Poor foster kid from Iowa who ran away to the circus with his big brother. Every kids dream, and Clint simply wished it wasn't his life. Children romanticized life; rose tinted glasses. But Clint, Clint was a realistic child. He had to be. And he would grudgingly admit that the circus had been the start of one of the best things in his life. His one constant. But it hadn't been a pleasant experience in the slightest.

He had shared most of his life with Natasha the first year they were partners. It took her longer, and Clint was content to wait. He'd seen what the Red Room had done to her, and he had been beside her the entire time. Frankly, he'd been worried there wouldn't be anything left as the SHIELD experts stripped away decades of brainwashing. Over the years, he slowly learned more and more about his partner.

Natasha remembered very little from before the Red Room. Everything she did was muted and warm, memories she contented herself with as a child in the Red Room. They knew well the best way to brainwash children, and it wasn't until many years later that she learned how her uncle had all but sold her into it. Had she been able to, she would've gotten angry at the time. As it was, when she was her own person once more, she had a moment of silent, burning rage. But time had taken her chance for revenge, against him or the Red Room.

Their first mission together was a disaster. A year after Clint had brought her in, and her skills had not dulled. But her mind, her personality. Clint realized she was like a child, and easily older than him, he had found out. They had completed the mission, just barely. And Fury had grudgingly agreed to give them time off. Clint was determined to see her set to rights, even if he acquired a few new scars along the way. It was well worth it, because he gained a partner and developed an unbreakable bond with her.

When Clint's brother betrayed him, Clint felt lost. Like he had lost the only thing that mattered. When the USSR fell, Natasha felt freedom and a loss of purpose. Both went rogue, and both found out it did not suit them. And together they found a peace that even an alien invasion and mind control could not break. They would move the earth for each other, and it seemed like they ended up doing just that as time went on.

They discussed children once. But between Natasha's altered body, and Clint's entire history, they collectively decided against it. That, and the enemies they had made, the lives they lead. There was no place for children in their lives, and they decided they were quite content with each other. That was the night they decided to make things official, and slipped off the next day to sign it off. Coulson said not a word when they returned, wearing simple gold bands on chains around their necks. Fury rose an eyebrow but said nothing, policy or not he was not about to deny his two best agents happiness.

Three years into their partnership, and SHIELD had gained intelligence on a small South African country attempting to recreate the Red Room. Somehow, Natasha had managed to convince Coulson to give them the mission. Clint was wary, but he followed her. And they handled it. Surprisingly well, no casualties, that mattered. For the most part. When they returned to the States, his partner had suspiciously vanished, and he finally found her huddled in a secluded room. Silently, he sat down beside her. And that was when he truly learned what the Red Room had been.