Natasha laid awake in bed, unable to fall asleep, as usual. She envied Clint and his ability to sleep like a baby. Somehow, he was able to go to bed every night and not wake up screaming like she rather frequently did.
She heard a groan come from his bedroom across the apartment, followed by a mumbled, "Tasha."
Well, most of the time. Natasha sighed. He always talked so loudly when in his sleep, and it got on her nerves all the time. "Tasha," came his muffled moaning, more insistent this time. She groaned. Would he ever shut up? "No!" she heard him yell, followed by the sound him thrashing around in his bed. "Tasha!" There was a pause so long that Natasha thought he was done, but then came the sound of his strangled cry. "No, Natasha, don't die," he choked out so quietly that it was almost a whisper, and Natasha had to strain her ears to hear it. "I can't lose you. I- I need you."
There was suddenly something wet on Natasha's cheek. Was... was that a tear? She wiped it away angrily. No, Natasha Romanoff does not cry. She was a highly trained assassin who did not cry at petty things like emotion or attachment. She wiped another tear off her face. Okay, maybe she did. Well, she sure wasn't happy about it!
Natasha blinked in surprise. No one cared about her. People just used her for her skills, or her training, or her body, and then threw her out on the street when they were done with her. She was just the tool of every man and woman she had ever met, meant to be used and abused without a second though.
Until he came along. Natasha had never known such a person as Clint Barton. The man was incredibly infuriating at times, yes, but... he was genuine. He was hard but kind, rough around the edges, and could hold his own in a fight. Okay, he could more that hold his own. He could take on an army and arise victorious. But best of all, he could relate to Natasha. He had seen many of the same horrors as she, knew how bad the demons that came with were and he didn't leave her out to dry when she needed him. He was real.
Natasha ground her teeth in frustration when she realized what she was thinking. He was her partner, not her boyfriend! Ugh, she sounded like some stupid fifteen year old girl with a major crush, not a highly trained assassin with better things to worry about than a man. What's gotten into her?
She turned onto her side frustratedly. Stupid emotions. Why do they have to go and make everything more complicated than it needs to be?
Clint's breathing returned to normal, and Natasha sighed in relief. He would return to a peaceful sleep, and she wouldn't have to worry about him saying things that weren't allowed to be said, speaking of feelings that they weren't allowed to feel. They lived in a dangerous world, and something as trivial as love could end in their painful deaths.
And Natasha was not going to allow that.
A/N Well, that's Natasha for you. She's so in love, she doesn't even realize it. By the way, there's a rule against posting other people's lyrics in a fic because they belong to someone else, so if you listen to the song on know the words it will have a much bigger impact. Or at least, I think so.