They send me away to find them a fortune, a chest filled with diamonds and gold, the house was awake, with shadows and monsters, the hallways they echoed and groaned
I sat alone, in bed 'til the morning, I'm crying, "They're coming for me."
And I tried to hold these secrets inside me, my mind's like a deadly disease,
I'm bigger than my body, I'm colder than this home, I'm meaner than my demons, I'm bigger than these bones,
And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me." I can't help this awful energy, Goddamn right, you should be scared of me, who is in control?
I paced around for hours on empty, I jumped at the slightest of sounds, and I couldn't stand the person inside me, I turned all the mirrors around,
I'm bigger than my body, I'm colder than this home, I'm meaner than my demons, I'm bigger than these bones,
And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me." I can't help this awful energy, Goddamn right, you should be scared of me, who is in control?
I'm well acquainted with villains that live in my bed, they beg me to write them, so they'll never die when I'm dead, and I've grown familiar with villains that live in my head, they beg me to write them, so I'll never die when I'm dead,
I'm bigger than my body, I'm colder than this home, I'm meaner than my demons, I'm bigger than these bones,
And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me." I can't help this awful energy, Goddamn right, you should be scared of me, who is in control?
Control - Halsey
Natasha wakes up and it takes her a moment to orient herself. The room is darker than usual and she's warm. There's no sun shining through the windows, not even a hint of it, and she realizes that there is a storm raging just outside.
"Artie, what time is it?" She asks as she eases her way out of Tony's arms.
"It is ten a.m., Miss Romanov." The AI answers her. Natasha is surprised. They never sleep this late. It's probably a combination of the storm and her nightmare that has kept them in bed hours past their normal time.
She thinks about going to her own room to shower and change. But one look out the darkened windows and she changes her mind. Instead, she grabs a t-shirt and pair of boxer briefs from Tony's dresser drawer and heads into his shower. She leaves the door cracked open so that she can hear him when he wakes and she strips out of her tank top and panties. Getting into the shower, she stands under the water, letting it wash away the out of place feeling she'd woken up with.
"What's the news on the storm?" She asks Artie.
"According to reports, it is going to last the next forty-eight hours, Miss Romanov." Artie says. "Sir has had the whole house renovated and reinforced to outlast even the worst of storms."
"That's nice to hear." She mumbles to herself as she reaches for the shampoo on the shelf. This bathroom is fully stocked with the same selection as hers, she notices as she picks up the deep red bottle. It doesn't have a label but she likes the scent.
Lathering her hair, she tries not to think about her dream the night before. Natasha isn't a stranger to nightmares. She'd lived one. Occasional memories weren't a surprise and she considers herself lucky.
But she can't help remembering the girls in her dream. Before she'd left the red room, she'd been an assistant trainer. The new girls had been terrified of her and with good reason. Her reputation was already spreading. Some considered her a legend, some considered her a myth, either way no one was alive to tell the truth.
Her breathing hitches and she forces the thoughts away but the flashes of color stay. Bright, hot reds, ice cold whites, drab grays, and thick blacks. The blood and the snow and the walls and the shadows.
"Natasha!" She hears a voice sharply call her name and she startles as she whips around to face the door. This bathroom has a glass wall in front of the shower, the frosted glass shows only an outline and she realizes that Tony must have been trying to gain her attention for a while.
"Yeah?" She calls back to him, hoping he doesn't notice the slight breathiness to her tone over the water.
"I figured we could just have cereal for breakfast. The storm is pretty bad and I don't know if we'll have any issues on the island." He tells her. She knows that he can see the outline of her body in the shower but it doesn't bother her. It's comforting to know that he's so close.
She leans her head back under the spray of water and lets it rinse away the shampoo before replying. "That sounds fine. I'll be down in a minute."
She watches him leave before rubbing conditioner through her hair. She quickly lathers up her body with the body-wash closest to her and then rinses her hair and body. She dries herself quickly, ignoring the chill in the air. For some reason, no matter what month it was or how hot it was, rain always made her feel cold.
As she dresses in the boxer briefs and t-shirt she'd taken from Tony's dresser, she gathers herself, pushing the final dregs of the nightmare into the darkest part of her mind. As she heads for the stairs, she makes a beeline for the linen closet and grabs a couple of throw blankets. She's not the least bit surprised by how well stocked his linen closet is. It looks like a small department store with everything separated into categories. She hopes that the family that lives on the other side is paid well.
Natasha walks down the stairs and straight for the couch, ignoring Tony's stare. She thinks he probably realizes that she's wearing his clothes and she doesn't know what she'll say to explain. But she needs the comfort. Maybe she'll answer him with a non-answer. That thought doesn't sit well with her and she shoves it away before she can wonder why.
At the kitchen island, she glances into his bowl and sees that he's eating Lucky Charms so she decides she'll do the same. They finish breakfast quickly and rinse their dishes before moving to the couch.
All of the lights are turned low, the storm is raging outside, battering the floor to ceiling windows. The thunder and lightning provide a soothing backdrop as they turn on a silent film. She doesn't know anything about the actors, or their names. She has no idea what the movie is called. But she finds herself being caught up in the story none the less.
Natasha eventually finds herself curled against Tony's side, his arm around her shoulders. They're sharing a blanket and she doesn't know if he notices it or not. She feels warm, safe, and sleepy. Slowly, hoping he won't notice, and if he does, hoping he won't move, she changes position. She moves down, letting her head fall to his chest, just over his heart. His arm fell from her shoulders but he doesn't tense, he just readjusts his hold to her waist. Smiling to herself, she moves her legs to a more comfortable position.
"Hold on a second." Tony says in a low voice and she stops smiling. She hopes he's not going to move.
He doesn't. Instead, he pushes back slightly and suddenly the couch they're on reclines. A small laugh escapes her as she realizes that he was only trying to make her more comfortable. She feels Tony move his head, looking down at her, but she pretends she doesn't notice. She snuggles in further, stretching her legs out towards the footrest. She starts dozing off to the sound of the storm and Tony's heartbeat, one now a familiar lullaby.
Before she slips under, she feels Tony press his face to her hair, his lips barely grazing her hairline at the top of her forehead. A contented sigh leaves her. Yes, she feels warm and safe.