Take me home : Natasha Romanoff x fem reader

Pt 2 Chapter 2 - Memory lane

Nat's POV

We went to bed quietly, I was still feeling a little fragile which made me feel embarrassed but Y/n was comforting. I held her in my arms like my own comfort blanket. The cold air drew in and I woke around 1am from a nightmare or flashback to my time in the red room. The day of my graduation. I could feel the pain all over again but Y/n's touch softened it. She was calm and quiet and patient. Even though she was tired and the sleep was lingering in her eyes she still got up to make me a warm drink. There was a vanilla and oak wood candle which she lit, encouraging me to look at the flame. It was one of the ways she had learnt to overcome her nightmares when she didn't want to wake us. "I know it's silly." She laughed, her pretty face glowing in the dimp light of the bedside lamp. She struck the match and carefully held it to the candle. "No no don't laugh. Just look at it, breath it in." She smiled at me as I let out a gentle giggle. "Tasha. Just humour me." She sighed, holding the candle in front of my face. "I am! But I feel better now!" I insisted. We had been sat for about fifteen minutes and my nervousness, my anger was fizzing away. Y/n sat cross-legged on the bed, wrapped in a fluffy blanket and wearing polka dot fluffy socks. She had shorts and a baggy t-shirt on with a large Avengers symbol on it. "Thanks." I whispered, looking from the gentle flame to the E/c eyes staring tentatively at me. She scrunched her nose, much like Wanda had done. "Any time."

Y/n's POV

After Nat's nightmare it took a little while for her to settle but eventually she fell asleep, her head resting on my chest as I stroked her hair. Usually it was the other way around, but she let me comfort her. The morning came around and I let her sleep in for the first time in forever. I got up and left her curled up in the many comfy blankets. The room smelt sweetly of the vanilla and wood candle. I threw on one of the jumpers that was slung over the chair in the corner of the room. It was large, possibly a man's size and it came down below my shorts. My hair fell loosely over my shoulders and I smiled in the mirror. Quietly I made my way down the creaking stairs, happiness swelling inside of me. As silently as possible I got to work on preparing Nat with a cooked breakfast. Toast, beans, fried egg, bacon and sausages with a cup of tea. After about half an hour of slowly moving in order to make minimal noise I heard the floorboards creak overhead. Eventually Nat came slowly down the stairs. She was wearing leggings and a sports bra, her hair was a little messy but still looked cute. "Morning." I smiled.

"Good morning." She replied, leaning against the counter. "This smells good." She looked at the crackling bacon and eggs. "Thanks." I mumbled, concentrating on opening the can of beans. "Hey, I'm sorry about last night." Nat looked down at the floor.

"Natasha. Stop apologizing! As you said to me, I'm always here."

After breakfast we put on some walking clothes and set off. I was planning on taking her on the walk that led past my old house and then onto the moors for a little adventure. We packed a picnic of scones, cake, mini sausage rolls and strawberries. We set off at a steady pace, chatting lightly. She asked me lots of little questions about my childhood and listened as I went on and on about my time riding horses. It was something I really enjoyed and really missed. "There's a stable not so far away. We should go!" I suggested. Nat frowned playfully.

"Oh no, horses don't like me!" She laughed.

"Oh, don't talk rubbish! You will love it. You don't have to ride but please can I go." I gave her my best puppy eyes which she laughed at. Her arm wrapped around my shoulder, pulling me closer as we strolled along. "Of course sweetie." I felt a warmth, a happiness swell inside me at her words. A little while down the path we reached the edge of my childhood home's wall. There was a gate onto the lane which we climbed and went on. It was the lane that I used to ride my horse down every day after I finished my school work. It ran parallel to the hedge and the fields where my horse was kept. "See that gap in the hedge. I was playing up there with a friend that lived on the farm across the way and I fell off and landed in a pile of horse poo. Dad wasn't too impressed." Nat laughed at my story, her interest in my childhood made me feel really great. With dad gone the memories were a little fragile but at that moment, for the first time I didn't feel sad about them. The path led on past the stables. "I spent so many hours sitting there reading because it was peaceful, just the sound of my horse munching on my hay." A little along from the stables was a big oak tree. A tire hung from a frayed rope, my old tire swing. We stopped and lent against the wall of the garden looking at the tree. "I used to have targets nailed to it or hung from the branches and that where I practiced my archery. I got pretty good at it actually." I sighed, resting my head on my hand. I could almost see my child self, trying so hard to pull on the tight string of my new bow. A gift from my father for my 11th birthday. Dad stood behind me, guiding me as I tested my aim with the new equipment. It hit bulls eye and Dad cheered, picking me up and spinning me around. The memory played, almost like a film in my mind. Nat watched as I silently stared at the tree. The old, fragile swing. Memory after memory poured through me and unexpectedly a tear rolled down my cheek. "I miss... this." I sighed and Nat's hand took hold of mine. "Come on." I smiled, leading her on past the house. The place I grew up, the place I learnt, the place where I was truly happy. Before it all went wrong.

Along the path we went and on wards to the moors. We had to pass through the woods, along the road a little and then we were on the open land. I knew there was a gentle river about an hour's walk from the house. A perfect picnic destination. The sun was high in the sky and the breeze was warm, making it just right for the occasion. We walked hand in hand, the conversation flowing very naturally. Eventually we got to the river. It flowed through the bottom of the valley. The water was clear, moving slowly. I set down the blanket and laid out the food. "Do you know? You have flipped me upside down." Nat laughed.

"No, I simply found the true you." I smirked back, almost feeling proud of myself.

"Trouble, that's what you are Y/n. I'm supposed to be the bad ass, the cold hearted fighter. Yet here I am sitting next to a river in the countryside having a picnic with strawberries and cake, talking about silly little things. Wearing..." She looked down at her attire. "Denim shorts and a flowy shirt. I mean, what have you done with me?!" She laughed, taking a seat next to me.

"I lowered your walls, peeled back the hard wallpaper to show the flowery one beneath it." I smiled cheekily, handing her a glass of champagne. Nat rolled her eyes.

"I really love this, and I don't want to ruin it but my insecure side is seeping through. Even though I hate to admit it." Nat spoke carefully, short of shyly. She broke her eye contact with me, looking down at the food on her plate. "Go on." I encouraged her sweetly.

"I've never had this. This. I want to know what this is. Y/n what are we."

"We are two woman. Who care about each other a lot. Natasha I think you know. But I feel like it's best I say it loud and clear." I took a deep breath, worried my next word might ruin everything. "I have never met anyone like you Nat. You, right now, you are my everything. I really like you, more than just friends. And I don't want to ruin this, but I don't want to just be friends."

Nat looked up at me. "I don't think we've been just friends for a while Y/n. I'm scared to admit it, but I like you to." We looked at each other for a moment, staring into each others eyes. That sense of peacefulness and mutual comfort. Nat's reached up around the back of my neck and she pulled me into a soft kiss. "We don't have to put a label on anything." I smiled when we pulled away. "Not yet." Nat mumbled. "Promise me you will never leave me." She smiled. 

"I won't." I reassured her.

The afternoon went on, we dipped our feet and splashed in the river. Picking out two small white stones. "We should make them into something." Nat suggested. "Rings maybe?"

"Matching rings? Miss Romanoff, are you trying to propose? What happened to not rushing it." I laughed, teasing her was always good fun. As the sun began to set we began to head home. Once again, I played some music and we sang along happily, dancing as we walked. "This was fun." I smiled at the gorgeous woman.