Work Text:
Steve had been carding through the digital files, examining each document and preparing to send them out to SHIELD by next Monday, when it all began. As he read through the team’s mission reports, he had noticed the absence of one belonging to Natasha Stark. In response, he huffed in annoyance and stood up, like he always did every time she forgot to file hers in on time and made his way to the elevator
Steve Rogers and Natasha Stark were pretty close, considering they lived and worked together, but there was still this… distance between them. Steve wasn’t quite sure how to describe it, but it felt like sometimes he was talking to the distant echo of a person hiding behind brick walls and empty space.
Though Natasha's unwillingness to get too close to someone wasn’t the only factor as to why she and Steve weren’t big in the besties department, it was also, quite frankly, Steve’s problem with talking to women. Just. In general.
In any case, they were close enough for Steve to walk into her penthouse and knock on her bedroom door (or at least that’s what he was telling himself), and demand her file be turned in on a timely manner.
As his knuckles gently carded against the wood of her door, Steve heard an angsty groan ring out in response. His brows furrowed, and he leaned against it just slightly.
“Stark? It’s Rogers. I wanted to let you know that you need to get your report in to me by tonight for SHIELD review. I’m sure you’re busy with your other paperwork for SI, but part of being on this team is putting in the same amount of work like everyone else. If you expect me to let you get off just…. scott free of having to ….”
Steve trailed off. There hadn't been any movement, not even a witty response from Natasha’s quick mouth, to interrupt him while he was clearly beginning an unwarranted lecture of his. That was odd, and certainly not normal behavior.
“Tony? Are you listening to me?”
Another groan rang out in response. Steve, feeling his natural awkwardness settle in, shifted on his feet as a sense of indecisiveness settled in his stomach. He had to remember that Natasha was a lady, and ladies didn’t typically enjoy having their privacy intruded upon, especially the privacy of one’s bedroom. On the other hand, there was clearly something wrong, and it would be morally unacceptable as team leader to leave Natasha, a team member under his supervision, in a less than a presentable state.
After fighting with himself for a good few seconds, he straightened up and nodded his head firmly.
“Okay. I’m coming in. I refuse to talk to a door.” He reasoned aloud and opened said door to her bedroom.
He didn’t know what he was expecting to discover, but it certainly wasn’t this.
There was Natasha Stark, sprawled unattractively across her bed, her blankets strewn about, pillows across the floor. Between her thighs lay a pillow squeezed up against herself, and a warm bottle of water pressed to her lower stomach between clenched knuckles. Tony wasn’t like any other dame Steve had met-well, maybe besides Peggy-whose hands had calluses and rough edges from years of experience with engineering and fighting. Steve found that he didn’t really mind.
The sweatpants she was wearing had grease stains on them and were riding low on her hips. One leg was bunched up at the knee, while the other remained at her ankle, a cause of her kicking her legs and adjusting them fairly often on her bed. Her tank top was a little too thin, and it was obvious she hadn’t bothered to climb out of bed to put on a bra yet, or change her clothes.
She looked sweaty and gross, so Steve didn’t know why he blushed and felt the need to avert his gaze as if he wasn’t allowed to see.
Natasha was clearly barely conscious, overwhelmed with unbelievable fatigue as Steve watched her eyes fluttered lazily in and out of reality. It was concerning and confusing, and it was what brought Steve out of his stupor of self-doubt; now was not the time to question if he had crossed any boundaries, or if he had truly and finally violated their professional relationship. Then again, there were only so many times you can see a woman you weren't married to walk around in just a loose t-shirt and panties before you gave up on trying to pretend you both were completely unaware of how unprofessional the situation was in the first place.
Moving in may have been a bad choice for Steve’s blood pressure, but he was a super-soldier so he could take seeing a couple of red lace underwear now and then.
He definitely could.
Steve stepped forward wearing a concerned expression as he quickly walked over to her side.
“Natasha?”
At the use of her real name, Tony looked over tiredly and saw that, yes, there was in fact a person in the room. She had almost thought it was a dream.
“Steve…”
Said man’s eyebrows shot up just slightly as he watched her reach out to touch him, her expression screwed in desperation and pain.
And finally, Steve let go of his ridiculous thoughts. He was a leader, and his teammate was in trouble, and it would do nobody good in this situation if he were to ignore his duty. So, he took Natasha’s hand in his, kneeling at her bedside and leaning on the mattress to get a better look at her.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt? What’s happened?” He asked, still holding her shaking hand in his, searching her face and then her body for any wounds.
And for a brief moment, Natasha seemed to sober up just slightly, looking at him.
And then she laughed.
The noise took Steve off guard, making him quickly perk back up, his gaze back on her face. His eyes searched in confusion, trying to find the source of her odd behavior.
“Tony…?”
And then Natasha pulled her hand from his, Steve letting it slip from his fingers and curl into herself. She rolled over, her back facing him before she mumbled into the pillow.
“What?” He asked, standing once more.
“I said get out!” She barked with sudden, unforeseen ferocity. Once again, Tony bewildered Steve and he jumped. Realizing that maybe he had invaded her privacy as he predicted, he felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him, and he turned a dark shade of red. He nodded and quickly left her room, disappearing out of the penthouse and down the stairs.
Clint and Thor were chatting at the bar near the kitchen, bonding over their favorite flavors of ice cream when the super-soldier rushed into the kitchen, face still hot with embarrassment. Steve reached for the fridge, opened it with a bit too much force than necessary, and stared.
Just stared.
Clint shared an expression with Thor that said ‘what’s up with him?’ but Thor didn’t appear to have been quite clued in on the social cues Steve was radiating with. So Clint huffed and rolled his eyes before clearing his throat to get the Captain’s attention.
“Steve?” He asked, and the super-soldier grunted a bit, still appearing to be studying the contents of the fridge as if they could solve his problem or save him from the cringe-worthy experience he just faced.
“Anything exciting going on that you’d like to tell us about?” The archer asked, quirking a brow and glancing at Thor. Thor just continued to smile at the Captain, seemingly unaware of his obvious internal conflict, or not caring too much about it.
Steve’s shoulders slumped and he sighed, head dropping before he reached to grab the orange juice, shutting the fridge door as he turned to his fellow Avengers.
“I.. I don’t wanna talk about it.”
“Surely you must share with us, Captain. What is it that sets your face aflame? Perhaps a beautiful woman?”
“Or an embarrassing experience?”
“Or both…” Steve mumbled in response. That was when Thor and Clint shared a knowing look, and Clint was a little relieved to finally have the God on the same page as he.
“Is it our fair lady made of Iron?” “Is it Tony?”
Steve sent them an annoyed look and leaned against the breakfast bar, popping open the juice and taking a direct swig from the cap. It was almost empty anyway.
“Well, what happened? C’mon, it can’t be worse than me finding her-” Clint paused at Steve’s curious look, a look far too concerned to be curious honestly, so he paused and derailed his sentence. “... uh, finding her… Look, it can’t be worse than the things I’ve seen. So, lay it on us Cap.” He grinned, and tried his best to ignore the flicker of jealousy that crossed Steve’s face.
Whether Steve knew it or not, it was pretty obvious how he felt about their Iron Maiden.
Steve finally turned his gaze away and sighed, rubbing his neck.
“I dunno, I just… I walked in on her-”
Clint opened his mouth excitedly and Steve sent a glare his way immediately.
“Not... like that. ” He grunted, and then looked back into the almost empty jug of orange juice, his facing dropping once again into that of embarrassment, but also sadness. He was trying his best to stay on somewhat neutral terms with their neighborhood billionaire, but it was almost impossible, what with his terrible way of speaking to women, and also her complete disregard for him as… well, him.
It’s not like Steve was sensitive, either. Sure, he had some 40s sensibilities, but it’s not like he wasn’t used to raunchiness or whatever, he did serve in the military. But with Tony, it was almost like she was constantly trying to push him over the edge, or make him do something she knew he would regret, whether it was because she was a dame , or because she was right, or because she knew it would embarrass him, and then suddenly it’s just an endless cycle of what can I do today to fuck with Steve? And he hated it.
If Tony was a man it would be different, but the fact that she knew he knew she was a woman and the way it messed with him… it sent him for a loop.
And if she wasn’t so good at it, if she just let him try, maybe they could be... Friends.
Steve swallowed tightly at his thoughts and didn’t let himself go further than that. No, not with what he saw earlier, not with the way her thighs looked clutching that pillow against herself so tightly, the way her hip bone had protruded out of her sweat pants, and her nearly see-through tank-top-
And that was a stream of thoughts Steve had to just end immediately, Jesus Christ . What was wrong with him? Oh, if Sarah Rogers could see him now, she’d surely have a fit.
Which, come to think of it….
Steve paused for a moment, recognition clouding his eyes.
“Cap?” Clint asked, frowning at the way Steve’s entire expression flickered and changed in a matter of just seconds.
“Oh grief…” Steve groaned, covering his face, feeling it heat up 10 times more than it did earlier.
“Care to share with the class?”
And suddenly, a female voice. The last one Steve wanted to hear.
The two other men perked up and smiled at Tony’s entrance into the kitchen, still wearing and looking the same way she did earlier, though this time with a bra on, and sweatpants having been adjusted on her hips and legs, so that way they brushed the floor with their length, covering her ankles and even the backs of her heels.
Steve finally looked up to get a look at her, and yep, she still looked pretty gross.
Her hair was all curled and looped in just the right places, though still pretty messy, and even her skin looked just a tad bit too damp and slightly oily as well. Her eyes had deep, dark bags under them, and she looked like she hadn’t washed her face in a while. Even her eyebrows looked a little bit in disorder, a few hairs a bit out of place in her normally well-plucked brows.
Yeah… definitely gross, Steve told himself, watching her closely as she turned to the fridge to look for some food.
He glanced at the beautiful curve of her back, that definitely helped accentuate more features than one, but only for a moment, before bringing his gaze back to the back of her head, which come to think of it, could totally fit right under his chin if she just got on her tippy toes.
Totally gross. Definitely, especially because it was such a large juxtaposition to Natasha’s usually more clean, crisp, and professional looks.
Yeah. Steve totally preferred those kinds of looks. Definitely not into seeing Tony relaxed and happy and carefree.
Definitely...
Okay so maybe Steve had a tiny thing for Natasha “Tony” Stark, but that’s really only because she was physically kind of his type, and it ended there because there just wasn’t any way she would be interested in him , of all people.
So he kept it to himself.
And it’s not like they got on intellectually, either. He knew they would probably never get further than good teammates, because off the battlefield? They were barely acquaintances.
It didn’t mean that he couldn’t appreciate the little things though (even if he tried to refrain himself, out of respect for Natasha and also his Mama. He was raised not to objectify people, dammit!).
“Steve was just telling us about how-” “Ah, Clinton, perhaps we shall leave the two lovers to themselves, hm?”
A scoff was heard from the fridge.
“Awe, but-”
Clint, however, didn’t get to say much after that as Thor took him into his side, shaking him madly as they walked off together. Thor began to entertain Clint to one of his many glorious adventures out of Midgard, and eventually disappeared down the hall and out of sight.
An awkward, heavy silence fell upon the two, and by two meaning Steve, as he appeared to be the only one affected by their earlier encounter. Natasha huffed in annoyance after a long drag of uncomfortable air, pouting into the fridge.
“Where the hell is the orange juice?” She griped and turned to Steve before seeing it in his hand.
“Ugh, were you drinking it from the cap? God, you’re such a creature .” Her lip curled in annoyance, but her temper was kept at bay by the sight of the juice. She grabbed it and brought it to her lips, giving Steve a snarky, humorous look, before noticing that it was nearly empty. She brought the jug down from her mouth and gasped in shock before bonking Steve’s shoulder with the empty jug.
“Steve! You drank all the juice!” She said petulantly.
And Steve, Steve who usually would begin to apologize profusely, or maybe even blush and promise to get more, froze, and then laughed.
It started as a gentle chuckle before it began to shake his shoulders, and he dropped his head, giggling and then laughing into the palm of his hand.
“Steve! Don’t laugh at me, you’ve committed a crime of the highest order! Treason! Treason!!” She whined and began to hit him in the shoulder over and over again with the jug, her lip curling just a little at Steve’s laugh, though it was clear in her eyes that she really was upset.
“Rogers, I’m serious- ”
“Okay, okay, I’ll get JARVIS to get some more. Or would you rather me go to the store and get some for you, doll?” He chuckled, looking down at her with a smile in his eyes, though he felt his throat constrict in realization at the pet name he had so loosely given her.
Tony’s eyebrows shot up just a little bit in alarm, and her smile immediately dropped. At seeing this, so did his, and he felt his face begin to burn for the umpteenth time today.
“I, uh, sorry, Tony. For walking in on you earlier. And-uh, calling you that. ” He flustered, wanting desperately to glance away from her blank expression, but holding his stance firm, his eyes locked with hers. He was giving a sincere apology, he would look at her when he said it.
“I can really get you some orange juice, though. And some, uh, some other stuff, if you need me too. Not! Not that kind of stuff, I mean, you have that . I mean, of course, you do, obviously, you’re a dame-a woman ! I mean, you’re fine, you don’t need me doing that kind of thing for you, that would be-would be-extremely unprofessional. And I’m not your fella, so why would I have to-not that I wouldn’t be opposed to having to do anything like that, I-” He sucked in a deep breath and gave up on looking her in the eyes, dropping his head and pinching the space in between his eyebrows.
“I mean chocolate. I can get you chocolate, or somethin’, anythin’. Just make me stop talkin’, please.” He grumbled, wanting to sink into the furthest hole known to man and die there.
After an awful couple of seconds of silence, the room began to fill with giggles and Steve looked up to see Tony grinning at him, arms crossed, the empty jug of orange juice still hanging in her hand.
“I heard chocolate somewhere in that thing you called a sentence, so yeah. I’d like some chocolate, Steve. Thank you.” She smiled at him, and Steve slowly smiled back, swallowing thickly and nodding before sitting up straight. Natasha took a step back, looking up at him, and feeling something unpleasant slowly crawl up her spine at Steve’s sheer size. She knew he wouldn’t try to overpower her, but sometimes she couldn’t help that spike of anxiety when he straightened himself out so close to her.
“I-Alright then. I’ll just, uh, head out.” he said and then reached over to grab the jug, hands brushing hers.
“Trash.” He said simply and smiled awkwardly, before nodding and walking by her.
She watched him escape the kitchen, and at hearing the elevator ding and close, signifying his exit, she just shook her head and laughed.
“JARVIS?”
“Yes, Mrs?”
“You got all of that, right? I didn’t just have some weird, post cramp fever dream?”
“It 100% occurred right in front of your eyes, Mrs.”
“Great. Thanks for the confirmation.” She smiled and then walked with a bit more skip in her step, before grunting in pain at the movement. Best not to be doing anything like that for a couple more days.