Hi all! We're back with the next instalment. I appreciate each and every one of you that has stuck through this with me, but I have a little something to say to some of the people who are deciding to reach this and bash it.

I understand that this story is not for everyone, and I understand that Tony might seem whiny and pathetic, but there is a reason for this. He was abandoned by the people he thought cared for him, and he gave them everything they wanted. New gear, new tech, a place to live, a place to train and they left him. So, if you're not happy, please click that delightful little red X and leave the story. Do not send me messages saying how much you hate it.

Now, onwards with the story! As always, all things recognised belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I make no money from this story, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Twenty-Four - Confrontations (Natasha)

Strangely, Tony began to feel a little better about things as he worked his way through his former teammates and getting everything off his chest. Speaking to Wanda and Clint had done him wonders, he'd had little to say to Vision given that he was young and Tony had demanded no loyalty from the android, though it had been willingly given and Vision had taken the time to apologise for the airport, again, and expressed his regret at not returning sooner. Other than that, nothing else needed to be said between them.

It was the same with Bruce, the scientist had nothing to apologise for, he had simply taken the time to go mentally heal and returned as soon as he'd been needed. Tony knew that the Avengers had their own lives to lead, not just being superheroes. He only asked that they update the team that they were going to be away- and ensure everyone knew if they were going to go off the grid completely.

He found Natasha on the roof, cigarette between her lips and he watched her for a bit, the sunlight glinting in her dark red hair. He knew she was beautiful, and Tony had been attracted to her from the moment he'd met her as Natalie Rushman, an assistant to Pepper in the days of dealing with Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko. And even if he hadn't been dating Pepper at the time, he'd known there was something distinctly off limits about her.

"It's rude to stare, Tony," she called back to him, not turning around.

He chuckled. "How did you know it was me, Princess?"

He could hear the smile in her voice. "Your cologne is recognisable anywhere, Tony. It smells like money for heaven's sake."

He approached and sat beside her, laughing quietly as they stared over the city from their perch. When she finished her cigarette, she lit another and inhaled deeply. Tony frowned, he knew she didn't smoke often, rarely, in fact.

"Feeling stressed?" He asked.

A smile touched her lips. "Something like that."

Tony slid the packet over to himself and lit one, coughing a little when the smoke hit his lungs. "Fuck, I haven't smoked in twenty years, they sure didn't get any better with time."

He smoked in silence with the former assassin, pondering the best way to approach what had been on his mind for some time now. Ultimately, she drew it from him.

"You want to know why I kept so much from you."

It wasn't a question, so Tony saw no need to answer it. The statement had come bluntly, tinged with a little sadness. He was grateful he didn't have to start the conversation and knew that no matter how it hurt them both, she would not sugar coat it.

She sighed, a stream of smoke leaving her plump lips. "The truth of the matter is that I'm selfish, Tony. I previously said that I didn't want to hurt you, but the truth is, I didn't want to do the hurting. And in my mind I was sparing you, but I was really sparing myself. I didn't want to be the one to deliver the bad news, so I elected to keep it secret. It was wrong of me, I know this, but I have never once claimed to be a kind person, Tony."

He listened, smoking his cigarette and taking her words in. He appreciated the honesty, it was refreshing in comparison to the legendary number of lies he had been told in his life, especially in recent years.

"Tasha, you are a good person. You're capable of great acts of love, I've seen them. We all have times where selfishness takes over. In the time that I've had to think since the latest revelations, I somewhat understand why you didn't tell me things. I don't like it, but I do understand."

Her hand laid over his on his knee and squeezed. "You are too forgiving, Tony Stark. I do not deserve the kindness you've shown me, but should you choose to continue to, I will spend every waking minute making sure you know how loved you are."

He smiled, lit a second cigarette and laced their fingers together. "Something has been bugging me."

She looked at him, expression guarded. "What is it?"

"You know Barnes, from before, right? I remember you telling me, or rather, finding out on this very roof." She nodded before he continued. "I understand why you might not have wanted to tell me he was your mentor. But why were you afraid to tell me you were lovers once? It's conceivable you could have met given you both worked for HYDRA, so becoming lovers wasn't entirely outside the realm of possibility."

Natasha sighed and flicked the end of her cigarette over the edge of the tower roof. She leaned back a little, the air rustling her hair in the light breeze, the soft scent of her perfume wafting into his nostrils. He waited patiently, biting back the urge to rush her answer, knowing that she would respond when she was ready.

Several minutes passed before she spoke. "I suppose because I was afraid it would break something between us."

Tony had not expected that answer. He was momentarily stunned into silence. He just stared at her and tried to work out why it would have done something like that. In the end he just made a weird squeaking noise that she apparently took for the confusion he felt.

"Do you remember the New Year's party? It wasn't long after you and Pepper had split up, you were completely wasted, and even Steve was having a hard time dealing with you."

Tony winced. "I seem to vaguely recall being extraordinarily drunk on that particular night."

Natasha stared at him in disbelief for a moment before smiling. "Yes, you were. And you were non-stop coming onto me. I wasn't angry, it was actually rather flattering were it not for the fact I was a red-head who was headstrong just as Pepper is."

He remembered rather well what his behaviour had been like. "Yeah."

"Well, after a while I got a little tired of it, so I gave in and allowed you to kiss me. You were so starstruck I didn't have the heart to shoot you down. But, when the end of the night came, you wanted to go to bed. I brought you home, put you to bed and pretended to go shower. Thankfully, when I came back out, you'd fallen asleep."

Tony swallowed thickly and patted her hand. "I'm not, nor have I ever been, in love with you, Tasha. I was wasted, I was hurting over Pepper but equally relieved and trying to process that sort of dual emotion, and all the while you were there, you were beautiful in that dress and I was horny as fuck. I would have probably shagged anything that moved and breathed."

She chuckled. "Good job my ego isn't easily bruised. Anyway, I never mentioned that I'd had a relationship with Bucky because I didn't know you weren't in love with me. I was terrified it would damage the easy friendship we had and you'd have been devastated to learn I'd spent several nights with the man who'd killed your parents. So, after the whole Civil War thing, I swore I'd never tell you about him, because things were strained enough with us returning, and because it never came up before and you didn't seem to remember the New Year's party, I saw no reason to mention that you'd kissed me."

There was sense in her words, and now that she'd gotten it all in the open, he could actually understand why she'd chosen to keep it all quiet. Above all else, while Natasha claimed to be selfish, her reasons were to make sure Tony wasn't hurt. And because it was completely different to Steve keeping things from him- unless her relationship with Barnes directly affected Tony, there was really no need for him to know. It wasn't as though the pair of them had been plotting to murder him- well, not recently anyway. He couldn't really count when they'd both been in the servitude of HYDRA.

"And now? Do you think he wants to resume that relationship?" Tony asked carefully.

Natasha shook her head and laughed. "No, of course not! That was a long-ass time ago, Tony. We've both changed in many ways, and, if I'm not mistaken, Bucky has his eye on someone lacking female anatomy."

He looked sharply at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come off it! If you haven't cottoned on yet you need to seriously remove those blinkers!"

"So, he and Steve? That really is happening?"

Natasha just stared at him and shook her head. "Good God, you really are oblivious. It's obvious something is going on there!"

Tony narrowed his eyes and threw his cigarette over the edge of the balcony and rose to his feet. He glared down at Natasha then stomped off, completely missing her sly grin.