Written for my card on Love Bingo's Round 3. Square: "Walking on the beach".


9: Natasha & Tony


They'd been on a mission in Maine. No huge showdown, just some recon and a quick hostile take-over of an enemy camp. Afterwards, the Avengers decided to stay for the night and relax. They booked rooms near Ogunquit Beach, in a quiet hotel. The night was pleasantly warm and when they sat together, eating supper, Tony spied Natasha looking at couples that wandered by every now and then.

It was sickeningly idyllic, with the ocean, the sand and the low-hanging sun. The sunset would have been even more spectacular on the West Coast, but sometimes you had to make do with what you had.

Knowing it had been a shitty mission for most of them, with a lot of frustration and holding back in order to make things click at the right moment, Tony knew they needed to wind down. Clint had already talked Steve and Thor into going to a nearby bar with him; between the three of them, it would probably be the most productive night the place had seen in the absence of a bigger crowd. Also, Steve and Thor always snacked long after the others were done eating, so Tony had a feeling that as long as food and drink kept coming, they would be staying at the bar instead of hitting the sack.

Bruce had said he would be heading back to his room, but he had that tell-tale itch about him that meant he would work until the early morning; the big guy hadn't been needed during the mission, which made Bruce happy, but it didn't mean he was any less stressed about the whole ordeal.

That left Tony and Natasha.

"Want to take a walk with me?" Tony asked the red-head, who quickly cast her eyes his way from tracking the people moving by the restaurant.

"Afraid you'll get lost?" she asked, lips curling a little into a half-smile.

"Or mugged," he shrugged, pretending to be the damsel in distress. He could handle himself, but it was always problematic when people recognized him in the street. He would rather not deal with that tonight.

"Okay," she finally agreed and rose from the table. Tony paid the bill – he always did.

Tony and Natasha set off down along the beach, which was deserted in places, then suddenly there would be a couple or a group of people hanging around, having fun or… well, having a moment.

Natasha kept up with his pace easily. She was dressed in a simple dress that rippled a little in the wind, and she looked like any person you might meet in the street, blending in; someone who kept eyeing up the couples they passed.

Tony knew longing when he saw it, even if it was hidden and repressed; he didn't think Natasha had a lot of chances to get casually acquainted with people, even for a night. She probably had a list of trust issues longer than Tony's, and perhaps she had told herself she could go without.

Sometimes, though, the craving lingered. Tony saw it whenever Pepper needed closeness and he was happy to give it. He knew Natasha would be more difficult than that; he couldn't just set her up with a date. Most likely she would beat the guy up for making the wrong move around her.

Tony had his own share of issues when it came to Agent Romanoff. Mostly, he tended to watch her hands for sharp, needle-like objects. It had gotten better over time because she had his back now, regardless of that small incident of violated trust.

He shouldn't let that rule his life.

So, subtly, Tony reached out with his hand, palm open in the air between them. Natasha noticed the gesture at once, of course, staring down at the offered hand as if it were going to attack her. Tony didn't say anything and kept walking. Natasha looked away – at the ocean and the sandy dunes covered with low grass – then finally slid her hand into his. The grip was uneasy at first, but Tony was the master of things like this, drawing her in and making her relax with a subtle change in the hold and a brief caress of the tips of his fingers along her skin.

They continued their walk in that fashion, hand in hand. Like this, they didn't look unlike any of the other couples they passed, and eventually they turned around and back-tracked to the hotel. It was dark by then, the sounds of the ocean a constant noise. The wind had eased up a little.

When they got close enough, Natasha slipped her hand out of Tony's. It was as if walking back into the light surrounding buildings and parking lots broke the illusion she had allowed herself to fall into for a moment.

However, the small, private smile she gave Tony spoke of her appreciation, and Tony returned it before heading off to his room.

to be continued…