She hadn’t meant for him to see it, hadn’t wanted him to notice. For tonight she wanted to be his rock, wanted to be strong in the face of all of his fears; she hadn’t wanted to let on that she harboured some of the same herself.

It didn’t matter though as he didn’t mention it, maybe didn’t even notice, a fact that Natasha was entirely grateful for. The time for words had passed, it was the kiss, the touch, the intimacy that they both needed now. His kiss was gentle, but it wasn’t long before she deepened it; not desperate, not hard, just long and slow and deep. Her hand slid over his chest, her fingernails just lightly scraping his skin as he pressed her closer, his name a breathless whisper on her lips.