Meeting Natasha
Charlie sat on a yoga mat that was placed a few feet away from the boxing ring in her father’s gym. Her long dark curls threatened to escape the confines of her tight bun as she reached forward to touch the toes of her outstretched leg. She held the position with her eyes closed, she breathed evenly and quietly and listened to Tony and Happy sparing in the ring. Her concentration was broken due to the Pepper’s sharp call upon her arrival.
“The notary’s here! Can you please come sign the transfer paperwork?!”
“I’m on happy time,” Tony replied as he continued to punch the pads on Happy’s hands. He didn’t even give Pepper a side glance.
Charlie slowly lifted her eyes to watch said ‘notary’ waltz in. Her blue eyes were glued to the gentle waves of red hair, the sharp cheekbones of the woman’s face, and the sheer swagger of her walk. She watched on, imagining each muscle move under the stranger’s tight button up like the useless gay she was. She slowly stood up to continue her stretches.
“I promise you, this is the only time I will ask you to sign over your company,” Pepper joked as she watched the notary point out everything she needed to sign.
The notary looked up from the transfer paperwork, her eyes landed on Charlie. Her eyes wandered up Charlie’s dark blue yoga pants, up her zipperless hoodie, before their eyes met.
“What’s your name, Lady?” Tony asked brashly.
“Rushman,” The woman removed her gaze from Charlie with a snap, “Natalie Rushman.”
“Front and center,” Tony waved Natalie into the ring, “Come to church.”
Charlie crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her father, “Tony…” She said in a warning tone.
“You too,” Tony instructed, “Let’s see what all those lessons I’ve paid for taught you.”
“No, you’re not seriously going to ask…” Pepper trailed off.
“If it pleases the court, which it does,” Tony countered with a cheeky smile.
Charlie rolled her eyes at her father’s arrogance, but she did as she was told. On her way to the ring, she grabbed her kickboxing gloves and a spare pair for Natalie.
“It’s no problem,” Natalie explained as she waved off Pepper’s worry.
Charlie smoothly entered the ring as her father and Happy climbed out.
“Can you give her a lesson?” Tony asked.
Charlie shook her head, unamused at Tony. She pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it out of the ring. When she turned to hand Natalie the spare pair of gloves, she was met with the woman’s eyes wandering over her athletically toned stomach. With a smirk, Charlie handed over the gloves. “Charlie,” she introduced herself.
“Natalie,” the other woman responded as she accepted the gloves.
“Nice to meet you, Nat. Too bad it wasn’t under different circumstances,” Charlie apologized.
Natalie shrugged as she slipped her hands into the gloves, “I have had worse introductions.”
“Yeah, but no one is as nuts as Tony,” Charlie yelled over Natalie’s shoulder, aimed at her father.
Tony just waved her off.
“Do you box?” Charlie asked as she tightened up the velcro on her own gloves.
“I have, yes,” Natalie answered.
Charlie hummed, “I’m not exactly sure what Tony wants me to teach you, but then again, who knows what his aim here is,” she mumbled, “I guess we should appease the master though. I guess try to hit me?”
Natalie furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head, “You want me to hit you? You don’t sound so sure about that.”
Charlie nodded, “We might as well get this over with.” She moved into a defensive stance, with her arms up to block her face, “Just no face shots.”
“Wouldn’t want to bruise such a pretty face,” Natalie flirted.
Charlie’s cheeks reddened.
“How do I spell your name, Natalie?” Tony called out.
“R-U-S-H-M-A-N.”
Natalie used the distraction to swiftly kick Charlie’s legs out from under her. She held the other woman to the matted ring floor with a knee to the chest.
“I guess we know more than boxing, huh?” Charlie teased with a smirk that would win against her father’s.
“Charlie!” Pepper shrieked. She moved to help Charlie out from under Natalie, only to be stopped by Tony.
Natalie raised an eyebrow, she was about to counter Charlie’s comment with her own flirty one, but the wind was knocked out of her.
Charlie had taken advantage of the moment of distraction to flip the ‘girl from legal’, and reverse their positions. Without another word, Charlie jumped up and held out her hand to help Natalie off the floor.
“I need her,” Tony said with a smile.
Charlie rolled her eyes as she took off her kickboxing gloves, and took the spare ones off Natalie.
“She’s got everything that I need,” Tony continued.
“She’s not an object you can purchase, Tony,” Charlie shook her head at her father. Long strands of her dark curls fell into her face and stuck to her forehead from sweat from being unprepared for their little fight.
Natalie was visibly unaffected by the fight and she seemed unfazed by Tony and his childish bickerings with Charlie. She grabbed the contract from Pepper and walked up to Tony.
“Just…,” She paused for a moment, “I need your impression.”
Tony, who knew exactly what Natalie wanted, but decided to reply differently, “You have a quiet reserve. I don’t know, you have an old soul,” he offered, “It seems like my daughter has a thing for you.”
Natalie looked over to Charlie, whose face was red as a tomato, she smirked at the other woman before looking back at Tony. “I meant your fingerprint,” she said sharply.
“Right,” Tony smirked, giving the redhead what she wanted.
“So, how are we doing?” Pepper asked.
“Great!” Tony exclaimed with a genuine smile, “Just wrapping up. Hey! You’re the boss.”
Natalie closed the contract and lowered her arms to her side, “Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”
“No.”
Pepper cut him off from saying something stupid, “Yes, that will be all, Ms. Rushman,” she answered, “Thank you very much.”
Both Tony and Charlie watched Natalie walk-off, mirroring each other’s expression.
“I want one,” Tony commented.
Tony’s crude comment shook Charlie out of her daze.
“No,” Both Pepper and Charlie chorused.
“It’s bad enough you made me fight the poor woman,” Charlie grumbled. She bumped shoulders with Tony as she passed him. Charlie walked over to where her sweater had landed, grabbed it off the floor, and put it back on before following Natalie out of the room.
Natalie had made it all the way to the front parlour before Charlie caught up with her.
“Nat, wait!” Charlie called out as she adjusted her sweater.
“Ms. Stark,” Natalie sighed.
“You’re S.H.I.E.L.D..”
“I’m sorry, I am unaware of what you mean,” Natalie said blinking away her momentary confusion.
“Fury didn’t tell you that he approached me last year, did he?” Charlie asked.
“He did not.”
“Well, he did. Anyways, can I ask you why you’re here? Or what your name really is?” Charlie rambled off.
“Again, I don’t know what you speak of,” Natalie countered.
“I won’t blow your cover. Frankly, I would like to have you around,” Charlie explained, “You know my father is going to ask you to be his assistant. Although, you and I both know you are way overqualified for that, even just your cover is,” she said with a wink.
“Romanoff.”
Charlie tilted her head.
“My name is Natasha Romanoff.”
Charlie nodded, “Nat it is then.”
Natasha smirked, “See you around, Ms. Stark.”
“See you around, Agent Romanoff.”