When You Were Never Mine

It Gets Better

After the awkward re-introduction to Nat, you advised Bucky to give her some time to process what had just happened, and offered to take her with you back to New York. After the Raft, the rest of the team had gone their own ways to families and into hiding, other than Sam, who insisted that he would stay at Steve's side as he had promised years before. That trio stayed behind in Wakanda, but you couldn't; you knew that Nat and Tony had to talk after the truth had come out, and that you would be there with them, likely at both of their insistence.

Beyond that reason alone, you just really wanted to see Tony again.

She didn't say much on the trip back to the States, much of her time spent reading or secluding herself away to think about how she would handle this new development. It took a lot to shake Natasha Romanoff, and this was definitely on that list. What you couldn't tell, however, was which was crumbling her stability more; that she was soulmates with Tony, or that Bucky remembered their tumultuous relationship now that his mind was his own again. The one thing that she felt stable in, if nothing else, was that she didn't want to pursue either of them, but she wouldn't hurt either man in the process.

When the jet landed in the compound hangar, the door had barely opened fully before you were on your feet and running to Tony's waiting arms. His grip felt like he was holding onto you for his life, and maybe he was; if not his life, then certainly his sanity. He breathed you in as he held you, every second passing by much too quickly before he had to let go, when the time came to greet his teammate.

"Hey, Nat," he offered quietly, but the shake in his voice was unmistakable.

"Hey, Tony," she answered, her nerves just barely better hidden. "Um...I'm just gonna go settle in. We can talk later-"

"Actually," he broke in, his words tumbling out, "about that. I think that we're just making way too much of this. The only thing that's really changed is now we know about this whole soulmate thing, but it hasn't changed how I feel at all. You've been one of my best friends for years, I trust you...again...for the most part, and you challenge me like no one else and that just pisses me off, but in a good way, if that makes sense. Does that make sense? Has that changed for you?"

"Definitely not. You piss me off all the time."

"Then there we have it," he nodded, fully satisfied, "friends?" He held out his hand for her to take, waiting as she studied it to consider the other options. When she agreed that there were no others, she stepped up and took it, only to pull him into a hug as she was awash in relief.

"I'm sorry for how things were left between us, Tony. That whole thing in Liepzig-"

"Is history, Nat. You did what you felt was right, and as it turned out, you were," Tony shrugged, pushing back from her hold. "Once again, I should learn to listen to you."

"Damn right," she agreed. "Okay, so...that went better than I thought it would. I'm still going to go settle in. I'm only staying for a few days so I'd like to take advantage of the rest."

You hadn't heard that her plans were going to be so short, and it took you by surprise just as it did for Tony. "Only a few days? Why?"

"I told Steve that I'd be back..." she paused, and you took notice of the nervous shift in her stature. It was so strange to see this woman unsettled, and it made your own nerves begin to respond. "I also think that I need to face the problem that's back there waiting for me. I feel like I owe him to at least talk about it."

"Whoa, wait, talk to who about what?" Tony jumped in. He was worried again, his momentary sense of comfort fading right before her eyes, and she had no interest in starting this conversation with him. Natasha looked at you, wide-eyed and hopeful that you would take the lead for her, which you did.