A/N: This is for the Natasha Romanoff Big Bang on Tumblr.
Story Art: post/133145513298/i-didnt-know-you-could-knit-the-art-of-wooing
post/133145596557/what-i-want-for-christmas-this-year-is-for-pepper
post/133147293887/i-drew-a-pic-of-nat-and-pepper-building-a-snowman
1st December
It was the first day of December in the Avengers Tower and everyone was already in the holiday spirit. There was a loud knock on Natasha's bedroom door, before a male voice woke her up. "Nat come on! We're going to put up the tree!" Clint shouted through the thick metal door.
Natasha rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, stretched and then got out of bed. She put on some clothes, got Pepper's gift and left to go to the main floor living room. In the room, near the door was a six foot real Christmas tree. Natasha, Pepper and the other Avengers dragged the tree to the corner of the room. They placed it in a tree stand and stood it up right. While Steve and Tony went to get the decorations, Natasha got the gift from where she had left it by the door and gave it to Pepper.
"What's this?" Pepper asked.
"Just something I made" Natasha answered. Pepper unwrapped the gift and found a wool jumper inside. She unfolded it to find a snowman on the front of it. The snowman had a Christmas hat on its head.
"Thank you. It's lovely. I didn't know you could knit."
"I have many skills."
Pepper kissed Natasha on the cheek and put on the jumper, before joining the others to put up the decorations. Natasha got some lights and wrapped them around the tree. Pepper and Thor put up stockings on the fireplace and reefs on the doors. Tony and Steve were arguing over what to put on top of the tree. Steve wanted the angel and Tony wanted the star on top.
"Why don't we put it to a vote?" Natasha suggested.
"That's a good idea" Tony agreed.
"Put your hand up if you want the angel on top." Steve, Thor and Clint raised their hands. "Put your hand up if you want the star on top." Tony, Natasha, Pepper and Bruce raised their hands. "Looks like the star's going on top." Natasha affirmed. Tony wasted no time in putting it on the tree. When the tree was fully decorated, Pepper plugged in the lights and turned them on. The tree looked magical. They stood back and admired it for a moment.
"Shall we decorate the rest of the building?" Thor asked.
"Yeah. Me, you and Clint will decorate the outside. Everyone else can decorate the other floors" Tony answered.
"That's a lot of floors" Bruce reminded.
"Just decorate the top ten floors. The one's we all use daily." Tony called his suit and once it had assembled on him, he, Clint and Thor left to decorate the outside of the tower. Thor and Clint took the lights out side with them. They strung the light around the front doors of the building. Tony flew up onto the roof to put a big Santa in his sleigh with his reindeer figurine that had lights on the roof.
Bruce, Steve, Natasha and Pepper left the top floor with boxes of decorations and went down floor by floor, decorating every room. They started with the 9th floor down, Tony's floor. Then they went down to Pepper's floor. Then Natasha's floor. Then Clint's floor. Then Bruce's floor. Then Thor's floor. Then Steve's floor. Once Steve's floor was decorated the split into two groups to finish faster. Bruce and Steve decorated the guest floor. Natasha and Pepper decorated the entertainment floor.
Once they'd decorated all of the top ten floors, Natasha led the way out of the building to have a look at the outside. Tony had programmed the blue lights built into the building to turn red and green. The changed patterns randomly. The Santa on the roof was clear to see, it was so big. There was a huge reef above the front entrance.
"Merry Christmas Pepper" Natasha said, with a smile.
"Merry Christmas Nat" Pepper replied, returning the smile and holding her hand.
2nd December
Early afternoon on the second day of December, Natasha and Pepper were in the kitchen setting out ingredients on the counters. They were baking Christmas cookies. Pepper had gotten Natasha to agree to it, even though she was reluctant. Natasha couldn't say no to Pepper's puppy dog face. They measured out each ingredient and added it to the bowl, before stirring it all together to make dough. Then Natasha took is out of the bowl and separated it into two balls. They each took a rolling pin and flattened the dough.
Once it was 1cm thick, they got Christmas cutter. Natasha had a Christmas tree and Pepper had a snowman. They cut as many shapes out of the dough as they could and put them onto the baking trays. When the trays were full, they placed them into the oven to cook. While they were cooking however, Pepper picked up some flower off the side and threw it at Natasha. It landed on her cheek, causing her to glare at Pepper before cracking a smile and threw some back.
It quickly escalated into a food fight. The ingredients got all over them and the kitchen. When they were both covered, they burst out laughing. Steve chose that moment to walk into the room. "Guys, you're supposed to be baking cookies not covering the walls!" He scolded.
"Oh cheer up Grandpa" Natasha teased.
"Just clean it up." Steve left the room again shaking his head. Natasha and Pepper burst out laughing again, before cleaning up the kitchen.
"Ugh! I have flower in my bra!" Pepper complained. "I need to take a shower."
"I do too" Natasha added, as they walked into the elevator.
"Maybe we should share" Pepper flirted.
"I'm not sure that is a good idea. The cookies would burn." Natasha's cheeks were the same shade as her hair. Once they had both had separate showers, they returned to the kitchen in clean clothes to take the cookies out of the oven. They left them on the counter to cool, with a note warning people not to eat them.
While they waited, they had a glass of wine each and got to talking on the living room sofa. "So…have you and Clint ever dated?" Pepper asked.
"No, he was married when I met him and besides, he's not my type" Natasha answered.
"What is your type?"
"Good looking red heads are a favourite of mine. But I can sleep with anyone."
"Anyone in particular that you're interested in?"
"I believe it's my turn to ask you something."
"Go ahead."
"Why'd you break up with Tony?"
"We argued too much and I realised we don't have a lot in common. I also saw the way that he looked at Bruce."
"Are you interested in someone else?"
"I wasn't for a while after we broke up, but then an old friend walked into my life again and I fell for them. What about you?"
"There's this one person I'm interested in but I don't know if they like me back. And if they do I don't want to put them in danger." They were quiet for a moment before remembering the cookies and returning to the kitchen. They made green and white icing to decorate the cookies. Once they were decorated, they left them to set. Pepper couldn't forget about their conversation and she didn't want to forget.
"Who is it that you like?"
"This beautiful red head, who is CEO of a major corporation." She wouldn't look at Pepper, but she could feel Pepper's eyes on her.
"I'm already 'in danger' you know" Pepper reminded gently.
"I know and I don't want to add to that. If people knew you were not only Tony Stark's best friend and CEO of Stark Industries, but my girlfriend too, you would be in even more danger and I don't want to be the cause of that." Natasha left the room, not wanting to talk about it any longer.
3rd December
When Natasha woke up on the third day of December, the light streaming in from the window seemed duller than usual. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, still half asleep, as she got out of bed. Natasha walked over to the window, while stretching to look outside. She pulled back the curtains and was greeted with a beautiful sight. There was a thick layer of snow covering the ground and every other horizontal surface. Snow was still falling lightly as far as she could see.
The door hissed open, but Natasha didn't need to see who it was. Only one other person could open her door. "It looks nice out there, doesn't it" Pepper commented.
"I've seen better…but yeah" Natasha replied vaguely.
"Do you want to go Christmas shopping with me?"
"Sure, I haven't bought anyone's present yet."
"I'll meet you downstairs in 30 minutes." Pepper left and Natasha had a shower before getting dressed into form fitting black leather trousers, black leather boots and a blue shirt. She put on some light make up and dried her hair. Natasha left her room and made her way down to the garage. She got into her black BMW i8, drove around to the front of the tower and stopped in front of Pepper, opening the door for her. "Get in loser, we're going shopping." Natasha has a playful smirk on her lips.
Pepper rolled her eyes at her and got in the car, shutting the door and putting her seatbelt on, before they drove off. They pulled up to the mall's car park and got out.
"Where do you want to go first?" Pepper asked as they entered the main building.
"I have no idea, I don't know what to get everyone" Natasha answered. "But I do need some caffeine." They went into Starbucks to get their morning coffee. Natasha ordered a Sumatra and Pepper ordered an Ethiopia. Once they got their coffees, they headed to JC Penney, Hallmark, Game Stop, Radio Shack, Aeropostale, Top Gun and Victoria's Secret. They got presents for their friends and family, including each other, they split up so the presents would be a surprise.
At lunch time, Natasha and Pepper went to the nearby McDonalds on 10th Avenue & 34th Street. They ordered a meal each, then sat down at a table together. "It's nice to have a white Christmas" Pepper said.
"It's technically not a white Christmas yet as it's not Christmas day. The snow might melt by then" Natasha told her.
"Earlier, when you said you've seen sights more beautiful, what did you mean?"
"Exactly that." Natasha focussed her sight on the chips she was eating.
"Yes, but what sights?" This time Natasha looked up at Pepper trough her eye lashes.
"I have a better view right now." They shared a smile before continuing to eat their meals. When they finished eating, they put their rubbish in the bin and left the restaurant. They got back into Natasha's BMW i8 before either of them spoke again.
As Natasha pulled away from the parking spot, Pepper spoke. "We have to talk about this Nat."
"About what?" She was playing innocent.
"You know what Natasha. I like you and you like me. I want to talk about it."
"We have talked Pepper. If you were ever kidnapped by Loki or another evil bastard, I couldn't bare it."
"It's possible for me to get kidnapped whether we're dating or not. If I did I'm sure you and our friends would stop at nothing to rescue me. Don't you want to be with me?"
Natasha exhaled loudly. "Of course I do Pepper, but it's not that simple. Not with my job. I'm sorry. I wish I could but I can't. I can't do that to you."
4th December
Natasha went into the kitchen to get a mug of coffee, when she saw Pepper sitting at the island, a tablet in one hand and a mug on the surface in front of her. Natasha poured herself a drink, before sitting down opposite Pepper. "Are you mad at me?" Natasha asked.
"No. I was a little bit annoyed last night, but I understand your reasoning. I do, however, wish you'd change your mind" Pepper answered.
"I wish I could. You don't know how hard this is." They were silent for a while, Pepper reading the latest news relating to Stark Industries and Natasha lost in thought.
"Do you want to build a snowman?" Pepper's voice snapped Natasha out of her thoughts.
"Sure." They bundled up in thick winter coats, fur boots, scarfs, hats and gloves before stepping outside into the deep snow. It was at least one foot deep. Natasha worked on the bottom of the snowman, while Pepper worked on the middle. Natasha made a small ball of snow, then rolled it around the street gathering more snow to make the ball bigger.
When it was big enough, she rolled it next to the entrance of the tower, where Pepper was just finishing her part. They both lifted the middle ball and placed it on the bigger one. They used more snow to make sure the two balls stayed together.
"We're going to need sticks, stones, a hat and a scarf" Pepper mentioned. "I'll get them while you make the head."
Pepper went inside the tower as Natasha made another snow ball. By the time she had finished that, Pepper had returned. They put the last ball on top of the snowman and attached it with more snow. Pepper put the hat on its head, Natasha put the scarf around its neck, Pepper used some of Clint's arrows for arms and Natasha used the fake coal from the fireplace as eyes and a mouth. They stood back to admire their handy work.
"I want a photo" Natasha said as she got out her Samsung phone.
"Take one of me with it" Pepper stood by the snowman and Natasha took the photo. Then Natasha stood by the snowman and Pepper took her photo. She gave the phone back to Natasha and lay down on the ground.
"What are you doing?"
"Making a snow angel." Pepper moved her arms and legs to make an angel. Just then the others came out of Avengers Tower.
"What have you two been doing?" Bruce asked.
"We built a snowman" Pepper answered, standing up.
"Lame!" Tony shouted, teasing them.
"You guys want to join us?" Steve asked.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked.
"We're going to have a snowball fight" Clint informed them.
"Yeah!" Pepper accepted enthusiastically. They walked around to the side of the building where the snow was untouched.
"We should split into two teams" Tony suggested. Everyone agreed and split into two groups of three. Each team built a snow wall to hide behind and then the game started. Clint's throws were very accurate on Tony's team, but Natasha's throws were faster on her team, so it evened out. They played for a few hours, until everyone was worn out. By the end of the game, everyone had been hit several times, but they had all had fun.
It was dark by the time the game was over and they all headed inside. Natasha wanted an early night, so she headed to her room and hopped in the shower to warm up and get the snow out of her hair. She was in there a lot longer than normal and by the time she re-entered her bedroom in her pyjamas, Pepper was in her bed. Natasha got into her bed next to her.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked.
"Sleeping" Pepper answered.
"Why here?"
"I had a bad dream last night." Natasha turned the light off and lay down. She wrapped her arms around Pepper protectively and they soon fell asleep together. Natasha never wanted Pepper to be scared and she's always be there if she needed her.
5th December
That morning Pepper woke up to find no sign of Natasha and the sheets were cold. On Natasha's pillow was an envelope addressed to Santa. But it also had Pepper's name on it. She sat up in bed, leaned against the headboard and opened the letter.
Dear Santa,
What I want for Christmas this year is for Pepper to be happy. I want you to do all you can to make that happen and I will as well. I also want her to find true love. She deserves better than me. Pepper deserves someone who will love her with everything they have and who doesn't put her in danger. Someone who puts her first before their job or anything else. She deserves to find her soulmate.
From Natasha
Pepper teared up at this confession from Natasha and shook her head at the stubborn woman. She got out of bed and went to her own room to get dressed. Pepper couldn't find Natasha anywhere in the tower, but she did find the other Avengers in the main floor's living room. They were all sitting on the couches, letters in their hands. The conversation paused when Pepper entered the room.
Pepper sat down next to Tony and leaned heavily against the back of the couch, resting her head on it. "Has anyone seen Nat?" Pepper asked, staring at the ceiling.
"No" Steve answered for the group. "You've got a letter too then?"
"Yeah, what did yours say?"
"It said Nat wants me to start dating again."
"Mine said Nat wants me to be happy with Jane" Thor added.
"Mine said Nat wants me to be able to forgive myself" Bruce said.
"My letter said Nat wants me to be happy with my family and bring them to the tower to visit over Christmas" Clint said.
"Nat wants me to seek help for my anxiety and to be happy with Bruce" Tony informed them.
"What does yours say?" Bruce asked Pepper.
"It says, that Natasha wants me to be happy. She wants me to find true love and my soulmate, someone who is worthy of me. She said she's not that person because she'd put me in danger. But what she doesn't realise is that she is my soulmate" Pepper answered.
"Do we say anything to her when we see her again?" Steve asked.
"I think it's best not to if she doesn't mention them" Clint told them.
"I need to talk to her, I need her to understand that she doesn't put me in anymore danger than normal. I need to tell her exactly how much she means to me" Pepper argued, visibly upset. Tony rubbed her back to try and comfort her.
"It may not be best to tell her yet. She probably needs time to deal with her own emotions" Clint added. Just then Natasha wondered into the room as if everything was normal. Everyone put their letters in their pockets as Natasha stood next to the couch that Pepper was sitting on.
"What's everyone talking about?" Natasha asked.
"I was just about to tell everyone about a new suit I've been designing" Tony answered, swapping places with Natasha. As Natasha sat next to Pepper, she put her arm around Pepper's shoulders and Pepper took that opportunity to lean in to Natasha and enjoy their closeness. Tony pressed a few buttons on a device and a holographic screen popped up with a new suit design blueprint on it. "This is the new suit. I call it Rescue. It is designed more for defence and rescuing civilians than combat. I'm designing it for Pepper to use if she wants to. I thought you could give us a hand saving civilians while we fight the bad guys. It would also come in handy if you were in danger."
Natasha breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks Tony." Pepper thanked.
"Yeah, thank you" Natasha thanked.
"You're welcome" Tony replied, smiling at them both.
