Hellooooo! I know the last chapter was a bit of a trauma but I'll make it up to y'all. Promise.
Warnings: talking about the red room and some good old fluff
00:07
Barton farmhouse
Natasha pov:
Suddenly I'm woken by a hand shaking me and I turn around ready to fight back until I see Clint sat next to me.
"Hey, you ok? You were crying..."
Without saying anything, I sit up and just run my hand through my hair.
"Was I- *sigh* was i screaming? Did I wake you or the others?"
I feel his hand on my shoulder, but I don't look at him. Instead, I just pull my knees up to my chest and hug them close.
"You weren't screaming. You didn't wake anyone... Don't worry"
Tears start falling down as I shake my head.
"W-why are you here then?"
"I was coming to wake you up. A certain person just showed up. I can say you won't wake up if you want"
This makes me look at him
"Y/n is here?"
Clint nods his head and I can't help but rush to get up and almost run down the hallway an down the stairs. Tears still running down my face.
As soon as Y/n face comes in sight, I run up to them and I throw myself in their arms...
Perfect timing.
00:15
Y/n pov:
I was looking around the house until I hear someone rushing down the stairs. Just by the time I turn around I feel a body I know all too well, colliding against me.
Without even think I take her in my arms while extremely confused. I hear her sniffing and by that I know she's crying, making me worried.
"Hey, hey... What's wrong?"
I look up and see Clint mouthing me "nightmare". I nod my head and mouth back "I'll take it now, thanks.". With that he walks back upstairs, in the meantime I feel Natasha clinging close to me.
"It's ok, I'm here. Sorry for being late, I got lost. The GPS doesn't work out here..."
I feel her nod her head and I understand she doesn't want to talk. I tap her legs so she knows I'm gonna pick her up. I do, and she wraps her legs and arms around me, while I hold her koala style.
"Let's get back upstairs uh. What do you think?"
When I say that she shakes her head against my neck.
"Come on Tasha... We don't need to go to sleep. Let's just get comfortable and cuddle. Sounds like a plan?"
She finally looks at me and I look back into her eyes.
"Hello to you too"
"Hi..."
She responds in a cute voice and I can't help but smile. I carry her upstairs and she points to her room. I look around and I notice all the pictures of Clint and some kids. I didn't know he has a family. Guess I'll ask tomorrow about it...
When we enter her room, I set her down on the bed, and she lets go of me.
"I'm sorry... About all of this"
"It's fine. I'll just get changed and we do whatever you want, ok?"
She nods at me and I see a small smile making its way on her face. I kiss her head softly before heading into the bathroom. I do my business, and when I get out she's just staring blankly at the ceiling.
I lay down next to her and I wait for her to make the first move. And after a little bit she finally talks.
"I... Uhm... Nightmare... About my past"
"Do you need me to do something in particular? Or do you just want me to listen?"
She turns on her side to look at me, and smiles.
"Can you just... Hold me?"
I nod and I get closer to her. Before I even do anything, she gets comfortable laying her head on my chest. I put an arm around her back and my other hand runs through her hair. She sighs in comfort before continuing her story.
"I-i was back there..."
"The red room?"
"Mhmh... You know how I told you about the graduation ceremony?"
*Nod*"yes... Your nightmare was about that?"
"Yeah... About that, the tests to get there, the ballet classes... Madame B"
Before I can even ask the question she answers.
"She was our "mentor". Every generation of widow had a mentor. She was... Ruthless. If we did something wrong- a punishment was waiting for us"
I feel her body becoming stiff again and I kiss her head, hugging her tighter.
"When- *deep breath* when it was time for the testing, before the ceremony, I tried to fake not being ready... Even if that would mean certain death... I just didn't want to go through graduation, but- but she saw through me and she made me graduate either way"
I can't do anything if not feel any emotion together. I just wish she could see how strong she is.
"One thing that we had to do every day was ballet lessons. Even if it was as bad as everything else, I still find a certain comfort dancing"
"You still dance?"
I ask surprised.
"Sometimes... Sometimes I push too much and I hurt myself by doing so. It just calms me down in some twisted way"
"It's the only comfort you ever got... It's completely normal. But I don't like the thought of you hurting yourself."
"I just can't help it... I don't even notice before I finish"
"Then if you need anything or you're feeling stressed, please come to me... I'm not going anywhere..."
She smiles up at me and I do the same looking down at her. We look at each other for a few seconds before we both lean in, sharing a soft kiss.
"Thank you. So much. You're just too good to be true sometimes"
These are the first words she says when we part from the kiss. I caress her hair and I get lost in her eyes, not even noticing.
"Y/n... You're staring"
I blink a few times before blushing furiously.
"S-sorry. You're just astonishing"
"And you're such a flirt"
"I'm not flirting, I'm just telling the truth"
Now it's her moment to blush, and I just smile.
"You know how strong you are, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're trusting me and sharing all your past with me. I feel proud and honored at the same time. You're just amazing in every aspect"
When I say this she turns away from me and just plays with the fabric of my pajamas. She tries to hide a yawn that escapes her but I notice.
"You're tired"
"I'm not..."
"You are. Listen, I know it's hard but you need to sleep. And I promise to not move for the rest of the night or for as long as you want me to be next to you"
She almost starts crying again, but before a tear slips away I catch it with my finger, caressing her cheek softly.
She smiles and kisses me again, and I reciprocate. No more words are needed and she hides her head in the crook of my neck. We both squeeze each other as we slowly fall asleep... I kiss her head one last time and I whisper softly.
"Goodnight, baby. I'm proud of you"