Sorry for the long wait…Shouldn't happen again. Clintasha in the end of the chapter, just because.

Thanks to AgentEquus for betaing! She always makes those chapters better ^^

Please read and enjoy! (and review before leaving ;3)

10.

For the umpteenth time, Clint cursed himself. Since Natasha had departed from the dance floor, he had taken up residence at the bar and ordered some vodka to get over his stupidity. He had kissed her. He had kissed her while they were dancing. If that wasn't the stupidest move he had ever made… Sure, he had been pining over her for a while, but it didn't mean she liked him that way. Still, feeling her body move against him and she letting him nuzzle her neck had been too much and he hadn't resisted to the calling of those gorgeous lips and…

And she had kissed back.

That lovely little detail kept replaying over and over his head. She had kissed him back. Whether she was caught in the moment or had truly wanted it, he couldn't get the fact out of his mind. If he closed his eyes, he could remember the softness of her mouth, the smooth skin under his fingers, the light press of her breasts against his chest. If things were up to him, he would have dragged her in a corner and kept kissing her all night. Maybe touch her, if she had allowed him.

Clint snorted into his glass. Even if she had responded to him, she wouldn't have allowed him more. Natasha was someone hated jumping in the unknown. Kissing her was catching her off guard, so it shouldn't surprise him she had taken off. In that regard, she was a lot like Bruce, evaluating the situation before reacting. He'd have to apologize to her later. He just hoped he hadn't broken the fragile friendship they had built up to now.

His thoughts were interrupted by Maria's arrival. She poked his shoulder to get his attention and asked very calmly, "Where is Natasha?"

Clint shrugged. "She went out. Guess she wanted to get some air."

Much to his surprise, Maria tensed. Her mouth thinned into a hard line and her eyes narrowed in what he supposed was anger.

"Thanos is here," she spat tersely. Clint's blood froze.

"I thought Tony had put a persona non grata on him at the Heli."

"Hammer is buddy-buddy with Hydra, remember? And he'd do anything to piss Stark off," Maria replied, practically seething. "I sent Bruce and Thor to check on the guys outside. You scan the crowd. If she didn't leave, catch her before she does. I'll check the restrooms."

The brunette darted upon those words, leaving Clint dumbfounded. Thanos was here. Thanos was here and Natasha probably missing. The idle threat he had thrown at Clint didn't look so idle anymore. The young man pushed away the subtle, increasing fear and started searching for a splash of red hair.

If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

It was pure dumb luck that Tony Stark walked by that alley, a little hop in his walk as he approached his favorite nightclub.

That night, he hadn't planned to go at the Helicarrier. His CEO had encountered a problem he needed to take care of himself – Stark Industries was a big company after all, and he had, on a sort of whim, decided to open a branch on clean energy. The meeting was supposed to last hours. Thankfully, they had solved the problem faster than expected (just a technical defect even a newbie could have worked out). Since the clock hadn't hit ten PM yet, he had decided to make a detour on his way home and properly greet Pepper, his not-girlfriend (but if he had his ways, soon to be).

At first, Tony thought the shadows moving in the dark were lovers having fun, but soon enough he realized their gestures were too brusque. He approached soundless –or as soundlessly he could be –and checked the situation closer. Stark was surprised to recognize the birdbrain's girlfriend, fighting her way out of a particularly delicate situation.

"Get the hell o-!"

Two guys were towering over her, one covering her mouth with his hand and the other holding her wrists. Natasha was defending herself okay, Tony thought. She would wriggle out of their grip, spin around using her flexibility and near-gymnastic skills and try to hit her assailants in the right places. But as good as she was, she was still a thin teenager against two burly men. Stark was no fighter like birdbrain, Rhodey or Thor. He had no specific skills like that redhead girl. He was a showoff but no coward either.

He took a step forwards and shouted loud, hoping someone in the neighborhood would hear him.

"Hey, bozos! Why don't you hit on someone your own size?"

As he expected, the two guys stopped paying attention to the girl and turned towards him. "What, you jealous?" one of the thugs asked, leering at him.

Plan A succeeded, Tony thought. What came next again?

"Not at all, but given the fact you guys are using brute force against a frail little damsel," he didn't miss the glare Natasha sent him, "I'd rather not just sit around and wait till you're done. I mean, hello, I thought people like you would grow a brain one day."

One of the thugs dropped the girl and walked closer to him. Had Tony had any sense of self-preservation, he would have turned tail and gotten the hell out of dodge. But if he ran, birdbrain's girlfriend would be left alone and those guys looked like they would crack her head open without remorse the moment he turned away.

"Tony!"

A huge feeling of relief washed over him as he recognized Bruce's voice, quickly followed by Thor's heavy footsteps. A quick glance over his shoulder told him they looked quite pissed. The two thugs glanced at each other before taking off, leaving their target behind. Understandable, Stark thought sarcastically. Thor was not a guy you'd want to mess with, and Bruce, in spite of his frail appearance, hid considerable strength when angry. He hadn't seen them in action first-hand, but he'd heard the rumors. On second thought, perhaps he would have rather have the two thugs hang around, just for entertainment's sake.

Tony pushed those thoughts away and walked towards Natasha. She was wobbling but leaning against the wall to stabilize herself. The girl didn't look to be in shock, per se, but not perfectly fine either.

"You okay, kid?"

The young woman's shirt was ripped at the sleeves, the side of her face reddish from what looked to be a slap. Her jeans looked intact, so Stark assumed the two guys weren't after her in that way.

"I'm not a frail little damsel," she muttered in return, eyes narrowed and angry. Well, at least she was still kicking, he thought sarcastically. Perhaps it was her coping mechanism. Given the large bruises on her forearms and the way she favored her left leg, they must have done a number on her. Were they trying to scare her? He wondered. As far as he knew, Natasha had no ties with any people from the underground. The worst association she could possibly have would be the cre-

Stark blinked, absorbing the new piece of information. The crew. Of course. Natasha and birdbrain were getting tight and some people – namely a certain creep named Thanos – had a little thing against him.

"Tasha!"

Speak of the devil. Clint was running down the alley, closely followed by Maria and Rhodey. Stark watched with interest the way her body reacted at his voice, yet tensed when he tried to touch her.

"You okay, sweetheart?" he asked, cautiously brushing her arm. She looked like she wanted him to hold her and at the same time run far, far away. But she didn't say a word and nodded instead, hugging herself to stop the shaking of her shoulders. The others exchanged glances and with the usual efficiency, Maria sent Bruce fetch the car with Rhodey while Thor stood as a sentinel to watch their surroundings. The evening was over. What were those kids doing at the Helicarrier anyway? Stark thought, didn't they have school the next morning? Oh well, if they wanted to be hung over in the morning, that was their problem. More urgent stuff was currently going on.

"Are your parents home?" Maria asked, stepping closer to the redhead. Natasha shook her head.

"They've gone to Europe for two months. They won't come back till next month."

Stark's fists tightened in anger. How people could just leave their daughter behind without any form of supervision would always stun him. His father hadn't been a model parent, but at least he always made sure Tony wasn't alone during his business trips.

"I'd rather you stay with us until then," the brunette said, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. "We have a couple of free guest rooms, you'll be fine there."

Natasha accepted the offer with grateful eyes. They waited in silence while the car was being brought around. Tony took advantage of that moment to observe Clint and his not-girlfriend as they both stood side by side, with Clint pretending not to send worried glances at her and her pretending not to notice. He concluded those two would be hooking up within the week and absently wondered if a betting pool had been drawn yet and how high the latest bid was.

She couldn't sleep. Natasha supposed that being assaulted by two guys that ran away afterwards would do that. She was just thankful that Maria had insisted she slept at the warehouse; she didn't feel like spending a night alone. The room she was given was nice, but couldn't stop the insecurity creeping in. Although she knew people were nearby, she couldn't stop tensing at every little unfamiliar noise, which happened every five seconds. Pipes whistling, walls cracking, wind blowing…

Natasha stood up, pushed the door of her room open and strolled down the corridor. At first, she intended to stop by the bathroom and upon her return read a book since she probably wouldn't get any sleep. But sometime along the way, her feet stopped in front of his room.

Over time, Natasha had remembered what had occurred when she had last crossed that threshold. He was halfway carrying her, she was laughing like there was no tomorrow and babbling about the fun she had. Once the door had been closed, once they had both changed clothes for the night, once they had lain on the bed, his hands had wandered over her face, hers had caressed his chest, and they had kissed and made out until exhaustion had taken over and they had fallen asleep. She knew why she hadn't pushed him away. It wasn't the alcohol that had lowered her defenses, but the feeling of safety she felt around him, like she knew he'd never hurt her. And the way he touched her, not frenetic and overpowering but slow and discovering, had made her want more despite not knowing him at all.

Natasha bit her lower lip. Would she feel that safety again if she stepped back in? She hadn't been in his bedroom since that night. Then again, she didn't really have any reason to. But to feel safe again… She pushed the door open and entered the room. Clint wasn't asleep. His still form stiffened and straightened the moment she closed the door.

"Tasha?" She hadn't realized how much she wanted to hear his voice until now. "Tasha, that you?"

She stepped closer to the round-shaped bed. Wait, round-shaped bed? Odd, Natasha thought. She hadn't paid great attention to the decor last time she had been here, she'd have to remedy that tomorrow. In the darkness, she managed to draw the shape of his body, the way he leaned forwards as she approached.

"Can I stay here?" she asked quietly.

There was no hesitation in his movements as Clint moved aside to let her in. Natasha climbed on the bed and immediately curled up on the warm spot he had left for her.

His hand reached out and tentatively held hers. Natasha didn't pull away. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe evenly. After a while, as his thumb ran over her knuckles in a soothing way, Natasha released a breath she hadn't realized holding and relaxed a little. She felt safe here, tucked between his sheets and smelling him around her. She could feel Clint right across her, unmoving, breathing even but probably staring at her. It didn't bother her. On the opposite, Clint watching her was a reassuring thought.

Natasha didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she felt sunrays over her face and the mattress moving beneath her. Scratch that, a mattress wasn't warm and moving. Her eyes snapped open and she met Clint's gray-blue amused ones.

Oh, darn.

"Morning, sweetheart," he said with a cheeky grin. Her cheeks must be burning from embarrassment. He didn't seem to mind having her crushing his chest, so she didn't hurry to get away. It was a nice, solid chest.

"Hi?" she replied, her voice raspy with sleepiness. To her discontent, he shifted position so she ended up on the side facing him. Although his eyes were bright and alert, his voice was deep and still husky from sleep. His hair looked even messier than usual and she resisted the urge to run her hand through it. It did look kinda soft…

"Slept well?" Natasha nodded. He smiled. "That's great. Phil said we could skip school today if yer still a bit uneasy. We still got another twenty if y'wanna stay longer."

"I'll be fine," she replied with a yawn and shifted into a more comfortable position. "Twenty's great." If her hand happened to brush his along the way…well, coincidences did happen.

In spite of the relaxed atmosphere, Natasha couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. Clint was staring back at her too, his face unreadable. She wondered what was going through his head, but she lay content.

"You'll be all right?" he eventually asked.

"No trauma, I promise," she replied with a small smile and she meant it. Clint seemed to relax considerably, but the worry was still visible in the line around his mouth.

"Sorry you got sucked into all my issues."

Natasha took his hand and squeezed it. She tried not to ponder over the warmth of his and how he suddenly stilled.

"I told you. Not running away."

Another bright smile grew on his face, but it was obvious there was another thing on his mind. They remained silent, watching each other thoroughly, intimately. Natasha didn't mind, though; he made her feel safe. After a while, Clint seemed to gather his guts and asked, "I know it must be the last thing you want to talk about but…did the kiss bother you?"

She almost laughed. His eyes were urging her for a genuine response. So Natasha gave him one.

"No," she replied honestly. She had been upset at the time, but more about how much she had enjoyed it. She liked him for sure, had let him in faster than anyone else and definitively wanted more. The barely two weeks thing bothered her a little. Being able to trust someone was the basis of everything, and she was tempted to give herself away to guy she barely knew?

Natasha realized he hadn't spoken yet. A question was on his mind, saw him hesitate, watched him as he inhaled sharply and asked quietly:

"Would you mind if I did it again?"

He was expecting a straight rejection, but still tried. Natasha had to admit she kinda liked his particular brand of persistence. So she answered genuinely, "No. I wouldn't."

Clint's eyes widened in surprise, the corners of his mouth tilted up in disbelief. She tried hard to restrain her urge to burst into laughter again but sobered when he cupped her cheek, leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. The contact was so gentle, so chaste it made her giggle.

"What?" The puzzled look on his face made her laugh harder.

"Given the way you kissed me yesterday, I'd expect you a bit more…passionate," She teased him. Her smile weakened as something shifted in his eyes. The clear slate blue turned darker, more intense in a slightly frightening way.

"I can give you more passionate," he whispered, and the huskiness of his voice made her shiver, but not in fear.

"Try me," was her daring reply, and Natasha meant it. She wouldn't break easily and she didn't want him to treat her as something fragile. The second of surprised passed, and Clint's grin came back full force.

"You've got it, sweetheart."

Next chap, Steve is joining. Finally :)