study_in_scarlet | Dancing in the Dark (for farmboyhawk)

Clint was kind of used to finishing Natasha's food, she just naturally ate a little less than him. Especially in their spare time when they didn't have to store nutrients like a camel, like before or on a mission. At least she had something to get her going through the day now, and his own stomach sure didn't mind having another bite.

He had just finished the last of it when Natasha joined him in the conversation with the dealer. She definitely surprised him with that smile of hers after she had been so upset on the subject just a few minutes before. His first assumption apparently had been right: that little black devil had bewitched them both. He still thought, this could be a good thing if done right, though. He would be very mindful of not letting that little creature too much into their life, so the good-bye in the end wouldn't be that hurtful. This was only about coddling the little on up until it could be on its own. Definitely. Nothing else.

Somehow he still had a silly grin plastered on his face when he paid for that damn basket and the two solid metal bowls the dealer sneakily slipped inside before he could protest. Oh well. At least he'd get his peanut bowl back now.

"Was just thinking", he murmured, fighting hard to actively keep his cheeks from blushing. "We can take her for a ride to the vet in the next days. Clean her up a little and all. She'll be healthier without parasites. Oh well. She'll probably scratch my wrists open if I try to put her in there."

"Just leave some goodies and her favorite blanket in there, then she'll go in all by herself", the seller advised him immediately, obviously still hoping for a big deal. "There's special treats especially for young cats, she'll just love it. I have very good relationships with a pet store in Catania. Just give me a list and I'll have it for you in no time..."

"Very thoughtful of you, but she's not our cat..."

Clint threw Natasha a look between amusement and desperation.

The way Clint smiled made it clear that she had made the right choice. She couldn’t be selfish here, not with him, and while in the beginning he may have started this to make her happy, now it was just as about making him happy as well.

Paying for her books while he took care of the basket, she felt her heart clench a little to hear Clint talk. He was the most considerate, caring man she had ever known, and while he didn’t so easily show that side to others, it was hard to understand how anyone could think poorly of him.

She was going to answer, but before she could the vendor spoke up, clearly still listening in in hopes of suckering them out of more money. Meeting Clint’s eyes she gave him a wink.

“I’m sure we’ll have no troubles with her. I can be very persuasive,” she said to the man, offering the type of smile that made men weak in the knees. “But thank you so much for all of your help.”

Clint knew that type of smile on Natasha's face of course, he had seen her use it in harmless and less harmless situations thousands of times. It was pretty, no doubt - though personally he preferred the other, the private one she showed on much rarer occasions - and it didn't fail them today either. Instead of trying to sell them more stuff, the guy swamped Natasha with compliments, on her exotic hair color, her fair skin, her dress, until Clint was close to throw something blunt at the guy's head.

When they finally turned to leave - really, there was no other way to shut the guy up - he stopped them with a short gesture of his hand and rummaged in a basket full of trumpery under his table. Just a moment later, a glittering colorful ball rolled over the table in Natasha's direction, making a quiet jingling noise like from a bell inside as it did.

"Take it, it's yours. She'll love to play with it."

The guy grinned so widely that all of his rather dark and unhealthy teeth were revealed. It was a nice smile, friendly, a little mischievous but all the way good at heart, just the way Clint remembered the spirit of these folks. In some parts of the world, life really hadn't changed at all.

He made sure to return the smile and add a sincere thanks before they finally left the stand behind to get all their goods home. By now the sun was pretty high in the sky, and a day full of lying around and a few good long swims sounded better by the second.

She had only been trying to get them off the hook, but apparently the vendor’s enthusiasm wasn’t limited to trying to sell things as he showered her with compliments just the same. Glancing over at Clint, Natasha gave him a ‘whoops’ expression as she graciously accepted all the praise.

In the end they had to make excuses and actually start walking away, but even then the man stopped them, ducking down behind his table before they could wave him off and continue on their way. On instinct Natasha reached out to catch the ball when he rolled it toward her. Holding it up she jingled it a little before looking at Clint and then the vendor, and when he told her it was free she actually smiled a little more genuinely.

“Thank you, that’s very sweet. We really appreciate it,” she said, clutching the ball in her hand.

When her and Clint finally got away, she tucked the ball into her bag along with all her other purchases. They spent the trip back in companionable silence, and when Natasha parked out front they shared the load, carrying the various items inside. “Why don’t you get changed while I start putting the food away?” she suggested.

"You might have to do a little Tetris in the fridge and freezer."

Clint smiled apologetically at the not exactly small bags with perishable stuff. Somehow it looked like he had more bought stuff for three than two persons. He decided, that could totally be blamed on the heat.

Speaking of it, it was getting definitely too hot in here, so for once he didn't put up much of a show in redressing. The promise of the beach waiting was too inviting. Maybe he did conveniently forget for a moment that he wasn't wearing anything under his pants when he dropped them and leaned over the the dresser to search for a pair of bathing trunks. But really, it wasn't like Natasha hadn't teased him back at the beach, so it was all fair...

Natasha started by just unpacking the bags and setting the contents out on the counter. It seemed that on his way back to the car the first time Clint had picked up a little more than she had expected. They would definitely have to make use of the freezer if they didn’t want some of the fresh food to go bad.

“Were you planning on company, or simply on hibernating inside for the next few weeks?” she teased, glancing through to the living room where he was changing. He wasn’t taking his time like he had at the beach, but he certainly giving her a good view, choosing to undress first and decide what to wear second. Natasha paused in her unpacking to enjoy the show. It was pretty much impossible not to stare for the moment; she still maintained he had the best ass at S.H.I.E.L.D., very firm and what she liked to call ‘biteable’.

"Just wait until I start cooking for you. You'll eat so much, we'll run out of stuff in no time."

Clint called back over his shoulder without straightening up, a smug grin playing on the corner of his mouth when he caught Natasha staring. After another second of searching through the mess of his clothes, he finally came up with something greyish-black and considerably tight. Just as well suited for swimming as possibly pleasing his partner's eyes. He wriggled his way inside gracefully and went for pants also a little shorter and lighter, fitting the temperatures.

The book he had found on the couch yesterday and a bottle of sun lotion wrapped into a big towel... He was pretty much set. There were plenty of beverage stands and shops opened all the along the beach alleys, so they didn't need to bring their own.

That grin was still plastered on his face when he joined Natasha to help her with the last of grocery Tetris. Which of course demanded brushing her body with his more than once while they were busy with the fridge. Well, maybe Natasha was a little more busy with it, and he was more busy with his lips on her shoulder, but no one was to say, he wasn't helping.

She had been caught staring but she didn’t shy away. If he was going to put himself on display like that then it would be a shame not to give in and look, especially since it was so clearly for her benefit. Eventually she did tear her eyes away, though, so she could start packing the food into the fridge, figuring the sooner they got that done then the sooner they could get to the beach.

“If you can cook so well, then why do we order takeout so much when we’re home?” she asked, as if she didn’t believe him.

When Clint joined her to help it should have made the task go quicker, but he was much more interested in getting a taste of her skin before it got covered in sunscreen again. A few times she at least pretended to try to swat him away, but she could feel her skin tingling under his touch and their bath yesterday seemed like ages ago.

“You’re letting all the cold out,” she said as she finally managed to stuff the last item into the fridge. Clint had crowded in behind her so she couldn’t get the door shut, and it was a strange sensation with his body so warm against her back and the chill air from the fridge cooling her front.

"Because I'm a lazy shit and suck at making pizza."

The soft shivers on Natasha's shoulders betrayed her half-hearted protests so Clint ignored them, keeping up his little kisses and bites until she was done with the work and he could wrap his arms around her, pulling her back against him.

"Don't worry. Won't let you get cold", he murmured into her ear.

He honestly meant to just tease her a little, but feeling her body pressed against his like that, could never leave him completely unaffected. Especially now that he paid a little closer attention than before and felt confirmed what his eyes had caught in the morning, that she indeed felt a little softer and fuller in one or the other spot. And he certainly didn't mind... At least once he had to allow his hand to wander upwards, fingertips teasing he undersides of her breasts before he softly cupped one of them, squeezing gently.

Maybe he wasn't doing such a good job with that warming up, because he could swear, her nipples peaked out playfully through the fabric of her clothes... Worried partner that he was, of course he couldn't let that happen and carefully maneuvered her away from the fridge. Just enough to close it before he spun her around his arms and lifted her onto the counter easily to lean in for a passionate kiss.

"Sorry... Had to do that before we go."

When she had finished her task Clint let his hands roam a little more earnestly, and Natasha couldn’t help but let out a little sound when he gently squeezed one of her breasts. Her nipples were hard from the cold fridge air and they felt overly sensitive to his touch.

She practically giggled when he walked them backwards a few steps so he could shut the door. Barely a blink of an eye later she was sitting on the counter, her legs around his waist and his arms holding her close while he kissed her. It felt like breathing, like surfacing from the water and taking that first sweet gasp of air after being deprived of it for too long.

“Keep that up and we’ll never make it to the beach,” she said, continuing to hold him close and catching her breath against his lips. Part of her was certainly tempted to throw the idea out the window and have her way with him right then and there, but the sand and surf was calling, and putting it off a few more hours would only heighten the desire, right? Still, she was feeling a little clingy and it was awfully hard to let him go.

"Just trying to get you warmed up. Wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

The innocent look in Clint's eyes matched his words perfectly and he kept them on Natasha's face when he lowered his head to her chest and softly sucked on the peaks of hardened skin, pressing through her bikini and dress. His hands stayed on her waist in a weak attempt of not taking things too far, but damn... It was hard with her soft luscious curves pressed enticingly against his cheek and the quiet noises she was making.

There was a faint hint of salt water still radiating off her, increasing his yearning for taking this down to the beach. The picture of her body wrapped around his in warm water, waves playing around them, entered his mind, and it was definitely something he wanted to do, and soon... Still it was hard to let go off her just yet. Especially when her legs around his waist indicated, she wasn't that much in a hurry herself.

"You're just driving me too goddamn crazy", he murmured, making his way back up to cover her neck and shoulder with kisses again.

“So considerate,” Natasha replied, not believing that look for one second, no matter how well he pulled it off. Of course the fact that it was getting hotter by the minute outside kind of hurt his story a little as well. It was getting hotter by the minute inside too, though, and while Natasha kept her legs firmly around him she moved her hands to the counter behind her so she could lean back a little, giving him better access. Her nipples remained hard, but now it had nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with that sinful mouth of his, expertly working her even through her clothes.

“Although...” she breathed between quiet noises somewhere between whimpers and moans. “You know another way to get warmed up?” It was going to be hard to tear herself away from him, but they were already much later than she had planned. “Go to the beach.”

Winding her arms around him again when his lips moved back up to her neck, Natasha breathed out a content sigh, a smile curving her lips at his words. “I don’t suppose you know of any more private stretches of beach nearby...?”

"Not around here, no. But if I get the old lady in the harbor to work, I can drive us to a small island near."

That perspective suddenly made dealing with all the memories that boat brought, much more attractive. Clint definitely hadn't been keen on getting his hands back on that rudder yesterday, but imagining spending a day out in the open with Natasha... Maybe even spend a quiet, lonely night out there, if they could find the right beach for it... Suddenly he felt a little excited for that.

Not today and not necessarily this week when they were only just arriving. But he thought he would be taking a look at least at the good old Flying Seahorse soon, see if she was even up for that trip.

Starting with today, though, there was relaxing and sunbathing on the plan, and it wasn't fair, keeping Natasha from it, just because his hormones were going all through the ceiling again.

"I'll come back to this later", he sighed against her ear, giving both her breasts a last soft squeeze before he stepped back reluctantly and reached a hand out gallantly to help her down.

"What do you say, wanna try that scooter? Or do you prefer your hot-blooded gigolo driving you through the city again?"

Natasha too liked the idea of having their own boat to get around whenever they wanted to. The two of them out on open waters, the soft swaying of the ship in the sea, the lapping of the waves against the side... it sounded wonderful. “Good thing I packed some shorts as well,” she said, nuzzling against him. “Doing hard labour in a dress isn’t exactly comfortable.”

It was only an offer, he could accept or refuse and she wouldn’t be offended either way. If he wanted her help fixing up the boat she could certainly make herself useful, but if he wanted it to be his thing, something to clear his mind and give him some solitude, then she was perfectly find with that as well.

As much as she wanted to go to the beach, it was still only reluctantly that she let him pull away, though she had to give him a little look for that parting squeeze. “The day is young, we have plenty of time,” she agreed, taking his hand and sliding down off the counter. “But right now the sun is calling my name.” Still, she couldn’t resist slipping her arms around him and giving his ass a firm grab before slipping away to repack her bag. Trading her wet towel for a dry one, she tossed one of her new books in with the sunscreen before selecting one of the light scarves.

“I’m afraid you’ll poke me the whole way there if I drive,” she said, letting her eyes travel down to the front of his shorts as she tied the scarf around her hair. “Why don’t you drive down and I can drive on the way back?”

"You're making it sound like I can't restrain myself."

Clint pretended to be horribly offended for a second. Admittedly, that wasn't too convincing when he was still trying to tell his friend down to there that now wasn't the time. Natasha knew exactly how to take revenge for certain touches, how to leave him right on that tempting edge of too much pleasure to just calm back down.

When she was done preparing, he couldn't help but smile, and this time it was purely genuine, without any second thoughts.

"Add some glasses to that and you're all Grace Kelly."

He emphasized his words with taking her hand and pressing a playful kiss to her knuckles, quite the opposite of what they had just been doing in the kitchen, and it helped cool his hormones a bit.

The adrenaline of not driving them either straight into a bus or down the cliff on the way to the beach did the rest.

There were more people at the beach than in the morning, of course, but it still wasn't really crowded. Right next to the entrance separating the street from the beaches, there was a small food truck where they could buy bottles of water to get through the afternoon... And then they finally had the rest of the day for blissfully doing nothing.

Close by the rocks that they had climbed yesterday, there was plenty of room to spread out their towels and get comfortable. But Clint didn't lay back just yet, instead waited for Natasha to get out of her dress with an inviting grin. He had promised her something after all. As for himself, he didn't catch sunburns easily, he could wait before protecting at least his face and especially sensitive body parts from a little red.

"So, you still need someone to oil your back?"

While Clint pretended to be offended, Natasha gave him a look like you’re really denying it?. He didn’t try to convince her.

Once she was ready, just seeing that smile on his face and how he was looking her made her heart flutter. Somehow he was still able to do that, and yes, the Black Widow could actually feel butterflies in her stomach. She had missed out on all the awkward dating and school dances, but Clint had the ability to make her feel like she assumed she would have felt back then.

At his comment she held up one finger before turning away and removing her sunglasses from her bag. Slipping them on she turned back to him and smiled. “Shall we?”

It wasn’t long before they were at the beach again, and while it was far from private they had managed to find a spot that wasn’t too crowded to spread out their towels. Peeling off her dress and scarf and tucking them back in the bag, she certainly didn’t fail to notice the look Clint was giving her.

“Yes,” she answered as she knelt facing him on her towel, slipping off her sunglasses. “I don’t suppose you know anyone who would be willing to help?”

"Actually I'm pretty sure, there would be plenty of candidates", Clint commented, glaring around a little at one or the other man who threw Natasha interested glances. "I'll just have to try and protect you from all these admirers."

He couldn't keep up the mask of the jealous boyfriend for long. Temptation was much too big to spoil Natasha's body with as much attention as the surroundings allowed. And especially if she was already feeling shaken, the last thing she needed right now was a heavy sunburn.

He pulled her in his arms for a quick kiss on her temple and murmured in her ear that she should lay down and get comfortable before reaching for the bottle of sun lotion in her bag. He grew fond of that particular bikini more and more, since it had her back almost completely free. Of course he made use of that in drawing a little doodle on her skin with the sun cream - and just maybe it looked like an arrow - before he started massaging it into her skin.

He worked methodically, supplying every inch of skin from her neck down, even under the fabric of her little piece of clothing, then down her spine to her sides, gently massaging fingers seeking out every little spot, curve and hollow. When he finally reached the edge of her bikini pants, he couldn't resist leaning down to place a playful kiss right above the sweet round curve of her ass. Just for a moment, his fingertips crept under that tight sun-warmed fabric, of course just to put what was left of the lotion on the sensitive skin there, in case her panties slipped down a little.

Then he was all back to business, giving the backside of her legs the same thorough treatment. He lingered a little longer than necessary on the back of her knees and her soles, because he just loved it when she squirmed a little, but finally he was satisfied with the first part of his work.

"Want to do the rest yourself?", he murmured, his hand softly resting on her leg, just below the juncture of her thigh. "Or you know, I could help you with that too..."

Natasha didn’t believe the act for a second, but she noticed a couple of teenage boys a few yards away who quickly found another place to stand around. “My hero,” she said dryly, though there was a spark of amusement in her eyes.

She enjoyed the closeness, if only for a moment, but Clint had a task to do and she didn’t want to hold him up as it would be her that would pay for it with a painful burn. Laying on her stomach and folding her arms under her head, she closed her eyes and relaxed as he put those magic hands to work. Her stomach still felt a bit bloated and uncomfortable in this position, but his hands moving expertly over her body, leaving not an inch of skin untreated, soon had her forgetting all about it.

The brief kiss made her laugh and tilt her head down more so she could watch him when he moved on to her legs. Although her feet hardened against any torture, the backs of her knees were still a little bit ticklish, a fact she tried to hide but suspected he knew considering how much focus he gave them.

“Hmm... well, you’ve done such an excellent job so far,” she replied when he had finished. “Maybe you should do the rest as well. Just to keep the application even.” Tying her hair up again, she shifted over onto her back and poked him playfully in the side with one foot.

Clint gave a little yelp in protest when Natasha hit that one ticklish spot with utmost perfection once more. One of these days this would turn into a tickling contest, definitely. But not when they were enjoying being lazy for once so much.

"At your service, bella ragazza."

This time it was a little bow he drew around her navel with the lotion, with the matching arrow through it. Because yeah, he was 8 years old and enjoyed the fuck out of being silly from time to time. He hurried to get to work before he could earn another of these little pokes, though, looking down at Natasha with a rueful grin.

It didn't last for long. Try as she might, Natasha couldn't hide that she was tense when he touched her, and he got a vague idea that this thing with her stomach wasn't quite done with. He answered in being especially gently with her, more caressing than massaging her skin, hurrying with this certain area.

And he still kept his mouth shut because to Natasha it obviously wasn't a big deal, so there was no reason to ruin the afternoon. He just had to rely on her telling him if it got worse. Really, they had been through slightly rougher things than a sore tummy.

He tried to distract himself in giving her legs more attention, especially her feet and these certain sensitive spots, the insides of her thighs, or her hips, right there where the little fabric of her bikini hardly hid anything. He still worked with more method than dubious intentions, and if his fingertips slipped under her panties again one or two times... Well, that was totally to blame on the oil.

Her arms, hands and shoulders got the same thorough treatment, until finally his fingertips had the pleasure of taking care of her wonderful cleavage. He mentally patted himself on the shoulder for not letting them linger even once, no matter how big temptation was. He rather devoted such tenderness to the things, his lips were doing to her neck in the meantime. Just a few sweet seconds of nibbling on her skin, savoring the hint of salt there before a new generous layer of cream helped protect it.

He finished his work like a piece of art with gently caressing her face, taking care of even the most sensitive places like her eyelids, slowly circling fingertips memorizing every inch of skin new, every dimple and line.

"So..."

Of course he couldn't let her go without a quick kiss to finish his doing.

"Are you satisfied with the service?"

Natasha laughed at Clint’s little yelp. She knew one day he would make her pay for it, but today was not that day. Instead, today he seemed to be bowing to her every whim, and while she knew it was partly because he almost always did, she knew he also just really loved the excuse to rub his hands all over her.

Raising her head to watch what he was doing, she grinned at the little design he drew on her stomach in the sunscreen before he began rubbing it in, much softer than he had on her back. He had always been very perceptive, but when it came to her she swore he had a sixth sense. She had to work really hard to pull one over on him anymore.

Relaxing back on the towel again, she closed her eyes and gave into the sensation. He knew exactly how to touch her, even when there was nothing (or very little, at least) sexual about it, and she let out a content sigh as he worked, any remaining tension in her body melting away.

When his hands reached her chest she was actually surprised at how well behaved he was, though she smiled when he instead distracted himself by nibbling at her neck. By the time Clint was finished and she was fully protected, head to toe, her whole body felt like jelly, and she wasn’t sure she could move even if she wanted to.

“Mm, very satisfied,” she sighed, opening her eyes to look up at him. “Do you want me to do you now?”

"You know, I could swear that sounds like an innuendo."

Shaking his head in amusement, Clint put the bottle away and reached for his own with a much lower protection level.

"I'm afraid if I let you do that, I'll have to take a swim again, and the water's not cold enough anymore."

He wasn't really being serious, but Natasha looked like she could fall asleep any second and he didn't want to tear her out of that headspace. He got his own body oiled up much quicker and with less patience and then just laid on his back for the moment. The ocean called with its seducing fresh smell and the steady quiet rumbling of the waves against the rocks next to them, and pretty soon he would follow that well-known temptation... But right now he was in the perfect mood for exactly nothing.

“Whatever do you mean?” Natasha replied as innocently as possible, squinting up at him. Chuckling at his reasoning for refusing her offer, she watched him for just a moment as he rubbed the sunblock over his chest before she let her eyes drift closed again. She heard him settle beside her, and for what felt like a long while she just listened. She could hear the rolling waves, the laughter of children, and Clint’s steady breathing beside her. All around her she heard the sounds of life, and it was this sweet cacophony that had her drifting in and out of wakefulness, never quite falling fully asleep, but enough that her mind cleared so there was nothing but sound and smell and feel.

“This may have to become a daily thing,” she said quietly, her voice sounding as lazy as she felt.

"Hm-hm. We'll need it. You know, I do plan to keep you busy at night..."

Clint peered at her lazily through one half-opened eyelid, satisfied to see that Natasha looked more relaxed than since their arrival. The few words reminded him that long minutes of dozing in a not scorching but hot enough sun had passed, and he blindly grabbed for his water bottle to oil his throat.

It helped at least from the inside but his skin was burning. As good as being lazy felt right now, at the same time he itched to move, at least enough to feel refreshed. A hardly suppressed yawn on his lips, he stretched out shortly and got up as elegantly as possible with sleepy limbs to saunter over to the shore.

He was already wading through the shallow water when he saw from the corner of his eye something round, small shot straight at him. At least his instincts weren't asleep, he caught the fairly weathered volleyball easily in the crook of his elbow.

"Wow! Nice catch, signore!"

The young local boy who had made that rather misguided throw, neared him with an impressed grin, relieved that his toy hadn't landed out in the ocean.

"Scusi, signore. I always miss."

"All about practice, kid. Hold it right there."

Clint stopped the lad before he could come too close and threw the ball back in what he thought was a pretty easy angle. Unfortunately the kid wasn't any better at catching than throwing and the toy landed flat in the sand. From the way, he moved, Clint could tell, kid had a hand-eye-coordination weakness, nothing that time couldn't fix. But you didn't need to tell an archer how frustrating it was to not hit your target.

"Not the best place for that around here, though."

He knelt down next to the kid who looked really embarrassed now, digging small holes with his toes in the sand, and handed the ball over, balancing it on a fingertip.

"Can you do that?"

Kid tried and made it after two attempts which had him smiling in surprise.

"See? You have clever hands. Take that ball to the next wall and start training there. This for example."

Clint snatched the ball back quickly to throw it in the air and clap his hands a few times between throws and catches, before finally returning it for good.

"I will! Thanks, signore. Next time we play together!", the boy added quickly before running off, following a rather impatient shout of a woman busy with two more kids a few feet away.

Clint watched him go with a small grin and finally got into the water then.

He was far too lazy to try and break any records, but he still made it without problems out to the small row of buoys marking the safe territory. There he lingered on his back for a while, diving a few times to let his eyes get used to salt water again.

Only when a few jellyfish threatened to get too curious, he made his way back, still without any hurry, and got comfortable on his towel again, on his stomach this time, with his head comfortably buried on his arms.

"Now, this is what I call a human water temperature."

Natasha heard Clint vacate his towel and gave him a minute to get to the water before turning her head to watch him. He really was beautiful; his muscles were well defined but there was still a softness to him that made it less harsh; his skin was perfectly tanned except for where decades worth of scars left tiny white lines. He was a work of art, and if Natasha were an artist he would certainly be her muse.

Smiling at the image he presented walking along the water, she was about to close her eyes again when a volleyball flew straight at him and he caught it easily before it struck. One of the local boys approached him, but when Clint tossed him the ball and the kid missed, of course Clint couldn’t just let it go. He had to impart some words of wisdom, trying to help the kid improve.

It was a bit strange watching their exchange after the conversation they had had yesterday. Clint was so terrified of ending up like his father, and while it was good for them that Clint didn’t want children Natasha couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness watching him with the kid. He was so patient and encouraging, she had no doubt that he would be a wonderful father given the chance.

A chance she could never give him.

Even as that thought crossed her mind she felt her stomach flip. Though she had no doubts about Clint, she was starting to question other things she had thought to be certainties.

She pushed those thoughts away.

Watching Clint as he swam and floated in the water, Natasha rested one hand on her stomach before closing her eyes again until he returned to her side. When he had laid down and gotten comfortable she rolled over onto her stomach and leaned her head against his arm. His skin was warm and wet and she couldn’t resist placing a quick kiss against his bicep. “I may have to try it for myself.”

The soft feeling of Natasha's lips against his skin tickled on his damp skin and drew a satisfied little noise from his lips. He flexed his muscles her little to send the small drops of water rolling over his arm and give her something to watch and opened his eyes just enough to look at her.

"Hm-hm, you definitely should."

But at the same time he reached out to push her hair out of her face to get a better look and let his hand rest softly on her neck, one fingertip playing with her bikini bow.

"You know, since it's now my turn to stare at your ass and all..."

It was a statement, not a question, and really not a serious one, yet he couldn't help but wonder if she had indeed looking out for him a little, seen him fool around with that kid from before. After all the crisis of the last days, he wouldn't be surprised if even such a harmless scene made her melancholic.

Dancing in the Dark (for farmboyhawk)

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