Natasha jolted upright. She had had the same dream for the past month. More like a flashback. The experience always left her exhausted and covered in sweat. There was also this strange feeling, something she had never felt before and it was getting stronger with every dream/flashback she had. It left her wanting to but unable to talk to Clint. Is this love? She thought the same question Loki had asked her, the same question that started off every dream/flashback. What had been her answer? Love is for children. I owe him a dept. Was that entirely true?
"Do I love Clint?" She spoke her thought. The unfelt feeling. The fact I can't seem to speak to him. Is this love?
I have to talk to him. Tell him. Natasha persuaded herself as she strode into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ground Headquarters. She knew she looked as she usually did, black cat suit with two loaded guns, one on the outer side of each leg, but she felt different. It was weird. She behaved normally, for her, nodding at those who said, "Good morning," as she made her way to the main Hub, where Clint sometimes was, when he wasn't in his nest.
Dr Eric Selvig was who she was looking for. He always knew where Agent Clint Barton was. She found him underneath the bonnet of a car in the Hub, working on something.
"Dr?" She interrupted Eric from his work. He peered at her from underneath the bonnet. "Where's Barton?"
"Hawkeye? In his nest," Eric muttered a reply from behind the screwdriver in his mouth. "Can you pass me that wrench please?" Natasha picked up the adjustable wrench on the sideboard and gave it to an outstretched hand. Eric took it and gave her the screwdriver. "I think he's up there fixing his bow. It got damaged on his last mission to Rio."
"Thank you, Doctor." Natasha made her way to 'Hawkeye's nest'. It was the place everyone knew Clint Barton went to to watch the comings and goings of people in the Hub and the four other rooms on that floor. Everybody knew where it was. Only a few went near it. Only a couple knew how to get to it. Natasha being one. It was a place to contemplate thoughts, whilst watching others.
She climbed up the rope. It was strong. Made from the same material as the string on Hawkeye's bow. Stronger than rope, it could hold up to twelve tonnes for over an hour. Clint was there as expected.
'Hawkeye's nest' was small. Big enough for 3 full grown people, but small. It housed three quivers full of arrows, extra rope and a back pack with food and water in it. A tripod was set up in a corner, with a barely used telescope on it. Clint's bow lay fixed, on the floor in front of him, ready for use, and he stroked an arrow between his fingers.
"Hi," he acknowledged her. She sat herself down, cross-legged next to him, her knee just touching his, closer than usual. "What's up?"
Strange question. "Nothing," She replied, perplexed.
"Oh." He shrugged, and focussed on Eric fixing the car in the Hub down below. "Came to think?"
"Talk to you actually," she replied, taking the gun out of her right leg's holster and removing the magazine from it. He watched her, and put his hand on her arm. She looked at him and saw he was looking at her.
She moved her gaze back to the gun. "You've been different around me since we got back from the battle in New York. Did something Loki say change you?" Clint's voice was soft and enquiring.
She nodded her agreement. "Yeah." She took a deep breath. "And also something I said to him. I keep having this flashback as a dream, and it … seems to be changing me." She paused. He gestured for her to continue. "I said, 'Love is for children. I owe him a dept.' to Loki, and well I'm starting to believe only part of that is true."
She saw his hand move up to her chin, and felt the soft touch move her face so she was looking at him. She was looking into his eyes. She had never noticed how beautiful they were before, but now she did. It was like staring into universes. She had a sudden desire to kiss him, just as she felt his hand move her face towards his. She took control of her head and leaned in, meeting his lips.
The kiss was unlike anything she had felt in her life. Soft and warm, yet hard and passionate. Begging for more, and yearning never to let go. Her emotions were running wild. Apart from one. Telling her to kiss harder. To never let his lips go. Never let him go.
She put her arms round his neck and felt his hands on her waist, both of them pulling each other closer.