She was half-awake when he came back in, bringing with him the cold of midnight air and the smell of sagebrush.
"How was it?" she murmured, lifting herself onto an elbow and rubbing a hand across her face.
"Standard training," he replied as he collapsed and unholstered weapons. "Late night to build character, ensure we're quick to respond, drive us all insane - the drill."
Her acknowledging smile was almost a laugh. "Ah yes. Fury does like to throw those at us unexpectedly."
He began to carefully replace his equipment in its usual locations. "And to disrupt our sleep as much as possible. You know how he feels about us sleeping together."
"Not that just sex would be a problem," she observed. "But yes. Everyone knows it's a liability to share a bed with another agent."
"Of course," he teased as he unzipped his suit and began to peel it carefully off. "I could be corrupted at any moment and kill you in your sleep."
"Oh, come on Clint," she reprimanded as he leaned over the bed, suit half-off, to pull her toward him. "I'm obviously the weak link between us."
"Mmm," he hummed as his fingers threaded through her hair and his lips met hers. "But we both know I could take you in a fair fight."
"Who said anything about fair?" She shot back, hooking her arm around his shoulders and tracing the fingers of the other along the planes of his chest.
"Who indeed?" He moved abruptly, pinning her under his hips and catching her shoulders with his hands.
She smiled up at him in the dark. "Maybe I let you win."
"Well," he leaned down to kiss the edge of her forehead, "Maybe I'm willing to suffer the consequences of that."
"Fair enough."
They moved as one then, him twisting to the side as she slid out from under his body and reached to untangle his training suit and he tugged the sheets from between them. Betrayal would come from outside - distrusting the other would be like distrusting oneself. And there was always danger, and there was always the future promise of loss, permanent and devastating.
But not tonight. And danger was no reason to regret.