Author's Notes: Based on a picture that I drew of the two of them. I just can't get enough.
Thank you SO much for reading my other Clint/Natasha fic. I tried to add more depth this time, and connect more with them. So fun to write about these two.
Clint had heard people talking. They had said that he would crack. They said because he was so reserved and un-open to his past that one day he would crack under all the pressure S.H.I.E.L.D. put onto him to be the best every day. He had to agree, he didn't open up very often about his past or his family matters, but that didn't mean he was just going to up break down one day. Most of the time he heard these conversations whenever he was perched up high away from watching eyes; still though, he scoffed at the accusations when he heard them being whispered and even though he didn't think he was ever liable to "crack", he felt a sense of hurt at people's lack of trust in him. And what with Loki's recent mind control over him, those conversations only increased more frequently. He felt like the only people he could fully trust anymore was the team.
Now as the battle of Manhattan was a few weeks behind him, he sat on a couch watching the news reports. He wasn't really paying much attention though. He was recollecting on previous events. He still blamed himself partly for a few of the agent's deaths even though Natasha kept telling him it wasn't his fault.
As he sat there, she almost crept up on him. Almost. He turned around as she was almost to the couch. Why Natasha was up this late surprised him, he was usually the only member of the Avengers up this late, and now she was up, it surprised him. He took in her appearance quickly. She was wearing one of his green long sleeve tee-shirts which would have come past her hands if she hadn't rolled up the sleeves. A pair of his sweat pants were hanging off of her curvy form and she had grey socks on. He looked up at her and smiled warmly.
"What's wrong Tash?" He asked in a kind reassuring voice.
She looked at him questioning. "What makes you think something's wrong?" She continued to walk over to him and stand in front of him blocking his view of the television he wasn't even watching.
He gently pulled her hands towards him and took her in his arms. "You're never up this late unless something's bothering you. You don't have to hide anything from me Tasha. You know that." He spoke gently.
She snuggled into his warm body allowing her head to rest on his nicely sized bicep. He wrapped his arms around her protectively and smelt the familiar strawberry fragrance of her hair.
Natasha took a slow deep breath before she began to speak. She didn't look up at him but instead spoke into his shirt which muffled her voice giving it the vulnerability of a child. "I had a bad dream…"
"What was it about?" He braced himself for the answer knowing that the past couple of bad dreams she had had were about him and Loki and even including her sometimes.
She shook her head refusing to answer. "Natasha please, I can't help you unless you tell me hon."
Natasha glanced up at Clint and he could see that her eyes were glassy as if she was about to cry. She tried to swallow but it got stuck in her throat which forced her to make a choking like sound. "I dreamt of… you… and Loki…and that you were killing me in a new and more gruesome way than the last time…" She didn't finish because tears started rolling down her cheeks and she hid her face in shame.
Just the thought of hearing her in so much pain and agony while she slept made him sick and all he wanted to do was curl up with her and forget the world. Forget Loki, forget everything he ever did to them, and just lie there for days and do nothing.
"No one is ever going to do that to you. I will never kill you and Loki will never come back to get either of us. Do you understand me?" He tried to be firm but comforting at the same time. She didn't look up at him again but made a motion that he assumed was a nod of approval.
For the next half hour he sat there on the couch with her listening to her steady heartbeat as she slept soundless and unconscious to the world. Another memory from shortly after the battle exploded into his mind and he was sucked away from reality yet again.
It was almost directly right after Tasha had thrust Loki's scepter into the Tesseract. She ran to meet him and he had met her in a tight embrace. She had stepped back and looked at him seriously. "Now that we're safe, I'm putting you somewhere where you can't get hurt. A…a…a big bubble type of thing? Do you hear me? I'm going to protect you no matter what now and there's nothing you can do to make me do otherwise." They chuckled and he had bent down to her height and kissed her full on. He didn't care that all of the Avengers and other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were going to gawk, and he didn't care if the news helicopters surveying the damage saw. All that had mattered in the world was him and her.
He had hoped she would kiss him back, and kiss him back she did. She was the one to pull away first, and when she did she had stared into his eyes for what seemed like forever. Tony started clapping causing Clint and Natasha to look away blushing. But Clint overcame his blushing and pulled Natasha close to him in a hug. He kissed her head and took in the strawberry scent of her hair.
"Okay…" he mumbled into her hair. They continued to stand there for a while, until the rest of the Avengers came down to meet them. When it came down to capturing Loki though, the two separated and acted as professional as they always had.
Clint was jarred back to reality by Natasha's sudden movements and mumbles in her sleep. He pulled her close to her and kissed her on the forehead lightly. Absentmindedly he thought to himself that maybe he wasn't the one that everyone should be concerned about cracking. Natasha Romanoff, notorious Russian assassin might have had the worst past of them all. He had saved her when she was in a weak state, and even though she kept a strong front daily, as she lay in Clint's arms close to sobbing and vulnerable, he realized just how close to cracking she might really be. Loki had compromised her and showed her true fears. Loki had given her the nightmares she was now suffering from nightly and he hated him for it.
He rubbed her back soothingly and softly whispered so only she could hear. "I don't think I'm the one that needs to be protected… If I have too, I'll stick you in a bubble and keep you safe no matter what. I love you Tasha…" She gave a mumble that sounded satisfied and Clint smiled slightly to himself. Maybe, just maybe they could protect each other from cracking and breaking down together. It occurred to him that she was his rock and he was probably hers as well.
Slowly he shifted his weight so that he was lying down with her on the couch. Listening to her slow breaths, he was slowly lulled to sleep and would only awake to her smiling face in the morning.
Author's Notes: I like to think that even though Natasha may keep a strong front, Loki really crept into her mind and hurt her. Clint is like the only person she can really and truly open up to.
Tell me what you think by leaving a review and helping me get better! I'm also working on a fic about the two of them that I'm trying to make a little bit longer. Thanks for all of your support!