"Oh, good. You guys are still here. Can someone zip me up?" Natasha strode into the common room where Clint was playing cards with Wanda. She smiled lightly as her eyes swept over the scene and she took in Clint's watchful and protective gaze while the younger girl contemplated her next play. It was good to see that some things hadn't changed.
She whirled around and swept her hair up when Wanda quickly stood with an outstretched hand.
"You're really going through with this?" Clint's eyebrow was raised as he eyed her appearance, unable to keep the disapproving expression off of his face. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Some things never would change.
"Yeah. I'm definitely in need of a night out," she said, smoothing down the short skirt of her hip hugging, curve clinging dress and smiling gratefully at Wanda.
"And you think this 'night out' is going to be any sort of fun? What could you two possibly have to talk about?"
"I don't know. I'm sure we'll think of something. And if not, I've never had a problem making it up as I go along," she pointed out.
Clint sighed. "Look, I get that he was apparently prince charming in whatever world you were stuck in. But you're here now, and in this universe Stark is still the same jerk he's always been."
"Right. The same relentless, hard-working, generous and loyal jerk who fixed up this room exactly like the one in the east coast compound so you'd all have a place to feel comfortable while we're working here." She gave a half-smirk as she puckered her lips and applied a deep red lipstick to her mouth.
"Whatever. He's still an asshole. Just be careful, is all I'm saying."
XXXXX
"She's one of us. And she belongs in New York, training with the other Avengers."
"She sent one of us across the multiverse, altering time and space without even blinking, Steve! She's dangerous, and she needs to be under observation until I can figure out what the hell just happened."
"Tony. Sam and I were talking about it and-"
"Oh, Sam and you were talking, huh? Since when does Sam get to decide what happens on this team? New guy gets all the clout? I'm not suggesting we put her in a lab somewhere. All I'm saying is she can stay here, in the Avengers compound that I built for people like her, where she can have access to me and my resources."
"Then why don't you just come back to New York with the rest of us? Why did you build this place anyway, Tony? A new Avengers location? We don't work for Stark Industries, you know. We were doing just fine back at the compound and now you want to split us up? What's your strategy, Stark? What's in it for you?"
Tony rolled his eyes. "And to think, there's a parallel reality somewhere with us agreeing on stuff."
Steve swallowed hard, clearly still irritated. "We could agree on stuff here too if you weren't so goddamn stubborn all the time."
"Language, Cap!" He tapped on his watch. "Anyway. I'd love to stay here and debate all the fine details of this arrangement with you all night, but I've got to go pick up my date. Limo's waiting."
"Again. What's in it for you, Stark?"
He smirked. "Why do you always assume that I have an ulterior motive for everything? Can't I just enjoy the company of a gorgeous woman over a nice dinner?"
XXXXX
Natasha watched as Tony emerged from the back seat of the limousine, ushering her in before re-settling himself next to her as the driver closed the door on both of them.
"You look stunning as always, Ms. Romanoff," he said, his eyes traveling appreciatively over her.
"Why, thank you, Mr. Stark," she replied with a grin. "You're not so bad yourself."
She bit back a frown when he pulled out a pair of thick black glasses, setting them on his nose as he sat back against the seat.
"So, where are we going?"
"You'll see," he said simply, without offering anything else.
She looked out the window as the sleek black car pulled away from the curb, wondering when was the last time a man had taken her out in a limo. She didn't think she had ever been on a date that started out in one, at least not a real date. Her memories could pick out more than a dozen times while she'd been undercover, but not anything as herself.
She turned her attention back to Tony, wondering if he expected her to be impressed.
In no time at all, the car was pulling into a long circular drive way and then they were idling in front of an expensive looking restaurant, with a line of well-dressed people in expensive looking threads waiting outside.
He offered her his arm, winked at her from over his dark frames and smiled a signature Tony Stark smile as he led her to the door.
A burly man standing next to a podium nodded to him and they walked past the line.
"Mr. Stark, Mr. Stark!" she heard, and she turned her head to see several flashing lights as a few people with cameras clicked away.
"Mr. Stark, where's Pepper?" someone yelled, while another called out, "I guess you really like redheads!" and others laughed while the flashing lights continued.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
She shook her head, brushing it off. She supposed she should have expected some level of this.
Just as two tall men in tuxedos opened the glass doors wide to welcome them inside, the heel of her left shoe caught on the edge of the rolled out carpet and she stumbled a little.
He raised his arm to steady her and she gripped him tighter as he escorted her inside, grateful that she'd been holding on as remnants of the lights from the cameras still danced in her vision while her eyes adjusted to the lower lighting.
"We'll have privacy at the table, I promise."
She nodded as the maitre'd led them across the floor to a quiet little corner in the back.
"I gather you come here often?"
He shrugged. "It's L.A. Those guys are just always there, waiting for someone."
She bit her lip, noticing that he hadn't really answered her question.
"I haven't been here in awhile," he elaborated. "This is where my parents had their first date."
"Really?" She tilted her head, gazing at him in surprise.
He smiled dazzlingly at the waitress as she unfolded their menus before turning back to Natasha. "Mind if I order the drinks? I know what's good here."
She gestured with her hand for him to go ahead and turned her attention back to the menu.
"Please, order anything you like," he said.
She settled on fish, while he ordered the steak.
The waitress disappeared to place their orders and she hesitated for a moment, gazing at him across the table.
For a second, she started to bring up something about Avengers business, then thought better of it and took a sip of her wine instead.
"It's a nice night out," she started.
"Hmmm? Oh, yeah."
He brought his glass to his lips, taking a deep pull and drumming his fingers on the table once he'd put it down.
He's bored, she realized as his tinted shades began to wander the room.
She was glad when the food arrived, eager to have something to do other than try to make small talk.
He ordered another round of drinks, pouring more wine into her glass even though she hadn't finished her first.
"It's getting kind of late," she said. "And we do have that early meeting with Steve and the others," she pointed out.
"Want me to take you home?"
She was quiet for a moment, having trouble reconciling the brand new west coast Avengers headquarters as 'home,' but she nodded anyway.
He signaled for the check, his hand a little shaky as he signed his name and she marveled at how much he must've had to drink without her realizing it for him to be this buzzed.
She started to rise out of her chair at the same time he did and he dove to help her first, knocking into the table and sending her red wine splashing over her pale yellow dress.
"Shit, I'm sorry," he said as she reached for a cloth napkin. He grabbed it clumsily out of her hands. "Here, let me."
He dabbed awkwardly at her chest to the amusement of the waiters standing around them and she grabbed the napkin back. "I got it," she snapped, a little more harshly than she'd intended.
"Sorry," he muttered again, his hands raised in surrender.
The car was already idling when they walked outside, although somehow the ride back to the complex seemed much longer on the way back.
He insisted on walking her to her room and she fervently wished that Clint and Wanda would either be asleep or still downstairs in the common room as the elevator approached her floor.
She gave an inward sigh of relief when no one was around.
"Thank you for dinner," she said politely.
"I don't know what the rules are…" he started when they stood in front of her door.
"Rules?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. You know, since we work together and everything."
Her forehead creased as her eyebrows knitted together. "The rules are that I'm not going to sleep with you, Stark."
"Right. 'Night, Nat."
"Goodnight, Tony."
She reached for the doorknob behind her, lowering her head at the same time he leaned down to kiss her cheek, his mouth landing sloppily on her ear.
"See you tomorrow at the meeting."
"Yeah."
She leaned her head against the door, watching as he retreated down the hall and making sure the elevator had already ascended before running the back of her hand over her wet face.