"Okay, Clint, since you claim to be oh so smart, tell me why Greenland is icy and Iceland is green?"
I chuckled, watching as her flaming red hair whipped around her face in the icy wind that blew around us.
"Alright, you got me." I admitted, kneeling down on the small snowy cliff we were perched on. It was almost impossible to see the small cabin that was below us because of the snow, but thanks to my unusually enhanced eyesight, I could just make out the shape of the small house. I could tell Natasha was uncomfortable with the idea of being basically blind, but she made no comment.
She laughed lightly, kneeling down beside me and narrowing her eyes in the harsh wind.
"You know, your red hair doesn't really help us stay unnoticeable to the unwanted eye." I shivered involuntarily, the snow biting at my skin and freezing my bones to the core.
"Oh please, no one could see us in this blizzard." She clicked her tongue and turned her face so that it was facing the wind and her hair blew behind her instead of whipping in her face.
We looked strange in our snow-white S.H.I.E.L.D uniform, identical to our usual black ones. It was an odd feeling to try and mingle in the snow rather then hide in the shadows like all of our other missions.
"It's freezing." I said after my teeth began to chatter violently, and I bit the side of my cheek to stop them from any further clicking. I'd been in the snow in just my vest uniform plenty of times and had always gotten through the cold, but the blizzard was strong and the cold was becoming unbearable.
"Well put your glorious arms away, genius." She punched my arm lightly, her skin cold against mine. "No one's going to see them out here."
I laughed and she grabbed the briefcase, which was covered in a blanket of snow and snapped it open, pulling out two white, thick, fluffy parkas that looked oh so delightful right now. We pulled them on and hugged them close to our bodies, flipping the hoodies onto our heads to stop the wind from biting at our faces.
"We have movement." I mumbled, pulling out my bow and knocking an arrow in within seconds. I heard her grumble beside me and try to catch any sight from below, but she failed miserably and folded her arms across her chest.
I could only barely see the silhouettes of three people huddled around the small house, exchanging paperwork and codes hidden in a silver briefcase that would launch a nuclear missile that was aimed to hit China. It was essential that these three men fell dead and the codes were collected and bought back to S.H.I.E.L.D for further studying and location giveaways to be complete.
I sighed. "I wont be able to kill all three of them in time. One is bound to get away and with this blizzard, it's hard to get an accurate aim." I pulled the bow back and stuck the arrow into my mechanical quiver. I clicked a few buttons here and there before pulling it back out.
"What are you going to do?" Natasha already had her gun in her hand.
"I'm going to have to blow them up, hopefully they don't have too many guards in here that we have to take down, because I just want to go home."
"Typical." She muttered, before I aimed for my arrow to fly with the wind in order to get a clean kill. I let it loose, the familiar pluck and whizzing sound it made as it flew off bringing a smile to my face. We watched as it flew the complete opposite way of the three terrorist, only to be turned back to them on time to strike one clean in the head.
"Three, two, one…"
The sudden sound of an explosion reached our ears and a flash of light was what we saw before we were scaling down the mountain with quick hands and feet, reaching our destination in time to kill the twelve guards that came rushing out of the cabin from the sudden explosion.
I retrieved the briefcase and grabbed any weapons that the guards had a hold of. Natasha was standing there, her dagger hanging in her hand by her side. We were both covered in blood spurts that splattered across our bodies and faces from the throats we slit. The snow was also a thrilling red and white mixture that was littered with bodies.
I made my way back up to the cliff we had been perched on and threw down all our gear, retrieving a shovel and covering the dead bodies in snow. The blizzard would hide the bloody mess we had made by tonight. Once the bodies were all disposed of, I finally noticed that Natasha hadn't moved a muscle the whole time and rushed to her side. It was quite a terrifying sight, her white uniform splattered with blood much like the snow and her face covered in spots of dried up blood too. She was staring straight ahead, her eyes looking blankly into the distance.
I pried the dagger away from her tight grip before discarding it in the snow and wrapping my arms around her waist. She was tense against my body but soon her muscles relaxed and she clenched my parker in her fists and held me against her.
"Hey, are you alright?" I whispered.
"Yeah, yeah… it just brings back memories." Her hot breath tickled my neck and felt good against the cold skin.
"Oh."
She rested her head against my chest, and I ushered us inside the enemies cabin because of the chill that ran up my spine. It was quite a grand place for such a small little house, with one bedroom, kitchen and bathroom lavished in elaborate furniture and decorations. There was a fire crackling in the small living room and I was instantly relieved by the heat that hit my face.
"How did they all fit in here?" Natasha mused to herself, wandering around the small house, skimming her hands over the wall and taking in the sight of every single item in the room.
I shrugged off my damp parka and knelt beside the fire, holding out my hands and letting them basically thaw. My throat had begun to feel quite dry and I was soon to discover a bright red nose as well.
I pulled out my S.H.I.E.L.D issued phone, dialling in Phil's number and holding it to my ear, only to be met with a fuzzy beeping. I tried three more times, and still, no reception.
"Hey, Nat, I can't get through to Phil, the blizzard is effecting our communications." I called out, snapping the phone shut and shoving it back into my pocket. I removed my bow and quiver and dumped them on the lounge, walking into the room I last saw Natasha enter when I got no reply.
She was standing in front of the closet, which had no door handle, her arms folded over her chest. She had also shrugged off her parka, which was laying on the king sized bed in a bundle of white and red. I realised we both still hadn't cleaned up the blood of this houses original inhabitants, but couldn't care less.
"There's something in there." She said when I stood besides her, staring at the handless door in accusation as if it had done something to offend her. "Help me open it."
I sighed, unhinging the handless door with the tip of my knife as a replacement for a screwdriver, and Natasha caught it before it fell and flattened my against the floor. She picked it up easily, leaning it against the wall opposite us before standing beside me and looking into what seemed to be an elevator.
"I knew it…" she whispered, mostly to herself before she took and step in.
"Hey! You don't know what could be in there! More guards? Anything!" I protested, taking a step forward and catching her tiny wrist in my hand. She merely shrugged and gave me an evil smirk before using my grip on her to yank me forward and stumble into the small elevator and close the metal grating before we were sent downwards.
I stood up from where I fell, staggering and landing against her body. My weight caused her to stumble back slightly, until her back was pressed against the cold metal and my body pressed against hers.
I didn't move, didn't dare to breath, as she looked up at me almost stunned. My hands rested against the wall on either side of her arms, and her eyes glowed with that unfamiliar glint again. She stared up at me, eyes wide and a magnificent green in the light.
"S-sorry." I mumbled, ordering my body to move but it refused to even budge, and I felt my face inch closer to her own against my will. Her eyes flickered over my face, her mouth agape slightly as she leaned up and brushed her nose against my own, letting out a shaky laugh, almost tentatively as her lips lightly skimmed over my own.
My muscles were tight, not only from the cold but from the fact that my partner was once again touching her lips to mine. I knew we were balancing on the blade of a knife, tip-toeing along a rickety bridge. All the hidden feelings for her, all the dreams of her I hadn't even thought to come true, were slowly unravelling with each touch, each caress upon our bodies that we made. It was almost overwhelming to know that the most dangerous woman in the world was kissing me and (hopefully) not planning on killing me afterwards, like I had watched her do to many targets out on the field plenty of times before.
She pulled back almost instantly; her eyes suddenly ablaze before she yanked me forward again by my collar and slammed her lips hard against my own. I was taken aback slightly, but responded as soon as her lips began moving against mine and our bodies moulded together as one.
Does this happen to everyone? Does such a build up of trust and friendship between two people eventually end up in passionate intimacy? I thought of all the other agents and their partners, and realised that some were probably facing this new territory with their partner as well, that Natasha and I weren't the only people from S.H.I.E.L.D to have a strong bond and connection.
Her hands moved from my collar to my arms, and she gripped the taught skin and dug her nails into my flesh as my tongue skimmed her own and she bucked against me slightly, and to my own surprise, my hand trailed down her waist and over her thigh before hitching it up over my hip and earning a surprised gasp from her lips.
Our breaths were coming out in pants and our movements became shaky as we fumbled to touch each other in places we'd only dreamt about. I gripped her short hair in my fist and pulled it almost roughly, and she let out a groan as my hand trailed up her leg and skimmed her great ass.
And as if she was suddenly having second thoughts, as if I had once again taken things too far when we kissed, she tensed up and mumbled my name with an apologetic 'we can't do this' before snaking out of my grip just as the elevator doors opened and walked out, leaving me there, panting, lips kiss-swollen and left with a tingling sensation but mingling with rejection as she walked into a huge underground room full to the brim with crates of weapons and explosives alike.
I let out a low whistle, shaking my head of recent thoughts and wandering into the room behind her. Her hair was slightly out of place and she was still regaining her breath, and she refused to meet my eyes.
"Coulson's gonna love this." She mumbled, and I nodded my agreement although she didn't see.
.
Sick.
I get back from Greenland with a bright, runny nose and a closed up throat and a raging temperature, only to be confirmed ill and given a week sick leave with Natasha.
She took me to her apartment in New York that was owned by an elderly Italian woman who also believe Natasha was Italian, and I picked up a few sentences about bringing hot tomato soup and to keep the volume down if things get too frisky. Natasha just laughed and said something about being strictly partners, and the side-glance she shot me made me feel like she was talking more to me then anyone else.
The tiny apartment was so unlike Natasha that I almost thought we were in the wrong one. It was decorated with paintings and small souvenirs and pot plants with cherry tomatoes growing wildly on it. Her room had a double bed with a pale blue cover and a shelf containing many books stacked on top of each other. She walked straight into the little kitchen and flicked on the kettle, preparing two cups of cinnamon tea.
I felt overly hot but freezing cold all at the same time, and I pulled my sweater over my head along with my shirt and shoved them in one of my bags, kicking off my boots and slumping onto the lounge, feeling drained and dizzy. My body was heated and burnt at the touch by my insides felt clenched and frozen, a battle between fire and ice.
I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, my breaths coming out ragged and painful. I was only vaguely aware of the light pink blanket that was draped over my body before the couch shifted beside me and Natasha sat down with two steaming mugs in her hand. She passed one to me, and I took a sip, hoping to sooth my dry throat with the heated liquid.
She crossed her legs and faced me, placing a palm on my forehead and sighing slightly.
"Of all the times to get sick. There's meant to be a Helicarrier tour tomorrow afternoon…" she murmured to herself.
"You can go if you want." I croaked, placing the mug down and hugging the blanket to my chest.
"As if I'd go alone." She protested, walking into her room and coming out with a larger blanket and two pillows stacked on top. She ushered me off the lounge and moved the furniture around slightly, before pulling out the sofa bed and setting up the blankets and pillows for me.
I glanced at her, noticing how she avoided meeting eyes with me once again as she flattened out the crinkles in the sheets.
"Natasha?"
She ignored me, and my heart suddenly sank with the feeling of rejection and things started to get a little fuzzy around the edges. Why was she suddenly being so cold and distant with me? If she was upset about the kissing, fine, all she needed to do was say something! But now, after almost three years of sleeping in the same bed, she was dumping me on the sofa lounge. I knew I was being drastic, but couldn't help the sudden ache within me.
She glanced at me then, finally meeting my eyes as she noticed my heavy breathing and swaying body. She quickly walked over to me and led me to the sofa bed, pulling the blanket aside and laying me down. She unbuckled my belt and slid off my jeans, leaving me in my boxers as she drew the blankets back up. She walked over to a cupboard and pulled out a large fan, plugging it in and turning it on low. The cold air felt good against my heated skin but caused me to shudder and pull the blankets up.
"It's going to be a long night." I heard her say as she walked over to the kitchen and clinked around glasses, returning with two cold and flew tablets and a glass of water. I swallowed them and drained the glass, rolling over onto my side and closing my eyes.
"Sorry for the inconvenience." I muttered, hugging the pillow close.
"Clint, I-"
"Goodnight, Natasha."
That night seemed to drag on. I continually woke up from numb sleeps, the taste of sickness and morning breath thick in my mouth that made my stomach roll. I often scrambled out of the sofa bed and blindly made my way to the sink and tried to wash out the taste, all in vein. Sometimes I just stood outside her door, hand poised to knock but stayed still in the air with hesitation. She didn't want to sleep with me a few hours ago, so what would make her want to sleep with me now?
By the time it was half past four, I puckered up the courage to retrieve my toothbush from my bag, silently open up the door and stumble into her room without a sound. Her breathing was heavy and even, and I made my way into the small bathroom, leaving the door open only a little bit before flicking on the light.
Black splodges blurred my vision at first, and I had to lean against the wall and close my eyes for a moment before things became clear.
When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I realised why Natasha would be so doubtful of sleeping with me. My hair was spiking up in all directions, and my stubble was growing thicker then usual. My eyes had dark rings below them and my skin was clammy and pale. I splashed cool water over my face and dried it with a towel, brushing my teeth and trying to freshen up pointlessly in the early hours of the morning.
I flicked off the light and silently padded my way out of the room, closing the door silently behind me. I turned and rubbed my eyes, letting out a loud cough and blowing my nose before plopping back into the bed and sighing in relief. I turned over, and only then did I ever so stupidly notice the presence of another person lying next to me.
"Hey." She whispered, only barely visible in the dim light.
"Hey." I croaked back, suddenly thankful that I'd brushed my teeth. "… did I wake you?"
"No, no. I've been having trouble sleeping all night. So have you." She stated, placing her palm on my forehead again. She sighed and I closed my eyes under her cool touch, kicking my feet out from under the blanket and letting the fan hit them.
"Listen, about everything that's going on between us-"
"Don't." she cut me off, and I raised an eyebrow in the darkness.
"No, seriously, Natasha. I know its stupid but I was actually really hurt when you ditched me to sleep out here tonight. If you regret ever kissing me, all you had to do was say something, things would have gone back to normal and I would have backed off. Fuck, I understand if you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you, but you should know by now that you can tell me these things."
She scoffed and sat up. "Oh please. If I didn't feel the same way, I never would have kissed you."
"What, so you felt the same way, you kissed me, lead me on twice and decided that I wasn't good enough for you?" I hissed, sitting up with her but instantly regretting it when my head spun at the movement. I groaned and held my head in my hands.
She chuckled darkly. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me." I challenged.
"No. Get to sleep or I'll drug you." She began to scoot out of bed, but I caught her tiny wrist in time and yanked her back down.
"We've been sleeping in the same bed for three years, Nat. You can't just stop that. You know very well that one of the reasons why we can't sleep properly is because we're not with each other."
She sighed and nodded, crawling back under the sheets with me and turning her back to me. I didn't drape an arm around her like usual, instead I turned my back as well and tried to swallow through my dried out throat.
If she wants to be like that, then fine. So will I.
.
I'll post the link to the artwork of this chapter onto my profile some time tomorrow because I really cannot be bothered right now. Leave a review and tell me what you think!
I own nothing other then an imaginary Jeremy Renner who is all MINE!