First things first, a little correction, and thanks to "flarey phoenix" for pointing it out. Apparently Natasha has green eyes instead of blue. I didn't think they would change Scarlett Johansson's eye color for the film since it was such a minor detail so I just used Scarlett's eye color for this story but Natasha's eye color has now been changed to green.
So, with that said, here is chapter 16!
Clint was in the hospital for a week and a half. On the fourth day of his stay, he developed a fever and the hospital staff had to prolong his stay. Otherwise, Clint would've been gone by the fifth day.
Natasha refused to leave his side, and yet she did when she had to go to work. Every time she walked out of his room, she felt a sharp stab in her chest. She couldn't help but worry what if something went wrong while she was gone. Clint was healing quickly but there was always that thought in the back of her head that made her worry. If something went wrong, she wouldn't be there to say goodbye.
Steve and Thor always stopped by around the time Natasha had to leave for work and reassured Natasha that if anything were to happen to him, they'd let her know as soon as possible. Natasha would leave for work, a pang of guilt hitting her square in the chest every time, but she would always return to the hospital after her shift to be by Clint's side.
As much as Clint liked having Natasha by his bedside every night, he wished she would sleep in a regular bed at night. He didn't like the position she was in when she slept in that chair every night though she constantly insisted it was actually quite comfortable.
Clint had managed to get Natasha to go home two nights during his stay. The first time was when she returned after her shift at Sweet Creams and told her that she needed to take a shower. She obliged, but she was back within the hour and sleeping in the chair. The second time was a lot harder to argue since Natasha refused to sleep anywhere else but the hospital. They calmly argued back and forth for quite some time until Natasha gave in and promised Clint she would go home and sleep in her own bed for his own sanity, but she said she would be back first thing in the morning.
When Clint was released after his week and a half stay, Natasha made sure she wasn't working so that she could be there for him. She watched as he slowly pushed himself off of the bed and winced with every movement that pained him. Until his parents picked up his pain meds prescription at the pharmacy, he was going to have to deal with the pain that shot through his torso with every move he made.
When Clint had managed to get himself into the back seat of the car with Natasha seated right next to him, his parents drove him straight home. They said that once they got him home and situated, they would pick up his prescription.
When they pulled into the driveway, Natasha immediately got out of the car and rushed over to Clint's door to help him out. As usual, he told Natasha he was fine but Natasha persisted and finally, because he was so exhausted, he let her help him. By the time Clint got in the house, all of the energy had been drained from him and all he wanted was to lie down on the couch.
Natasha helped him get to the couch and she helped him slowly lower himself down into a comfortable position. Once he got situated and his parents brought his bag into the house, they left Natasha and Clint by themselves so they could go pick up Clint's prescription at the pharmacy in town.
They sat on the couch in silence for quite some time. Natasha was cuddled up next to Clint, her feet tucked underneath her and her head resting on his shoulder.
"I really need a shower," he said breaking the silence.
Natasha, almost half asleep, nodded in response.
"Could you help me?"
"Huh? What?" she said in confusion, lifting her head off of his shoulder.
Clint chuckled. "Just to get my shirt off. It kind of hurts to bend and lift in certain ways."
"Oh," Natasha said, relieved. They got off the couch and she followed him up the steps to his bedroom. Clint was winded by the time they reached the top of the stairs but still made his way to his bedroom to grab a change of clothes.
To be honest, Natasha was nervous. She had seen him shirtless many times in the past and she had gotten used to the way his torso looked, but she was nervous to see how ravaged his body was following the accident. It had been a week and a half but everything still had to be raw, and Natasha wasn't sure she could handle it.
"Okay, so how are we going to do this?" Natasha said, uneasily.
"I'm going to try to pull my arms into my shirt and you just need to lift it off," Clint said, tugging at his shirt to start.
"You know, this would've been easier if you just wore a button down shirt," she teased.
"Yeah, well, I don't own any. Ow!"
"What?" Natasha said, panicked.
Clint drew in a breath through clenched teeth. "Nothing I just hit myself in the ribs. Pull my shirt off now."
Natasha reached above her and gently tugged at his shirt to pull it off. As she did, the fabric revealed the extent of the damage from the accident. His ribs were spattered with blackish-purplish bruises. There was a small incision on his left side where the doctors probably did the procedure to fix his collapsed lung. The worst was the dark pink line going across his stomach, no doubt where they had to cut him open and repair the internal damage.
"Ow," was all she managed to say.
Clint shrugged. "It'll fade. All that matters is that I'm still here."
He grabbed his change of clothes and kissed Natasha on the cheek before walking across the hall into the bathroom. He shut the door and she immediately heard him turn the shower on. It wasn't long until he was singing, and Natasha smiled at the glorious sound.
He didn't take long. Before Natasha knew it, he was standing in his doorway, clean and dressed in a pair of gym shorts, his t-shirt in his hand.
"I'm going to need your help getting my shirt on," he said.
Natasha got up from where she was seated on his bed and took the shirt from his hands. This task was a lot harder seeing as Clint did have to lift his arms to get his shirt on but when they managed to get his arms through the sleeves, it was fine. Natasha couldn't help but brush her fingers against his injuries as she pulled the shirt down all the way.
When she finished, her green eyes connected with his blue-grey ones and he leaned in and kissed her. This kiss was different. There was more meaning behind it, and it was eager as if they needed it right then and there. Clint's hands snaked around her waist and hers reached up to just gently touch his face.
They weren't sure what they were doing when they started moving towards the bed and Natasha helped Clint gently lower himself onto it. Natasha wasn't quite sure what she was doing either when she climbed on top of him, carefully so as not to bump any of the injuries on his body.
By this time, the kiss was even more eager, as if they were hungry for more. Clint ran his hands up her shirt to feel the silkiness of her skin but nothing more.
They heard a door slam from downstairs, and Natasha gasped and instantly broke away from the kiss with her hands over her mouth.
"What are we doing?" she whispered, removing her hands from her mouth but quickly replacing them there.
"Sorry," he said, sitting up and wincing at the pain that shot through his torso. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that."
Natasha, with her hands still covering her mouth, climbed off of Clint's lap and sat on the edge of the bed.
"Nat, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I-I don't know what that was."
Natasha removed her hands from her mouth and let out a breath. "Why did it feel so wrong, but also feel so right?"
"Because that's what couples do. They make out," Clint said sarcastically.
"We've never made out like that before," Natasha said. She still hadn't managed to look at Clint, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to.
Clint was about to respond when he heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and he and Natasha quickly parted to look somewhat normal. Clint's mom entered his room and tossed the bottle of prescription drugs to Clint. Instinctively, Natasha grabbed them with one hand as they were airborne before they could even reach Clint.
"Nice catch," Mrs. Barton said and walked back down the hall and down the stairs.
"Seriously, nice reflexes," Clint said, and she turned and saw him smiling at her. She handed him the bottle of pills and he got up and walked across the hall to take a dose and wash it down with some water from the tap.
Natasha wondered what had just happened a couple minutes prior. One second they were just kissing like they normally did, the next they were on his bed doing God knows what. Maybe that's what it felt like to really want him, and maybe he really wanted her. Maybe that's what it felt like to physically want each other.
No, Natasha thought. Clint would never do that, especially in his own house. He was completely paranoid around me after his parents had "The Talk" with him for God's sake.
She wondered if maybe that's what it really was as she watched him down the pills and take a swig of water straight from the tap.
Or maybe, she thought. Maybe the accident just knocked some sense out of him.
By the middle of July, Clint was completely healed. The scars from the surgery were still visible, and would be for the rest of his life, but other than that, it was almost as if nothing ever happened. July brought some intensely scorching hot weather, and Clint and Natasha found themselves mooching off of Thor and his family in order to use his pool.
It wasn't a big deal, seeing as Thor was allowed to invite as many friends over as he pleased. Add to that Loki's friends and Thor's mom and dad could make a fortune off of charging admission if they so pleased.
On scorching hot days, the manager at Natasha's job usually called off several waitresses since business tended to be slow. Not many people wanted to go out to eat and have hot food, and Sweet Creams tended to have a faulty air conditioner anyways. Either way, not many people came in to eat and there was no reason to have very many waitresses working. Natasha enjoyed getting calls from her boss that she didn't have to come into work, and that meant she could hang poolside with Clint at Thor's house.
It was almost in the 100's as Natasha, Peggy, Jane, Pepper, and Maria laid on the lounge chairs on the patio by the pool. Natasha wore a large sunhat that shaded her face and dark sunglasses that wrapped around her face. Many of the guys were surprised when Natasha had taken off her shirt and shorts to expose her black string bikini. It wasn't that they were just being guys – though that was certainly an aspect – they just weren't expecting her to have such a fit body. Out of all of the girls hanging poolside, she was the most toned and Natasha had yoga and Pilates to thank for that.
Natasha was focusing on her book when a shadow was suddenly cast across her. She looked up and saw Clint standing over her with that ridiculously stupid grin on his face that Natasha loved for some reason.
"Do you plan on coming into the pool anytime soon?" he asked, taking a seat on the edge of her lounge chair.
"As soon as I finish my book," she said, but Clint grabbed the book and chucked it behind her chair.
"Jay Gatsby can wait. I can't," he said.
Natasha sighed and slid her sunglasses off of her face. "Okay, I'll go in the pool," she said with a smirk on her face.
Clint got up and Natasha followed but stayed a couple steps behind him. As he reached the edge of the pool, she caught up with him but decided she wasn't ready to go in the pool. Instead, she pushed him in and he hit the water with a big splash. When he resurfaced, Natasha was doubled over laughing.
"What?" she asked as she tried to compose herself. Clint swung his hand across the water and splashed Natasha, who squealed when the cool water made contact with her skin. She tossed her sunhat aside and dove into the pool, resurfacing right in front of Clint.
"You…are in so much trouble for that," Clint said as his hands snaked around her waist and he leaned into kiss her. It was a totally normal kiss until Natasha jumped up and wrapped her legs around Clint. It was another one of those instances where, in the heat of the moment, Natasha wasn't quite sure what she was doing. The kiss deepened into one like that day he came home from the hospital. It was more eager, as if they had a hunger for each other, that they needed each other.
It wasn't until they heard Tony Stark make a snarky comment that they remembered they had an audience.
"Hey, get a room you two!" Tony said from the patio.
Natasha and Clint broke away from the kiss and Natasha quickly unwrapped her legs from around Clint's body. She felt a deep red blush creep up on her cheeks and for the first time she wished she had gotten sunburn to hide the embarrassment that was clearly showing on her face.
Natasha sat in silence in the backseat of Peggy's car as she rode home with Peggy and Jane. Clint, Steve, Thor, Loki, and Tony were playing a game of football and it didn't look like they were going to stop anytime soon so Natasha had told Clint she would catch a ride with Peggy and Jane since she had to work in the morning. Natasha was completely lost in thought, staring at the landscape whizzing by her window, that she didn't even realize Peggy had asked her a question.
"Hello, Earth to Natasha!" Peggy said from the driver's seat.
"Huh? Oh what?" Natasha said, being yanked from her thoughts.
"What the hell was that with you and Clint today?" Peggy asked.
Natasha was caught off guard, but at the same time it was a fair thing to ask. She and Clint had been practically giving all of their friends a free show.
"Oh, um, I don't know," Natasha mumbled. "It was nothing."
"It didn't look like nothing," Jane chimed in.
"I know," Natasha whispered. To Peggy and Jane, she almost sounded disappointed. They continued to ride in silence until they reached Natasha's driveway, but Natasha knew the conversation was just getting started when both Peggy and Jane turned around in their seats to face Natasha.
"Okay, spill," Peggy said, her eyes wide with excitement.
"I don't think I should," Natasha mumbled.
"We won't tell. Pinky promise," Jane said, as she and Peggy held out their pinky fingers as an agreement. Natasha linked both of her pinky fingers with Peggy's and Jane's and let out a huge breath.
"It's kind of complicated," Natasha started. "I'm starting to feel different around Clint. I mean, we still love each other and it's not like we're on the rocks or anything. I just…I don't know what it is. It's like we can't control ourselves half the time."
"Oh," Jane said.
"You guys haven't…" Peggy trailed off, and it took Natasha a moment to realize what Peggy meant.
"Um, no," Natasha said flatly, looking away in embarrassment.
"I think this is a bit of sexual tension," Jane said.
"Oh God, please. Let's not talk about this," Natasha whined.
"Look Natasha," Peggy said. "We're not saying if we approve or not because it's none of our business, but you and Clint are so cute together and romantically involved with one another. So what if you want to take the next step."
"I just…I've felt like this for a while. Ever since he told me his parents had 'The Talk' with him, I've wondered if he saw me like that. Then the accident happened - ."
"Wait," Jane interjected. "You almost pulled this stunt when he was still injured?"
Natasha blushed from embarrassment. "We stopped, and he apologized afterwards. Neither one of us knew what we were doing. But you didn't let me finish."
Peggy and Jane nodded to let her know that they were listening and Natasha continued.
"So, then the accident happened and I just kind of thought that maybe we shouldn't take anything for granted, but half the time it feels wrong to want to do it. I…I would be sleeping with my best friend."
"That's totally understandable," Jane said, nodding in agreement. "I would feel the same way about Thor."
"I'm surprised you two haven't done the deed yet," Peggy teased and Jane slapped her on the arm.
"So, you don't want to ruin what you guys have," Peggy stated.
"That's how I feel, but I don't want to ask Clint because I feel like that would be such an awkward conversation," Natasha mumbled.
"Oh whatever," Peggy said. "You guys have been through a lot. I think you can handle a little conversation about this."
"Fine," Natasha muttered under her breath. She wanted this conversation to be over. Being in the sun all day had worn her out and she was tired.
"And I don't want to sound like a parent," Jane said. "But if you are going to do this, make sure he doesn't knock you up."
"Jane!" Peggy scolded from the driver's seat.
"It's true," Jane said. "Natasha's too smart to be dealing with a kid."
"Okay, I'm going to go inside because I desperately want this conversation to be over," Natasha said as she pushed open the car door. She yelled a goodbye over her shoulder at she made her way to the front porch. It was still hot out and she could feel the stickiness from the humidity clinging to her body.
As she entered her house and felt the cool air from the central air conditioning hit her, she felt more at ease. As comfortable as her bed may seem and as cool as the house may be, Natasha knew she wouldn't be sleeping well tonight. There was too much to think about in so little time.
Oh boy, teenagers. They say the darndest things. I hope this chapter didn't lag or seem lackluster to you guys.
As always, thanks to everyone who adds this story to their favorites, signs up for alerts, and reviews. Therefore, review away! I'll always love reading what you guys think!