Battle Scars

Chapter 13

As luck would have it, the team was gathered in the main living area on your floor. The one time you didn't want to see them and they were all there. More than one called your name as you passed and you held up a hand to stave off the questions. You so weren't in the mood for questions.

You slammed your door behind you and dug through the closet until you found your suitcase. After tossing it on the bed, you threw it open and started dumping clothes inside. That lasted about three armfuls before you got pissed at it, too. "Fuck!" you yelled and shoved the bag away from you.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, you dropped your head into your hands. This was so stupid. The whole thing. Tony. You. Soulmates. It was all stupid as hell. You gave another scream of frustration only to be interrupted by a knock on your door. "What?"

"It's Nat."

With a sigh you pushed yourself up and opened the door to let her in. You gave her an insincere smile as you shut the door behind her. "Hey."

"So," she said drawing out the word. "Soulmates, huh?"

You were only stunned for a second before shaking it off. "Bruce?"

She pursed her lips and nodded. "To be fair, he kind of had to tell us. The boys were about ready to lose their shit over your face."

You hummed in agreement and leaned against your dresser. Nat pushed your suitcase further to the center of the bed to sit beside it. "Going somewhere?"

"I guess that's up to Tony. I don't want to go anywhere, but I'm not sure he wants me to stick around. I could always go home I guess." You shrugged as if it was unimportant, but of course it was. It's your entire life.

"I'm pretty sure you are home," Nat said, not meeting your eye and you had to resist the urge to cry. No crying in front of the assassins damn it.

"Thanks." You're proud for getting that word out without it being evident you were on the verge of tears. You kept your eyes locked on where you were toeing the carpet.

She sighed. "Look. I will never be Tony's biggest fan. We've got too many issues, but I do know that he's had to deal with more than his share of shit. And I know that he loves you."

That got your attention. You jerked your head up and met her eyes.

"He wouldn't shut up about you the whole mission. I'm pretty sure I heard about your kiss a dozen times and I could recite detail for detail the perfect date he intends to take you on. You know, whenever he gets his head out of his ass."

You huffed a laugh at that.

Natasha smirked before turning serious once more. "Can I ask you a question?"

You nodded permission.

"Why didn't you tell him from the beginning that you were his soulmate?"

"Lots of reasons. Mainly I wanted to know that he was interested in me because of me, not because fate said he should be."

She lifted her chin and tilted her head slightly. "I can understand that. I can also understand being disappointed when you find out the person you thought liked you for you knew they were your soulmate the whole time. I would probably come up with all sorts of reasons why they hadn't told me, whether they were true or not."

You frowned and she just continued to sit quietly and study you. Finally, you shook your head and pushed away from the dresser. "Damn it, Nat."

Her lips twitched and there was that smirk again. She stood and paused at the door before leaving. "I'll get everyone out of here. You do what you think you need to do. At the end of the day it's between you and Tony. The rest of us don't matter."