III. GREAT FEATS

Throughout her first month at SHIELD, not much happened. It was about a week past Amara's month anniversary when she got her first mission. She was going to go to the UK with Natasha and Clint to visit a few people. She and Natasha had been spending a lot of time together, just hanging out, watching movies, going on walks, they once took a cooking class together (Natasha had gotten a coupon in the mail and they tried it as a joke).

Friends. That's all they were. Friends. Right? Amara was excited about the mission. When she and Nat would just hang out, Natasha had a way more laid-back attitude than she had at work. Natasha really used the Black Widow persona when they were in public. Amara guessed that she was one of the only ones who saw the real Natasha.

Clint and Amara had grown closer too. They'd eat lunch together most days, just sitting and chatting. Of course, Clint and Natasha went on more missions than Amara, but she was quickly climbing "Ranks" and was probably going to get an office soon. She had work friends like Coulson and Maria. She occasionally had a conversation with Fury when they got coffee, but other than that, he was working on the Avengers initiative. The cat in his office was named Goose, and he was pretty friendly.

The days leading up to the mission were fairly chill, Amara watched a few movies with Natasha, checked books out from the library, and packed. She needed the light blue shield outfit, but it wouldn't help her with the whole wing thing... She'll talk to Fury about it.

She headed into the elevator, alone today, thinking she'd talk to Fury after she got back. she had gotten a gun for her thigh holster, and the blue agent suit was ready for her. Lately, she'd been going to training, sparring with Natasha occasionally, shooting guns, etc. She was good at the latter, but Natasha was way better at sparring than her, but Amara liked the challenge.

The locker room was empty as she entered, changing into her training clothes. She placed her gun in her thigh holster, over her leggings. She headed to target practice. It was weirdly meditative for her, maybe because she learned about how to use guns from an early age. She wasn't like the red-haired assassin, who didn't have to look. It seemed that Natasha was better than her in every way. She was using this to distract her. When she got into the gym, beautiful, perfect Natasha stood in the middle of the room. She was utterly and completely breathtaking.

Her red hair fell smoothly, something Amara's hair wouldn't do. She put it in a messy braid, one that fell to her chest. Natasha wore a black wrap shirt and a pair of dark dress pants. Her feet were bare, chipped red nail polish adorned her nails. She didn't have any polish on her hands, better to punch Amara with probably.

Natasha looked at the brunette in front of her. Her brown eyes had little flecks of green in them, ones that you wouldn't notice unless you looked closely. As a spy who'd mastered the art of seduction, Natasha hadn't expected to be taken away by this girl. Natasha was obsessed. She noticed everything, the way she walked, the way her eyes fled Nat's face when they made eye contact. Natasha used to think love was for children, but now,

"You ready chérie?" Natasha asked her as she climbed into the ring.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Amara responded. The sparring match went for longer than usual, it was actually pretty close. Natasha won, but she was always a good sport about it. Natasha noticed that Amara was getting better. One day she might actually win.

Amara was a notorious fast learner. Where she grew up, she would always win after a few tries in sparring. She'd be good at training and a favorite among the teachers for her wit. Though she hated the attention back then, Amara always was at the higher rankings. But Natasha was just simply better than her. Sure it was a challenge, but Amara wouldn't ever back down. That would be truly failing.

The quinjet was scheduled to leave in a few hours, and Amara desperately needed coffee. Natasha watched as she headed to the locker room after their sparring. She followed, trying not to be creepy.

"Hey, do you want to get some coffee with me?" Amara asks. She was buttoning her white button-down. She was wearing a black skirt and black heels with it, and Natasha didn't need to change. She slipped on a pair of black flats, giving her a more sophisticated look.

"Sure, where to?" Natasha replied. Amara took the ex-assassin's hand and hurried out of the shield building. They walk down the street into a smoky little cafe. It was quiet, with only a few people. Natasha got an impulse. She took Amara's hand and laced their fingers together. there wasn't a reason for it, other than it making Amara turn a bright shade of scarlet.

Amara's heart started pounding. Natasha just grabbed my hand! Her brain was fuzzy. She dropped their hands, not thinking. Natasha ignored this and didn't touch Amara's hand again.

They got their coffees and sat by the window. Neither of them said a word, the atmosphere changed from sweet to awkward. In hindsight, Natasha wished she didn't grab Aamara's hand. Natasha was a bold person, and Amara not so much. Amara went on the safer side of things (Natasha assumed). Natasha took another sip of coffee and looked at Amara looking out the window.

"Are you excited for your first mission?" Natasha asked her, attempting to break the hush. Amara shrugs.

"I'm excited to spend more time with you and Clint," Amara replied. She lifts her coffee up to her face but doesn't drink it. Natasha takes out her phone and takes a picture of this girl. She allowed her brown hair to come out of its braid, it added a bit of wave to her dark auburn hair. Amara smiled and set down her cup of coffee.

"You taking pictures of me too?" She suggested jokingly. Natasha smirked.

"Of course I am, you're beautiful," She said. "Who wouldn't want to take your picture?" A light blush crosses Amara's face, nobody had ever complimented her like that. A timer went off on Amara's phone. She sighed.

"We should probably get going. I need to grab my stuff. The quinjet is supposed to leave in an hour." Natasha's face fell, but she nodded. They walked back to their apartment building, Amara contemplating whether or not Natasha was flirting with her or not. She couldn't tell, Natasha was so smooth all the time, and It wasn't shocking to Amara if she was just joking.

Amara was confused. She'd known she was gay when she was 16 and fell in love with one of her classmates. She'd been in a close relationship, one where Amara got her heartbroken. Natasha reminded her of the girl she used to date, and it scared her. Amara was still a confused closeted 28-year-old lesbian who was falling head over heels for Natasha Romanoff.