A FEW DAYS AFTER WASHINGTON D.C.
The mission was over. Natasha sighed and leaned on Clint's shoulder. He was here with her. The Helicariers would've shot him down. She wasn't just fighting only for Steve or SHIELD or even herself out there... Clint was on her mind then, and now.
He would never leave her; that's what he promised. She twisted her arrow necklace around and smiled a bit.
"Natasha?" Clint said.
She straightened up and looked at him. "Yes?"
He hesitated.
"I love you." He told her silently.
Her eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat. "...you love me?" She echoed. The last time someone ever loved her was in the Red Room, in the Soviets. The Winter Soldier. She recalled encountering him again. This time he was a ghost. He was terrifying. He was nothing like she'd known him to be before.
Love was terrifying. Anything could happen. Caring about someone was considered a weakness in the Red Room. Weak. She wasn't weak. She was the Black Widow. But she wasn't in the Red Room anymore. But it was a part of her. It would always be a part of her.
She wasn't sure what to say. She was speechless. She was in shock. She looked away.
Nat stared at the ground and clutched both of her hands together. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She felt a blush creep across her face. She loved him. She loved him and it was not okay. It was not okay to her. Goddammit, she felt like a clueless child. She can't be like that. No, not now. Not here. Not around him.
Taking a deep breath she looked at Clint and quietly replied, "Is it okay if I love you too?" She bit her lip nervously. Love. Love was for children, but he smiled.
"Yes." He said.
It was okay. It was okay to him. The butterflies fluttered faster. She should kiss him.
Then again, she shouldn't. She was scared.
Being afraid is also a weakness, Natasha. She told herself. She shouldn't give in to her fear. She leaned forward and she kissed him full on the lips.
He kissed her back.
And her fear was gone.
If love was for children, she thought, than am I a child?