TONY FINDS OUT HIS DAUGHTER IS GAY/SLEEPING WITH THE BLACK WIDOW

Jessica wasn't sure what it meant yet, when the mysterious and agonizingly beautiful spy Natasha Romanoff followed her into her bedroom and shut the door behind them. It had happened several times now. Sex with Natasha was like nothing Jessica had ever experienced before, and she'd experienced plenty of sex in her twenty-one years. Men, women - sometimes both simultaneously. Natasha was different. Bold and soft in the same touch. Almost painfully slow - dragging it out, no rush, like she'd lie there and fuck Jessica forever if she could.

And by God, sometimes it felt like forever. Sex with Natasha Romanoff, above all else, was like cramming an eternity of pleasure into an hour. Two, if they were lucky.

But beyond the sex, Jessica didn't know what to think. Sure she was attracted to Natasha - more attracted to her than anyone she'd been attracted to in her entire life - but her feelings ran deeper than that. She'd accidentally electrocute herself a couple times a day working in the lab, distracted by thoughts of the spy's thick red hair and enchanting emerald irises. She'd pace by the front door waiting for her to return from her missions, keeping time with the frenzied beating of her heart. She'd wake up in sweats, having envisioned Natasha's death in her nightmares. Tears in her eyes and clay in her throat at the thought of losing her.

The hard part was getting time alone with Natasha. Amidst all of her work for Fury, for the Avengers, for her status as the best Goddamn spy on Earth, there wasn't much space left over for a relationship. If that was even what this was. Dating a spy - or sleeping with a spy, at least - wasn't exactly like reading from an open book. More like eagerly observing the book's front cover from across the room, praying for a telescope. There was only one thing Jessica really knew for certain, from the hours she had managed to enjoy in Natasha's company.

She was in love with her. Completely, uncontrollably in love.

"God…" Jessica tried to whisper but moaned instead, her back arching on the mattress. The writhing of her body was so intense it crumpled the bed sheets, leaving distinct crinkles in the fabric.

Natasha's eyes appeared between Jessica's legs, the rest of her face still shielded behind Jessica's aching centre. Even still, Jessica could tell she was smiling.

"Wanna taste?" Natasha murmured. Her voice vibrated against Jessica's flesh.

The spy crawled her way up the length of Jessica's body with a feline fluidity, finally meeting Jessica's lips and kissing her until they both saw stars. Possibly a need for oxygen. Neither woman cared.

And then Natasha's fingers were inside her. Still kissing, Jessica released a low and completely undignified groan. She ground her skin up against Natasha's equally bare form, revelling in the shared heat. The sweat.

As Jessica inched closer and closer to her climax, she couldn't control the noise building in the back of her throat. Each breath came out in a short squeak or grunt of pleasure, her chest jolting up and down.

She must have gotten even louder than she thought, because out of nowhere a knock sounded at the bedroom door. It came three times; sharp and strong. Urgent.

"Jessica?" A familiar voice carrying an unfamiliar tone. Tight with uncertainty and concern. "Jessie, you okay?"

"Fuck," Jessica hissed. She moved to push Natasha away, but the spy had already moved. She rolled off the edge of the bed and swept herself up in a blanket all in the same second. Jessica sat up straighter, trying to pull the remaining bed sheet over her body.

Another knock vibrated against the door's surface. "What're you up to in there?"

Natasha turned to look at Jessica with a deadly calm expression. "It's Tony."

"Yes, thank you for that helpful insight," Jessica shot her return. To the (thankfully still closed) door, she called, "Nothing! Everything's fine!"

She stood up, scanning the room frantically for her clothes, but unfortunately happened to trip on the loose bedding before she had a chance to put anything on.

"Agh!" Jessica cried out, collapsing to the floor. Her forearm caught the edge of the nightstand as she went down in her attempt to break the fall, ripping the skin open with sheer blunt force. The pain only registered with her a moment after she had the chance to think, God, why do you have to be such a klutz?

Natasha, who'd been on the other side of the bed and unable to catch her, immediately leapt over the mattress. She leaned down to get a look at Jessica's arm, already using one of the discarded shirts to put pressure on the wound.

Just to prove that things could in fact get worse, the bedroom door burst open. A frenzied Mr Tony Stark, also known as Jessica's father, busted into the room, his eyes big with panic.

"I heard a yell," he proclaimed. "Why was there a yell?"

That was when he caught sight of Jessica, his barely-legal-to-drink daughter, naked but for a flimsy sheet, on the floor, bleeding. Not to mention, joined by equally-naked super spy Natasha Romanoff. He stumbled back a step, almost like he'd been kicked in the chest.

The dots connected in Tony's head, but they drew him to an incorrect conclusion. He stormed toward Natasha, seized the spy by her shoulder, and shoved her off Jessica.

"What the hell did you do?" he demanded, crouching down to take over Jessica's bleeding arm. He forced his daughter to look him in the eye. "Huh? What did she do?"

"What? Nothing!" Jessica tried to pull away from him. "She didn't do anything!"

"Oh yeah?" Tony quipped. "In that case, gonna explain how you end up all bloody on your bedroom floor?"

"I-we -" Jessica cut herself off, glaring up at Natasha helplessly.

At which point, Natasha very simply stated, "We were having sex."

The words seemed to fly right over Tony's head. He laughed once. "Sure you were."

"Dad." Blushing so hard she thought her face would explode, Jessica spoke softly. "It's true."

After another moment, Tony's glance swapping between either woman, waiting for them to break into grins and tell him he'd been punk'd, his face dropped. Finally setting his stare on Natasha, he pursed his lips. Swallowed.

"Jessica, dear. Wait for me in the med bay."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "It's just a cut, I don't need to go to the med bay."

"Jessica." Tony's voice got even harder, somehow. "Med bay. Now."

"But Dad -"

"It wasn't a question."

Natasha gave Jessica a look that was soft and stern at the same time; a silent promise. I can handle this.

So, in spite of her usual reluctance to obey direct orders (truly her father's daughter), Jessica did as she was told. Cradling her injured arm in the shirt Natasha had given her, she drifted out of the room, casting a final uncertain glance behind her before she disappeared.

Tony waited until her couldn't hear Jessica's footsteps anymore before he lost his mind. He shot up off the floor, got right in Natasha's face, and took a deep breath as though to calm himself. It quite clearly did not work, as his face reddened and the tendons in his neck bulged.

"You've got some nerve, Romanoff," he growled.

Natasha seemed unaffected by Tony's anger. Though she was protected by nothing more than a cotton blanket, she stood with her shoulders tall as ever and her expression set.

"I understand that you're upset," she begun. "I apologize for this period of….confusion."

"Confusion? Confusion? I just caught you feeling up my baby girl!"

"With all due respect, Tony, your daughter is an adult. She is free to make her own decisions."

"Don't." Tony jabbed a finger at her. "Don't you do that. You know this has nothing to do with Jessica. I trust my daughter. Sure it would've been nice to know that she was into girls, but I could give a rat's ass about that. My problem is with you."

Natasha's expression didn't falter, but something flickered in her eyes. She said, "Enlighten me."

"You're one of the most wanted spies across the whole globe! Your job is, arguably, more dangerous than any other profession in the world. That is not the kind of danger I want Jess to be associated with. No way. If anyone finds out about whatever's going on between you two, she becomes a target. Being the only kid of Tony Stark gives her enough time under the spotlight as it is."

At that, Natasha folded her arms, and her jaw tightened. "I would never let anything happen to Jessica."

"Oh, yeah, course not." Tony scoffed. "Can't be without your sweet little fuck buddy, now can you?"

Suddenly Natasha's arms snapped out. She shoved Tony back, hard, at least three feet.

Tony's jaw dropped. "What the hell, Romanoff! I'm the one angry at you, remember?"

Natasha's lip curled. "Don't talk about her like that. Jessica is not just a sweet little fuckbuddy. She's important to me, too."

"Of course she is. She's important to all of us!"

"No." Natasha shook her head. "It's different."

"Different how?"

Natasha opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it. Instead she said, "That's a conversation I would rather have with Jessica present."

"You know what?" Tony nodded. "I'm gonna agree with you on that one, just to shake things up. I think it's time we both had a nice big chat with Jessica."

Jessica had no intention of going to the med bay like her father requested. She didn't feel the need to bother the small crew of overqualified medical staff her dad kept on standby in the Avengers Tower. She could deal with some stupid cut herself. Besides, she needed something to do with her hands to distract her from whatever the hell might've been going down back in her bedroom between Natasha and Tony.

Unfortunately, just as Jessica opened the top right cupboard in the communal kitchen to get out the first aid kid, another person entered the room.

Seeing the long stream of chocolate brown curls, Captain Steve Rodgers perked up. "Hey, Jess." Then he must've noticed her lack of usual attire; no ripped jeans or print tee. Not even her rounded black glasses, without which she was practically blind. He frowned, hovering back for a moment as he watched her struggle to reach for the first aid kit on her toes. "Need a hand?"

"Uh…" Jessica tried a laugh, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks."

Steve rounded the kitchen counter and effortlessly plucked the first aid kit off the shelf. He handed it to Jessica, half amused and half concerned. "Everything alright? You just seem to be a little…" he struggled for the right word, taking in her blanketed figure. "Dishevelled." Then he remembered the first aid kit and frowned again. "Are you okay? Sick?"

"No, no," she hurried to assure him. One hand holding the bed sheet in place, she used the other to pop open the kit and dig out a couple of bandaids. "Just got a little scratch."

"A little scratch?" Finally Steve caught sight of Jessica's arm, still wrapped up in a shirt, but dripping little dew drops of blood to the tiles nonetheless. His eyes popped. He bolted into action, like a reflex, and gently took her arm in his hands. He pulled back the shirt, examining the wound, and pursed his lips unhappily.

"Damnit, Jess, why didn't you say something earlier?"

"It's not a big deal," she promised. "I've got it."

"Uh-uh," Steve said. "I don't think so." He gestured to the counter. "Up."

"What?"

Steve put his hands around Jessica's waist and hoisted her up into the air, dropping her gently on the kitchen counter top. Jessica caught a gasp between her teeth, not expecting the movement.

"C'mon, Cap," she said, "what're you doing?"

"Exactly what I was trained to do, ma'am." Steve flashed her a light-hearted smile. "Patching up a fallen soldier."

He rinsed the wound and wiped it down with antiseptic, much to Jessica's discomfort. At her wince, Steve put a hand on her leg and offered a quick apology.

"You know," she told him, trying not to grit her teeth too hard at the pain. "I'm not actually a soldier. The closest I've ever gotten to being in the field was when Loki and the Chitauri invaded New York."

"Mm," Steve muttered, focused on his task. "Let's hope it stays that way."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he said, rolling a thick bandaid over her arm, "that I don't exactly like the idea of Jessica Stark being in harm's way."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm a big girl, Cap."

"That may be true. But, you're also our girl. All of us here in the Avengers Tower would do anything to keep you safe."

Jessica had to smother a smile at that. With her dad living such a crazy rockstar life all these years and her basically paving her own way as a tech-genius-punk-rocker chick, it was nice to know that she was part of a bigger family that cared about her so much. All of the Avengers - Bruce, Steve, Clint, Thor, Natasha….

Jessica looked away, suddenly reminded of the situation at hand. God, Natasha.

Seeing her face change, Steve put a couple fingers under Jessica's chin so she'd meet his eye. "You sure everything's alright, Jess?"

She nodded instinctively, and opened her mouth to respond, absolutely, all peachy here, when one Tony Stark barged into the room, the Black Widow on his tail. He didn't seem to have lost any of the angst he'd been carrying since he walked in on Natasha and his daughter having sex. Seeing Jessica still sitting atop the bench, accompanied by Steve, he clapped his hands and called out, "JARVIS!"

"Yes, sir," responded an automated British voice.

Eyes still glued to Jessica, Tony said, "Gather the troops. Team meeting."

Jessica groaned, her head tipping back in exasperation. "Dad…"

"Now!" Tony barked.

Within a matter of minutes, the Avengers had assembled around the kitchen, exchanging confused expressions. The only people who seemed to know what was going on remained silent as questions got fired into the air. Several "what's going on"s and a couple "we got a problem?"s. Jessica closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Natasha stared straight ahead, face blank. Tony stood in the centre of the space, arms folded, and jaw hard as granite. He waited for everyone to quieten down.

And finally, he said, "It seems there has been a scandal in the workplace. A scandal involving our very own Black Widow and my lovely, misguided daughter, Jessica Stark."

The Avengers shared another round of uncertain glances. Clint was first to speak. He cleared his throat.

"You're gonna have to be more explicit, Stark."

"Explicit?" Tony barked out a dry, sour laugh. "Oh, I'll give you explicit. Guess who just walked in on Natasha getting in some fun naked action with my daughter?"

Now that stirred up some bigger reactions. Steve stepped back from Jessica like he'd only just realized she was naked beneath the sheet. Bruce shuffled his feet and cleared his throat, doing his best not to envision the scene of Jessica - a girl he considered himself to be a second father for - all sexed up. Thor released a short "oh". And Clint rubbed his mouth, trying to conceal a smirk. He hadn't picked it, not exactly, but he knew something had been up between Nat and Jess. Suspicions confirmed.

"So tell me," Tony demanded. "Who knew about this? Huh? Am I the last one to be let in the loop?"

"Tony," Natasha ground out, "don't."

"No one knew," Jessica insisted. "We never told anyone."

"Well you certainly never mentioned it to me, that's for damn sure," Tony shot.

Having read the shock on everyone's faces, Steve put in, "Tony, really, none of us had any idea."

"And what's the big deal anyway?" Jessica pressed. She couldn't help the lump that formed in her throat at the following prospect. "I didn't think you'd mind if I was gay. I just never told you cause I…I was worried. That for some reason you wouldn't be okay with that." She sniffled sharply and shook her head; disappointed in her father, and disappointed in herself. "Judging on your reaction, I guess I was right."

Silence dropped over the room with the force of a brick. All eyes stuck to Jessica while she stared at the hands in her lap, avoiding everyone's now-soft expressions. She didn't want their sympathy. She just wanted this moment to be over. But knowing her, she'd probably trip over the bed sheet before she made it three feet out the door.

Then, out of nowhere, Thor's voice blurted, "You're gay?"

Jessica gave a short chuckle, biting on her bottom lip to distract herself from the threatening tears. The whole 'coming out' conversation wasn't something she ever really planned on having with Tony. Never sure how exactly to word it. Worried about what would happen if the news hit the press - DAUGHTER OF TONY STARK A LESBIAN, DUE TO INADEQUATE FATHER FIGURE? Worried it would make him uncomfortable. Make him see her differently. The pair of them were close, no doubt about it, but most of their bonding activities revolved around tinkering and programming in Tony's lab.

"Yup," she said at last. "Very much so."

"Jessie…" Finally Tony seemed to regain movement. He paced across the room and met Jessica at the kitchen counter. She didn't look up at his approach, still glaring into her lap, even as he grasped her hands and leaned in close.

"Jessica," he said, more sternly. "Look at me."

Still biting her lip, Jessica looked up. Her father's face bore an unfamiliar softness, his eyes wide and pressing.

He told her, "I could care less if you're gay. You know that crap doesn't matter to me, don't you?"

She shrugged one shoulder.

"Hey." He held her hands tighter. "It doesn't. At all. You're my Jessie, and I love you. No matter what. This doesn't change anything."

Jessica's lenses flickered, illuminating the hazel colour of her irises. "Yeah?"

"Absolutely yeah. Of course yeah. And anyone who doesn't like that can suck an egg." Tony pulled back, extending his arms in a simultaneous invitation and warning. "You guys all hear that? Anyone not on board with Jess being a big fat lesbian can get the hell out of my house. Understood?"

"Understood," from Captain Rodgers.

"Hell yeah," from Clint.

"No issues here," from Thor.

"Absolutely," from Bruce. He smiled. "Proud of you, Jess."

She smiled back. "Thanks." But then she frowned. "But, if you're okay with me being gay, what's the problem with Natasha?"

Natasha, who had been silent for most of the conversation, spoke up in a low voice. "He's concerned I'm not the best fit for you."

Jessica gave her father a look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tony sighed. He tried to think of the kindest words to put forward, but - in classic Tony Stark style - gave up on that and just said the first thing that came to mind. "Getting together with a super spy isn't exactly the safest way to go about dating. If you wanted some more adrenaline in your life I could've just as easily have taken you bungee jumping or something."

"Adrenaline?" Jessica repeated. She glanced about the room, waiting for someone to back her up, but then she remembered that no one here knew exactly what was going on. Her eyes met Natasha, but the spy gave away nothing (big shocker there).

Much like her father, Jessica decided to run with whatever popped into her head. She pushed Tony away from her and slid off the kitchen counter so she could position herself in a defiant standing pose. "This isn't about some stupid junkie rush. I've already done enough of that with sex. Lots of other, random sex."

"What?" Several voices demanded at the same time.

Jessica waved her hand. "It doesn't matter. I'm saying that Natasha is different. She's the best -"

Tony held up his finger. "If you make one more comment about your sex life, young lady, I will officially commit you to a convent."

" - the best relationship I've ever had," Jessica finished. "Not because it's secret, not because it's forbidden, not because it's dangerous, but because…." she stopped, trying to find the right word. She breathed heavily, face flushed, eyes alight.

"Because I love her."

Jessica's gaze snapped back across to find Natasha. The spy still hadn't given away anything on her face, but she padded soundlessly across the room until she reached Jessica, never breaking eye contact. Once they were barely a hair's width apart, Natasha inhaled deeply. Only then could anyone tell how much feeling surged through her, as her breath trembled on the way back out.

She said again, almost whispering, "I love her."

At the faraway ache on her face, Jessica suddenly realized she was grinning. She held Natasha by the waist. "You do?"

Natasha nodded. Slowly, she returned a gentle smile. "More than anything."

Momentarily forgetting all the other Avengers in the room, Jessica leaned in and kissed the spy on the lips. They breathed in together, inhaling each other, and pressed their bodies together. Unable to be close enough.

Eventually, they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat (quite loudly), and pulled apart. They shared a final devilish smile before facing the rest of the room.

Some of the Avengers tried to make their reactions more discreet than others, but all in all their expressions were a mixture of shock and discomfort with a hint of joviality. Jessica being the youngest person in the Avengers Tower, most of the others considered her a younger sister, niece or daughter type, so to watch her making out with someone was a bit of an awkward experience. Let alone making out with their very own Black Widow. Most of them tried to convince themselves, and Jessica, that they had reason to be concerned for her: she was a small, thin girl, so obsessed with her work in Stark Tower she'd frequently miss meals and sleep. She was a desk jockey - unequipped, in their opinion, to properly protect herself outside the tower. And, as more than a couple of the Avengers suspected, she had her issues. Psychologically and physically. Each and every Avenger felt the need to look out for her, whether she liked it or not.

"So…" Steve broke the silence. "This is really happening, huh? You and Nat together." He smiled. "It's nice."

Jessica and Natasha snuck a look at each other, then looked back to Steve. "I guess so," said Jessica. She dared to meet her father's unreadable glare, and plucked up the courage to tell him, "I'm sorry, dad, if that….displeases you. But I can't help how I feel. Not about her."

Tony sighed. After a beat, he set his glare on Natasha. "You can promise me you'll keep my girl safe?"

"At all costs," Natasha responded without a moment's hesitation.

Tony's glare narrowed even further. "If I found out you've hurt her, or let her get hurt, in any way possible, I swear to God I'll -"

"Dad," Jessica snapped.

Tony stopped himself. He said, "Right. I think I've made myself clear."

"Crystal," Thor piped up.

"Alright." With another deep breath, Tony nodded. "I guess that's that."

"Thank God," Jessica muttered. "Does that mean I can go and put some clothes on now?"

Bruce cleared his throat. "Yes please."

"I think I'll do the same," Natasha announced.

They had almost made it, striding away to their separate bedrooms, when Tony's voice rang out from behind them.

"Oh, and for future reference - tell JARVIS to lock the door!"

Jessica turned around. "Dad!"