As they entered the clearing, the sun was hiding behind some scudding clouds, its light filtering through to gently fall on the water below. The slight waves sparkled in the light, the waters cool and inviting, winking at the two men on shore.
Steve stood for a moment, drinking in the scene before him. Clint glanced around, impressed by the view, but fixed his eyes on the beatific expression that was lighting up Steve's face. Smiling, he nudged Steve, jolting him out of his reverie. Startled, Steve jumped, and then laughed, realizing how gob smacked he had been. He un-shouldered his backpack, setting it down on the ground, preparing to help Clint set up the site, unzipping the pack and pulling out the tent poles, which were swiftly pulled out of his hands by Clint. Steve looked at him surprised.
"Go," Clint said, smiling and tilting his head towards the water.
"But, the camp, the tent…," Steve stammered, gesturing.
"Nothing I can't set up solo. Go, I'll join you."
"Are you sure?"
Cleverly interpreting the swift swat Clint directed to his backside with the tent poles as proof of his conviction, Steve pulled off his boots and socks, and jogged lightly towards the lake.
Clint watched in admiration as Steve pulled off his shirt, revealing his enhanced physique, the muscles across his back rippling, as he carefully tossed the shirt aside, checking to make sure it didn't land in a patch of poison ivy. Clint swallowed nervously as Steve's hands moved towards the front of his pants, the tall, Adonis like man glancing back over his shoulder to see if Clint was watching. The two men held eye-contact, slight smiles playing on both their faces, before Steve quickly unfastened the snap, and shucked his pants. Stepping out of them, he kicked them gently to one side to lie with his shirt. Without looking back to observe Clint's reaction, he ran forwards into the lake, wading in till the water was hip deep, then dived forward, submerging himself completely.
Clint stood on shore, mesmerized, the tent poles slipping from his hands to clatter against the ground, his hand moving to rearrange the erection that now strained the front of his pants. Steve was stunningly proportioned, and Clint had barely dared to dream about what he'd look like naked. The reality was so much better – smooth, unblemished skin, that covered rippling rock hard muscle. And the man didn't even have the courtesy to move bulkily, despite all that mass. Steve had the grace of a dancer, which made sense considering he did gymnastic training, and Clint had seen him in action on the battlefield, but to see him, naked, his body in motion, the liquid grace with which his limbs moved, it was an homage to the beauty of the male physique, pure poetry in motion.
Clint shook his head, laughing at the clichéd thought running through his head, as Steve bobbed up in the middle of the water, his head and shoulders just visible above the water. He waved to Clint, and Clint waved back, snapping to, and linking the poles together, his hands moving briskly and professionally, almost by rote. He set up the tent, angling it to allow for wind movement, unfurling their sleeping bags inside. He grimaced slightly as he realized that his water bottle had leaked onto his bag, soaking the fabric. Hoping that it would dry out in time, he set the bag up anyways, before setting up the fire implements, quickly gathering firewood and rocks to contain the fire. Clearing a bare area a few feet from the tent, he arranged and stacked the firewood, leaving it ready for them to use.
Brushing his hands clean, he pulled two towels from his backpack, he peeled off his shirt and headed towards the water, placing the towel on a flat dry rock that was in a sunny patch. Steve was idly kicking around out in the center of the lake, and Clint waved, grabbing his attention. Pulling off his S.H.I.E.L.D issue watch, he waved it, the steel glinting in the sunlight, then threw it as hard as he could, the two men watching it sparkle in the air before it splashed into the lake, a few feet from where Steve was floating. As Steve started to dive for the watch, Clint quickly stripped off and dived into the lake, swimming out strongly to wait for Steve to surface. A few minutes passed and Steve finally surfaced, grasping the watch triumphantly in one hand. He shook his wet hair back, the locks now a dark blonde, and grinned triumphantly at Clint, the grin dropping slightly as he realized he'd missed Clint's naked entry into the water. Laughing at his successful ruse, Clint held out his hand, taking the watch back from Steve and slipping it back onto his wrist.
Steve glided closer to Clint, reaching out a hand, tentatively tracing the curve of Clint's shoulder blade as it gleamed in the sunlight. His fingers touched a raised scar, a grisly reminder of the life that Clint led, and the dangers he'd faced. Clint smiled, kicking softly to stay afloat, enjoying the gentle touch. Steve slid his hand along Clint's arm, then grabbed his wrist, pulling them together, and unexpectedly planting a kiss on Clint's lips as he did so. It was quick, and chaste, tasting of freshwater, and desire. Clint had barely registered the kiss however, when Steve pulled back, reared out of the water for leverage, and promptly shoved Clint under the water. Clint went deep down, his mouth filling with water as he opened his mouth in shock, and he surfaced spluttering in outrage. Steve was already swimming away, and Clint gave chase, looking for payback.
As the sun slowly dipped below the horizon, and the first stars started to open up in the sky above them, Clint finally called it quits. He paddled into shore, Steve close behind, and paused when they were both still hip deep in the water, realizing they were both about to be completely naked in front of each other. Even though they'd just horsed around in the water, it had been purely in fun, and their nudity had not felt out of place, and now it presented an interesting problem. Steve stood out in slightly deeper water, his hands covering himself as he blushed a shade of crimson that threatened to rival the sunset.
Laughing at the man's sweetness, Clint braced himself and padded out the water, picking up the towels that were now pleasantly warm, from sitting in the sun all afternoon. He wrapped one around himself, then held one out towards the water, looking away as he did so. Steve splashed forwards, and took the towel, thanking Clint as he did so. Clint kept his gaze forward, as he hurried to light the fire before total darkness consumed them. Steve followed him, the towel just barely holding on around his narrow waist, and Clint was struck by how erotic the sight was. Steve ducked behind the tent to pull on his clothes, then came over to take over for Clint.
"Sorry for not helping set up earlier," he murmured softly, as they tucked into their meal a short while later.
"It's fine, I've set up camp plenty of times solo, and you looked like you desperately wanted a swim," Clint responded, chewing a mouthful of beans.
"Yeah, but, I should have helped nevertheless. A good leader always…," Steve began, before Clint interrupted him.
"You're not here as my leader Steve. You're here as my friend - and I said it was okay. Please, relax."
Steve smiled at Clint, a silent apology in the smile. Clint smiled back, before focusing on finishing his food. The day's hike, as well as the swimming and the fresh air had left him ravenous. He could feel Steve's gaze on him, and wondered what he saw. Clint knew he wasn't traditionally handsome, but he'd received enough compliments on his eyes to know they were his best feature, albeit not ones that showed up in the dim firelight. He glanced at Steve, who was now looking up at the night sky, admiring the stars that studded the darkness above them. The firelight cast his features into stark relief, highlighting his strong nose and high cheekbones. His hair was ruffled , and he'd not taken the time to part it, and it fell forward, covering his forehead, making him look younger than Clint had ever seen.
Steve stood, gathering their plates, and taking them down to the water's edge to wash them. Clint checked his sleeping bag in the tent, which was unfortunately still wet from his water bottle. Although the night was pleasant at the moment, he knew it would get colder , and wasn't looking forwards to facing that chill. As Steve returned, he noticed Clint's predicament.
"Don't worry," he smiled, placing the dishes down, and pulling open his rucksack,"Look what I packed!"
With a flourish, he pulled out a micro-sleeping bag, the container barely the size of his forearm. Laughing at the look of relief on Clint's face, he tossed the bag to him, and watched as the man deftly unfurled the bag and lay it out, carelessly kicking the wet one aside. Steve yawned loudly, realizing how tired he was.
"Ready to hit the hay ?" Clint asked, as he moved to the fire to carefully bank the embers.
"Absolutely. I'm exhausted."
"Get on in, I'll be right there."
Steve slipped into the tent, and unzipped his sleeping bag, running his hand over the thick lining inside. He pulled his shirt over his head, and folded it neatly, then placed it in the far corner of the tent, where it was joined shortly by his pants. Slipping into his sleeping bag naked, he zipped up and felt the bag absorb and reflect his body's heat back, waiting for Clint to get into the tent. Clint came in a few minutes later, pulling his sleeping bag a little closer to Steve's, and stripped off his clothes , before slipping into his own bag. Within minutes, they both fell into a deep sleep, from which Steve awoke a few hours later, his sleep interrupted by a surprising drop in temperature that had left Clint shivering in cold, his teeth chattering. Although the micro sleeping bag was warm, it was nowhere near as functional as the heavy duty sleeping bag Steve was in, and the tent was a lightweight construction, not designed to retain heat as well as it could have. Reaching for the small torch that he'd placed by his bag, Steve flicked it on, the red bulb illuminating Clint.
"Want to share mine?" Steve mumbled sleepily.
As Clint nodded gratefully, too cold to articulate a response, Steve unzipped his bag, and Clint clambered in ,too cold to worry about being naked. Beginning to warm up, he unzipped the micro bag completely, turning it into a blanket, and placing it over the shared bag, to help insulate them further. Still half asleep, Steve clicked the torch off, and wrapped his arm around Clint, pulling the shorter man into a spooning position, that was wonderfully intimate without being sexual. Clint smiled to himself, as he felt the strong arm holding him close. He'd not realized he'd been missing this peace from his life for quite some time.
As an owl hooted outside, the two men slumbered, safe in each other's arms.