As usual, apologies for the usual lack of updating. Warning for smut and a little bit of swearing I suppose….and here is a nice long chapter as my apology gift.


Natasha was let out of the medical ward after six days, she healed faster than normal and that helped aid in her release, but mainly it was her threats of violence and her constant attempts to leave. Bruce had to promise her she would be let out as soon as possible, maybe even slightly earlier, if she behaved herself and finished her course of antibiotics. She was a strong woman in many ways, but she had been bitten by the most deadly spider known to man and she was not immune to that venom. She was incredibly stubborn, but she was very aware how lucky she was to be alive.

The moment she was free, there was no question of her destination, she made her way straight up to Tony's lab. Her pace lacked her usual strictness, she was still weary and drained, but she would live. At least until the next attack. Ashamedly, she found herself slightly out of breath when she reached the secured entrance to Tony's lab. Though she had just walked up several flights of stairs in an effort to make up for the physical exercise she had missed out on while being incapacitated. Bruce had assured her she would recover fully, there would be no lasting effects, but it would take a short while to get back to full health.

Tony did not know she was being released, he had spent a good deal of time with her while she was restricted to bed, but she had been able to tell he was rather distracted. Something was going on with him, he often dozed off in the chair beside her, she knew he wasn't sleeping properly, considering his lazy shaves and tired looking face. But his eyes brightened whenever he saw her and she knew hers did the same thing. It was the idea of being with Tony away from a medical setting that pushed her into relaxing so she could get out of there faster.

She keyed in her code from the entrance to the lab, noticing the area had been altered since her last visit, their seemed to be tighter security, though her code still worked; she noticed odd shaped panels in the roof. She had seen similar things outside the weapons vault in the SHIELD base, there were guns operated automatically that would descend if the wrong code was given. The heavy doors before her opened, granting her access and she stepped inside quickly, seeing they were already shutting once activated for entry. Tony was a very carefree sort of person, he thought himself somewhat invincible, even while knowing he wasn't, so why the amped up security?

"Seriously, you can tell Fury to go suck a fat one, I haven't finished the new security programme for the missiles, it will be done when it's done."

Tony's voice drifted through the lab-which looked more or less the same. He sounded agitated and annoyed, clearly frustrated. There was a bang and an angry yelp as the genius engineer presumably dropped a heavy object and caught it with his foot. The lab itself hadn't been altered, but there were different projects going on, half finished suits laying around and holographic screens projected around the huge, cluttered space, seemingly running diagnostics.

"What do you want? Speak up you mindless agent." Tony's voice had not lost its frustration and Natasha's heels clicked lightly over the polished floor as she moved through the lab, following the sounds of banging metal toward the billionaire.

"Seriously!" Tony exclaimed with something close to rage and stepped out from behind one of his suits that was strung up vertically, split open in a similar way to a body being examined in an autopsy. She wondered if he saw it that way, he acted like his iron suits were a close friend or even a child. Did it hurt to dissect them so intimately?

She said nothing as she smiled softly, waiting for him to notice her, the only thing seeming elegant and clean in the midst of metal rubble. Even Tony himself was covered in the usual grease and oil, pen marks down his arm and hand from making quick notes. She always found that amusing, he had something very close to a photographic memory, yet he took notes all the time, whether it was on paper, on screen, on his phone, or on his skin.

His eyes darted around the lab, finding her almost instantly which wasn't a surprise considering she no doubt looked wildly out of place in her pencil skirt and white blouse, the most sophisticated thing in the room. She adored how rapidly the rage and frustration disappeared from his face, the tension flowing out of his body in just a few seconds. He stared at her unbelievingly, clearly trying to convince himself she was not a dream, that she was real and standing in front of him. The object in his hand dropped almost immediately, clattering on the hard floor and creating a racket that nobody cared about. She took a single step forward as he crossed the space between them, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as his slid around her waist. He pulled her close and she had no complaints, struck immediately with his strong scent –a mix of grease and sweat, tipped with a slight burnt smell, telling her he had been welding metal previously.

"God I missed you." He exhaled deeply, his warm breath sending a shiver down Natasha's spine.

"You saw me yesterday." She murmured quietly, her hold on him vice-like, with no regrets. "Remember? You complained about the silence in the lab ad ordered JARVIS to play some Black Sabbath." Oh he smelt fantastic, his natural scent was seeping through and she breathed it in, letting it invade her mind and take over her being entirely.

"Still. I missed you." There was a smile in Tony's voice, she could hear the upward infliction. Clint and Steve had visited her while she lay in her bed, unable to leave it for fear of Bruce reprimanding her and adding more time onto her prison sentence. From what she could gather from her teammates, Tony was withdrawing, -more so than usual. Apparently he spent most of his time shut away in his lab, barely surfacing for meals and even then he didn't eat with the others in the lounge, he took the food back to his lab. He was in there all hours, really only leaving extensively when he went to visit Natasha. And when he did visit, while he was clearly tired and drained, he seemed to be in mildly good spirits. Could it really be her putting him in a good mood? He had lost most of his snarky attitude with her, through certainly not his wit, or his blatantly inappropriate comments. She remarked on them, telling him off without full effort, so he started keeping a chart of how many times a dirty joke or comment had made her smile. He counted 10 in total so far and she had no grounds to dispute him.

His hand stroked slowly over her back, caressing her in a gentle way, seeming almost reassuring until she felt him flick his fingers and realized he had undone her bra. She didn't even get a chance to sigh in exasperation before his lips moved to her neck, his skin prickly, he'd shaved recently but it had been more of a trim. His breath was hot on her skin and it felt delightful, reminding her of how much fun they had together –and how long it had been since that fun was had.

She was certain Bruce had lectured Tony on how important it was that Natasha got her rest and seemingly out of concern for her, the well-known playboy had abstained from coming on to her. There had been little more than kissing while she was in the medical ward, things had gotten heated plenty of times but amazingly Tony had been able to get a hold on himself. She knew it must have been killing him and she could only hope he wasn't satisfying himself on the side. They had not labelled what they were, never really discussing the parameters, but Natasha knew she wouldn't be able to take it if she found out Tony had been with another woman. She had no right to feel so jealous of possessive, but the feeling was there anyway and she could do nothing about it.

His hands continued to roam her body and their faces met, she wasn't aware of his lips leaving her neck but suddenly they were locked to hers and the kiss was searing enough to make her body melt against him. Kissing him was as intoxicating as she remembered, the scene around them bled away until the two of them were the only things in the entire world. She cupped his face, parting her lips to allow access for his eager tongue.

She had missed him so much, even though he visited her every day. It wasn't the same though, being with him while confined to a bed. It seemed similar to wild animals caged at a zoo, it just wasn't her thing to be any place she didn't want to be, simply because she had no other choice.

Being with him in a free setting was wonderful, knowing they could go anywhere, do anything. As though he could read her mind, he spoke at that moment, his thoughts clearly along the same lines. "You and I are getting out of here, we'll take a trip, get out of the city, out of the country. Away from the people trying to attack you." His lips were hot and wet against hers, her breath coming in gasps as she processed the concept.

The idea of going away with him, to an unknown location was certainly enticing. Neither of them were hopeless romantics, but Tony was the spontaneous one, if he was prepared to whisk her away to a tropical island then she had no complaints. He took her lack of an answer as agreement and kissed her harder, almost viciously but there was a hunger in him that she matched. Her arms retracted from around him so her fingers could grip the hem of his shirt, forcing them to separate their kiss for a moment, only long enough for his shirt to be pulled over his head and removed completely. He was wearing a long sleeve thermal and decided that needed to go too, pulling that off as well.

As their lips met again it was with a vengeance, as though they had both decided the kiss would not end again. If more clothes had to come off, they would have to be torn. Her hands ghosted over his bare chest, feeling a range of minor burns and scrapes, the more rugged side of the billionaire that the public did not see. Most of them were recent, which was consistent with the knowledge she had about him shutting himself in the lab. Yet he was so willing to run away on holiday with her, to leave everything behind, everything that had drawn him away from the public and into the secured walls of his lab.

Her fingertips brushed over the arc reactor, the circle seated in Tony's chest that separated him from any other human. There were other billionaires, other playboys, other geniuses, -though Tony surpassed most of them. But there was no one else with a glowing object embedded in his chest that could power any machine in the world. Her thumb traced around the edge of the device, the most definitive sign of how unique he was.

Tony started moving her back, shuffling her with guiding hands on her hips, but rapidly decided they were not moving fast enough. His toned arms encircled her and lifted her, the kiss not wavering for even a second, clearly both parties were more than willing to forget their need for oxygen in order to have their fill of the other.

Something pressed into her back, a table edge and the obstruction seemed to be what Tony was looking for. He set her down and his hands roamed her body once more, a feeling Natasha did not even know she had been missing. He tugged impatiently at the front of her blouse, apparently not agreeing with how many buttons were in his way of having her. Natasha opted to help him, kissing him hungrily still as her fingers moved to her chest and made quick work of the tiny buttons. She shrugged out of the thin material, wearing only a bra underneath which fell along with the shirt to the floor, having been released before the kiss even began.

They were both topless and it clearly wasn't enough –for either of them. Almost at the same time, they released their hold on each other and Natasha quickly freed the clasp of his belt, while his fingers tugged at the front of her skirt, clearly too impatient to be bothered with the fastening. She was hardly surprised as he groaned against her lips and yanked down, ripping the side of her skirt. She took a quick breath to protest, but he was quicker and bit down with affection on her bottom lip. "I'll buy you a new one." He murmured, his tongue slipping through her lips once again to claim her mouth.

He pulled away the tattered skirt and let out a deliciously dark chuckle as he realized she was not wearing panties. Her whole body jerked as his fingers slipped between her legs and rubbed her folds, movement eased by how wet she was for him. Not that he was any different, she could feel his erection through his jeans and she slowly pulled down the top of his pants, purposely taking her time in quiet revenge for him ripping her skirt. It was bothering him too, her slow speed of undressing him, his hips trying to grind against her as she carefully avoided stimulating him in any way. She chuckled breathlessly against his lips as he groaned and pushed two fingers inside her, causing her moment of delicious revenge to cease, a gasp escaping her lips, back arching, heat pounding.

A light moan emitted from her throat and Tony's lips moved to the source, attacking her neck with harsh and hungry kisses. She panted, trying to pull his pants down as his fingers teasingly explored her intimate area, retracting to gently rub the small bundle of nerves at the top her clit, only moving back inside her once he had her moaning and gasping. She was supposed to be getting rest but she didn't care, she was out and she wanted to be with Tony, finally freeing him of his jeans and then his boxers, letting out a loud moan at the feel of his hot length pressing harshly against her thigh.

His other hand caressed her breasts, fingers gliding over her soft skin, cupping them to feel the weight and tweaking her nipples in time with the lazy pumping movement of his fingers.

"Tony…" She moaned, head tipping back, hips slowly moving against him.

"I know." He grunted against her neck, his voice dark and full of lust. She assumed his plan had been to get them on the table, but she had other ideas, deciding to forgo the pleasure he gave her in order to sink to her knees in front of him. She smirked up at him and took his no doubt painfully hard erection on her mouth, pressing him right in until the entire length was enveloped in her warm mouth, letting her saliva coat it expertly. Tony's cock was not small by any means, it was most definitely larger and thicker than what would be considered average size, but Natasha was a trained assassin and she had been trained out of her gag reflex.

"Ah! Fuck! Holy-ah! Tash- Fuck- Ah!" Tony spluttered violently in surprise and shock, taking a moment to compose himself before he let out a groan, one had gripping the edge of the table in front of him, the other threading into her crimson locks. She let him guide her, her tongue wrapping around his cock hungrily as he groaned and gasped, each little noise from him a sign of how much please she was giving him. "Ah Na- Natas- ah-" Clearly she was doing something right, if he was reduced to cave man styles grunts and gasped as she sucked him off.

She tormented him, sensing when he was close to his release and stilling her movements, her tongue only lapping at the sensitive head in a lazy fashion. She wanted to have him panting and gasping for her, she wanted to feel the satisfaction of having this man come undone so brutally. Because, she knew that was exactly what he wanted of her.

"Fuck- no-"He reached down and grabbed her arms, pulling her up to her feet. He kissed her savagely, clearly not chased away by the taste of himself. One hand moved to her thigh and lifted her leg to hold at his waist, his free hand guiding himself to her entrance, pausing only a moment before he pushed in. With the natural lubrication from herself and of course from her saliva, he managed to push almost all the way in, both of them moaning loudly. He stretched her in a beautiful way, his playboy status was not all talk and he was not a womanizer because he was the king of foreplay. Neither of them were foreplay people, with sex, they wanted to get into the act, they didn't want to have to dance around each other longer than necessary.

Natasha moaned desperately, her entire body arching to push her hips forward, demanding more of him all of him. He complied with no restraint, slamming himself fully inside her and letting out a brutish grunt. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in order to keep her balance with only one foot on the ground and they both stayed that way for several seconds, panting and shining with sweat. Tony suddenly pulled out a little and pushed back in with enough force to make her cry out. At her vocalization he continued, setting up a vicious rhythm, pulling back so he was almost free and pushing in the next moment to bury himself inside her.

Their chests were locked together, she could feel the rim of the arc reactor pressing in to her skin as their hips slammed together. Without warning his hand not holding her thigh moved under her ass and lifted her up, seating her on the edge of the table. He didn't pause before he climbed up with her, having to remove himself from inside her, which seemed to send him into a frenzy, as if his entire purpose in life was only to be back inside of her. It was a low table, not a work bench made to be accessed at standing height, more to be used while sitting. Or fucking on apparently, but due to the low height he was able to climb up easily by putting one knee up.

He was bearing over her in an instant, one hand slipping behind her head as he pushed her roughly onto her back, somehow being both considerate and inconsiderate at the same time. There was no warning uttered before he buried himself within her folds once more, both of them inhaling sharply at the familiarity of it all.

"Natasha…" He groaned, holding himself above her with the arm used to cushion her head against the hard table. He rested almost all her weight on her body, though she could normally take his full weight, she was still so drained and she was grateful she didn't have to bear him. She wrapped one of her legs around his waist, her heel digging into that glorious ass of his, her hips angling toward him to allow him deeper. He attacked her neck and chest, licking and sucking and biting the skin, his feverish state increasing with every noise he was able to get from her.

She trailed one hand up his body, her fingers feeling each of his muscles contort as he moved, sweat slicking both of their bodies as the minutes passed. Natasha's climax was beautiful, her vision failing as her body arched, crying his name while her hips lost their rhythm against his and increased the pace of both of them.

Tony barely battered an eye, riding her through it roughly but not stopping. He slowed only slightly when it was apparent her orgasm was ended as she gasped for air, her body quaking, pupils blown wide and somehow meeting his eyes.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered and she noted how far off his voice sounded through her delicious buzzing haze. "So… beautiful." His hand trailed down her skin, slicked with sweat. "I was so scared.. so scared I would lose you." She could see it in his face, the fear. The fear of being left alone, without anybody to understand him, be with him. Left alone to mourn for the assassin he had convinced to fall for him.

He gazed down at her possessively, she could see the lust in his eyes but also something else. Something deeper, something that visualized the connection she felt for him. Was it really love? The thought had crossed her mind and it did seem so likely. But it couldn't be love, this was Tony Stark, known for being a womanizer, for never repeating a night with a woman, for kicking them from his bed, or leaving the hotel room before they woke. Every single woman knew what he was, knew what would happen, but they went with him anyway. In the hopes of changing him and perhaps becoming the legendary Mrs Stark. And yet he left them as he always did, no one was surprised. Tony Stark did not fall in love and neither did Natasha. Sure, she had loved men before, but it had never ended well. But she was not imagining the care in Tony's alluring eyes. The protectiveness was there, in the way that he had placed his hand under her head before he pushed her down, in the way he held himself over her, but not on her, as if shielding her from the world, claiming her as his.

She let out a moan as stimulating ripples erupted from her core, realizing his thumb was the cause as he rubbed the nerves about her clit, her hips reacting seemingly on their own, moving against him in response.

"Oh my beautiful Natasha." Tony grunted, before pressing his lips to hers, his comment somewhat at odds with the way his hips started thrusting against her. He suddenly removed his hand from under her head, though in a way that did not hurt her, sliding his arm under her waist instead. He pulled her right up, sitting up with her and gripping under her knees to wrap them around his waist. He was much more toned than she remembered, more muscular. She knew he worked out, but nothing serious, she could only assume his work in the lab required a lot of physical activity.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pressing their chests tightly together. He was taller than her normally, but with her straddling his hips and him resting on his knees under her, she was taller for once. Her dipped his head down and caught her nipple between his lips, just as he thrust up with his hips and pulled her down with his hold around her. The result was like a surge of electricity rolling through her body, beginning at her core. She cried out and thrust her hips against him as a definite sign that she loved it, begging him to continue. He complied, giving her what she asked for wordlessly. His hips moved at a pace rougher than before, their bodies wrapped around each other, slicked with sweat, panting and gasping.

They hadn't had sex with other that many times, but by god they were good at it, it was like they knew each other well enough for the whole affair to be amazing. Tony was brutal, hyping her up until she was nearly screaming for him, then rolling his hips lazily, ensuring when she finally orgasmed again, it would be monumental.

The two of them came apart together, Natasha's second orgasm sparking Tony's first, judging by the vicious and desperate thrusting of his hips and the way he cried her name, with a dark, hoarse voice.


Tony collapsed against her while simultaneously holding her up with his shaking arms. She was still straddling him, her cheek resting on his shoulder as they tried to catch their breath. His hand came up to gently stroke the crimson curls off her pale cheek. He hadn't planned this, she had walked into his lab, looking much better and stronger than she had a week ago, but still visibly weary.

He hadn't planned to take her, to have her on his table, but the moment his arms went around her and he breathed in her scent, there was no way he could refrain. She was a sexual woman and she had the most perfect body, even a blind man could not stop himself from taking her. She may have needed rest and Tony felt guilt about taking that away from her, but she seemed to have no complaints, her delicious cries were a sound he would not soon forget.

As they sat together, as close as physically possible, he should have told her. Should have told her he loved her. She felt something for him, no matter how much she tried to deny it from herself, he could see it. She had always been a woman that had a legendary composure, but he was getting to know her and she was opening herself to him. He could see the way she looking at him, eyes full of lust as well as devotion.

Three simple words that would be so easy to say, if he could only bring up the courage. Odd that he was so ready to die when the world needed him to, but he couldn't tell the woman of his dreams that he loved her. She was so gorgeous, he looking down at her toned back, as thin as always, but holding less of the structured muscle with her lack of recent training.

Maybe if he took her away, flew her to a private island and let her relax on a while sandy beach. The image of her in a bikini was glorious, he could imagine them standing in the shallows of a sparkling blue ocean splashing each other childishly. No SHIELD, no guns, no enemies, just the two of them. He would tackle her into the water and then carry her back to the beach, making love to her on the sand. Maybe then he could tell her he loved her, that he would do anything for her, that he couldn't live without her.

She said something, something murmured quietly that Tony didn't quite hear, partly because of how strongly his fantasy was searing into his mind, partly because she spoke with a voice that seemed almost shy.

"What did you say?" He moved his hand to her chin and gently lifted it so he could see her eyes.

She took a moment before speaking, as though she had to chew the words before she said them.

"I said I love you, Tony."