study_in_scarlet | Dancing in the Dark (for farmboyhawk)

“That is something I will never do,” she replied, shaking her head slightly. Even during the most boring movies Clint found various ways to keep her entertained.

Watching him dish up the last spoonful and hold it between them, Natasha raised one eyebrow at him. This could end badly if they both went for it, but she had a feeling he had something else in mind, a theory that panned out when he tipped the spoon a little, letting some of the melted dessert drip onto her leg. In the blink of an eye her hand shot out to catch his wrist, so quick yet somehow not tipping the spoon. Holding his gaze, she slowly moved his hand a little closer, before deliberately spilling just a little more of the strawberry dessert onto her skin.

Always the gentleman, Clint of course left that last spoonful for Natasha. He tickled her lower lip shortly with the edge of the spoon before he gave in and carefully fed her the rest of their desert.

As soon as that spoon was empty though, he bent down to her leg and ran his tongue playfully over her skin, thoroughly cleaning up every little drop he had spilled.

"Perfect taste. We need to do this more often."

With a big grin on his face, he straightened back up and licked his lips again provocatively.

Of course Clint let her have the last mouthful, though there was plenty left on her leg to make up for it, and he very dutifully cleaned up every last drop. Barely holding back her grin, she threaded her fingers together behind his neck and leaned in a little closer.

“Maybe we should pick up some for tonight...” she suggested. It was more a tease than an actual suggestion, though if Clint wanted to cover her in sweets and lick every inch of her body clean then she certainly wasn’t going to say no. Drawing her lower lip between her teeth, she let the rather delicious image linger in her mind.

"I'll keep it in mind."

The wolfish expression on Clint's face let Natasha know, he definitely filed that idea for some time in the near future.

For now he was feeling full and lazy though. After another quick kiss on that sinfully seductive thing she did with her lips, he set the empty cups aside and laid back on his towel with a heavy sigh.

"Just wake me up before they roll me back to the sea, okay?"

He patted that certain little softness of his belly and barely hid a yawn behind his other hand. Reading one or two chapters to get his mind away from certain night activities would have been nice now. But he'd probably drop halfway through the first page and end up with the shape of the cover tanned onto his face.

Letting Clint return to his towel, she straightened hers out and brushed some of the sand off of it before stretching out her legs. “I would hope that if anyone started trying to roll you away you would wake up anyhow,” she said, poking him playfully in the belly. “But don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Leaning away to search through her beach bag, Natasha came up with one of the books she had picked up at the market. It was already battered and well worn so she was able to hold it open easily with one hand. Laying down on her side facing Clint, she propped her head up with her other hand and flipped to the first page expertly with her thumb. Peering over the book at Clint’s face, she studied him a moment, the way his long lashes just brushed upon his cheeks. Impulsively, when she began to read she did so aloud.

“The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone...”

((Excerpt from The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle))

Clint opened half an eyelid in surprise when Natasha started reading out loud and turned his head to her to watch her. Unicorns and magic and fantasy... Not what he would pick himself for entertainment.

But hearing it in Natasha's voice, this rich promising rough timbre that could tell whole stories with each syllable if she allowed it... It certainly made it worth listening.

And he just didn't get tired of watching her like this, relaxed, doing things solely for fun. There was that cute little crinkle of concentration between her brows that she probably wasn't even aware of. Reading out loud wasn't something they had to do often in their line of work and it was a challenge for voice and language. Clint knew that first hand, from many lessons of speech training without his hearing implants, in case of emergency.

Natasha's English was flawless, without a trace of accent if she willed it to, but reciting a whole new text like that on first read, in her second language... He felt she had to slow down a little from her usual efficient professionalism, and he liked it. Relaxing, slowing down, that was what they had come for here after all.

He felt too exhausted to keep on watching her all the time but he certainly kept on listening, even with his eyes closed, drifting between a little dozing and just enjoying the sun on his skin and his partner telling him things about speaking animals. It was as close to perfect as it could get.

"I hope this has a happy ending", he chuckled once when Natasha had to take a breath. "Suffering animals make me cry."

She noticed the movement when Clint turned his head but she didn’t look up at him. She was feeling a bit embarrassed that she had started this, that she had presumed that he might enjoy being read to, but she didn’t want him to know that so she kept reading instead, hoping he wouldn’t laugh at her for what was probably a childish notion. It was one of the few things she remembered of her parents, how her mother used to read her stories, and while so many other memories had faded or been tampered with, that was one she always kept close to her heart.

She concentrated on the words, on forming them correctly and without too much of her old accent shining through, but soon she was engrossed enough in the story to forget her insecurities. If she slipped up here and there it didn’t matter and she just kept going. After a while she paused and reached for the nearest bottle of water. Setting the book face down on the towel, she was slightly startled when Clint spoke, assuming he must have fallen asleep by then. Taking a long drink, she recapped the bottle and set it aside.

“I hope so too,” she admitted. She didn’t have a specific genre she preferred to read, she would try anything as it was the characters and their journeys that she was interested in. If I character grabbed her and she became invested in them then it didn’t matter who they were, what they were, she would keep reading.

His talk of suffering animals, though, took her mind back to their little house and the tiny kitten that was probably waiting for them back there. They had bought her some things at the market that they had yet to share, and while they both claimed it wasn’t really their cat, that they this was only temporary, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty for leaving the little thing.

Looking over at Clint, his eyes still closed and a slight smile on his lips, a part of her hated to disturb him, but she still reached over to playfully run a fingertip over his brows, down the ridge of his nose, and across his lips, tracing the features she knew so well.

“We should probably get back soon before my skin winds up as red as my hair,” she said. It was true, she was really starting to feel the heat of the sun on her skin in that way that signified that she either had to apply more sunscreen or find some shade. And if it meant they got to go take care of the little one then that was just a bonus.

Clint smiled against her fingertip and left a small kiss on it, still with closed eyes, trying to find his way out of this comfortable haze.

"Hm-hm, but we're totally continuing this next time we're here. Now I want to know how the story ends."

Not wanting Natasha to end up with a sunburn was enough motivation to get up, stretching and yawning, and angling his way into his clothes. They were packed quickly, working with the efficiency of years, and on their way back to their scooter while Clint was still trying to blink the tiredness from his eyes. He did spot his little friend with the ball from before, though, and shortly waved at the kid, smiling when he was greeted back enthusiastically.

While he fortunately didn't burn easy himself at all, his own skin felt dry and salt crusted. A shower and a few lazy minutes on the sofa before diner were definitely in order. He emptied his water bottle during the short walk and grimaced at the stale lukewarm taste that didn't really help freshen him up. Stopping by their ride, he played with the keyring indecisively.

"Want to throw a coin for the wheel?"

“I suppose I can agree to that,” Natasha replied. She was relieved that he didn’t seem put off by her little narrative session, and more than a little pleased that he actually wanted to continue it. If she felt the need to read something in the seldom moments that he wasn’t around, she had picked up several other books to keep her busy. This one could wait on him.

Pulling her dress back over her suit, she tied her damp hair back in the scarf and helped Clint pack their things and gather their garbage to dump on the way back to the road. Securing their bag on the scooter, she turned to look at him a moment as he contemplated who should drive. Pursing her lips as if considering the question, she suddenly thrust her hand out instead and snatched the keys from his hand in a lightening quick movement. “I believe it’s my turn,” she said with a grin as she settled herself in the front.

"I have no objections."

Clint was more than happy to just relax this time around and took his seat behind Natasha without complaint. His hands were on her waist immediately, more gentle than anything. He knew better than to distract her on a foreign, slightly dangerous road.

For a few minutes he just enjoyed the draft of the fast ride cooling his skin and the view down on the ocean from the serpentines, where the sun was slowly beginning to fall. He couldn't remember when last he had experienced such a perfect day. Certainly not something he had expected just a few weeks ago.

He folded his hands in front of Natasha's belly, caressed her softly, feather light enough to not disturb her, and murmured something close to her ear. She probably wouldn't hear with the wind blowing around them, but he was pretty certain, she knew already.

At least he didn't feel like falling asleep anymore when they arrived. And of course they were awaited impatiently.

"I thought I told you not to get too used to it", he grumbled when they passed their little visitor by to get into the house. But it sounded kind of amused, friendly this time. There was no escaping from this story anyway, he could as well stop pretending.

He needed to get to the kitchen first thing anyway, to get a good cold bottle of water from the fridge. That was a good excuse to break in these bowls he had bought for some reason in the morning. The kitten looked still a little small for full time meals, so he stayed with the milk thing for now and only snatched a few of the small chicken meat pieces he meant to use for cooking in the next days.

"I think it's your turn, honey", he grinned at Natasha when he was done, holding up the bowls.

The ride back to the house was pleasant and relaxing. The wind on her face was refreshing, Clint’s gentle touch soothing, and the scooter was just damn fun to drive. Despite the rough night and morning, the day had turned out better than Natasha could have ever expected or hoped for.

Parking the scooter behind the house, she grinned at the little furball that waited for them on the doorstep. “You just wait right here,” she said to it as she slipped inside after Clint, carefully closing the door behind her. She knew he wasn’t keen on having the kitten in the house, and she certainly wasn’t going to try to press the issue, at least not until they got the little thing checked out and properly bathed. The last thing she wanted to do was infest Clint’s home away from home with fleas.

Giving him a look for his comment, one that didn’t quite hide the smile in her eyes, Natasha took the two bowls and balanced them on one arm. Quickly grabbing the little toy she had bought at the market from her partially unpacked back, she slipped back outside. “Let’s go back to your little spot,” she said, rounding the house to where Clint had set up the blanket for it. Setting the bowls down, she crouched beside them and scratched the kitten on the top of the head before leaning back to let it eat. “You are a hungry little one, aren’t you? The others don’t play nice, hmm?” She could see the tear in one ear, could tell it had it rough. “Such misfortune for one so small.”

Clint had decided that since he was already busy in the kitchen he could as well start on diner. There was still the pasta Angelina had prepared waiting for them, so it wouldn't be much work. He got the big kettle out of the fridge and left it on the counter for defrosting. While he searched through the supplies he had bought in the morning to scramble a half decent salad, he could hear Natasha talk to the kitten through the open window and smiled to himself. As long as the little one was eating, she was doing okay and would hopefully grow and get stronger soon.

It was too early to get the dressing done yet, so he left his preparations for the moment and joined Natasha with a fresh water bottle for her, munching on a tomato slice.

"You two comfortable, I hope?"

By the time Clint joined her outside the kitten had finished its food and was batting playfully at the crochet mouse that Natasha dangled before it. She was not the type to be easily taken in by things that others found ‘adorable’, but it was definitely a different smile she wore as she played with the kitten, one not easily brushed away.

Looking up at Clint as he approached, she let the little one catch the mouse and released the little yarn tail before straightening back up. Gratefully taking the water she uncapped it and took a few gulps, closing her eyes as the cool liquid soothed her parched throat.

“She’s a hungry little one,” she said, twisting the cap back on her water. “I was thinking... perhaps tomorrow we could look into a veterinarian...” Besides being dirty, under nourished and a little roughed up, the kitten looked healthy enough, but she wanted to be sure.

"Absolutely."

Clint was actually glad, Natasha came back to that thought so soon herself. He probably would have brought it up tomorrow anyway. If they were doing this, he was planning on doing a good job.

"I've got a notebook in my suitcase and that prepaid stick from the airport."

He had never bothered installing a network access in a house he so seldom used, and he had been hesitant to even buy that damn Internet stick. He didn't want to get tempted to do anything even remotely smelling off work. But now he was glad, he had brought it. They didn't even have a newspaper in the house.

"You can take a look if you like, while I'm trying to not blow up the kitchen. Might be, there's actually one or two vets in the village up here. It's grown a little since last I was here."

He watched the little one while he was talking, amused by the picture of that small creature fighting a brave battle against the big mouse monster. So, Natasha had brought her own little souvenirs from the market... Carefully, to not startle the kitten, he reached inside the box and held the toy up by its tail, just a little too high, so their little guest had to stretch and try getting it back between its tiny paws.

"Now, now", he chuckled when the kitten gave something between a whine and a very small, very harmless sounding hiss. "You've got to earn your stay here, furball. Workout every evening, got it? Gotta learn how to catch yourself some prey without us."

Natasha had resolved at the market after her minor meltdown that she couldn’t continue on as she had been, and when she had told Clint to buy all the cat stuff that had only been the beginning. For years she had closed herself off, never letting anyone or anything into her heart, until Clint had somehow managed to worm his way in. She hadn’t even realised it was happening at first, and had denied it for even longer, but now that she had opened herself up to him, now that she had admitted that she loved him and wanted to be with him... it was amazing. Love didn’t have to be a weakness, nor something reserved only for the innocent. She felt stronger with it, stronger with him.

In the end, this little creature needed them, and no matter what the future held she couldn’t deny it just because she was afraid of the hurt that would come later. Once she had accepted that it was a little easier to move forward.

“I could give it a try,” she said, though she was a little reluctant to use anything that might be make it easy for anyone to track them to this location. It wasn’t just paranoia, they had Fury’s permission; it was more the thought of risking sullying this place. It was like a treasure hidden so well she didn’t want anyone to find it, or maybe she was just deluding herself. If Clint had been here on a mission before then it couldn’t be as much of a secret as she liked to think. “Or I might ask around. Even if there are none in the village someone might know of something close.”

Watching Clint take over playing with the kitten, she felt herself warm even more to the whole idea. Even though he was toying with the little one, it was very clear he was already fond of it. “She will grow up very strong, you will see,” she said. It was tempting to coddle it, but she knew Clint was right. They had to make sure it could still fend for itself.

"Good idea. Actually I'm pretty sure Angelina is somewhere around the house. She always is. She'll know every vet from here to Catania, I suppose."

Clint looked up from his little game with the mouse for a rueful grin.

"Also, I bet she can't wait to ask you all kind of embarrassing questions."

He had put the toy back and rather started caressing the kitty's head and back while he talked, without really realizing. Only when that warm softness right under his fingertips suddenly began to purr contently, he looked down, surprised. Damn, that little devil was getting cute again. It was really hard not to smile too widely.

"Well, at least that you can already do like a big girl, huh?"

He dipped his fingertip into a small rest of milk on the edge of the bowl and held it out to their little guest. Now he was grinning like an idiot when the kitten licked it off immediately.

"Yep, I think you're right. She'll be fine. She'll probably hold an iron reign over all the tomcats in the neighborhood one day."

Natasha liked that option much better, especially when Clint revealed that the person that he trusted with his house might have just the information that Natasha needed. His follow up line made her a little nervous, though. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle personal questions; she was an expert at spinning a tale, after all, but these were good people, and she always hated being too false with the genuinely nice ones.

“If that’s the case you better fill me in on what she already knows about you so I can answer appropriately,” Natasha replied. She would hate to blow his cover if he did indeed have one of any sort going on here. “Though I suppose I can always distract her from questioning by simply gushing about how wonderful you are in every way.”

She grinned at him when she spoke, a grin that only grew wider at his surprised expression, as if he was surprised that the kitten could be so cute.

The grin he wore when the kitten licked his finger was an absolutely beautiful sight to see, and one she had seen far too seldom the past few months. “She seems to already have you wrapped around her little claw, at least.”

"Told you, I'm a big sap at heart."

Clint gave the kitten a last friendly pat with a fingertip and straightened up then to do the same to Natasha with the other hand. Though admittedly it was a longer and more extended touch down her hip while he pressed a short kiss to her shoulder.

"I'll see what I can get us done for diner then, hm? If you want to take a walk... There's not much cover to be blown here. When Angelina and me talk, it's mostly about the house, the kittens or cooking. I'm just the grumpy guy from the government organization, who tips her for keeping all this together when I'm gone."

He nodded shortly at the house, an affectionate, melancholic expression wrinkling his forehead. For a long time he hadn't even been sure why he kept this place or if he would come back here at all... And here they were, on the best leave he could have imagined. He would have always have a soft spot for the people around here who made him feel so welcome, even though they never communicated much.

That didn't mean he didn't see certain smiles or overheard certain implications in smalltalk. Especially Angelina was the kind of woman holding the institution of a family very high. Probably because she wasn't lucky enough to have her own, save for her little furry friends.

"She'll be more curious about the two of us, I imagine. Just let me know before you set up a wedding date, okay?", he added with a chuckle.

He really was, and Natasha wouldn’t have him any other way. He was ruthless and efficient when he needed to be, but he couldn’t turn off the guilt like she could. That compassion, that softness, was one of the things she loved most about him, and something she felt rubbed off on her in a good way. Some days she thought that he was her humanity; she was certainly much more alive, much more human, with him than she ever had been before.

Wrapping one arm loosely around his shoulders for a moment, she placed a soft kiss to the hollow of his throat before leaning back to look up at him. Angelina sort of knew where he worked, so if asked Natasha could say that she worked with him without having to elaborate, hopefully. Everything else she could probably roll with.

“You keep saying things like that and I’m going to expect to wake up one morning to a surprise wedding thrown by all your neighbours,” Natasha chuckled. It was easy to joke about it as it was something they had never really discussed, something she never really considered doing again. “Now get back in the kitchen.” Pulling away from him, she gave his ass a playful slap.

She doubted she would have to go far to get the information she wanted, then back to the house for some food, a shower, and some more relaxation.

"Well, you would look ravishing in a white dress..."

Clint quickly ducked his head before Natasha could decide to cut it off. A wedding would go a little far in terms of a harmless cover, admittedly. Still the idea made him grin.

"Aye, Ma'am. Clothes on or off?", he shot back, swaying his hips tentatively on the way back to the house. Fortunately Natasha couldn't see his stupid giggle or the way, his cheeks flushed.

He thought to hear Angelina's warm deep voice somewhere down the street, so that issue would be solved soon. He could just hope, his housekeeper wouldn't tell any embarrassing stories... He had had one or the other night of excessive drinking back then, when he had come here for a few days, to relax from that mission he still couldn't quite remember. He was pretty sure he hadn't done anything too stupid, since he hadn't ended up in the hospital with too much Grappa grog in his blood but...

Warming their pasta carefully on low heat and getting the salad ready distracted him from these worries quickly. He had the radio on again - he was firmly convinced that food tasted so much better with a pinch of his favorite bands in it - and soon found himself singing along again. A local station this time, playing mostly classic rock, and that was just about perfect. Def Leppard and him just sang passionately to love and hate colliding when he thought to hear the door, but he didn't stop, neither preparing his dressing nor his soulful performance. Natasha could always throw a book at his head if it was too bad.

When Clint ducked his head Natasha poked him in the ribs instead before letting him go. He was in a playful mood, something she was very happy to see, and one that had definitely rubbed off on her. Or maybe it was the other way around; she didn’t know and it didn’t matter. It was about time they had a couple of carefree hours with nothing ruining it. “Up to you, since you’re cooking alone,” she called after him, shaking her head slightly. Turning back to the kitten she gave it a parting scratch on the head. “I am going to go subject myself to embarrassing questions for you, little one. I hope you appreciate it.” The kitten purred and twitched its tail.

Walking away from the house, Natasha didn’t have to go far before coming across Angelina. Natasha started out all politeness, introducing herself and thanking the woman for the food and everything she had done to prepare the house for them. It had led into a conversation about how pleased she had been to learn that Clint was not alone this time followed by praising of his character and Natasha’s beauty. Clint had talked about her, so it was nice to finally meet her, and then the questions came. How long had they known each other? Was she aware of his drinking habits? No ring on her finger yet? Tsk tsk. It was the knowing look that went along with that statement that got to Natasha, the way Angelina seemed to be studying her as if she knew some secret they were keeping.

Eventually Natasha was able to steer the conversation away and get the information she needed. Thanking Angelina and inviting the woman over for lunch some day, Natasha retreated back to the house where Clint was in full on concert mode. Her smile instantly returned and she approached him, wrapping her arms around him from behind. “Mmm, my very own rock star. All the other girls will be so jealous,” she said at a break in the lyrics, standing on her tiptoes to peer over his shoulder.

"Yep, they'll be horribly disappointed. I don't do groupies. I'm already firmly committed."

Clint didn't look up from his finishing touch on the dressing for his answer, but he was sure, Natasha would see his grin anyway. If she really liked it, one of these days he actually might sing a little longer for her.

"So, your hunt was successful I hope? And well, since you came back I guess you haven't heard the worst about me yet."

Still grinning, he got out dishes, placemats and napkins from the kitchen cabinets.

“Good. Because while I’m not above pulling hair and scratching, I’d prefer to just flaunt you instead.” She could indeed see his grin and she couldn’t resist giving his ear a quick nip before backing off and letting him finish his work.

“Quite successful. There’s a place not far from here. She gave me a name, but we will have to find the number and give him a call to make an appointment,” she said. Snatching a piece of tomato from the bowl she moved toward the fridge, getting them both something to drink while he took care of setting the table. “And she seemed a little more interested in grilling me than talking about you. I think she was trying to determine if I’m good enough for you.”

"We'll do it the old fashioned way then and call the directory assistance to get the number."

Clint nodded at the outdated phone on the wall in the living room.

"I knew your spy skills would be of good use someday."

The mood was just too good to not keep on teasing each other. Natasha's last remark made him go at least half serious again, though. He stopped by her on the way back to the kitchen to wrap his arms around her waist and kiss the hell out of her, a passionate, affectionate promise for much more of that later.

"You're not good, you're perfect for me."

For a moment he just held her, softly caressing her cheek, her lips with his fingertips before he pulled away reluctantly to serve diner. He wisely waited until he was out of reach before calling back another teasing remark.

"If someone needs proof for that, maybe we should think about that wedding after all..."

Natasha was pleased with this plan. Technology certainly made things easier, but it didn’t always make things better, and she was glad that they wouldn’t have to connect to anything any time soon. It wouldn’t be long before she was expected to send a status update to Fury, but she preferred to stay completely undetected until then, to live in this fantasy world just a little longer.

“Oh yes, it was very touchy business asking for someone’s name. Years of training, and I will be using it to call and operator and get the right number and address,” she replied in a completely monotone voice, purely teasing of course. A moment later she found herself in Clint’s arms and she gave herself over willingly to the sudden passion. It didn’t last long, but when he broke the kiss she was already feeling breathless. His words made her smile softly, her fingertips tracing gentle circles on the back of his neck. “She’s just being protective. It’s sweet,” she said. It was nice to know that there were others out there that cared for Clint and wanted to make certain that he was happy.

Reluctantly letting him go, she was surveying the table to see if they were missing anything when his last comment reached her. Turning back around to face him, she raised both eyebrows in his direction. “If that is your idea of a proposal, Barton, then it definitely needs some work,” she shot back, managing to perfectly conceal her amusement.

Dancing in the Dark (for farmboyhawk)

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