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Clint gritted his teeth as Natasha’s blunt fingernails dug into his scalp. She thrashed against him and he had to put more of his weight on her to keep her in place.
“Clint!” She grunted out.
“Hold on hot sauce, almost done.”
Natasha groaned and pushed her head back into the pillow.
Clint cut the suture he was using to stitch up the deep gash on the inside of her thigh. He gently wiped the blood away with his own shirt before putting a gauze bandage on it. “There, done.”
Natasha slowly released her death grip on him. “Thanks.”
Clint grinned. “You know I’ll always take care of you.” He taped some plastic over it before picking her up. “Come on, let’s get you completely naked.” He carried her to the tiny bathroom and set her down on the toilet. He turned the shower on and got them both naked.
Her vision was blurry and her eyes were heavy, but Natasha could still appreciate Clint’s body. His skin was tan from being in the sun all the time, his body perfectly sculpted with muscle like a Greek god. His calloused hands brushed over her sensitive skin as he picked her up. Natasha sighed softly. As rough as his hands were, the rest of skin was baby soft.
Even though they were both naked there was nothing sexual about their shower. It could have been, but it wasn’t. She knew Clint craved her body as much as she craved his. But neither of them went there. Too many what ifs. Natasha leaned against Clint so she wouldn’t fall over. If she made the move he would follow with one of her own. But she couldn’t make that move, not yet. And he would never initiate. So he washed her body, but didn’t linger longer than needed. By the time he got down to her legs, Natasha had passed out over his back. Vodka as a painkiller would do that to you.
When she woke up Natasha was in the small bed wearing one of Clint’s shirts. She was on her side with him pressed against her back. His arms were wrapped around her middle and one of his legs was between hers. Natasha smiled. This wasn’t sexual for them either. This was comfort.
~x~
Clint shook his head for the fifth time. He didn’t feel like himself. Something was off but he couldn’t put his finger on it. The headache set in when he saw Natasha tail their mark. He ignored it. Natasha might need him and he wasn’t about to let her down because his head hurt. Five minutes into holding his bow in the ready position his muscles started to hurt. It felt like he had been in that position for five hours instead of just five minutes. Clint gritted his teeth. This was nothing. He’s been hurt before. This was nothing.
Ten minutes later he started to feel really hot. It was like he was trapped in his own personal sauna. His body jerked as a cold chill raced down his spine. He alternated between sweating his balls off and literally shaking from the chills. He never felt so relieved when Natasha took out their mark. After a few tries Clint got his arrow back in his quiver and slung his bow over his shoulder. His headache was out in full force. He was sweating and shaking at the same time now. Clint took a deep breath. He just had to get to the safe house. Then he could lie down. Just get to the safe house. He moved to jump to the next roof. He didn’t make it.
When Clint woke up he was pressed against something soft. Which confused him because gravel wasn’t soft. It took him a minute to open his eyes. When he did he saw milky skin and black leather. Natasha. He was in her arms, his face against her chest. Clint had dreamed about having his face this close to her supple breasts. But the fact he couldn’t feel his body and take full use of his position really put a damper on the situation. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.
“Shhh, stay still.” Natasha touched his face gently.
He nuzzled against her chest. He couldn’t pass that up. “W-what…happened?” Clint managed to get out. His voice was rough and barely understandable.
“You fell.” Natasha kissed his forehead and ran her hands over his face and through his hair. She was only affectionate when she was nervous. Which meant he was pretty fucked right now.
“D-don’t…feel…right…”
“I know Clint. I know. Just stay with me, ok?”
Clint nodded as his eye slid closed.
“Clint?” Natasha’s urgent voice started to fade away. “Clint!”
Back at SHIELD headquarters Natasha paced the halls. Clint had been in their med bay for two hours. She was about to go crazy. It wasn’t from the wait. She could wait for hours, she was good at waiting. It was from not knowing. Natasha didn’t know if he was going to be ok. If he was going to make it.
Agent Coulson was leaning against the wall, waiting with her. Coulson was even better at waiting than she was. He also had an amazing poker face.
Finally the door swung open and the doctor came out. Natasha was about to attack him for answers when Coulson held up his hand. “What’s going on Doctor Hagan?”
“Since he was unconscious when he fell nothing is broken. He has scrapes and bruises, but that’s not the problem.” Dr. Hagan took a breath. “Agent Barton was infected with the bubonic plague.”
“What?” Natasha was certain she heard him wrong.
“He has the bubonic plague. We’ve done multiple blood tests to be sure.”
“Was it natural or was he infected on purpose?”
“I can’t be sure of that. There’s no way to tell.”
Coulson nodded. “We’ll have to do an investigation.” He walked off, ever the agent.
“I want to see him.”
Dr. Hagan nodded. He was too smart to deny Natasha what she wanted. Or he was too scared to say no. “You’ll have to wear protective gear.” He led her into the med bay where she had to put on a gown, gloves, and facemask.
Natasha took a deep breath. Clint was in a room by himself. He was hooked up to machines and surrounded by a plastic sheet. He was pale and his lymph nodes were swollen to the size of chicken eggs. He looked small and weak. Natasha hated it. “Clint?”
He slowly opened his blue eyes. Natasha never thought they were so beautiful. “Tasha?”
“Yea, it’s me.”
He smiled. “I liked laying on you better than this bed.”
“You did?”
“Hell yeah. You’re softer.”
Natasha blushed deeply. “Thanks.”
“So, come to play nurse?”
“I bet you’d like that.”
He smiled. “Yes, I would.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re dying from the plague and you’re still making jokes.”
“Actually I was hitting on you.”
Natasha shook her head. She opened her mouth to say something when Clint started shaking and coughing. “Clint?” He started coughing so hard he doubled over and struggled to breathe. Natasha hit the red help button on the wall.
Doctors and nurses rushed in. They were able to stabilize Clint, but they made Natasha leave. Dr. Hagan came out later to explain that the plague had moved to his lungs and developed into a very infectious pneumonia. Clint was in a very tough situation right now. He needed plenty of rest with no interruptions. Which meant Natasha couldn’t see him. Normally she would just sneak in, but not this time. She was afraid that it would actually hurt Clint if she did. Natasha walked away with tears in her green eyes. She was really regretting her fear. Her fear of what ifs. Her fear of loosing Clint if it didn’t work between them. Because now she might loose him for real.
Natasha went on mission after mission to take her mind of the possibility of Clint dying. It was weird being on her own after so many years with Clint. Being alone beat thinking of Clint. After her first solo mission Coulson radioed to tell her that Clint contracting the plague was all natural. No one had tried to kill him with it. Coulson would radio to her every few days to give her updates on Clint. It was always the same.
She only came back to base three weeks later because she was injured. Her mark had decided to set off a bomb instead of trying to escape. Natasha didn’t clear the blast radius in time. Her ribs were bruised and she was cut up. All things she could deal with in the field. But she had hit her head too. Coulson demanded she come in to get some scans.
Fifteen minutes into waiting Natasha groaned. She hated waiting for the doctor to come check her out. Waiting gave her time to think. The vision of the last time she saw Clint surfaced to the front of her brain. She groaned again.
“Would you stop being so impatient?” The curtain separator was pulled back. Clint was standing there in one of those ridiculous hospital gowns. He had stubble and he had lost some weight, but he looked healthy.
“Clint?” Natasha managed to whisper.
“Last I checked.” He gave her one of those crocked smiles.
“You’re ok.”
He scratched under his nose. “Doctors wont release me yet but I’m not dying anymore.”
Before either of them knew what was happening Natasha leapt up and pulled him close. She buried her face in his neck and just breathed him in.
Clint wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. “Sorry I scared you.”
She kept breathing him in. Her lips brushed against his skin as she moved her head up. Without saying a word she kissed him.
Clint kissed her back, burying his hand in her short red hair. He deepened the kiss as she pulled him onto the bed.
Her hands started to undo the ties on the back of his gown. She made an appreciative sound as her hands touched his bare ass.
Clint managed to get her naked without breaking the kiss. They were both to impatient to do any type of foreplay. He pushed into her with an urgency that had them both gasping. He panted against her skin as his hips pumped in and out of her.
Natasha gasped and gripped his ass. She pushed her hips up against his. This was just what she wanted. What she needed. Natasha moaned his name when he hit her in just the right spot.
Clint licked his lips and thrusted into her spot over and over again.
Natasha bit his shoulder to keep from screaming.
He groaned in pleasure and thrusted harder. He felt himself growing close but didn’t want to leave her behind; so to speak. Clint gripped her thighs and drove into her spot.
Her muscles tightened around him and she cried out his name as she orgasmed.
He grunted and came, unable to hold back anymore.
Natasha shook slightly from the power of her orgasm. She clung to him scared that she would fall apart if either of them moved.
“Tasha…” He kissed her softly and ran his fingers through her hair.
“Mmmmh…” Her hands ran along his sides as her shaking stilled. “I’m ok…”
Clint moved and instantly regretted it. “Oh, I think it was too soon for that.”
Natasha’s eyes widened. “Are you ok?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just a little dizzy. “
“Come on, lay down.” Natasha helped him onto his back and pulled the sheet up over them.
Clint gave her a lazy smile. “Yes Nurse Tasha.”
She shook her head and leaned in to kiss him, slow and sweet.
“Going to take care of me now?” He whispered against her lips.
“I’ll always take care of you.” She whispered back.