A/N: Don't really have anything to say beside: Enjoy, constructive criticism is appreciated and if you like check out my last ff 'Pep Talk'(a Pepperony & NatashaxPepper friendship story) feel free to R&R :)

Oh, and of course:Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.

Natasha heard him as soon as she opened the door to their hotel room.

She had just talked to Fury via video chat about the formal things right after they finished the mission while Clint had gone back to the hotel where they were staying until they got collected tomorrow.

The mission had taken a toll on him more than on her, so she insisted that he'd take a rest, knowing that he'd ditch any SHIELD doctors tomorrow. She was the only one who was allowed to patch up his wounds and vice versa.

But what he was doing right now was definitely not resting. Natasha could hear the shower but what irritated her was... the singing?

Who would have thought that Hawkeyewould sing in the shower?

A smirk tugged on her lips. She'd soo tease him about that later. She admit, in a way it was cute.
It made her feel... normal. Natasha couldn't help herself but get closer to the bathroom door (they shared a room because their cover was a young, married couple) and listen to what he was singing.

"...I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door.
I've had you so many times but somehow I want more..."

Its just a song. Natasha had to remind herself. Those words had nothing to do with them. Not that she ever thought about being more than partners with Clint.

"...I don't mind spending everyday out on your corner in the pouring rain.
Look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay awhile.
And she will be loved. And she will be loved..."

Finally Natasha recognized the song. She had heard it a couple of times on the radio. Somewhere in her well trained agent-brain, she even found that she remembered some of the lyrics.

"...Tap on my window, knock on my door I want to make you feel beautiful..."

Those words reminded her of one of their first missions.
They had to pretend to be good friends with a slight sexual tension. She had thought it'd be easy. She knows how to flirt without making it too obvious. But she hadn't expected that Clint was that good at acting and pretending. He even came for her the night just to say good night. She had dismissed that as professional because he told her later that their rooms were bugged. But there was one sentence that had caught her off guard; 'Sweet dream, my beautiful Nat.'

And he did not say that for the mission!

He whispered so quietly that only she could hear it. And her undercoer name was far from anything close to Nat.
Natasha was used to men calling her sexy and hot. Sometimes smoking hot and fucking sexy.

But never had someone called her beautiful and looked into her eyes -into what was left of her soul- like Clint did.

He knows her. And still he means it.

"I know I tend to get so insecure It doesn't matter anymore." Natasha whispered those lines along as she leaned her forehead against the door.

Yes, she, The Black Widow, got insecure. Or more like afraid.

Afraid of life. Afraid of death.
She was never save. And she could never be sure if people were honest with her or if they were waiting for the right moment to kill her.

But suddenly Natasha realized that it was not like that anymore.

Of course was she always careful with everything but there were no voices in her head that were hunting her anymore.
Ever since she joined SHIELD -well, actually since she started to accept and trust Clint as a partner- the voices quiet down and she could sleep for more than two hours straight.
To him, her past didn't mattered because she that wasn't her anymore.

"It's not always rainbows and butterflies, it's compromise that moves us along."

A dry chuckle almost left Natasha's lips.

Hell yeah, it's not always rainbows and butterflies. More like; never.

She was a god damn spy after all, her life was the exact opposite of rainbow ponies.

But the worst battles were never the ones she fought against her enemies but the one she fought against her allies (Natasha doesn't do friends, it's too dangerous... for both)
The countless times she had fought with Clint hurt her more than any Chitauri ever could - and she did not just the think about the physical fights.

Her worst fight with Clint turned into a screaming match.
Unprofessional, she knows. But her temper got the better of her; she's Russian after all.

She could barley remember why they had started arguing (it was something about that he was not okay with the way she wanted to outfox aka seduce the next target) but it ended very badly.
He shouted and yelled at her. Accused her of bad things and called her even worse names.

He told her things she never wanted to hear.

Mainly because she knew they were true but she was not ready to admit it.
She just hadn't been ready to admit it to herself, leaves alone to admit it to him. But he crossed the boundaries anyway.

But what left Natasha thinking was that if he knew all those things, if he could see right through her... why would he stay?

"My heart is full and my door's always open, you can come anytime you want.
I don't mind spending everyday out on your corner in the pouring rain.
Look for the girl with the broken smile, ask her if she wants to stay awhile"

Why was he always there for her?
Why was he still so... nice to her?
With him it felt warm, and comfortable, and safe, almost normal.
Why would he wait for her until she was ready to open up to him?
How could he want to deal with her?
Her life is messed up and in a way she is broken.
Yet, he doesn't cared. Or more like; he does. He cares for her more than anyone else.

"And she will be loved. And she will be loved. And she will be loved. And she will be loved."

Love is for children.

She had not only said that to Loki but to everybody who wanted to know it, including Clint.
She does not believe in love like that.

Love is for children.
She means it.

When you're a child your parents love you and keep you safe. They teach you how to do things right, how to love.
Love is for people who learned how to love.

In other words; not for people like her.

Natasha does believe that Tony and Pepper have a future. She does believe that Steve loved Peggy.
But she never believed that she could find love. It's neither meant to be nor safe.

Clint thinks the same, yet he disagrees (-guys, they never make sense).
Natasha never really understood what he meant. But right now she doesn't care.

Maybe happy ever afters don't exists.
Maybe people say they love each other too easily.
Maybe love can be dangerous and confusing.

But why not take what you can get?

Isn't love always complicated, no matter what life style you live?

'Don't be sad because it's over, smile because it happened' Shouldn't she live her life like that?
She knew that her life expectancy is very low, in fact she already over lived it, but shouldn't that be the reason to take every chance for a little happiness that she could get?

She didn't want to love and be compromise to another person but keeping everybody at arms length was not a solution either.
She knew that.

Ever since she joined SHIELD and stopped being just a weapon, life started to make sense to her.
Actually since she met Clint.

When she looked back, all moments that she really felt alive, happened with Clint. (oh yay, how cliché)

"I know where you hide, alone in your car.
Know all of the things that make you who you are.
I know that goodbye means nothing at all."

Well, she did not hide in a car but either she 'hid' in the training area and sometimes the roof.
Clint knew that. And he knew exactly when she was hiding where.

And who was she to deny that he does know her better than anyone else?

He knows every facette of her.
The Black Widow. Natalia Romanova. Agent Romanoff. Natasha. Tasha. And Nat.

Natasha was not sure how he did it or how she could let it happen but it just happened. He just had that effect on her that made her trust him and tell him.

No matter how hard she tried, no matter how often she took a step back from him, they always ended up where they were and a even a little closer.
After the fights, they made up.
When she tried to put distance between them through going on solo missions, they met on the roof afterward and talked.
When she wanted a different partner, he saved her ass when things went wrong.
When she had been with different men, he picked up the pieces after she realized that it'll never work.
Both of them can't have a normal relation ship.
But all these things were mutual, she does the same things for him.
They were partners.

"Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls."

Suddenly the door opened and Natasha who had leaned almost completely against the wood fell forward, only to be caught by a half dressed Clint.

For a second he looked at her in confusion.

She should have seen this coming. The showered had been turned off and she should have noticed the footsteps.
But she didn't.

Natasha tried hide the blush on her cheeks.
Shit. She was so deep in thoughts, that all she heard was the song.

A smirk spread across Clint's face.

"I didn't know I already had stalking fan girls." he teased about Natasha's eavesdropping.

Natasha couldn't hide her red cheeks anymore and looked down.
Shouldn't it be her teasing him?

"I can sing some more if you like." Clint whispered and it could have sounded teasingly but his tone was so gently and intense.

It sent chills down Natasha's spine and all of the sudden she became aware of their closeness.
Clint had wrapped his arms around her waist while she could feel the strong muscles and scared skin of his bare chest under her hands.
It's not like she had seen Clint almost completely naked after missions while patching him up but still her breath hitched and she did what she could best;

Push him away.

She could basically feel how his mood dropped but she tried to ignore it.

"You wanna shower now?" Clint asked her just to say something.
Natasha nodded.

"You have a secret talent, Tasha?" Clint asked out of the blue.
Natasha was confused about the sudden subject change.

How could he just ignore the tension?
Oh right. He's an agent and you are too. She reminded herself.

"Nothing that you don't know about." she replied and it was true.
He knows about her passion for ballet.

Natasha was just about to close the bathroom door behind her when Clint stopped her.

"Wait, Tasha!"

"What?" she asked and couldn't help but be mad at herself for showing how confused she was. She never was off guard like this. Usually she knew what Clint wanted.

"Thank you... You know, for doing the formal things and letting me rest."

Was that really all he wanted to thank her for?

"No prob... Even you should've rested."

"I did."

"Since when is taking a shower resting?" Natasha shot back letting the door slide open a little more but the slight confusion in her question was noticeable.

"I can relax better while showering than sleeping. I always feel so helpless when I'm sleeping."
Natasha understood what he meant.

He felt safer in the shower when he was awake. If someone stormed into the room, he could have defense himself quicker.

That's why Natasha never could sleep more than two hours when she was alone.
She didn't feel safe... Even thought; Would she really prefer fighting someone naked and dripping wet than jumping up in her light sleep and using the gun she hid next to her bed?

"And you don't feel helpless when someone's attacking you while you're naked in the shower?" Natasha teased, smirking. Finally the tension was gone.
Or at least replaced with a better kind of tension.
Clint smirked back.

"If it's a girl who bursting in, it'd distract her."

"Cocky attitude." Natasha commented.

"Wanna test that theory?" Clint asked with a flirty smile and again Natasha became aware how close she was to a bare chested Clint.

Oh shit. Why the hell did I say something?

Now she would have have that image stuck in her head for days if not weeks.
There was no way to deny it; Clint is not bad looking.

"Maybe another time." Natasha answered, trying to hide that she might or might not be blushing again.

"Sounds promising."

"Guys. They think that 'No' means 'Yes' and 'Maybe' means 'Of course'. What next? 'Get lost' means 'Take me I'm yours'?" Natasha rambled out, still fighting the heat in her cheeks and the bubbly feeling in her lower stomach as Clint took a step closer.

Shit, she did not just almost quoted a Disney movie? (A/N: For those who don't know this is from 'Herclues')

"At least you referred to a good Disney movie. Not this new crap." Clint smirked. Of course did he notice.

"Remnant from my undercover mission as the Nanny in this rich family. You should now Mr I-recognize-every-Disney-movie-quote-or-song." Natasha explained. (And it was true, both. The origin of her knowledge of Disney movies and Clint knowing every, literally every, Disney movie that ever existed)

"If you say so." Clint said just above a whispered, that's how close they were again.
Natasha shot him a 'don't try to deny it'-look or she tried as her eyes fixed on a scar on Clint's chest.

Before she could stop herself, her fingertips caressed the healed wound.
Clint got a hold of her wrist when he realized what she was doing.

"Stop feeling guilty about that. It was not your fault!" he demanded in a deep voice, it almost sounded like a growl.

Why can't she just forgive herself?

"We both know it was! I wanted to kill you." Natasha replied angrily.

Why did he always tried to baby her? She could handle the truth.

"No. You only-" he tried to argue.

"Clint, even if I would've been myself, I would've fought to death." she interrupted him quickly before he could make up more excuses just to make her feel better about herself.

"Wrong. You would've listened and not blindly shoot everybody who comes to close." he whispered emphatically and firmly getting a hold of her other hand.

He didn't had a doubt about it.

And it actually seemed like he had been able to take away to her doubt. He could tell by the look in her eyes.

Maybe... maybe he's right. She thought.
If she would've been herself, she would've taken any chance she had to live a different life. To do things right -or better, at least.

"Thank you." Natasha whispered and slight tugged at her lips as she looked up to Clint. (he's not that tall but she kinda tiny with her

"For not letting me be so hard on myself." she added before he could ask. But maybe she just meant everything.

"That's what partners are for." he replied and it was his way of saying 'thank you too'.

That's what partners are for. It was more of a reminder of where they stand. For both.

"We accept each other." Natasha said but it didn't kept her from leaning in ever so slowly.

"We're there for each other." Clint avered not being able to tears his eyes from hers.

"Partners." Natasha confirmed while her body was betraying her words.

They didn't know who kissed who.

All they knew is that they kissed.
Something both had wanted for so long but tried to ignore the desire.

Natasha's hands were on his chest, making him shiver as she caressed the bare skin. Clint's hands in turn had got a hold of her waist, pulling her as close as possible.

Suddenly he became aware of what they were doing. He broke away.

"I- I..." Clint stuttered out of breath and shocked at his action and that the fact that she hadn't killed him yet.

"Partners." he panted but it sounded more like a question.

"You should talk less." Natasha whispered and kissed him again wrapping her arms around his neck.

Maybe they had both seen this coming. Maybe that's why they weren't surprised. Maybe that's the reason why no one questioned what happened to Natasha's principle and the danger that had kept both from making a move.

Love is for children.

And apparently also for a couple of assassins.

Because let's better die young and say it was one hell of a ride than to look back with regret.