A/N - Hey folks! Sorry for the super long absence! I am still working on Everything's Gonna Be Fine but just recently I started watching The Flash and Arrow and, well, for people in those fandoms, you know how distracting that can be. :) Anyway I whipped this one up several months ago and thought it was high time to publish it. Just a quick Clintasha ficlet– they're good for the soul.

I do not own any of the MARVEL characters or places, I simply write about them.

Lots of thanks to squirrellnut and her hard work.

"She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close."

"Hey there, tiger."

Clint paused at the sound of her voice and turned to speak, only to have his words to catch in his throat at the sight of her.

She was beautiful.

"Uh, I–" Clint dragged his eyes away from the black silk that hugged his partner's hourglass figure, accentuating her curves perfectly in every possible way. Bringing his gaze up to meet Natasha's he smiled lopsidedly and straightened his tie with clumsy hands.

"Ready to go, doll?"

She smirked, dark eyeshadow sparkling in the light as she moved forward to bat away his incompetent hands and fix his tie herself. Smoothing his starched white collar she tipped his head to the side to pat down a stray hair, laughing deep in her throat at Clint's mumbled complaints.

"Oh, shut up you. You'd look like a homeless bum if I wasn't here to fix you up."

Finishing her ministrations, she patted his tuxedoed chest lightly before slipping into her black stilettos and walking out the door of their room.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa– bum?" Clint's plaintive tone fell upon deaf ears as he jogged to catch up with his partner, eyebrow raising appreciatively at the sight of her silky red hair rippling in curls down her open back, playing hide and seek with the ornate jeweled backing of the dress. As if in sync with his thoughts Natasha turned around and placed her hands on her hips, taunting the archer. The dim lighting of the hallway did very little to help the fast beating of Clint's heart as the woman stepped forward to place a kiss on his lips. Barely enough time passed to let his eyes flutter closed before Natasha had stepped away and continued on her way towards the elevator, leaving the archer behind.

Clint rushed to step through the doors before they closed, barely making it. The elevator music started to play as it descended, and the light waltz completed the moment as Clint took his turn, stepping in front of his partner and leaning down to press a gentle kiss to her mouth.