No Strings attached - a Tony Stark/Iron Man Fanfiction

Part 4: No woman, no cry

Tony sighed heavily and pushed back from his working table. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there but he needed a break and a coffee. Getting up, he left his workshop and passing the research laboratory, he starred inside in the small hope to spot a familiar face. But Christine wasn't there.
In the community room's kitchen, he found Natasha making herself a cup of coffee "Hey Tony. Want one?" she easily noticed the man's gaze sweeping through the room after he had nodded to her question. "If you're seeking for Chris, she's at the S.H.I.E.L.D. base to plan the Johnson mission with the squad".

After he had given her back Bianchi's phone just as promised after the spa day, they had spend two days to hack into the device. It had been secured on a surprisingly high technical level that would have cause the deletion of all data when doing just one wrong step. Even with his and Jarvis skills combined, they only had been able to move with baby steps. Good thing was that it had given him the chance to spend some time with the pretty blonde and tease her whenever he was able to. It was a nice change to skirmish with her since she kept firing back at him. At least most of the time. Whenever he would get more suggestive, she tended to become quiet and row back. He wasn't sure if this was because she was bashful, what he actually doubted, and didn't know how to react or because she didn't want this to build up and get out of hand. She was Natasha's friend and since the redhead already had told him to keep his hands off her friend, he wouldn't doubt that she also had told Chris similar things. God knows what picture of him she had in mind when it came to this topic.

Though Tony was surprised that Natasha was able to read intentions in him that he hadn't even been aware of, he kept his cool "So, she's going with a team this time?". A good decision, though he had wished that she also would have asked him to join. The memories about her last mission still made him shudder.
For a few seconds they stood in awkward silence after Natasha had handed him his cup, then she sighed and placed her own down on the counter "Tony, we need to talk" "Aren't we just now?" Usually it wasn't a pleasant thing if the Russian asked for a serious conversation, so he tried to escape but she just rolled her eyes "You know exactly what I mean" "Fine" defeated, he sat down on the kitchen table and looked at her expectant "What bothers you mind?"

As a close friend to both of them Natasha of course had noticed the developing relationship between Tony and Chris. It wasn't that she didn't want those two getting along, but she still wanted to know where this was leading to. She knew both pretty well and if whatever was developing there was going beyond a friend- and partnership she was quite sure that they were having a different interpretation of what this was supposed to be. At the current state Chris seemed to be very realistic about everything. Though she openly had admitted that she wasn't completely unsusceptible to Tony's charm and flirting skills, but she was aware of his situation and knew that she had to be careful and shouldn't rush anything.
A good start but she wasn't alone in this.

Natasha took a seat on the other side of the table and instantly started. No need to beat around the bush anyway. With Tony is always was best to be direct and honest "About Chris. What are your intentions with her?" "What do you mean?" He didn't have any intentions regarding her, just simply liked her company.
Natasha was not sure if he was mocking her or truly didn't understand "Listen, Chris is one of my closest friends and I don't want anything to happen to her" "Me neither, but what does this have to do with me? It's not like I plan on hurting her", he just recently had saved her ass if Natasha hadn't noticed and the last thing, he wanted was to see her in a similar situation again. She of course was aware of that, yet she wasn't thinking about physical injuries. "That isn't what I'm talking about. It's just that since the break-up with Pepper you don't treat women-" she didn't want to sound too rough but eventually gave up and just said it "You just fuck them and then let them down"
Though Tony knew that she was right, to have it worded this bluntly still made him feel kinda offended. Then when he actually realized where the redhead's thoughts were going, he grew angry "And now you are thinking that I plan on doing the same to her?" "Tony" she whined obviously struggling with the right things to say "Don't get me wrong but Chris in very sensitive in this topic. She falls in love way to quickly and I just want to protect her from another heartbreak".
Tony wasn't a misogynist, but in his current state he also wasn't able to treat Chris or any other woman he would allow close to him, the way she deserved it. His heart still was too sore to open up and allow someone else inside. The walls were up, and the way studded with mines.
"Protect? What am I a super villain?" Tony bit out through gritted teeth. By now he truly was angered and disappointed in how his friends seemed to see him "Out to steel innocent women's hearts to add to my collection?" Natasha could understand that this topic wasn't easy nor pleasant for him, still his deviance was annoying. "Come on, you know what I mean" "I think you mean that I will drag Chris into my bed then drop her like a hot potato, because that is what I seemingly do!", he was about to get up when the Russian had enough "God damn Tony!" she banged her palms on the table, causing him to jump and stunned slump back onto the seat. "Since Pepper left, you bring here one bimbo after the next and you probably don't even know the name of half of them anymore!" "That's-" before he could defend himself, she went on "And before you say anything, I know damn well that this is none of my business and I also understand that this is your way to deal with all of this, but I won't allow you to pull my friend into it! So, if this all is just a game to you, then tell me now!"