Chapter Text
The first time hardly felt real.
They could easily have justified it as an adrenaline fuck, just getting something out of their system. A hail of bullets and several explosions were nothing new for either of them, but still. No one ever quite gets used to near-death experiences, no matter how many they go through. And when this particular near-death experience ended with one on top of the other, completely alone and with plenty of brick to press against, it was impossible to deny that rush of blood and that jolt of heat.
If they were to tell anyone else – which they wouldn’t, but if – they would say it was a heat of the moment thing, a weird, one-time thing that didn’t make any sense. Something to remind themselves of the fleeting nature of life or some such philosophy. But if they were to be honest, it was something that had been coiling in both of them for a long time, waiting for an excuse to spring.
It was aggressive and needy, all desperate tearing at costumes and biting kisses, as though trying to make this happen before they snapped out of it. It didn’t last long either, but God, it was good. Every second could have been an age for how good it was. There were no missteps, not so much as a stumble as they both drove toward what they wanted and needed in that moment. She came first, but barely, gasping into his mouth and gripping his hair like a lifeline as he finished only a moment later.
What followed was a blur of exhausted, dry breaths, shaking limbs, and little grunts and moans as they came down. He set her down, but immediately leaned against her, pushing her against the wall in a new way. He didn’t kiss her, didn’t so much as brush his lips against her, didn’t hold her.
What he did do was let out a single, low chuckle and mutter “Jesus Christ, Barb.”