A/N: Hi everyone. Saffa here. This is my second fanfic for BlackHawk and it'll be a multichapter one! This story is about Natasha and Clint struggling with their feelings of love for each other which clashes because they have different views on it.

Just for info, the story will range between Clint's POV and Natasha's POV. Clint's POV will be in normal text and Natasha's in italics. It's just to show the difference more clearly.

Please enjoy~

Prologue - What does love mean to a heart of steel

Clint

Love.

What is the meaning of love? An intense feeling of deep affection? A romantic or sexual attraction to somebody? A burning flame of passion in the core of your heart?

Love is many things to many people. To me, it is an aching sorrow. A burden that promises no relief. It is the one thing that I want but can never have because my belief of love is not the same as the belief the woman I love feels.

Love should be passionate, it should be fulfilling, it should be joyous. As a child, I watched many couples enter Carson's circus, hand in hand, love bursting from their souls. Their faces would watch a tightrope walker and then turn to one another, smiling as if holding each other was a greater miracle than not falling off a centimeter wide rope.

I am not delusional. There is a pure, beautiful love where it's clear that both partners could not risk separation. But that is momentary, a fragment of possible love that is a one chance in a million. Then there is reality. The ground-shaking, heart-breaking truth of shattered love, wrenched hearts and tears enough to fill the Queen's swimming pool.

Love is a beautiful thing. There's no denying that. But there will be no love for me. When you love someone who has a heart of steel, love is the most fragile weapon to break that armor. When you love someone who has a heart of steel, love is a feeble excuse to be with them. When you love someone like that, you should never expect love to be a beautiful thing.

Because that doesn't exist with someone like that.

Natasha

Love.

What is the meaning of love. An intense feeling of deep affection? A romantic or sexual attraction to somebody? A burning flame of passion in the core of your heart?

Love is many things to many people. To me, it is a weapon. A tool to fool people into submitting before me, to persuade people to give me what I want. It is something I should wield and manipulate.

It is not that beautiful, romantic bond between people as cheesy movies always depict. Love is cold, cruel and callous. I have seen how it breaks people. It was the reason my father ran back into a burning building to find my mother, only to succumb to those hungry flames as well, leaving me alone in the cold world. It was reason I was left alone after Alexei supposedly died, despite those countless promises of forever. It is the reason so many people all over the world weep at night.

I am not delusional. There is a pure, beautiful love but that exists solely in the hearts of romanticists and movies. Then there is reality. And I live in reality. Clint once asked me if I would ever love anyone, passionately, solely, as if they are the balance to my being. I told him no. That love is for children and I have long left childhood behind.

Love is a terrible thing. People weep, people cry, people die just for love. There will be no love for me. I will only 'love' people with a heart of steel to protect myself. When I love with a heart of steel, their love is but a fragile weapon against my armor. When I love with a heart of steel, their love is but a feeble excuse. When I love like that, love will become a cruel and hungry beast.

Because there is no such thing as love with someone like me.

A/N – Well how was it?

Please read and review. Constructive criticisms welcomed to make this story better.
Over and out-