Chapter Text
“Would you just stop?! You cruel, vile thing!” I shouted at the clock while stirring the pot of pasta. The scents of garlic, onions, and tomato sauce wafted in the air, mixing with the pine and cinnamon of the candles in the living room. It smelled comforting, cozy and warm - like the home Natasha and I built together. I smiled at the thought of our home. Tonight, Tasha was coming back from a two month long mission, the longest yet since we started dating a year ago. I wanted to make it perfect, which was why I’d spent the last hour glaring at the clock that seemed to mock me as I ran late with dinner.
Just as I was plating the food, I heard the lock of our front door clicking open. I panicked - I still had to set the table and finish off the living decorations. Naturally, I did the only sensible thing: I sprinted to the door and pushed Natasha out of the apartment.
“ Hey Princesa, I missed you!” I grinned, shutting the door behind me loud enough to seem suspicious. Natasha raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes, but I was more concerned with how she was holding her side. My smile fell instantly. “What happened?”
“I missed you too Malyshka, and nothing. Just a couple bruised ribs,” she said. I frowned, lacing my fingers through hers.
“Are you sure? Did you have it looked at?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Dr. Cho said it’ll heal in a few days,” Nat smiled and wrapped one arm around my neck, the other still holding my hand. She tugged me forward until our lips met in a soft, tender kiss. Her fingers tangled in my hair and I gently held her against me, mindful of her injury. It only lasted a few moments, but relief washed over me at being able to hold her again, like I’d been holding my breath for the last two months and Natasha was the desperate fresh air I’d been starved for. She sighed contentedly before resting her forehead against mine. “I really did miss you.”
I brought her knuckles up to my lips, leaving featherlight kisses on each one. I noticed they were a little bruised and swollen. It wasn’t unusual for Nat to come back from a mission beat up, and this certainly wasn’t the worst shape she’s returned in, but it still twisted my heart painfully. “I did too.”
My girlfriend’s sweet smile slowly lifted into her trademark smirk. “So, is there a reason you’re barricading me from our apartment?” she asked.
I blushed and swatted at the sparks that flew from my ears. Natasha bit her lip to stifle a laugh. A year together, and she still laughed at my unfortunate tells. “Umm, I’m just finishing something up. Can you wait here for a minute?”
“Mmm, of course. As long as it’s not another fire,” she teased and I pouted while heading back in.
“That was only one time…” I quietly closed the door. Everything was almost ready. The tent I’d set up in the middle of the living room was decorated with fairy lights, blankets, cushions, pillows, and candles. I’d pushed the furniture to the side, only leaving the coffee table between the tent and the TV. I turned off the main lights and went over to the candles, lighting up the rest of them with my finger and making sure they were in a safe place. While Natasha was all grace and poise I, well, I was pretty clumsy for an Avenger.
I brought the bowls of pasta, a side dish of garlic bread and bruschetta, and two glasses of wine to the coffee table. Before heading to the door, I admired the work. It looked cozy, warm, and romantic and I suddenly felt a little nervous. It wasn’t the first time I’d done something like this for Nat, but it still made butterflies erupt in my tummy. She deserved the world, and while I might not be able to give her that, I hoped that these small gestures showed her how much I loved her, how worthy she was of being loved. With a deep breath I opened the door, and swept my arm across the room.
“Tada,” I whispered as Natasha stepped inside. She frozee a few feet from the door, her shoulders tense. Her breathing hitched as she scanned the room, taking it all in. Shyly, I went to stand next to her. “Um, surprise?”
“Y/n…” she whispered.
“I’m sorry if it’s too much. It’s just, you were away for so long. I missed you so much, and I wanted to do something special for you and -”
“Please, shut up,” she said and I snapped my mouth closed. Natasha turned to me with tears in her eyes. They caught the candlelight and made her green eyes sparkle so brilliantly, even the stars looked dim in comparison. I blinked in confusion, but before I could ask what was wrong, her body crashed into mine as she kissed me fiercely. I stumbled back a few steps at the impact, pulling away just enough that there wasn’t pressure on her ribs. My hands fell to her hips as my eyes fluttered shut. I could feel the warmth radiating off her, swirling into my heart and bones and anchoring me in this moment where the only thing that mattered was the hero in my arms. Her heart hammered against mine, perfectly in sync, a thunderous symphony we’d grown familiar with over the months together. Natasha didn’t say anything, but I could taste the emotions on her lips. Every tug and caress felt like a promise of love, of care, of gratitude. It sank deep into my soul and lit me up from within, my body feeling light and my heart so full of joy it overwhelmed me to tears, turning our kiss both sweet and salty. Her hands rested on my shoulders, pulling me further into her, every curve and dip of her body matching perfectly with mine until we felt complete, not two broken pieces becoming a whole, but two hearts so entangled in love, it was impossible to tell where one ended and the other began. Natasha tasted like the sweetest memories, something comforting and tenderly familiar. She felt like a refuge from the parts of the world we’d both seen too much of and she smelled like home, like the scent you don’t notice until you’ve been gone a while. Then you come back and it wraps around you like a blanket and you feel warm, safe, and happy.
She pulled back, her eyes meeting mine. They were fractured in color, the blue, green, and gray swirled together like a storm, and behind them was an affection so intense it rooted me in place and made my knees weak at the same time. “I - um, what?”
“This is perfect. You are perfect,” her voice broke around the last bit and tears streamed down her cheeks. I gently wiped them away with my thumbs.
“Oh, Corazoncito, why are you crying?” I asked. Natasha hugged me, her nose buried in my neck.
“I’ve never had this before… someone to come back to, someone who cared so much… I’ve never had someone to call home,” she whispered against my skin. What little air I’d managed to recover after the kiss left me in a rush, her words feeling like a kick to the chest. It filled me with pride to be the one she called home, but it also broke my heart to hear the shock in her voice, like she’d never thought this was possible. I hugged her as tenderly as I could before moving to look at her.
“Tasha, I will always care. You will always have a home with me. You deserve the world, but I can’t give you that. I can give you my love though, for as long as you want it,” I said, trying my hardest to keep my voice from breaking.
Natasha sniffled before snuggling back into my neck. “What if I want it forever?” her voice was so quiet I would have missed it if I hadn’t been so close. My heart flipped in my chest and I grinned like an idiot.
“Then it’s yours forever. You’re my person, Tash,” the superhero whimpered as she squeezed me tight, so tight had I been a regular human she may have snapped a rib, but I didn’t care.
“You’re my person too y/n/n. I love you so damn much… I love you in a way I never thought I could love anyone,” she said. I cradled her in my arms and kissed her head.
“Good, because I love you with everything I got, miss Black Widow,” I said. Natasha chuckled at that and dropped a kiss on my shoulder. “Now why don’t you get cleaned up while I warm up the food?”
The redhead groaned and dragged her feet to the bedroom. I laughed at her antics and went to grab some stuff from the dryer. I left my favorite hoodie, a t-shirt and her softest sweatpants and socks on the bed while she showered.
Twenty minutes later, my badass beautiful girlfriend came padding into the living room. Her cheeks were flushed from the hot shower and her hair was still damp, little curls framing her face. My oversized hoodie was just long enough to leave only the tips of her fingers exposed. She looked so adorable it made me want to scream, but I figured that would possibly be inappropriate.
“Hey stranger. Join me for dinner?” I asked. Natasha payfully rolled her eyes before plopping down next to me. We ate and talked about her mission, at least the details she could share. I told her what the rest of the team and I had been up to for the last two months, particularly how Loki and Stephen had gotten into a magic competition that Wanda embarrassed them both in. I told her about the Spanish project I’d helped Morgan with and Natasha’s smile turned so big and bright I had to fight not to melt on the spot.
Eventually I managed to convince her to watch Frozen with me and it only got me one half-hearted eye roll. We laid in the mess of cushions and blankets and tangled limbs with Natasha mostly on top of me, but I didn’t mind. A few minutes after my incredible rendition of Let it Go and my girlfriend’s lazy attempts at clamping her hands over my mouth, she fell asleep. Her red hair flared out over my chest as she snoozed quietly. I tucked the blanket tighter around her and thought back to our conversation earlier… she’d said she wanted my love forever. Forever was a long time, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it than by Natasha’s side. I kissed the top of her head and gently hugged her.
“Goodnight, Princesa. I love you,” I whispered. I also made a mental note to start ring shopping in the morning.