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Romantic

Angst/Fluff. Hurt/Comfort.

A request from my Tumblr :)

Triggers: issues surrounding eating, though doesn't go into much detail

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Natasha noticed you.

She noticed how through all the trials and tribulations that life had put you through, you always fought through your battles with your head held high. With all of the weapons that you could mentally conjure up to defeat the inner voices and demons.

But she also noticed when you were struggling. Of course she would, you were the primary source of what made her want to wake up every morning. You were her entire life, you were important enough for her to take notice of every detail.

Most recently, she had noticed your battle with food, but another thing that she noticed was that you were being strong as always. She never wanted to push you though, and treated the situation with the delicateness it deserved. You didn't deserve to be belittled or forced, made to feel like you were being backed into a wall. No, she was fighting in your corner, even if you didn't know it.

Through her diligent observations of you, she had noticed the moments when you were in large groups, such as group dinners with the Avengers instead of your private dinners where the two of you take turns cooking for each other, were the moments in which you struggled most.

It broke her heart to see you hiding your fight behind a mask when with the others. How you twirled your food around a few moments too long before taking a bite, how the foods that would usually have you reeling because of the flavour made your eyes dimmer with each bite.

When alone, it seemed better.

You still didn't eat an awful lot, but it was something. Natasha loved something.

It showed that there was still fight in you, there was still hope, and that is all that Natasha needed to know, to know that you would be okay.

She kept herself in your corner. She thought that you didn't notice her subtle and small pushes that kept you afloat. The small looks she would give you when she was proud of you, how she knew to hold your hand at dinner if you had a tough day.

You noticed Natasha.

It was her that kept everything at bay, that kept you surviving. And she was ultimately the thing that saved you from yourself. With her in your corner, you were strong enough to keep up the battle, until one day the struggle didn't seem so hard anymore.

Natasha recalled the moment she noticed your uphill struggle was no longer so uphill.

A team dinner would usually have her anxious as she kept an eye on you, but that day left her feeling more hopeful than ever. You had finished your food at a good pace, leaving a small smile on her face as she gave your hand a squeeze, though she started frowning slightly when you began looking around the table inquisitively.

She wondered what on Earth you were doing, but when a cheeky smile appeared on your face and you snatched the remaining fries from her plate, quickly eating them afterwards and then doing a shoddy job at acting like you hadn't done anything, she found herself grinning from ear to ear.

You were okay.

Months passed by of similar shenanigans taking place. She never wanted to mention it to you though, afraid that it might make you feel bad and that you would go hungry at mealtimes as you still didn't like to add too much to your own plate.

So, Natasha always sprinkled a few extra helpings of fries and other sides onto her plate, ones that you would always absentmindedly grab during conversation with the others.

When her hand brushed yours as you both reached for the same fry, your gazes snapped to each other, and yours widened due to the fact that you had been 'caught'.

"I love you", was all Natasha whispered and pushed the plate towards you more, allowing you to happily eat your fries, and think about how lucky you were to have her at your side.