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Natasha sat stiffly in the chair next to the hospital bed. She knew Tony was getting the best possible care, but having fallen almost 30 floors after his suit shorted out, she couldn’t help but be worried. Damn extraterrestrials and their unknown tech!
She stared at his unconscious form, one that hadn’t moved in the last two days, and her hands clenched in her lap for the umpteenth time. He had to get better, he had to. She didn’t know what she’d do if he didn’t. Like she always did, she knew she’d blame herself– already did, to be honest, even though there was little chance that she could have done anything to stop it.
“Damn it, Tony,” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the bandages all over him. If only she could give him a little bit of whatever the Red Room had put in her blood to help her heal faster…
After thirty-eight long hours, she dozed off, slumped off in her chair without the slightest bit of grace. Her hair stuck to her slightly parted lips, the dark circles under her eyes were prominent, her clothes rumpled from her pacing and fidgeting. She was exhausted after the fight but she’d still managed to stay awake for a long time, and the nurses were glad to see her resting. The other Avengers had come by and stayed for an hour or two each, but she had refused to leave.
Tony woke about five hours after that, and his small groan of discomfort made Nat stir as well. She opened bleary, bloodshot eyes, and let out a croaking sigh of relief to see Tony’s eyes open.
“Natasha?” He attempted to sit up.
She shoved him back down. “Stop it, you’ll hurt yourself.”
He hesitated, and then laid his head on the pillow. “Why are you here? It’s 2am.”
She shook her head without responding.
“Tasha?”
“ Shut up,” she grumbled.
“C’mon–”
Natasha slapped him on the cheek, not hard enough to bruise, but definitely hard enough to sting. “That was for being reckless and getting hurt and making me worry, you idiot!” She let out a shuddering breath. She was being over-emotional and she knew it, but the combination of stress and lack of sleep would do that to the best of people.
She leaned over and kissed him gently. “And that’s for not dying,” she said, hugging him, hoping that she wasn’t hurting him. “For heaven’s sake, don’t go scaring me like that.”
Tony laughed. “Yes ma’am,” he quipped, and then held her close as she drifted off again.