Chapter 3- Intruder Alert

Clint landed, much like he always did, on the balls of his feet.

As a thief, he had to be sneaky.

As someone who broke into rich people's houses on a nightly basis, he had to be completely silent, something that he had perfected over the years.

Sometimes, though, he was actually surprised that he hadn't been caught yet. Not in his four years of a pulling a Robin Hood each night in a different place, nobody had ever discovered him. Sure, he had seen reports of people wanting their things back, but nobody had ever suspected it was him. He used to work as part of a double team, but his partner Scott Lang had wanted to quit the stealing so that he could become a better role model for his daughter. Clint thought that was admirable and actually preferred working alone. It allowed him to slip in and out even quicker than usual. Scott would still chip in, occasionally, helping him with disarming alarms and spotting the empty houses on the streets, but he mostly left Clint alone.

The window of this particular house was already partially open, a silly move on the owner's parts. All Clint had to do was slowly push it upwards and slither through it, coming to a crouch, hissing as the cold wooden floor met his bare feet. He never wore shoes or even socks. Both caused too many risks when exploring different surfaces. Clint was short and light on his feet, he didn't need any unnecessary distractions hindering him from doing his "job" properly.

This house, though, he wasn't adequately prepared for. He had his plan in place, his exits covered, layouts memorised, possessions checked and the alarms disabled.

All he had forgotten to do was follow the owner for a night or two to check their habits.

And that would be the reason Clint finally got himself caught.

"Who's there?" A deep voice rang out in the darkness. Clint gritted his teeth, hiding behind the bed in the spare bedroom like his life depended on it. Perhaps it might have, had the speaker not be somebody he actually knew.

Clint knew he recognised the voice, he just couldn't place it.

"Show yourself and this doesn't have to get ugly."

Then it clicked.

Clint clapped a hand over his mouth. Oh my god, I broke into Captain America's house.

"Clint?"

A half-naked Steve Rogers was peering over him, flashlight in hand, frowning.

Clint laughed uncomfortably because the irony was so strong. "Hey there, Cap." He tried to keep his eyes glued to Steve's face, but his gaze occasionally flickered to both the well-built physique Steve possessed and the large bulge in his boxers. He couldn't be blamed, Steve in underwear was the hottest thing anybody could ever see. He was a warm blooded male, it was out of his hands.

Steve crossed the room and flicked the light on, clicking off the flashlight with a small sigh. "What are you doing here, Clint? I mean, I think I already know, but I don't want to be right so you'd better explain before I fill in the blanks myself."

Clint was stuck. He could tell the truth or he could lie. He was pretty sure that lying to Captain America was the equivalent of kicking a three legged cat, so he opted for the truth. Damn. There goes my "I'm homeless and needed a place to crash" excuse. I've been waiting to use that one for a while now. It's a genius idea.

"I…uh…I was breaking in."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I can see that, genius. No, I mean, why are you in my house at three thirty in the morning?"

Clint fidgeted with his shirt as he stood up. "I was…um…I'm not sure how to word this."

"You were stealing from me?"

"No. Well, yes, but no," Clint stammered, unsure how to explain without getting his ass handed to him by Steve Rogers. "I wasn't stealing from you specifically. I was kinda stealing from the house."

"The house that I own?"

"No! Yes. But no."

"I think I get it. You didn't know I live here, did you?" Steve smirked.

"Nope, I was a little unprepared tonight," Clint sighed sadly. "Look, man, I get it if you wanna knock my lights out or throw me out the window, but I didn't take anything so I can just leave without this causing any tension."

Steve sighed. "Clint, wait. I'm not going to beat you up and you don't have to leave. You can…come in and we can talk."

Clint tilted his head in confusion. "You want me to stay?"

"If you want to." He looked down suddenly. "Oh, I'll just go and put some clothes on. Feeling a little exposed all of a sudden."

Clint smirked. "Don't stop on my account."

Steve shrugged. "Okay."

That was the thing that both amused and intrigued Clint most about Steve Rogers. He had always been traditional and predictable but lately, he was inclined to go left when you expected him to go right.

He padded after Steve into the living room of his beautifully decorated house. There was a large coffee table in the centre of the space, inches away from a comfortable-looking sofa, which Steve nonchalantly sat down on.

"You live here all by yourself?"

Steve cocked his head. "Shouldn't you know this? Being a thief and all?"

Clint licked his lips unconsciously. "I told you, I was unprepared. By the way, you should enable your alarm."

He frowned. "My alarms are…oh. Well, you very nearly thought of everything. Using the spare room is a good move. I never go in there. It just so happens that I was awake, getting some water and the door was open."

Clint was a little angry that Steve wasn't angry. He supposed that he should've been relieved, but he didn't know why he wasn't. "Why are you being so cool about this? I broke inside your house, you should be furious."

Steve patted the seat next to him on the couch, which Clint took gratefully. "Because I get it, Clint. I know why you do this."

"You do?"

"You don't think I haven't noticed these large donations cropping up all over the city for charities that you're actively invested in. Animal shelters, deaf charities, things that you're passionate about. It didn't really hit me until I saw you, all dressed in black with no shoes or socks on…do I even want to know?"

Clint shrugged. "Makes me quieter."

"Ah, okay. Well, I fully intended on beating the shit out of whoever broke into my home until I saw that it was you. Don't get me wrong, I was surprised, but less so once I realised. You're a modern day Robin Hood. Makes sense with the bow and everything."

Clint had noticed the symbolism. "Do you mind if I take my hearing aids out? They're bugging me a little today. I can read your lips, though."

Steve smiled. Not at all, he signed.

Clint's heart melted at the sight of Steve signing the words to him. It always meant so much that somebody would take the time to learn what was literally a whole different language just to make things easier for him. It really did warm his heart. Thank you, Clint signed back.

Do you want a drink or anything?

Clint signed a negative response.

They talked for what seemed like hours about anything and everything. Movies, television, music, art, politics, their fellow Avengers. They were discussing Tony and Bruce's latest science project when Steve let out an almighty yawn.

Clint quickly checked his watch. Damn, it's six thirty! Sorry, Steve, I didn't mean to keep you up for this long.

Steve shrugged. I didn't realise I was tired until just now.

Me neither, actually. I'd better get home then. Clint rolled his eyes, not looking forward to the walk home. He never used vehicles, somebody could easily tie him to the theft and cars were way too loud, especially during the night hours.

Steve seemed to notice his frustration and sighed. You could always just stay here, he signed. Before you talk about imposing, it's really no problem at all. Honestly, I'm insisting that you crash here tonight.

Wow, this is the first time I've had a sleepover at a house I've tried to steal from. Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.

Steve smiled. You're welcome. Come on, I'll find you something to sleep in.

Clint rubbed the back of his neck. I kinda just…sleep in my underwear. Clothes get too restricting, he signed back to Steve's understanding nod. Well, this kind of worked out well. Look, I already know where the spare bedroom is. Clint chuckled afterwards.

Steve tilted his head. Oh, yeah, I was kinda hoping you'd just…stay in with me. I don't really like to sleep alone if I can help it. It's okay if you want your own space, though, I totally get it.

Steve Rogers, are you trying to seduce me?

That depends.

On?

Whether or not it's working…

Clint gasped a little, Steve's serious expression turning a running joke into a serious option. Clint wasn't going to lie and say that he hadn't fantasised about sleeping with Captain America before he met Steve. Then afterwards, Steve became his own person separate from the shield and Clint wouldn't have minded getting some of that too. Basically, Steve Rogers was a perfect specimen and Clint would not be opposed.

Clint leaned forward and pressed his lips lightly against Steve's. I'd say it was working.

Steve stood, cheeks red from the blush that settled over them and smirked. I have to say, this is the first somebody has broken into my house just to sleep with me.

That wasn't why and you know it.

Yeah, okay, Steve signed with a roll of his eyes to indicate his sarcasm and he nodded to the hallway. So there's a perfectly good bedroom waiting for us…

Clint was already on his way there, stripping off his shirt and unbuttoning his jeans as he went. He was definitely always prepared.