Title: The Girl of His Dreams
Rating: PG-13/T
Originally posted: 17th September 2023
Originally written for: firlalaith – '"Didn't you hear? You're dead."'
Characters/Pairings: Nat/Clint
Notes: for the be_compromised Summer Promptahon 2023 on Dreamwidth.

"Hey."

Clint opened his eyes and immediately saw a familiar silhouette in the shaft of moonlight that cut across the bedroom.

"Didn't you hear? You're dead."

He could practically hear the smirk that brought to her lips, even if it was impossible to see.

"Well, that explains a few things. How are you getting along without me?"

She asked that a lot, pretty much every time he had this same dream. He gave different answers, none of which ever seemed to sit well with her. Tonight was no exception.

"Just fine, thanks."

"Liar."

"Yeah, well. It's a nasty habit, but once a spy..." he told her, finally sitting up in his bed, knowing he wouldn't disturb Laura, because he never did when this happened. "I miss you, you know? Every day, all the time. After everything, I thought maybe... but Banner says it's impossible. He'd know more than I do."

"Bruce is good, but he's not perfect."

That was a new twist, Clint thought, frowning a little at the realisation. He knew this conversation word for word, in all its many versions. It always went the same way, except for tonight.

"You really miss me all that much?"

The question was dumb enough to almost make him laugh. "You know I do. Nat, you know how it is with us, how it's always been. I love you," he told her without hesitation.

"You're married," she reminded him simply, flatly, without any real sign of emotion.

"That's different. Come on, you know this. You know what you and me had, it was always something else."

Silence reigned for almost a little too long. Clint was worried the spell had broken, that the dream had come to an abrupt end, that any second now he would wake. It was the usual order of things, just when things got serious, got real, the end came all too soon.

"I love you, Nat," he repeated, just in case. "Always."

"Then forgive me."

He opened his mouth to ask what she meant by that, but the words never came. Instead, his jaw hung down and his eyes grew wider as the lamp suddenly came on, and there she was. The cuts and marks on her face and hands proved she was no ghost or angel come calling. It was her, his Nat, somehow.

"How did...? Are you...?" he asked, scrambling from the bed, reaching out a tentative hand.

"Real as you are, as far as I know" she told him with a smile, even as tears filled her eyes. "Don't ask me how, I don't know, but please, just hug me already?"

Clint didn't need asking twice, immediately pulling her to him, holding her so tight, he half expected her ribs to crack under the pressure, and still, he couldn't bear to ease up at all. It didn't matter, she was holding him just as tightly, her tears soaking through his shirt and onto his shoulder, but that was alright. She was home. Somehow, he had her back in his life and in his arms. It was all that mattered.