Chapter Text
Natasha Romanoff, perhaps better known as the Black Widow - bursted through the door of the classroom wearing her tight black combat uniform like she had no care in the world, but you should know better.
Her sharp and competent eyes scanned the room as she took long and determined steps towards the only adult in the room full of students gaping at her with their eyes wide open. A cut above her left eyebrow was still slightly bleeding, guns strapped to her thighs, her left hand hovering over one just in case. Better prepared than sorry.
"You're the teacher, right?" She asked you in an unexpected soft and low tone, not commenting on your eyes that opened comically wide in surprise as you looked back at her.
Natasha’s lips twitched into a thin line as she quickly scanned the room yet again. A dangerous drug dealer probably possessing products scientifically modified by Hydra had escaped the Avengers while they were tailing him. The man was hiding in the schools' walls now, and the Black Widow, Hawkeye and Spiderman were tasked with protecting the civilians while Iron Man, Captain America and the Scarlet Witch cornered the target. Maybe it was too many people involved for such a mission but they would not risk any of it.
"H-hi? Yes..." You blurred out, taken aback to have none other than Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, interrupting your English class this fine December morning. Maybe you were still asleep because what the hell? "Hum, w-why?" You whispered, body tensed up but trying to keep your composure to not alarm any of your students.
The redhead glanced one last time into the small classroom before shifting her attention back to you and your huge eyes staring at her.
"Long story short, you have a drug dealer hiding in the school, possibly armed. We need to ensure the safety of your students."
Your breath hitched at her words, your eyes noticing a red mask with white eyes watching her back near the door while some man you recognized later as Hawkeye was ready to fight with his bow in his hands. They were keeping distance to be more hidden from the students but you could see them from your angle and you could not help the way your stomach twisted painfully. You felt your chest contract pitifully, your heartbeat picking up in speed as you locked eyes with her again. Were you going to die? That was not how you imagined it. Not that you ever imagined it that much. You just figured if you were going to die - and you will at some point, hopefully not this soon - it would not be like that. Especially not in your workplace, thank you very much.
Oh God, you were going to die, weren't you? That was why the freaking Avengers were there, trying to prevent it. But this was the end. You could feel your breath catch in your throat, a large lump getting bigger and bigger there. The anxiety you quickly recognized was slowly but surely working its way into your brain to moisten your eyes. You blinked, looking around the classroom to see almost nothing. You could not really concentrate on anything.
"Hey...? Can we trust you not to panic with your students and cooperate with us?" The Black Widow’s soft voice yet firm tone brought you back to reality, the breath you were holding in suddenly escaping your - almost - trembling lips. You needed to woman-up and you needed to do it now.
"Y-yes." You croaked out, voice horse, slightly shaken up by the situation. You gripped the edge of your wooden desk to stay focused. "God, of course. Yeah. What should I do?"
The Avenger narrowed her eyes suspiciously before she nodded briefly, judging your moment was over.
"We're going to need you to start an evacuation. Can you ask your students to go to the football field?" Her voice was firm, but not unkind, clearly used to being listened to without second thoughts. "I'll be at the front. Spiderman will follow behind, just a precaution."
The said man approached the both of you when Natasha called him over with a gesture of her hand, the whisperers in the classroom growing louder. Spiderman nodded sharply, his posture almost comically straight. You blinked again, surprised by what the hell was happening, the murmurs of your students dying in the back of your brain.
"Hum, hi. Ma'am."
You gulped down, eyes still wide. You did not expect something like that to ever happen to you. And even less four days before Christmas break, that was for sure.
You tried to focus, remembering where the football field was. Realizing it meant you had to move to the other side of the school, which did not sit right with you at all.
"A-are you sure it's safe to-to move at all? The football field is all the way over. And you said he's possibly armed-I just... I don't mean to pry or whatever. I just want my students to be safe and-" You stuttered in a low and frantic tone before stopping to take a deep breath, turning your back towards the teenagers while you looked at the redhead’s curious eyes. "Sorry..." You whispered, stopping your rambling, clenching your fists on your sides to regain control.
"They'll be safe." She responded in a firm voice, shooting you what you thought was a glimpse of a reassuring nod. Her lips pulled up a bit into a small smile of reassurance. Her eyes softened. "The field is safe and empty, just waiting for you. The police are nearby and we've set up the perimeter. I won’t let anything happen to any of you, okay?"
Spider Man nodded again, almost making your heart jump out of your chest as you kind of had forgotten for a split second he was even there.
"You just need to ask your students to calmly exit the classroom and we'll take care of the rest." The redhead pressed gently, searching for your eyes again.
"Okay... yeah. Yes. Let's do this." You nodded to yourself, taking in a deep breath before turning around towards your students with a much more confident face than whatever you were truly feeling inside.
You gently instructed the class of students you needed to evacuate in silence, everyone following the Black Widow and you as you both walked towards the football field where police forces were indeed waiting for the group - Spider Man behind the students to ensure everyone's safety, just like the redhead promised you.
You held your breath the whole time, finding yourself in a sort of a trance, the only thing keeping you sane being your focus fully on making sure your students were doing as instructed.
Natasha glanced over her shoulders a few times, ensuring that everyone was unharmed and that the evacuation was done properly. She exhaled before taking in an icy breath from the cold of the December morning.
You let out a sigh of relief once the police finally took over. Thank God the eleventh graders were on a school trip for the week and most of the twelfth ones were on internship. A heavy weight left from your shoulders once you took notice of all the tenth and ninth graders behind the policemen, their excited smiles as they crowded around Spiderman slowly easing your nerves.
You took notice that some of your colleagues were speaking together with the director of the school as well as Clint Barton - probably updating on the current situation, but you could not find it in yourself to move, your feet forcing you to stay where you were - not that you were complaining. Slow breathes. In and out. Your eyes traveled from student to student, teacher to teacher, the field beneath your feet, the short grass simmering in the December breeze, the wooden bleachers to your left. In and out. You watched the trees in the distance, their leafless branches making you shiver. In and out.
The wind picked up suddenly, or maybe you only noticed it now that all your senses came back to you, tucking your nose in the soft fabric of your scarf.
Natasha walked towards you once she was finished with whatever her task was, her eyes carefully taking in your shivering form - whether it was from the cold or fear she did not know yet, but she was determined to find out.
"Are you okay?" She asked you with a tentative smile, coming to a stop to your left side.
You almost jumped out of your shivering skin when Natasha Romanoff’s voice found your ears. Your cheeks turned a pink hue but whether it was from her warm gaze, the cold December weather or your own embarrassment, you did not know, but you did not want to find out.
"Yeah-yeah. I'm fine, sorry." You chuckled nervously, gulping down. "Didn't expect to have this kind of stressful situation to take care of today." You mumbled, not really sure what you were saying in your still slightly panicked state, now that you were letting yourself feel the panic. "I mean, not that you were either, of course." You murmured, feeling suddenly dumb.
Natasha huffed softly, shifting closer, your shoulders almost touching. It was refreshing to see someone being awkward around her for once. Most people either found her too intimidating or flirted with her straight away, rarely in-between. You were... natural. Genuine. And kind of cute too.
"Yeah. It's not everyday that you need to evacuate your students for a real threat." She looked over her shoulder again, noting that no one seemed to need her help. No one but you. "But you did well. I'm proud of you." She smiled softly, glancing at your pink features.
"Oh..." Your eyes widened slightly at her words, cheeks turning another tint of red. "Thanks, hum... Ma'am." You replied with a small smile as a gentle gust of icy air blew over the two of you, making you hide your hands in your pockets.
"Please. You can call me Natasha." She stared at your little blush, enjoying the way you clearly tried and failed to control it. Her lips twisted into a knowing smirk. "You're not used to being complimented... are you?"
"Oh, God. Please, do not go full spy mode on me." You chuckled, scrunching up your nose as she clearly hit the bullseye. "I'm Y/N, by the way." You smiled back softly, judging it was your turn to introduce yourself now. At least you thought that was how it worked.
Her eyes sparked in amusement, she was not expecting you to have that kind of comeback but it was not unpleasant at all.
"Well, Y/N, that's a pretty name." She smiled, a small teasing smirk pulling up the corner of her lips at the way you audibly swallowed. "And don't worry, I won't." She paused for a moment, staring at your face before her smile turned a little more mischievous, making your eyebrows raise. "Unless you give me a reason to."
If your face was not already fully red before, it definitely was now. You bit your lower lip, looking away from her only to notice a group of students grinning like a bunch of excited fools as they looked your way. You mentally scowled yourself. Your face was probably the color of Natasha's hair. Ugh, you would probably never hear the end of it.
You cleared your throat, trying not to be this damn intimidated - or perhaps flustered was a better description for the way you were currently feeling in her presence. Sure, you could be shy but you never were this shy before with a stranger. You had to keep it together, damn it. You could not just lose your cool each time a pretty - God, very pretty - woman talked to you.
"Oh, don't worry then. I had a pretty boring life. No criminal record hidden in my closet." You replied with a small smile, tilting your face to push your hair away from your eyes. Stupid wind. Maybe she would think your cheeks were pink because of it. But you did not count on it much, she was a spy after all.
"Oh, yeah? So no dark secrets to hide then?" Natasha asked with that stupid, attractive smirk that stayed on her face as her eyes sparkled with amusement. "That's a bit of a disappointment actually. I was hoping for some dirt on you to be able to blackmail you, if I needed to." She teased you gently, enjoying the silly banter, feeling you had it in you underneath that slightly shy demeanor. And perhaps she enjoyed the red on your cheeks way too much, ready to fight to let it stay there as long as she could.
You chuckled at her words, shaking your head.
"Well, sorry to disappoint, then." You said with a small smile, eyes twinkling before you looked away when you felt like the eye-contact got too intense for you.
"Don't worry, I'm sure you have dirt hidden somewhere, I just need to find it." She smiled cheekily, enjoying teasing you perhaps a little too much for her own good. But God, you just looked so cute with that permanent red hue on your pretty cheeks. She was weak for pretty women who blushed. You looked like some kind of angel here in this light. So innocent and kind. She wanted to know you more.
"So, hum, not that I mind but... Do you know how long we all have to stay here?" You suddenly asked, taking your hands out of your pockets to cross your arms over your chest, tucking your freezing fingers underneath your armpits to fight the cold. Or at least try to.
She frowned as she suddenly saw you shivering, noticing how you were starting to be more than a little bit cold as your lips turned a light bluer tone. Not that she was looking at your lips. The abnormal color to them just caught her gaze.
"Hopefully it won't take too long." Natasha hummed with a small smile that, she hoped, was reassuring or at least supportive.
"Hopefully." You replied with a nervous chuckle, shifting your weight from one foot to the other, trying not to let your muscles go numb as you let the comfortable silence settle between the two of you.
You took your time to look at her then. To really look at her. You saw her on TV before, on the news. Plenty of times actually. Maybe too many. Saw her on your phone too, a good amount of time, all over social media. And objectively, the pictures of her were always pretty. She was gorgeous. But seeing her right now, you realized they never truly did her justice. Her hair was looking so soft you caught yourself wondering what it would feel like between your fingers, the color so vibrant you could not seem to look away from it for too long. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped, her eyes huge and greener than any forest you ever stepped into and as sharp as her delicate jawline. She had a couple of small moles on her cheek and her nose might be the cutest you ever saw too, the round tip adding to her charms, and her plump lips... She was breath-taking. Actually, she was the most beautiful woman you ever laid your eyes on, your cheeks turning red again as you realized it.
You eyed her outfit curiously then, her tight combat suit apparently keeping her warm judging by the way she was not shivering every two seconds, unlike you.
And if Natasha noticed how you were carefully studying every single inch of her, taking your time to examine her from head to toes - and you had no doubt that she did - she did not say anything about it, besides that ever growing smirk.
"How come you're not freezing to death..." You shuddered violently, scrunching up your nose with a huff before hiding your face in your scarf.
"I'm Russian." Natasha replied calmly, looking at you again, noticing your cheeks getting redder. Maybe her favorite color definitely was red. She smiled softly as you tried to hide your face deeper in your scarf at another harsh wind gust.
You scoffed at her words, your eyes scanning her face for any tell of a joke there.
"And Russians don't get cold, is that it?" You said in a rather accusing tone.
She chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"Of course we get cold. We just handle it better than other people." She leaned back against the bleachers, folding her arms across her torso, her muscles flexing under the tight fit of her suit. Not that you were looking, of course.
"I can handle it." You grumbled, your eyebrows turning into a small frown, lips pursing.
"Are you sulking, Miss Y/N?" She taunted, a small playful grin appeared on her pink lips.
You rolled your eyes, shaking your head at her tease even though the tone did something to you.
Natasha grinned wider. She could definitely get a rise out of you and she quite liked that, a small chuckle escaped her lips. She glanced at you, only seeing the slightly pouty face you were still making.
"You're not denying it." She teased, her smile turning bigger, a flash of her pearly whites briefly showing. She could not deny that you were cute, and she certainly did not expect to have so much fun messing with you but here she was anyway.
"I just hate it when it's this cold. When you can feel it creeping up your bones." You huffed almost angrily, a small fog coming out of your mouth as you talked as if to mock you. "I mean, if it's this cold it could at least snow. That I would be okay with. I don't want to suffer for nothing."
Natasha chuckled again, the sound low and hoarse but very real. A sound she made perhaps too many times since the beginning of this discussion.
"Yeah, I can totally see your point." She leaned closer to you, her expression sympathetic but her eyes sparkled with a mirth that made you hold your breath in. "Though, you could be warm if you tried." She grinned playfully, her tone hinting at something else entirely.
Your eyes widened, feeling like there was some kind of innuendo there.
"Wha-"
However, before you could even finish your question your colleagues Jonathan and Elizabeth joined the two of you, shutting down your conversation rather effectively.
"Hey!" The tall blonde woman exclaimed in a higher pitched tone than usual that made you arch your eyebrows. She was on edge for sure. She wrapped her hands around your arm, pulling you closer to her. You did not mind, grateful for the warmth she was giving you.
"Hi..." You replied in a whisper, nodding at them. "So, hum, this is Jonathan, history teacher. And Liz, I mean Elizabeth, she teaches physics. Guys, this is Natasha. Well, I'm sure you already know her, actually." You chuckled, biting down your lower lip nervously. Who the heck were you taking yourself for at introducing a goddamn Avenger to your colleagues?
Natasha's eyes followed the two teachers, absently studying your dynamic together. She nodded, acknowledging your words. She shot a small smile at the two new people but said nothing as her eyes observed how your two buddies pulled you close, how Jonathan's eyes took in your frozen state to gently rub his hand on your back, how you welcomed the small heat Elizabeth was giving you. She did not miss your subtle little glance towards her, nor the sudden shift in your tone when you presented them, switching into formal mode even though she noticed the way you smiled at them, relaxed and familiar, your eyes rolling again as they started to talk above the other. You knew each other well, for a couple of years. She smirked, enjoying the little scene, the grateful smile you casted to both of them. You really were a softie and not even trying to hide it.
You were so caught up in Elizabeth and Jonathan’s banter that you did not notice Natasha leaving your side to go speak to Clint who had his hand on his ear, eyes squinting as if trying to hear somebody talking to him. You frowned slightly, eyeing the scene from afar, your heartbeat picking up again as if ready to fight. Or flight, whatever your body would decide.
"Alright everyone! Showtime's over, we caught the bad guy. You're free to go." Clint exclaimed loudly for everyone to hear, rolling his eyes and waving at the teenagers who started clapping like crazy people.
Natasha smiled when she let Clint's words sink in. It was over. Over before it even had the chance to turn into anything ugly. The students were safe, you were safe, everyone was safe. The bad guy caught and her teammates did a good job. They truly deserved a Christmas break after this shitshow. They tailed the guy for days. Not that she would want to take the said break.
"Thank you for your cooperation." Natasha added with a sharp nod.
The director of the school quickly dismissed everyone after that, declaring there would be no class for the rest of the day, all the students cheering happily at the news. It made you chuckle and shake your head again, at least they did not seem too traumatized by the events, so that was a good thing.
Natasha looked at you from a distance. Surprised to see that you were already looking at her. She raised her eyebrows, flashing you a cheeky smile and a wink.
"Thank you." You mouthed out to her, feeling like it was a goodbye. You turned around, following your students back to your classroom to open it for them so they could grab their things before leaving.
Natasha smiled softened as she saw you mouth those words to her, enjoying the small glimpse of your pretty looking pink lips before you left. She watched you head back towards your classroom, feeling a little ache in her chest when she realized you were leaving.
You were back at your home one hour later, putting on a movie on your TV. You laid down on your new couch, curled up in one big and fluffy blanket that did nothing to warm up your tired bones. You let the events of the day sink in, chest feeling suddenly heavy. Very heavy. What a crazy day.
You let out a loud sigh, realizing part of you wished to never have met Natasha Romanoff, because it sure as hell would mean there was trouble. But the trouble was gone now. The trouble was gone and you met Natasha Romanoff's gorgeous forest eyes you always thought were blue to begin with.
You rubbed your face into the corner of your blanket, what a crazy day indeed. You laid your cheek on one of the soft and small pillows, glancing at the rise and fall of your eight-year old dog's belly as she slept on the floor soundly, like everything was fine. Like life was normal.
You felt strange. Like some kind of an out of body experiment.
Natasha, on the other hand, returned to her quarters at the Avengers Compound, taking a much needed warm shower to relax and warm up her sore body.
But it also meant it gave her the time to sink into her thoughts, feeling a sudden pang in her chest as her brain made her recall the couples of minutes she shared with you, slowly fading away and slipping through her fingers. She felt confused. Because you made her feel. Even for the briefest of minutes.
Now she felt sad and angry, too.
It was like the universe had played a cruel joke on her, putting that angel form in front of her, tempting her in a way she never believed she could ever know. But then pulling you away from her just before she could get to know you more, more than that glimpse. Because God only knew how she wanted to get to know you more. And she was not supposed to feel that way. She was not supposed to feel at all.
She sighed, her back pressing against the cold tiles.
"God dammit." She mumbled under her breath. Because she was screwed. Oh, how screwed she was...