Radioactive

i wipe my brow and i sweat my rust

*flashback 3 years ago*

You were on vacation in New York City with two of your friends. It's Friday night, day 2 of your trip and you decided to go out drinking. Not being much of a drinker yourself, and the only responsible one, you volunteered to be the designated driver/map holder.

You chose a nice bar in a nice area, where you had dinner and a few drinks. After, your friends wanted to go to a club which was walking distance away thankfully. You sigh and follow your excited friends down the street. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a feminine figure stumble into an alley. Curious, you called to your friends and told them you would meet you here. Grabbing your purse and putting your keys between your fingers, you follow the woman into the alley to see if they were alright.

Cautiously, you peered down the alley and didn't see anything at first. Shrugging, you go to turn around and catch up with your friends. Suddenly you hear someone gasping down the alley. Taking a few more steps, you look around a garbage can and come face to face with the most beautiful woman you've ever seen.

She's slumped against the wall, sweaty and pale. But she looks at you with hard, calculating green eyes. She's breathing hard, her full lips parted and chest heaving. You look down and see she's holding her side, her hands covered in blood.

"Are you alright?" You asked worried. "You're bleeding. Let me call-"

She cuts you off. "NO! Don't call anyone. I'll be fine just go." She glares at you.

You look at her, confused and a bit exasperated. "Listen, I don't want trouble, but I can't just leave you here. I'm a paramedic, can you please just let me help you."

The woman stares at you for a moment, studying your features, before she sighs and relaxes. "Fine." she says. "The blood isnt mine, but I think I have a few broken ribs and my ankle might be broken." her voice sounds gravelly and a bit raspy. It shoots through your core as she speaks.

You nod, trying to gain composure. "Alright." You say as you take your jacket off, handing it to the woman. "Put this on and I'll help you to the car, it's just down the road." The woman slowly takes the jacket, putting it on and wincing. You help her to her feet where she leans heavily on you. The pair of you stumble to the car and you help her into the passenger seat. You walk around the car and you can feel the womans eyes on you. You get in and start driving towards the house you rented for the week.

"You know," you start, "You could at least tell me your name."

The womans eyes haven't left you since she got in your car. She lets out a hmm, like she's considering if she should tell you or not.

"Natasha." she finally says, a faint smile ghosting her lips.

You nod. "Nice to meet you Natasha, I'm y/n." you turn to her and smile.

____________________________________________

You wake with a start, an annoying beeping sound right near your head, and faint voices in the distance.

You try to open your eyes, but the light is too bright. Tuning into the rest of your body, you feel a dull ache every time you breathe, and the dryness in your mouth is prominent. You let out a groan, and the whispers immediately stop. You hear frantic footsteps coming towards you.

"Y/n??" It's Nat, her voice sounds tired and rough. You open your eyes and focus on her face. Her eyes are red, shining with tears. She looks like she hasn't slept in days..... It makes you wonder how long you've been out for.

"Y/n?" Nat tries again, her smooth hand grasping yours, while the other moves some hair out of your eyes.

"Hey." you manage to whisper, your voice hoarse and scratchy.

Nat immediately bursts into tears, gently burying her face into your neck as her body shakes with silent sobs. You squeeze her hand as tight as you can, and turn your face into her hair.

After a few minutes, Nat starts to quiet and she pulls away to look at you, tears still running down her cheeks, her green-blue eyes shining. This time, you reach up and wipe them away. She puts her hand over yours and leans into your palm. Gently kissing the inside of your wrist.

"Nat." You whisper and give her a gentle smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

At that, her lip trembles and more tears start to fall, she turns her face into your hand. "I know baby. You can't scare me like that again okay?"

You nod. Swallowing thickly, looking around the room. "Can I have some water?" you croak. Nat already has a cup of water with a straw in it before you can finish your sentence.

You drink it all and let out a sigh of relief. Nat is scanning your face for any signs of discomfort. "How long have I been out?" You ask, your voice not as painful.

"3 days." answers a mans voice. You turn and see none other than Tony Stark himself, leaning against the doorway. "And you came with such a pricey hospital bill too if I do say so myself" he waves his hand as if to say it's no big deal.

Your eyes widen and your mouth opens, but no words come out.

Tony laughs. "I know I know this is probably a lot to take in, me being famous and all. But don't worry, we'll take good care of you here at the compound. Not that I have a choice... or else Natasha here would kill me." he raises an eyebrow at Nat.

"M-Mr. Stark thank you... I dont know what to say..." You start before Tony and Nat both hush you.

"Call me Tony. And I'm happy to help. Any friend of Natasha is a friend of ours. Plus I'm so glad to finally meet you... Nat hasn't shut up about you for the past 3 years-" Tony is cut off by Nat throwing an unused IV bag at him. She looks away, her cheeks dusted in an adorable shade of pink.

"Anyway that's my cue to leave. If you need anything let FRIDAY know." He waves and is gone, with no explanation as to what a FRIDAY is.

You turn to Nat, "So that's the famous Tony Stark... and i finally get to see where you work?"

Nat smiles, "Well this is only the lab part of the compound, but yeah I guess you will get to see it." she leans in, her expression serious. "How are you feeling?" she asks softly.

You try to shrug, which causes pain in your chest to flare and your face turns into a grimace. Nat soothingly rubs your arm. "It hurts," you grunt, "but it's not as bad as before, just kind of a dull ache."

Nat's face falls at your words, you tug at her sleeve and she looks back at you. "Hey," you whisper, "I'm alive and I'm gonna be fine. That's all that matters."

She sighs. "I know. I was just so worried, and seeing you like that..." she starts to tremble, "it was so awful."

"Shh I know babe, I wish you didn't have to see me like that." You extend your arms as much as you can to try and embrace her. The bed you're in seemed to be some kind of king sized hospital bed, so it had lots of room left. Nat gently slid herself onto it, careful not to move you, and lowered herself so that you were in her arms. She kissed your cheek before resting her head in the crook of your neck. You both sigh, finally close to each other, and fall asleep almost instantly, whispering I love yous into each others ears.