She's sun and rain, she's fire and ice,
A little crazy but it's nice,
And when she gets mad, you best leave her alone,
'Cause she'll rage just like a river, then she'll beg you to forgive her,
She's every woman that I've ever known
She's so New York and then L.A., and every town along the way,
She's every place that I've never been,
She's makin' love on rainy nights, she's a stroll through Christmas lights,
And she's everything I want to do again,
It needs no explanation,
'Cause it all makes perfect sense,
For when it comes down to temptation,
She's on both sides of the fence,
No, it needs no explanation,
'Cause it all makes perfect sense,
When it comes down to temptation,
She's on both sides of the fence,
She's anything but typical, she's so unpredictable,
Oh, but even at her worst it ain't that bad,
She's as real as real can be, and she's every fantasy,
Lord, she's every lover that I've ever had,
And she's every lover that I've never had
She's Every Woman-Garth Brooks
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Something changed. Tony couldn't really say what it was because it was very subtle. But he suddenly found himself trading casual touches with Natasha in a way they never had before. It was more than a hand on a shoulder or arm.
Now, when they watched a movie together, they always ended up cuddled together. Or she'd put her legs over his. Sometimes as they just lazed around reading he would find himself placing a hand on her thigh or her knee. She would press a hand to his chest as she laughed at a joke. Something changed.
He's lying in bed as he thinks about this because Natasha is, surprisingly, still asleep. She's facing away from him and he's wrapped around her securely. He knows that at the first sign of movement she'll wake up and he wants her to sleep as long as she wants. They quit pretending to have separate rooms.
Instead, her stuff have migrated to his room over the course of a few days. He hasn't asked her what it means, or anything of the sort. He doesn't know if things will stay this way when they're back in New York in a few days, or if they'll change again. And he won't ask. He takes a risk, pressing his lips against the bare nape of her neck, breathing in her scent.
Natasha starts to stir and he tries not to tense as she moves. She's not fully awake and her hips push back against his causing him to bite his lip. Contrary to popular belief, he can control himself around beautiful women. Even if they are in his bed wearing small silk pajamas that barely cover anything.
He tries to move his hips away from hers without disturbing her further but she rolls over quickly, throwing a leg over his hip as she wraps an arm around him.
"If you move, I'll hurt you." She tells him in a husky voice. He freezes automatically. She snuggles up to him contentedly, a purr escaping her throat as if she's a cat. After a moment she speaks again. "Do we really have to leave?"
Tony chuckles because he's not surprised she is thinking along the same lines as he is.
"Yep. Don't forget we're going to have house guests in a couple weeks." He tries not to hold his breath as he waits for her to say something, anything, about the 'we'.
"Mm." Is all he gets and he relaxes back into her hold. She keeps her leg over his hip and he knows better than to move but he can feel her heat through the silk and his body reacts.
Natasha doesn't move. She doesn't push closer or pull away, even though he knows she isn't asleep. After a moment, she lets out a soft sigh, pulling him slightly closer. He lets his rand run along her lower back under her top before sliding his hand to the middle of her back.
Tony turns the hold into a hug as he brings his other hand to the back of her head, threading his fingers through her short hair. The next breath he releases is slightly unsteady and he knows that she notices because she tightens her body around his but she doesn't say anything.
He isn't sure how long they lay like that, but eventually, Natasha leans back and looks at him. She raises up, pressing her lips to his firmly. It takes him a moment to respond through his shock but then he does, pressing his lips back against hers. The kiss only lasts long enough for him to respond and then she's pulling back. Natasha smiles softly at him, a soft look in her eyes. She eases herself away from him and slides from the bed.
"Let's go make breakfast." She tells him, walking towards the bedroom door. Tony nods and she leaves the room.
He falls back onto the sheets, staring at the ceiling for a few moments, wondering what that kiss was for and what it meant. He breathes in deeply before releasing it, making himself get out of the bed that smells like a combination of them. He slips on a pair of cotton pants and an undershirt before walking downstairs.
Natasha is in the kitchen, still in her pajamas, and she's mixing something in a bowl. When her eyes meet his, she smiles again and he gives her an answering smile. He knows that it probably looks unsure, hesitant, but it's genuine.
Stopping next to her, she hands him a carton of eggs and a mixing bowl, telling him to start scrambling them as she finishes making the biscuits. He happily obliges, cracking eggs and using a whisk to beat them together.
As they move around the kitchen, soft music filtering through the speakers, they continue to give each other casual touches. She presses a hand to his arm, he grazes a hand across her lower back. Nothing has changed, while everything has changed. He still doesn't know what they are, but he knows now that they are *something*.
Watching her, he realizes that he doesn't care about defining it. He doesn't need to sit down and figure out what's going on. He's comfortable just accepting what she gives him and giving her what he can. He does not need a name, or a label, for this. It just is.
And he's happy.