Give your heart a break, an avengers fanfic

The story was inspired by the song of the same name by Demi Lovato. It is my first time posting a story here so please by nice and I'd appreciate some constructive critism. Italics=memory Bold= lyrics

Disclaimer: i don't own the Avengers nor the song.

Give Your Heart a Break

He walked down the deserted hallway heading towards her room. His gut was telling him the something was wrong, and he knew exactly what it was. He had only ever seen her cry once, and that was when they had first met. He quickened up his pace as the memory flashed through his mind.

He was on a rooftop across from the building she had taken residence in. The cold rain pounded down on the floor, soaking him to the bone, but he didn't complain. S.H.I.E.L.D had sent him on a mission to take down the infamous Black Widow. It was only suppose to take a day or two, but here he was, a week later and still unable to take the shot. Something about her had made him second guess himself, made him question why he had to kill her. He didn't know what it was about her that made her different from all the other marks he had terminated.

He readied his bow for the millionth time that week, taking aim on the Russian beauty across the street. He peered through his scope and saw her curled up on the bed, head on her knees, hiding her face from him. That's when he noticed her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. The Black Widow was crying.

That made up his mind. He switched his arrow head for a grappling hook and swung from the rooftop to her room. If she had been surprised, she didn't show it. She just looked up and said, "Make it quick," but he couldn't kill her. Instead he offered her an escape plan. "Come with me and join S.H.I.E.L.D" he said and reached out a hand to her. She considered this for a couple of seconds before she firmly toke his hand and let him lead her away.

It was hours later on the helicarrier that they were sitting next to each other waiting to be debriefed that she murmured to him, "I'm never falling in love," it had been so soft that he barely picked it up.

The crashing sound on the other side of the door brought him back to the present. She was mad, really mad. He turned the door knob to find it locked. He knocked on the door and said, "Come on Nat let me in. I just want to talk." But the only response he got was a snarl and the sound of glass breaking against the door.

He sighed and started thinking of ways of getting into her room and contemplating how many broken bones and gunshots he'll receive if he succeeded. A large grin spread across his face as he saw the air vent a few feet away. He pulled the hatch open and climbed in with all the stealth and grace he had, years of slithering through the vents had finally proven useful for something other than pranking the new agents.

As he moved through the vents he started thinking to himself. Ten years after joining S.H.I.E.L.D and she had kept her word. Unlike him, she never lost focus on a mission, she never failed to complete an assignment, and she never fell in love.

But after ten year of helping her train, going on numerous missions together, watching her get hurt, waking up in the hospital with her on his bedside, watching her fight the demons of her past, after learning everything about her, he fell head over heels in love with her. He tried to forget his feeling but to no avail. He tried distancing himself from her but it hurt too much to be away from her.

He thought that after everything they had gone through she would see that he was different from the other guys. That he was nothing like that baboon idiot of a guy that had broken her heart when they first met. They had gotten so close in those ten years that people thought they could read each other's minds. Hadn't he passed the test already? When would she realize that all he wanted was to give her a break from the sadness and pain in her heart? He knew she was scared of what might happen if she let him into her heart. She was scared of making a mistake and ruin the partnership they had.

He understood her concerns but in his mind they only had so much time. They had only one life, a life that could be cut short any minute in their line of work. So they had no time to waste by waiting. And yet he never told her how he felt.

The day I first met you
You told me you'd never fall in love
But now that I get you
I know fear is what it really was

Now here we are
So close yet so far
Haven't I passed the test
When will you realize
Baby, I'm not like the rest

Don't wanna break your heart
Wanna give your heart a break
I know you're scared it's wrong
Like you might make a mistake
There's just one life to live
And there's no time to wait, to waste
So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break
Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break
Oh yeah, yeah

They were on the rooftop of his apartment building watching the families return from a late church mass. They had been talking about nothing but everything at the same time. Then he made the mistake of asking her if she wanted a family and what she saw in her feature.

"Hey Nat, do you ever wonder what the feature has in store for us? Or if we can ever have a family?" The question had caught her off guard and she instantly started pointing out why it would never be possible. "Clint, we are assassins. We kill for a living. Anything or anyone we love would become a target. A distraction when we are at work. Why would you ask something like that? Do you really want to put your family in danger like that?"

"Of course I would never want to put my family in danger," he quickly replied, "but I have thought of having a family. Unfortunately the woman I want to be my wife and the mother of my kids would never agree to it." That's went she noticed the way he was looking at her and she quickly jump ten feet away from him, but before she could say anything he said, " Nat we've saved the world from a demented God and various other crazy criminals together and thanks to Stark and Fury the world is ours if we want it. Please just think about it before you turn the idea down."

For the first time in her entire life, Natasha was speechless. She looked at her partner in amazement for a few minutes. Then she walked up to him, kissed his cheek, and walked away. No one except Clint saw the tears in her eyes. Later that night he tried calling her, but she didn't answer her phone.

On Sunday you went home alone
There were tears in your eyes
I called your cell phone, my love
But you did not reply

The world is ours if we want it
We can take it if you just take my hand
There's no turning back now
Baby, try to understand

There's just so much you can take
Give your heart a break
Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break
Oh yeah, yeah

When he finally got into her room he was greeted with the sight of a totally crashed room and a crying Natasha on her bed. As soon as his feet hit the ground she had a gun trained at his head. "What part of 'stay away' didn't you understand?" was her only remark. "I'm sorry Nat. I'm sorry for loving you, I'm sorry for accepting you for who you are, I'm sorry for telling you how I felt that way, I'm sorry for what happened to you that makes you avoid love like the plague, but my feelings for you will never change, and I promise you I'll still be your best friend and our partnership will never end." And with that said he scooped her out of bed and planted a firm kiss on her lips. She struggled for a few seconds before giving up and started kissing him back. A few minutes later they pulled apart, panting for air. He leaned his head on her forehead and whispered, "I'm tired of you running away from me and the only chance of me being happy slipping through my fingertips. I know you've been hurt before and a smile won't disguise the pain. I don't want to break your heart, I want to give it a break, and maybe I can ease the pain there's only so much you can take."

When your lips are on my lips
And our hearts beat as one
But you slip out of my fingertips
Every time you run, whoa-oh-whoa-oh-oh

Don't wanna break your heart
Wanna give your heart a break
I know you're scared it's wrong

Like you might make a mistake
There's just one life to live
And there's no time to wait, to waste
So let me give your heart a break
(Let me give your heart a break)

'Cause you've been hurt before
I can see it in your eyes
You try to smile it away, some things you can't disguise
Don't wanna break your heart
Maybe, I can ease the ache, the ache
So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break
Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break

There's just so much you can take
Give your heart a break
Let me give your heart a break (your heart), your heart a break (a break)
Oh yeah, yeah

The day I first met you
You told me you'd never fall in love