Retrouvailles

The Interrogation: Skin & Bone

TW: scars, torture, death

Ira's POV

After six days of interrogations it took me by surprise that the door to my cell opened an hour earlier than usual. Steve and Clint wanted to prove that this was different from my past experiences so they made sure there were no surprises or things that would throw me off my rhythm like a real life interrogation. They wanted to make sure there was nothing that would make me build up more walls and that this was a process that didn't make me feel entirely uncomfortable, so this took me by surprise, that is until I saw who walked in. The same woman who's been on my mind for days. Natasha. So it's no surprise to me that she switched up their routine. But something did surprise me— the bag that she's holding. On one side in bright red letters it read Volkonskiy Bakery in English and on the other it read the same thing in Russian. It's obvious she brought me breakfast but by the small smile on her face it's obvious she's proud of herself for what the bag contains, so it must be something she remembers me always eating back when we were in the Red Room together. Taking the bag with a smile of my own my eyes widen when they land on a handful of Pirozhki— and because these look to be made correctly she must've scoured the city for them. "I'm guessing these weren't easy to find," I say while getting up from my bed and following her towards the table in the middle of the room. That statement being affirmed by her nodding her head while smiling to herself at possibly how hard she had to look or even how far she had to go for them. Setting the bag down between us so we could share a look of gratitude graces her features since she probably didn't get to eat before going out to buy these before everyone else woke up or the interrogation officially started. "It took me three bakeries until they even looked right, so hopefully they taste good," she says before carefully taking a bite of one— the surprised look on her face telling me all I needed to know. For the next hour we ate in fractured silence. We talked a little but we didn't venture into any heavy topics or anything remotely close to our past, it was mostly just small talk, we both knew what was going to happen when the others came in and without speaking we didn't want to ruin our reunion. We're keeping this strictly business so we can enjoy it later.

But even that small interaction between us was rudely interrupted, and after days of dealing with their rudeness their comment almost made me finally go off on them for it. "What're you doing in there Romanoff? She could kill you!" For days now this insane idea of me wanting or needing to kill whoever enters the cell or gets near me has flown from his lips for no reason at all. Nothing I've done while being here has given him a reason to believe this, but he still is very adamant about his insane idea actually coming to life. "Relax Tony, out of everyone on your team it would take a lot more than a paper bag to kill her," I say very seriously. However it doesn't do anything to calm is irrational fear. Because in his mind he heard that it's possible for me to kill someone with something as simple as a paper bag, because now all he can think of is who's coming in here to talk to me. While it's true I could kill someone with it, I don't want to. "So you're saying that you will kill someone with it," he says as he jumps to conclusions yet again— those conclusions showing everyone on the team that's currently walking into the room behind hom his clear distaste for me once again. Immediately an argument breaks out between Steve and Clint who are obviously defending me while Tony tries his best to fight back against their logic but is failing, the only thing keeping this argument alive is his pure stubbornness. And how hypocritical he is, but that's for another argument. While this goes on Natasha scoffs before turning around to face me so she can reach over the table to grab my hand, the proximity also allowing her to whisper reassurances to me. Mostly because she knows that all I want is her support after all these years apart and fighting on different sides. But this action of hers only makes the delusional man get more mad. "Are you serious Romanoff? Back away from her right now!" Giving me a look she turns around and starts yelling at him herself, finally revealing to us all that she's the one in charge of the interrogation today and more importantly, that she'll do as she pleases regardless of what he says to her or not.