Unlikely Team | Stark & Romanoff

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Tony’s index and middle finger rapped the bar twice. “Two scotches on the rocks.” His voice floated slightly above the orchestra strings. The bartender nodded and took the bill that Tony handed him. The mix of attendees present in the private home of the Sheikh was a mix of men dressed in tuxedos as well as traditional Arabic clothing who mingled with the few beautiful women amongst them. Tony turned, leaning his elbows against the bar as he scanned the crowd. The bartender cleared his throat and Tony turned, his eyebrows raised. “Thank you.” Tony said, not bothering to speak in the tongue nearly every other person in attendance spoke. Tony was fluent in Spanish, Italian, and Dari, the later being the only one that could be remotely useful. There were enough similarities between Farsi and Arabic that he maintained a general knowledge of what was being said around him but as luck would have it there was plenty of English being spoken. Stark took the two petite glasses and set off to find Natasha. Tony’s bourbon eyes darted around the room and stuck to the intricately set chandelier hanging above the large marble ballroom for a moment as he marveled at it. He felt himself relaxing now with the perspiring glass of aged alcohol in his hands. Fury had assigned him to gain intelligence on Kuwait’s prime arms dealer who, with what Stark believed to be fact, S.H.I.E.L.D had reason to believe was dealing nuclear weapons in direct violation of an anti-arms armistice signed by every country capable of producing such weapons. In a palace full of the affluent from all over the globe no one’s eyes seemed particularly drawn to the man in the sleek tuxedo as he navigated his way through the crowd. Much to his disdain, but not unexpectedly, Fury had dually assigned Agent Romanoff to ensure that Stark did his job. A glorified baby sitter that would only act as a catalyst for Tony’s presumed bad behavior for sure. “Where are you?” Tony mumbled, turning towards the nearest wall to hide the fact that he was seemingly talking to no one. In actuality he wore a tiny ear piece and mic to enable communication between himself and Agent Romanoff. “I’ve got drinks, dear.” Tony added, smiling at a woman as she cast him a confused glance as he spun off the wall to continue his pursuit.

Natasha causally tucked her now blonde hair behind her ear, as Stark’s voice buzzed in her ear.  ”Relax darling,” she replied to him, coolly as her eyes drifted across the room, taking note of each face she encountered.  ”I’m just doing a head count.  Najjar seems to have a lot of friends in the nuclear arms business.”  Quickly spotting Tony  near the bar, she began to walk over, nodding politely whenever anyone looked her way.  Natasha didn’t completely expect a blonde wig and blue contacts to fully mask her identity - the entire world knew their faces after New York.  But it seemed to be passing along just fine for now.  For the time being, she was going to be Laura Matthers, Mr. Anthony Stark’s personal assistant.  Stark, on the other hand didn’t have to worry at all about concealing his identity.  If anything, his history made it even easier for the mission.  

As soon as she reached Stark, Natasha courteously took one of the drinks he was holding, taking a small sip as she turned her back away from the rest of the crowd to face him.  ”I haven’t spotted Najjar yet.  But I’m sure he’s busy mingling with some of his potential customers,” she said looking up at him with clear blue eyes, her voice low, as she smoothed out her deep purple, body-hugging dress.  Just in case seducing the target was required on her part.  ”All you need to do is convince him to show you the blueprints, we get copies of them, and report back to Fury.”  The mission should be easy enough as long as no one grew suspicious of the two, and Stark didn’t gallivant.  They needed to get in and out before they went too deep into their cover.

Helicarrier Cafeteria | Tony & Natasha

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Natasha simply stared at him again, while determining whether it was going to be a good idea to tell Stark.  But really, it was never a good idea to tell him most things.  Though this detail about Peter’s parents was something that he was being very persistent on.  Letting out a short exhale through her nose, she suddenly stood up, sliding her lunch tray off of the table, and tucking the folder underneath her arm.  ”Let’s take a walk, Stark,” Natasha said to him, while glancing at some other nearby agents who paid no mind and continued on with their eating. 

She walked over to the garbage disposal, and threw away the remaining of her lunch, before heading out into the hallway, expecting Tony to follow.  As soon as they reached a more deserted part of the helicarrier corridors, Natasha opened the folder which contained Peter Parker’s files.  But inside, there was another folder, which document records S.H.E.I.L.D. had on Richard and Mary Parker, deceased.  ”We know plenty about Peter’s parents,” she confirmed to her colleague, opening the folder on Mary first.  Natasha didn’t offer the papers to him, but she held it at arm’s length to at least let him read off of it.  These documents were recently wiped out of the system to be on the safe side.  And these were only one of the two hard copies S.H.E.I.L.D. had.  One was hers.  The other was Fury’s.  ”And that’s because both of them worked for S.H.E.I.L.D.” she continued, flipping to another page.  

“They both died while on a mission investigating the Red Skull because they had been posing as double agents, and their cover was compromised.”  She started flipping through Richard’s files for Tony to view.  Natasha still withheld a valuable piece of information about Richard Parker, which was in a completely different section in itself - also not electronically stored in the database.  She decided that this would be enough to suffice Tony for now.  ”I would let you take the files to view for yourself, but you literally cannot touch them.  DNA programmed so only I can touch these.  One hair follicle, or one minuscule skin cell would activate it to self-destruct, and burst into flames,” Natasha warned sternly.  ”Also, it’s safe to say the trust between us only extends so far,” she added with a small, amused smirk.

His initial thought when she started to stand was that she’d had enough and was going to walk away from his prodding but to his surprise, she beckoned him with her. Tony slid his chair back, standing up and sliding the chair neatly back under the table. He hovered for a moment, glancing around the cafeteria like she had as Natasha dumped her trash in the nearest garbage can and then he proceeded to follow her out into the hall. Stark pushed his hands into the pockets of his slacks as he strode slightly behind Agent Romanoff until they’d reach a spot that was deserted enough for them to continue the conversation that had begun in the cafeteria. Apparently he wasn’t the only person, besides Fury, that was aware of Parker’s parents. This small fact relieved him but he still couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t getting the full story. Hands still tucked into the depths of his pockets he leaned closer to look at the documents that Natasha held out. Richard and Mary had worked at SHIELD, that much he knew. What she proceeded to tell him was new information. He read each page as quickly as he could so that he could glance over them a second time, looking for specific facts. Stark stood up straight again after looking over the last of Richard’s paper. He was skeptical of Romanoff’s warning but not naive enough to test her word. “That’s evident.” Stark said, an irritated expression crossing his face as he looked up from the page to see Natasha’s smirk. “Why take them out of the system? Why all the secrecy?” Stark asked. Parker may not need to know at this point, though Stark felt he had the right, why had SHIELD gone through hoops to eliminate all other records of their employment unless there was an ulterior motive.

Natasha’s teasing smile thinned back out into her usual austere expression, as he began to inquire more.  This was the problem of letting Stark knowing anything in the first place - once you give him a bit of information, he’ll tear the world apart to figure out the rest of it.  The man was boundless.  That was actually one quality she admired about him.  Natasha sometimes felt restricted by what she was made to be.  She’s accepted the fact that she wouldn’t be able to do anything else - she has for at least a decade now, though all she can do is continue to be is a list of skill sets.  But being an agent is everything Natasha knows and she’s exceptional at it.

She stopped in her tracks to turn around and face Tony.  ”There’s someone who we’ve put under our protection, and any of this information and others related to it we can’t leave vulnerable,” Natasha replied to him, as she closed the folder, her speech and stance professional.  ”Our data is under the one best security systems in the world, but we cannot risk them being compromised.”

Natasha turned back around to end their discussion and just walk away to continue on with her tasks, but she found herself side-glancing at Stark.  ”Look,” she suddenly said to him, her eyes staring down the hallway.  ”I understand Peter has every right to know what happened to his parents,” her tone taking on that strange subtle softness again.  ”But right now, he needs to focus on his training and with all the other potential threats out there, he doesn’t need even more to stress about and weigh him down.  He’s still a kid.”

Letting out a barely audible sigh, she finally looked back up at him to meet his eyes.  ”Don’t tell him about his parents.  At least not yet.  Please.”  That last word sounded almost foreign to her when she wasn’t using it mockingly or falsely.  She wasn’t begging, but she meant it genuinely.

Helicarrier Cafeteria | Tony & Natasha

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Natasha simply stared at him with a flat expression.  Of course no one was going to let that go.  It was a very evident fault of his, which presumably wasn’t going to change unless he openly admitted to himself that he even had a fault.  His eyes quickly made a glance between her and the folder, and one of her brows twitched upwards, giving him an amused, yet warning look.  Natasha pushed her tray of food forward and crossed her arms on the table, directly getting between Stark and the folder - her elbow pinning it to the cafeteria table.

“Stark, a week was all I needed to evaluate your disposition,” she replied to him, referring to the short time she worked as his personal assistant.  ”The fact that you insist on being around me, only makes it easier for me to predict your intentions.”  Natasha’s piercing green eyes locked with his brown ones, sending him the message that she can see right through him.  ”You wouldn’t be ‘casually’ talking about Parker, over lunch while anxiously glancing at the folder that’s underneath my arm - it’s bothering you because even though you probably ransacked S.H.E.I.L.D.’s database numerous times, which is illegal, you’re unsure or questioning about what you discovered.  Everything you say always has a larger purpose behind it.  You clearly want to know something about this kid, and I’m sure it’s eating at you right now,” she smoothly deduced without blinking an eye, as a short silence fell between the two.  Finally, Natasha let out a tired sigh.  ”Now before you completely destroy our mainframe system, what is it?” she replied, tolerantly.  

She’d managed to catch his few wayward looks towards the folder and responded by getting even more in his way. She wasn’t going to let him have it, that much was evident by her body language. He sat back in the chair, watching her carefully as she laid it all out. She hit the nail right on the head. The answer he was looking for was in that folder. He already knew what he wanted to know but to see if everyone else knew he needed to see if it was on print and in Agent Romanoff’s grasp. He held up a finger and opened his mouth to make a comment about the legality of accessing the S.H.I.E.L.D systems but her speech was to fluid and he knew she’d bite his head off for interrupting so his jaw snapped shut. Natasha continued to point for point with correct assumptions it was driving him nuts. Not only that she could read every goddamn move he made, or if she didn’t understand his intention she at least was smart enough that he always had a paramount motive, but that she wasn’t going to let him have it. The corners of Stark’s mouth pulled upwards but he couldn’t hold a smile as he glanced around to see who was eating near them. “Tell me what you know.” He said, pointing at the folder and folding his arms over his chest. “You know that I know everything that’s written in there.” Tony swallowed the lump forming in his throat. “If we’re talking about the arachnid. What about his parents? Do we know anything about them?” His voice grew more stern with each syllable.

Natasha simply stared at him again, while determining whether it was going to be a good idea to tell Stark.  But really, it was never a good idea to tell him most things.  Though this detail about Peter’s parents was something that he was being very persistent on.  Letting out a short exhale through her nose, she suddenly stood up, sliding her lunch tray off of the table, and tucking the folder underneath her arm.  ”Let’s take a walk, Stark,” Natasha said to him, while glancing at some other nearby agents who paid no mind and continued on with their eating. 

She walked over to the garbage disposal, and threw away the remaining of her lunch, before heading out into the hallway, expecting Tony to follow.  As soon as they reached a more deserted part of the helicarrier corridors, Natasha opened the folder which contained Peter Parker’s files.  But inside, there was another folder, which document records S.H.E.I.L.D. had on Richard and Mary Parker, deceased.  ”We know plenty about Peter’s parents,” she confirmed to her colleague, opening the folder on Mary first.  Natasha didn’t offer the papers to him, but she held it at arm’s length to at least let him read off of it.  These documents were recently wiped out of the system to be on the safe side.  And these were only one of the two hard copies S.H.E.I.L.D. had.  One was hers.  The other was Fury’s.  ”And that’s because both of them worked for S.H.E.I.L.D.” she continued, flipping to another page.  

“They both died while on a mission investigating the Red Skull because they had been posing as double agents, and their cover was compromised.”  She started flipping through Richard’s files for Tony to view.  Natasha still withheld a valuable piece of information about Richard Parker, which was in a completely different section in itself - also not electronically stored in the database.  She decided that this would be enough to suffice Tony for now.  ”I would let you take the files to view for yourself, but you literally cannot touch them.  DNA programmed so only I can touch these.  One hair follicle, or one minuscule skin cell would activate it to self-destruct, and burst into flames,” Natasha warned sternly.  ”Also, it’s safe to say the trust between us only extends so far,” she added with a small, amused smirk.

Helicarrier Cafeteria | Tony & Natasha

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Natasha let out a short exhale through her nose, at his remark.  ”If you haven’t noticed, your track record of looking out for someone else’s best interest isn’t really great, unless it’s for your own benefit,” she replied with a pause.  ”But I do understand,” she added in a surprisingly gentle voice - it was actually only a small change in her usual stern tone, though it made all the difference.  Natasha slowly lifted her hand up from the folder, but still kept it away from within Tony’s reach.

She could tell that he was beating around the bush, and something else was on his mind.  It was most likely going to be something he is aware shouldn’t be disclosed to him.  ”What is it, Stark?” Natasha said to him, in knowingly.  ”I can tell you’re prodding for something else.”

“No one is going to let that go are they?” He asked rhetorically, sounding slightly perturbed. He’d heard it a thousand times and it was obvious that things weren’t going to change in his mind. He was pleasantly surprised when her voice softened. It was out of character for her but he found himself quite enjoying and of course he had to ruin it; justice for her still keeping the folder out of his reach. He glanced at it but his eyes flicked back to her. It irked him but when she spoke again she was onto him. “I think we spent too much time together, Agent Romanoff.” Tony smiled annoyingly. She knew him well enough to know he was digging for something. “Nothing.” He lied, coming back down on all four legs of the chair. His scratched his temple, still looking at her, his face blank as he wondered desperately if she knew what he did. But if he told her about and she didn’t know he’d open a can of worms that he wasn’t ready to deal with between him, her and Fury. 

Natasha simply stared at him with a flat expression.  Of course no one was going to let that go.  It was a very evident fault of his, which presumably wasn’t going to change unless he openly admitted to himself that he even had a fault.  His eyes quickly made a glance between her and the folder, and one of her brows twitched upwards, giving him an amused, yet warning look.  Natasha pushed her tray of food forward and crossed her arms on the table, directly getting between Stark and the folder - her elbow pinning it to the cafeteria table.

“Stark, a week was all I needed to evaluate your disposition,” she replied to him, referring to the short time she worked as his personal assistant.  ”The fact that you insist on being around me, only makes it easier for me to predict your intentions.”  Natasha’s piercing green eyes locked with his brown ones, sending him the message that she can see right through him.  ”You wouldn’t be ‘casually’ talking about Parker, over lunch while anxiously glancing at the folder that’s underneath my arm - it’s bothering you because even though you probably ransacked S.H.E.I.L.D.’s database numerous times, which is illegal, you’re unsure or questioning about what you discovered.  Everything you say always has a larger purpose behind it.  You clearly want to know something about this kid, and I’m sure it’s eating at you right now,” she smoothly deduced without blinking an eye, as a short silence fell between the two.  Finally, Natasha let out a tired sigh.  ”Now before you completely destroy our mainframe system, what is it?” she replied, tolerantly.  

Helicarrier Cafeteria | Tony & Natasha

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Natasha nearly rolled her eyes, before narrowing them at Tony.  ”Real guidance?” she repeated, in disbelief, almost offended that he didn’t think Clint could give Parker guidance.  ”Stark, now is not the time to initiate Peter into your posse. He needs to get a lot of packed-down training before he can be in a frat.”  

She still was holding her hand securely down on Peter’s folder against the table, before glancing over at Tony’s face again.  Natasha’s posture relaxed ever so slightly as she realized that his intentions were actually to help Peter.  It was almost eerie to see Stark try to benefit someone other than himself - especially out of the suit, but she could tell that he wasn’t lying.  He was serious.  For once.

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed at her tone. “i said he was doing a fine job.” He qualified defensively. He picked his face off of his hands and leant back in the chair, pushing off the table so he was balancing on two legs of the chair. “I don’t need another drinking buddy.” He said cooly. “I’m just looking out for his best interest, but I get that that’s hard for you to understand.” He said, his eyes glued to hers until he caught her splaying her hand out over the manilla folder as if she didn’t want him snooping though he already had. No one was exactly trying very hard to keep Stark out and he found more than a few interesting things on Peter that perhaps weren’t in that compilation Natasha had her hand over. Like the fact that a Parker had been enlisted by S.H.I.E.L.D long before the Webbed Wonder. And the way no one seemed to adress that small told Tony that not many knew. He wanted more than anything to bring it up, he figured since Romanoff was joined with Fury at the hip she must know too, but he didn’t have as much information as he wanted. Yet. 

Natasha let out a short exhale through her nose, at his remark.  ”If you haven’t noticed, your track record of looking out for someone else’s best interest isn’t really great, unless it’s for your own benefit,” she replied with a pause.  ”But I do understand,” she added in a surprisingly gentle voice - it was actually only a small change in her usual stern tone, though it made all the difference.  Natasha slowly lifted her hand up from the folder, but still kept it away from within Tony’s reach.

She could tell that he was beating around the bush, and something else was on his mind.  It was most likely going to be something he is aware shouldn’t be disclosed to him.  ”What is it, Stark?” Natasha said to him, tiredly.  ”I can tell you’re prodding for something else.”

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starkindu:

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starkindu replied to your post: starkindu liked your photo Not getting tired of…

Not yet. Let’s see how long I can go. 

Don’t you have anywhere else to be, Stark? 

Absolutely not. I’m all yours.

So it seems.

Where’s Pepper?  I have things to do and you’re off your leash again.

Ouch.

Leash? No, he gets a full on harness. 

I got to hand it to you, Stark.  You know how to pick your ladies.  She’s got the right idea.

starkindu:

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starkindu:

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starkindu replied to your post: starkindu liked your photo Not getting tired of…

Not yet. Let’s see how long I can go. 

Don’t you have anywhere else to be, Stark? 

Absolutely not. I’m all yours.

So it seems.

Where’s Pepper?  I have things to do and you’re off your leash again.

Ouch.

You’ll get over it.

starkindu:

nigra-vidua:

starkindu replied to your post: starkindu liked your photo Not getting tired of…

Not yet. Let’s see how long I can go. 

Don’t you have anywhere else to be, Stark? 

Absolutely not. I’m all yours.

So it seems.

Where’s Pepper?  I have things to do and you’re off your leash again.

Not yet. Let’s see how long I can go. 

Don’t you have anywhere else to be, Stark? 

starkindu liked your photo

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