joked as you unburdened her of some of the load.

"I come bearing gifts," she announced as she dropped the rest of the things on your sofa. "And to help you get ready for your date."

Your face heated. "It's not a date."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Then I'm here to help you get ready for your not date."

You sat the things in your hands on the table and shut and locked the front door. "Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but you aren't exactly what I was expecting when Clint said he would send me a dress."

"I volunteered so I could help with your hair and makeup. Besides, I'm having fun tormenting him. He keeps waiting for me to yell at him for dating you. The more accepting and nicer I am about things, the more paranoid he gets. It's amazing."

You couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm still not trusting it entirely myself."

"I have my reasons, thank you. Now, look at the dress." She thrust a box in your direction.

After taking it from her, you sat it on the counter in the kitchen to open it. You tossed the lid to the side and peeled back the tissue paper to reveal a stunning royal blue dress. When you pulled it out to hold it up, you were surprised at the weight though that was undoubtedly due to the beads on the bodice. It certainly wasn't from the light, airy fabric that made up the layered skirt. "It's beautiful."

Wanda nodded. "And there are matching shoes and a clutch. There's even jewelry around here somewhere." She glanced around at the boxes.

You frowned and tucked the dress back into the box. "This is a lot."

She tilted her head and looked you over. "If it makes you feel any better, he probably had the personal shopper at the store pick out everything. That's what he usually does."

It did make you feel better, but also a little disappointed. You sighed. What the hell was wrong with you? "I'll order pizza. You want the usual?"

She nodded and began hauling everything back to your bedroom.

***

Clint glanced at the time and tapped his fingers on his desk before checking his phone for the third time in ten minutes. He had expected to hear from you after the dress and things were delivered. He was worried you wouldn't like it. He hadn't given you enough time to find something else if you didn't.

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He shouldn't even be caring. Normally, he wouldn't. Of course, he also normally didn't tell the shopper what color of dress he wanted or take the time to pick out the jewels himself. He'd only done it because he didn't want Wanda thinking he didn't care about you. She'd seemed pleased so maybe it worked.

Or maybe she was just waiting until his guard was down to tell him he was a dirty old man for lusting after her best friend. It was a conversation he tried to have with himself more than once, but it wasn't working. The chemistry between the two of you was too intense for him to care. He shifted in his seat as he remembered the last time he'd seen you. Work had kept him busy the last couple of days, though the two of you had still managed to text often.

Finally unable to take the suspense any longer, he sent you a text. Does everything meet expectations?

You responded almost immediately. It's Wanda. I took her phone. She kept wanting to send you pictures.

He chuckled. And?

No pictures. She says everything is lovely and thank you.

That didn't sound like you at all. He pursed his lips and wondered what his daughter was up to. Really?

No she says you spent too much. Must go.

Now, that sounded like you. His mouth twisted into a smirk as he imagined how flustered you'd been when you saw everything he'd sent. A glance at the clock had him wondering if you'd even seen the jewelry yet. Knowing Wanda, she'd keep it tucked away until you were ready to walk out the door.

***

"Well," you asked as you spun for Wanda to take in the entire ensemble. She had managed to make your hair look like you'd spent tons at a salon and made your makeup look dramatic but subtle at the same time. She had a far more deft hand than you'd ever had.

She beamed and you couldn't help but smile in return. "One more thing." When she came over, she had a velvet box in her hands. She flipped it open and you gasped.

"Those aren't real." It wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact. Because if they were real, there was absolutely no way you could wear them. Not only would it mean Clint had spent entirely too much money on you, but you would need an armed guard to make you feel comfortable in public.

Wanda frowned at them then looked back to you. "They aren't? Because I'm fairly certain they are."

You shook your head and took a step back.

"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped and you immediately stopped moving. Wanda could be scary when she wanted to be. She handed you the box and your hands trembled as you took it from her. "Now, put them on or I will put them on for you."

You took a deep breath and gave her a nod of compliance. The necklace was an intricate design of diamonds and sapphires. The clear stones formed a vine of leaves that wrapped around your neck dotted with sapphire flowers. The earrings were simple sapphire teardrops. You looked at yourself in the mirror after you'd put them on and your fingers ran across the necklace. It was far more delicate than it had any right to be considering the amount of stones it contained. It was stunning.

That anyone thought you worthy of such a thing had tears coming to your eyes.

"No, no, no," Wanda scolded behind you. "You will ruin your face."

You laughed and wiped away the moisture before it could destroy her hard work. Just as you finished, there was a buzz. Your ride had arrived. Wanda buzzed back and let them know you would be right down.

"Come," she said as she handed you the clutch that contained only your phone, keys and lipstick. After one last look in the mirror, you followed her out. You took the elevator, not caring to risk your neck by taking the stairs in your heels.

Wanda gave you a hug before heading to her car. Your gaze trailed her until she was safely inside and you turned to the car that was waiting for you. Scott grinned at you when you met his gaze. "You look great."

"Thank you." A glance inside the car showed it to be empty. "Where's Clint?"

"He'll meet you at the venue. One of the company drivers is taking him. He had some work to finish up."

You nodded and slid into the car, Scott helping you make sure all of your dress was tucked inside with you. A little lump of disappointment settled in the middle of your chest and you did your best to brush it aside. That's not what this was. You knew that. It was a business arrangement. It was a mantra you needed to learn to repeat often.

You scrolled through your phone, reading over the texts between Wanda and Clint. You smiled then started typing one of your own.

***

Clint ran his hands down the front of his tux making sure everything was in place then straightened his bowtie. He had intended to meet you at your door, but a last minute contract issue had come across his desk that couldn't wait until Monday. He preferred not to work weekends if it could be avoided.

A knock sounded on his door. "Yeah."

It swung open to reveal Natasha. She smirked as she looked him over. "Looking sharp as always, Clint."

He rolled his eyes. "Tell me again why I let you out of this event?"

"Because I send the RSVPs and I didn't want to go. Besides, you've got your new girlfriend to accompany you. You'll be fine." Nat used to love to go to things with him. The two of them would hole up somewhere in a corner together and laugh away the night. Lately she'd been attending fewer and fewer.

He blamed Bucky. They'd known each other for years but had only recently started dating. Bucky didn't do well around people he didn't know and she was perfectly happy to just stay home with him. As long as she was happy, Clint tried not to complain.

"I actually have a purpose here besides ogling you in your tux. Did you rework the Johnson contract?"

He scowled. Johnson was a long time client who wanted to renegotiate his normal contract at the last minute. He had even threatened to take his business elsewhere if Hawkeye didn't comply. Where he thought he was going to get merchandise of a comparable quality at the prices they offered, Clint had no idea. "It's done and sent. I didn't give him anything he wanted though I did compromise a bit. He either signs it or he doesn't. I don't like bullies."

Nat nodded. "Perfect. That's all I needed. Have a nice time on your date," she said with a smirk and a little wave.

He wasn't even going to bother to take the time to correct her. She only said shit like that to get under his skin. As he walked out of his office, his phone buzzed to let him know he had a text. He pulled it out and smiled when he saw it was from you. This really is too much.

He chuckled as he stepped onto the elevator. You're welcome, he sent back.

Thank you, Clint.

He could almost feel your eyeroll through the screen. A glance at the time told him that you were already on your way to the venue. He didn't like that you were going to have to mingle on your own for a bit, but he certainly wasn't going to make you wait for him before you went in. He typed out a quick text letting you know he had gotten caught up and not to wait for him.

K

Your one letter response didn't do much to convince him you would be fine until he got there. Rather than relaying all his fears to you, he slid his phone back into his pocket. He tapped his fingers on his thighs in an effort to keep from pulling it back out. This was fine. You'd be fine. You were too smart to say something you shouldn't just because he wasn't around. He'd also seen you shoot down more than one asshole that came on too strong so he knew you could take care of yourself.

It was almost forty-five minutes later before he arrived and a good half hour since Scott had let him know you'd been dropped off safely. Damn it. He straightened his jacket after he climbed out of the back then hurried up the stairs. Once he was inside, his eyes immediately scanned the crowd searching for you. It didn't take long for his attention to be caught by the vibrant blue of your dress.

His heart sped and he swallowed past the lump in his throat. You were talking to some people he vaguely recognized, your head tilted back as you laughed. God, you looked amazing. He ran his eyes over you again, taking in every inch of exposed skin. The jewels he'd bought you sparkled in the light but they didn't even come close to holding his attention the way that you did.

He ran his tongue across his bottom lip as he took the opportunity to just watch you for another moment or two.

"I see you've spotted her as well," came a voice from beside him, interrupting him from his litany of impure thoughts.

He glanced over to find Tony Stark standing beside him, offering him a glass of something. Clint took it and turned back to his previous view. He made a sound of agreement but didn't offer anything more where you were concerned. He sipped at his drink, enjoying the burn that distracted him from some of his more scandalous lines of thought.

"I don't think I've seen her around before and I certainly would have made note of her," Tony continued.

Clint clenched his teeth together briefly. He darted his gaze quickly to the man beside him before focusing on you once more. "What about Pepper?"

Tony shrugged. "What about her? Just because I'm married doesn't mean I'm dead. I can still look and appreciate you know. And that one is stunning."

Clint placed his now empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter and fixed his coat once more. "That she is. She's also mine." He headed in your direction without registering Tony's reaction to his announcement.

When he reached you, he placed one hand on your hip and pulled you against his side. You were even more beautiful up close. He leaned down to whisper in your ear. "You are breathtaking."

You glanced over at him, a radiant smile on your face. "You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Barton."