The Hunters and the Prey - Chapter Two
Author: Milady Dragon
Clint Barton awoke on what was quite possibly the most comfortable bed ever, with an arm around his chest and a very warm body pressed against his bare back, sore in places he hadn't been sore in ages.
Damn, but he felt amazing.
Sure, he'd been determined to get to know this version of Phil Coulson better before falling into bed with him, but fuck that…there were years of attraction and pining and he just hadn't been able to help himself.
And yes, he did fuck that… and had been fucked in return. Apparently, being a Wizard with a close connection to the Void gave Phil absolutely insane penile stamina. And a really short refractory period. That man was going to ruin him for anyone else.
Not that Clint minded. Because, even if the sex hadn't been mind-blowing, he still fully intended on keeping Phil Coulson for as long as possible. The sex was just the icing on an incredibly fantastic cake.
A gorgeous, brilliant, strong cake.
Damn, but Clint could wax poetical, and he wasn't that kind of guy.
"You're being very loudly smug this morning," Phil's voice was gravelly from sleep, soft puffs of breath tickling the delicate point of Clint's ear. It shouldn't have been erotic, but it was.
"I'm not the one with the right to be smug," the Elf denied, twisting in the Wizard's grasp until he was facing Phil, casually tangling their legs together, their morning erections rubbing tantalizingly.
Phil's eyes were blinking sleepily, and he smiled at Clint as if he'd just been given the best Naming Day present ever, his morning scruff more gray that brown, which explained why he didn't wear that beard he'd had during his Dark One years anymore.
"You are a sex god," the archer murmured, leaning in for a kiss despite Phil's muttered comment about morning breath. Even with that, the kiss was awesome. "You have addicted me to your dick."
Phil laughed at that. "You are crazy."
"Yep. Crazy for you."
"Sappy, as well." But the Wizard seemed pleased by what Clint had said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
"You're the reason if I am sappy."
That had him rolling his eyes. "You don't need to flatter me. You already have me."
"Not flattery. The honest truth." To press his point home, Clint kissed him again, this time teasing Phil's mouth open with this tongue.
He could taste the magic that flowed through Phil. He'd often heard that various Wizards could tell if something had been around either the Void or the Deep Ways simply by taste, but this was the first time he'd ever experienced it. The Void was cool and smooth and powerful and Clint couldn't get enough of it now.
Phil had the Void through every bit of him. Clint had easily tasted it on his skin last night, and it had become addictive, almost as addictive as the sex. He'd never once been able to experience magic like that before, and it made him wonder how Phil experienced it as well, since the Void was so integral a part of him.
He wondered what Phil tasted when he kissed Clint. Maybe he'd ask at some point.
They lost themselves for a long time, until their cocks urgently demanded their attentions. It led to yet another very vigorous round of sex, which made Clint a very happy Elf. He could ride on this feeling all...day…long.
Afterward, as they lay there getting their breath back, Phil said, "I'd really like you to stay here at the Keep…if you want to, that is."
Clint's breath caught. He was stunned. They'd only been reunited for days, and that seemed…hasty. But he wanted it…oh, how he wanted to. He wanted to wake up next to Phil every morning, eat breakfast with him, get to know Daisy better and play host to her friends. He wanted to be completely and utterly domestic with them both, but hadn't wanted to push the issue.
Phil had taken that out of his hands.
He must have been silent a little too long, because suddenly Phil was up and tossing the blanket aside, his back stiff and shoulders hunched, and Clint knew immediately that this was his fault, although it had been completely unintentional.
The Elf snagged Phil's arm, keeping him from leaving like he was obviously about to do. "No, wait. Sorry about that, you just surprised me, that's all." He tugged his lover back down and onto his chest, wrapping both arms about the Wizard and holding him tight, looking up into his intensely blue eyes. He'd never noticed the miniscule black flecks in them until that moment. "I would love to stay here. Hells, the only way you're gonna get me out is if you kick me out at this point." It felt strange, because up until that moment he'd always thought he'd be a wanderer for a while yet, traveling with Natasha and kicking random ass. But now, he was honestly excited about settling down, and was happy that Phil wanted that with him as well.
Phil relaxed against him. "Good," he shifted slightly, looking down into Clint's eyes, the sincerity and the love shining in them, "because I'm not going to do that anytime soon."
"Excellent." He playfully poked Phil in the chest. "But you're gonna be with me when I explain to Natasha that I won't be traveling with her anymore."
"I'm still looking forward to the punch she's most likely going to give me."
"This hunt for Hydra is keeping her way too busy at the moment, so you have a bit of a reprieve."
He hadn't seen Natasha ever since they'd parted in Triskelia, back when this whole thing started. Nick had assured him that she was fine and running down leads, especially now that she had more information at her disposal. The last he'd said was that she was on the trail of the so-called Winter Knight, because someone with a magical metal arm was hard to hide. Apparently, when the Void Point had closed, whatever spells Hydra had been using on him to get him to work for them had faded out, and the guy had broken their control and had taken off.
The raid on the house where Hydra had been set up had led to several interesting discoveries, including papers that detailed a project called 'Destroyer of Worlds', which sounded far too nuts to be real. Clint would leave that shit to the Wizards. They'd work it all out.
At that moment, Clint's stomach growled, and it made Phil laugh. "Come on," he smacked the archer in the hip, making him yelp in surprise, "let's bathe and then get something to eat. I want to see if Daisy's here, or if she stayed in Gateway after we left there last night."
Phil had a very nicely appointed bathtub, with up-to-date plumbing, so it took no time at all to fill. Apparently, hot water was furnished from a boiler in the kitchen, so the water was nearly scalding, but Clint didn't mind. The bath salts that Phil favored smelled nice, as well, and the hand-crafted soap was silky against his skin. It was a soft blue, and he wondered just what it was dyed with to get it that shade.
The bathtub fit them both, although it was a bit of a squeeze. Not that either of them cared…Phil didn't even say anything about the fact that they managed to make quite a few waves when they decided to have yet another round of fairly energetic sex in it, getting the floor all wet.
Magic made the clean-up that much easier.
The Wizard shaved; as an Elf, Clint didn't have to, he had yet to meet an Elf with any sort of beard. He just had to kiss Phil once more, the moment the scruff was gone.
Yes, just as good without the stubble.
Clint was stuck with the clothes he'd worn yesterday, but they weren't too bad; they'd been the best he owned, a better quality that his usual style. He'd already talked to Nick about replacing his armor; it was gone, although they'd found his bow and quiver at the Hydra house. Nick had claimed to know a guy who was an excellent armorer, and that he'd introduce the Elf the next time he was in Triskelia. Which was most likely going to be soon, since the rest of his belongings were at the hostel he and Natasha normally stayed at when visiting the Baron. He was really glad that the owner was an old friend, and wouldn't throw his shit out for non-payment, but collecting his knapsack and saddlebags was best done sooner rather than later. Besides, he'd get tired of wearing the same thing after a couple of days.
Phil dressed a bit casually, in simple tunic and trousers, comfortable boots on his feet, and then the pair of them headed down toward the kitchen, Lola joining them once they exited the bedroom from where she'd been waiting for them in the outer sitting room. The dragon was chattering happily at them, and even though he couldn't actually sense her emotions he could tell that she was truly pleased that they were together, not at all upset that they'd basically locked her out of the bedroom. Which was a good thing, because it was most likely going to happen quite frequently from now on.
Phil grabbed onto Clint in the wide stairwell and floated them both down to the ground floor, the Elf whooping on the way, Lola circling around them as they descended. He had to talk Phil into doing that more often! It was the closest he'd ever come to truly flying.
The main hall was empty, as was the kitchen, although someone – probably Andrew – had thoughtfully left a pot of stew for them on the hob, where it was warming over the low heat. He'd also provided a meal for Lola in the shape of a haunch of beef, which she gladly set about wolfing down as Phil got bowls and spoons out of the cupboard and ladled the stew into them.
No one had bothered to shrink the table back to its smaller size, after their meeting before the Quorum. Phil gave it one look, shrugged, and took a seat at one end.
Clint sat beside him, stomach growling even more at the smell wafting up from the bowl. He actually moaned at the first bite; it was venison, with hearty spices, and Clint asked the Wizard where they were getting their meat from.
"Melinda arranged to have someone bring up supplies every couple of weeks," he answered. For some strange reason, Phil's pupils were blown and he was staring at Clint as if he wanted to devour him the way Lola was with that haunch.
Then he realized what he'd done, and made the same noise on his second spoonful.
Yep, that was it.
"You'll have an Elf living here now," he said, not addressing the fact that Phil seemed to have been turned on by the sounds he made when he was eating, "so I'm sure I can handle some of the hunting now." He smirked. "You should eat that. You need to keep up your strength."
He blinked once. "Yes…right." Picking up his own spoon, Phil dug into the stew. "Although," he said after a few mouthfuls, "it sounds as if you're planning on helping me burn some energy later."
"I don't know what you mean." He batted his eyelashes outrageously, which had the Wizard choking on the bite he'd just taken.
"You are both ridiculous," Melinda declared. She was standing in the kitchen doorway, leaning on the jamb, her arms crossed. "Is this what I'm going to have to put up with from now on?" Her voice was severe, but Clint didn't miss the pleased gleam in her dark eyes.
"Yep," the Elf confirmed. "Better get used to it."
Phil rolled his eyes. "Is Daisy here, or did she stay at Gateway?"
"She stayed," Melinda reported. "She should be home later today, however."
"I thought she might have," Phil replied. "Thank you, Melinda. And when you see Andrew, thank him for leaving the stew on for us."
She shrugged, one-shouldered since the other was leaning against the doorjamb. "No problem." She turned to leave, but looked back over her shoulder. "Love looks good on you both. Just so you know." What that parting comment, she left them alone.
Clint was grinning. "Glad she thinks so, but then I always thought you were gorgeous anyway."
He had the pleasure of seeing a slight flush on Phil's cheeks. "You look better."
"I think we should agree to disagree on that." It didn't surprise the archer that Phil didn't know he was absolutely beautiful, because Clint had the same self-esteem issues that his lover did, only from different sources. He figured he'd have to work on that, which would most likely be easier than he may think, since he was pretty certain Phil would be doing a lot of complimenting. The archer would just have to keep up with the compliments about Phil.
They'd each finished off one bowl of stew, and were working on their second – Lola begging for bites for all she was worth – when Phil suddenly stiffened, then tilted his head to one side as if he was listening to something. "What?" Clint asked curiously.
"Someone just pinged my mirror." The Wizard stood, taking his bowl over to the sink. "Let's go and see what they want."
Clint had a feeling he and Phil wouldn't be going back to bed for a while.