That morning she woke up, rolling over to an empty bed. She sighed but smiled thinking about the night before, she hugged herself before dragging herself out of bed. She noticed one of Steve's shirts was draped over the chair with a post it note stuck to it.

"For when you miss me" it said. She beamed before remembering what Tony had said last night.

"This mission could take us weeks" he'd promised to check in as much as possible and had made her promise not to over work herself. Tying her hair up she headed over to the drawer that held her gym clothes. Bruce had kept telling her no but he wasn't here now to tell her otherwise so she eagerly got dressed. Just as she reached the gym door her phone rang.

"Hey Tony"

"Bruce said no gym kiddo" she groaned.

"I'll go easy, just a walk on the treadmill"

"You can go walk outside" she heard Bruce say in the background.

"It's raining, surely you can see that from the jet"

"She has a point Bruce" Natasha said.

"Give me the phone Tony. Okay, you can do fifteen minutes walking on the treadmill. That's it"

"Thank you" She heard Tony fumbling for the phone back.

"Oh and Kid don't forget to feed the dog"

"Dog?"

"Sorry did I say dog, I meant God"

"Tony!" she laughed.

"I'll make sure he's okay"

"Love you kiddo"

"Love you too Tony" he hung up and she sighed pushing the gym door open.

"I'll walk today but just try and stop me tomorrow when you're deep undercover in Istanbul or wherever the heck you guys are" she said to herself as she stepped on the treadmill.

She risked an extra five minutes before heading up to the kitchen and making herself a coffee, stirring the milk and sugar in watching as it dissolved. Hesitating, she poured another cup leaving it black. Her hands shook slightly as she climbed the stairs, she nudged his door open slowly. He was still sleeping as she put the coffee on the nightstand. Carefully she started to exit the room but he stopped her.

"Morning princess" she hovered in the doorway very much aware that she was wearing just a sports bra and shorts.

"Do you make a habit of standing in peoples doorways after creeping into their room" he asked as he moved himself into a seated position.

"I bought you coffee" she nodded at the steaming mug next to him.

"I guessed you're not a milk and sugar type of a guy" she smiled.

"You didn't answer my question"

"Depends whose doorway it is" he smiled this time.

"The compounds empty by the way if you wanted to not stare at these four walls"

"Lab and Tony's office are off limits," she added. He rolled his eyes.

"Obviously" he replied. She sipped her coffee before heading back to her room.

"Why don't you give me a tour" he shouted after her.

"Sure thing, let me just get changed" she shouted back.

"And this is the kitchen" she said, leaning against the counter top, feeling much more confident that she was now in jeans and a shirt and not minimal gym wear.

"They'll be gone for a few weeks, I think, so feel free to make yourself at home" she hopped up so she was sitting on the counter, her legs swinging down.

"You're not like the others" he mused, opening the fridge.

"You said that the first time we met"

"Well it's true". She blushed.

"You want me to make you some lunch" she offered.

"I can cook, you know," he said, sounding slightly offended.

"Oh I'm sorry I thought every dish was brought to you on a silver platter, served on a bent knee" she laughed.

"Let me make you something, as a thank you". She gulped.

"Uh sure" forcing a smile. She watched as he busied himself in the kitchen.

"I think I know what's different about you," she said softly. He looked up from where he was chopping vegetables.

"Go on"

"It's the clothes; jeans suit you"

"Everything suits me" he winked, Katarina laughed.

"And so modest too". He lifted her off the counter much to her surprise.

"Lunch is almost ready, sit up and close your eyes" she carefully seated herself on one of the island stools and closed her eyes.

"Okay open" she heard him whisper in her ear.

"Loki, a salad is not cooking" she teased as she dug her fork into it. He pouted.

"It's good though," she smiled.

"Why don't you like food?" she stopped mid forkful.

"Excuse me?" He blinked.

"It's a simple question"

"I'm eating right now"

"No you have a forkful of salad which you've picked up and put down three times and just told me it's good even though you haven't tasted it" he cocked his head with that all knowing look. She shoved the forkful into her mouth and chewed.

"It is good" she said.

"Then finish it" he goaded her. She ate a few more mouthfuls before putting her fork down.

"I said finish it Princess" he sat across from her, his chin resting on his fists.

"I'm full"

"Liar" she threw the fork across the table at him and tried to march out of the room but he grabbed her wrist stopping her.

"You don't have to do this Katarina. You are beautiful" his words made her stop fighting.

"I was beautiful, until people started sticking their noses in where they didn't belong" he didn't let go.

"Loki, let me go"

"If you finish it, you can go," he said, his voice deadly.

"Loki, please. I'll eat something later" he laughed.

"That might work on your beloved Captain America but I can see right through that"

"I promise, later I will" tears were forming in her eyes and her lip trembled.

"No, now"

"I can't"

"Yes you can" he walked her back to the stool handing her back the fork with his spare hand.

"Finish it"

"Fuck you" she whispered, sticking her fork into the bowl, forcing it down her throat.

"Good girl" he said as he watched her leave the kitchen once she had finished. She ran up the stairs and into her bedroom. Tears running down her face.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck" she screamed throwing herself down on the bed. She breathed deeply trying to get her emotions under control.

"Fuck" she yelled again throwing a pillow across the room. She lay on her back staring up at the ceiling scrambling for ideas on what to do next. Slowly her breathing calmed down and she wiped the tears away from her eyes. She had let the beast out of his cage and he was trying to rule the roost but she would tame him.

That evening she went down to the kitchen, lazily putting together an easy meal of risotto, she poured the steaming rice into a bowl and then scrapped the slightly burnt bits stuck at the bottom of the pan into another one. She put a fork in her mouth and stuck another one into the full bowl. She could hear the sound of the TV on in the lounge and carefully made her way over. He sat watching a movie, his eyes shifted to meet hers as she entered.

"Peace offering" she said holding out the full bowl to him. He took it, his eyes moving from her face to the almost empty bowl in her other hand.

"What happened early, was a slip up. It's been tough for me since I got back and sometimes..." she let her sentence trail off and sniffed back fake tears, watching as his face melted.

"Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve nice things," she continued.

"But you do," he said softly.

"I...I know and it won't happen again" she forced a smile, willing him to take the lie she was handing him. He patted the seat next to him. She slid into her usual spot and carefully whilst he was watching scraped up the bits in her bowl and ate them. He smiled at her and seemed satisfied. She relaxed and turned her attention to the film he was watching.

"You want to watch another one" he asked as the credits rolled. She nodded.

"You can pick" handing her the remote.

"You pick, i'll get the snacks" she smiled and headed back to the kitchen, popping a bag of popcorn in the microwave, listening to their reassuring noise and the hum of the microwave. She wandered back in and settled herself balancing the almost overflowing bowl on her knee. She raised an eyebrow at his film selection. He laughed.

"You can hide behind me if you get scared"

"I am not scared of horror films" She lied.

"Whatever you say princess"