“Nat, we have to huddle together for warmth.”
“Clint, just turn the thermostat up.”
“Pardon me, Agent Barton, but I can handle that for you,” says JARVIS. The room begins to warm almost instantly, and Clint manages to refrain from sticking his tongue out at the ceiling until Natasha goes to the bathroom.
***
“But it’s so cold,” he whined.
“It is not. Get out of the shower, I need to wash off all this blood.”
“You can just jump in with me.”
“Clint, I’m cleaning off blood. Why would you want to share a shower?”
“Repeat: it. Is. Cold.”
“Pardon me, Agent Barton, but your towel and robe have been heated for you.”
Natasha ruthlessly ripped the curtain back and looked so menacing that Clint gave up and got out of the shower. Natasha got in and jerked the curtain close, and Clint looked up at the ceiling with his hands out in a “come on!” gesture.
***
“I don’t understand how you have such thin blood. It’s perfectly comfortable in here.”
“My teeth are chattering just looking at you,” he said, disgustedly looking at the pool. “Let’s go in the Jacuzzi.”
She wrinkled her nose at him as she floated on her back. “Ew. I don’t know if it has been disinfected enough from Tony being Tony.”
“If I get in, you have to keep me warm,” he said, sounding slightly cheerier.
“Pardon me, Agent Barton, but I have set the heater on the pool to approximately 78 degrees to make you more comfortable.” Clint just closed his eyes and took out his hearing aids.
***
They were at an Avengers party and on the terrace as night fell. Clint could see Natasha’s skin goose pimpling just slightly. He signaled to the bartender to bring them another round while they sat at the bar. If he’d been wearing a suit jacket, he would have given it to her, which he voiced out loud. She laughed - though he wasn’t sure if it was at his sharing, or at the idea of Hawkeye owning a suit jacket. “You know...we could always huddle together for warmth.”
She curved her lips as she drank from the glass, looking up at him through her lashes. “How thoughtful of you. I’m fine, really.”
He skated a hand down her back, just lightly touching. He ignored the warning look she gave him in response, though he did notice the slight shiver. He leaned forward to murmur into her ear, “I’m not sure. You’re practically shaking. I could take you up to my floor and get you all nice and warm.”
She made a noise of what he gathered was agreement, since she was vacating her barstool. She tossed a wink over her shoulder at him as she sashayed away. He threw some kind of bill on the bar and hurried after her. He had caught up to her before she reached the doors, but when he reached out to hold it open for her, the door didn’t budge. “Uh, Jarvis? Why isn’t the door opening?”
“Sir has requested that all Avengers stay on the terrace for the duration of the party.”
“Agent Romanov is cold, Jarvis, we’re just stepping inside to get warm.”
Clint tugged on the door again and frowned when it still didn’t open. “Pardon me, Agent Barton, but I have taken the liberty of turning on the outdoor heaters. They are primarily centered around the bar, though a fire will be starting in a moment as well.”
Natasha patted his cheek, amused. “Looks like I’m all set. Perhaps you could make me a s’more?” She walked to the area where the fire was being held, where it appeared Darcy Lewis was trying to explain to Thor what a s’more was - and also trying to claim his title of King S’More Maker.
“This isn’t over,” he hissed at the door to Jarvis before hurrying over to defend his championship.
***
Being half drunk, Darcy had suggested a game of hide and seek in the living quarters section of Avengers Tower. The remainder of the group, also being half drunk, thought that was an excellent plan. They were not allowed in the labs or the vents, and Jarvis could not provide assistance unless a majority of the group had already been found. The game was going swimmingly, with even Pepper joining in. Clint and Natasha kept splitting up but then would wind up in the same place, so after the fourth occurrence, they decided to make the best of it.
That was how they wound up in the walk in refrigerator. Natasha thought it gave them a good hiding spot and would give them some time alone, which Clint wholeheartedly agreed with. They had been in the refrigerator for twenty minutes or so when Clint started getting chilly, and the tip of Natasha’s nose was getting cold enough to distract him. He reluctantly suggested moving to a more obvious spot. However, when he tried the door, it wouldn’t release. Clint barely refrained from rubbing his hands together in what would surely have been a maniacal gesture. “You know, Tasha, it’s easier to share body heat when clothes aren’t on. Survival 101.” She arched an eyebrow at him in response.
“I’m not sure what this fascination is with keeping warm, lately, but I hardly think twenty minutes in a refrigerator is enough to warrant survival tactics.”
He vehemently shook his head. “Tasha, this is the best hiding place ever. We could be in here for hours. They’ll forget all about us.” He started taking off his shirt, getting stuck halfway. Natasha rolled her eyes and started unbuttoning her shirt.
“Pardon me, Agent Barton, but I can release the refrigerator lock. If you’ll give me just a moment, there will be no need to remove your pants.”
“Too late, they’re off.”
Natasha laughed until she cried.
***
Clint had given up on his lines about keeping Natasha warm, since it appeared Jarvis wasn’t going to let it happen. He hadn’t even blinked when they’d been ordered to some mission in the Savage Land. He knew from previous visits that the Savage Land, though located in Antarctica, was a jungle and wouldn’t even be worth the suggestions.
However, he hadn’t planned on needing an emergency landing before they reached their destination. Some sort of malfunction with the engine that he couldn’t fix in time. Natasha had flipped their emergency locator on, but shortly thereafter, all power was lost. They stayed in the plane, knowing that it would provide some modicum of shelter. There were some blankets and emergency supplies that they could use.
Clint and Natasha slept back to back, as they had hundreds of times before. A few hours later, they woke up, teeth chattering. After a few minutes of doing exercises to try and warm themselves back up, Natasha sighed.
“What?”
“Survival 101, Barton. We finally need your little tip.” It only took him a few seconds to catch on, and when he did, he did a little victory dance. “Are you having a seizure?”
“Victory dance! No power means no Jarvis. This. Is. Happening!” He started shucking clothes as fast as he could with half frozen fingers.
Natasha rolled her eyes and did the same. As they huddled together under their shared blankets, she tenderly kissed him. “I love you,” she said, “even when you’re an idiot.”
“Love you too, Tash...hey!”