protected || natasha romanoff [DISCONTINUED]

if a guy's favourite number is their dick size, clint's favourite is one

clint and i are in LA. it's nice, but i don't travel for fun. we're under orders not to engage, though- just to watch. if we're going to make this work, we need proof. AIM is too connected, too prepared. we can't just rush in there, no matter how bored clint and i get. or, how much russia wants me dead. i have a suspicion that the red room is after me again, but i don't want to tell anyone about it. i already seem needy.

i'm squinting through the scope on my rifle. we're stationed on the top floor of a hotel, because apparently, there's going to be an exchange tonight- or, tomorrow night, since it's three in the morning. the good news? we won't be here long. the bad news? clint's gonna have to go to a ball.

"nothing," i say, turning back to clint. he pulls a camera out of a suitcase and tosses it at me. i catch it easily and put it on the table i shoves next to the window.

"we weren't expecting much at the moment," coulson supplies from my comm.

clint yawns. "then i vote tasha gets first watch."

"hey!" i say, but curl up in a chair, binoculars in hand, without further protest.

surprisingly, clint starts snoring almost immediately. i've never heard him snore before. even if i wasn't wide awake, he definitely would've kept me up.

unsurprisingly, though, he doesn't sleep long. he wakes up with a jolt at about five in the morning, and then squishes into my chair with me. coulson's gone to sleep- i can bear his whistling breaths on the other end. but nothing's gone wrong yet, so i'm letting him sleep.

i don't want to move. it's a tight squeeze, but i'm comfortable. it's nice having clint sitting next to me, matching my breaths to his.

"clint?" i say quietly.

"yeah?"

"you never actually told me why you saved me," i say boldly.

he hesitates. "the reason i was sent after you... são paulo. i saw the crime scene. it was awful."

"thanks," i mutter sarcastically, cutting him off.

he puts one finger to my lips. assuming something is happening on the streets, i glance down, but he keeps talking. "something was off to me, though. the younger guards weren't killed violently- just a bullet to the head. the higher-ups, though, they were practically torn to shreds. and nobody ever found the kids they were holding. SHIELD assumed you just stashed the bodies somewhere else, but why would you do that? with a bit of help, i tracked one down.

"everyone told me you were just sloppy. i didn't believe it, though- sloppy spies don't have that kind of reputation. you saved them, didn't you?"

i let out a shaky breath, one i didn't know i was holding. "yes, i saved them."

he puts his hand over mine. i push him off of me as someone walks into the building. blonde, slim, seems like a normal businesswoman, but something seems off.

i snap a few photos, but i mostly get the back of her head.

"do you recognize her?" clint asks.

"no, but she might recognize me. go try to talk to her. when you come back, i'll go down there."

he nods and slips off. he's not exactly dressed like a businessman- seriously, who sleeps in jeans? but it'll do.

i tap my earpiece. "coulson?"

i hear some rustling. "sorry," he says. "any updates?"

"someone suspicious, but nothing's gone wrong yet," i say. "how was the nap?"

he laughs. "let me know if there are any updates."

fortunately or unfortunately, there aren't. clint comes back up, shrugging. "i guess she's not into hot guys like me."

i smirk. "really? or is it the scruffy hair?"

"hey!" he says, trying to pat it down, and i stand up. while he was gone, i changed into a nicer outfit.

i take the elevator down, and the girl is gone. i walk up to the receptionist and lean on the counter. "how can i help you?" the girl asks politely.

i smile winningly. "my business partner just checked in! she didn't give me her room number, though, and we're meeting an important client there."

"did you try calling her?" she asks suspiciously.

i laugh. "yes! of course i did! but she's not very good at answering her phone and-" i check my watch- "the meeting's in ten minutes."

"oh, uh, okay!" she checks something on her computer. "second floor, room two oh six," she says with a smile.

"thank you so much," i say, tossing my hair behind my shoulder as i walk away.

"coulson?" i mutter when i'm sure i'm out of earshot.

"yep, getting past the firewall now," he says.

someone grabs my hand. it's the girl. "oh my god, hi!" she squeals, "i just saw your call, but it's okay! our client is running late."

"it's okay!" i say, squeezing her hand. "how was your flight?"

"it was okay," she says, "and the drive here was nice. it's different from europe- i'm used to taking the train!" she giggles.

so she's KGB. and not a very good spy, either.

we step into the elevator and drop the act. she slams me into the side, pushing me into all the buttons. "that's gonna be annoying," i say casually, pushing her off. "are you my copycat?"

"i'm not your copycat!" she snarls. so that hit a nerve. "i'm the black widow! i earned that title!"

i step closer to her. i can smell her breath- it's minty, like she was chewing gum earlier. "i earned it first. you'll never touch me, or my reputation."

she's already here, and not fourteen, so the red room clearly skipped some steps. she's naive- i almost feel bad for her. no, wait, i do. chances are, she didn't ask for this. and if she did, she was tricked into it. either way, she's here to kill me, and that's not exactly convenient.

the elevator dings open on the second floor. where her room is. she sprints down the hall, and i chase after her. "clint, get your ass down to the second floor," i hiss.

"on it."

"she's here under the name elena belov," coulson supplies.

silly girl. "she's not even using an alias, that's the english version of her name. yelena's not here on the red room's orders."

"so she's working for AIM," clint suggests.

"probably. skipping between organizations," i say, "she came from russia, though."

"wait, why would she be from the red room?" coulson asks.

i reach her room and start breaking the lock. "she's jealous."

"you're a specimen, tash, she's probably gay as hell."

"no, but she wants me in hell," i say, opening the door.

-

a/n: sorry for disappearing for a couple of days! and let me know if there are any mistakes this chapter, it was a little rushed. but hey, yelenas here, lol. in a lot of fics, she's painted as the villain, and i guess she is, but i love her arc! she's an awesome character and she eventually becomes her own person, and i think we should appreciate that more!