Emotions, Masks and People

People, after all, can be manipulated

Natasha Romanoff prided herself at her ability to read people but even she had to admit that she could not read Tony Stark. Yes, she did submit an evaluation on his character but she kept changing it every single time she visited Pepper or Tony (Yes, she became friends with Tony. They're too similar yet too different not to.) and, boy, did she visit them a lot. Now, even after the whole Battle of New York, she is yet again re-evaluating him. 

She was, by now, absolutely fed up and decided that she will approach him with a bottle of vodka tonight and ask him directly. Tony will answer her, because one thing that did not change is that he is a scientist who lives to explain what he knows (to a level) and that he loves to drinks (she thinks).After all, the only way to drink is with a Russian.

Natasha's POV

That evening, Natasha met Tony, alone, with a bottle of vodka. He just raised an eyebrow while seeming bored. Drinks always first.

 "Some vodka?"

"I don't actually drink, you know?" His second eyebrow raised. She blinked.

"What did I miss?" No games.

"Which one?" Fact stated as it is.

"Everything," Simple and true.

"Some," Compromise.

"Some," Agreed.

" I am a very good fighter. Was trained at SHIELD. To be an assassin or spy," bitter smile, "assassinations first. Knew about SHIELD since I was 4. Knew Natasha Romanoff when Natalie Rushman entered. Or do you prefer Natalia Alianovna Romanova?"I know everything about you. Don't try anything. I will know.

"Natasha, I believe. Before Ironman, there was Tony Stark, Merchant of Death, nobody should forget that, should they? Yet they do. Emotions and people are so... fickle, so stupid yet smart. Very alarming. 'Specially in your career."

"Perhaps, but aren't we humans too? Aren't we fickle?"

"Am I? I trust robots and AIs and live with them. Am I still a shark (or fish even) to most sharks, or fish even, in the sea? Who am I? Exploitation is a part of human nature or at least to business men it is. Pepper will be swallowed soon. She will quit out on me, on SI soon. Supervillians are so straight forward and if she fears them then she won't last long. Sharks lie at every corner and Ms. Potts is sadly outnumbered in many ways. She isn't like Wayne but she isn't like me or Hammer either. She will quit soon," another bitter smile, "Enough for you?"

"I would be stupid to ask for more"

"Yes, you would"

They talk no more. And if Tony and Natasha shared a look when Pepper bailed out on SI and Tony, no one mentioned it.

In a few years, Natasha will come to understand that even when he spoke to her, even when he revealed things to her, he was completely in control. Every word said was said with a purpose and he had even shown it to her. While he made it seem like a lot, he had only told her about his work at SHIELD, after which he turned the conversation to human nature and Ms. Potts. What will scare her will be that the change was so comfortable and easy that she, a person trained for this, hadn't noticed at all.