bakerstreet | The Domestic Meme

The Domestic Meme

RULES!
❧ Leave a comment with your character's name, fandom, and any preferences you have.
❧ When replying, RNG for a number between 1 and 15. The number corresponds to the scenario that you will play out in whatever way you want to.
❧ Go from there!

THE LIST!
01] baby
Suddenly, there's a new addition to your family! Are you expecting? Adopting? Struggling to find the perfect name for your child? Or maybe you're up at a ridiculous hour in the morning because they're crying like crazy.

02] just married
Congratulations! You and your loved (?) one are about to start a whole new life together! It's time for the honeymoon...

03] house hunting
Are you seeking out an apartment? A dream house? Or just any old place, as long as you're with your other? Make sure to weigh your options very carefully...

04] household chores
It's time to clean/cook/garden/take care of something! Do you work together, or does one of you hide until everything is done?

05] shopping
Whether it's for furniture, groceries, or something in between, shopping is something that everybody must do at some point in time! What varies is if they like it or not.

06] family vacation
WE'RE OFF TO DIDNEY WOOOOOOOOORL or wherever
... well, as long as the kids are happy, right...? You may not be happy (or maybe you are), but it's mainly about ~family bonding~.

07] romantic retreat
It's you and your loved one's anniversary, and you decide it's time to take some time off and take them somewhere nice, where you only have each other.

08] comfort
Is somebody sick in bed? Or perhaps they just had a bad day? Sometimes, a good breakfast in bed or a home-cooked meal can really lift the spirits! Or perhaps you want to try medicine, or laughter, or something else?

09] pet
Suddenly, you have another addition to the family! Is it a puppy? A kitty? A fierce dragon? Whatever it is, make sure to give it a name and to take good care of it!

10] holiday
Happy birthday/New Years/Christmas/Valentine's Day/whatever! It's a very special day that only comes once a year, so make it count!

11] argument
Oh, no, who left the stove on... Or maybe it's about why they were out late last night? Either way, there is a lot of tension today, and one of you may or may not be sleeping on the couch tonight.

12] making up
It's time to make amends for that fight/divorce/whatever you had before! After all, you love each other... right?

13] surprise, surprise
You are feeling rather loving tonight, so you want to remind the other person how much you cherish and appreciate them... if it's by something cute and adorable or hot and sexy is completely up to you.

14] proposal
~~SHUT UP THIS TOTALLY FITS~~ You've been with your other for what feels like forever, and finally you want to tie the knot with them. Will you go down on one knee before them, or get a little creative?

15] other
I know I'm forgetting like a bajillion and one different things here, so this is the option for that!

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His eyes followed her every move, yet they slipped closed as her hands came into contact with his chest. "Mmm, no, no blonde. There's plenty of blonde haired women around, you're perfect just the way you are." He opened eyes slowly considering it took a while for his brain to actually realise and compute what he'd said.

"I mean.. you don't need to change how you look." Just hand him a shovel and he'll keep digging a massive hole for himself.

He grinned, playing it off, grabbing her arms softly and pulling her under the spray, hands moving to chase the suds from her body.

Perfect.

That was probably the last word Natasha would have ever picked to describe herself. It wasn’t only that she didn’t believe in the illusion of perfection, but there was just too much wrong with her to be anywhere near perfect. She had done too many horrible things, there was too much ugliness inside of her. She wasn’t a nice person, she wasn’t... she was as far from perfect as possible.

Her hands had stilled on his chest at his words, but when he explained further that he had been referring to her looks she started moving again. Now that she had heard; she had heard more compliments on her looks than some women heard in their entire lifetimes. That she knew how to accept.

“Well, maybe I will anyway. Maybe you’ll be surprised when you see me next,” she replied, grinning at him when he started rinsing her off.

They'd both done horrible deeds in the past. But that's exactly what it was, the past. Repnting would take some time but they were still both working hard on it. Maybe he did find her perfect, perfect for him anyway. They both understood how each other works, they spoke together in a silent language and better yet they were both as damaged as each other.

"Okay, blonde did suit you, made you look very nordic." Clint smirked at her grin, leaning down to steal a kiss. "Then again, after four months just seeing you would be enough."

“Nordic?” she laughed, winding her arms around his neck when he kissed her. Just seeing him again would be enough too; these next four months couldn’t pass fast enough. “We should probably get out of here,” sliding her arms from around him and turning off the water. She would have to change once she got to the base into one of the outfits SHIELD provided for this particular persona, but she still had to dry her hair and make herself look presentable.

Stepping out of the shower she tossed a towel to Clint before grabbing one for herself and drying off.

"Yeah, except for your eyes.." Problem number one with Clint, he sometimes said stupid things. Yeah. His smile faded at her suggestion, nodding slowly as he made sure he was sud free before following her out of the shower, grabbing the towel as she threw it, tying it around his waist.

"I should probably go to my room, brush my teeth, get some clean clothes. I can make breakfast before you go? Pancakes and fruit.. good way to send you off I think right? With good coffee..."

As much as she didn’t want to let him go, as much as she wanted to spend every last minute she could with him, they had to start backing away. Besides, having breakfast with him did sound appealing, even if that meant more time pretending to be less than they were.

“That sounds really good,” Natasha agreed, wrapping the towel around her hair to try to soak up some of the excess water. “Meet in the kitchen in fifteen?”

"Since when has pancakes ever sounded bad? And I know how much you like your coffee." Clint grinned, heading back into her room to rummage for his clothes.

"You got it, fifteen minutes, no more, no less." He quickly dried off, pulled his rumpled clothes back on and placed the damp towel back in the bathroom before heading off, hand barely brushing her arm on the way out.

Time to put distance between them, time for Clint to stop colliding and to orbit instead. He gave her a slow smile before he was gone, heading to his floor to brush his teeth and change his clothes before returning back to the kitchen to prepare a decent breakfast.

“I’m definitely going to need coffee to get through this briefing,” Natasha replied, watching as he disappeared back into the bedroom. Leaving the door open to clear out the steam, she pulled the towel off her head and hung it up before carefully dragging a wide toothed comb through her wet hair.

“No more, no less,” she agreed, smiling as he left. The smile soon faded as she stepped out of the washroom and caught sight of the clock. Sighing, she slipped into some clean clothes, comfortable jeans and a t-shirt for probably the last time in four months as well. Nadia was a professional and her wardrobe would consist mostly of skirt suits, most likely. Even on days off she was likely to be stuck with flimsy skirts, flowery sundresses, and far too high heels.

Blow drying her hair, Natasha kept her eyes on the clock as she quickly made herself presentable. Of course she timed it perfect so she reached the kitchen fifteen minutes later. No more, no less.

By the time she'd got down to the kitchen Clint had already started on preparing fresh fruit and a stack of pancakes. As he heard feet coming he smirked slowly, finding the car of whipped cream in the fridge and squirting some on top of both their coffees.

He cocked his head over his shoulder, giving her a grin. "Coffee for the lady.." He nodded to her cup, grabbing the stack of pancakes and as many bowls of fruit as he could carry and setting them down on the table. "A pancake banquet fit for a spider and a hawk.."

Natasha could smell the coffee the moment she stepped off of the elevator and she headed straight for the kitchen. She knew he had heard her approach, but even still she stopped in the doorway to watch him for a moment as he flipped pancakes onto a plate. Sometimes she thought that he might be the perfect one, at least in all the ways that mattered, and while he would fit perfectly in some domestic relationship where normal days began with pancakes and coffee, somehow he fit perfectly with her too.

She watched him juggle the bowls but didn’t offer to help, knowing he would just claim he had it all anyway. “Balancing acts in the circus must have paid off,” she said, taking a seat at the table. Grinning down at the coffee, she stuck one finger in the whipped cream and popped it in her mouth. “Mmm, forgot about that,” she said more to herself than him before looking up at him across the table. “You went all out. Impressive.”

"A lot of things paid off coming from the circus." He shrugged effortlessly, a lot of bad things came out of being there too but he didn't dwell on them. After all, if he hadn't become a thief and a liar he wouldn't be here today. Hell he'd probably be rotting in a shallow grave somewhere.

He took a seat, reaching for the fork to stab at pancakes and let a couple drop onto his plate. "Not really impressive, just typical breakfast." Okay so the fruit and multitude of sauces was slightly over the top but he was allowed. It was the last day they were together for a while and if that meant he could pretend to enjoy breakfast and not be bothered by the fact the clock was ticking by then that was fine.

"Could of been worse, could have drawn smiley faces on them." He casually stretched out so his knee was sitting against hers. Breaking his own 'distance' rule. Oh well, to hell with the rules.

“Mmm, I bet,” Natasha answered, unable to keep herself from teasing him just a little. She just wanted to keep this lighthearted mood for as long as possible, preferably until they had to say good bye.

“Okay,” she conceded, shifting some pancakes onto her plate and adding butter and syrup. “But it’s still appreciated.”

Taking a bite of the pancakes, she piled fruit onto the side of the plate, smiling at Clint when his knee touched hers. It wasn’t an accidental bump, but when he didn’t move his leg away neither did she. They were really bad at this impending separation thing, apparently. It had been a lot easier when they had just been partners, or even still just friends.

“I might have lost respect for you if you’d tried that,” Natasha said between bites.

"You should see me on a tight rope." That's a lie, he was terrible on a tight rope. And unicycles.. he really was terrible on stilts too. No. Clint will stick with his prehistoric age weapon thank you very much.

He kept a faint smile on his face, helping himself to an unhealthy dose of butter and chocolate syrup and fruit as soon as she'd finished with the bowls.

"Hey smiley faces on your pancakes could be fun, was tempted to make ice cream sandwiches but thought I'll save that for when you're back." He looked up from where he was tipping blueberries, even if that made him over do it and the little blue fruits bounces off the edge of the table and into his lap. He grinned, picked them from the fabric and threw them in his mouth before eating.

Jesus this was like the last meal before being sent to the gallows.
He didn't really know where to take conversation so he didn't, just chewed through his fruit and pancakes and made sure their knees were perfectly aligned.

It was pretty obvious Clint was putting on a good show, talking about things they could do when she got back, smiling just a little too much and too widely. Natasha appreciated the effort though she wanted to tell him he didn’t have to act. She didn’t, though.

“So much for clean clothes,” she stated instead, laughing a little as he plucked the blueberries from his lap and tossed them in his mouth.

The rest of their meal was spent in relative silence, both lost to their own thoughts yet taking what little comfort they could in each other’s presence and the slight touch beneath the table. When breakfast was over Natasha stood and started to load the dishes into the dishwasher.

“I should probably go grab my jacket,” she said, but there was more to the simple statement than it seemed. Not only was it an easier way to say that it was almost time for her to go, but it was an offer to accompany her back to her room for a few last minutes to say their goodbyes in private.

He'd laughed at her idle comment and shrugged it off. No harm done really, no clothes ruined.

It was after breakfast, when he was piling up dishes and handing them to her that he realised this was happening. When did he got so dependent? He could answer that himself, he'd always been dependent on her in a sense. For a long time he'd shut off his secrets from her because honestly, she wouldn't get it, she wouldn't be able to say it back and if he told her how he really felt and she didn't feel the same he'd break.

Her words were as good as the executioner crooking a finger in his direction and he nodded, catching and holding her gaze for a few moments, managing to work through the sudden dry throat. "Yeah, probably." It was the best confirmation she was going to get that he'd follow. Silent language.

He let her lead the way back towards the elevators and made no move to touch her once inside. This was the moment when he really needed to keep his hands to himself so he stuffed them into his pockets and rocked on his heels. Anything to keep himself calm and fluid and not a ball of tense energy.

She could see how much this was killing him, and it was tearing her apart having to do it to him, but there was no other choice. Nodding, she headed for the elevator knowing that he would follow, that he would always follow until she went where he couldn’t.

The ride in the lift was silent, but not the usual comfortable silence the carried between them. It was heavy and thick and awkward and when they finally arrived on her floor Natasha took a deep breath as if the air was clearer in her room.

As soon as they stepped out she wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him with everything she was but she knew that would be a bad idea; she was the strong one and she had to handle this very delicately. “Thank you for breakfast,” she said, turning to face him with a soft smile.

Clint raised eyes as they stepped out, back into the safety of her room where he could still smell the faint hints of shampoo and soap from their shower. His eyebrows perked at her thanks and he shrugged shoulders slowly, smiling. "No reason to thank me Nat, it was just breakfast."

He pulled hands from his pocket, reaching across the gap to press against her side softly. It wasn't going to work, not touching her, it should have worked, should have been easy but it wasn't. If it wasn't for the time scale he wouldn't have been fussed, if it was for a few weeks, a month, two at the most he'd be fine. He slowly pulled her closer, carefully wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm not going in with you, there's no point in standing there like an idiot watching you go." He covered her, balanced his chin on the top of her head softly, tucking her into the crook of his neck. It was easier for this to be the last contact, from here he could busy himself by cleaning the kitchen, maybe strip her bed down, strip his own and retreat to the gym to run until his muscles screamed.

Maybe it was just breakfast, but the fact that he would go through that trouble for her still deserved appreciation. Just another glimpse at what their life could be like if they were different people.

She didn’t stop him when he pulled her close even though there was plenty of time to back away. Sliding her arms around his back, she let him fold her in against him and closed her eyes as she lay her head on his chest. She could still smell her soap on his skin.

“You’re right,” she said, having already come to the same conclusion but very glad that Clint had decided the same on his own. It would be better they part here, alone, where they didn’t have to worry about putting on a show. “You can stay here as long as you want.” Tony could hack the lock or change the code, surely, but Clint was the only one she had given free access to her floor to.

He smiled softly although it was hidden in her hair considering he'd decided to rest his cheek against her head instead of his chin. "Yeah I'll probably just make the bed and retreat. Not exactly gonna be a barrel of laughs sitting around here on my own, no different to being in my own room."

His fingers danced lightly on the small of her back, lifting up and pulling away enough to lean down and kiss her softly. Boundaries be damned, all of that flew completely out the window as soon as he'd laid fingers on her and pulled her close. "As I said, just come back in one piece and I'll be here with pancakes, fresh bed sheets and a well placed smile."

He had to let her go so he did, lazily pulling away and shoving hands back in his pockets. It'd be okay. Time would move on, she'd be back soon and Clint would just busy himself until the day came and she was back.

Natasha wasn’t good with the whole relationship thing, but she had seen films and had thought that not all of them could be wrong. Was a separation not made easier by surrounding yourself with the other person’s things? Or was it only after people broke up that they got needy and clung to clothing that still smelled like their lost love? The offer had been made in good faith, but she when Clint refused she was very glad she hadn’t elaborated.

Returning the kiss, she smiled at his following words. “Does that mean I get breakfast in bed when I get back?”

She let him go only reluctantly, and she had to give him credit for how cool he was handling the whole thing now. Stepping away, she grabbed her jacket from rack by the lift door and pulled it on. “I should go.”

Why was this so hard? It had never been like this before, never so hard to walk away.

Maybe surrounding himself would heal things, or maybe it would just make that longing harder to bear. It didn't help that he was head over heels in love with her, and had yet to express such words for fear that she'd give him up for good, that he'd push her away by admitting something so deep. Spending the next four months crowded by her possessions would only make it harder, it was easier to just seperate himself, even if that would take a week or so of him just happening to end up on her floor.

"Yeah, breakfast in bed for the worker bee." He grinned, rocked on his heels and swallowed back the three words that were aching to fall from his lips.

He managed to keep himself together as she got her jacket and he nodded. "Yeah, I mean, yeah." He swallowed, it was best to just keep his mouth shut.

"Have fun? And don't miss me too much Romanov." See? He even managed to crack a joke.

He was putting on a good show, but Natasha could tell that Clint was only barely keeping it together. She knew him far too well to be fooled by his casual exterior, but she pretended to buy it, figuring it would be easier that way. She didn’t do tearful goodbyes; the more casual they could make this the better, right?

“I’m sure you’ll be just as busy while I’m gone,” she said, zipping up her coat. Hitting the button on the lift, she turned her back to the door and caught the front of his shirt gently in her fingers. “I won’t,” she said, though she didn’t specify whether she she was talking about having fun or missing him. “Same to you.” Stepping up on her toes she kissed him softly, only pulling back when the elevator doors opened behind her.

He was a circus performer, putting on a good show should have come easy. Funny how things change, especially when his head wasn't into the game he was playing. Give him a false identity and he'd fit into the role, give him something personal and he crumbled like an ant under a boot.

"Hope so," He tried, he really did although her hands suddenly fisting his shirt and her lips covering his just made the urge to say everything even stronger.

He watched her, feeling lost like he was at sea with his life raft just in reach but frozen in place. He didn't stop her getting in the elevator, made no move to reach back for her until the doors were closing and he moved, hand pressed on the smooth metal, keeping it from closing. "I'm sorry but, I can't just, if something happened and I know you said it's not high risk but if something did happen and I didn't say it I'd never forgive myself." Time was running short, the pressure of the doors trying to shut was a weight he was struggling to hold.

"I'm sorry Natasha, I'm sorry to pile this on you before you go but.." He was failing, his voice cracking and jesus fucking christ he didn't know it would be this hard really. Those words had been straining to tumble from his lips and now...

"I love you." The weight was too much and he let go before the door took his hand with them, didn't even manage to see the look on her face before they were closed and he was nose to nose with metal.

He still tasted of chocolate and blueberries, and the taste lingered on her tongue as she stepped backwards into the elevator. She didn’t say good bye, didn’t cheapen the moment with anything like ‘see you soon’; the kiss was enough.

Pressing her back to the wall, she breathed out a sigh and closed her eyes, but they immediately snapped open again at the sound of his voice. The doors were trying to close but he held them open and she could only watch and listen in confusion.

“Clint, I’ll be fine,” she tried to interject but he kept talking. The apology was a bit worrying, and he sounded almost frantic. This was what she had been hoping to avoid, and they had almost made it, but he hadn’t been able to hold it together, he... he wasn’t going to be alright without her.

She wanted to call off the whole mission, to just stay with him, but she knew it was too late, and that it would only cause bigger problems for them in the long run. They needed some separation, some time to themselves; she just wished it didn’t have to be this hard. “Everything will...” she tried to cut in again, but the words died instantly on her lips when it all came down to those three little words.

The expression he missed was one of pure shock.

She shouldn’t have been so surprised, all the signs were there, had been there for a long time, but she had never expected him to actually say it. Now that he had, though; now that it was real, she didn’t know what to do so she let the door close, let the lift take her down to the lobby, and she didn’t allow herself to look back.

He loved her. She had known he wanted more, that he wanted a shot at something more normal, but she kept saying that normal wasn’t them... but was love? Love was normal, a part of every day life, and a luxury she hadn’t allowed herself since the death of her husband all those years ago. Love was for children, and the Black Widow hadn’t been a child for what felt like a lifetime. Still... he loved her. Clint didn’t have the same hang ups, he was free to give his heart to anyone he chose, and he had chosen her. He loved her despite her sordid past and all the blood on her ledger; he loved her knowing how broken she was, how she had been torn apart and remade more times than she could recall. He loved her knowing she didn’t believe in love, or at least didn’t believe herself capable. She kept her heart walled up, acted selfishly, made him keep their relationship a secret... and he loved her anyway.

Natasha had no idea how to deal with his declaration, but she had at least four months to figure it out.

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The Domestic Meme

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