natasha romanoff one-shots (gxg)

𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬

"I don't know. But I liked it."

"We're friends", she reminds you. You can hear the reluctance in her voice.

"I know", you say, looking out the window again and seeing the stunning view of the city that the Stark Tower offers you.

Natasha's still so close to you — too close, almost. You can feel her every movement, her body still snug against yours.

This is far too complicated. You've been friends for nearly four years, and you feel like you found a kind of soulmate in her. You're her haven, her safe place, the one she runs to when she's hurting. When you have exciting news, she's the first one to find out. She's the only one who listens to your dreams, your nightmares, your sometimes chaotic thoughts.

You love each other deeply — and you can't risk losing her.

"I'm sorry", you say. "I don't know what happened. I guess it's the wine."

Natasha keeps her eyes glued to your face, her hand reaching out to trace the tiny healed scar over your eyebrow. "Really?", she murmurs.

"Yes." You look at her, hesitating. "I mean, it was nice. But..."

"But what?"

"Like you said — we're friends. And I don't want us to do something stupid." You rub your eyes, your mind racing.

"This would be stupid?", she asks you to clarify. Internally, Natasha doesn't agree with that statement at all. The kiss was short, lacking experience and made you both trip into it with such surprise that she shouldn't even like the way it felt — but, actually, it's the complete opposite. She wants to repeat it, over and over again until she has memorized the feeling of your lips on hers.

You lean back against the headrest, looking at her. "Imagine if it doesn't work out. How do we remain friends?"

"It's us", she just says. "How wouldn't we remain friends?"

You close your eyes. "Nat."

"You know it's true."

"We can't guarantee that."

She rests her head against the crook of your neck, her fingertip tracing the edge of your collar and causing every single cell in your body to light up. You swallow, glancing at her again, as you try to form a coherent thought. Just one.

You stand no chance.

"You know, there's this thing", you say slowly. "It's called 'friends with benefits'. I don't know if you've heard of that..."

"I have." She narrows her eyes. "Where are you going with this?"

"You know that very well." Your voice is quiet, hesitant. Even though you were tipsy just minutes ago, you couldn't feel more sober now. "It's just a thought."

Natasha doesn't say anything for a moment. She keeps her head on your shoulder, staring at your lap.

"And then what?", she whispers.

Suddenly, you're overly aware of her close proximity. You've cuddled before — but never like this. It gives you that last boost that you need to say what's on your mind.

"We remain friends. But we add the physical intimacy."

Natasha finds herself leaning in even closer to you, her breath quickening as heat sweeps through her body. She doesn't give you a verbal answer, but her entire body is responding to your words. Her mind starts wandering, silently exploring the possibilities that this arrangement would give you, the limits you'd be allowed to explore. To her own surprise, she actually considers the idea. Heavily considers it.