Next Target: Clint Barton

15 - "Was it love?"

"So, what's the deal with you and Golden Boy over there?"

Natasha nearly choked on air as she adjusted the cuff on her left arm when Yelena asked that question out of the blue, all while staring at Steve talking to Bucky and Sam across the room. Natasha regained her composure and attempted to play dumb with her sister.

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, please. You think I don't see the googly eyes he makes at you." She looked at her older sister slyly. "Plus, there was that whole thing about talking to him alone."

Yelena raised her eyebrows at Natasha which only made her want to punch her little sister even more than she already did. Still, she wouldn't have traded this moment for the world. She missed their playful banter; she was just happy to be able to talk to her again —even if Yelena did annoy the hell out of her. They definitely didn't need blood to tell them that they were sisters.

"Fine, if you won't tell me I'll just ask him." Natasha was snapped out of her daze as she stumbled to her feet to pull her sister back onto the chair when she tried to make her way towards Steve.

"<You're annoying.>" Natasha told her, which just made Yelena snicker and smile smugly.

"Nothing's going on between us. We've gone down that path before... it didn't exactly work out."

"Hm?" Yelena's teasing smile only grew bigger.

Natasha took a deep breath and explained. "We had the 'will they, won't they' thing going on for a while and just as we were about to, Ultron got in the way." Yelena listened intently like a child at group story time. "Then a little bit after the events in Sokovia we decided to give it a real try, and it was great... for a while.

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It had become a habit at this point: sneaking into each other's rooms while the others in the tower were asleep. It's been five months since the events of Ultron and the fall of Sokovia and four and a half months since Steve and Natasha started dating. They usually didn't stay the night in each other's rooms for fear they'd get discovered by the rest of their curious team, who had been rooting for them to get together.

What normally happened was either Steve or Natasha would sneak up to the other's room after the rest of the team went to bed and stay for a few hours then return to their own room before going to sleep. That's what normally happened, but this time Natasha had fallen asleep in Steve's room with her head resting on his chest while they were cuddling and he refused to do anything that could wake her. He didn't want to be away from her.

She looked so peaceful, her subtle breathing soothing him and the warmth of her body comforting him more than anything else had since he got out of the ice. He usually felt so cold and empty when he laid in his bed, but here, with her, he felt so warm and safe. She had that way of making him feel like everything was going to be okay.

He watched her sleep peacefully with one arm wrapped around her slim body and the other brushing her hair as he admired every bit of her. The room was dark, but he could still see every part of her face: her vibrant red hair, gleaming lips and soft cheeks.

Still though, despite all the comfort she brought him, he couldn't sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep a full night in his bed yet; he'd tried multiple times but eventually gave up and resigned to the floor. The bed was too soft, it felt like it would eat him up and submerge him into an eternal darkness. So he just laid there, so she could sleep while he couldn't. Because he loved her so much. She was worth it all: the sleep deprivation and the slight anxiety he felt from laying in the bed too long.