The Hunters and the Prey - Chapter Twenty-Seven
Author: Milady Dragon
Clint never wanted to give up waking next to Phil. Never.
Phil was still asleep, so the Elf decided that watching would be the way to go. The Wizard's face was unlined and appeared at least ten years younger when he was like that, relaxed and warm and…dare he say, beautiful? Not that Phil would most likely appreciate being called beautiful, but the word fit.
"You're staring at me." Phil's voice was rough from sleep.
Clint couldn't help the smile that broke across his face. "I thought you were still asleep." He must have missed the signs that his lover was waking up.
"I was, until you started staring."
"Can I help that I love looking at you?"
Blue eyes opened, meeting Clint's own. There was just a hint of black flecks in them now, something new from just the last couple of days. He could easily recall how that black had taken over the blue, when they'd been facing down Hydra, and knew it was the Void that was presenting itself.
He was the most powerful Void Wizard ever. Grand Master of Voids.
But none of that mattered to Clint. Yes, he was proud to know that is lover was all that, and more, but the Elf simply wanted Phil, the former Dark One, now devoid of the pain and anger that had plagued him for years, replaced by love and happiness and a sarcastic glint that had Clint grinning at him helplessly.
He hadn't mentioned to him what he and Ianto had discussed, but there was plenty of time for that later, after Hydra was found and stopped.
Phil gave him a sweet smile, it was yet another difference between Phil Coulson and the Dark One, who'd never would have had that sort of expression on his face, no matter what. "You're disgustingly sappy, you know it?"
"You bring out the sap in me…what can I say?"
The Wizard rolled his eyes affectionately. "I need to stop that then, don't I?"
"Never." Clint leaned over, kissing Phil gently.
The Wizard hummed in pleasure, deepening the kiss, one hand stroking along Clint's back while the trailed along a well-muscled shoulder and down a bicep, then to the forearm and back up again, a trail of heat left in its wake. Clint had been touched by many lovers in the past, but there was something about Phil that left them all in the dust. It was addicting, the way he touched the archer, as if Clint was something precious, something to be admired and cherished, that had him falling more in love with Phil than ever.
They made love slowly, tenderly, and when he orgasmed Clint felt tears in his eyes. He lay under Phil, staring up at the man he'd been attracted to before, but now…now, it was so much more. He'd seen something in the Dark One, something that he'd not been able to easily identify, but it had been the good and kind man that touched him with such reverence that it had the Elf wondering just what he'd done to deserve everything he'd gained in just the several days since he'd found out that Phil Coulson was still alive, after thinking him dead for eleven years.
"Are you alright?" Phil must have noticed that Clint was in the verge of crying.
"Are you kidding? I've never been better." He used a hand to pull Phil into yet another kiss, not ready to stop touching him yet even though he felt slightly rung out from that spectacular orgasm. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?"
"I believe I'm beginning to get the idea." Phil pulled out of the kiss, looking almost unbearably smug.
Which, if Clint was honest, he had a total right to be.
"Come on," Phil said, smacking Clint lightly on the thigh, "we need to get up and moving. It's going to be a busy day for both of us."
With a groan, Clint flopped an arm over his eyes in disgust. "When is it going to slow down so we can have a nice lie in just once?"
"Not until after Hydra's taken care of." Phil was up and out of bed, and Clint removed his arm so he could enjoy the view of a naked Wizard standing there, hands on his hips. "Then, I can get someone else to be Grand Master and we can get more time to ourselves." He turned on his heel and headed toward the facilities.
Clint groaned again, then got his own self out of bed. He didn't want to say it, but there was something telling him that Phil was deluding himself if he thought he'd be able to retire peacefully from the position of Grand Master after all this was done and over with. If Ianto and Grand Master Stephen had anything to say about it, Phil was going to be Grand Master of Voids for a long time to come.
It didn't hurt that he'd be good at it. He was also far more powerful than all of the Voids there were currently in the Order, and would be able to hold the job against all comers. He had the knowledge and the experience needed to carry out his duties. And, he had the respect of the other Grand Masters, as well as other Masters in the Guild.
However, he could understand why Phil didn't want it. There were bound to be rumors about the Dark One wanting to grasp power, and that was really the very last thing on his lover's mind…which, if they even gave it a single thought, made him a perfect Grand Master. He wasn't power-mad and he had no wish to use his magic against anyone else…anyone who didn't deserve it, that was. In a fight, Phil Coulson was exactly the person you wanted to have your back.
But there would be people who would think this was just a ruse to gain power and prestige over the Wizard's Guild. Those people didn't know Phil, and would be judging him on his Dark One ways. The thing was, even then the Dark One hadn't ever been about that sort of thing. It had been all about making people hurt the way Phil had hurt, and some of the time he'd taken that pain out on the bad guys. Not that anyone knew that, all they knew was the reputation for ruthlessness and the blood on Phil's hands from his proverbial reign of terror.
They didn't know the man who hadn't believed he was worth loving. Who'd thought he was supposed to be evil because he was a Void Wizard and his parents had had an unhealthy view of just what the Deathforce was. The Dark One had been rage and agony and the need to feel better…but hadn't known how to do go about achieving that.
Phil Coulson was a very different person from the Dark One. He'd learned to give and accept love freely, and to use his knowledge and magic to help others. The rage and the pain were both gone, replaced by contentment and happiness. The Dark One was gone, dead and dust, replaced by a man who had been hidden down so deep within the villain that he hadn't understood that there was a hero underneath it all.
Clint followed his lover into the facilities, to find Phil seated in the enormous tub that took up most of the space. The archer's mouth went dry at the sight of his naked and wet lover, and he couldn't help but rake his eyes over the parts of him that weren't underwater.
Phil cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, are you just going to stand there and stare, or are you going to join me?"
There was only one answer to that.
Which meant they were a bit longer getting ready for the day.
Natasha had been nice enough to make sure Clint's things had been sent to the Keep from their rooms in Triskelia, so he had clean clothes to change into, and Melinda must have been the one to have put his saddlebags and extra weapons in Phil's bedchamber. He chose his riding leathers, because he knew for a fact that he would probably be in the saddle today, depending on whatever plan Toshiko and Nat had come up with while he'd been busy at Ferrous Castle.
Unlike the United Kingdom, the Western Lands didn't have a Mercenary Guild, so they couldn't put the word out about Hydra that way. Natasha had contacts that, knowing her, she'd already alerted, but Toshiko had wanted to get the word out to as many mercenaries and soldiers of fortune as possible. Clint was sure she'd already done that in her home country, because the Guild would have made the passing along of information so much easier, but Toshiko hadn't travelled in the Western Lands as much as he and Nat had. She would need their help, and the pair was willing to do just that.
In Clint's opinion, the more people who knew about those assholes in Hydra, the better. And that meant the sooner they'd catch up those bastards and they could get on with living their lives in relative peace.
He couldn't help but notice Phil's appreciative glance at Clint's backside as he pulled his trousers on.
He also couldn't help the extra shimmy in his step as they left the suite. After all, Clint knew what his best features were, and he had it on good authority that his ass was magnificent.
Breakfast was waiting for them, along with Daisy, who must have come home last night after he and Phil had gone to bed. She was sitting at the table, finishing up what looked like a bowl of oatmeal, Skye curled up on her shoulders as the dragon was wont to do. After Phil had gotten Lola her usual hunk of meat, he and Clint finished up the crock of oatmeal that had been left on the stove; Clint adding honey to his, while Phil had more fruit that actual cereal in his own bowl. The coffee was a little stronger than Clint usually took it, but that was fine; after all, he and Phil had spent a bit more time upstairs than they'd planned, and the grounds had had time to steep a little longer than normal.
It was just too hard not to jump his lover when they were both naked. In fact, Clint considered it a moral imperative to do so.
"Good morning," Phil greeted his daughter. "Are you heading back to Gateway today?"
Daisy nodded. "We didn't get much of a start yesterday in the Archives, so I'll be meeting everyone else in a bit." She scraped the last of the oatmeal out of her bowl. "I should warn you, Dad, you're gonna have several Novices wanting to learn some of the spells we've run into, and everyone seems to think you're the one to teach them."
Phil gave his daughter a fond eyebrow. "Which spells specifically?"
"This really great Keep Out spell that's on the doors in the Archives. Oh, and Fitz really wants to know all about the unPlotable spell you use on the Keep. He was practically drooling over it."
"Well, the unPlotable spell might be a bit advanced right now, but I'm sure Fitz will grow into it. I am familiar with the Keep Out spells in the Archives, but you might want to talk to Ianto about those. He was the one who found them, after all, and made certain they were in place. Beyond that, I'll be willing to show your friends anything they want to learn."
That got him a brilliant smile from Daisy. "Fantastic."
"Other than that, how was your search?"
She shrugged. "Nothing yet on that arm. Although, we didn't have all that much time yesterday before the Head Archivist chivvied us out. I think he was really confused over the fact that I had both Ianto's spectacles and his primary Archive key."
Phil laughed at that. "I'm not surprised. It's a great sign of trust that he let you borrow both."
"I know, Dad, and I don't intend letting him or Sir James down."
The smile that Phil gave his daughter was so full of pride that it made Clint a little embarrassed for the young Wizard; she seemed to feel the same way, if the blush that colored her cheeks was any indication. "You'll do your best."
"I just feel bad for him, you know? He's lost everything and had his memories messed with and cursed and…well, you know. I just want to help him." She set her spoon down in her empty bowl. "You didn't tell Sir Steven, right?"
"Not yet. It won't be a good idea to let that particular cat out of the bag until Sir Steven is settled and Sir James has had all those curses removed. I'd hate to reunite them only for them to break apart again."
"Me, too," Daisy sighed. Then she looked at Clint, slyness in her gaze. "So…should I be making any threats about hurting my Dad?"
"Daisy," Phil scolded, even as he was smiling at her protectiveness.
Clint shook his head. "It's fine, Phil. She has a right to ask." He looked her straight in the eye. "You don't have to say a thing. Because I don't need to be reminded about how good I have it. And I'm not gonna hurt Phil if I can absolutely help it." He'd never do anything to deliberately injure his lover, not after waiting for so many years in order to finally be this happy.
"Perfect." Daisy gave him a big smile. "I'm off to meet the gang and get started on more research. As much fun it is to be completely trusted by the Grand Master of my Order, most of those old papers make for kinda dry reading." With that, she flounced out of the kitchen, Skye calling out her own dragon version of a farewell as they exited.
"Well," Phil said, bemused, ""I should have expected that."
"Yes, you should have." Clint winked. "Look, if the daughter of the man I love can't threaten me over possibly hurt her Dad, then who can?"
"Thank you for humoring her."
"Not humoring her. I'm taking her very seriously. She's pretty protective of you, and who can blame her? You're her only parent. She loves you. She needs to make sure I'm good enough for you… although, I'm not entirely sure I am…"
"Yes, you are." Phil reached over and touched Clint's hand. "It's me who's not worthy of you."
Clint had to laugh. "I think we can agree to disagree on that, alright?"
"If you say so. Now, eat up…then we need to get going. Time is passing and we have too much to do."
The Wizard was right, and Clint did agree. Besides, the sooner they got everything done, the faster they could get back here and start acting all domestic.
Something that Clint was looking forward to.