You step into the compound and immediately stop, unsure of where to go- this is easily the biggest living room you’ve ever stepped in- and your dad is Tony Stark, you’ve been to a lot of places. Since the Avengers Tower doesn’t come with a map, you decide to follow where the voices are coming from, not actually paying half of a mind about the fact that, apart from your dad and Natasha, none of the team knows who you are.
You do hope, though, that at least one of the two is at the tower right now- because, when their voices get louder at every step, sounding less and less like the noise of a memory, you find yourself in their kitchen- and every set of eyes fall on you- out of the five, none of them is known by yours, because it's just your luck-, the voices dry out as if they had never existed in the first place.
Thor and Steve stand up from their chairs in a second “Who are you?” the latter asks, already pacing towards you.
Bruce and Wanda, although keeping their distance- since they were the ones cooking-, position themselves in defense and it all seems a little too close to the scenes you have seen time and time again on the news.
Great, I’m gonna die before even getting to see Natasha.
You’re beginning to regret your poor un-thought decision, already wondering what are the chances of just scurrying back to where you came from being successful- which is something you've estimated to be in between 0 and 1%- when the glass door, from the other side of the kitchen slides open, welcoming the silent steps you began to recognize so well.
Your knees weaken, not really sure if for the mere premise of seeing her or for the relief of knowing you won't get blasted out of the tower.
“What are you-” Natasha starts to ask, and immediately shuts up at noticing their positions- and then, only then, focuses on locating the threat.
Your weak, defenseless, ass.
You pretend not to notice how quickly your heart reacts to the quickest of the glances at her tinted cheeks and the smallest of the sounds of her voice.
She rushes to you so quickly that you only realize she’s already hugging you when your lungs run out of air and your face is submerged in her silky hair- there is nothing much more than hugging her back left to do, you can feel her heart against yours and her hot, stuttered breathing against your skin, your smiles are so bright that you can both feel it from the plumpness of each other's cheeks. You take a deep breath and all you can feel is Natasha- this is what happiness feels like.
“No way!" The woman shrieks against your body. (You try not to smirk smugly at the fact that you just made the Black Widow shriek in excitement)
After a few too many minutes, or maybe five seconds- time doesn’t act right when you’re around her-, she steps back, allowing your lungs to expand healthily once again, which is something you've never thought you would feel sad about, until now.
“Darling, what are you doing here?” Your entire body blooms in smiles with the affectionate pet name, and this time you allow the butterflies to fly, tracing the most beautiful patterns on you, blessing paths for flowers to grow in colors you've yet to see- maybe you were mistaken back then, this is what happiness feels like, to be under her love.
And, God, Natasha manages to be even prettier than what you last remembered- and you have Facetimed each other just last night- there’s just something about being this close to a person, you can see every single detail so well, every small freckle and tiny golden fuzz- it makes them look like a precise painting of a painter's lover. Or maybe, you reason, it’s because it’s where her soul and body meet- right in front of your eyes, and you know quite well she’s the owner of the prettiest one to ever exist-
Natasha arches an eyebrow, you try to ignore the team’s inquisitive looks at you-
Right, she asked you a question.
You smile at her, it comes easily “Pulled a few strings” Your voice trips once or twice in excitement before you clean your throat properly “Plus, dad said you haven't decorated the place for New Year yet- I had to fix it”
“Your dad?” Steve asks, popping your bubble, at the same time Bruce questions “Darling?”
Natasha glares at both of them for the interruption, before sharing with you a gentle smile- one that shines from her eyes-, nudging you to answer them. You grin, remembering how much she glared at you, just the same way she had at them, at the first time you met- oh how the tables have turned.
You decide to ignore Bruce’s bewildered eyes- because, duh, you don't want to talk about you and your girlfriend in front of her ex- and turn to Steve, answering him with a smile “Yeah, Tony”
“Tony?” The team exchange wide-eyed looks and you don't fail to remember your father's endless complaints about how dramatic the Avengers can be.
“Yeah, don’t get me started on that” Natasha answers exasperatedly, but there's a faint blush daring to appear on her cheeks, you can’t help but smile at her antics- she can be dramatic, she looks hot.
Wanda finally speaks, expertly pointing at the two of you with her wooden spoon “And you know each other because…?”
You have the feeling she already knows the answer- by the way the tips of her eyes are smiling and the very small smirk poking through her mouth-, but only wants to mess with Nat a little bit, you have a very faint impression you would quickly befriend her.
“Don’t get me started on that” Your dad answers as he suddenly barges into the kitchen, crossing his arms over his chest “How in hell did you get in?”
You smile at him, giving a hug to which he barely tries to escape “JARVIS” You answer, refraining from rolling your eyes at his skeptical look “I’m a Stark too, you know, if anyone can hack it, it’s me”
Natasha and your dad take a small truce to smile proudly at you and, even if you know you'll hear a mouthful from him later, you can’t decide which one makes your smile grow even bigger.
“Are we going to pretend Tony just doesn’t suddenly have a daughter?” Clint asks, still thoroughly confused by your presence.
“I wish” Your dad huffs “But apparently [Y/N] wants to become the Earth’s Most Desired Target, so who am I to stop her?”
You scoff at him, letting him know that “I'll just spend the week to help with the New Year's decorations, then I'm out of the map again”
At that Natasha perks up, you don’t know if because of the decorations or for the excuse to spend this much time with you- but, for whatever it is, you feel happy to be the source of so many small sparks of happiness she has shone ever since your arrival.
“You can help me” She immediately answers, holding her voice to not sound eager and you suppress the urge to squeeze her “I was just getting started on the lights”
“Romanoff” Before you could agree, your dad cleans his throat, once more squaring his shoulders to her “Is that a secret code for any funny business?”
“Dad" You berate him as your cheeks redden at his usual-but-never-improved lack of sense, tugging Natasha’s hand to get you both out of the room before he can do any further damage.
But, of course, being who she is, Natasha Romanoff just doesn’t leave the room without having the last word.
“It’s a celebration code, Stark, it means we’re putting twinkle lights around the place” The redhead arches a teasing eyebrow, holding you just a little tighter against her “Would you allow such a blasphemous thing?”
When the rest of the team snickers at him, Tony clicks his tongue quietly and looks down at his watch, declaring in clipped words “In places where people can walk in and out easily”
And just because she’s that shitty, Natasha grins “We’re starting on your bedroom, then”
He allows a chuckle to leave his lips- he does love her, she is his best friend, after all- before looking at the both of you and pointing at her “As long as it doesn't end up on yours”
You groan in embarrassment as the team laughs at how much of a dad he really is, and tug at Natasha's hands one more time, before she kisses your head “Come on, красотка, we don’t want to give him a heart attack”
Then, after your father's eagle eyes are finally out of sight, instead of turning left to the living room, Natasha makes a sharp curve to the right.
"He never said anything about starting on my bedroom, did he?" She asks under a very innocent smile and everything about her confident tone of voice and shining eyes contrasts so much against the red-tinted cheeks she's suddenly wearing.
You had been wrong once again; this- somewhere amongst her hidden shyness and fake cockiness, lost in between the adoration and desire that's swimming in her eyes- is what happiness feels like.