XVI. SUNFLOWER (VOL. 6)

Natasha awoke and rolled over, feeling cold sheets under her hands. She looked over the room and Amara was nowhere to be found. She stood, wrapping herself in a robe and walking to the kitchen, seeing a fully dressed for work Amara on the phone with someone.

"Oh, I'm fine mom, no need to worry," She says in french, putting a few things into her computer bag. "I'm not dating a guy- No I don't need set up- Mom, I don't date guys. I'm perfectly happy dating my girlfriend- hello?" She sets the phone down and sighs. "Oy, Vey," She says, placing her hand over her eyes and putting her elbow on the counter. Natasha walks next to her and wraps her arms around her, placing her face in Amara's neck.

"Good morning," Natasha mumbles.

"Hey baby," Amara says, hugging her back.

"You're up early," Natasha whispers. "It's not even light out."

"I have an early meeting uptown," She says. "I'll be speaking."

"What for?" Natasha asks.

"Fury asked me yesterday to be international outreach for France, and I said yes. I got home late and you were already asleep so." Natasha nods.

"Congratulations! We need to have dinner tonight?"

"I think I can do it tonight, I have a meeting at 4 that might run a bit long, but I'll call you afterward?" Natasha nods.

"Are you going to be at SHIELD in manhattan at all today?"

"I don't think so. I gotta go, love you," She gets her bag and kisses Natasha on her way out. "Oh, I also made coffee!"

"Thanks, Love you!"

☾☼☽

Natasha's phone rang as she was on the subway back from work. It was Amara's picture as the caller ID one of Natasha's favorite pictures of her. Nat smiles, picking up.

"Hey," She says.

"Hi, baby! I'm on my way home. Do you want to meet somewhere?"

"There's a place: Le Bernadin," Nat says. "Want to meet there?"

"Sure, See you then!"

Natasha needed to get n another train to be able to get there, so she got off at the next stop and waited for another train.

When the two finally arrived at the restaurant, they sat down and ordered, sitting across from each other and talking, pinkies linked together under the table. There was a family a few tables down that took their seats when they ordered.

It was a nice place. The waiters were nice, the food was amazing. Amara got cheesy french goodness and muscles, Natasha got a fancy steak and asparagus.

"How is your food?" The waitress asks the girls.

"Amazing," Amara says. The waitress nods and walks away.

"Let me taste," Natasha says. Amara takes her spoon and gives it to Natasha.

"You won," She says. "Because that is the best thing I've ever tasted."

"Let me taste yours," Amara says, as Natasha gives her a forkful. "Yours is good too. Mine's better though."

"I won't deny that свет моей жизни,"//Light of my life// Nat says, kissing Amara's hand.

"Excuse me?" The woman says to the waitress loud enough for Amara and Natasha to hear. "Could you ask those women to leave? They're making me uncomfortable."

"Have you ever thought of the possibility that you make them uncomfortable with your hatred?" The waitress says.

"Excuse me?"

"Homophobia will not be tolerated in this restaurant, and if you feel uncomfortable by a couple eating out to dinner, I will have to ask you to leave," The waitress says smoothly.

"Can I speak to a manager?" The woman demands.

"Sure, but it will be a waste of your time."

"Let me speak to a manager."

Amara almost snorts Natasha winks at her. "I bet they're mad that we have a better relationship than them," She whispers.

"We have a better relationship than most people in this room."

A female manager walks out beside the waitress, talking with her indistinctly.

"Hello, yes. This couple over there, the redhead and the brunette is making me extremely uncomfortable," The woman says.

"And why is that?" The manager says.

"Because it's unnatural for two women to be in a relationship," She hisses.

"Homosexuality exists in 450 species. Homophobia is found in only one. Now, what seems unnatural?" The manager asks. "If you have a problem with these nice ladies having a date, please find your business elsewhere."

When Amara and Natasha finished dinner, the couple finished around the same time, and they got on the same almost empty subway. Natasha made sure the woman was looking when she kissed Amara, taking her hips in her hands. The woman gasped. She got off at the next stop

☾☼☽

Amara sighed, resting her head on Natasha's chest. Nat plays with her hair, a smile tugging on her lips. She's contentedly humming as Amara closes her eyes.

"I love you," Amara purrs, lacing her fingers with Natasha's.

"I love you more," Natasha says. Amara bites her lip.

"I'm not having this argument with you again Natasha," Amara scolds.

"Yes ma'am," Natasha says, standing up.

"where are you going?" Amara asks. Natasha holds out her hand. Amara takes it as she's led to the living room. Natasha puts a CD into their CD player, and 'the way you look tonight' begins playing. "What are you doing?"

"Dance with me, мое сердц" She says, pulling Amara towards her.

"I-I can't dance," Amara says.

"Oh, you can kill three men with a single gunshot, beat me in sparring, but you can't dance?" Natasha quips.

"I'm not a magic person like you. I don't have abnormaly good looks, hair that can save lives, hips that can take them, baddasery levels no man can comprehend, dancing skills, and every other perfect thing about you," Amara says.

"I'm not perfect Amara, you read my file."

"I don't give a flying flip about the red in your ledger. All I care about is you and me, here and now. I don't care about are pasts. I just care about you."

"You are a magic person. You can make me fall for you all over again with just three sentences. You make me crazy, you know that?" She leans in to whisper, "And those thighs, they really do save lives."