The Shadow // Natasha Romanoff x OC

Chapter 13 - Good Looking Red-Heads

Azara's pov

As the first rays of the morning sun illuminated my face, I stir and roll over, right onto the floor with a muffled 'thud'. Groaning slightly, I pull myself up and glance at a large clock on the wall: 7:00 am.

Looking around, there's no sight that anyone's here nor been here this morning (the latter not being surprising since I wasn't exactly concealing my presence and would've been woken). I walk to the kitchen cupboard and pull out a box of pancake mix as I'm feeling really lazy this morning and can't be asked to put some egg, milk, flour and chocolate chips in a bowl.

20 minutes later and there's a large stack of pancakes sat on the side with equally large bowls of cut fruit, syrup and anything else someone may want on pancakes.

"FRIDAY, get me my suit!" The urgent and startled voice of one Tony Stark breaks the peaceful silence that had filled the room.

"Mr Stark, it's ok, I'm her and not 'her', if you know what I mean," I raise my hands and slide off the bar stool, carefully approach him.

His posture relaxes slightly at my words but he's still tense, "How do I know that?"

"If I was 'her', everyone - including you - would be long dead," I reason.

"That's not at all reassuring nor does that prove that you are 'you'," his interrogation and lack of any form of trust was completely understandable but still made me lose a bit of my unrealistic hope that this would be plain sailing.

"You, uh, can't have coffee if the milk was added last nor if it's whole milk," I have know clue if this is what he wanted to know, "HYDRA me doesn't retain information like that and she doesn't recall or remember it from normal me." I add to explain the slightly random statement.

"How do you know that?" His posture is still relaxed but his eyes are assessing and alert.

"When I came back last time you refused a cup of coffee Banner made for you for those very reasons," I try to think of anything else that may convince him but it isn't necessary.

A huge smile, filled with relief spreads across his face before he pulls be into a tight embrace.

"When did you get here?" He asks, pulling away slightly.

"Late last night," I didn't want to disclose the conversation between me and Natasha even happening.

"Pancakes smell good Ton-" the star-spangled super-soldier stops dead in his tracks, "Azara?!"

He, like Tony, takes a subtle yet still very defensive stance, "What's going on, Tony? What if she's st-"

"She isn't Steve, it's alright," the billionaire reassures him.

The captain smiles and pulls me into an unexpected hug before pulling away, "It's good to have you back, ma'am."

"Captain, call me Azara, please," I insist.

"Then please call me Steve, Azara," he responds.

"Are those pancakes for anyone in particular?" Tony asks, already grabbing a stack of plates out of the cupboard.