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Natasha was a professional. Trained in the red room, master assassin, one of the worlds greatest spies, skilled seductress. Years of training and experience had taught he all she needed to know to wrap anyone around her finger. There were three ways to flirt your way into someone's good graces, if one didn't work, one of the other two would, of that she was sure. At least, until she met you.
Subtle
Natasha didn't know what to expect when she met you. Clint always had a habit of picking up strays and you were no exception to that rule. The moment he announced that he had found someone held prisoner by HYDRA, she was immediately put on guard. For all she knew, you could have been a sleeper agent or spy. No, Clint wasnt incompetent. He would never have brought you back to the compound if he had even the slightest inkling you would double cross them.
But Natasha didn't trust easily, so what better way to learn your motives than to get inside your head? She was waiting for you both when you arrived. Not that you noticed, the moment the bay door to the quinjet dropped, so did your jaw. You were completely starstruck standing in the hangar. “I'm actually at the avengers compound.” You said, mystified. Never in your life did you expect something like this to ever happen.
Clint chuckled, slapping you on the back, “Come on, we’ve got people to meet.” His comment pulled you from your stupor and drew your attention to the two people waiting for you both. You grinned and followed Clint off the quinjet. This was really happening. You might actually become an avenger. “Only you two?” Clint asked as he approached Natasha and Steve.
“Came to see your new stray.” Natasha teased, giving a playful glance to you. She was far more beautiful than any of the news coverage of her managed to show you realized when you seen her. “Everyone else is away on missions.”
“I’m Y/N” You said, a goofy grin plastered onto your face. This was already better than being trapped at HYDRA.
“I’m Steve Rogers, and this, is Natasha Romanoff.” Steve greeted shaking your hand. Really the introduction wasn't necessary considering they were literally the Avengers. “Clint had said you were captured by HYDRA?” he questioned as Natasha watched you closely.
You nodded happily, “Yup!” Natasha couldn't help but notice the sparkle in your eye as you spoke, “ They kidnapped me and made me steal a bunch of stuff, mainly because I can do this.” You took a step forward only to vanish and appear on the other side of Clint. “I can't go very far though, only a few hundred meters. But it was useful to them so it's totally useful for you too right?” You looked at Steve with wide eyes that made Natasha hold back a chuckle.
“You didn't tell us they were enhanced,” Natasha said to Clint, who only shrugged in response. Typical.
You nod at her assessment, giving her a warm smile as she looked at you. You were starting to remind her of a golden retriever, happy and eager to please. “Clint said that I could maybe be of help to you guys. I might not be of much help in combat missions, but I got really good at snagging stuff during my time with HYDRA.”
Natasha carefully looked you up and down before softly biting her lip. “Oh, I’m sure you'll be useful to us somehow.”
You didn't seem to notice Natasha’s gaze but you beamed at her comment, bouncing slightly on your feet. “I promise I won't let you guys down!” Yea, exactly like a golden retriever.
Steve chuckled, noticing Natashas attempts, “Hey Clint, why don't you go help them find a place to settle.”
Clint nodded, “Sure thing.” he said before leading you to the living areas, leaving Steve and Natasha alone.
Steve waited until you were out of earshot before he spoke, “They seem pretty harmless Nat.”
Natasha shrugged, watching you leave the hangar, still unsure quite what to make of you. “Doesn't hurt to stay on your toes.”
Steve shook his head with a scoff, “I don't think you need to flirt with them to get them to say anything. They seem to be a pretty open book.” Natasha frowned, Steve was right, you were surprisingly open all things considered. She couldn't see any signs that you were being dishonest either. But that only served to make her slightly more wary. One thing was for sure. Subtlety was not the way to go for you.
Physical
Over the next few weeks you proved to be quite the ball of sunshine. Always quick to help, with a smile plastered on your face, you became quick friends with nearly all of the Avengers. Natasha, however, was finding herself frustrated. Steve was right, you were an open book, but over time she couldn't help but to feel like you were keeping something from her specifically. It had become her goal to figure out what the hell it was.
Unfortunately, you were probably the only one on the planet that was denser than Clint. Every attempt she made to weasel your secret from you failed. Which only served to frustrate her further. At this point she was starting to flirt with you out of spite, just to see if anything would work on you. Something had to work.
She was reading, trying her hardest to push you out of her mind when you came bounding into the common room with your signature grin. Even she couldn't deny having a soft spot for you when you smiled like that. “Hey Nat.” You said, and she looked up from her book. “Can I ask you for a favor?”
“It depends,” She said closing her book, “What do you need?”
You shifted on your feet slightly, causing Natasha to raise an eyebrow. You were rarely ever nervous like this. “Well, I was watching you fight the other day. Spar, actually, with Bucky. And I seen how you totally kicked his ass. Which was amazing by the way, I mean, the dude has a freakin robo arm and the who super soldier thing. And you just-”
“Y/N.” She interrupted your rambling, “What did you want to ask me?”
You took a deep breath. “Iwantedtoaskyoutoteachmehowtofight.”
If Natasha’s eyebrow wasn't already raised, she would have raised it again. “You're going to have to say that in english. Or russian. Or any language I understand really.”
You bit your lip, Natasha wasn't scary. She was nice. She was probably the nicest person at the compound actually from what you had seen. There was no reason to be this nervous. “Could you, maybe, teach me to fight?”
“Why?”
You shrugged. “I, I wanted to try to be more useful than just teleporting away any time there's danger and leaving it for you guys to handle.” And there was your, quite frankly, insane desire to help.
Natasha couldn't help but smile, you were endearing when you wanted to be, whether you realized it or not. “Okay. I’ll meet you in the training room in ten.”
To say you were pumped would be an understatement. You were bouncing on your feet, shadow boxing as Natasha set up a punching bag. She shook her head when she saw you, giving you the warm smile that made your heart flutter since day one. “Your form is all wrong, come here.” She said, motioning to the punching bag.
You followed her instruction as she stood behind you, almost distractingly close. Her hands brushed yours as she corrected your stance; she moved your leg into place with her own. You pushed your feelings deep in your head, you weren't going to get distracted and waste her time by not learning what she was teaching. “Standing like this helps keep your balance. Now, when you throw a punch, you want to move your weight like this.” As she explained, she grabbed your wrist and pushed it forward, allowing you to take note of the movement. “Got it?”
You nodded, muscles tensed and ready to try. “Got it.”
She stepped away from you, allowing you space to practice. “Give it a shot.” You threw three quick jabs at the punching bag, careful to keep in form. You might be dense when it came to flirting, but you were a surprisingly fast learner. As frustrated as she was that being so close to her seemed to do nothing to you, seeing you learn so quickly and enthusiastically more than made up for it.
Sincere
You had been with the Avengers for months now, and with Natasha’s help, managed to make yourself an invaluable part of the team. At the same time, Natasha had gone from cautious and wary to proud. She waited for you after every mission, just to see that big dumb grin on your face. She had even gotten used to your honesty, it was a quality that she wasn't exactly used to given her history, but she valued it. Before she knew it, she had truly begun to care for you. Although, at this point, she had long since given up trying to flirt with you. She had accepted you just simply weren't interested.
It was another one of Tony Stark’s famous parties, and he expected all of the avengers to be there, including you, much to your dismay. When Natasha found you sulking, actually sulking, in a corner of the party near the bar she was ready to kill someone. It wasn’t like you to not be energetic. It wasn't like you not to smile. She immediately made a beeline to you to get to the bottom of this problem.
“Not having fun?” She questioned, sitting down next to you at the bar.
You looked at her sheepishly, “No, not really. I’m not really much of a fan of parties.”
Natasha frowned. So it was Tony’s ass she had to kick. “With how energetic you normally are, I would have thought parties would be your natural environment.”
You sighed. “I, uh, the last time I was at a party, HYDRA was there too. They slipped something into my drink and next thing I knew I was in that base that Clint broke me out of.” For all your honesty and openness, you had always been vague about how HYDRA managed to capture you. Not out of a desire to deceive, but more because of how much it embarrassed you. “Parties put me a little on edge now.”
Natasha’s gaze softened, yeah, she was going to kick Tony’s ass, but your comfort was more important. “You don't have to be here if you don't want to be, don't listen to what Tony says.”
You smiled at her, but shook your head. “I’m okay. It's not so bad now that you're here.” You admitted. “I just. Just cant help but to feel stupid about this.”
Natasha touched your arm gently. “Y/N you are probably one of the smartest people I know. Its naturally to be wary. You arent stupid for it. Tony’s the asshole that wanted us all here in the first place. And even he would understand you not wanting to be here.”
You heart fluttered at her comment, but you pushed it aside. She was trying to make you feel better. “You know Natasha, you are honestly the nicest Avenger out of all of us. I have to say I-” You paused, words caught in your throat. Biting your lip you continued, “I think you're my best friend.” It wasn't a lie. Truly it wasn't, but it wasn't the truth either, and Natasha could feel it. An odd mix of emotions washed through her, but poker faced as ever, she smiled and nodded.
“I’m glad.” She said strategically, the same feeling of you keeping something from her arose, and she couldn’t shake it. “I’m grateful you can feel that way.”
You nodded, before standing abruptly. “That said. I, I think I’m going to escape this party now. If Tony asks, can you let him know?”
She furrowed her brow, “Yeah, of course. Are you okay?”
You nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Just, like I said. I don't like parties, and my anxiety is already high enough as it is.” You explained before leaving. “G’night Nat.”
“Good night.” She nodded as she watched you leave. She sat there contemplating your out of character actions, unsure of exactly what to make of them. For someone so honest and open, you were extremely hard to read as a result, given that there was usually nothing to read. Through the rest of the night, thoughts of you flooded through her mind, distracting her from the party.
Blunt
The knocking at Natasha’s door came at 8 am sharp, rousing her from her sleep. She groaned, if this was Clint again waking her up to tell her about some trick shot he just managed, she was going to kill him. If the world wasnt literally on fire, she was going to murder anyone who was behind that door. She already was not a morning person, but she had barely gotten any sleep after Tony’s party. She flung her door open with a grumpy “What?” Before she seen who was standing before her.
You froze, eyes wide. You opened your mouth to speak, but no sound came out. You really didn't want to upset her, But it was important. You took a deep breath before forcing yourself to speak. “I’m really sorry about waking you up. It's just I was talking to Clint and he kinda got fed up and said if I don't tell you then he would. And I really don't want you to hear it from him. It would be mortifying. I mean really he means well but what if the way he says it makes you hate me and-”
“Y/N. Y/N!” Natasha interrupted. “What do you need to tell me?”
You closed your eyes as tight as you could before answering. “I like you. I really really like you. Not just as that stupid best friend comment I said last night. I’ve been wanting to ask you out for months now, but I kept chickening out because, well, your you and I’m… me.” You sighed out the last word, scratching the back of your head. Tentatively, you looked up at her, leaning against her door frame, a surprised smile on her lips. “I’m sorry for waking you up its just-”
“I’m picking you up at 8 pm. Wear something nice.”
Your jaw dropped at her words. “Wait what?”
“8 pm, that's our date.” She said before you flung your arms around her neck in a tight hug. She froze at your touch, before laughing softly. If you had a tail she swore you would have been wagging it. “Down, Y/N, I want to get some more sleep.”
You took a step back from her, “Right, sorry. I’ll see you at 8!” You grinned, before disappearing from in front of her. Natasha shook her head, closing her door. Maybe her flirting worked after all, you did just tell her what you were hiding. She laid back down on her bed smiling. Today was going to be a good day.