Natasha Romanoff One Shots

Fluffy Pyjamas ~ A/F

Words: 1.4k
Relation: Romantic
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Comfort
Triggers: Mentions of firearms

A request from my Tumblr <3

---

Natasha's fingers drummed against the keyboard of her laptop as she typed report after report, stressed from being swarmed with work. It seemed as though recently it was all that she had been doing. From the moment she woke up until the moment she went to sleep she was either training, strategising, or writing reports. It was exhausting.

She was most certainly burnt out, coffees no longer helping to keep her energised. She needed to see you - you were one of the main things on her mind, other than the copious amounts of deadlines. You lived in a small apartment about half an hour from the compound, and she had not been able to visit you for weeks. Her jaw clenched as her typing paused when thinking about you. She was sick of having half an hour of phone calls each night. It wasn't enough for her.

With her lifestyle, Natasha was always worried about joining the dating scene. Many enemies had accumulated over the years, and she never wanted to put anyone who she would grow to love at risk. But then you popped up.

Literally.

At the time she met you, you worked in a pet store as a cashier and consultant. She was waiting by the counter, cat treats in hand for her cat, Liho. For a moment no one was behind the counter, she assumed that whoever was working it had perhaps gone out back to get some more supplies. Turns out it was you working, and you were crouched behind the counter to try and find something that you needed, and when hearing Nat put the treats on the counter, you stood up swiftly with an enthusiastic "Hi there!", causing Nat to absolutely crap herself.

Things developed from there, and a year later you were going strong. Natasha absolutely doted on you. You were her person, you were the first person that she had ever gotten to call hers. And so, not being able to see you was killing her. A few times during some sleepy late-night calls you suggested visiting the compound, but she always refused. The compound was a mysterious place to you. Nat had never let you visit, claiming it wasn't safe for you. With her logic, if you were seen entering the Avengers compound then any enemies that might be monitoring the team would see that you were a trusted person to them—trusted enough to be allowed entry into the compound.

She didn't want them to use you against her. She wanted to keep you safe.

The idea of you being introduced to her world sent chills up her spine. So the answer always remained - 'no' - and she planned to keep it that way. Her fingers continued tapping the keys at a high speed, wanting to be done with the reports in as little time as possible. It was Friday night... so if she finished the reports by at least 8pm, she could go to yours and spend the night she planned in her head, shooting you a quick message to make sure you'd be in tonight before continuing with work.

When you replied stating that you'd be in and that because of her message, you were expecting Nat to come and visit her tonight, she chuckled and tried to work even faster than she had ever done before.

Hours later, she was in the car to your complex and pulling into the guest spot for your apartment. With a pep in her step, she practically sprinted up the stairs and tries to just walk through your front door, twisting the handle and then walking into the door, bouncing back slightly. She winced and nursed her head, before knocking on the door, cursing herself for letting the excitement make her forget the simple fact that your door is always locked.

When she hears shuffling noises through the door she becomes ecstatic. Within moments the door creaks open, thanks to the old building that you live in, and she's seeing your face in person for the first time in weeks. Without thinking she rushed forward and engulfed you in a hug, pressing her face into the crook of your neck. Her lips twitched upward at hearing your giggles, feeling your arms wrap around her torso.

She was home.

"Come on, come on. It's fluffy pyjama time", you grinned, and ushered her in, snorting when she rolled her eyes. Natasha had a "reputation to uphold", and so pretended not to be interested in soft things like cuddling in fluffy pyjamas. She secretly loved it though, but pretended to just participate for your benefit.

So, with a groan that did not match her internal dialogue, she complied and changed into a pair of fluffy pyjamas you kept for her, and immediately jumped into bed, grabbing you by the hips and pulling your back into her front.

A contented sigh escaped her lips as she was reminded just how well you slotted against her front, and she pressed her forehead against the nape of your neck, pressing a soft kiss there occasionally as the two of you soaked up all of the time together you had missed recently.

A while passed when she just held you and had honestly thought that you'd gone to sleep as you had been so still, so she was ever so slightly startled when you gently spoke her name. "Hmm?", she pretended that her heart rate wasn't slightly elevated from the little spook you gave her.

She thought that you were just going to give her some weird late-night thought as you normally did. Natasha loved those late-night thoughts, they always made her chuckle. However, when you turned around to face her in her arms, a small frown was etched onto her forehead, "You okay?".

"Um... I've been thinking and it's just with your job getting more dangerous recently, I've been getting more paranoid about people in public. I might be going crazy but I always feel like there's someone watching me or something...".

You didn't even get to finish your statement before you saw Nat's jaw clench as she looked at you with indifferent eyes. Before speaking again you gulped, knowing that she wasn't annoyed at you, but she had always been insecure about how the job affected you. "I don't think I'm in danger or anything, it's just that, you know trying to go about as normal is hard when feeling so... exposed, I guess?".

Her eyes softened slightly. Anyone else wouldn't have noticed.

"What do you suggest we do?", she hugged you tighter before and tucked some stray hairs behind your ear.

"I was thinking that maybe you could teach me some self-defence... and perhaps how to use a firearm? I don't want to be one of those people who carry them around because you know, contributing to societal dangers and shit, but I'd feel a bit better if I just knew how to use one, I don't know, can't explain it".

Natasha's entire body tensed.

Her eyes closed as she released a breath through her nose and looked at you again, her eyes searching you, absorbing you. This conversation was a harsh reminder that she couldn't always protect you. That you weren't 100% safe.

It reminded her that someone loving her came at a price.

"Sure", she croaked out, failing at acting nonchalant. There was no way she wanted you to be handling firearms even if it was only in a training room. There was also no way that she wanted you to be seen stepping foot into the compound.

But... there was also no way that she wanted you to feel unsafe when leaving your home, and so even with all these doubts, she wholeheartedly agreed to it, wanting you to feel safe.

A grin appeared on your face as you pressed a short yet deep kiss to her lips, pulling away to rest your head against her chest, "Thank you". Natasha couldn't help the blush that appeared on her cheeks as she rested her head against yours.

Sleep didn't come easy that night, she was thinking about the conversation. You were the only thing that didn't remind her of her upbringing, of her career. You were the breath of fresh air she had always craved, but she knew that this didn't change anything, not really.

Yes, the little bubble that she thought she had placed you in was broken, but to her surprise, she didn't want to run away. She didn't want to self-sabotage the whole thing to "keep you safe". You had reassured her again and again that you were safest when with her, and for the first time, she allowed herself to believe that.

She wasn't a burden to love, she could be someone's safe space.

And with that... she let herself drift off to sleep, a small smile on her face as she realised how comfy she was. All thanks to you... and the fluffy pyjamas.