Chapter 6
“What are you doing home alone on a Friday night?”
She looked up from where she was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked up under her and a book in her lap. “I suppose I could ask you the same thing, Stark.”
He entered the room and she slid over, patting the space next to her. “I was serious. I thought Barnes would be jumping in his Kevlar at the chance to take you out.”
She frowned. “I’m not going out with Bucky.”
“You’re not?”
“No. We were just working together to figure out the Anya stuff. And he was helping me with another… project. But there’s nothing romantic between us anymore.” She closed her book and placed it on the coffee table, pushing her hair behind her ear in an uncharacteristically self-conscious gesture.
He sat down in the space she’d offered, turning to her with genuine interest. “Well, that’s alright. Feelings can change, after all.”
“Tell me about it.”
“How about Clint? I thought for sure he would’ve been around here at least fifty dozen times.”
She shook her head. “He’s not speaking to me.”
Tony sighed. “Whatever it is, he’ll get over it.”
“I don’t know this time. He was mad to begin with that I was working with James behind his back and now that I told him it’s over between us…..” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Am I a horrible person to the men in my life?”
“No way. Clint is just being Clint. Give him a few days, he’ll come around.”
“I think I really hurt his feelings this time.” She looked up at him, finding a tenderness in his gaze that she hadn’t noticed before. “During the war with Hydra, before…. everything…. I sort of kissed him. He might’ve had the impression that we were getting back together and then….”
“You died and were brought back and everything’s different and you haven’t taken a second to stop since?” He said, his tone not unkind.
She grimaced. “Still don’t think I’m a horrible person?”
“Nat, if kissing your ex was a crime, I’d be locked up with a lifetime sentence by now.”
The corner of her mouth tugged up slightly.
“Not that I don’t think you’re an easy person to get over. But honestly, I stopped trying to understand the saga of Barton and Romanova a decade ago.”
“Well, I don’t think I’ll ever understand it. So if you do happen to figure it out one day, you let me know,” she said.
“There’s not going to be any blind superheroes knocking on my door next, is there?”
“Nooooo. Matt did offer a place to stay for a bit, but he prefers to keep the least amount of drama possible around. That doesn’t exactly mean me these days.”
Tony’s brow furrowed. “Why would you stay with him a tiny apartment on the edge of the noisy city when you could stay here, in your old room with everything you need?”
“I didn’t say I would, but I kind of like this doting, overprotective streak you’ve had going lately,” she said, nudging her knee playfully into his thigh. “So you didn’t answer the question. What are you doing home tonight? Did Janet run out of fancy places to usher you off to?”
He sat back against the couch cushions, regarding her with a frown. “Jan and I broke up.”
“You did?” She asked, her voice rising an octave and her eyes widening in surprise. “When?”
“Last week at the fair.”
“Oh.”
“You really didn’t know?”
“No. It’s not like there was some big announcement, and we sort of all had our hands full that day.”
He gazed at her thoughtfully with a smirk on his face. “So let me get this straight. You thought Jan and I were still together, even the other night in the studio when you almost let me…?”
“Let you what, Tony?” She asked, with a warning in her tone.
He shook his head.
She reached out to pat his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Tony.”
“It’s alright. Just wasn’t working out, that’s all.”
“I mean, I feel bad about the break up, but I can’t say I’m surprised.”
He raised an eyebrow at her bluntness. “Oh really?”
Natasha shrugged. “She didn’t seem to really…. get you.”
“I suppose that’s fair,” he said with a nod. “So I guess my Friday nights will be a little boring for a while. I’ll head down to my lab. You holler if you need anything.”
“Or…” she said, pausing him as he was about to get up. “You could just hang out here with me tonight.”
“A little Tony/Nat time?” He said, pretending to think it over for a minute. “Yeah, I could go for that.”
“Good.” She reached for the remote on the coffee table. “Movie?”
“Sure.”
“Can I make you a drink?”
“As long as it’s unsweetened iced tea with four ice cubes and a lime, but I like the subtlety.”
She smiled a little sheepishly. “Can we talk about the alcohol thing?”
He took a deep breath, exhaling loudly. “If we have to.”
“Tony,” she said more gently, looking into his eyes. “Are you drinking again?”
“No,” he said firmly, meeting her gaze. “It was exactly what I told you. I succumbed to a moment of weakness, and it was a mistake. A mistake that cost me fifteen years of sobriety. I’ve regretted it ever since.”
“And you hate yourself for it,” she said quietly.
“You know me so well.”
“I do.” She scooted closer to him. “But honey, even Iron Man is only human sometimes.”
He nodded. “I’m not going to do it again.”
“I believe you. Just know that I would burn every last drop of alcohol on this planet and set the entire world on fire if it meant sparing you from a relapse.”
“I don’t doubt it.” He smiled, sliding his hand across the half a couch cushion in between them. “And I really appreciate that.”
“Tony,” she said, placing her hand in his. “You’ve spent every waking moment since your resurrection taking care of everyone else. Who’s taking care of you?”
He swallowed thickly, gazing down at their conjoined hands.
“I hope that this calmer, more mature version of you thinks to take time for himself. And that you get comfortable with asking your friends for help when you need it.”
“Didn’t I say those words to you a few weeks ago?”
She grinned. “Well, wise words deserve repeating, don’t they?” She leaned her head against the back of the couch.
“Can I ask you about something, Tasha?”
She nodded.
“Were you serious about getting out of your apartment?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope this isn’t some kind of rash, post-traumatic decision,” he said with a frown.
“No. It’s not that. I’ve actually thought a lot about it.” She reached into the pocket of her jeans, pulling out her cell phone and thumbing through the camera roll before handing it to him.
He leaned forward, scrolling through the photos she’d indicated silently.
“You didn’t just give me my memories back, you know. You gave me something that I didn’t even realize was missing. I don’t know I guess… maybe this whole life on the run thing isn’t working for me anymore,” she said, watching him carefully.
He looked up at her, his expression soft and attentive.
“So I was thinking of upgrading to a townhouse, maybe putting down some semi-permanent roots. I found this place by the water.”
“It’s you,” he said, handing the phone back to her with a soft smile.
“It even has a balcony.”
He smiled back, his eyes shining. “Would it be too corny to say I’m proud of you?”
“Yes,” she said, jabbing him in the ribs.
“How about I’m glad you’re staying close to the city?”
“Oh, you know I could never totally abandon the Avengers.”
“I meant that I’m glad you’re staying close to here. I just got you back. Wasn’t too keen on losing you again.”
She looked up at him. “I just got you back too, you know.”
He sat back. “So, movie, right? Any preferences?”
“As dumb and lighthearted as possible,” she said seriously.
“Agreed,” he said with a chuckle.
He found a movie that matched her requirements and they watched the opening credits in silence. She wondered for a moment if it had ever been this comfortable between them.
She was no stranger to spending time alone with him and of course they’d just hung out before, but somewhere things had shifted and she became comfortable talking to him about personal things that she would normally keep to herself without being able to pinpoint when it had happened. And for that matter, she’d even become comfortable shouldering his personal things.
She watched the way the light from the television illuminated his face, deciding she liked this new honesty and vulnerability combined with the usual camaraderie and fondness between them. This dance was familiar, even though it had some slightly unfamiliar elements, but she thought she’d be okay figuring out the steps.
After awhile she settled back into the couch cushions, giving in to the impulse to lean her head on his shoulder.
He turned his head down when he felt her weight against him and she felt his muscles tighten as he started to move and for a second she thought maybe he’d scoot over to put a little distance between them and that would’ve been fine with her too, but instead he draped his arm around her, drawing her closer.
“Comfy?” He asked, slouching a little lower.
“Mmmm-hmmm,” she murmured, settling in against him, relaxing into the softness of his t-shirt and the warmth of his body. “You?”
"Absolutely,” he agreed, putting his other arm around her and wrapping her up in his chest.
She rested her arm across his stomach, burrowing into him.
He was idly playing with the ends of her hair and she found herself paying more attention to the steady rhythm of his breathing and the feel of his cotton shirt against her face than the movie they’d been watching.
She was so comfortable that she thought if she closed her eyes for even a second, she might actually fall asleep.
Then she felt a sudden weight on the back of the couch and he pulled away abruptly as Liho jumped down onto the cushions next to him.
"What the hell is that?” He asked, putting a hand to his chest.
“It’s a cat, Tony,” she said wryly as Liho proceeded to smell his hand.
“I know it’s a cat,” he retorted. “What’s it doing in my house?”
“That’s Liho,” Natasha corrected. “She’s mine. Or I’m hers, I haven’t really quite figured that one out yet. And you said I should make myself at home.”
She reached across him to scratch under Liho’s chin. “It’s okay, you can pet her. She won’t bite.”
“Aren’t black cats supposed to be bad luck or something?” He said, wrinkling his nose as Liho hopped into his lap and stretched her face up to his to continue her exploration of him.
“That’s black widows,” she replied. “And you let me stick around. I guess I can keep her in my room if you really have a problem with it.”
“No… it’s no problem,” he protested. “I just wasn’t expecting another guest. When did you get a cat?”
“You don’t know everything about me, Tony Stark,” she said teasingly as Liho stepped off his legs and onto the couch next to him, curling up beside him. “Look, she likes you.”
He started to pet her with stiff motions, but Natasha’s mouth tugged into a smile when she saw the twinkle in his eyes as he warmed up to her. “You’re a good girl, aren’t you? You’re no trouble at all.”
Her smile widened. “Wow. She doesn’t usually get this close to strangers. You must be special.”
He grinned back as Liho purred, her tail whipping back and forth against his arm.
“Hey, I was here first,” Natasha said, leaning her head back on his shoulder. “Is this spot still available?”
“Of course,” he said, putting his arm around her again. “And you’re in luck. The spot on my lap has just been vacated too.”
She swatted his stomach before settling in against him and he eagerly held her close.
“Where were we?” He murmured, sinking lower to put her against his chest again.
"Beat it, sister,” she said to Liho, lovingly stroking her whiskers. The cat stood up, stretching out and yawning deeply before jumping to the floor and scampering away.
She cuddled up to him as he wrapped both his arms around her, let him hold her close and slide his fingers through her hair.
“Better?” he asked.
“Mmmmm,” she agreed.
He moved his hand from running through her hair to slowly rubbing her back and she sighed softly, enjoying the soothing motions.
At some point, his fingers began gently caressing her bare arm and she thought she might melt right into him as the soft tingling sensation spread throughout her body.
Then he carefully brushed her hair aside, his hand traveling up her arm to rest on her shoulder, his thumb softly stroking her neck and she shifted against him.
“Mmmm, you know what that does to me,” she murmured.
“I’m well aware,” he said quietly, leaning his head down and letting his cheek brush against her forehead. “Should I stop?”
“Did I say you had to?” she asked, tilting her head back to look up at him.
He slowly ran his thumb along her jaw, his hand cupping her face and then he closed the short distance between them, kissing her softly.
She leaned into his kiss, her hand resting against his chest, and closed her eyes as she kissed him back.
Another familiar dance, the eager press of his lips against hers, the slide of his tongue against hers and she opened her mouth as she let him intensify the kiss even further.
“Tony,” she breathed.
“Baby,” he murmured, his hand slipping up the hem of her shirt as they kissed and slowly sliding over the flat of her stomach. “You’re so soft.”
“Soft as in I’m letting myself get out of shape soft?”
“Hell no,” he said, drawing her in for another kiss and inching his hand higher. “Soft as in, God I just want to feel you everywhere.”
She moved her hands into his hair, just as soft and thick as she remembered and she lightly scraped her nails across his scalp as their kisses escalated.
“You know what that does to me,” he murmured against her lips, his eyes still closed.
“I know,” she whispered, tugging more deliberately on his hair.
He grinned, lowering his mouth to kiss her neck and she moaned softly.
His hands were still caressing the skin beneath her shirt and she squirmed against him. He still knew how to drive her crazy.
She let him nibble the length of her neck a little longer before she took his face in her hands, tilting his head back just enough so she could kiss him more thoroughly and she felt, more than heard his groan. She sucked his earlobe into her mouth, confident that she still knew how to drive him crazy too.
This story was familiar, and she knew how it would play out. She would let him get her into bed and he would sweet talk her after. Neither one of them would have any regrets. She could probably even get him to help her move. They’d figure out eventually why Doom had sent his bots to the carnival and he’d convince her to fight with the Avengers once more. She wasn’t sure how long the kissing and tenderness would last, or even if she wanted it past this one night. For now, the only thing she was sure of was that she just wanted to hold onto him for as long as she could.
So she wrapped her arms around his frame, held him close, and kissed him with a passion that had been boiling inside her since she’d woken up in his lab, feeling whole for the first time since she’d been woken up.
“Nat,” he said, lowering her into the couch cushions until he was half on top of her.
She sighed as his body pressed against hers, his hands getting a little more frisky.
“Still comfortable?” he asked, adjusting his weight so his torso was resting in between her legs.
“Mmmmm,” she moaned as his fingers gently brushed her hair back.
She pulled his face down to hers and then they were kissing passionately, his body moving against hers and she squeezed her thighs around his hips, craving more friction between them.
He pushed her shirt up, uncovering more bare skin. “Is this okay?” he whispered, hands stroking her ribs, his lips close to her ear, beard tickling her neck.
“Tony,” she said huskily. “You have about thirty seconds to get me upstairs and completely undressed before I change my mind.”