Chapter 2
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They are half way up the stairs when Clint decides that he has waited long enough and crushes his mouth against Bucky’s. He does it suddenly, catches the other man off guard and Bucky almost trips but steadies himself and wraps arms around Clint, gloved hands settling around Clint’s waist. The gloves have been on all night and Clint is curious to see what his hands look like, curious to see what all of his skin looks like. He shoots well, gave Clint a challenge, rose to Clint’s teasing , is pretty as well, and Clint is looking forward to this, just wishes Nat was here as well. She would like this one, Clint is sure of it. He pulls back now, gives a little smirk.
“Have to get to the room for the rest, I bruise horribly when I do it on stairs.”
Bucky lets out a little laugh now and Clint likes how it lights up his face.
“Sounds like you have some experience with that then. Well, don’t want the stairs to bruise you so show me your room.”
They head up the rest of the stairs now, Clint leading the way. He opens the door, leads Bucky in to the small room that he and Nat have rented. Some of Nat’s things are still here, a dress on one of the chairs, a necklace on the table and Bucky notices, gestures to the dress.
“Is that yours? Doesn’t seem like your color.”
The remark is teasing but the tone isn’t reflected in Bucky’s eyes right now and a tension has slipped over him. Clint has dealt with this sort of thing before so he just tells the truth now.
“You’re right, not my color it is Natasha’s color. We’re partners of a sort, share everything together. She isn’t here, had to leave for a bit, but she and I have a bit of an understanding so you’re not stepping on any one’s toes. Besides, if she was here, she would probably have gotten you up here before I could.”
He has had to say things like this before, won’t lie about being involved with Natasha unless it is absolutely needed and it isn’t right now. Some take it well and some leave and Clint worries for just a moment that Bucky is going to fall into the second category. He is quiet for a moment, staring at the dress again before turning and looking at Clint now.
“You really think that? She must be something because I would have come up here earlier if you had just asked. “
There is a smirk now and Clint isn’t so worried that he is going to leave now.
“Good to know, I’ll keep it in mind for next time. “
Clint says this and then goes for another kiss. It is like the one on the stairs again, urgent and needy and so good but they don’t break apart quite as quickly this time. Clint finds his hands settling on strong shoulders, feeling muscle underneath, though the left doesn’t quite feel right, feels harder than it should, like metal under his fingers than flesh. Before he can put a bit more thought into it, Bucky is pulling back just enough to get a hold of Clint’s shirt, starts to tug on it.
“I want to see you.”
Bucky says this simply and Clint just gives a little nod, helps Bucky to relive him of his clothes. It doesn’t take long and Clint is fully bare and being pushed on to the bed. He lets himself fall, laughing a little bit before settling on the bedding, staring up at Bucky. Clint doesn’t put himself under the covers, just stretches out on the bed so that Bucky can see most of him and form the look in his eyes, Clint is pretty sure that he likes what he sees . He lets Bucky take a nice long look before he speaks.
“You know, this will be easier if we are both free of cloths. Want to make that happen?”
Clint asks this now and Bucky smirks at him in a way that sends a bit of excitement through Clint.
“I suppose I can. “
He gives a little shrug with those words and starts taking off his shoes. He is moving slowly, pulling his pants down next almost in a teasing pace and Clint doesn’t feel like waiting too much longer so he decides to help, moves off the bed to grab at his shirt, fingers curling around the hem of it as he speaks.
“Take the gloves off last.”
He likes the gloves though he has wondered why Bucky has worn them. Bucky just gives a little nod and Clint yanks the shirt over Bucky’s head. He is soon bare in front of Clint and Clint stares but it isn’t quite for the reason he thought it would be. It is a pretty sight for sure but there is something unexpected, mainly the scarring on his shoulder that leads to metal, his whole left arm being metal and Clint just stares as Bucky takes off his gloves now.
“You have a metal arm.”
He blurts the words out, didn’t mean for them to spill out like that but they do and Bucky just looks at it for a moment like he just now noticed it.
“Huh, I guess I do.”
The words are said lightly, almost too lightly like he is still not quite comfortable with it yet still but pretends otherwise . It is not a usual thing, an arm covered in metal like that and Clint has really only heard of it once and he can’t quite believe that this is happening.
“You’re James Barnes, aren’t you? Unless there are two men with metal arms running around.”
He says this now and Bucky gives a little smile.
“Think I’m the only one, haven’t ran into anyone else. Guess we didn’t exchange last names. Can I have yours?”
Bucky asks this now and Clint says Barton quickly, is trying to figure out what to do. They were possibly planning on seduction but now Clint has done it on accident, not realizing who he was bringing to his bed. He can’t back out now, it would make things awkward and maybe make things harder for them in the long run and Clint still wants him.
“You’re not changing your mind now, are you?”
Bucky says this softly and Clint shakes his head just a bit, gives him and leans to him, speaks against his lips before claiming them in a kiss.
“Not changing my mind. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Clint is pretty sure Natasha is going to yell at him a bit when she gets back but when Bucky’s metal hand grips Clint’s hip and brings him closer, he thinks it might be worth it.
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Her trip didn’t take too long and Natasha did learn some information that she did not have before. She still needs to actually meet James Barnes to learn more, to decide what plan will be best and she is hoping that it will happen soon. Right now, she is making her way to the room that she and Clint have here, ready to see him again. It is early still and she has no doubt that he is still in bed and it will be nice to crawl under the covers with him again. She wasn’t exactly lonely while she was gone but she likes the familiarity of Clint, of laying close to him, wants that again now. She makes her way up the stairs, opens the door, starts to make her way to the bed and sees clothes scattered around the room. That isn’t too unusual but not all of them are theirs. There is a leather glove near the door that she knows isn’t hers or Clint’s and she picks it up as she moves closer to the bed, can see now that Clint isn’t alone.
There is no real jealousy that Clint has taken some one else to bed, just a sense of curiosity. She wonders who it is, what made Clint bring them up here, why they are still here. She sees dark hair as she gets closer, purposely shifts her weight so that it makes a bit of noise. The other figure in the bed shifts a bit more now, looks to be waking up but Clint stays laying, murmurs and pulls the sheets over his head, probably knows it is her. His bed partner is still mostly covered with the sheets, only his face and parts of his right side visible and he looks at Natasha now who just holds up the glove as she speaks.
“I assume this is yours.”
He gives a little nod now and he looks at her for just a moment before speaking.
“I assume you’re Natasha then, the partner he spoke of last night.”
She gives her own little nod now and he continues speaking .
“ He’s right, that color is more yours than his.”
As he says this, he gestures over to her dark red dress on the chair, shifts so he can do it with his left hand and it catches her eye. Hard for her not to notice it, the metal glints in the sunlight coming through the window and she had been wanting to meet Barnes soon but she didn’t think it would be this way. She tries not to show too much surprise, just raises a bit of an eyebrow.
“I think names might be in order. You already know mine and I have a feeling I may already have an idea of yours . Do I have the pleasure of meeting James Barnes?”
There is a nod now and then Clint’s sleepy voice pipes up.
“He likes to be called Bucky by friends.”
Clint is shifting now, waking up and meeting Natasha’s eyes and she can tell that he knows that they are going to have to have a talk about all of this soon but right now she just gives a little smile.
“You always did make friends quickly. Perhaps I should let you getup and we can see about getting some breakfast.”
She says this now, gestures to the clothes and Clint just sort of shrugs and gets out of bed,no shame in not wearing anything. He gets his clothes on quickly before turning to Bucky.
“If you want to stay up here, we’ll bring some food up, can all chat unless you have somewhere you need to be.”
Barnes just shakes his head now.
“Nowhere I need to be right now, that sounds good. See you in a bit.”
Natasha just gives a little nod and heads to the door now, this gives her and Clint a chance to talk without Barnes nearby. If they were on the ship, she would not want to leave him in their chambers alone but there is nothing in their room now that he could take or see and know something about them that they don’t want him to know yet so it is safe enough to leave him there. They head down the stairs quietly and Natasha doesn’t say anything till after they have spoken to the owner about getting some food and when she does, she is purposefully just a little vague with her words. Clint will know what she means but those who may overhear will not.
“I was not expecting you to have company this morning. How did that happen?“
She doesn’t mention Barnes by name, doesn’t mention that they are here to steal his castle from him possibly and that Clint has now slept with him but Clint knows what she is asking about.
“We got into a throwing contest, had fun, wanted to have a different fun. Didn’t seem polite to back out at the last minute.”
She can hear what he means, knows that he flirted without knowing who Barnes was and didn’t realize it till they were already upstairs, already undressed and it would have been suspicious to stop. It may complicate things just a bit. Clint continues after just a moment.
“I think you’ll like him well enough, he didn’t back away after I told him I have a partner, think things can be good.”
Clint says this with a little hint of a smile and it is his signal to Natasha that he thinks they can still make this work. Maybe they can, they will just have to proceeded a little differently, can’t go with too fake of names since Barnes knows at least both of their first names since he knew Natasha’s earlier. Maybe some honesty will work with this, they can improvise, and it isn’t like Clint hasn’t went off script before. They can make it work.
“We’ll see. Hopefully he hasn’t snuck out of the window or something. I assume you had fun but you still should tell me about it.”
Clint does tell her about it, just bits and pieces, how they challenged and teased each other, and she can already tell that he likes this one. Hopefully, she’ll like him too and their plans won’t interfere with anything too much. She wouldn’t mind settling down with someone and he may be a good ally to have if everything she has heard about him is true. Maybe Clint is right and things will turn out good. Soon enough, the owner is bringing them the food they asked for and they are heading back upstairs to have a meal with Clint’s new friend.
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Bucky has had mornings after before but not quite like this. He slept with Clint knowing the man is attached to someone else and woke up to her standing there staring at them both and now he is waiting for them to come upstairs so they can all have breakfast together. It is a little odd but it is proving to be a good distraction right now, gets his mind off of all the other things going on, and Sam and Steve said to take a bit of time if he needed it. He is going to take the time, spend it with two people that he barely knows but feels drawn to. It may be because they are both beautiful, Clint with his easy smile and Natasha with her bright red hair, but it may also be the fact that he can sense just a little bit that they can both be dangerous if they want to. He saw it in Clint last night with the way he threw the knife and he could see it in Natasha this morning with the way she stood, how in control she was, and it makes him wonder just who they are, what they are doing here. Maybe he’ll find out soon, he can hear them coming to the door now and he stands dressed and waiting for them as they open it.
“You didn’t climb out the window, that’s good. Nat thought you might have ran away.”
Clint says this as he comes in, carrying a tray and Natasha has one as well, both of them placing it on the small table there. Natasha just rolls her eyes a bit now as she speaks and Bucky has a feeling she may do that with Clint sometimes, the gesture just seems like a familiar one.
“Not everyone is keen on the morning after, especially when they realize they are going to have to deal with two of us. Glad you stayed, Clint told me good things, especially about the way you move your mouth.”
She ends those words with a little bit of smirk and Clint is turning red now and Bucky can feel his checks starting to heat up as well. Clint starts murmuring a bit now.
“I didn’t say that much, a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell after all.”
Clint says this now,has started cutting some of the bread on the table and Natasha’s smirk grows just a little bit more, eyes teasing and Bucky finds himself calming down a little bit.
“I’m sure after last night Bucky knows that you’re no gentleman, besides it isn’t like I said you said anything unflattering. I’m sure he takes it as a compliment , don’t you?”
Her eyes are lit up when she turns to him now, mouth curved in more of a smile than a smirk and she tilts her head just a bit, like she is inviting Bucky into her teasing. He accepts the invitation.
“I do take it as a compliment, unless you’re trying to say you don’t like my mouth now.”
He says those last words to Clint, puts just a little bit of a pout and Clint is shaking his head a bit now.
“You just met, you two shouldn’t be ganging up on me. “
He says this and Natasha just smiles a little bit more before brushing a quick kiss against Clint’s lips. The sight is nice and Bucky admires it for a moment.
“Ok, hawk, we won’t gang up on you till you want us to. Let’s sit and have breakfast.”
She says this and sits down now and Clint does as well. Bucky sits after a moment and they start to dig into the food. There is silence for a few minutes, nothing too uncomfortable and Bucky is trying to figure out how to break it when Natasha does instead.
“So I’m surprised you have time to be out here, isn’t there a lot of excitement going on at your castle right now?”
She asks and it sounds a little bit like digging but almost everyone knows about the wedding happening soon. It is still a bit away but people know about it and Bucky just shrugs a bit.
“There is but I’m not the one getting married so I don’t have to be involved in too many of the preparations, could step away for a bit. My day is free today as well, if you two don’t mind a bit more of my presence, I could show you around the area a bit. ”
It is maybe a little bit bold to offer this right now, he barely knows them, but Bucky wants to get to know them. There is just something about them, both of them that is drawing his attention or maybe he is just a little bit lonely and wants a distraction, either way he wants to spend the day with them. Natasha smiles and gives a nod now.
“That sounds like a plan. Do you agree with that, Clint?”
“I didn’t have any plans but staying bed and that has already changed so let’s do it.”
Bucky gives a little smile at both of their answers and they go back to eating. The meal is finished quickly enough and then they are headed down stairs, then out the door of the inn to the small village there. It is a beautiful day out, sun shining and birds singing in the air and so Bucky knows that his little adventure with these two isn’t going to go unnoticed but he is still looking forward to it.
“Lead the way , we aren’t familiar with this area much. Really first time being here.”
Clint says this and Bucky just gives a nod, starts a path down the street so they can see some of the village.
“I would have noticed you, both of you, if you had been here often. Where do you usually stay?”
He asks now, wants to know where they live, how long they are going to be here. Natasha answers the question.
“We usually are on the sea, haven’t really had a permanent place on land for a while, might be looking at changing that.”
It seems like a simple statement but Bucky sees something that looks like surprise cross Clint’s face at her words but the expression is so quick that Bucky images that it might have been his imagination . Bucky just talks now.
“Might be a good idea to settle on land for a while, the sea can be dangerous. “
He says this and Natasha gives him a little smile as they keep walking.
“It can be dangerous but it is also beautiful and peaceful at times. Have you ever spent time on the sea?”
She asks and Bucky gives a little shrug.
“Some, but not always by choice. Been out there enough to know all the troubles it has, storms and waves and pirates. Have you had any run-ins with pirates?”
Natasha gives another smile as Clint lets out a laugh beside him.
“Quite a few actually, managed to come out with only a few bruises sometimes. You have any run-ins with pirates?”
Clint asks now and Bucky sort of shrugs again.
“Not really but that might change. There was a ship spotted in a port near here a couple weeks ago but considering which one it was said to be, I’m not too worried about trouble.”
“Oh, and which one was that?”
Natasha asks, curiosity in her voice but there is something in her eyes that makes Bucky thinks she already knows the answer and Clint is looking over at her. There is something in the look he is giving her, the way he raises his eyebrow just slightly and the way Natasha tilts her head like she is giving a hint of a nod that makes Bucky thinks they are having some sort of silent conversation but he doesn’t say anything about it, just gives the answer.
“The Black Widow. Formidable ship but tends to not touch any one innocent. It didn’t stay at the port, let a couple people off from reports and then sailed away again. You heard of it?”
He asks and there is a little snort that comes from Clint and Natasha gives a nod.
“We have heard of it, are very familiar with it, actually.”
There is something about the way she says that that makes Bucky a little curious, maybe a little suspicious and so he looks at her now, asks a question.
“How are you familiar with it?”
He asks and it is Clint who answers now.
“We know the captain. I’ve known her a long time but Natasha has known her longer than me.”
There is a little smirk when Clint says this and he looks over at Natasha now.
“How long have you known her then?”
“All my life.”
She says it with a little smile, like it is a simple answer and Bucky is thinking about what he knows about the Caption of the Widow, about what he has heard about her and he is realizing that he does not know Natasha’s last name. He is getting a bit of a suspicion now and he decides to test it now.
“That is a long time to know someone. I haven’t even know you a day yet, don’t even know your last name. Can I have it?”
He asks and she just smiles as Clint looks at them both.
“Last name is Romanov. I think more people know me by that then my first.”
She says this and Bucky stops in his steps now, looks at both of them and he is remembering a lot of what he has heard about the Widow, about her captain, her captain with bright red hair who is often seen with a man with dark blond hair, a woman that goes by Romanov and he just turns his full attention to Natasha now.
“You’re Captain Romanov, aren’t you? The widow is yours.”
He says this and she gives another smile and a nod.
“Yes, but I already told you that you can call me Natasha. Do we need to stop our plans now?”
She is offering an out, asking if knowing who she is will cause trouble. Bucky thinks about it for a moment, thinks about the night he had with Clint, thinks about what he knows about her and her ship and he makes his choice.
“No. As long as you don’t cause problems, you’re both free to stay in this area as long as you like. Shall we continue our walk?”
He asks and gets a nod from both of them and things settle into an easy pace then, both of them walking closer to Bucky than they probably need to but he doesn’t mind too much, is looking forward to seeing where the day is going to take them.
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