Feels Like Coming Home | +arrowsandradiation
While Natasha knows she should pull away, she doesn’t have the physical reserves to do so. Today, she promises herself. Just… let them have today.
Her face buried in his neck, she allows herself to untense a little for the first time in as long as she can remember. Clint came to find her, he will always find her - and whether she likes it or not, he’ll always bring her back.
Her hand curves around the back of his neck, the other around his waist, keeping him close to her. It’s not okay at all, not even a little, but she can almost believe him. She’s believed more with less, after all.
It’s not the killing that bothers her. She’d gotten over that a long time ago, when even first blood had sent a thrill through her. It’s dissipated now, becoming part of the job, but she’s still a killer at heart. That, she can live with. It’s that she doesn’t know. She knows that demons still lurk in her mind, ones she knows of and ones she doesn’t, and she’s simply afraid (her, the Black Widow, afraid of herself) of which might be coming out to play.
His arms wrap more around her, around her waist, over her back. He keeps her close, not wanting to let go, not even a little bit. His mind is working, it’s working hard and not at all at the same time while he tries to find out what’s wrong and right.
He knows he should have gotten to her sooner. Shouldn’t have let ther isolate herself to this point. He shouldn’t have left her all by herself on that mission.
But he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about the things she’s done. He doesn’t care about her killing people, because, even if she tried, he knew she couldn’t kill him. Not that she wasn’t strong enough. But he believed in her. He always had.
He had believed in her when she didn’t and she did believe in him when he couldn’t. That was why they were so perfect for one another. Because they believed. They believed in the closeness of the other, in the actions of one another.
It only causes him to hold her closer, pressing a soft kiss to her temple, not ever wanting to let go. His mouth keeps mumbling soft, soothing words, telling her that it’s okay, that it’s not her fault.
Natasha shakes her head after a few minutes, drawing back from him to brush at her eyes. The smile she shoots him is shaky at best, but only he could draw it from her now.
“Stop beating yourself up about this,” she tells him, resting her hand on her cheek. “This isn’t your fault.” She’s known him for too long - and too well - not to notice the guilt that manifests at the corners of his eyes, in the quirk of his mouth.
With his arms still around her, she glances at the door, still blocked with expert precision. “They all came out to watch me fall."
arrowsandradiation reblogged this from inheritorofmemories and added:
When she’s burying her face in his shoulder, he thinks things are going to be okay, before he blinks, looking at her as...
inheritorofmemories reblogged this from arrowsandradiation and added:
Natasha steps forward, burying her face in his shoulder for just a moment before taking herself across the room. She...
carmy-w liked this