You cradle her head as she lays on your lap, smiling through the tears as she tries to speak.
"Shhh. Sshhhh Tasha, save your strength." You whisper as you run a hand through her blood-matted hair, "Evac will be here soon just hold on."
She smiles weakly at you, "Just like Budapest all over again."
You try to laugh but it comes out sounding like a broken sob, "Yeah. Yeah, just like Budapest."
...
Clint swears as a grenade explodes, taking out another civilian car nearby. Clint draws his bow and begins firing, silently cursing his opponents for starting a fight in the middle of the town square.
As the chaos continued Clint dove into the fountain in the center of the square to escape the onslaught of bullets. Luckily the town was in the middle of a drought so the fountain was bone dry.
"Barton! Get your ass out of that fountain and take these motherfuckers down!" Fury barked through the coms. Clearly Fury wasn't in the best of moods.
Clint grit his teeth as he sat back against the side of the fountain, "Right away mother hen."
"Don't joke with me Barton, just get it done." With that Fury turned off his com and left Barton to fend for himself.
Sighing, Clint reloaded his side arm and prepared for the next round of fighting. Barton knew that this was just another one of Fury's tests to test his strength or some B.S. like that, Clint was still on probation for failing his last mission and he didn't want to give Fury another excuse to permanently suspend him. However, Clint did have a mission to complete: assassinate the infamous Black Widow.
Clint had already established contact with her earlier in the week. In fact, he was on his way to assassinate her when he had been ambushed by a couple of thugs looking for a fight.
Taking a deep breath, Clint launched himself out of the fountain, firing bullet after bullet. One by one the thugs began to fall until only one was left standing, his gun aimed directly at Clint's chest.
Before Clint had a chance to react, the man dropped to the ground, dead, with three bullets in his chest.
Turning on his heel Clint drew his sidearm and spun towards the direction of the gun shots. He could only stand in stunned silence as a young red head lowered her gun and smiled.
...
You sit there silently now, wondering why you didn't see this coming. Deep down you knew it was inevitable; you and her are simply human, fighting a losing battle against monsters and magic. You and her and simply human; you never stood a chance.
"Hey Nat?"
She hums, her eyes closed against the gray sky as her blood continues to pool beneath her.
"Remember how this all started? How could we ever have been so naive to think it would last?"
She places a bloody hand over your own, "Because we are human. Flawed and broken, but still human."
"Do you remember it Nat? When we first met? It was so long ago and we were both so young…"
The red head dropped her gun and ran. She slipped through a small alleyway and took off at a full sprint.
Cursing Clint took off after her, chasing her through the narrow streets. Not knowing what he was doing or what his plans were, the only thing Clint knew was that he could not lose her.
He followed her until she slipped through an open window of an abandoned, boarded up building. Pulling his gun, Clint cautiously followed. Once inside, Clint was surprised by what he saw. Despite the wooden walls that were barely standing and the moldy ceiling tiles, the redhead had made a shelter out of the decaying building. There was a mattress in the far right corner, a table and chairs in the center, and a radio on a stand across from him next to what would have once been a door. The redhead herself stood facing Clint, her back against the table with her arms folded against her chest.
"Who are you and what do want?" She asked, speaking in fluent Russian.
Clint's brain worked quickly to try and translate. Russian was by far not his best language, "My name is Clint. We met earlier this week. I work for SHIELD."
"Are you here to kill me?"
Clint debated lying, but then again, this was the Black Widow he was talking to. She was a master of lies and deception. "Yes."
"Are you going to kill me?"
Clint shrugged, "Do you want me to kill you?"
The Black Widow pulled out a chair and sat down, defeated, "Yes. Please."
The answer took Clint by surprise, "What's your name?"
The redhead smiled, "I was once called Natalia, but she died a long time ago."
Clint lowered his gun, his honor keeping him from killing an unarmed person, "I guess I should thank you for saving my life. Maybe I can return the favor?"
Natalia laughed bitterly, "Monsters do not deserve to be saved."
Clint smiled sadly as he sat down in the chair across from her, "No, but they do deserve a second chance."
...
Natasha begins to speak, startling you, "We weren't that young Clint. We were both old enough to have plenty of blood on our hands. God... I was so was so afraid of dying, I was afraid of what came after. Now... Now I am no longer afraid. I..." Natasha begins coughing violently. You watch helplessly as her coughs consume her small frame, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
"Tasha... I'll make sure Bruce... That he knows."
Natasha shakes her head as best she can, "No Clint. It's not Bruce. It's you. It's...it's always been you." She begins to cough again and you feel bad that her words mean so much to you.
...
For the next several days Clint visited her in her hideout. She wears her masks like armor and keeps her walls high. Yet, brick by brick, she begins to show herself and the scared girl that hides behind the Black Widow facade.
On the sixth day Clint has an epiphany: he thinks he's fallen in love with the Russian girl.
On the seventh day Clint goes to Coulson, his S.O. and tells him he thinks the Widow could be useful asset.
On the eighth, Coulson agrees with Clint and gives him a knowing smile.
On the ninth day, things go to hell in a handbasket.
Clint slipped through the broken window, expecting to see Natalia wiring for him. When he arrived, the room was strangely empty. Nothing embed to be out of place, yet Clint could instantly tell something was wrong.
"Natalia?" Clint heard a noise to his right and he barely had time to react before a tall man swung a fist at his head. Ducking, Clint grabbed the man's arm and spun him around, dislocating his attacker's shoulder. Clint then grabbed the man by his short hair and smashed his head into the wall, knocking him unconscious.
Not seconds after Clint had finished several men came pouring through the window and smashing through the door. Swearing Clint drew his gun and dove over the table, knocking it over and taking cover behind it as bullets began to fly past him.
Panicking slightly, Clint activated his com, "Agent Barton to Coulson. Come in Coulson."
"Go for Coulson. What's your status agent?"
Clint peered around the table, firing several rounds and killing several of his assailants, "I'm taking heavy fire. Requesting backup immediately."
"I'm sorry agent but your mission is highly sensitive and we cannot send reinforcements without risking a world wide conflict. We will send an evac team, just try to get out unscratched."
"Coulson I swear to God if you don't send backup I'll shove an arrow so far up your ass you'll be able to taste metal!" Clint practically yelled as he dove from behind the table and toward the man closest to the open door.
"I'm sorry agent. Good luck. Evac is on the way."
"Gaaaah!" Clint slammed his fist into the thugs face as he fired several shots towards the others. Suddenly, some of the firing ceased and Clint looked up in surprise, "Natalia."
Natalia stood over two of the dead men, firing at four others who were standing in the doorway, leaving only 7 left.
Shaking off his surprise, Clint launched himself at another man, his fighting quick and efficient.
Natalia quickly joined him, the two of them fighting side by side until all the men were either dead or incapacitated.
Breathing hard, Clint lowered his gun, "Thanks."
Natalia also lowered her guns and placed them in the holsters on her thighs, "You're welcome."
"Wait. You speak English?"
She nodded, "Yes. It was part of my training to become fluent in all major languages."
"So you're telling me that all this time we could have been speaking English!?" Clint threw his hands in the air, exasperated.
Natalia laughed, a light and beautiful sound, "I liked watching you struggle." Her laugh stopped abruptly as a single gunshot rang out.
Turning on his heel, Clint raised his gun and shot a single bullet, watching in satisfaction as his attackers head snapped back with an audible crack, the bullet hitting its target.
Turning back to Natalia, Clint smiled, "So Natalia, I have an offer to make you..." Clint's smile faded as he noticed Natalia's pale face, "Natalia...?" Clint's eyes widened as he watched Natalia remove a bloody hand from her stomach.
"Clint..."
Acting quickly Clint caught Natalia as she collapsed, once again activating his com, "Coulson please tell me that evac team is here and ready to go!"
"ETA minus 5 minutes. What's your status?"
"I'm fine. Natalia's hit and it's bad. Tell them to hurry...god...there's so much blood."
"Hang in there Clint. They're on their way."
Clint began applying pressure to the bullet wound, blood oozing up between his fingers, "Hold on Talia. Hold on, help's on the way."
Clint stiffened as Natalia wrapped a bloody hand around his wrist, "Please Clint... don't let me die."
"I won't Natalia. I won't. I promise."
...
"I made a promise Tasha. Don't make me break my promise." You're openly crying now, the sobs tearing through your chest like animals. You shake her shoulders but she only stares blearily up at you, a small smile playing on her lips.
"I love you Clint."
The words catch in your throat as you struggle to breathe, "I love you too Natasha." But she never hears you or the medical team that arrives moments later. She never hears the near inhuman scream that rips from your lungs are your heart shatters, leaving a broken shell of a man behind.
She'll never know that you loved her, because you broke your promise.