Natasha Romanoff, a Red Room assassin, is hired to kill the glorious Captain America before he changes the world in all his star, spangled glory. However, as she gets closer and closer to her target, she begins to fall harder and harder for the man...
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They all knew what it meant when the Red Room terminated missions.
Failure wasn't an option.
It had never been.
Survival had been so deeply engraved into Natasha Romanoff's brain that it was the only option, no matter the cost.
The walls were closing in around her, the Red Room breathing down her neck as they whispered in her ear that her time was up. The life she had worked so hard to build with Steve, the genuine love she felt for him, had come to an end. She had to shut off her emotions and cut the ties that bound her to him. Never again would she feel loved. Never again would someone touch her so tenderly, kiss her scars, and tell her that she was beautiful. Never again would she sleep soundly in the arms of someone who loved her, who'd protect her. Never again would she wake up without fear, without questioning if her life was really worth living.
She had lived a great lie, becoming so wrapped up in everything that was Steve Rogers. He had become so wrapped up in someone he thought he knew, someone he thought he loved. She had completed her mission long ago, but she was so beyond compromised that she had also failed.
She had failed.
"Everything alright, love?"
She heard Steve ask her, his voice drawing her from her twisted thoughts.
She bent down and swiftly dressed in her clothes, blinking the tears from her eyes. How was she supposed to kill him - the man she loved? How was she supposed to carry on with her life knowing she had slaughtered one of the most beautiful souls to ever bless the universe?
Maybe she could convince him to leave her, to cut things off. After all, she'd give her life to protect him. What if she broke up with him and waited for the Red Room to come for her? "We need to talk." She choked out, masking her emotions the way she had been so expertly taught. She had to pull herself together, to pretend like she knew what she was doing and this was what she really wanted.
She heard his breath catch in his throat, the way he sat up and his eyes burned holes into the back of her head. She finally turned to face him, her heart shattering when she saw the broken expression on his face. "Natasha, love. Please tell me what's wrong." He implored - begged. She hated that she was the reason for the tears in his eyes, but she would hate it even more if she was the reason why the light had gone out in them.
"I... I just can't do this anymore. We need to break up." She murmured, forcing herself to look at him, forcing herself to mean it. She told herself that this was to save his life but that didn't make it any easier knowing that this was goodbye. She could only hold his gaze for a moment longer before she looked at the floor.
Her heart leaped into her throat when he got off the couch. He swiftly tugged on his clothes and leaned down on his knees in front of her, grasping her hands gently as if she'd break.
