Covert Affair | Natasha Romanoff

Chapter 30: Home

As they arrived at Tony Stark's tower, Natasha and Zero stepped into the sleek, modern lobby. Zero's eyes lit up with excitement as he spotted Tony across the room, engrossed in conversation with a group of people.

"Tony!" Zero called out, breaking into a run towards her mentor, a wide grin plastered across his face. Natasha watched with confusion as Zero practically launched herself into Tony's arms, enveloping him in a bear hug.

"Kid?" Tony exclaimed, "I haven't seen you in ages!"

Zero pulled back, her grin widening as she replied, "Oh, you know, Shield falling apart, everyone trying to kill everyone."

Tony's eyes narrowed as he fixed Natasha with a pointed stare. "Oh and... Hello, Romanoff," he retorted, a hint of skepticism in his voice. "Let's just pretend like the last time you were here, you weren't snooping around trying to figure out if I'd make a good fit for your little Avengers boy band."  (Ironic isn't it ;) )

He paused, the corners of his lips twitching with amusement, "Just try not to trigger any security alarms this time. I've got enough paranoia as it is.".
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Zero led Natasha up to the lab floor, her excitement palpable as she welcomed Natasha into her domain with the biggest smile plastered across her face. Natasha, still reeling from her tense interaction with Tony.

"So, this is where the magic happens!" Zero exclaimed, gesturing proudly to the array of high-tech equipment that filled the lab. "Welcome to my humble abode"

Natasha couldn't help but smirk at Zero's enthusiasm, her own demeanor softening. "Impressive setup you've got here," she remarked.

As they settled into the lab, Natasha couldn't shake her curiosity about the relationship between Zero and Tony. "So, when did you and Tony get so close?" she asked casually, trying to mask her probing curiosity.

Zero shrugged nonchalantly, her grin never faltering. "Oh, you know, just your typical billionaire superhero bonding. We actually hit it off pretty well when we met on the Helicarrier. He tried to bribe me to hide something from Fury."

Natasha raised an eyebrow at Zero's confession, a disapproving look crossing her features.

Zero's grin,"Hey hey, don't worry, I took the money and told Fury anyways."

A proud smile spread across Natasha's lips at Zero's confession. "That's my girl," she said with a hint of amusement. Zero's heart practically leaped in her chest at Natasha's words.

 "So, what exactly do you do around here?" Natasha asked, turning her attention back to Zero. "What does Tony have you working on?"

Zero shrugged nonchalantly "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure," she admitted with a chuckle. "I just like to tinker with stuff, you know? Tony lets me work on whatever projects I want, and he pays me to do it."

But before Natasha could say more, Zero grabbed her hand, "Come". Zero's excitement was palpable as she swung open a cabinet, revealing a meticulously crafted replica of Natasha's suit and Widow's Bite nestled inside. With a grin that could light up a room, Zero grabbed the suit and window bites and brought it over to the table where Natasha sat across from her.

"So, I've been working on this for the past week," Zero exclaimed. Natasha's heart fluttered at the thought.

Natasha reached out and lifted the replicated Widow's Bite, examining it closely. She noticed new features and enhancements that hadn't been present in her original gear.

"I enhanced the Bite so now you can change the intensity of the electric shock. You can do anything from a mild stun to a surge that can incapacitate even armored people."