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"Mama, what's a soulmate?"
"A soulmate is a part of you; a missing piece that was lost."
"Why are they lost?"
"Well, they didn't used to be. A long time ago, we were born knowing where and who our soulmates were. We never really had to search for them like we do now."
"How come?"
"Well, legend says that the heavens were so jealous of our bonds with our soulmates, that they made it so we couldn't find one another as easily as we once had."
"How will I find them?"
"It's a Pull. Right in your heart. The closer you get to them, the greater your heart will ache for them. Never stop looking for them, darling."
She meets Clint on a day when the sun isn't shining, rain is pouring down from the skies, and Natasha didn't bring an umbrella. It's cold, she's soaked to the bone, her apartment is still four long blocks away, and cabs are too expensive to be worth it. She takes shelter in the doorway of a coffee shop, shoulders hunched, head bowed, but her efforts offer little coverage from the storm. It isn't until a stranger appears, holding an umbrella over her head, and offering her shelter that she looks up. She's met with a smile that could blind the sun and a pair of blue eyes that could even give the sky a run for its money. When their eyes meet, she feels a sharp pull in her chest, as if her heart were trying to leave her body in order to reach the man in front of her.
"There you are. I've been looking for you." He was what could only be described as scruffy; he had a small amount of facial hair growing on his face, his hair was a bit wild, and for some reason, he had a small bandage over the bridge of his nose. His voice was as warm as his smile, but still, she felt wary. Despite the pull she felt towards him, how did she know she wouldn't be hurt by him? What if it was some sort of trap? "I'm Clint. What's your name?"
Her voice stuck in her throat. Clint; it suited him so well. Though she swallowed her emotions down, keeping her guard up. "You've been looking for me?"
"Well, yeah. I've been following the Pull for a while now and when I saw you, I just knew." Clint explains gently as if talking to a child, expression shifting from joy to something close to concern. "Haven't you felt the Pull?"
The Pull was common soulmate terminology; it was something that you felt when your soulmate was near and something that was meant to lead you to one another. She'd felt in on occasion, but for some reason, she didn't want to admit it out loud to him. It had never led her to him, so she believed she had a broken Pull. "I don't believe in soulmates."
His laugh is rich, loud, and his body shakes with the force of it. "Oh, you don't? Well, I don't believe you." His eyes sparkle with amusement and it makes them seem even more blue than they had been before. "I can tell just by looking at your face."
Natasha doesn't know Clint, but she knows him and he seems to feel the same way. He can already read her with just a glance; he probably knows all of her tricks already. She hates to admit it to herself, but she's impressed. Not just anyone could figure her out like that. "I gave up. I didn't think I had a soulmate." She was being honest with him and that surprised her; it surprised her that she could manage to trust him so quickly after living the life she had; the up's, the down's, the disappointments. Despite his happy exterior, something about him gave her the impression that he hadn't had very good experiences either. But now they had each other; they'd never have to go through anything alone again. It was a nice thought to have. "I waited, but I couldn't find you."
Clint's smile fades slowly, his expression shifting into something more serious, maybe even sympathetic. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting. I traveled all over looking for you when you were right here all along." He paused, offering her a small smile again, something meant to be reassuring, but it came off as more nervous than anything. "I couldn't believe that I finally felt you so close. I actually ran here."
She studies his face for a few moments, taking him in while the rain continued to pour down around them. He was a bit of a dork if she were to be honest and as much as she didn't believe in soulmates, maybe she could believe in Clint. "My name is Natasha."
"Natasha." Clint repeated, his smile growing. The more he smiled, the more she enjoyed it. "I'm so happy to meet you at last."
Natasha liked the way he said her name, though she wasn't really sure why. The whole concept of soulmates was still so foreign to her; she still couldn't believe that he was standing right in front of her. She shivered, whether from anticipation or from the cold, and Clint's expression shifted from joy to concern.
"My apartment isn't far from here. You could come by, dry off, and we can talk." Clint explained, motioning down the street in the opposite direction of her apartment.
"I'd like that." Natasha replied honestly and he offered her his arm which she took a little too quickly. She fit perfectly against his side and he easily held the umbrella over their heads as he lead her down the damp sidewalks, away from a life of loneliness and into something new.
"When will I find them, mama?"
"When it's time, Clint. When it's time."