Night fell slowly, painting the sky in a deep indigo.
The apartment was bathed in a peaceful half-light.
The only sound came from an old vinyl record Natasha had put on. A soft jazz melody—warm, trembling.
Naruto lay on the couch, arms crossed behind his head.
Natasha, her back turned to him, was reading a SHIELD file, but her eyes kept drifting into empty space.
He could feel it.
She was thinking. Too much.
And he knew what that meant.
— "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked without moving.
She barely flinched.
— "It's nothing."
He turned his head slightly, his eyes cutting through the shadows.
— "You can lie to the whole world. Just not to me."
She turned slowly, arms crossed.
— "You scare everyone, you know that?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then, calmly:
— "Do I scare you?"
A suspended silence.
— "You don't scare me."
She moved closer and sat beside him.
The record kept spinning.
— "What scares me… is what I feel when I'm near you."
Her eyes shimmered in the dim light.
Naruto lowered his own.
— "Me too."
And this time, it wasn't chakra that pulsed.
It was something else.
Something far more dangerous.
They found themselves in the bedroom, without a word.
It wasn't planned.
It wasn't a game.
It was inevitable.
Natasha slowly removed her shirt, revealing a back scattered with old scars.
Naruto said nothing.
He looked at her like one gazes at a star-filled sky.
Then he stepped closer.
Not to touch her.
But to move closer to the weight she carried.
She turned her head, eyes shining.
— "Tell me if I'm making a mistake."
He gently placed his hands on her hips.
— "I think we're past that point."
They kissed again, this time longer. Deeper.
Their bodies sought one another—not out of sheer desire, but out of a need for connection. For warmth.
He didn't rush her.
She didn't hold back.
They undressed each other like removing armor. Slowly. Quietly. Without shame. Without haste.
Then they lay down, skin to skin.
And for several minutes… they did nothing.
Just breathed.
Felt.
Were.
Then, slowly, he entered her.
Not like a conquest.
But like an offering.
Their rhythm was gentle, guided by breath, by the synchronized beating of their hearts.
Fingers intertwined.
Eyes locked.
Bodies bare, defenseless.
And when they climaxed together… it wasn't an explosion.
It was a release. A peaceful collapse.
A shared exhale.
A soft fall.
Like two hearts finally finding a place to land—without breaking.
Moonlight filtered through the blinds. Natasha, naked, had turned toward him, the sheet barely covering her hip.
Naruto lay on his back, one hand on his chest, the other still holding hers.
They hadn't spoken yet.
But their breathing said everything.
Then she whispered, eyes open:
— "I'm not Hinata."
The words fell like a soft blade.
But Naruto didn't flinch.
He simply squeezed her hand a little tighter.
— "I know."
She shifted slightly to look at him.
— "I don't want to be a replacement."
He turned his head as well.
— "You're not. You're you. And that… that's what's saving me."
Her eyes filled with tears.
But she didn't cry.
Not yet.
She moved closer, resting her head on his chest.
And she fell asleep there.
For the first time in years… Natasha Romanoff slept without nightmares.
And Naruto… slept without fear.
The next morning
When morning came, there was no explanation.
No panic.
They had breakfast together. As always.
But something had changed.
The way they looked at each other.
The way they brushed against one another.
The way they stayed silent.
They didn't name it.
There was no need.
But when she left for a short mission, she stopped at the door and turned back.
— "Will you still be here… tonight?"
He looked at her. Then nodded.
— "I'm here. As long as you want me."
She smiled.
A rare smile. A real one.
And disappeared.
.