The Path to the Tower

7.1: Placing Bets

The fall of SHIELD meant the dissolution of Natasha's family too. She and Clint had followed after Steve to what was now being called the Avengers Tower. After Tony's Malibu home had been destroyed he and Pepper had moved in too. He had seemed to have some part of him that knew or hoped that they'd all come together again and be a team. He had floors set out, each with two apartments designed specifically for each of them.

Tony had the penthouse and below him was the party deck followed by a flight hanger and ten floors of labs. Then it was the apartments. Steve's was on the highest floor. His place was large and decorated with vintage items mixed with high tech. Across from him was Sam's place. It was a lot bigger than the one he had in DC and the view took in midtown, stretching out to the park.

The two had come to Tony almost as soon as SHIELD had fallen. Steve not having anyone else he knew or trusted, returned to the only other place he had really known in this new world as soon as Tony extended the invitation. Immediately setting out to find Bucky now that he knew he was alive.

Under that was Bruce. Bruce had been living in the tower since the battle of New York, continuing on with his work and overseeing construction after Tony had returned to LA. For quite a while he'd just had the whole floor to himself.

The next level down was Natasha and Clint. Clint's apartment was park side while Natasha's was riverside. Clint had somehow managed to make his place look like it was occupied by a couple of college students in their first year despite the fact that Tony had paid for all the furniture in the place. Natasha, on the other hand, had made hers sleek and modern with just splashes of homely things, like a rug over the back of her couch and a clawfoot tub in the bathroom.

Below Natasha and Clint were an apartment for Thor and one that was just left empty for visitors or if the team should change dynamics at all. Thor's apartment remained empty for a long time given his one-way departure to Asgard. It wasn't until almost 18 months had passed before Thor returned telling them that Loki's scepter had gone missing and they needed to find it.

Finally, there was a floor that housed Rhodey and yet another empty apartment. Rhodey was also in and out with the Airforce a lot but Tony hoped he'd change his mind and join the team permanently. Until then, he wanted him to know he had a place that was his in the tower.

There were more floors for staff living on-site below those, but the apartments were generally smaller. He had big plans for what he saw the Avengers to be and the coming together of the team was just the start of it. Which meant that Natasha needed to figure out how she fit now.

So much had changed with how she related to different people she was having trouble adjusting. Fitting in with SHIELD had seemed easy in comparison. Nick had just adopted her and Clint, Maria, and Phil and just absorbed her into their little arrangement. Now Phil was dead. Nick had faked his death and not trusted her enough to tell her. Hill was still giving her the cold shoulder despite coming over to the Avengers with them. Natasha was fairly certain she was still working for Nick. Even Sharon who she had an occasional hook up with here and there, was playing long-distance monogamous with Steve. Although Sharon had never really been the polyamorous type. It was more if she was single and in the mood, hookup type.

She did still have Clint though and the two of them were doing their best to not be a couple because being a couple would end up making one of them explode the whole thing in their face.

"Well, Steve and Tony are out. Monogamy." Clint said pulling a face. He was in Natasha's room with his head in her lap. She played with his hair, absentmindedly spiking it up before flattening it back down over his forehead again. "What about Thor? He doesn't seem like the monogamous type."

"No. He doesn't. But Jane does and I am never doing that again. Not after Tony. I still feel shitty about that." Natasha answered with a shake of her head.

"Oh yeah, right. God, I don't wanna be that person but that seems doomed." Clint said.

Natasha grimaced. "Yeah. They're both great. But sometimes that's not enough." She sighed. If she was honest, none of the monogamous couples in the building seemed anything but doomed. Tony struggled with monogamy but more, he couldn't let being Iron Man go and she could see how much that hurt Pepper. There was going to come a day where she made him choose, and Natasha didn't think he'd choose her. Steve and Sharon were great but the distance thing was killing them and there was something else. She saw how he looked at Sam. How they looked at each other really. Not to mention the whole Bucky Barnes situation. Something she didn't like to think about too much. She had her own history with the ex-Winter Soldier and she wasn't ready to let anyone else know about it.

The more Natasha witnessed how monogamy affected people in her line of work, the more she was sure it didn't work for any of them. Which in turn made her desperate to find someone else she could draw into this thing she had with Clint before she lost that as well.

"Guess that leaves Bruce." Clint half-joked. "He's really nice. Cute too. Maybe he'd like to..." He gave a small shrug.

Natasha looked down at him and laughed. "Oh yeah, I'm sure Bruce Banner would be so into our arrangement."

"Have you seen me, Nat? You couldn't resist me." Clint teased.

Natasha laughed much louder. "Oh yeah. He wouldn't be able to control himself, Clint. In fact, you can have a threeway, you, him, and the Hulk."

Clint sat up. "I could totally get Bruce Banner and not even risk a Hulk out."

Natasha simply scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I could too. Before you in any case." Clint argued.

"You want to make a bet?" Natasha asked. "Me versus you. The first person to bed Banner wins."

"Yeah. Yes. I do want to make a bet. And if I win, you gotta have sex with me on the roof." Clint said. "And be nice."

Natasha laughed and shoved him. "Sure. And if I win, I get to peg you."

Clint shifted in his seat before nodding his head and offering his hand. "Done."

Natasha smirked. "I know exactly which toy I'm gonna use." She said, shaking his hand.