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Challenges listed at the bottom.

Word Count: 476

How They Shine

Natasha walked down the corridor, following the sound of the music. She wasn't sure what she expected to find when she reached the room it was coming from, but it wasn't what she got.

Tony sat at a baby grand piano, his eyes closed as his fingers moved across the keys. He played beautifully, delicate in a way that Natasha wouldn't necessarily associate with Tony usually.

She leant against the door and listened as he wound down, playing the last few notes of the song. When he opened his eyes, he looked at her and smiled.

"Hey you," he murmured. "Come sit."

"I didn't know you still played," she said, sitting beside him on the small bench seat. "I didn't even realise there was a piano in the tower."

"Not many people know this is here," Tony replied with a shrug. "It's… I guess it's just my spot for when my head is too busy to actually settle on something to work on. It helps calm me down."

She nodded. "That's good, that you have something like that. Thank you for sharing it with me."

He smiled and nudged her shoulder. "What do you do when you need to relax?"

She looked at him for a long moment and then nudged him back. "Come with me and I'll show you."

Tony blinked at her and then stood, following her from the room. She led him up two flights of stairs to the very top of the tower, and then out through the hatch for the roof.

"I like to come up here and look up at the stars," she told him softly. "I guess it reminds me that no matter what we do down here, there's always something bigger. I'm not sure what that something is, but it's there. Plus… they sparkle."

Tony chuckled. "Clint keeps calling you a magpie, I knew there was a reason."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her close. "I was scared of the stars for a while, after Loki first came around. I just… I guess they reminded me of what I saw when I was up there, of the fear that I'd be stuck up there, just floating around until I burnt up in the atmosphere."

She wrapped her own arm around his waist and leant her head against him. "I'm glad you made it back."

"Me too."

"And… I've been meaning to say for a while, that I corrected the personality evaluation I put in on you. I'm not saying I was wrong, because at the time… I wasn't wrong. But now… Tony Stark is even more recommended than Iron Man. I just wanted to make sure you knew that."

He was silent for a while and she contented herself looking up at the stars. Eventually, he pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "Thanks, Nat."

Written for:

Showtime, 26. Piano

Elizabeth's Empire: 19. Stargazing

Scrapbooking: Glitter: sparkle