Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers or any of the related plotlines or characters you see here.

Thanks to the boyfriend for picking out this one. It's a bit short.

Heart of a Spider

11. Morning

Sunlight drifted in through a window, slowly rousing her to consciousness. As she awoke, she did a customary check of her surroundings. Huge-paneled window being bombarded with sunlight. Sheets too silky and expensive to belong anywhere she usually crashed. Without rolling over or even thinking about the previous night, Natasha knew where she was. Gently, so she wouldn't wake him, Natasha rolled over and found hersel f faced with a sleeping Stark. She sighed and shook her head. Even gripped in the throes of slumber, Tony Stark looked smug and arrogant as ever.

She surveyed last night in her memory. Through the blur of alcohol and booming music, she could remember the conversation going not at all as she'd expected. Despite all his failed overtures and his self-important public demeanor, Tony was a surprisingly grounded, enthralling person. They'd talked on an intellectual level Natasha rarely got to explore, and she'd never explored it with Stark because his outside layers were just so hard to get past. Then, he'd led her to the dance floor. And after that….

Slipping out from underneath the no-doubt mind-bogglingly pricey comforter, Natasha ran through her morning stretches. If anything, Tony's attempts at seducing her had been amusing. She was probably the only woman who'd ever told him "no." Why she'd finally said yes….

When she was finished stretching, she bent down and grabbed her clothes from where they'd fallen, putting them on as she went. Just as she was slipping on her high heels, Tony said, "Leaving?"

Natasha froze for a moment. Damn. She'd been hoping to avoid any awkward conversation and just slip out the door unnoticed. "Yeah," she said slowly as she wedged her foot into the matching heel. She turned to face him.

His expression never changed. He just looked up at her, his big brown eyes reminding her of the night she'd spent staring into them. "Alright," he shrugged, breaking through the pants and moans echoing in her mind.

Mornings, thought Natasha as she rode the elevator down Stark Tower. She'd never quite gotten the hang of mornings like this.

Reviews make me squee. Just saying. –MS-