study_in_scarlet | Dancing in the Dark (for farmboyhawk)

A very Italian sounding curse passed Clint's lips before he hid his face tightly on Natasha's neck, his whole body going taut like a bowstring. There were nights when he would be ready and waiting for her for hours, and then, just like that, she had him with that wicked tone in her voice and the perfect way to move around him, to touch him exactly in the right places in the right moment. No chance to hold back, that sudden heat in lower regions hit him like a freight train. He could just hold on to her tightly and put as much effort in the last of his movements as possible, holding her as close to his body as the position allowed.

He was proud, somehow, that he could hold back from biting down on her skin again, instead just kissed and licked the traces of salt away there while he panted and moaned against her, completely caught in an only slowly dying aftermath.

"Um... sorry..."

This time she would impossible miss that he was blushing.

She felt his whole body tighten up before he let go, throbbing and exploding inside of her. She continued to move, milking every thrill out of him, softly caressing his shoulder and his ass until she felt him slowly coming back down.

Leaning back to look at him, she moved her hands to either side of his reddened face and met his gaze straight on. “Don’t apologise,” she said, stealing a slow kiss. “That was so hot.”

Grinning at him, she continued to rotate her hips, still stimulating herself even as he began to soften inside of her. “I always go first,” she continued, and it was the truth. It was very rare that Clint didn’t make sure she had her needs fulfilled before he let himself go. “It’s nice to know I can still shake your control and win a round or two once in a while.”

"Easily", Clint murmured, still a little caught up, leaning into the touch of her hands with half closed eyes.

Her words were calming enough, and even more, feeling how hot that whole thing had made her, that she was in fact still pretty much turned on and there was no way in hell he would leave her unsatisfied. As wonderful as she felt around him, he tended to go oversensitive after coming and gently, carefully guided her away from him to be able to touch her better.

A wicked note added to his blissed out, exhausted grin, he brought his hands to her crossed legs, easily handling her body with the strength in his arms, and made it to spin her around, having her lie back against him now, with her gorgeous body all his for playing. His hand was back on her nipples immediately, continuing that game of tugging and kneading while the other came to rest between her legs.

In spite of having just exploded, another violent shudder of lust ran through him when he could feel how wet she still was, perfect, tempting slickness that had nothing to do with the cooling water.

He could also feel himself on her he ran his fingertips through her folds, teasing, circling her most sensitive spot, and that was hotter than it probably should be.

"Love to come inside you", he murmured into her ear. "Love it how you feel."

With his palm slowly, tightly rubbing over her clit, two of his fingers slipped back inside her to continue where he had stopped just a little earlier.

What she didn’t say was that she had the advantage of already being thoroughly satisfied before getting into the tub, while Clint had been half turned on himself at that point, but she didn’t really have to say it. He knew it, but of course that wouldn’t stop him from making sure she came again before they were finished.

Once again she let him move her however he wanted, though she did let out a light laugh when he suddenly turned her around in the water and pulled her back against his chest. He wasted no time once he had her in an easier position for his wandering hands, and her laugh turned quickly into a moan.

She didn’t try to answer, but she loved it too. From the very beginning it had been like that for them, from that very first time she had assured him they didn’t need protection. S.H.I.E.L.D. made sure all their agents were in peak physical condition so they knew they were both clean, and after what was done to her in the Red Room Natasha had no worries about ever getting pregnant again. The sex had been bare and natural from the beginning and she definitely preferred it that way.

She was still incredibly turned on, and it wasn’t going to take much for Clint to tip her over the edge, especially using those amazingly skilled hands of his. Arching her back and grinding her hips, she pressed herself into his touch, throwing her head back to rest on his shoulder.

"Just like that, beautiful. Let go."

Clint closed his lips lightly enough not to bruise around that certain spot under her ear when he fault her tense up and drew back his hand just long enough to add a third finger. Softly stretching her, circling, answering the thrusts of her hips until he was buried deep inside her and his curled fingertips hit that perfect spot inside of her.

Again he couldn't help but realize how very sensitive she reacted just to the smallest touch of her hardened nipples and made sure only to caress that tender area with the rough of his fingertips to not make it worse. He made a mental note to go easier on her next time they were entangled in a wilder game and instead sucked that little spot of her neck a little harder between his lips to distract her, while his fingers kept on working her slick tightness relentlessly.

She let out a moan, long and low, when he pushed three fingers inside of her, crooking them and thrusting until he hit just where she needed him. He picked up a rhythm, barely giving her chance to breathe, but his touch on her breasts remained gentle, though it was still enough to get a reaction. Maybe all the teasing he’d done through her clothes over the weekend had chafed and left them sensitive, she wasn’t sure, and right now she didn’t rightly care, not when he was making her feel so good.

Tilting her head so that he was at a better angle to that spot of skin he found so fascinating, she continued to writhe and ride his hand until he finally brought her off for the second time that day.

She was definitely going to need a hearty lunch after this to get her energy back up.

The water was getting too cold for comfort by the time, Natasha's breathing evened out, so Clint postponed any kind of cuddling to a later point.

He still went carefully, easy on her when he drew back his hand, waiting until she felt completely relaxed in his arms. A tender kiss onto her neck followed, and a short but tight hug, a very satisfied sigh rumbling in his chest, before he lazily reached for the tub plug with his toes and opened it.

Natasha still felt completely soft and exhausted against him, so kept her in his arms when he got up and angled for the next towel to wrap her into, soft, slow caresses rubbing her skin dry before she could start to freeze.

"You good?", he asked with a smile. "We can try the pasta in the freezer for lunch if you rather take it easy for the rest of the day."

She sagged back against him as she slowly came back down, her breathing slowly evening out. She wanted to stay there, safe and loved in his arms, but the water was growing cold and despite the heat outside she could already feel a chill running up her spine.

He lifted her up with him like she weighed nothing and she didn’t protest. Clint never made her feel weak, he knew better than anyone how strong and dangerous she was, but he liked to take care of her, and sometimes it was nice to be taken care of.

“Good is a bit of an understatement,” she said, grinning at him as he toweled her off. Taking the towel from his hands, she wrapped it around herself before stepping out onto the mat, beckoning for him to follow her. “We have plenty of time to relax, but today I think we should go to one of your favourite restaurants, maybe take a walk along the beach, and go to bed early to get our clocks reset. What do you think?”

"You always have the best plans, dear partner of mine."

At the mention of certain perfect restaurants all around the neighborhood, Clint's stomach started grumbling at once and he suddenly was very much in a hurry to get dressed. A trip to the beach also sounded pretty perfect, but the walk down to Naxos and especially the way back up could be long and as Natasha said... They could use a bit of early rest today.

Fortunately, he had a solution for that ready.

"I'll wait outside."

This time basecap and glasses were taken along since noon heat was about to kick in, only his phone stayed were it was when he left, in a hurry to see if his beloved little baby was ready for a first ride. The little extension on the back of the house couldn't even be called a garage but for something that was more scooter than motorcycle, it did well enough. After giving it a few minutes to recover, the engine went back to work obediently and Clint could roll the little dark green monster to the front door.

"I'm afraid, I don't have helmets", he remarked, apologetically. "No one here is really wearing them. I promise not to crash us."

Just the mention of food made his stomach growl, and he was out of the tub, toweled off and dressed in record time. “I’ll be a few minutes,” she said, amused as he practically ran from the house, leaving her alone to get ready. It could be just so he could more easily resist temptation and not distract her while she dressed, but she had the feeling he had something up his sleeve.

Dressing in a simple, powder-blue sundress, Natasha brushed out her hair, letting it fall in red waves to her shoulders. Applying a bit of light, neutral make-up, she strapped on her shoes and grabbed the small purse she had brought along. She hated carrying the things, but it was too warm for a jacket, and it probably helped to keep up appearances. Most normal women carried purses, right?

Slipping on a pair of sunglasses, she stepped out onto the front porch to find Clint waiting for her on a scooter. She had heard the sound of the engine coughing to life but had assumed it was a neighbour.

She tried to contain her smile.

“This is going to wreak havoc on my hair,” she said as she stepped down from the porch, locking the door behind her. To be honest, she was equal parts amused and excited. “You are full of surprises, Barton,” she said with complete and utter affection as she settled herself behind him on the bike.

"Just trying to blend in. The serpentines are a lot easier to come by on two wheels than on four."

Clint tried his best to sound casual and play it cool but... Natasha looked adorable. Simple, plain pretty and so much out of job, it nearly felt unreal. He couldn't help reaching back for a short caress of her knee when she was settled, shooting her a smile that was all affection.

"Hold on, signorina, we're going for a ride."

Before things could get too solemn, he quickly fled into another joke and started the bike before he could embarrass himself further.

His favorite place was still there, he had already seen that from the corner of his eye yesterday on their way up here, and not much had changed. Da Zio Turi still looked just on that side of shabby, with outside walls that could use fresh paint and half hidden behind an overgrown hedge, to keep the tourists away. But inside it was flawlessly clean and inviting. All wood and blue and white table clothes and curtains, with a perfectly working air conditioning and good old fashioned Italian country playing not too loudly in the background.

Also, Zio Turi made both the best pasta and homebrewn grog in Middle Europe and right now Clint felt as if he was starving. Sex with Natasha tended to do that to him.

There were few guests and the landlord personally welcomed them. Turi was fighting old age for a while now and didn't seem exactly sure where to place Clint's face, but his eyes were kind and honestly happy looking about meeting an old friend when they shook hands. They had hardly taken their place by the window when they were already presented with a big plate full of starters, dark bread and three different hearty spreads, all on the house.

Clint could already tell, this day wouldn't help that certain little tightness of his belt.

Wrapping her arms loosely around Clint’s waist, she returned the smile and would have placed a kiss on his back through his shirt if she hadn’t just put on lip gloss. She settled for just resting her forehead between his shoulder blades for a moment before they were off.

The ride was fun and somewhat leisurely, the scooter not powerful enough to hit any really high speeds. When they reached their destination, though, Natasha’s hair was still windblown and tangled, but she barely gave it a thought beyond just getting it out of her face. Vanity was something she never had time for.

The place was rustic on the outside, and fairly concealed so to be difficult to find for anyone not expressly looking for it, but on the inside it was bright and inviting. Once inside they were treated like old friends, and the soft smile that settled on her lips wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The owner himself pulled out Natasha’s chair, and they were barely seated when food was already arriving.

Looking across the table at Clint, it was clear from her expression that she was instantly enamoured with the place. She had never set foot in it before, but she already felt like she belonged here, like she had been coming here for years. It was not a feeling she was used to.

The look in Natasha's eyes once more had Clint's heart swell with relief. His hand shortly brushed hers before he went for a first slice of bread to get his stomach to shut up.

"Kick my ass out of bed for a run tomorrow", he sighed, ruefully, before starting on what would probably be the most hearty meal in months.

"Are you feeling better?"

He really tried hard not to coddle her, but all that stress of the last days seemed to have gotten to her a little.

“If you insist,” Natasha replied. Kicking Clint out of bed was certainly not top of her list of things to do, but as tempting as it was to lay around and be lazy for weeks she knew they had to keep in shape as well. It probably wouldn’t hurt her to get up and exercise a little herself, though she thought she might try something different, if only to give Clint a bit of time to himself to run on his own and enjoy this place at his own speed instead of feeling the need to be showing her around.

Selecting one of the dis to try, Natasha spread it over a piece of bread and chewed thoughtfully. It was sweet that he was concerned, but she hoped he didn’t let that put a stop to any fun he might have planned.

“Getting there,” she replied. “I think this is exactly what I needed.” After a full day of airplane and airport food, the fruit this morning, no matter how good, hadn’t quite cut it. The heavy bread and pasta would fill her and hopefully she would be back to rights by tomorrow.

"Well, wait until you see the main course."

Clint pushed that little hint of worry from his mind as good as possible. If something was really wrong, Natasha would tell him. And it had been a long travel.

Also, Italian air tended to make you hungry, so he wasted no time taking the leather clad menus from Turi when he came to take their order for drinks, and give Natasha hers. There were still not too many but carefully selected choices for both pizza and pasta available, but he already was pretty sure what this first exhausting day needed. No one mixed chicken and curry with the best noodles on the island like his old friend.

"The helpings are really big here", he warned Natasha, grinning. "So only go for the big plate if you feel up for it."

Natasha ordered a glass of wine before regarding her menu. It was thankfully small, but everything sounded amazing so it was still a difficult choice. At least she could easily narrow it down somewhat by discounting the pizza, feeling much more in a pasta mood.

“I think I can handle it,” she replied with the barest hint of a smile as she settled on a dish. “I just might have to skip supper tonight and just eat dessert instead.”

"I think we can manage that. Italy is also known for the best ice cream in the world."

Their meals came soon and as expected were more than enough. Especially Natasha's plate was really loaded, and Clint couldn't help but grin... You didn't get it out of a gigolo, no matter the age.

Thankfully they were provided with two shots of aniseed brandy afterwards - again on the house - to calm the stomach.

That was when Turi pulled himself a chair to their table to sit with them for a moment. First Clint didn't really understand when he saw the grainy, slightly blurry photo in the old man's hand that he had taken off the wall. Then he read the name of the displayed fishing boat as Flying Seahorse and a shudder of memory like a stiff sea breeze ran down his arms. On that picture, a younger, tired looking guy whom he somehow couldn't quite identify as himself, balanced on the rail and threw an equally younger looking Turi a small net of sea urchins. The old man's memory might be slowly going to sleep, but a photo-optical mind obviously wasn't tricked so easily.

"You know, the old lady is still in the harbor."

It took Clint a second to put the heavy Sicilian dialect into coherent words in his head, and he probably looked pretty silly when with the bill for the lunch came a weathered looking key.

"Take her for a ride if you like."

While Clint still fought his surprise, the old man turned to Natasha and his smile deepened.

"You're Russian, aren't you?"

The meal was more than filling, and it was all Natasha could do to finish hers, but after Clint’s teasing words she wasn’t about to leave even a morsel in her bowl. The brandy helped a little, though she was more than a little certain that she had overdone it and would regret it later.

Smiling warmly at Turi when he joined them at the table, she looked curiously at the picture before her eyes fixed on Clint’s face, carefully gauging his reaction. He looked a bit shaken, and clearly surprised, both by the photograph and the offer, so while he pulled himself together she was glad to engage Turi.

“Yes,” she answered, a little surprised herself. Her American accent was flawless, but apparently she still had some sort of tell that this old man could see. She thought about putting on a bit of an accent, but this trip was not about masks nor covering their tracks; they were here to relax and be themselves, and over the years the Russian accent was the one she actually had to put on, so complete was her transition when she worked to drop it. She went for the simple, honest explanation. “Though I left there many years ago.”

"Thought so. Guy always talked about the Russian girl."

Turi nodded at Clint with an amused smile, completely ignoring his heavy blush.

"That's the kind of man of woman keeps. Good man. Takes care of his family. Remember that."

After a quick, good-natured wink he left them alone with an awkward silence threatening to spread.

Clint suddenly was especially interested in relieving his wallet of the needed money and looking everywhere but not at the other side of the table.

Oh.

Taking another quick glance at the photograph, Natasha noted how much younger Clint appeared. The picture was clearly at least a few years old.

“I will,” she said to Turi, smiling warmly at him. “Thank you.”

Watching him walk away, she turned her eyes back to Clint to find him looking everywhere but at her, his cheeks holding a fairly distinctive red tinge. “And how many years ago was this?” she couldn’t resist asking. She wasn’t sure how to feel about the knowledge that even years ago he talked about her. It had to have been part of a cover, he couldn’t be honest about who he was, but he could have spoke about any woman, or none at all. Even years ago she had been on his mind more than perhaps a partner should.

Clint murmured something that could be interpreted as five years, his cheeks blushing even harder, and nervously scratched his head.

"Quite a time nearly completely off the grid", he murmured, nearly apologetically. "Endless nights on the ocean and all... Gets you thinking. I think I never missed you so bad."

Five years.

Natasha’s whole expression softened at the confession, and at the absolutely adorable way he was acting. He seemed to embarrassed and nervous, and she couldn’t resist reaching across the table and taking his hand.

“I remember that time,” she said. She remembered him being gone for so long, and she remembered being worried with no updates on his mission. Of course at the time she told herself it was because they made a great team and she didn’t want to lose her partner, and that he had become her best friend. She hadn’t let herself look any deeper.

“They wouldn’t give me any information as to your whereabouts, nor even the slightest detail of what your mission entailed.” If he was going to admit somewhat embarrassing things then it was only fair she reciprocate. “Though I may have hacked into the mainframe to retrieve whatever information they had stored in the system...”

Clint answered the touch of her hand gladly, soft caresses dancing over her narrow wrist, glad that she wasn't somehow annoyed or taken aback by his confession. At that time, being with her for more than an occasional night of passion had still been completely out of question, every word, every thought of more personal kind of feelings quickly shot off. Back then it would probably have made her very uncomfortable, knowing he was staring at the moon somewhere somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and think of her smile to not go crazy.

Her own explanation made it a little easier to think back of these days, and now his smile didn't look embarrassed anymore.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database was never safe from your hacking skills", he chuckled before pulling her hand close for a long tender kiss on her knuckles. "Wish I could have written to you at least. But maybe it's better I didn't. At that point... It would have made things worse between us. I guess I..."

He hesitated for another short moment, but really... Nothing she didn't know. And now these kind of words shouldn't hurt anymore.

"I always knew I loved you, but when you spend months alone on a boat, or in a foreign city... You really get to think about the things you don't have in life. I wouldn't have wanted to burden you with that."

She would have been uncomfortable at the time, and probably would have pushed him away had she known them, but it was also about the same time she was realising that no other man could truly satisfy her anymore. She hadn’t been ready then to accept that anyone could love her, love her and not one of the various personas she put across, and she definitely hadn’t been willing to look too hard at her own feelings. She had thought herself incapable of love, but oh how wrong she had been.

“I think they gave up trying to keep me out eventually,” she said, smiling at him when he kissed her hand.

Back then she would have preferred a lie to the truth he offered now. “At the time I wouldn’t have accepted it,” she admitted, though he clearly knew that anyway. He knew her, and that was how they had eventually gotten to this point. No matter what he felt for her, no matter how early on, he had never pushed her, never asked more from her than she was willing to give. Had he done so they never would have made it, but he let her realise everything in her own time, gave her time to fall in love with him, and more time to accept the fact before ever hinting toward it himself.

“Do you still do that?” she asked with no agenda, just honestly curious. “Think about what you don’t have?”

Edited 2014-03-22 12:19 (UTC)

"No time for that anymore. And well, the one thing that's been in my heart for so long, is sitting right here with me, so..."

He blushed a little again and fled into a few sips of water while he pondered about her question. They had gone such a long way, and he couldn't be any happier than with her finally truly wanting to be with him. In truth, it was probably better not to challenge his lazy Dame Fortune.

"Sure, there are times you look at the normal lives other people live and wonder what that would be like... But I just know I'd go half insane after two months without a real fight for the right thing. Guess you can't get that out of your blood if you're that type of person. As long as they don't put me in the dino museum, I'll do what I can in the field. That doesn't really leave many other options."

And really, what kind of options would there be? Nothing he could truly answer for to himself.

"And let's be honest here, I'd probably suck at having something like a family anyway. I mean, where I come from, they still hold on to that belief, that's the highest achievement a man can get. Build a house, plant a tree and all that crap. But I'd be much too afraid to end up a shitbag like my own old man to think in that direction."

Dancing in the Dark (for farmboyhawk)

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