Natasha felt him move, and while it was tempting to pin him down and prevent him from getting up, she figured he would only move if necessary and feigned sleep instead. The corners of her lips curled up a little more at the kiss and she curled up on her side, snuggling into the blanket to await his return. She was surprised when it wasn’t the bathroom door she heard but the front door. Rolling over to look at it with a furrowed brow, after a moment she settled back down to wait.

Minutes passed, but it wasn’t long before she heard the door open again and the soft click of the latch when Clint closed it behind him as quietly as possible. Closing her eyes again, she waited to feel the sofa move when he reclaimed his seat but she heard him move across the room instead and cracked her lids open just enough to see him. When she saw his back was to her, his form silhouetted in the window, she opened her eyes fully to study him. He was clearly cold, that much was obvious, but it was the heavy set of his shoulders and the soft sigh that hit her right in the heart. As much as they tried to keep everything fun and light it was clear he was carrying around a lot of darkness in his soul, and he needed more than just distractions and cheeriness.

Getting silently to her feet, Natasha draped the blanket around her shoulders and quietly approached Clint, not stopping until she could wrap her arms around him from behind, blanket and all. She didn’t say anything, not wanting to either brush off what he might be feeling nor push him if he wasn’t ready, instead just pressing her face against his back, placing a kiss there even through the thick sweater, and holding him tightly.