look after you × winterwidow & oc

IX. a man can dream

november 2017

James' hand traced the curve of Natasha's naked shoulder, then rib cage and waist, and came to a stop on her hip. The oversized t-shirt she slept in slipped off her shoulder and was completely bunched up, barely covering anything. His nose nuzzled the nape of her neck, buried in the short hair. Goosebumps rose where his breath tickled her skin. She seemed asleep but he knew she wasn't. Maybe dozing off, but not sleeping deeply. The gentle smile, lighting up her face, betrayed her, just like her hips pressing into his and grinding ever so slightly.

"I know you're staring." she mumbled, proving him right.

He chuckled, leaning back on his elbow. "I'm admiring."

"It's creepy."

"It's romantic."

She opened one eye and lifted her head just enough to glance at him over her shoulder. "Zamolchi" she said, slipping into her mother tongue, before slumping right back onto her pillow.

He brushed some hair away from her neck and kissed her there. Once, twice, testing her limits. A soft kiss there, some more teeth here, sucking a bit further, each one getting a soft sigh out of Natasha. Seven was enough, the last one placed on a scar on her shoulder, a reminder of his doings. She rolled onto her back, allowing James to hover over her, supporting himself enough not to crush her but to let her feel his weight.

She wrapped her right leg around his hips, and cupped his cheek, caressing it with her thumb. James leaned into her touch and kissed the edge of her palm.

"Good morning." he said, his voice still raspy with sleep.

Natasha mumbled an answer, her finger still moving mindlessly. She kept holding his gaze, but seemed distant.

"You with me?" his nose brushed against hers, trying to get her attention.

"Mhm." she murmured. "I'm thinking."

"I can see that." he moved lower, causing her hand to slip away from his face yet it stayed at the same height. James pressed a kiss between her breasts and then on each of them. He looked at her, searching for any reaction, yet she still seemed totally absent.

"Alright, you're getting me worried here."

"You slept through the night." she said, meeting his eyes, a growing grin on her face.

James frowned but her words got him thinking. They went to sleep quite early the day before. He expected to wake up just after midnight, with another nightmare that would make his heart race, but nothing like that happened. He remembered no nightmare, no waking up.

"Yeah, I guess I did." he admitted, latching onto her neck and getting a quiet moan out of her.

Both Natasha's arms were looped around his neck now. Fingers of one hand tangled into his hair, while the other hand grasped his shoulder. She tipped her head back, giving him better access.

"Wait, how do you know?" he asked, his head jerking up in realization.

"Because I did too."

His brows furrowed. Did he wake her up every time? He knew that she kept waking up in the beginning, always by his side, ready to comfort him, to listen if he was willing to talk. But he always asked her to go back to sleep, assured her that she had nothing to worry about and after a while, she started listening. Or he thought she did.

"Are you saying that I've been waking you up every night for the past eight months?"

"I didn't say that." she said and wrapped the other leg around him when James tried to roll off her.