The last few weeks have been some of the best that Tony has experienced. Even if it was all fake.
Natasha was an extremely good actor, able to even convince him that she had feelings for him. But by the end of every day, she made it quite clear that this was all business. Even if there was a spark between them whenever they kissed, or that when they hugged, she always lingered just a few seconds longer, and he let her because he never wanted to let her go.
Today was no different.
The press was always flocking them, wanting to know how the relationship between Iron Man and the Black Widow was progressing. There were even rumors that the reason he, Tony Stark, was in a committed relationship was because he had gotten Natasha pregnant. He remembered her seeing it and then slightly freaking out, pulling him back behind a building and demanding him to tell her what he had said.
"I didn't say a thing," he said, hands up, slight smirk on his face.
"Then why are they saying that?" she demanded.
"It's the press," he chuckled, placing his hands on her arms and rubbing them in an attempt to calm her down. "They'll say anything to get their magazines sold. Just let them, it keeps people happy and the media from all sources wanting more."
He remembered her stare, the one that could kill. He had leaned forward and kissed her forehead. He didn't know why he had done it, but the thing that surprised him the most was that she seemed to calm down after that.
And, just like that day, Natasha once again got a little freaked by the media coverage. A magazine in the window said that a baby bump was beginning to show. She gripped Tony's hand and they continued on their walk. Tony could sense that she was upset, so he stopped their walk and had them sit down on a bench.
"What's the matter? Is it that magazine in the window we passed?" he asked her, holding her hands gently in his.
She sighed, shaking her head a little. "Yes. I didn't think I gained weight, but I must have, and of course they're assuming that I'm pregnant."
He chuckled. "It's called Photoshop, hun."
She looked at him with a confused expression, to which he laughed a little bit more.
"It's a program used to edit picture. They probably found one of us and used it to make it look as if you are beginning to show. We'll clear it up first chance we got, okay?"
"But I thought –"
He knew what she was going to say. That it was good media and would continue to bring more coverage on the two of them, thus, more distractions from what SHIELD was going across seas. But he could tell that the whole situation was making Natasha uncomfortable, and honestly, that was the last thing he wanted.
"I know, I know. But listen. This makes you uncomfortable, I can tell. So we'll just be a little more public and come up with something else we can do to keep the media's attention, alright?" Tony stared into her eyes.
She finally nodded. "Thank you, Stark. That's actually… very kind of you. I would have never expected something like this out of you before."
He raised an eyebrow. "Before what?"
"Before this assignment. I mean, we have gotten to get to know each other a lot more the past few weeks."
He knew this was true. They have spent quite a bit of time together recently, and they did discuss some of their interests to each other. He even discovered that her favorite movies were the Bond movies – which he wasn't all that surprised with. A part of him said that he should attempt to make a move on her, take her out for dinner on a real date rather than a fake one. But he had a strong feeling that she would decline the invitation, and then this whole charade would get weird and she could call it off.
"You okay?" Natasha asked, squeezing his hand slightly.
He looked at her, putting a smile on his face. "Well of course. Common, I should take you home, yeah?"
In her eyes, it looked like she may have been a bit disappointed with his suggestion, but it was quickly gone.
"Yeah, that'd probably be best. I've got some training to do anyway."
He nodded, taking her hand and they stood up. They didn't speak as he walked her back to her apartment, which was only a few blocks away. He was sure to walk her up to her apartment, and even when they were out of sight of any cameras and reporters, he continued to hold her hand, and she never pulled hers away either.
"I'll see you tomorrow then," Tony said with a small smile.
"Yeah. See you."
He watched as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. He lingered for a few moments, briefly playing with the idea of knocking on her door and kissing her when she opened it. Instead, he shook his head and made his way back downstairs and to the street where his car was, slipping inside, and driving away.