Gone by Ghosts (Natasha Romanoff x OC)

~10~ Piece of Work

TRIGGER WARNING: slight depiction of panic in paragraphs 19&20

Shared POV

United States, New York City 07/14/2009:

Natasha was confused about why they went through the doors past the bar. She was met with the smell of frying fat and meat. Steam and the sound of clinking kitchen utensils came from her left where the light from the kitchen shined through the door's glass. To her right, there was another door labeled "office", but the lights were off. The space between the two walls was small. The hallway was long but thin with no light besides the one coming from the kitchen and an unnatural, almost flickering green light from an exit sign above a door at the other end of the hallway. The dark, long room made her tense up to some extent but she didn't feel as unsafe as she usually would. Perhaps it was the alcohol in her blood or it was the presence of someone she trusted. Not that she would admit to herself that she felt safer around Kate.

"You still haven't told me where we're going.", she complained while Kate held her hand and pulled her further down the hallway.

"You'll see in a second.", Kate said with a rather insecure smile and turned around a corner to the right. Natasha saw a step later that she was planning on going upstairs.

"On what floor are we going?"

"Just like the fifth, but we don't have to walk all the way. There's an elevator from the second floor. I don't know why someone would build it like that but whatever.", Kate pointed up ahead where she could see the elevator doors after having walked up half of the stairs.

"Lucky us.", Natasha commented with a grin.

Kate looked over her shoulder, down at the other woman and there it was again that spark in Natasha's eyes she had every time she smiled. It almost made her stop in her movement but she carried on. It was ridiculous to feel attracted to her. She didn't even know her and she needed to keep a distance. This mission was bigger than either of them. Not that she believed that Natasha would actually feel attracted to her. She pressed the elevator and let go of Natasha's hand since, obviously, she only took it not to lose her in that crammed bar.

Natasha felt a small sting of disappointment when their hands parted, but she knew it was better this way. She couldn't afford to let anyone close to her. She didn't believe that anyone would want to get close to her. Not her real self, anyway.

The "bing" that came from the opening elevator doors pulled them back into the present and they stepped in. Both of them stayed quiet until the doors closed.

"So, you like... live here, or...?", Natasha asked hesitantly.

The whole thing felt so awkward to both of them. Just minutes ago, they held eye contact for God knows how long, flirted with one another, and felt a tension that now, was completely gone.

"Yeah, pretty much. I mean my place is a mess but I'm fine with it if you are.", Kate turned her head to look at her and her heart beat faster when she realized how close they stood in the small elevator.

"I'm fine with a mess.", she answered. Kate couldn't have known that the spy never in her life possessed enough things to make a mess but that was exactly what Natasha was thinking of when answering. "Wait, what are we doing in your apartment?", she added when she noticed that she didn't know what Kate's idea of this night was.

"Working. I don't know if you remember but we kind of have a job to do the next few days.", Kate tried to change the atmosphere of this rather awkward situation. "Plus, we learn a lot about each other by how we work. Alone and together."