Player Of Hearts [ N. Romanoff × Female Reader ]

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟾: Two Birds on a Wire

The night was long as you expected it to be, and one by one, the team made their way to their tents, since there was only six tents it ended to the point where you have to share a tent with Natasha, you did protest though but you couldn't do anything to it.

It was pass midnight when you were left alone with Natasha outside by the fire and you were still eating a marshmallow burnt on the outside but soft in the inside, you were obsessed with it to say the least and you couldn't seem to stop eating it.

"So..." Natasha trailed off, looking at you as you were busy toasting your marshmallow, and you only arched an eyebrow as a response. "How have you been?" She added quietly.

"How have I been?" You repeated the question with a little high-pitch in your voice as if you were being sarcastic. "Well, I've been good," You answered without tearing your eyes from your food.

Natasha stood up and slowly made her way next to you where Loki sat, but the gap between you was still huge.

You cleared your throat, "How have you been?" You also asked and Natasha's face lit up like a firefly, thankful enough that you asked.

"I've been... okay," The pause in her response made you look at her with your eyebrows knit together in pure confusion.

"Why is that?" You asked, eyes dancing around her pretty face.

"Why's what?" She asked back, mirroring your expression.

"Your answer wasn't convincing, you paused, you never pause when you talk especially when answering a simple question," You point out.

"That's because it wasn't simple at all," She retorted immediately and you were quick to look away from her and focused your sight back on the perfect burnt marshmallow.

"What do you mean?" You asked way more quietly this time.

She takes in a deep breath, "It's just that — can I ask you something?" She corrected with her eyes still trained on you.

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" The tone of your voice was amused completely confusing her.

"What?"

"We've been asking eachother's questions," You point out again while taking a bite of your food.

Natasha shook her head ever so lightly before seriously looking at you.

"I'm just going to tell you this one time," Her tone was firm and you side glanced her, "I think I fell inlove," She admitted.

In one breath you took it all in, and you wanted to rewind it back to hear it for the second time around just to be clear but you were already sure about it, you heard her fair and square, but honestly you already knew that she fell inlove it was just hard to admit it to yourself... or to her.

"W-what?" You stuttered, "-to who?" You added to cover up the slip, slowly meeting her eyes and you swallowed thickly.

She raised both of her eyebrows with a tiny lift on the corner of her lips forming a small smirk as her cheeks flushed.

"Are you really that oblivious?" She commented, slightly squinting her eyes, causing you to nervously smile.

"Oblivious to what?" You still acted dumb, trying to block her mind or her heart to stop them from enterring yours because any minute now or day, she would break in and you wouldn't be able to fight those shitty feelings anymore.

"Let her go," Your mother slowly stated, carefully looking at you.

"Why would I?" You retorted while holding a knife to the throat of an Asgardian girl.

"It's cute though," Natasha muttered to herself yet you were still staring at her dumbfoundedly.

"Because violence is not the answer to your problems," Frigga answered.

"But it should be."

"No," Her voice was stern, "You can not kill innocent people who can freely love just because you couldn't."

"You can't just tell me something like that," You blurt out, pulling yourself away from the memory, "You can't and you shouldn't."

"Why not?" Se asked, covering the fact that your words stung. "And can you stop acting like I don't have feelings, I do have them," She added as her heart begins to pump more blood.

"For what?" You almost blurt out as you start to feel mad.

"You, feelings — I have feelings for you," She retorted, trying so hard to not yell at your face right now.

Your eyes slowly pooled with tears. Looking back at her, "I-I'm sorry I've hurt them," Replying quietly seemed to make the tension less tensed.

Taking in a deep breath, "It's really complicated."

"Complicated in what way?" Natasha asked softly, eyes fixated on you as she refuses to even look away or miss your expression.

"In so many ways, which I don't want you finding out," You explained as her eyebrows furrowed.

"Is this your way of telling me that you're hiding something?" She questioned in dissapointment.

"No," you lied, "I'm not hiding anything." She knows you were lying.

Explaining it to her clearly  was not an option, and as much as you want to you couldn't, thinking she  isn't ready for any of the things you want to say. Plus you didn't want anything to change between her and you, because honestly she's the best thing that ever happened to you. Unfortunately, things have already changed without you even knowing.

"Nat, I'm--"

"You told me, I needed to fall inlove," Natasha rasped as her jaw clenched.

"I know, but I didn't mean for you to fall inlove with me," you replied. "Romance is easy, Natasha. Love is not."

Her expression faltered in hurtful amusement as she glared at you.
"You just like playing with people's hearts, just like what you did to those trainees."

This time it was her words that stung, but you would rather recieve words like that rather than kill other people's love ones, or kill your own.

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