can we talk
People often forgot that you were 21. Well that came with the territory of being a mutant child genius that S.H.I.E.L.D. recruited when you were 14. You excelled at the Academy, in both the science division and the Agent Division. Your father Tony found out about everything when you were 18. You walked into to the lab with the rest of the Avengers on the Helicarrier.
“(y/n) what the hell are you doing here?” Tony said as you walked into the room in your combat outfit.
“I’m doing my job” you said as you handed Natasha a package, “We just finished it, new Widow bites they won’t run out of charge and they pack a higher voltage” you said. Natasha smiled and nodded.
“How long have you worked here?” he asked staring at you wide eyed, as you strolled over to the work bench, determined to get your job done.
“4 years” you said as you pulled up data on the screen.
“FOUR FUCKING YEARS” Tony shouted causing you to look up “THIS ORGANISATION EMPLOYED YOU WHEN YOU WERE FUCKING 14”. The rest of the Avengers looked at you in shock, none more so than Natasha. She had seen you around before, she knew you were young but 18. She thought S.H.I.E.L.D. was better than this, that S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn’t employ children.
“I was a 14 year old mutant with no place to go, fuck Xavier’s wouldn’t take me, they didn’t have the room” you said turning to your father, your voice was even, “I now know how to control my mutation, we can talk about this later but right now I have a job to” you turned back to the data.
From that moment on you were an Avenger and you commanded just as much respect as your team mates. You were there every step on the way, through the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. to Tony and Bruce’s failed experiment. Natasha had noticed you more than the others. The two of you were kindred spirits, whether it was the puns, the martial arts or through your love of Supernatural. Natasha liked the way the two of you would just spontaneously go out for lunch together. She liked the way the two of you would sit on the roof of the tower. Sometimes talking, sometimes not. Natasha would look at you and realise how far she was falling. And realise how useless it was.
You were 10 years younger than her. You should date someone your own age. Someone young and free. Someone without enemy’s. Someone who you can be safe with. Someone that’s not her.
You and Tony had just finished having dinner together, it was something you regularly did since the two of you needed to build up some trust. What the two of you hadn’t planned was to drink a bottle of wine each. Before heading back to the tower and your respective rooms.
It wasn’t that late and you decided to stop of at Natasha’s room. Your sober self would never have done this. Not when you had all these feelings pent up. You had fallen for Natasha hard. In your eyes she was nothing short of perfect. She’s kind, she’s strong, she’s beautiful and she would never go out with you.
Natasha opened the door in pj’s, messy hair and a disgruntled look across her face, to find you standing on the other side in the dress you went to dinner in. Natasha took in a deep breath, pushing the thoughts of how beautiful you looked to one side, “what brings you here so late (y/n)?” she asked.
“I need to talk to you” you said, the alcohol making you braver than you would be sober. Natasha nodded and invited you in. You sat down in your familiar place against the wall, Natasha hadn’t understood why you like to sit on floors at first. However as she got to know you better it just became another one of your traits that she had fallen for. She had even bought a bean bag so she could sit closer to you in comfort. That was where she was sat now.
“What is it you want to talk about (y/n)?” she asked as she stretched her legs out in front of her, gazing at your beautiful features.
“You promise that you won’t hate me after I say it because you might not like what you hear” you said looking up at her. You felt her reach out and take your hands in hers.
“(y/n) I promise that there is nothing you can say that will make me hate you” she said her voice was serious yet soft.
You nodded, “I really like you Nat, like in more than a friend way”. Natasha’s mouth fell open as she listened to you as you continued to talk, “Like in a I love you way and I know that there is not a hope in hell that you will like me back because you deserve so much better”. You couldn’t even look her in the eye when you’d finished.
You didn’t see the utter relief followed by anguish. “(y/n) I like you in the same way but we can’t” she said simply as she held your hands tighter.
“You…” you said looking at her confused.
“I love you but we can’t be together (y/n)” she said having to avert her eyes from yours, knowing that if she looked into them, all her resolve would break.
“Why?” you asked gently, leaning forwards towards her.
“(y/n), I’m 10 years older than you, I have more enemy’s than I can count” Natasha said letting go of your hands and standing up. “You deserve better, you deserve someone who you can have a safe future with”. You stood up to face her.
“Natasha, we both have enemies, god through Dad I’ve got some who I don’t even know and every time it gets to me, I go to you Natasha because I feel safe when I’m with you” you said, feeling tears coming to your eyes, Natasha couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Nat, do you really think an age gap would matter?” you asked.
“(y/n) I am 10 years older than you, your family would freak” she said looking at you.
“Nat, my only family is Tony and he’s like 20 years older than Pepper” you said, “Yeah he would freak, because he’s never met anyone that I’ve dated”.
Natasha looked at you her resolve breaking, “you would really want to date me?” she asked. If she was honest she felt uncharacteristically scared. She felt your hand take hers gently.
“Natasha I love you, of course I want to date you” you said. Not knowing what else to do you gently leaned in and pressed your lips against hers. Natasha wrapped one arm around your waist to pull you in closer as her lips moved against yours. You let go of her hand and wrapped your arms around her neck. You eventually pulled away from Natasha, needing to breathe her arms still holding you tight against her.
“Then I guess you’re stuck with me” Natasha breathed before pressing her lips to yours again.