Natasha is lying on the sofa in the TV room by herself. Captain is out with Tony helping him pick out something for Pepper's birthday. Thor is visiting Jane a couple states away while she works on more research. Bruce is reading in his room, where he has a small library all to himself. Pepper went with Coulson on a trip to Portland to meet the girl he talks about only to Pepper. And Barton is on a short mission, due to be back late tonight. It's late afternoon, and as she stares at the ceiling with Mr. and Mrs. Smith playing on Netflix, she's thinking about what she's going to do about Barton. She wants to do something about her feelings, but she has no idea what.

She knows Barton will want to come home, have a beer and just relax, but she wants to have a serious talk with him. She doesn't know how he'll react, and doesn't know what she wants to say, but it has to be done. It'll happen eventually, right? So why wait? Everyone will be gone, promising them a private conversation. Which doesn't usually happen when Tony was around.

Later, just after midnight, Natasha is still on the sofa. She had fallen asleep while waiting and Barton noisily opens the door, not realizing she was asleep. When he sees her stir in her sleep, he stops dead and then continues quietly to his room.

She was woken up when he walked through the door but was so comfy on the sofa, she didn't want to move. After a couple minutes, she's awake enough to get up and she goes to find him. She's deep in though as she goes up to his room and stops at his door because she still has no idea what she's going to say.

Clint Barton walks into Stark tower after a quick but exhausting mission. It had only been a week, and he's tired. He just wants to get into bed and quietly watch a Bruce Willis action movie to fall asleep to. He sees that Natasha is sleeping on the couch, and quickly quiets down knowing that she would attack him for waking her up without reason. Hoping she doesn't open her eyes to identify the culprit of her interrupted slumber, he stops and collects himself. He attempts to make no noise as he slowly walks up to his room, trying to keep the tower peaceful. He gets by the TV room alright, and decides to take the stairs to avoid the ding of the elevator.

As he climbs the stairs in a zombie like speed, he's thinking of the red headed sleeping beauty on the sofa. She was very deadly, and had boundaries that he was careful not to push too much, but it was so much fun to push those boundaries. She was tough and never gave up. The flirting going on between them was non-stop and he didn't think she realized it was real for him, or at least he wanted it to be real.

She could quickly take him down, and they both knew it. Every once in a while, she'd let him win and make it seem like she was trying hard, but he knew she was more skilled in hand to hand combat than he was. However intimidating she may be, he was comfortable with her.

He barely heard the TV being shut off downstairs and figured he'd woken her up which meant he was in for a lecture. He slowed down. He was too tired, and knew there was no point in trying to escape. His room was on the third floor, and when he had almost reached the top of the stairs, he heard the elevator ding.

Upon walking out of the door into the hall, he sighs and says "Go ahead." but as he looked up, she looked completely and willingly awake, with no sign of anger or annoyance in her eyes.

She tilted her head slightly in the way he loved, and asked, "What do you think I'm going to do?" She really didn't have intentions of beating him or yelling at him.

"Uhh, nothing I suppose. Sorry for waking you." Pleased that he wasn't going to be 'taught a lesson' he relaxed a bit more.

"It's okay, I was only dozing."

"So, what do you want?" he was tired, and wasn't in the mood to do anything but sleep.

She shrugged. "I just wanted to talk." she said, her voice a little quieter than normal.

He sighed, realizing his sleep was going to be delayed even more. "Come in, then."

With a small smile on her face, she walks in and sits down on the chair next to his TV, at the foot of the bed.

"So...?" He was in a hurry, so he was being a little rude.

"Well... um." She was obviously nervous and Clint sat up straighter, aware. "So I want to let you know something." This was almost agonizing. He wanted her to get to the point.

"Yeah?" he asked a little impatiently. He knew he was being temperamental and he knew that she didn't deserve it, so he made an effort to be pleasant.

She could tell he wasn't in the mood to socialize, but she continued anyway. "I want to say that... that I... I want to start training more." She rolled her eyes at herself and got frustrated.

"Nat, that couldn't wait until I had more sleep?" He said softly, noticing that that wasn't really what she wanted to say.

"Sorry. Just... it's important to me, to spend more time together." She saw the surprised look in his eyes and decided to add to that. "For training, I mean. We need to work harder if we want to get better. And personally, I think you need to get better. You need to improve."

He smiled at the insulting comment. "That's not what you were going to say."

"Yes it was." She said calmly. She straightened her posture and decided that the whole discussion she wanted to have would happen some other time. She got up and tripped ever so lightly over the remote on the floor. She could have made a quick and graceful recovery but Clint doesn't let that happen and catches her in a heartbeat. She pushed him away, glaring. "I was fine."

He glared right back. "Without me, you would've fallen on your pretty little face."

"Would not. This pretty little face is fine, see." She raised her eyebrows to show off her functioning face.

"Just trying to preserve your beauty, darling." he sarcastically retorted. He knew now what she wanted to talk about. He grinned widely at her, trying to say with his eyes that he felt the same.

"Shut up." She let that knowing smile distract her, and smiled right back, leaving her attempt of seriousness behind them.

"I don't think so." he was having fun. He was going to make her say it. Tonight. For once, he felt in control of what was going to happen between him and Natasha.

"Goodnight, Clint." She started walking again to the door, more careful than before. He gave up. Fine. She might not say it, but she wasn't walking out of here without addressing their mutual connection and attraction.

He got up and walked quickly past her to stand in front of the door. She stopped in her tracks and raised her eyebrow at him. The straight face she was trying to keep would not leave her face, even with the questioning eyebrow raise and she was proud of having a calm composure. Especially with him standing in the way, blocking her way out.

"Get out of the way, Barton." She usually called him by his first name, so he was taken aback by the use of his last name. She was still in a happy mood. In his moment of confusion, she flipped him over onto the floor and walked out. "Ha."

He was on the floor and his back hurt a little, but he was smiling. "To be continued, Nat." he shouted to her.

"Whatever, Clint" He could tell she was smiling.

He knew she felt the same way about him as he did about her, and that would suffice for now. She'll confess sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, because he enjoyed their flirting back and forth.