Because of Natasha’s past, seeing kids die when she’s on a mission hits her hard. She blames herself, and replays it over and over, reads the mission report extensively, and doesn’t sleep trying to figure out what went wrong and how to prevent it next time. If she can’t figure out how to stop it (which is most times, because it’s very rarely something that could be avoided) she gets dangerously self-destructive.
After a few times of this happening, Clint and Maria can recognize by her face when that’s happened. She’ll come back from a mission with the Look, and Clint and Maria will make sure one or both of them stays with her that night. Natasha insists she’s fine and wants to focus on the report by herself, but the night always ends with her crying in their arms and thanking them for staying.
