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11: Her Protector

After Natasha and Clint finished their shift at the coffee shop, the two friends and Maria went back to Natasha's apartment because the redhead insisted on changing her clothes to a more proper outfit for the night out with her friends. But when she stepped out to the living room in a low-cut tight-fitting red dress that fell above the knees, Clint knew he needed to say something about it.

"I'm pretty sure your boyfriend will not approve of this." He said, looking her over, "I mean, don't get me wrong, you look hot, Tasha! But isn't that dress a bit too revealing?"

True her dress was quite revealing, but Natasha figured it had been a while since she dressed up to impress. She just wanted to look amazing for her first night out since she dated Steve. Besides, she looked both sexy and sophisticated in her current outfit. It would be a crime not to wear the dress now.

"That's why he must not know anything about this." Natasha replied casually as she smoothed out her dress, effectively ending the argument. She knew Clint only brought Steve up as an excuse for his own protectiveness of her.

"You date a guy and didn't tell me right away?" Maria pouted, "I need all the details, girl!"

"I need a few drinks first before we start talking about my relationship."

"Just tell me the general details. You can't ask me to wait until you've finished a few drinks, Nat." The brunette groaned, "God! I forgot just how good you really are at drinking. Seriously, you practically outdrink Clint the whole time!"

"In my defense, Russian runs in her blood."

Natasha smirked, "He's right. We Russians definitely can hold our liquor."


The three of them took a cab to McLaren's Bar in Brooklyn where Sam Wilson, a friend of Clint and Natasha, worked as a bartender. They took a seat at one of the booths and Sam gave his friends the first round of drinks on the house.

Maria began telling Natasha and Clint what she had been doing since she left for Europe almost a year ago. Her work as an intern in a shipping company was very challenging and detail-oriented. The only upsides were that she got to travel around and met a few nice guys whom she dated briefly.

In return, Clint and Natasha told Maria everything she had missed during her time overseas, including Natasha's recent relationship status. They avoided giving too many details about Steve, although from the look on Clint's face, Natasha knew he was trying very hard not to spill everything.

"I'm sure Nat has men lining up for her, single or not." Maria said with a teasing smirk, "I mean, half of the guys in the campus must be after you."

Clint glanced at his best friend and snickered, "Oh yeah, she's got like hundreds of guys chasing after her, but she turned them all down. Said she wasn't interested in dating." He playfully added, "But look at her now, having an actual boyfriend."

Natasha rolled her eyes good-naturedly, "Well, you were the one who kept telling me to find a boyfriend, remember?"

"How did you guys meet anyway?" Maria probed, curious about the guy who had caught the attention of Natasha Romanov.

"We met at the university."

"Is he cute?" Her friend asked again, obviously not satisfied with her previous answer.

"Yeah, he's cute." Natasha actually blushed a little, "He's really handsome and also a gentleman. He's the best guy a girl could ask for."

Maria gave her a sincere smile, "I'm happy for you, Nat. You deserve someone who really loves you."

Natasha hastily replied, "We've only started dating like three weeks ago, so I won't use the word 'love' just yet." She flashed a smile of her own, "But yeah... I can say that we're really crazy about each other."

"Plus, their sex is so spectacular that Tasha feels the need to brag it to me every time." Clint muttered under his breath.

Maria laughed and the two girls started teasing Clint about his lack of love life. The dark-blond retaliated by telling them it was Natasha's fault that he hadn't been able to get a girl, because everyone always assumed he and Natasha were together.

"It's not my fault those girls are too dumb to see that we're just friends."

Clint chuckled, "Well, can't really blame them. You're one of the most beautiful girls in our faculty, Nat, so of course they would all think that we're dating. Why else would you be with me?" He then motioned to a group of men sitting a few tables across from them, "Even now, you're attracting a lot of attention."

Natasha and Maria both turned their heads and followed Clint's gaze. Sure enough, most of the guys at the bar were checking her out, some slightly more disconcerting than others. The way those men were looking at her, Natasha was certain that if Steve were here, he would have got up from his seat and taught them some lesson with his fist for the sole purpose of protecting Natasha's honor.

"They can look but they can't touch, Barton." Maria waved them off dismissively, "Anyway, Nat is way out of their league!"

"You're too pretty for your own good." Clint said to the redhead, "Be careful, alright? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go talk to that beautiful blonde over there." He stood up and looked at his friends, "You two pretty girls look out for each other, okay?"

"Don't forget you have to drop me off at home, Clint!" Natasha reminded, causing Clint to retreat back to their booth.

"Shit! I completely forgot." Clint whined, "Aww, Nat, this is the first time in months I've a chance to score a girl."

"Fine, I'll take a cab home with Maria."

"You're the best!"

Clint left them and went to talk to the girl. Natasha watched her best friend strike up a conversation with her and she had to admit, the blonde girl was pretty. Way to go, Clint! Natasha turned back to Maria and the two resumed their talk.

They were laughing over Maria's story about her colleague who pulled a prank on her boss when Natasha noticed they needed a refill on their drinks, "Hold on, let me get us more drinks first." She said between laughter and made her way to the bar.

Natasha was aware of all the eyes following her every movement but chose to ignore the perverted looks and walked up to Sam.

"Hey, girl!" He greeted and leaned over the bar to give her a hug, "You look nice."

"Thanks, Sam." She replied with a smile, "I'll have two Bud Light, please."

"Coming right up!"

Sam turned to grab her beers when a voice sounded from behind Natasha.

"Hey, put her drinks on my tab." A guy, probably in his early thirties, suddenly appeared next to her, "Beautiful lady like you shouldn't pay for anything."

"Thank you but the lady will pay for her own drinks." Natasha faked a smile at him and handed Sam the money. She took the beer bottles and spoke again, "Excuse me, my friend is waiting for me."

But the guy didn't give up easily, "Can you just give me a chance to talk to you? I don't take no for an answer. I'm Greg by the way."

"Hi, Greg. My answer is no. I already have a boyfriend so I'm not interested in you."

With that, she walked away and went back to her booth. Greg, however, kept his brown eyes fixed on Natasha before he finally followed her to the table and sat down next to her. Maria found it somewhat amusing how persistent this guy was trying to hit on her friend.

"Your boyfriend isn't here right now so why don't we have a little fun together back at my place?" Greg offered and put his hand on her thigh, "I know you want it, girl."

Natasha immediately slapped his hand away and glared icily, "Not in a million years, you pervert! Why don't you just go back to your friends or go hit on someone else who is actually available!"

"I'm here by myself, sweet cheeks, so I've all night to convince you to change your mind and come home with me."

"She already turned you down twice, dude." Maria chimed in, "Don't embarrass yourself any further."

This time Greg did get up and left. Both Natasha and Maria didn't see him again after that so they figured he must have been too embarrassed and decided to go home.

Clint came over half an hour later to say goodbye because he was leaving with the blonde girl he talked to earlier.

"Good night, girls!"

Natasha kissed his cheek, "See you tomorrow, Clint."


Natasha and Maria continued to enjoy their time catching up and swapping silly stories. However, they were constantly interrupted by guys who came up to hit on either, or both of them.

"Why is it so difficult for a guy to understand when a girl says she's not interested, she clearly means it?" Natasha sighed in annoyance after turning down the tenth guy who asked her out. "My boyfriend understood it perfectly when I told him to leave me alone."

"Maybe we should just leave." Maria added, "This place is becoming full of weirdoes."

"Yeah, I won't come back here again unless they keep those perverts out of the bar."

"Couldn't agree more. Shall we?"

"I'll just go to the restroom real quick."

Natasha stood up and made a beeline for the restroom. The place was eerily empty so she quickly took care of her business. When she came out of the bathroom stall, she was shocked to find Greg standing there. His hand moved to lock the door as he raked his eyes over her body in a predatory gaze.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"I told you I don't take no for an answer." He crept towards her and Natasha backed away slowly until her back was pressed against the wall.

Greg had now cornered her and she was about to shove him away but he caught her arms and pinned them above her head. "I like my bitch to fight back so I can go rough with her." He growled near her ear before started licking her earlobe.

Natasha squirmed and tried to push him off of her but he was too strong. "You're playing hard to get, huh? I'll show you the consequences of playing hard to get, bitch!"

He kissed her roughly but Natasha tilted her head and pressed her lips tightly together. She kept trying to push him away but she was no match for his strength. His left hand now gripped hard at her hip as his right hand squeezed her behind. When he trailed his lips down her neck, Natasha started screaming for help.

Ten seconds later, the door was kicked open and Sam emerged with his male coworker. They immediately pulled Greg away from Natasha. Maria quickly rushed in to hold Natasha and lead her out of the restroom. Sam and his friend, Trip threw Greg out of the bar and warned him to never come back again.

Natasha was still shaken up by what just happened. She looked terrified so Maria called Clint, but he didn't pick up the phone. Sam returned a moment later to check on Natasha.

"Are you alright?" He looked at her with worry.

Natasha shook her head, "No…I…."

"It's okay, Natasha. He's gone." Sam patted her shoulder but she flinched at the touch.

He slightly frowned before turning to Maria, "I think you better take her home."

"Yeah." Maria nodded and wrapped an arm around her friend, "Come on, Nat. Let's go home and get some rest."

The two girls thanked Sam and Trip before walking out of the bar. But as soon as they stepped out of the door, Natasha saw her assailant standing right across the road, watching them. She quickly pushed a confused Maria back inside the bar.

"What is it, Nat?"

"He's still here, Maria." She repeated, her voice quivering with fear, "That guy is still here!"

"Is there anyone else you can call other than Clint? How about your boyfriend, or other male friends?"

"I'll call him."

"Who's him?"

"My boyfriend."

With shaky hands, Natasha pulled out her phone and dialed Steve's number. She was so relieved when he answered right away.

"Hey, sweetheart."

"Steve..." She stuttered, "Can you come pick me up at the bar? Please..."

"Natasha, are you alright?"

"No…." She was trying to hold back the tears, "There's a guy… and he…he…was..."

"Text me the name of the bar and the address. Stay where you are, I'll be there in five minutes." He assured, "Everything will be alright, sweetheart. I'll be there soon."


Steve arrived at McLaren's exactly five minutes later. He was wearing a baseball cap and rimmed glasses so not to be recognized. His eyes quickly searched for Natasha and found her standing over to the side of the bar. She looked up as he was nearing her and immediately, she ran up to him and hugged him tight.

"Natasha, I'm here now." He rubbed her back soothingly, trying to stop her shaking.

She tightened her hold and buried her face in his chest, "Steve…"

"What happened? Did someone try to hurt you?"

But Natasha refused to answer. She was afraid that Steve might be disgusted by the fact that some guy had touched her, someone that wasn't him. A strangled sob escaped her lips and Steve pulled away slightly to look into her eyes.

"Sweetheart, you have to tell me what's going on."

"There's a guy who tried to take advantage of her." Maria spoke up, "He hit on her earlier but she turned him down. We thought he had left, but it turns out he was waiting until Nat was alone. Thankfully her friend Sam came in time with his coworker to help Nat."

Steve looked at the brunette, only just noticing her presence, "I don't believe we've met. I'm Steve, her boyfriend."

"Maria. I'm friends with Natasha and Clint."

"Where's Barton?"

"He left some time ago."

"Who is this guy by the way?"

"Don't worry about it, Steve." Natasha gazed up at him, "Just take me home, please."

"No, I have to deal with this the proper way." He replied in a firm tone, which made Natasha whimpered and broke eye contact with him. Steve immediately softened, "Darling, tell me where he is?"

Natasha just kept quiet and held on to him tighter so Steve turned to Maria.

"We saw him outside the bar when we were trying to leave." She answered before Steve could ask again, "He was standing across the street, most likely waiting for Nat. It's the guy in black leather jacket." Maria swore she saw his blue eyes burning with rage.

Steve let go off Natasha and strode out of the bar in furious speed. The two girls ran after him, but Steve was faster. He easily spotted Natasha's attacker and walked straight to him. He grabbed the man by the collar, dragging him into the alley and slammed him hard against the wall.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY GIRLFRIEND?!" Steve bellowed angrily.

"That slut is your girl?"

Any further remark Greg might have voiced was stopped by Steve's fist hitting him on the face. No one insulted his girl. NO ONE. Natasha was now shouting at him to stop, but Steve ignored her. He let his rage took over as he continued throwing angry punches at Greg.

"STEVE, ENOUGH!"

He delivered the last punch that instantly knocked Greg out. Steve was breathing heavily, adrenaline still running high with fury.

Natasha approached him slowly, "Steve... can we go home now?" Her eyes were pleading with him, "Please..."

His anger dissipated slightly when he looked at her, "Okay." Steve took her hand and then glanced at Maria, "I can drop you home if you want."

Maria nodded and followed the couple to Steve's limo. She gave David her address and climbed inside the car with Natasha and Steve. Maria silently observed the pair, noting that Steve must have been a few years older and that he was extremely rich. Clint and Natasha hadn't told her much about Steve during their earlier conversation back at the bar, but she could tell that the guy truly cared about Natasha.


They reached Maria's apartment in ten minutes. She thanked Steve and went to hug Natasha before getting out of the car. The ride back to Steve's penthouse was spent in silence. Steve was still struggling to contain his anger while Natasha quietly snuggled into his chest, trying not to cry. She knew Steve was probably mad at her because he wouldn't even look at her. He only idly wrapped his arm around her and occasionally rubbed her back. He had every reason to be angry. He was most likely appalled by the thought of another man touching her.

Once they arrived at his floor, Steve pulled Natasha in his arms and hugged her close, inhaling her scent deeply as if to make sure she really was here with him, safe and sound.

"You're safe now, sweetheart." His voice was soft and gentle as he kissed her forehead. "I won't let anyone harm you ever again, Natasha. You have nothing to fear."

"I'm sorry, Steve... I should-"

He silenced her with a possessive kiss. She had no need to apologize. None of it was her fault. If anyone were to blame, it would be him. He hadn't been there to protect her. His hands cradled her face as he deepened the kiss, feeling Natasha leaned into his touch.

Steve pulled away and looked into her eyes which were filled with unshed tears, "You're mine now, Natasha. All mine." He whispered, "I don't want anything to happen to you. I really do care about you, darling."

"I know... I'm sorry, Steve."

"No, sweetheart. You don't have to say you're sorry." He said and kissed her lips again, "Where did he touch you?"

"Steve…"

"Please…" He pleaded, anguish reflected in his baby blues. Natasha never heard him beg with such desperation before.

She slowly guided his left hand to her hip and the other hand to her behind, and finally, she brought his head down to her neck where that creepy guy had put his lips. Steve felt her body tremble before she started crying again. He tightened his hold and kissed hard at her skin, hoping to erase the awful memory of the man.

"Don't cry, baby. You're safe." He promised, "I won't let anything happen to you again."

And Steve really meant it. He would protect her at all cost. Natasha was his everything now. She was all his and he intended to keep it that way. He would be the only man in her life, Steve was going to make sure of that.

He held her in his arms as she cried. After a while, Natasha began to calm down a little so Steve pulled away slightly.

"Let's go take a shower and get some rest, hmm?" He asked softly. Natasha gave a weak nod but didn't move.

Steve could see that she was still quite shaken up by everything that happened. Swooping her up in his arms, he carried her to the bathroom. Then he helped her take off her clothes before getting into the shower with her. Steve quickly cleaned them both while still being as gentle as he could. His eyes watched Natasha carefully the whole time, trying to read her expression.

When they were done, Natasha took one of his shirts from the wardrobe and put it over her naked body. She needed something that belonged to Steve to make her feel safe, to help her forget about the dreadful incident. She had never experienced this sort of thing before and it terrified her. Even with Steve's arms enveloping her in a secure embrace, Natasha still felt off.

Steve knew they were in for one hell of a long night. But he would be there by her side, no matter what.


AN:

- Thanks to my dear friend and my proofreader and my cowriter, sleeplessinbudapest.

- sleeplessinbudapest is also putting this story on Ao3

- Please kindly leave a review.