All, three of them, entered Tasha`s cozy apartment. It was big enough for one woman to live in. When you step into it, you`re already in a large living room with a sofa and a TV, a few giant bookshelves, and a painting on her left wall. Behind the living room, a little on the left was a kitchen, to which you could enter through the ark. So that when you enter, both of this rooms where visible to you. On the boundary of these two (but on the kitchens side more) was a small round table with antique chairs. And on a little right from the living room there was a small corridor, which turned right, and held it way to two rooms: bedroom and some kind of the home gym with a punching bag and stuff. To say in a few words, apartment was really stylish, made in definite style, wasn`t cluttered, - had a lot of free space, so you could`ve move freely.
Tasha loved this apartment. She felt like it was her own home. Almost.
Clint has been here a lot of times. He liked it, but still was insisting on Tasha moving into Stark Tower.
Allyson was nicely impressed with it. She felt herself comfortable as soon as she stepped into it.
"Wow", she exclaimed, "nice apartment. Whanna swap for a little?"
Three of them headed to a kitchen. Clint took his place on his usual seat and moved aside a chair near him, showing a guest to sit there. Natasha was already making them drinks.
"So", she started, "how long have you, guys, been together?"
Tasha and Clint blushed a little, but they were able to masterly hide it. Allyson was tracking their reaction with wondering eyes. Clint answered calmly.
"We are not together. We`re Just friends".
"Yep", Natasha justified, "we`re friends. And to be more definite – we`re co-workers", she finished easily.
"What a hell is wrong with her?" thought Clint. He was pissed for a little. "She`s talking to her, telling her our names, well she made me to tell mine, `cause it would be rude not to. Then she invites her over. Tasha! Invites a complete STRANGER to her house! If she even knows someone, she never invites them! I`m am the only one. And now she tells her we`re a co-workers. What`s next? Telling her about S.H.I.E.L.D and Avengers?"
"Is she trying a new seductive method, which main direction is to tell the truth? What a hell?"
Clint felt a trick. He felt that something was wrong with a neighbor and Natasha, as well. He was missing something.
"So both of you free?" She continued interestingly.
"Yes, we are". She turned confidently with drinks, her voice fitted to her position as well.
She looked through her, with a little wild fire in her eyes. All of them felt some tension and a new wave of heat. She put in front of Clint an empty glass with a bottle of whiskey next to it. For "girls", she brought two glasses and a bottle of vodka.
"Kak na schet vodki? Ya dumau, tu bu vupila nemnogo (What about vodka? I think you would like to drink a little)". She said on Russian with her seductive, a little pushing, tone. She looked directly into her eyes. So did she.
"Da, pochemu bu I net (Yes, why not to)", Tasha moved her glass towards to her. When Allyson bent over the table, pendant fell out from her shirt, and got well seen. When Natasha set on the chair near, her look accidentally felt on it. She automatically stretched out her hand, and on her half way her hand frozen, as well as her body, as well as her sight, and breathe. For a moment she had a flashback, as she, about six years old, just like now, reaching her hand to this not big round accessory, in a shape of circle with salient picture: a ballerina in a move with stars above her head, and takes it in to her small hands. She came back in to the reality just right in the next second stopping her hand from the move.
"Nice jewelry". That`s all she said. She, in a quick manner, with a little trembling hands, took the bottle and pour into their glasses. There was in twice more in hers.
This small episode hadn`t fallen from Clint`s sight. In that moment, he was about to pour a little to his glass. But he still hadn`t missed it. He couldn`t explain what had just happened. He wasn`t going to ask, because it would`ve been awkward to ask, as Allyson had (almost) missed the moment of Natasha`s confusion. It was not necessary to bring it up. Plus he was afraid of broken nose, because of pointing at her … mistake?
Also he saw how her hands trembled. They never did it before. Maybe when few of her bones were broken after a mission and she was trying to get something. Only then. But now?
Tasha drank in a flash full glass! of her drink, with closed eyes out of pleasure, and, maybe, relief. She put her glass down and looked at her companion, which emptied that half, which was poured, as well. While doing it, she hadn`t even clipped – true Russian. She put her glass down and moved it closer to the bottle and Natasha.
Fascinating scene, isn`t it?
"So why had you moved in here, Ally? May I call you that?" She asked with a smile of a true pleasure, half fake, as Clint suspected.
"Yes, of course. – She shivered a bit and had something strange in her eyes - mixture of insistence, passion, little brutality and drop of insanity. That was all reflection to her smaller name. She clipped, and her eyes stopped burning and she appeared as calm and cheerful as they were before. "I moved here because of the job offer and also because of the interest. Always wanted to see New York".
Tasha poured some vodka in their glasses. Clint moved his glass towards her hand as a gesture, that he wanted some too. Tasha shook her head with a look. "Drink your damn whiskey" it said.
"And not to let you guess", she continued proudly, "because you won`t be able to make it right, I am one of the best and demanded yoga trainers in the hole world".
Yeah, that`s the news. Remembering her raw on the stairs and imagining her, as a patient, one of the best yoga trainers – it was hard to accept that these two different tempered persons where one. That was a little shocking, but none of them showed it through their calm faces.
"And what do you do for your life?" She asked with an interest, while taking her glass closer.
Tasha was first able to speak.
"I`m a personal lawyer of Tony Stark, not the company, just him". She took her glass closer to her, was about to drink. "And my friend over here", showing at Barton, "is a head of the security of the Stark Tower. So in some point, we really are co-workers". She smiled and took a shot, without even moving her eyebrow.
"Oh yeah, I know Stark", Barton`s eyebrow went up, with mistrust. "He offered me a job. Well, he insisted on this job. So as his employees – lawyers, assistants".
"So why hadn`t you taken the job? He should`ve been offered you a huge pile of money", finally Clint interfered into the conversation.
"Yes, he did. But I refused. I am tired of working on boring heads of different corporations. I`ve been there before. Plus he`s selling armor. Don`t want to be self-involved". She made a shot.
"But you know, that Tony Stark isn`t JUST a corporation head. He`s an Iron Man and he doesn`t sit in one position".
"Yes, but still. He appears so funny on the public. But inside… I think there`s a hole in his heart", well, literally, she was right, "and I don`t want to deepen in it. I don`t really like him. Just my thought. Don`t take it close to the heart".
"But you still moved in the city", Natasha insisted on continuing this topic.
"Yes, I did, as I said, it`s really beautiful in here and I always wanted to give a visit". Was said with a low smile. And something was weird about it. It was saying "Bitch" with every word that was spangled, but also with a childish insecurity and innocence.
Her phone made a sound, as if it received a message."Ally" took it out, read it, put it back and with a smile looked on her inviters.
"Well, thank you for invitation, but I have to go. There`s something I need to deal with".
Tasha nodded and both of them took off from their sits. Tasha leaded her to the door. Clint was still sitting where he was with a glass in his hands.
Before closing the door, Tasha looked at her and said a little impatiently, full of seductiveness, and a little rage. But it still sounded as she said it with calmly pleasure.
"I`ll be waiting for you, to come round and finish what we have started.
"I will". That all she replied.
Tasha closed the door and came back to her seat. Poured full glass of vodka, with again, little trembling hands, and made a shot. She drank it all. He`d seen this, her manner to drink so much at once, so he wasn`t surprised, but he was angry. Angry with her, but said none of it.
She closed her eyes and sighted, making herself calm down. If anyone have had so many drinks, he or she would`ve been drunk already. But she was steady.
"You`re drinking like a horse, you know it?"
"Shut it", and poured another glass. So did he.
"I`m listening", he uttered after a short silence.
"What do you want to know", she stared at the glass.
"What a fuck was all this? And you know what I mean! So spit it out! Now!"
"Stop fucking screaming, Barton. It was just civility to a neighbor", she lied.
"Okay, maybe it`s not my problem but.."
"Yeah, not yours at all".
" …but what a hell was that?"
"I found her cute. I wanted her", she said with a smile, a tired one.
"Your hands trembled few times, nothing to say about a jewel on her neck".
"Well, what can I say", she looked at him with a smile and playfully whispered, "she really turns me on".
She took one more shot.
"What? You like girls now?" He asked with disbelief.
"Who said I never did", she answered, half questioning, without stopping smiling. But something was sad about it.
"What all the guy`s in the whole world did wrong?"
"They`re not you", she said with some seriousness, and then laughed loudly, realizing, how ridiculous it sounded. "C`mon, Clint. Stop being so boring". She drank one more glass.
He sighted.
"You`re such a drunkie you know". He said with a little disgust.
She suddenly took his hand and pressed hardly. His skin turned blue from the pressure.
"Don`t you even dare". Her eyes were mad and excited at the same time. She released his hand, looked at her empty glass. "Good night, Barton".
He took off from his seat without saying anything. He was vicious a little. And frustrated. He didn`t want to leave, but he was going to. He turned his back to her and headed to the door.
"And one more thing, Barton", he didn`t turn around, "do not check on her. Don`t ask Tony, or Shield, or anything else. Don`t look for any information. Ever. Just promise me".
He couldn`t understand her request. What could he find if he did? She didn`t even knew her.
He sighted with a suspicion.
"Not today. That all I can promise".
Then he left her apartment.
"That`ll be enough". That all she said pouring herself another glass.
