It was Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday. Molly's favorite time of year. Forget Christmas and Halloween, those were mediocre at best. The day before Lent and everyone would be splurging on whatever they were supposed to sacrifice until Easter Sunday. And on Bourbon Street, the possibilities were endless. There were so many people roaming the streets that it was hard to move around, but that didn't matter.
Molly wanted to be close to them.
She sat on the edge of a roof of one of the bars down Bourbon Street her legs kicking around lazily in the air. She sipped on a beer watching the people below. It was around two in the afternoon so the festivities hadn't quite started. The streets were still pretty crowded.
She could smell all the different foods wafting in the air. She could smell the alcohol. She could hear how the people were excited.
"I figured I would find you here, mon cousin." Remy sat down next to her putting his bo staff between them. Molly sipped her beer slowly.
"Have you seen my husband?"
"Non. Maybe he's not back yet." Molly groaned.
"I was really hoping that he would be back by now. He's never seen us work Mardi Gras." Remy rubbed a finger across his jaw slowly as they watched the people below them walk around.
"He still has a couple hours for nightfall. I'm sure he'll be here."
"Well, he's missed it for the past three years because of work." Remy shrugged. They fell into silence. All that could be heard was the hustle and bustle below them.
Molly and Clint had only been married for three years. They had a typical marriage. They fussed just as much as they loved. Ever since they had gotten married, Molly was trying to get him to come to Mardi Gras with her so he could see her work.
Though she worked for SHIELD, she still did some side work with The Thieves Guild. Clint didn't really like the fact that she would still take contracts with The Thieves Guild, but he knew there was really nothing he could do about it. She would just do it anyway.
Clint had explained to her that the reason he disapproved was because he was worried about how SHIELD would react to it. They had recruited her under the grounds that she stop her illegal ways. Molly understood why he was so against it, but he had to understand that no matter if she worked for SHIELD or not, The Thieves Guild would always be her family. They had raised her and Remy. She owed them her life.
Molly tilted her beer back finishing the rest of the liquid. She handed her cup over to Remy who tossed it easily in a trash can on the other side of the street.
"I'm going to grab me another beer. You want one?" Remy shrugged. Molly slid off the front part of the building letting the shadow take her. She appeared suddenly on the street causing a couple passersby to jump out of their skin.
She didn't even acknowledge them as she lazily walked into the bar. She pushed her way through the crowd and rested her elbows on the bar.
"What can I get you, darling?"
"Two beers." The bartender nodded and went to turn away.
"Make that three please." Molly jerked her head towards the voice and her face immediately lit up. Clint was standing near her with a grin on his face. He was wearing a red and black flannel shirt with a white undershirt and a pair of denim jeans.
She threw her arms around him and kissed his lips. He held her against him as he broke the kiss and buried his face in her neck and took a deep breath. Molly's fingers went through his hair slowly.
"I missed you," he whispered. I raised his head and put his forehead against hers.
"I missed you too," she whispered back. "I almost thought you weren't going to make it again."
His left hand left her waist and touched his rib.
"I almost didn't." She frowned looking down at his hand before covering it with her own. She gave him questioning eyes. He grabbed her hand, brought it up to his lips, and gave her knuckles a gentle kiss.
"I'll be fine."
"I thought that was you," Remy said patting Clint on the shoulder. He reached over and grabbed a bottle of beer off the bar and took a sip. Remy grimaced at the bottle.
"Mon cousin, you took too long. My beer is hot now." Molly stepped back from Clint and pointed an accusing finger at him.
"Blame le! Il m'a distrait!" Remy huffed as if he didn't believe a word that she said and took another sip of his beer. Molly grabbed her and Clint's beer from the bar and handed Clint his beer. They took a drink and gave a look of distaste towards the beer.
"It is warm," Clint said.
They wandered around from bar to bar drinking and waiting for nightfall. Molly had collected a good amount of beads much to Remy's disgust. As the sun began to go down, the street became thicker and thicker with people.
"Alright, Remy. It's time. Who is going first?" Remy handed her an unopened pack of cards.
"Les dames d'adorb," he said. Molly looked around the crowds searching for the right people. That's when she spotted them. It was a group of four people that looked like they were on a couple's retreat. The women were wearing big diamond rings on their ring fingers with sparkly gold bracelets and necklaces.
The men wore expensive looking watches and could see their wallets through their bulging pockets. She approached them slowly twirling the pack of cards in her hands.
Clint and Remy followed a ways behind her to watch. Clint watched her hips sway in his favorite pair of jeans. She wore a dark blue halter top that rode a little high showing a little bit of her skin. Part of him wanted to reach other and touch that skin, but he knew she was now focused.
Clint and Remy stood off to the side when she approached them. She started her skit constantly moving her hands. It was beyond clear that the people was already having trouble keeping up with her. Had to give it to them though, they were trying.
She showed them one trick, but nothing happened. Another card trick and nothing happened. By this time, a good sized crowd had surrounded them. Molly put the cards away in order to do some different tricks.
She turned her focus to one of the women in the group and started talking to her with frantic hand movements. That's when it happened. Clint had almost missed it, but he caught it. Molly had gotten her earrings. The woman didn't even blink when Molly took them. She had no idea. Clint glanced around at the crowd. None of them even seemed to be catching onto what his wife was really doing.
And poof, there went her shiny bracelet.
Clint had never seen his wife work before. Well, he had seen her do some missions for SHIELD, but it was never anything like this. She seemed to be enjoying herself. She moved with such an ease as she took off their jewelry. She was the center of attention with a good thirty people now drawn into the crowd while she robbed that woman blind.
It kind of turned him on.
She finally called it quits and the group dispersed around them. She appeared next to Clint and grabbed his hand. He turned to her and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Hey, baby," he said then leaned forward to kiss her. Molly giggled into the kiss wrapping her free arm around his neck. He nuzzled into her neck. "We need to go home." Molly giggled then kissed his neck.
"The night is still young, mon tout. Still a lot of money to make."
"Still a lot of love to make," he countered making Molly laugh. He bit into her neck gently making her groan.
"I don't think we're going to be able to make it home." Clint held onto her tighter.
"We could pull over on the side of the road." Molly pushed him away and put her hands on his face.
"There's no need for that, mon tout. I got us a hotel room a couple streets over." Clint groaned nuzzling into her neck again.
"I love you. Now come on, let's go." He dragged her away, but stopped after a couple steps. "Which hotel?"
"I'm not telling you." Clint narrowed his eyes.
"And why not?" Molly stepped up to him to where their bodies were touching.
"Because, Mr. Barton, there is still so much more to Mardi Gras that we still have to experience." She went to pull him in the direction of a bar, but he pulled her back to him bringing her back up against him.
"Look here, Mrs. Barton, it has been six weeks… six long weeks without having you under me." He paused for a moment running his hands up and down her back.
"I know how long it's been, Clint. Why do you think I'm wearing your favorite jeans?" she teased. Clint grumbled sticking his fingers through her belt loops.
"Stop teasing me, woman."
"But you're so sexy whenever I get you flustered."
"Molly…"
"Oh for bordel de merde, she got you a room at the Royal Sonesta!" Remy yelled. "You guys make me sick." Clint ignored him. Instead, his eyes turned back to his wife.
"That's not a couple streets over. That's just down that way." Molly just grinned at him. Clint bent over and threw her over his shoulder then gave her ass a slap.
"You wait until we get to the hotel room."