A/N: I started writing this years ago, back in 2014, after spotting some NSFW artwork by red-bones on tumblr that had sort of this setting that inspired me. For some reason I liked the idea of doing the two versions, diverging the story that way, no clue why though. Finally getting to dusting it off, rewriting a bit and posting it.

This fic was intitially betaread by curiousitykate when it was in a first draft form but since I've come back to it now years later I'd not found anyone in Uncharted fandom to help beta the fuller/redone version. It has kindly had a go over by anyrei who isn't in the fandom. So it's been betaread but not with as much fandom focus as I usually would try to get done, fair warning.

There's vague UC2 spoilers for the characters and one of the comments by Chloe but not major one. Set vaguely in the past, sometime before the game series.

Nate/Chloe

There's a thunk coming from the other chamber followed by a 'goddamit'. Chloe draws her pistol and runs to the antechamber of the temple, edging around the arch into the room where Nate was last seen.

She lowers her gun swiftly when the scene shows Nate is not being tackled by another treasure hunter or held at gun point by a mercenary or any other of the horrors that had flashed through her mind when the noise had shaken her out of her reverie. She'd been gazing upon the dais and its throned Buddha in her assigned room to scope out, not merely wondering how much it was worth but taking a little time to admire its artisanship.

Nate it seems has been busy in here, apparently undressing himself and simultaneously defiling a religious statue by flinging the offending items onto its arms. He's hopping a little intermittently, clearly favouring one side, and if she had to guess she'd say the idol he's holding up in one hand met with his foot unexpectedly.

He's wearing only his holster, his boots – she'd wouldn't risk barefoot in here herself either, tetanus shot or no – and a sheepish grin.

"What's this in aid of?" she asks, trying to tease out an admission from him by not giving him much in the way of a reaction. His nervousness does look cute on his face and she doesn't want to give up the advantage over him right away.

"I thought you might appreciate the view."

"Oh, that's what you thought. Well, you thought right," she stalks over, close as can be without being within his reach, "I love that idol. Is it for me?"

He hefts it into her two outstretched hands from its precarious balance on his palm. There's nowhere to grip on it at all, she sees now and she has to react quickly, drawing it into her body to balance its weight and avoid dropping it as he did. She suspects his haphazard hand-off of it to her was to try to catch her out, turns the tables by having her fumble it almost as much. Luckily she'd managed just fine and so instead he ends up watching her thoughtfully as she examines the idol, no witty remark forthcoming from him on this occasion.

"Certainly a fine specimen," she says, eyes dragging over the fine engraving on the idol, from top to bottom with a tantalizing slowness. Out of the corner of her vision she can see Nate in his full glory but it'd be no good right now to let him know that that is what she's enjoying most. She's gonna let him stew a little longer first.

Nate coughs and she looks up to find his annoyed glare upon her.

"I think you'll find there's more than one of those in this room."

"Yeah, but we can't take the statue with us," she replies, turning around to hide her grin. It's always been way too fun baiting Nate. His ego is just big enough to withstand being taken down a peg or two.

"A few nicks and scratches on it," she comments and turns back around a little, facing him side on but all her attention on the idol, smoothing her hands over it with tenderness, "but nothing that should diminish its worth."

"Uh-huh. I'm gonna leave this thinly concealed analogy with you, I don't think I care for where you're taking it."

He's already hunting down his clothes when she looks up again.

"Sorry to spoil your fun."

He huffs a little as he reaches up to grasp at his scarf on an upper arm of the statue and when he turns back to reply she thinks possibly she went a touch too far given the expression on his face. She probably ought to give him a break when they get back to the lodge later.

"Let me guess, the verbal sparring is more of a turn on than the guy stark naked right in front of you?"

"Oh no, not at all. But why aim for one when you know you can have both."

"So that's what you expect? Take the idol and then..."

"Take you later. I do believe you've got it in one, Nate."

"I'm not that easy," he says gruffly as he shimmies his briefs up to cover his arse.

"Past behaviour begs to differ. Not that I'm complaining, far from it."

He's definitely deliberately facing away from her now, not letting her see more than he has to whilst he gets dressed again. She deserves that; she'd spoilt his fun and now he's doing his best to spoil hers. No more naked Nate for her. At least, not until much much later. He'd never been very good at holding a grudge.

"Excuse me for thinking it'd be nice to have a moment, alone, somewhere spectacular -"

"Sure you weren't thinking romantic? You should know I don't really do that."

"- when no one was shooting at us. For a change."

And that's when bullets start flying. She almost wants to tease Nate about managing to jinx everything but there are slightly more pressing concerns. She flicks her eyes to him every few seconds, willing him to hurry up and actually have her back in this fight. It would be so much funnier to watch Nate hopping around shrugging into his jeans if he wasn't also trying to avoid getting shot, and if she wasn't busy dispatching the poorly trained mercenaries who had finally caught up with them. She'd thought they'd have had a few more minutes of their interlude before this interruption but she'd misjudged that a tad.

When he's eventually fully clothed he shifts into position next to her and she knows it's her cue to move in. They flank the guys sneaking up towards the archway where light is pretty dim.

"Really gets the adrenaline going, don't ya think?" she whispers in his ear as she passes Nate. A roll later and she's where she wants to be, in one piece too despite the crossfire into the room. She risks a brief look to him – he's eyeing her incredulously, shaking his head mostly to himself.

"I bet you think of this as foreplay too," he shouts across the room. The mercenaries must be so confused.

"Wouldn't you like to find out," she quips back before sneaking off to a side corridor she'd spied on the way in. She imagines that remarks causes a pout, that she'd dearly like to see but instead she continues on and swings round the corner to grab the hapless mercenary who'd thought he was sneaking up on them, aware only of Nate to his left. The chap is hauled into the room and slumped unconscious by her feet in a matter of seconds, head cracked against the stone wall. Nate's still laying suppressive fire and there's a possibility no one saw her move. They might still have the element of surprise if anyone else is stupid enough to try the same thing. Either way she's confident these guys are more or less doomed.

Her and Nate make one hell of a team together, whatever room they're in. In the excitement Nate's dropped the conversation entirely, as is perfectly sensible, reduced to half murmured complaints made under his breath that are so common for him in a tight jam.

But she does plan to let him find out later how much she's turned on by him, once they're somewhere with a bed. She's all for naked lovers surprising her. She's just also all for doing it in style and comfort. And a little less sentiment couldn't hurt either, or so she hopes.