The first time she said it, they were recovering from a mission in Budapest. They were both in hospital beds right next to each other, slipping in and out of consciousness. Clint had his eyes closed but was still awake enough to understand what was going on around him. He heard her moan and whisper something in Russian. He waited for her to speak again but was disappointed. He soon fell asleep.

The second time she said it was six months later. Clint was sent to New Mexico with Coulson. He was geared up to go when Natasha came to say goodbye. She told him to be careful, to not do anything she wouldn't, the usually, but as he turned his back to leave, she said something in Russian Clint found vaguely familiar. He turned to ask her what it meant but she was already gone. Those words pestered him the entirety of his mission with Coulson. He bought a Russian handbook, tried Google, but he never found out. He couldn't get the words right. They got too muddled. He was determined to ask Natasha when he got back but too many things started happening. It got pushed to the back of him mind.

The third time was after the war Loki waged against the earth. He and Natasha drove away from the two aliens disappearing to their own world and headed to a bar. Director Fury had given them the rest of the day off, though they weren't ever really "off". They headed to their favorite pub, relishing the idea of a hard drink. Natasha got drunk once. It was more than twenty years ago and they never speak about it. She enjoys alcohol but she will never forget what happened when she lost herself in it. Clint, on the other hand, doesn't mind getting a little tipsy but only when his Black Widow is there to oversee his vulnerability. He got a little too much to drink that time and was leaning heavily on Natasha when they left the bar. The cool night air felt good on his flushed, warm cheeks. His head was spinning and his vision was blurry but a part of him was still alert. I suppose it was the Agent part. Anyway, Natasha helped him through his apartment door and into bed. As he snuggled under the comforter, she gently kissed his forehead and whispered "ya tebya lyublyu." He fell asleep with those words, those intangible, fleeting words, ringing through his head. He woke with them as well, accompanied by a massive headache.

A few days later, he's at the Triskelion with Coulson. Natasha's words are still zooming around in his head so he decides to find out what they mean. He makes his way to the ground floor where all the level 1s and 2s work. He finds one of the newer agents, a Russian girl by the name of Katrina, sitting in her cubicle crying. She is watching a Russian video on her computer screen. Just as Clint iss about to disrupt her, the person in the video cries "ya tebya lyublyu".

Then Katrina spews a few words in Russian at the screen, "How can you say you love her you, osel!" She shouts.

Clint coughs into his hand then chokes, "Wait…what did you say?" Clint takes a few steps into the office.

Katrina shrieks and flies out of her chair. "Agent Barton. I didn't see you there." She straightens her shirt and quickly shuts off the video.

"Apparently." He smiles the best he can.

"What can I do for you?" She asks, confused.

"Nothing. I got…um, everything I needed. Thank you." He turns to leave.

"Sir?" He looks back at her. "You won't say anything, will you?" She gestured to the computer. "I'm off the clock. I just don't-" he holds up his hand to stop her.

"I won't say anything if you won't."

She grins sheepishly. "Thank you, sir."

He stalks down the hallway and out into the chilling air. The information he just discovered leaves him confused, breathe less, somehow angry. What is he going to do now? How does he go about normalcy when his partner…he isn't sure what his partner is. Just that her position is now different, somehow. But she's not different. He doesn't know what to do. He can't tell her. It would compromise everything. So he waits. He listens. He listens for those few Russian words to fall from her lips and waits for the day he can repeat them back to her.