IV
“It’s a surprise.”
That’s what Clint had said to her when he’d invited her on a holiday sabbatical two weeks ago. She’d assumed he was going to take her somewhere warm, perhaps a fair weathered tropical island, or a beach house across the country. It was a fair assumption for a winter holiday trip, she thought, but it was a wrong assumption.
Natasha is not a stranger to cold weather by any means. She’d been thrown into the snow as punishment more times in her childhood than she’d like to remember.
Still, the gust of frigid wind that tornadoed her hair when they stepped out of the airport in Des Moines, Iowa served as a pretty efficient flashback of winter time in Russia.
“No snow. In Russia we have snow,” she says obnoxiously, smirk on her lips.
Clint laughs.
There’s an hour and a half long drive he says they have to take, but he still won’t tell her where to. They pass an exit for a town called Altoona and she slaps his shoulder, to which he jumps and swears, and swerves a little.
“What did I leave in the cupboards back home?”
He risks taking his eyes off of the interstate to glance at her with incredulity before looking back.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s all tuna.”
“Okay. I’m going to pull over at the next rest stop and let you walk the rest of the way.”
She’s rolling with laughter as though she’s the most successful comedian Russia’s had to offer.
The rest of the drive isn’t particularly exciting. None of the fields are yielding all the corn he talked about before.
“It’s a lot greener in the summertime,” he says.
John Denver comes on the radio while they’re on a backroad and he sings (from memory it should be noted) Thank God I’m a Country Boy, which has her howling with laughter, even as he rolls the down the windows like an idiot. He’s laughing with her and Natasha tears up. She can blame it on the cold air, but she knows that’s not it.
She’s never felt wild and free before. It’s overwhelming and has her heart swelling with longing for her partner, for giving this to her. And while she’ll never listen to that song again if she has any say in it, she’s glad he blasted the speakers out of a rental car for her just this once.
They hit the outskirts of Waverly, Iowa when the sun is starting to set, which makes the drive darker as the road starts taking them through the woods. He pulls the truck onto a gravel road, and they must be getting close because his energy is palpable.
When the woods finally break, it’s onto a big clearing of land, with a big farm house and a little utility barn in the back.
“Where are the cows?”
“Ha ha.”
But he still has a grin on his face.
He parks the truck and as they get out, she looks around, smiling as she takes in her surroundings. It’s really beautiful, the open area, the fresh, crisp smell of winter getting closer.
“Tash?”
She turns to look at him and offer a little smile as she grabs her bag from the back.
“You good?”
“Yeah,” she says, and it’s the truth. Brisk air always makes her feel a little more at home in her skin. That and the beauty of the land around them has her almost calm enough to relax.
“Where are we?”
“You’ll see,” he smiles and jerks his head toward the house, prompting her to follow as he leads her up the steps and opens the door.
The first thing Natasha hears when she steps into the house behind him is squealing, and laughter that follows. Her jaw falls open a little, because she’s not stupid, and her mind is putting everything together like puzzle pieces. When Clint looks back at her with a grin, she has to force herself to return it through her surprise.
Then she’s looking away because out of the corner of her eye, she sees an infant, crawling into the living room quicker than she thinks a baby should be able to move. It’s got a big grin on its face, though when it notices them in the doorway, it starts and rocks back, staring up with big blue eyes, and it’s immediately evident to Natasha that this is Clint’s baby. The eyes are uncanny, and the rest of its genes come striding in after it with a big grin on her face, which lights up even more when she sees Clint standing there.
She smiles wider and the baby squeals as she hoists it up, and Natasha watches Clint drop his bag and step into them, drawing them into his arms. Everything clicks into place. His absences last year, how happy he’d been after his mysterious assignment, and even more so than before, their recon that had gone awry.
Natasha feels like she’s being invasive, and she averts her gaze to her feet even as she forces herself to smile. She’s a little mad that she never saw this coming if she’s being honest with herself, because suddenly the attraction she’s developed for him feels a lot more palpable and a lot more awkward.
Clint kisses his wife and his baby, and turns back to grin at his partner.
“Tash, this is my wife Laura, and this is Cooper.”
She looks back up when he addresses her and pulls her smile up for them.
“Hello,” she offers, looking at Laura and giving the baby a glance.
Clint’s wife is the epitome of beauty, something Natasha could never hope to achieve in her life. The rich chocolate of her hair is as striking as her big brown eyes. Laura smiles bright and hands Cooper to his father so that she can step up to Natasha and wrap her in a hug, much to her surprise. Her eyes widen and panic bubbles up in the pit of her stomach.
“It’s so great to meet you! We’re so glad you came!” her smile is big as she pulls away and Natasha has to reel in her fight or flight response to instead return her smile.
“Thank you for having me,” she says, fist clenching around the handle of her suitcase. This is so much at once.
Laura narrows her eyes and looks back at her husband.
“I wanted you to be a fun surprise!”
“You’re the worst, Clinton!” she rolls her eyes, and Natasha has to smirk at him, to which he sticks his tongue out when Laura turns away.
“You must be overwhelmed. I’ll show you to the guest room and you can relax a little bit before dinner,” she smiles, and Natasha is really grateful, because she feels like she’s about a half a second away from losing her lunch.
Clint looks a little sheepish as Laura takes her upstairs, though she can’t blame him for being so happy with his son in his arms. It’s obvious he’s the light of their lives right now.
A life that you’re interrupting.
Laura is nothing but happy as she leads Natasha into the guest room.
“Here we go! I put some fresh sheets on this morning, bathroom is right through the door there. There are some clean towels on the rack in there and extra soap in the bath if you need it.”
Her smile is warmer than Natasha feels like she deserves, and it’s unusual. No one has treated her like this before. Agents at SHIELD weren’t nearly as alienating as they had been at first, but she isn’t exactly trying to make friends. Old habits die hard and all.
“Feel free to relax, take a nap. Dinner will be ready in about an hour. Would you like some tea? Water?” she asks, her face still soft with a smile that doesn’t have any business being as enchanting as it is.
Natasha tries to return it, “I’m okay. Thank you for offering though, and for welcoming me into your home. If I’d known I wouldn’t have intruded on your holiday. Clint didn’t say anything…”
“Take that back! We’re happy to have you! Clint’s told me nothing but good things,” she smiles, and it’s still genuine and Natasha is still baffled, but…
Her heart warms a bit. She swallows and nods.
“Well,” she says, “thank you again.”
“Of course. I’ll let you get settled,” Laura smiles at her one more time before stepping out.
Natasha notes that she doesn’t close the door on her.
“Really, Clint?”
“What!”
“You didn’t tell her anything and then out of the blue you’re married and have a child? How did you expect her to react? How would you feel if she did the same?”
Laura’s arms are crossed, and Cooper is sitting in his highchair now, giggling. Clint gives him a look that says “Traitor”.
“Okay, I see where it maybe was not the best idea I’ve ever had, but… We’re here now,” he offers a little smirk which she returns with a roll of her eyes as she steps into him.
Her arms wind around his torso and she leans up to kiss him, something he accepts gratefully and returns until she pulls away and smiles.
“I’m so glad to be home.”
“We’re so glad to have you home,” she says, leaning forward to rest against his chest, to feel his breath and his heart and the sturdiness of his torso, “I let her know dinner is at six. I’ll make up a plate for her even if she doesn’t feel like joining. You can run it up to her if she doesn’t.”
“Of course. Tash’ll warm up. I hope. I feel like an ass now. Should’ve known she’s not an “I like surprises” kinda girl.”
“Well, sometimes you’re not that bright, honey,” she teases him, pats his chest and smirks as she stands up straight again.
“Hey!”
He listens to her laughter as it trails with her into the sunroom. She’s holding a piece of paper when she comes back that she offers to him.
“Cooper painted you a picture, didn’t you, bud?”
He yells from his seat and waves his little hands in the air. Clint’s eyebrows raise as he takes it and examines it.
“Thanks, buddy! I love abstract art!” he looks to the baby and grins, relishes in the wild giggle he gets from him.
“He’s happy today.”
Laura is watching them, affection radiating off of her in waves.
“Of course he is. His daddy came home.”
Clint has to pause for a second, just to bask is how goddamn happy his family makes him, how perfect his wife is, how perfect their son is. It’s something he never thought he’d ever get the chance for and then the world went and proved him wrong. There’s no way he deserves this, but hell if he isn’t going to work his hardest to keep it and cherish it.
“What are you staring at?”
He grins, “You.”
Her flush and her smile make him reach out and pull her close again as she shakes her head and laughs, “Dope.”
Natasha does come down about forty-five minutes later, quietly enough that Laura jumps when she turns around and the red head is standing awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs. She’s not used to feeling this out of place. Hand on her heart, Laura offers her a bright smile.
“It’s gonna be a doozy having two assassins in the house now,” she teases,” Have a good rest?”
“I did. Thank you,” Natasha offers a smile in return, and notices Clint and the baby are nowhere to be seen.
Laura must notice her looking for him, because she gives her a reassuring glance as she opens the microwave.
“Coop needed a change,” she smiles, and as if on cue they hear a squeal and laughter, followed by a groan.
It makes Natasha laugh and shake her head, and Laura is happy to see her genuinely smile for the first time. She’s beautiful, Laura thinks as she punches in the time and presses start.
“I hope you like chicken,” Laura smiles, “Clint makes the best. Please, sit! Make yourself at home. Dinner is almost ready.”
Natasha does, and takes in the smell of the kitchen as she glances around. It smells delicious, and she’s not surprised because she knows from experience that Clint likes to cook. The house is a home, and it’s cozy and inviting, and Natasha is a little jealous that she’s never had this before.
Comfort.
It’s a new feeling, not being compelled to look over her shoulder at every moment. It makes her a little nervous, but it also brings her a strange sense of ease that she needs to sort through.
Because she knows for certain now that her feelings for Clint have developed into something not strictly platonic, which is no good and very bad indeed. A disaster waiting to happen at this point.
She doesn’t know how long she’s going to last here.