I'm sorry this is kind of short, but Natasha's head it hard to get into to x Please read and review xx

Natasha Romanoff knew that there was something different about Tony Stark.

It took her a while to notice - most of his odd behaviours could be explained away by other things, a tactic even Natasha (she was embarrassed to admit) used on some of the more odd eccentricity's. He did something's so strange, she'd rather explain them away than look for another solution, simply because it boggled her mind to think on them.

He was narcissistic, a playboy and a child in a man's body. He was so easily distracted that at times it was more like having a pet dog than a boss.

And then there was the fact that he was dying - and that opened up a whole new can of worms, never mind explanations for his behaviour.

His oddities could be explained away both all those things, a child like mentality leading to his compulsiveness and the playboy persona explaining his predatory gaze.

So, Natasha was ashamed to admit, it took longer than she'd thought to notice something odd about Tony Stark.

He had perfected his masks well. She was impressed.

But when she noticed something was wrong she dug until she had answers.

And she held on like a dog with a bone, until all the secrets were unearthed and her instincts stopped clawing under the skin.

oOo

The first thing she noticed was the odd flash of gold that glimmered in his eyes when they caught the light. It appeared more often when he seemed to be experiencing a strong emotion, a good indicator to his mood, but she didn't know what emotions it indicated or why it happened.

The second thing she noticed was his silence, even better than hers when he didn't give an indication to his approach. It seemed her talked to be heard, because without it he wasn't.

It was like a ghost treading across the floor, one not even she could hear.

Then she noticed the predatory loping gaze, which seemed far more unconscious that when she'd first noticed it. It was clear to her now that the walk was natural, not done to attract other people and draw them in, but it was unnatural at the same time.

It reminded her of a tiger, and she wasn't sure if she liked the similarities.

But still, even with all these odd things that Tony Stark did, she couldn't work out how or why, which was sometimes more important than the what.

She puzzled over it for a long time, but couldn't come to any discernible answer.

Not until the incident with Loki.

oOo

Sometimes they had odd meetings at strange times in the mornings, sharing a bottle of vodka between the pair of them. These meetings continued, even after it was revealed that Tony was only part-human.

"Part cat?" She asked, as soon as she was sure he was drunk enough.

He nodded briskly, but slightly woozily. "Yeah. It's not as fun as it sounds."

"It doesn't sound it."

It really didn't.

"You mean you're not part spider, spider girl?"

Natasha threw Tony a slight look, exasperation covering the fondness. it had been a long time since anyone has dared to give her a nickname, and she rather liked it.

It was Tony's way of showing affection, odd though it was.

"Shame. Think of all the fun you could have had."

Natasha shrugged, feeling the buzz of alcohol in her own head. "I live up to the name regardless."

Tony wagged a finger at her. "It was very mean of you, you know, to wait until I was drunk to ask me questions."

She shrugged again. "I know you're not drunk enough to avoid answering what you don't want to."

Tony tilted his head, considering her point, before frowning vaguely. "It still wasn't nice."

She gave him a small smile, barely a twitch of her lips, but she knew he saw it, what with his superior senses.

"What?" Tony asked at her odd look, as a thought occurred to her.

"What's it like being hung-over like that? I can't imagine the headaches are pleasant, what with your hearing.."

Tony shrugged slightly. "I've never known anything different. And it's not bad."

Natasha looked at him intently, seeing no trace of a lie in his face. Of all the things that were bad about him being transgenic, the hangovers were not the highlight, she supposed.

There were bigger things for him to worry about.

She downed another shot as he did, feeling the alcohol swell in her mind. She could hold her liquor, but it was far from her first shot of the evening.

"Sometimes I wonder, you know?" Tony said without prompting.

She didn't need any further explanation. Yes, she did know.

They all wondered who they would be if something had gone differently, what they would be.

Would they be better?

Or would they be worse?