Inescapable

Ch. 8

You felt so at home in the tower. Your days were filled with either helping Tony in the lab, or Bruce whenever he passed by. Sometimes you would help Natasha or Clint when they would stop between missions, cooking them meals and basically mother-henning them. Steve had stopped passing by, but you would keep an eye on him through Nat. Secretly you tried to watch out for the obvious signs that the next important event was about to take place. Your nights were filled with love and laughter. Movie nights with Clint or Nat when they were around. Group dinners whenever possible. And those nights when it was just you and Tony... well those ended in fierce lovemaking, tired limbs, and blissed out nights.

It was not to say that everything was perfect. No. Some nights Tony had nightmares, which ended in both of you talking it out and quelling his haunting thoughts. Then some nights you were plagued with nightmares, of things that have yet to come. Those nights you tried your best to not wake Tony and muscled through till morning. A silent creeping fear began to plague you, the thought that you couldn't change the future and that one day you would lose the man you love. You vowed everything in your power to change that.

-.-

You were in one of Tony's tee's and nothing else, cooking breakfast in the columnal kitchen. Nat had stopped in last night and you wanted to give her a treat this morning in case she wouldn't be staying for too long. You hummed along to a song in your head as you flipped a pancake. You went to grab a plate from the cabinet and had to stand on your tip toes just to be able to grasp it. When you brought the plate down, a spoon you had on the counter fell to the floor, so humming you bent down to grab it, lost a little in your own mind. It was then that you heard someone clear their throat. Whipping around you find Steve standing there, red faced, trying to look anywhere but at your face. Suddenly, extremely aware of the sight he must've seen, you pull down the shirt as much as you can and scream. "Oh my god! Steve! I'm sorry! I – I didn't know you were in!" You feel embarrassed, usually when the men are in the tower you dress a little more covered up. But it was just Nat, so you hadn't bothered. Now you were completely self-aware of how little you were wearing. "Um - It's okay Y/N. I'm sorry. I should have said something earlier." He cleared his throat, "I can come back later..."

You shuffled towards the edge of the kitchen. "No! No. Just um, watch my pancakes, will ya? I'll be right back." You saw him nod, his eyes still up towards the ceiling as you dashed to the elevator to go to your shared room with Tony and get some more clothes on. When you returned to the kitchen you saw Steve plating up the food and placing it on the table. Nat was already there, sitting in a chair nursing a cup of coffee. She looked at you and raised her eyebrow, already you knew she had figured out what happened. "Nearly killed the old man Y/N..." she casually said as she took a sip of her coffee. You could see Steve's back tense for a second when she spoke, and you felt embarrassment rise in you. "Wait. What did I miss? Rapunzel nearly killed the old man?" You palm your head and shake it, internally groaning that this is becoming a thing now. You feel Tony's hand come around your waist, his lips landing a small peck on your neck. You sigh and open your eyes, relaxing in the embrace. "Steve nearly had a heart attack when he saw Y/N bouncing around the kitchen in nothing but your t-shirt on." Natasha replied smoothly, her devil like smile catching your gaze. "Well, I'll be damned. How'd I miss that show? Poor guy, probably hasn't ever seen what a woman looks like and there you were showing it all off." Tony was trying to get a rise from Steve, but his follow up kiss on your neck and tightening hold on your waist painted a clear picture. His. And you couldn't help but love this semi-possessive side of him.

Steve cleared his throat and sat down next to Nat, clearly wanting to move on from this conversation. You grab Tony's hands and unwrap them from your waist, leading him to the table to sit down so everyone can have breakfast. "So, Steve," you say "what brings you back to New York?" Steve looks up at you and you can see the grateful look in his eyes that you're trying to change the conversation. As he grabs a plate and fills it to the brim with pancakes he responds, "I'm here to pick up Natasha actually. We're heading out in a mission tomorrow. Plus, I had some errands to run in the city." Always one looking out for that defining moment, the moment you knew you needed to head to DC, you try to pry a little, without making it seem obvious. "Oh, a mission? Anything we can do to help?"