Up In His Nest

[Anonymouse]

I thought I’d try my hand at something other than Metalocalypse, which was a daunting task, considering I’m not all that familiar with much else to feel confident enough writing for other fandoms. Especially considering the wealth of awesome fiction that already exists for the other shows/movies/etc. that I like. I’ve seen The Avengers movie one and a half times (was watching on my laptop, it stopped loading halfway through ) and I love Clint and Natasha… kind of disappointed to find out they don’t have their own movies or anything. But oh well. This is pretty fluffy and plotless so enjoy I guess.

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Clint snorted and scrambled into an upright position when he heard the sound of boots clanking against metal, but it was already pretty obvious to Natasha that he’d been sleeping. Poking her head over the edge of the metal bar, she surveyed his hiding spot with a sweeping glance, taking in the nest of crumpled tissues and the empty box by his feet. As he attempted to smooth out his hair, which was sticking up in all directions from his fitful nap, Natasha hoisted a small duffel bag onto the platform before pulling herself up effortlessly.

“Fow’d me,” Clint said, giving her a tired half-smile as she rooted through her duffel without so much as a greeting. “N’dow it’s your turn to hide. I’ll count to a billion thend I’ll cumb looking for you.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Natasha said, setting a bottle of Gatorade, a thermos, and a can of orange juice beside the archer. “Take your pick.”

Clint furrowed his brow as if this were the toughest decision he’d ever had to make, his hand drifting towards the thermos before stopping. “What’s ind there?”

“Tea.”

Making a face, he detoured for the Gatorade instead, twisting the cap off with some difficulty and taking a few small sips. He winced as it went down, and his pained expression did not go unnoticed. “Throat still sore?” Natasha asked.

“Yeah.” He sniffled, a soft, stuffy sound, and nodded towards the duffel. “What else’d you bring be?”

Natasha removed a fresh box of tissues and slid it over to Clint, who thanked her graciously. “Oh, Duhtasha, you’re an angel.”

“The last I checked, angels don’t kill people.”

Clint considered this, pulling tissue after tissue from the box. With the rate he was going through tissues she wasn’t surprised to see so many scattered about on the floor.

“Isn’t it hard to sleep up here?” Natasha was having a hard enough time just trying to sit comfortably.

“Sleep is for the weak,” he replied scratchily, turning to muffle a brief coughing fit against his shoulder.

“No offense, but you’re sounding pretty weak to me.”

Clint gave her another half-smile before burying his face in the mound of tissues and blowing, or at least trying to. Natasha watched his body scrunch up from the effort and made a small, unintentional sound of sympathy that prompted him to glance up abruptly. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” she said, beckoning him over to her with her hand in an attempt to change the subject. “Come here.”

He slid across the metal without question, parting the sea of used tissues as he went. Natasha pressed the back of her hand against his sticky forehead, then cupped his face gently, brushing her thumb against his warm, flushed cheeks. “You’re burning up.”

“C-careful,” he gasped, scrunching his nose up and pushing Natasha’s hand away gently.

She watched the irritation ripple across his face, her own expression mildly indignant. “I didn’t even touch it.”

“Yeah, but by whole face is so ihh—” Snrrfff. “—itchy.”

With a soft groan he pressed his hands against his face and rubbed, but this didn’t seem to help much. Lowering his arms, he tipped his head back, his nostrils trembling as his lips parted slowly. “Ihh… EHH’NDSCHHoo!”

Natasha didn’t see the point of bringing the tissues, as he failed to use them, instead twisting and ducking his head against his shoulder to muffle the sneeze. In case he forgot about them she nudged the box closer and he grabbed a few, raising them shakily and burying his nose in the soft paper. “Hhh’MFFSHHHHuu!”

Still hunched over, he opened his eyes halfway, peering over the mass of tissues at his fellow assassin. Natasha raised a questioning eyebrow and he half-laughed, half-coughed behind his hands. “Ndo ‘bless you’?”

“You know I don’t do that,” she said simply. “Besides, I don’t think you’re done.”

That little crease was forming in the bridge of his nose again, and his forehead was crinkled with what looked like worry lines, but Natasha knew this was just how he looked when he had to sneeze. “How would you dowe?” he challenged, soldiering through the urge.

“You’re not being as discreet as you think.”

To this he responded with a gasp, wrenching away from her suddenly with a fierce, full-bodied double. “HRRFSCHHHooo! – AHFSCHH’uu!”

He remained twisted away from her, his face hidden against his shoulder, hands groping helplessly for a tissue. Rather than push the box closer Natasha grabbed a few herself and took Clint gently by the shoulders, forcing him to turn back towards her. Her hands were deceptively strong – they were hands that could break a man’s neck in an instant. Clint had to suppress the mild flash of panic that always surged through him whenever she touched him. He trusted her completely, but it had taken him a while to get to that point, and old habits die hard.

Those same hands were now pressing some clean tissues against his nose, wiping his chapped nostrils with a tenderness Clint hadn’t thought her capable of. The texture of the tissues against his raw skin reignited the searing itch and he gasped again, his features crumpling. Luckily Natasha was somehow able to predict when he was going to sneeze even before he did, and she pressed the tissues more firmly against his nose, holding steady as he bucked forward. “HMFSHH’uhh! EHSHHHHuu!”

“Bless you,” she said, before she could stop herself.

Clint grinned from ear to ear, watching her flush slightly when she realized she’d been caught. “I thought you didn’t do that?”

“Yeah, well…” She gave his nose another rub, perhaps with more roughness than was necessary. “You need it.”

Pushing her hand away, he finished the job himself, blowing with more ease now that the congestion had loosened a bit. When he finished he took a deep breath through his nose, his red-rimmed nostrils flaring slightly, and let out a satisfied sigh. “Much better.”

“Well, my work here is done,” Natasha announced, but before she could even think about moving Clint was sprawling out across her lap, making himself quite comfortable.

She looked down at him, her head tilted slightly as she watched a hint of a smile play on his lips. Sick as a dog but still smiling. He nuzzled his cheek against her thigh, his expression so peaceful she couldn’t bring herself to just dump him out of her lap onto the cold metal. The manipulative bastard knew just how to tug at her heartstrings, the scant few she had.

So she stayed, stroking his hair gently, listening to his slightly labored breathing become slower and deeper as he drifted off. After a while she found her own eyes starting to close, her body enveloped in a tranquil warmth that seemed to originate from the man curled up in her lap.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad up here after all.

Edited August 26, 2012 by AnonyMouse

[VividBubbles!]

LOVE!

TOTAL AND COMPLETE LOVE!

LOVE!

love.

[SomethingClever]

mygosh. that was beautiful. that's really all i can think to say, brain is shorted. quality, quality.

[ID2006]

Normally not a huge natasha/clint fan, but gah I loved this.

[Argent]

Oh my gosh Clint and Natasha make me so happy and fluffy inside. She is so grand, softening into a caretaking role like that, and his stuffy voice gaaaah...

[obsessed]

Fantastic!

[Garnet]

*STUPID SEAL CLAPPING* YAAAAY ANONY WROTE AVENGERS 8D Oh my god what this is so adorable, you have no idea the happy giggly place I just went to. AND it's Clint and Natasha? Be still my beating heart.

I love him shunning the tea, and also that SOUND and Natasha letting her guard down a little and just gfphht gfn incoherent keyboard mash. Come here and let me love you.

[Dusty15]

Guh! Lovely lovely lovely! These two are definitely growing on me So cute!

[fraggle]

dslfglkdgkg

Did I mention you're the greatest?! I love Clint.

[Rika]

I can't even begin to explain to you the lust I hold for Jeremy Renner. Good lord, that man. UGHHH.

So. Ahem.

Yes this was delightful. Delicious actually.

[Prongs]

HOLY FLAMOLEY

Clint and Natasha are the cutest okay?!

[telltale]

This was lovely.

[Anonymouse]

This was lovely.

Your signature is lovely.

I take it from your responses that I didn't fail miserably. That's good to hear! Thanks guys.