She knew he was just throwing back a light comment to match hers, but she couldn’t help but wonder if it was true, and if he had learned a lot, what exactly had he learned? It became instantly clear, though, when he grabbed the vodka that putting off this talk wasn’t going to work. She watched him down a good amount and she watched him wince, but she couldn’t seem to tease him about it like she would have even just a few minutes ago.

She had set them on this path and now there was no turning back.

They ate in silence with Clint adding a lot of drinking into the equation as well and Natasha not even trying to steal the bottle back. The silence was heavy and awkward again and god she hated it but she didn’t know how to start. She had never been good with the whole ‘feelings’ thing, so she was beyond grateful when Clint finally broke the silence, broached the topic and gave her her opening.

“I know you don’t,” she said; it was simultaneously one of his best and worst qualities, how he was willing to give her whatever she thought she needed even if it tore him apart in the process. “but it’s not ‘cool’. You deserve better.”

Tossing her half eaten crust back into the box, she turned on the bed to face him. “I need to say something, and I need you to just listen, okay?