The Tease - Natasha Romanoff x y/n (female)

Chapter 9 - You Alright Romanoff?

Point of View: Y/N

"Can we just cut the small talk and can somebody please tell me what's going on here?" You replied, almost pleading. You looked at Tony first then glanced around the table, most of them looking at you.

"Fair enough. Well, Banner here was just explaining to us that maybe you're a little more gifted than we initially thought!"

"Well.. no, I just.. look y/n, it appears that maybe these experiments Hydra did on you weren't so useless after all. I had my suspicions when you first came in but it's hard to tell the extent just from a scan" He paused and looked up at you before continuing. "As you experienced earlier, it would appear that you possess the ability to understand the thoughts of other people... well.. at least some of them and at least some of the time. We're not really sure on the full extent of this yet, it's going to take a bit of practice and exploring on your part for that."

The room was silent, everyone at the table listening closely to Bruce and then glancing up at you every so often to see your response. You sat still and quietly, your eyes focussed on Bruce, taking in each word.

"Ooh ooh, Bruce tell her about the hand thing!" Tony said excitedly. Nat rolled her eyes at this, she had barely looked at you since you came in.

Bruce sighed and looked at you. "Well... we're not totally sure yet... but there appears to be consistent energy surges around your forearms and wrists. We believe that, maybe, at some point, it might be possible for you to manipulate objects and move them without touch - like a form of telekinesis." At this, everyone turned to look at you again.

You sat quietly, looking down at the table and taking all of this in. You had no idea what to say, you just look back at Bruce blankly, eyebrows raised slightly.

"Pretty cool right? Lots to take in, I get it. Well with all of this new information, we have been chatting and we think it might be worth you extending your week-long stay to... well.. more of a permanent one. It's a conditional offer, of course, but what do you say?" He beamed across the table to you, almost expecting you to jump up with glee at this.

"You mean like.. as in join the Avengers?" You replied, confused by his statement.

"Well Rome wasn't built in a day, but with a bit of training and preparation.. yes. Yes I am asking if you want to be part of the team?" He respond cheerily as always - he had a real talent for finding light in almost any situation.

You were shocked by this, you took a moment to collect your thoughts that were flying all over the place. You didn't understand why they would want to work with you, when only a day ago you were pointing a gun at Natasha's head. Why would they trust you? Something didn't feel right, your first instinct was to reject Tony's offer - you were the furthest thing from a hero.

"I really don't... I don't know. Can I think about it?" You respond.

Bruce, Steve and Nat all raised an eyebrow at your reply, glancing at each other. They were clearly taken aback by your uncertainty.

"Sure kid, take a day or two to decide. You're free to go now if you want some time." He smiled sincerely at you.

You nod at him, then started to get up. You glanced at Nat who seems less tense than when you walked in, less hostile than before. She held your gaze for a moment, pursing her lips in thought, then looked down at the table again. You walked back to the elevator, went up to your room and sat down on your bed, letting out a deep breath.

Sorry.. what the fuck just happened?

Point of View: Natasha Romanoff

Another mind reader in the tower, well that's just great. She's brave, I'll give her that, but I'm not sure I trust her. Tony is right though, there's no other option.

"You alright Romanoff? You seem lost in your thoughts?" Steve said, pulling you back to the room. Bruce and Tony had just left, the two of you were left sitting around the big table. He looked at you sympathetically, his eyes smiling kindly at you.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just not sure about this, it seems a bit too quick." You respond truthfully, smiling back slightly but with a concerned expression.

Steve paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I agree that it's the right thing to do, but I understand why you're worried. I have to say though, I like her."

"She does have a bit of fight in her. I just don't know if we can trust her yet."

"She reminds me of another Russian spy I know. I didn't trust her much to start with either. Although, I believe that she wants to leave her past in Russia behind her." He looked at you, you glanced at him and then to the floor. You sighed, knowing he was right. "And I think the fact she didn't jump at Tony's offer is actually a good sign, hopefully she decides to stay."

"I suppose. Anyway, we better grab some food." You said, Steve nodded in agreement and the two of you left the room. As you walked, your mind wandered back to this morning.

Why did that kiss throw me off so much? She's attractive, and ballsy, that's for sure. But that doesn't make a good agent, she's going to have to show us more than that before I trust her. I'm not letting her get one over on me like that again.

You weren't sure what sort of game the two of you were playing but you had to admit, part of you was enjoying it. It was a nice break from the seriousness of this place. It felt good to flirt a little - obviously it didn't mean anything - just a bit of fun, you thought to yourself.