Characters: Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts, Darcy Lewis, Betty Ross, Bruce Banner, Carol Danvers, James Rhodes, Laura Barton, The Vision, Wanda Maximoff, Nick Fury (not-so-stealth mentions of others)
Pairings: Natasha/Bucky, Sam/Steve, Clint/Laura, Betty/Bruce, Carol/Rhodey, Wanda/Vision mentions of Sharon/Maria, past Natasha/Bruce, past Carol/Jessica
AN 1: This fic is AoU compliant. I have seen it and I thought Clint and Laura were cute, Bruce and Natasha on the other hand was an unnecessary, pointless, random relationship which completely lacked chemistry but it happened so fair warning, this fic does acknowledge that.
AN 2: My knowledge of Carol Danvers is limited to things I've been told and fanfic and small comic strips I've read. I created a whole new story for how she encounters the Avengers and she may be wildly OOC in this, sorry to any Carol D fans.
P.S lots of not-so-stealth comic character mentions for which I am not sorry. Also you guys should watch Daredevil on Netflix.
1. Sam/Steve
There were many things Natasha was good at. Admittedly a lot of it had to do with killing, manipulating or otherwise hurting people but one of the lesser known talents she had, more a hobby really, was matchmaking. During her time with SHIELD she was usually very subtle in her approach towards it, couldn't have people thinking she was soft or some such nonsense. She was fine with the stereotypical views of her, it was to her benefit in the long run, but Clint had taken notice after the sixth couple she was working on came to fruition.
"Aren't you the one who always says love is for children?"
"Most people here are children compared to me, even if they don't know it."
"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting you're old enough to be my great grandmother. Should tell Cooper and Lila to call you Nana instead of Auntie."
"I look good for my age though."
"Damn straight." Her and Clint had made a competition of it and she had won every time.
"Just give up honey. Gracious losers know when to admit defeat to a superior player." Laura would tell him. She usually picked Natasha's side in her and Clint's battles. ("I've known you way longer, I've given you a ring, kids, a kick ass farm."
"Which you tear apart any chance you get.")
Natasha didn't sweat it, she was content to beat Clint at any and every game they played.
When Steve came back Clint renewed the contest, upping the ante to matchmaking Captain America. Natasha thought it was largely because he wanted to avoid thinking of what Loki had done to him and what he had him do but she indulged him though she didn't really try, suggesting women she knew Steve would never go for and suggesting no men at all even though she figured out pretty quickly that Steve liked men too. She caught him covertly checking some male agents out and he was good at hiding it, a lot better at lying or maneuvering around the subject than he was at other things. She supposed he had practice, she remembered one of her brothers' inclinations got him beat almost daily by their oldest brother even out on the battlefield, but she wouldn't push Steve or Clint because at the time it was all very delicate. And then everything with HYDRA happened and then Ultron and then James... Bucky came back and things got very hectic and muddled but when they calmed down, as much as it ever did nowadays, and the Avengers were finally settled into the Tower as a team (she dare not say family, that never turned out well for her) she began paying more attention to such things as love among her teammates and Steve was the first one she looked at.
She had suggested that Steve call up Sharon back after they took down the helicarriers but she had largely done that as yet another barely considered candidate, she had no conviction behind it because Sharon had whatever complicated mess she had going on with Maria but Clint didn't feel the same. He had pushed Steve to go on a date with her. Then again Clint didn't know about her and Maria because it was largely kept secret. Steve wasn't very into it but he asked anyway, probably thinking Sharon would refuse, unfortunately he had the misfortune of asking her while she and Maria were on the outs and she felt like getting some revenge through inspiring jealousy in her secret girlfriend so she said yes. Natasha and Clint had followed them and watched the date. In a nutshell: it was a train wreck. Steve was awkward and made stunted small talk and then Sharon spent half the time crying over Maria and trying to wean advice from Steve. Most of his answers boiled down to something Sam had told him but it worked because Sharon left early and went over to Maria's. Steve spent the rest of his time watching movies at Sam's apartment away from the Avengers ("Because I'll lose my mind if I have to stay with y'all 24/7. Now I know why Pepper has so many business trips.") and then he had gone home and worked out before going to bed.
"Well, this was a bust. I thought it would be perfect. Steve appreciates Carter women just fine. He hooked up with that chick Peggy, right? She was hot. English rose indeed." Natasha side-eyed him.
"Don't let Steve hear you mention Peggy Carter with anything but the utmost respect and reverence. He nearly choked Tony out the other day for some nonsense joke he made."
"Maybe I could get someone that looks more like Director Carter. What about Sharon's cousin, Shannon?" Natasha side-eyed him again but didn't answer. The date was a disaster but it yielded valuable information to her. Clint thought she was out of the game but on the contrary she had just gotten all the answers she needed.
Natasha sat leisurely on the end of Sam's bed eating a bowl of cereal. She had entered his house 15 minutes prior, had been in his room for the last five minutes and he had yet to awaken.
He's a soldier, yet he sleeps like the dead. He should know to be more alert even in sleep. Then again, Pepper was on a late night conference in France last night and she had left Wanda and Vision with him so they wouldn't get into any trouble with Tony.
Pepper had been such a mom to Wanda and Vision, taking care to keep them out of trouble as their existence caused quite a stir in congress and she knew Sam would do his best to reign them in while not making them prisoners and also helping them with them acclimate to life. Steve had helped a bit with them when he came by the night before but the two "miracles" had run Sam ragged until Pepper came to collect them. Honestly, they all ran Sam ragged though they tried to make up for it, not sure they really succeeded. They all made up for it in different ways but she supposed this was her ultimate way to pay it forward. She knew damn well Sam was head over heels for Steve but he was good at hiding it so it wasn't obvious but to a select trained few. Hawkeye knew it but he thought it was unrequited on Steve's part, he was looking too closely. If he stepped back and observed he would see it but he was too wrapped up in beating her and that's why he would lose.
Natasha looked up as Sam groaned and stretched up, a bone in his back cracking a bit causing a deeper groan. He went limp for a few seconds before he turned over and opened his eyes. He jumped when he saw her, pushing to the edge of the bed and nearly falling over.
"What the fuck?!"
"Good morning." She said serenely, scooping up some cereal and putting a spoonful in her mouth. Sam sighed before flopping back down on the bed.
"This is exactly why I moved out of the Tower."
"You need to update your security measures."
"My security measures would keep most people out."
"Didn't keep me out."
"You're not most people."
"Touche." Sam sat up and threw the covers off before standing up and leaving the room for the bathroom. She let him go handle his business while she finished her cereal and then went to the kitchen to wash the bowl. She heard his footsteps approaching behind her before he sat on a stool.
"What are you doing here anyway? Besides sneaking in my room and watching me sleep like a creepy stalker."
"I've come here out of the goodness of my heart." Sam rose his eyebrow at her.
"It's come to my attention that you want to jump Steve's bones." Sam's cheeks grew darker signaling his blush.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Sure you do. Well I bring glad tidings, my friend. He wants in your pants too." Sam scoffed.
"Sure he does."
"Come on, you aren't usually this blind."
"I know Steve likes men as well as women, he told me and Peggy told me too."
"Right now he's more interested in you than anyone else, man or woman." Sam stayed silent and Natasha stared at him before sighing. She was too old for this, it's exactly why she left the whole business of love to children. They could be so dense and difficult when it came to it. She sat down across from him on the stool, giving him her full attention.
"Spill, Wilson. What's the problem?"
"Steve has enough on his plate dealing with Bucky being back and congress on his ass. He doesn't need to add dating a man to it and a black man at that. He'll get lynched for it, I'll get lynched for it."
"What about you? What about what you want?" Sam didn't answer. She didn't really realize the whole situation was causing him this much distress but all the more reason to resolve it.
"Steve wants to be with you. Nothing wrong with that. With the mess that all our lives are there's never going to be a right time. There will always be the next thing to fight and there will always be people who judge you. Do you really want to waste time worrying alone or do you want to be happy together?" Sam hadn't answered but she didn't want an answer then, she wanted it to simmer and wanted him to think on it. She had cooked breakfast for him and then they went running together before he went off to work.
She didn't see Sam for the next few days and Clint had been lamenting that all the dates or interactions he set up for Steve was a bust. Natasha had shrugged, she was still giving Sam time to think before she pulled out the big guns.
She was just settling down for the night three days later when she heard rustling coming from her balcony. She waited a moment and heard another rustle. She reached under her pillow pulling her gun from under it and turned off the safety before she silently began making her way to the balcony doors. Her steps were silent and lithe as she trapezed over. She stopped just before them and took a breath before flinging them open, keeping her gun raised on the intruder. James whipped around to face her as the doors opened. He had taken a defensive position but relaxed when he realized it was her.
"Oh, hi." He said, rubbing the back of his neck, his metal arm gleaming in the moonlight. She didn't say anything to that. She didn't say a lot to James... Bucky, whoever he was nowadays. She knew he didn't remember her beyond shooting her twice and that hurt but she understood it, that didn't make it hurt less. Her own memory had taken some time to come back and she still had large holes and was uncertain about a lot, she couldn't fault him for not remembering because what was their "relationship" compared to all the bloodshed that haunted him? No, she couldn't fault him but she could avoid him. His presence on her balcony disrupted that.
"Any particular reason you're on my balcony?"
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know it was yours. I thought it was Banner's."
"Bruce is the next one down. Still haven't answered my question." His eyes flickered to gun she was still raising at him before he spoke.
"It's just... well I sleep in Sam's room a lot when he's not here. I was in there and Steve and Sam came. They were... well, let's just say they were finally getting their unresolved tension out. I didn't want to stop them but I was trapped in the room. If I went out the door they'd notice, window was closer." He said sheepishly with a shrug. The man was an anomaly. There were parts of him she'd thought she had never seen before when it came to his interactions with Steve and the others but then she'd look closer and she'd see it all: his penchant for shrugging and running his fingers through his hair, the crooked grin, the slight shyness and uncertainty when he spoke to her but he was also suave in the same vain. He confounded her, she didn't like it so she ignored it.
"Sam finally did it, then?" She asked rhetorically, lowering her gun.
"Well, he's doing Steve." The joke startled a laugh from Natasha. James/Bucky jumped a bit before looking down but she could see the curve in his lips.
"You have anything to do with it?" He asked.
"I might have given Sam a kick in the ass. You?"
"I might've knocked Steve up the head a few times." He replied, shrugging.
"Anyway, sorry about the intrusion. I was just going to ask Bruce if I could sleep on his floor." He said before making his way to the balcony and getting ready to climb over.
"Hey!" He turned to look at her.
"You could just use the front door." She expected him to blush and look sheepish again but this time he gave her the crooked grin that was uniquely his with his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"I could but this way is more fun and way more cool." He said before winking and climbing over the stone before pushing off. She listened intently for his feet meeting the stone of the balcony below her, even though she knew he would make it. She heard him land and then knock on the balcony doors below her. She heard Bruce let him with little preamble. She supposed she should be concerned about two of her exes sharing a living quarters, even if they didn't know about their shared history with her, but they were all mature adults (mature enough anyway) so she didn't really worry at all. Just as she heard the door below her close a moan that she knew was Steve came from upstairs in Sam's room. She smirked a bit, she couldn't wait to rub this victory in Clint's face she wasn't quite expecting him to be standing at her bedroom door.
"I thought you were at the farm. No matter, I was just about to call you anyway." She said with a smirk.
"Did I hear voices in here?"
"What?"
"Thought I heard a man's voice."
"And if you did? I'm a big girl."
"Don't I know it, Granny. Just wondering is all. Wasn't Bruce, was it? Thought that was done, lines no longer being blurred."
"It is over. You did hear a voice. It was James."
"Rhodes?"
"Barnes. He came down the balcony to escape Steve having sex." Clint lit up a bit.
"I pushed Cap towards Lillian with the lip piercing but I didn't think he would actually go through with it."
"He didn't. He went after the person I wanted him to go after." She dragged Clint to the balcony and the sounds of Sam moaning Steve's name drifted down to them intermingled with Steve's grunts and half aborted moans.
"Really? Didn't know Cap was batting for both teams."
"I know, I told Laura not to tell you if you didn't figure it out on your own."
"That traitor." He hissed.
"I won." Natasha began doing a victory dance while Clint groaned and moaned, he was such a sore loser.
"This isn't over Romanoff."
"We shall see."
2. Bruce/Betty
After everything that had happened with Ultron, her and Bruce's relationship, for whatever it was, hadn't lasted long after he hightailed it out of dodge. It was a connection forged from a need to be close to someone who might understand what you were going through but they obviously weren't truly ready for it and Natasha would admit it had made her not feel like herself, it made her unfocused and it wasn't what was best for her or him so when he did eventually show up they agreed not to step over that line again so they didn't do something that would hurt them both that they could never take back. They still worked together, they were still friends but Natasha felt like she owed him. She regretted how things went then and she did want to make it up to Bruce and she didn't want it to have anything to do with her and Clint's little game but Clint was determined to make this be a rematch for her winning the Steve round.
"You realize you want to make a contest of setting my ex up?"
"Stranger things have happened." Natasha conceded that point but still.
"I'm still pissed you didn't tell me anything about that by the way."
"I know, I know but as it pertains to this I say you're just upset that you don't have any bragging rights to anything relevant nowadays."
"Is it so wrong to be tired of you giving me that sanctimonious look every time Steve and Sam walk into a room together?"
"Poor baby. You're looking more and more like Nathaniel every day."
"Bruce will be harder anyway. I'm sure you don't want him getting a new girlfriend who'll show you up and I'm just far enough away to see just fine." Natasha rolled her eyes at Clint thinking her shallow in regards to she and Bruce's past. What he didn't know is she had an advantage over him because she knew Bruce already had someone weighing on his heart and it wasn't her.
She had found the picture under his dresser completely accidentally. It featured a woman with milky white skin, long dark hair, blue eyes and prominent lips taking up a third of her face. She was pretty but Bruce never mentioned anything to her about a woman. She was important enough to want to hide her though.
Natasha figured Bruce's "Science Bro", Tony would know who the woman was but Tony wasn't all there after Ultron and she didn't want to speak to him anyway so she went to Pepper. When it came to the Avengers, what Tony knew Pepper generally knew (and Rhodey too more times than not). Pepper was practically team mom and she would be down for helping set Bruce up if this woman could make him happy.
She took the elevator up to Pepper's office floor and was immediately engulfed by a flurry of motion. Pepper's team of personal assistants, which now included Darcy, were running around the room like headless chickens leafing through papers, grabbing some from the printers and throwing papers on the fax machine. DUM-E wheeled around in a circle in the middle of the room, all the running PAs confusing the poor robot. James was sitting by the computer typing away with a look of concentration that the chaos of the room didn't break at all. Pepper, as team mom, practically latched on to James and the latching was mutual. Pepper didn't know him from Adam so she supposed it was easier being with her because she expected nothing from him, she just wanted him to be okay. It's what drew her to Pepper as well. Pepper had discovered that James was good with numbers and organization so she'd taken him as an unofficial part of her P.A. team as well. Having something important and concise to do with her team had helped a lot.
Lastly, in the corner standing calmly among it all was Pepper talking sternly into the phone. She remembered from her days as Natalie Rushman that Pepper didn't get a lot of respect from the Board of Directors whether it was because she was a woman, because she was formerly Tony's personal assistant or because she didn't bend their will varied among directors. After Ultron, Pepper had been working even harder to clean up the shit storm it caused at Stark Industries.
"No, that's not what I'm saying Mr. Frand." She said before pausing.
"Ultron was a separate venture which had nothing to do with SI's stock. It's risen considerably since the incident and it continues to do so." Pepper started frowning at whatever Mr. Frand was saying.
"Mr. Stark is on a sabbatical and at any rate I am the CEO of Stark Industries so I will deal with any and all concerns you and anyone else has." Pepper started looking extremely annoyed and then outright offended.
"Well, Mr. Frand if that's how you feel you are more than welcome to sell your shares. I assure you it will be no great loss to SI." She said before hanging up and taking a deep breath. She looked frazzled and Natasha almost walked back out without saying anything but DUM-E spotted her and started wheeling over, running over one of the feet in the process. The robot held up the coffee tray in his claw to her. She took pity on him and took the tray and let him wheel his way to safety.
"Hi Nat." Pepper said with a wan smile.
"I'll come back later if it's a bad time."
"Every time is a bad time. Don't worry about it." Pepper said waving it off.
"If you give me his full name and date of birth, I'll take care of it." James said looking up from the computer. Natasha hid the beginnings of a smile. James had taken care of a few problems for her. She'd been angry the first time, thinking he thought her weak and incapable of doing it herself but then he said he did it because he'd rather himself be punished for it than her because he wanted to protect her. He couldn't really say he loved her because they took that away so he expressed it through protection. She found that was something else Bucky carried to the Winter Soldier.
"Dude, you mean..." Darcy trailed off and gave him a meaningful look.
"I won't kill him, just bring him very close to it." He said with a shrug.
"Thank you for the offer sweetie but if I gave you the go ahead for every member of the board who called me a stupid country hic there'd be no board left."
"I fail to see the problem." Darcy said. James nodded in agreement.
"They're lucky to have you." He threw in. All the voiced their agreement.
"Yeah, Ms. Potts. You're awesome."
"Best boss I ever had."
"Idiots don't know what they're talking about."
"Thank you guys. Why don't you all take a hour break? We'll keep tackling this mess later." The team looked at her reluctantly.
"You sure Pepper? We could wait another hour." Darcy said, the other nodding in agreement.
"Yes I'm sure. Go get some food, relax your feet a little. I'll still be here when you get back." They started shuffling from the room and James gave Pepper another look before going over to the expresso machine and making her a latte. He left it on the desk before kissing her cheek and walking out. He gave Natasha a smile on the way out.
"He's a completely different person with you." Natasha commented once the door was closed.
"Maybe that's what he needs." Pepper said, sitting down gracefully in the chair James had vacated and sipping on her latte.
"Maybe." Natasha agreed sitting across from her.
"You didn't come to talk about Bucky so what's up?"
"I was just wondering if you could help me out with something. Clint insists on thinking he's better at matchmaking than me and wants to make a contest of setting Bruce up."
"You're going to set up your ex-boyfriend?" Natasha shrugged.
"No big deal. I set up Steve, I can set up anyone." Pepper seemed to concede to that point.
"I was wondering if you knew this woman." Natasha took out her phone and showed her the picture she'd taken of Bruce's photo.
"Oh yes, Betty Ross."
"Why does that name sound familiar?"
"You probably saw it on a report of the Harlem incident plus she Colonel Ross' daughter."
"Dr. Elizabeth Ross, the second scientist on the Gamma radiation project."
"Yeah, she was Bruce's girlfriend and one of the first people he attacked but he also recognized her as the Hulk and protected her." Natasha remembered she and Bruce had trained rigorously for him to be able to recognize her as the Hulk, if he recognized this Betty woman without any of that then she was her best bet. Bruce obviously still cared about her because he kept the picture, it was just a matter of finding out where she stood in the matter.
"Last I heard she was doing some mission work overseas but that was a year ago. She might be back." Natasha stood, went around the desk and kissed both Pepper's cheeks.
"Thanks Potts."
"Any time."
"And if you ever need me to break some legs don't ever hesitate to ask."
"Thank you, Nat."
Natasha stood outside the Brooklyn brownstone and confirmed the address on her phone. Everything that had happened and Betty Ross was just a train ride away from Bruce. She walked up the steps and rang the doorbell of the apartment registered to Dr. Ross. A few moments later a woman's voice came through the intercom.
"Hello?"
"Yes, hello this is Natasha Romanoff. I'm looking for Betty Ross."
"…This is she."
"I was wondering if we could talk. It's important." It was silent before the door buzzed open. Natasha took the stairs to the third floor and was greeted by the image come to life in the middle of the hallway.
"Dr. Ross, I've heard good things about you." Natasha said with a nod.
"Agent Natasha Romanoff, I've heard many things about you too. I can't say they were all good." She answered, nodding back. Her face was a perfect mask, one she supposed she had to learn growing up the controlled daughter of Colonel Ross but Natasha was well versed in dealing with masks and seeing past them.
"Well, I have lived a life." Natasha answered back.
"Many have nowadays in shorter time than usual but I don't think you came to talk to me about existentialism."
"No actually I wanted to talk to you about Bruce." Betty's mask final showed some cracks in it.
"What about Bruce?"
"How would you feel about having an impromptu reunion?" Betty stared at Natasha for a moment before turning around and walking towards her apartment door.
"Dr. Ross-"
"If Bruce wanted to reunite with me he's had more than enough time to do so." She said continuing down the hall.
"You know him a lot better than I do. Are you sure it was ever going to be that easy for him?"
"He's moved on with his life and I've done the same. Last I checked he had you, didn't he?" Betty opened her door but Natasha closed it back.
"Tell me you don't have any feelings left for Bruce? Tell me you don't love him at all." Betty didn't look at her or say anything.
"He keeps a picture of you hidden. The only reason I know about you is because I found it. He didn't ever really trust me as much as he thought he did. I don't think he's ever really trusted anyone, including himself, since he hurt you that first time. He's more in control now, he's better and the only reason I can think of that he didn't come after you is because he didn't want to bring you back into the mess of our lives."
"Maybe he was right. Maybe I don't want anything to do with it. Look how well it turned out the first time."
"I don't think that's true."
"Why are you here?"
"I just want my team happy and maybe I have a bet going with a friend."
"To set up your ex?"
"My friend's a guy."
"Well that explains it."
"Look, ultimately it's your life. You get to choose the way you want it to go from here on out and forever. I'm just here to tell you that if you still want to be with Bruce you can make it happen. You don't have to spend your days staring at a tv screen hoping for a glimpse of him, you could be with him everyday but only if it's what you want. I'm not here to force you into anything and I'm not here to make you his savior or a balm for his pain, I just want him happy and I think you would be happy in the process. Or maybe I'm just here for a bet, either way ball's in your court." Natasha turned to walk away but Betty stopped her.
"Did you love Bruce?"
"No but I adored him."
"Is there a difference?"
"For me there is." Natasha had and has adored many people in her life. She adored Bruce, she adored Clint, she adored Steve and Sam and Pepper, she adored Sharon and Maria and Phil, she adored Laura and Cooper and Lila and now little Nathaniel and she even adored Nick but the only man she had ever been in love with had been James. There was a difference there for her but just because she didn't love Bruce didn't mean she thought he didn't deserve it from the one he really wanted it from especially when she wanted it as well.
"You don't have to give me time. I already know what I want. I want Bruce but I don't him hurt again, not because of me." Betty said to her.
"'Of course I'll hurt you. Of course you'll hurt me. Of course we will hurt each other. But this is the very condition of existence. To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter. To become presence, means accepting the risk of absence.'" Natasha quoted.
"You're quoting 'The Little Prince' to me?" Betty asked incredulously.
"It's a perfectly good book and a suitable quote I think." Betty nodded a bit before opening her door.
"I just need to get my coat."
Later on when Bruce and Betty were walking awkwardly but close together away from the the Tower to a diner Natasha had recommended she heard Betty say the words she couldn't to Bruce.
"I love you Bruce, I always have." She smiled a bit when they disappeared from sight but still didn't jump when Barton appeared next to her. She was used to it.
"How?!"
"I'm better than you." She smirked as Barton began groaning and kicking the floor.
"I think you may have graduated from Nathaniel to Cooper. Congratulations." She commented, he grumbled under his breath but made no retort.
"Give up yet?"
"No, this isn't over."
"If you insist." Clint huffed and walked away, as he did he flipped open his cellphone and she could hear the beginnings of a conversation between him and Laura, probably to complain about how she was better than him. She turned around and was surprised to see James leaning against a wall not too far from her looking out to where Bruce and Betty were disappearing.
"So that was your doing." He commented.
"I may have had a hand in it, yes." She said, hiding her surprise. He could still sneak up on her to her chagrin.
"Bruce was shocked to see her but happy about it, I could tell. It was nice of you to do." Natasha almost scoffed. Nice was never a word James would use to describe her but then he wasn't James, not really anyway.
"Well Bruce deserves it and it seems Betty wants it as well. Just something you do for a friend."
"It's strange, isn't it? Admitting that these people are your friends, feeling like this place is your home when our superiors practically drilled into your head that you had no place in the world." Natasha nearly stopped breathing.
"You remember that?"
"The Red Room is not as clear as my time with HYDRA independent of Karpov is. I can remember you a little bit, you were younger but not so young. I think you were older than you looked, I think you still are."
"Says the guy pushing 97." James chuckled a bit.
"Well you look good for your age, Romanoff."
"So I've been told. I suppose you're not so bad yourself."
"Might have heard that once or twice."
"Probably more than that. According to Steve, you were quite the ladies' man back in the day."
"Sure I danced a lot but it was always... I guess I was looking for the right partner as Peggy would say." He said with a secretive smile. She remembered back in Russia she and James danced any chance they got. Sometimes it was actually dancing but sparring was as much a dance for them as ballet was. He didn't spar or dance with anyone else, not even any of their marks. He would say there was no point because she was the right partner. She wasn't sure what to do with the fact that it was apparently something else Bucky carried to James so she ignored it.
"Well Steve did say it was difficult to find someone with shared life experience nowadays but Grandpa Dorito managed it and the world is getting curiouser and curiouser, I'm sure you'll find the right partner."
"Who said I was still looking?" He replied with a shrug.
"Isn't it a part of the human condition that pretty much everyone is?"
"Well you seem to be quite the matchmaker so if you see 'em, mind pointing them out?"
"I'll keep an eye out, scout's honor." James smiled a bit.
"Definitely not a girl scout."
"Well, I'd say spy's honor but there's not a lot of honor there."
"Honor's not all things to all people all the time. It's not to me." He said, shrugging again. She ignored how much it harkened back to what she told Steve about truth which was based off something Yelena told her about love.
'Love, Natalia? What is love really? Why does it have to be the be all end all? Love is not all things to all people all the time. Neither are we. We are Widows, we're liars. We are because we must be. Love doesn't factor into that.'
She had agreed at the time but she found it wasn't love in general that was the problem it was Natalia's love. Natalia's love ruined everything and Natasha was caught between slapping Natalia and thanking her for it.
3. Carol/Rhodey
Natasha liked Carol Danvers. She was a strong, driven woman with strong convictions and she packed a hell of a punch. The ring of Enhanced Human traders who were holding Carol hostage when the Avengers first met her had no idea what they had in her. She was a natural born leader, former military, air force to be exact. She had a commanding presence so when the Avengers did show up Carol had managed to rally her fellow Enhanced Humans and they rebelled against their captors before escaping.
When Steve suggested that they find Carol and get her to join the team Natasha had had no arguments. She and Wanda were outnumbered so any estrogen was welcomed and boy did Carol bring some extra estrogen with her, inviting her best friend Jessica Drew, codename Spiderwoman, with her along with Monica Rambeau codename Spectrum, America Chavez codename Miss America and Jessica Jones codename Knightress. Natasha, Pepper and Wanda planned many girls' nights with their newest additions along with Betty, Jane, Sharon and Maria. She even invited Laura, who definitely needed a break from Clint and the kids, and they all had more fun than Natasha remembered ever having with people she actually considered her friends. She was sure she was going to have a lot more fun in the future, not as much as Clint apparently.
"Wanna see who can set up Carol?"
"Honestly Clint, when will you give up?"
"Not until I win."
"Which will be never."
"I guess I'll never stop then. I was thinking of setting her up with Jessica D but according to Jessica J that's a no go. Jess D might be fine turning a corner but Carol's straight as a razor."
"Sometimes I wonder about you." Natasha commented because if Clint couldn't see the obvious attraction between Rhodey and Carol then she couldn't help him. From what she understood from Sam and Steve, Carol and Rhodey had known each other early into their air force careers and maybe would've started something had her brother not died and she hadn't transferred from that unit to be closer to her family. Carol's career had taken her places all over and far from Rhodey before she was finally kidnapped after her enhanced nature was discovered. Carol could get with Rhodey all on her own, no help needed, but hey Natasha had nothing against happy endings or beating Clint at his games every chance she got.
"You know what? You're on, Barton and for your sake I'm going to make this very quick on you." She got up then and moved away from him.
"Where are you going?"
"Like I said, I'm going to make this quick." She commented before leaving the room and taking the elevator down to the gym.
With all the new Avengers the gym was pretty busy nowadays. Jessica D was in the corner showing their junior Avenger Miles Morales new web shooting techniques, Thor was wrestling with Jessica J's new beau Luke Cage while their friend Matt Murdock punched a bag and commented on each's moves as if he could see them and in his own way he could, Monica was shooting targets using her powers alongside Wanda and Vision and Carol was standing in the ring with Steve and James while Sam stood to the side. Carol and Steve were sparring together, Sam seemed to be playing cheerleader for both sides while James seemed to be refereeing but there was something about him that was off.
He seemed distracted; tired in a boneless way she hadn't seen him be since he first let them find him. She shook off her concern. She and James were something like friends she supposed, as much as one could be friends with the man you were formerly (possibly still) in love with who didn't remember you. Needless to say there were plenty of people Natasha could use as a buffer between them when she couldn't compartmentalize anymore but she still wanted to be sure he was okay. There was a lot of ways him blowing up could lead to nuclear consequences if it set off the wrong members of the team or its allies. Her concern was completely tactical, she was making sure everything was as it should be and that was all.
She approached the ring with no preamble; no one else in the room stopped what they were doing or noticed her presence but James. His eyes flicked over to her and they stayed on her. There was something in the way he was looking at her, something that sent a shiver down her spine. There was a certain awareness to his gaze that hadn't been there before.
"Hey! Buck, that couldn't be legal." Steve complained. James blinked before looking at Steve blankly.
"Don't be a sore loser, Stevie. It's perfectly okay to admit a woman beat you." Carol said with a smile. She was a feminist to her core and Natasha respected her and Steve did too and they knew her well enough to know when she was joking. Carol wasn't one of the 'all men should die' feminists she was the 'you better treat me just as equal as any man here or I will beat the respect I deserve out of you' kind of feminists and that was a feminism Natasha could get behind any day.
"I'll admit you won just as soon as you don't cheat." Steve said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I was hardly cheating." Carol responded while examining her fingernails, probably to annoy Steve. They were such children together but then she and Clint were that way so Natasha didn't judge.
"You used your powers to push me back."
"I'd do the same if it was a battle."
"It's sparring not training. No superpowers, those are the rules. Levels the playing field. Steve will always lose if you used all your guns, Carol." Sam mediated, not that it was truly necessary. Steve and Carol were like long lost siblings, they bickered for the sake of bickering sometimes but they had each other's back no matter what.
"Whose side are you on?" Steve asked incredulously.
"I'm versatile. Everyone's a winner in my eyes." Sam retorted with a sweet smile.
"I'm sure." Steve replied leaning down to kiss him. Natasha always did appreciate admiring her good work.
"Eww." Carol groaned, looking away.
"Oh good, Natasha. You've come to save me from the ooey, gooey coupley feelings I hope."
"If you mean I've come to drag you away for a very estrogen driven conversation than yes."
"Then I'd rather stay with the Wonder twins and Popsicle here." James reached out and plucked Carol's leg for the new nickname but otherwise said nothing else. She wasn't even sure if he was really there with them or if he was just going through the motions. Carol sighed before climbing through the ropes of the ring and walking over to Natasha.
"I have a two minute limit on heart to hearts so make it quick, darling." Carol said letting Natasha steer her from the crowded room.
"Long story short: Clint's an idiot." Natasha said once they were out of sight.
"Doesn't every story involving him start and end that way?"
"He insists on trying to beat me at matchmaking. His next bet was on you."
"Mildly offended by that, mildly interested."
"He wants to set you up with Jessica D."
"Been there, done that, got the T-shirt."
"I know better of course."
"Do you?"
"Let's cut through the bull, Carol dear. We both know you've been spending time stargazing with your fellow air force buddy."
"Sam is quite taken. I have to hear how taken he is every night. I'm almost jealous of Steve's stamina." Natasha just gave her a look.
"I'm not starting a relationship with Rhodey just so you can win a stupid bet."
"You don't have to do it because of the bet. The bet was just convenient. I was actually going to implement a very long winded, slightly convoluted plan to get you and Rhodey together in a way where you wouldn't even know it wasn't your idea but I want to shut Clint down quickly. It's Laura's birthday this weekend. If he's focused on anything else he'll forget and get a stupid, half-assed gift which will probably make her finally realize she is way too good for him and leave him for the milkman who obviously has a crush on her." Carol stared at her.
"Once again, half offended and half interested."
"Look, you wanted to be with him before and you didn't get the chance. Now you do. You really want to wait until it's too late? Come on, you know better. In our line of work it's always now or never." Carol sighed and looked away.
"I hate estrogen driven conversations almost as much as conversations where you're actually right." Natasha chuckled a bit before bumping Carol's shoulder and following her back to the gym. Clint was there now shooting targets with his bow and arrows while Monica, Wanda and Vision simple destroyed them with blasts of their power. Rhodey was there now too, spectating the wrestle between Luke and Thor with Matt. Natasha looked over at Carol with a raised eyebrow and the other woman groaned as if Natasha was sending her to do her chores.
"You'll thank me later."
"I'll punch you later. Hey Rhodes!" Carol called walking over to him. Rhodey turned around and when Carol got close she grabbed him before dipping him down and pressing a kiss to his lips.
"Well that's one way to do it." Natasha mumbled to herself as Matt whistled and Luke and Thor started chuckling. Soon everyone was cheering the kissing couple on. She looked over at Clint with a serene smile as he stared gobsmacked at the two. She didn't even bother commenting, perhaps he'd admit defeat now. As she looked away James caught her eyes again. He was staring at her but he was staring through her, seeing her but not seeing her. She wasn't sure what to make of his look or the way he was acting she just knew for certain, something wasn't right with him.
4. Vision/Wanda
"You want to set up Vision?" Natasha asked incredulously.
"Why? You afraid you'll lose?" Clint said with a smile. Natasha rolled her eyes.
"You really want to embarrass yourself again? I thought you would've learned by now."
"I'm going to win this time. I'm going to win for sure."
"Okay." Natasha said and left it at that. Honestly she wasn't sure if she could set up Vision. She and JARVIS had had a pretty fun relationship before he was replaced by the Vision but Vision wasn't completely JARVIS, he was something else and she wasn't even sure if he could feel human emotions the way they did. Then again, she'd spent much more time with Vision as a part of the new Avengers along with Steve, Sam, Rhodey and Wanda and she didn't miss the looks that passed between the android and Wanda. They always seemed to be together and she figured it wasn't unnatural. Wanda sometimes didn't know her own power and Vision helped her with that control she sometimes lacked. Especially when her deceased brother was brought into conversation, things could get very red very quickly, but maybe there was more there than Natasha had been aware of. She waited until Clint had gone back to the farm so she was sure he wasn't listening through the vents before she went looking for Wanda. She found her on her floor but she wasn't prepared to see James there. The two of them were huddled together in a corner talking in the native language of Slokovia. Natasha's fluency in that particular Ukrainian dialect was rusty and she was only able to make out a few words.
...something something memories something broken something something dreams something come back.
She observed their faces trying to decipher what they were talking about. James nodded his head and Wanda rose her hand in front of his face, her fingers emitting a familiar red light while her irises were overtaken by the color that ruled Natasha life. She took a step forward about to move in and stop it, whatever it was, but James willingly rose his metal hand to meet Wanda's before red took over his own eyes and the blue light the arm usually emitted faded to red.
"Agent Romanoff, perhaps a later visit would be more prudent." Natasha managed to contain her startled gasp at Vision's voice in her ear. He and James were the only ones who could sneak up on her. She turned to look at him and he was staring at the pair with something like concern. He inclined is head to the side and she reluctantly followed him to the elevators.
"What is she doing?" Natasha asked as they were out of earshot.
"You are afraid for Sergeant Barnes." Vision said. The way he was able to read people could be annoying for someone like her who was a master at facades but then he knew more about her than anyone else. She often wondered what Vision thought of her. He didn't stand for good or evil, he stood for life and she had taken so much of it.
"I'm not afraid." She denied and she wasn't mostly, more concerned than afraid and she told him as much.
"It's alright to be. Your last encounter with Wanda's power was disorienting for you and no doubt brought back things you'd rather not have thought of again." Natasha was wary of just how much Vision knew of her past even beyond the files she had let public that Ultron shared with him.
"I assure you, there is no need to fear. Sergeant Barnes came to Wanda and I of his own free will. He wanted us to help him bring back some of his memories. We have been having sessions with him for a time now, discreetly of course at his insistence." Natasha could see that. She supposed James wouldn't want Steve worrying over any side effects, it concerned her that he was going to such measures to get his memories back though. She didn't think he would want anyone messing around in his head after all he'd been through, she certainly didn't but maybe he was just desperate enough to allow it if it meant his mind was whole again. Which then led her to wonder just what he had already remembered at this point. She recalled the weird looks he had been giving her lately. She wondered if he remembered her. She wondered if that would be a good thing or not.
"So far Wanda has been much more instrumental in helping the Sergeant piece his mind back together. She has quite a way with her power, I must say." Natasha looked at Vision and could practically see the admiration dripping from his tongue, his gaze a well of it as he talked of Wanda's power.
"She's very powerful." Natasha commented offhand.
"It's not just her power. I believe she has an appreciation for life deeper than even she knows. It is beautiful."
"You mean she's beautiful."
"She is." He said before looking at her with assessing eyes.
"I have some time in now, Agent Romanoff. If you are implying that there's something going on between myself and Miss Maximoff-"
"Would that be so wrong? Don't you ever take a break from saving the human race from itself?"
"Do people ever stop trying to destroy themselves?"
"Generally speaking, no."
"Then, no I do not."
"Hmm, well I've seen the way Wanda looks at you. I'd say she wouldn't oppose you taking a break if it meant you could "appreciate life" together."
"Clever euphemism."
"I thought so."
"Wanda knows full well my purpose was never for such things. I'd think you of all people would recognize and appreciate that. Love is for children as you say."
"Well, you're barely a year old." Vision still looked unconvinced.
"All that vision and you still don't see."
"See vhat?" Wanda asked as she and James came around the corner. James seemed disoriented and unsteady on his feet, Wanda having to hold him around his waist to help keep him steady as he held on to the wall.
"Don't worry. You'll probably see before him." Natasha said. Wanda looked even more confused but Natasha would leave Vision on his own with this. He was smart, he'd figure it out on his own. Plus he unsettled her, the less time she spent with him the better. She looked over at James and he had that glazed look he got lately where he was looking at her yet through her.
"Is he okay?" She asked casually as if asking about the weather.
"He's fine. He's just had a bad night. I'm going to put him to bed, perhaps he vill find some rest." Wanda said a bit defensively, her shoulders tensing as James started mumbling under his breath in Russian.
"Compromised. I've been emotionally compromised. I am no longer fit for duty. It's me, it's not her. I'm the one whose compromised." Natasha stiffened, remembering how he used those words when they were discovered, how he tried to take all the blame. He tried to claim that he overpowered her, forced himself on her but she wouldn't let him be branded a rapist. For whatever he was, he was never that. Then he tried to claim he was a victim of the Black Widow, that he failed to see the web she was twisting around him. That he was compromised not her. But she couldn't bear being known as the woman who broke him so they became the agents who broke each other and were punished for it.
Wanda and Natasha stared at each other, each daring the other to speak before Vision walked behind Wanda pressing a hand to her shoulder. The tension melted from Wanda's shoulders and she looked back to James.
"Ve vill go now. He must rest. He vill not be of any use if he does not sleep. He's an Avenger, more importantly he's a survivor. He vill be fine. He just needs rest." Wanda said. Natasha wasn't sure that was quite true, he was a survivor and an avenger but rest wasn't going to magically fix all of his problems. It was just a place to escape to and if you were lucky your dreams wouldn't haunt you as much as your memories did but that was doubtful. Natasha almost let them go, almost didn't protest them leaving together but then James reached out to her.
"Natalia." He mumbled and he sounded drugged out, he sounded like he did when they first strapped him in the chair with a needle in his arm and forced her to watch them take everything they had away.
"I thought you knew better Natalia. Love is for children." Her instructor whispered so gently to her it was almost as sweet as a lullaby and Natasha had abided by that simple rule for herself but she was human and James was always and would probably always be the one exception to her rules so she went to his other side and held him up with Wanda's help.
"We'll take him to my floor so Steve and Sam won't know." Wanda didn't seem like she wanted Natasha to come with them which made her wonder what exactly she knew that she wasn't telling her but Vision simply pressed the elevator button and ushered the women inside. They took the car down to Natasha's floor and they led James to her bedroom as he stumbled between them, Vision walking behind with a hand to James' back. They managed to lay him down on the bed but he refused the covers Wanda offered him.
"I got it from here." Natasha said but Wanda didn't look like she wanted to leave.
"What do you think I'm going to do? Garrote him in his weakened state? A state you put him in." Wanda's eyes flashed red but a hand on the shoulder from Vision calmed her. Wanda sighed before speaking.
"You're a disaster."
"Thanks." Natasha replied dryly.
"You are. You are a one voman disaster, I know because I am too. But him? Bucky is a good man. A lost soldier, yes, and a veapon he never vanted to be but he's still a good man even if he doesn't think so. He reminds of Pietro. He is strong but he has scars and he tries to hide them to protect the people he loves and they eat at him. You, Natasha, you are a scar on his heart. But that's vhat it is, a scar. A healed vound. He reminds me of my brother, my brother always protected me and I couldn't protect him. I can make up for that vith Bucky. You are a scar, do you really vant to scratch the scab off and make him bleed again?"
"I'm not the one scratching, you are."
"Because you're giving him reasons to vant me to."
"I haven't given him any reason."
"You're here. That's reason enough." Natasha looked away, there was nothing she could say to that. She was obviously headed on a collision course once James remembered enough and others in the team found out.
"Do me a favor? If it does start bleeding at least promise you'll try to heal the vound again."
"I can't save him."
"Not by yourself but you're not by yourself."
Natasha watched Vision take Wanda by the hand and lead her from the room. She looked down at James and wasn't sure if any of her and Wanda's conversation actually penetrated his hazy consciousness. She reached out hesitantly and brushed her fingers across his long hair like she'd been itching to do for a long time.
"Natalia." He mumbled, turning his face towards her hand.
"I'm here James. Everything's fine. Don't worry about anything." Everything was not fine. Everything was far from fine.
The next night James would wake up in his own bed after she got Luke to help her carry him to his, Steve, Sam and Carol's floor. None of the foursome mentioned what happened after that and the next week when someone saw Vision and Wanda kissing and it spread like wildfire through the team she wasn't there for Clint to whine at, she wasn't there to give James reasons to scratch an old wound, she was long gone.
+1. Bucky/Natasha
Natasha found that Iowa was not so bad. It was a lot quieter than the city, even Upstate New York and though she found the quiet a little strange, she got used to it. She needed the quiet. Iowa wasn't Fiji, it wasn't exactly the island in the sun she barely fantasized of when she was making ill advised, barely taught out plans to run away with Bruce but it was nice and Laura's parents had graciously allowed Natasha to stay with them at their farm. Laura was the only one who knew where Natasha was. When she left she called to say goodbye to the kids and Laura must've heard something in her voice because she called her parents and set Natasha up on their farm.
Natasha liked the peace surrounding it. She'd even made friends with a black shadow cat she named Liho. She helped Mrs. Cardinelli bake pie and helped Mr. Cardinelli milk his cows and if she ever got antsy she'd hang out by the bar and keep an ear out for any misconduct. She wasn't running, she was simply taking a break without telling anyone where. It was therapeutic and it would help James in the end so it was a win-win. She had been on the farm for a two weeks now. It was a good two weeks. Sure she had nightmares about something terrible happening to James. That Wanda's power would misfire and fry James' brain completely or she'd trigger him and he'd go on a rampage while she was away but nightmares were something she could live with.
There was a duck pond on the farm and Natasha liked to go there and feed the ducks, it's where Liho usually found her. She watched idly as the ducks swam up to the food she threw into the pond. She remembered a time where she never thought to slow down this way. She used to think slow was weakness. She was a silly girl back then.
"Natasha!" She looked back towards the farm where Laura's mother was calling her. She jogged over, saving the woman the hassle.
"Is anything wrong?"
"No, no. I was just wondering if you didn't mind getting the lawn mower from the shed. I would but last Clint was here he left it up in the rafters and well-"
"Say no more Mrs. C. I'll get it." Laura's mother smiled at her sweetly.
"You're such a kind girl." She said affectionately before kissing Natasha's cheek. She didn't correct the misassumption. Mrs. Cardinelli was an honest-to-god angel. She walked to shed, Liho running in front of her while trying to pounce on a butterfly.
"Silly cat." She said with amusement as she entered the old shed. She looked up and immediately spotted the mower. It was a rusted old thing.
"Should get them a new one." She muttered to herself. It'd be an adequate way to show them her appreciation. She was about to climb the rafters when a voice interrupted her.
"They already have a new one. One Clint bought the same day he banished that one to the rafters." She turned around to see Nick walking from the shadows of the shed. Natasha sighed.
"Laura tell you where I was?"
"Lila, actually. She overheard some conversations and decided to call me to check up on Auntie Natasha. She thought you were lonely." Natasha looked away at the mention of her god-daughter. She loved Clint's kids as much as she would love her own if she could have children. She didn't want any of them worrying over her but Lila's concern warmed her heart.
"Wanna tell me what the hell you're doing playing farmer's daughter? The look isn't flattering." Natasha contemplated not answering but there was no use in it.
"I'm compromised, Nick." He rose an eyebrow before she sighed and explained everything, condensed version anyway.
"Okay, I still want to know why you're sitting your ass on a farm instead of there."
"There doing what?"
"Finding what you were trying to find in Banner."
"Are you pushing me towards the guy who tried to kill you?"
"I'm not pushing you towards anyone, I'm asking you if you want to be happy."
"Of course I do."
"Is sitting on this farm making you happy?"
"It's giving me peace."
"Peace and happiness aren't the same." She looked away from him.
"I once asked an old associate of mine what fathers are thinking when their daughters bring home a boyfriend. He said it was loads of things; how he measured up to his expectations, how he treated her, how he looked at her but most important was: was she happy? I asked him the same question at her wedding and his answer was the same: was she happy? He hated her husband, thought he was a passionless brownnoser, but she was happy. Parents only ever hope for happiness for their children." Natasha looked up at Nick, his implication not lost on her.
"I didn't say anything about Banner because even though a part of me knew it was doomed I wanted you happy however long that lasts. Do I like Barnes? He tried to kill me so I might be a little biased but did he make you happy?" Natasha thought of how it was then, how she had felt before him and how she felt when she was with him. He was the only thing that made her feel alive and human and happy in the red room and she wanted to feel it again. She could survive without him, she could live and she'd be okay but she wouldn't feel that same happiness she did when she was with him if she simply let him go and she knew it but it was for him.
"James was the only good thing then, he made me happy. But me? I'm going to tear him apart from the inside out. I did it before, I led to his downfall. I can't do that again, Nick. I can't handle that guilt." Natasha admitted quietly.
"You know, two weeks is a long time to settle a mind. Especially when there's magic thrown in to the mix. He might be a lot less broken than you think. But what do I know? I'm just a washed up old man trying to look out for my family. Isn't that what washed up old men do towards the end?"
"You're not towards the end Nick. You got a few good decades left in you."
"We'll see." Nick walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Time is a hell of a thing to waste. You can't salvage or recycle it, once it's gone it's gone. You're old enough to understand that. So choose wisely." He kissed her forehead, barely a brush against her skin before he walked out of the barn.
"According to Clint, Mrs. Cardinelli makes a hell of a lemon merengue, I think I'd like to test that theory." Natasha sighed before sitting on a bench in the corner of the barn. Liho jumped up into her lap after a moment.
"What should I do, shadow cat?" Liho rubbed against her hand and purred as Natasha started stroking her back. She really didn't know what to do.
It's not so much of a choice as a logic progression that Natasha decides to leave with Nick. She thanks the Cardinellis for all of their hospitality and forgives Mrs. C the little white lie with the mower. She decides to take Liho with her, she didn't have a tag so she didn't have an owner and Natasha always liked cats. She and Nick travel to Europe together staking out any of the last vestiges of HYDRA bases they could find and gathering any information they could on the going ons in the intelligence community. Nick doesn't really push her to leave him but he does bring up the Avengers every now and again, asking if she isn't going to call and check in. She didn't text Steve and Clint not to worry, told them she was with Fury and they replied in concern, asking what was wrong and where exactly she would. They would come get her but that's not what she wanted.
In one of their missions Natasha found herself standing in the old training room of the former Red Room. She remembered hours spent alone with James there. Sparring, dancing, talking with their words and fists and bodies. She remembered the way he would smile at her and kiss her sweetly and whisper praise in her ear when she was able to master another move he taught her. She remembered the banter between, and it was easy to keep doing, to playfully flirt back and forth even with Bucky… who was James and wasn't but maybe that was okay. She could feel Nick walk up next to her.
"The two best assassins in the world supposedly stripped of all emotion managed to find love with each other. Sounds like something annoyingly Shakesperean."
"You know I've never thought of it that way."
"Would make a good movie." Natasha chuckled a bit.
"You know it would."
"Feel like going home yet?" He asked. Natasha took another look at the room.
"You know what? Yeah I do, home is exactly where I want to go."
Going back to New York seemed so easy once she let herself breath and remember it all. Nick left his car with her and let her drive up to the Tower on her own. She made sure to call ahead to tell them she was coming back. She didn't even feel nervous, more eager and excited. She jumped out of the car and jogged inside eagerly. She got into the common room, not even noticing how quiet it was in her haste.
"SURPRISE!" Natasha jumped as she entered the common room to find the whole team there with ballons and streamers coming from the ceiling and an animated hologram welcome home sign hanging in the air.
"Did we really just manage to surprise superspy?" Carol asked teasingly. Natasha shook her head and chuckled to herself. She had missed her whole team and the fact they missed her too just made her feel better about coming back. She accepted bear hugs from Clint, Laura, Lila, Cooper, Steve, Sam and Carol. Accepted the cheek kisses from Pepper and Betty and Bruce. She greeted and hugged most of the team. Wanda walked over to her and took her hand.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled in Russian. She wondered when she learned but Natasha had been gone a month.
"I didn't want you to leave. I was—overprotective, I overstepped."
"No, you did what you felt was right for him. You were right to protect him and you didn't force me away, I needed the fresh air anyway."
"Thank you by the way. Vision told me you talked to him. I don't think he would've made a move if you hadn't." Natasha shrugged and squeezed Wanda's hand.
"Anything for a friend." Wanda smiled back, before they kissed each other's cheek. Then Lila and Cooper grabbed Natasha's hand and pulled her towards a large cake.
"We helped Mom make it." Cooper said proudly. Natasha smiled down at the children before kissing each of their heads and cutting two slices for them. Laura came forward and continued to cut pieces for everyone and Natasha stepped to side and let her. She had something else to do. She scanned the room, there was so many people it was hard to believe a guy with a metal arm was blending in. She finally managed to spot James standing by a wall with Matt watching the festivities. Natasha kept looking at James until his eyes flicked over to her. They held each other's gaze. He looked good, he looked well rested and aware and settled. She inclined her head to the kitchen before walking away. It took a minute before he entered the kitchen behind her. He leaned against the wall and she leaned against the counter, the two staring at each other before he spoke.
"Was it relaxing?"
"Very."
"Good, I'm glad. You deserve the break."
"And you?" He shrugged.
"I'm… okay. I whole thanks to Wanda."
"And what does whole mean?" She ventured, not wanting to push. He pushed off the wall and took calculated steps towards her.
"Why now? Why not then when I didn't remember anything and we could've started fresh?"
"You weren't ready then. I wasn't ready then."
"And it's not just that you want the Soldier and can't deal with Bucky at all?"
"You're all the same person. The Soldier, Bucky, James. I can see all of you in each other. It was frustrating and disconcerting at first but I think that's better. You're not the same and I'm not the same but we made a good team didn't we?"
"The best. You were the only good thing."
"You were the only good thing for me too." James smiled softly at her and Natasha closed the distance, taking his metal hand in hers and kissing it softly.
"What now?" He asked.
"Now, we live. We fight and we do it together."
"That doesn't sound so bad." Natasha brushed her fingers against his cheek before pulling his chin down and pressing her lips to his. It felt like being home, it felt both familiar and new kissing him and she supposed everything would be with him. There was so much they already knew of the other and yet still so much to learn and she actually found herself eagerly anticipating everything that was to come. The two of them broke apart as there was a cheer off to their left. They looked only to find Clint and Laura standing in the doorway. Clint doing some kind of chicken dance while Laura looked at him indulgently, balancing Nathaniel on her hip.
"I won! I finally did it! I beat you at your own game." Natasha looked to James for explanation.
"Clint might've helped me sort things out while you were gone." He mumbled.
"Technically we never bet on you setting up James or me for that matter." Natasha said.
"Let him have this please. I've been hearing about this for two months, maybe now he'll finally let it go." Laura pleaded. Natasha rolled her eyes.
"Fine, you win Clint. Congratulations." Clint smiled victoriously.
"Yes, I feel complete now. Oh, and if you ever hurt her Barnes you won't have to worry about me, you'll have to deal with Laura." Clint said, Laura nodding beside him.
"Take care of our girl." Natasha smiled at them before looking up at James.
"She's a scary little woman, that Laura." He mumbled in Russian.
"But I have experience with that." Natasha smirked before kissing him again. She wasn't letting go this time, she would be happy and she'd do it with her team no, her family.