Another Clintasha multichapter. Yay for me and for you, eheh. It will have around five to six chapters.

Enjoy.

For the First Time

Summary: A wide variety of firsts for Natasha Romanoff. Clintasha.

I – Their First Kiss

April 2000

The first time they kissed, they were running for their lives. Previously relaxing on a bar, in Belgium, after a job well done, one of the thugs that had escaped (something that would never, ever, happen again during their next missions) found them and had brought some friends. They fought a handful of them before breaking out in a run, on the cold hard rain of the streets, with the thugs behind them.

"Let's fight them, Barton, we are not cowards," Natasha growled, being dragged by Clint down the dark street.

"I know we're not Romanoff, but we don't have weapons and they do. Lots of them. I don't feel like getting shot…again…during this mission, are we clear?" He shouted back at her.

Natasha didn't had the time to say anything else. Suddenly, Clint was pulling them to a dark alley with a nauseating smell and she was against a wall. His hands lifted her thighs and in a reflex, she wrapped her legs around him. Natasha couldn't help but think that they fitted perfectly. Her legs weren't too long or too short, just the right size to completely embrace him.

Clint's hand framed her face as he pulled her down so their lips would meet on a kiss. Initially she was shell shocked and the thing she wanted to do the most was push him away and beat the crap out of him. But his lips were unusually soft. Not rough. No. He was kissing her passionately and she was letting him, even kissing him back with the same feeling. The way he tasted, it was unique. There was the rusty taste of blood, due to the open cut on his lower lip, alcohol, due to the drinks they were having before, and then something purely Clint, indescribable, addictive. Her hands settled on his biceps stroking the muscle through the fabric. Natasha heard the running footsteps of their chasers as they got closer and closer, they didn't break the kiss or the embrace, and the footsteps came and went. Their lips broke apart but they didn't move, and without words, they kissed again, and again, and again, until they felt, rather than heard, a presence. Jumping apart, Natasha falling graciously on her feet, both turned to their handler with poker faces.

"Nice strategy," Phil complimented flatly.

"It work, didn't it?" Clint replied with a small grin.

Phil's lips twitched upwards. "Agents are taking care of your fan club," he said. "We should go. We have a plane to catch and Fury wants to debrief you earlier in the morning."

"Alright. But do we have to tell him about this little evasive manure?" Natasha tilted her head to the side.

"No, we can keep this between us three if you wish," Phil said.

"It would be better, Coulson, thank you," Natasha nodded while Clint just gave her an odd look.

"Now, you two, let's move," Phil stressed.

The Agent turned his back and left the alley, getting into a discreet black car. Natasha went to follow him when Clint grabbed her arm.

"Tasha…"

"We can talk at home, what do you say?" She offered one of her rare smiles and Clint released her with a nod.

Home was Clint's apartment. It was not her home, because she stayed at SHIELD base, but Clint loved his independency too much so he got a loft – with a stunning view over the New York skyline – where she spent most of her time anyway. No one questioned when she stayed over, because although rumors went around that the partners were a couple, they were nothing but rumors. Not only they have been partners for the past three years, they also were best friends and without Clint at base, Natasha just got bored and grumpy, meaning that everyone knew that it was better for them to be together, then apart.

"Here you go," Clint offered Natasha a beer that she accepted with a smile, and sat down next to her. "So, we had an interesting day, yesterday…"

Taking a sip of her beer, Natasha nodded. "Indeed it was, but it was only for the mission and to protect our backs," she added.

Clint pressed his lips into a tight line.

"No, Clint, don't say anything, you know we can't let this happen," Natasha pleaded. They both knew very well what 'this' was. They have never kissed before for a reason – it would open the Pandora's Box for them and even though they too a peek at the inside the night before, Natasha wanted to close it for real.

"Why not?" He mumbled annoyed.

"How many couples has SHIELD?"

"A lot," he frowned.

"How many of them are partners?"

Clint opened his mouth, but closed it.

"See? Fury doesn't allow partners to have a romantic relationship. If even his wife doesn't work alongside of him, what would make us so special?"

"You can't deny that you felt something last night," Clint said, softly, looking up at her with those stormy grey eyes that made her feel like a stupid school girl.

"I'm not denying that I've felt something since you made a different call, Clint, I'm saying that our partnership is everything to me and I don't want to jeopardize it. Fury may be the happiest Director alive with our accomplishments in the field, but he wouldn't think twice about separating us if we ever got emotionally compromised," Natasha explained.

"We can break all the rules in SHIELD's book…except that one?" Clint asked.

"I'm sorry, but yes, that's the way it is," Natasha looked down. "I think I'll head back to base tonight," she said, getting up.

"Probably for the better," Clint mumbled.

Natasha knew she had hurt him, but she meant what she said. Their partnership, Clint, was everything to her and Fury wouldn't allow them to have the best of both worlds, so why put it at risk?