It was that time of year again,when families sung carols and baked cookies and did all the sentimental shit Natasha had come to hate. Even right then,surrounded by her fellow Avengers, it was taking a hell of a lot of will power just to keep her from walking out the door and down into the bustling street below. She could see Bruce and Tony having their little 'science boyfriend time', as she liked to call it,while wrapping presents to put under the large tree adorned with various ornaments that sat smack dab in the middle of Tony's living room. Not to far away sat Thor,making loud,clumsy remarks at their odd Midgardian customs like he always did. Unsurprisingly, Clint sat high up on the balcony above, observing everyone's holiday activities from a distance in a way that was simply him.

Natasha noticed he was wearing the large,bulky sweater that he knew she hated so much. However, to her it wasn't always the clothes, more or less the person wearing them,and this really came into play at that moment when she could admire him uninterrupted. Even under the floppy folds of his shirt,she could make out the lines of his toned muscles that often drove her mad. After a little more glancing in his direction,it occurred to her that he had turned and was looking straight at her through his piercing blue eyes with a knowing smirk.

"Oh shit,"she thought, "he saw me! Please stay there, I'm not in the mood for domestic mingling." But she was thinking to herself and he couldn't hear her,so Clint happily proceeded to bound over to the kitchen with a large grin upon his face.

"You were totally just checking me out," he said flirtatiously, however Natasha wasn't up for his games at that moment.

"No Barton,I wasn't . I swear,your ego is starting to catch up with you." Even with all her practice at lying and encasing her feelings behind ametaphorical wall,Clint still saw right through her lie.

"Its no use lying to me. Besides,I enjoyed it ." And with that he was off to socialize with the others,but not without first pointing his rear end provocatively in her direction and giving her what she thought was supposed to be a "sexy" facial expression. As she began to ponder what she would ever do with her partner, the Captain took her by the arm (despite protest on her end),and lead her to where everyone else was sitting on the floor.

Since it was in fact Christmas eve, Tony decided that everyone give their gifts early,since many were due to be with family the next day. All at once the Avengers and company flitted about the room spreading their cheer infectiously. Even though she despised this type of thing,Natasha graciously accepted gifts from Pepper,Stark,and surprisingly even Thor. But what surprised her the most was that Clint had not come over to her. She had given him his present at an earlier time, not to mention the countless nights and feelings they had shared in their years together. A little reciprocation would be nice,she thought,but then again Barton was the king of procrastinators and forgetful men.

As everyone was beginning to settle and pass out a round of drinks, a pair of large hands came to rest firmly on her hips,caressing her torso in an intimate manner. Acting on instinct,she flipped the body of whomever embraced her against the wall opposite them,away from the others' view. Upon seeing it was her friend,she loosened her grip and slacked away slightly.

"What the fuck was that!" Clint retorted,flustered by her actions and the speed of which she performed them.

"You grabbed me from behind,how was I supposed to know?" Seeing her stance relax, he seized the opening and rolled her over against the wall in the same way,kissing her neck and up her jawline whilst arguing,

"Sorry,just trying to have a little fun. Get in the holiday spirit Tasha." He was poking fun at her now, like his usual self. It wasn't until she took her mind away from being argumentative that she realized how close he really was. She could feel his breath hot on her face,stubble tickling her neck as he persuaded her not to kill him with soft,passionate kisses all down Natasha's neck and collarbone. What she was more focused on,however,was the warmth pooling in her lower abdomen, which with Clint wasn't exactly helping,seeing as he had his crotch pressing her firmly into the wall.

He stopped abruptly and backed away,pulling her hand up to his lips and kissing her knuckles. "Forgive me,its not polite to do this in public." He shot a nervous glance around the corner before bring his gaze back to Natasha,who was now suppressing a laugh from his odd behavior. Her giggly expression disappeared,as he caught her off guard and swung her over his shoulder.

"Clint put me down!" She shrieked,but changed her tone after hearing how feminine and helpless she had sounded. "Seriously,if you don't have my feet firmly on the ground in two seconds Barton I-"

"Relax,this isn't King Kong, gorgeous. I'm joking around." He cut her off,making Natasha seriously consider breaking a rib or two. Let him have his fun,she thought,it'll be a change of pace. Romance was something she was lacking,but that didn't mean she was a stranger to it.

Thankful that Natasha's room was only one flight of stairs up compared to his rooftop dwellings, Clint swiftly opened the door to her room and plopped her onto the bed. For a moment,she looked at him with perplexity when he started to pull the ugly sweater over his head. Natasha had almost forgotten what the pair had been doing moments ago downstairs, but Clint wasn't one for unfinished business.

She took his hands away from his clothing to place one on the small of her back,drawing him into a deep kiss. His tongue prodded lightly at her bottom lip,asking for permission to explore,and she allowed it. Soon the nature of the kiss began to change, becoming slightly more urgent as Clint pulled her onto his lap.

"I thought you weren't in the holiday spirit,sweetheart?" He said as Natasha bit at his lip and reached down between them to fumble with his belt.

"That was before you…,distracted me. And you know I hate being called pet names. Love is for children." He grinned at hearing her usual condescending remark towards their relationship, if it could even be called one.

"Than I must be a toddler." This brought a mischievous smile to Natasha's lips,and she ground down into his hips. Clint's eyes widened at her boldness,but at this point nothing she did would surprise him. Not even her whispering into his ear as he started to unzip the back of her dress and turn the small light on the nightstand off,

"Merry Christmas Clint."