( He looks up from his intense study of the plate and the various dings in the tabletop around it, mildly confused but grateful, just as much for the forthcoming coffee as he is for the immediate interlude preceding it. Get a grip, Tony. Get. A. Grip.)
...okay.
( When she returns, his eyes are red but no longer wet, and Tony has given up on the thought of trying to scarf down any more pizza. He chooses to venture, cautiously, )
You know Natasha.
( 'know', like she's still here, like any moment now she'll pop by the kitchen to make a peanut butter sandwich and tease him about his caffeine addiction. It occurred to him that this young woman might have meant anyone else on the team, because they all saved the universe, but they only lost two. His death was guaranteed. Nat's shouldn't have been. )
no subject
...okay.
( When she returns, his eyes are red but no longer wet, and Tony has given up on the thought of trying to scarf down any more pizza. He chooses to venture, cautiously, )
You know Natasha.
( 'know', like she's still here, like any moment now she'll pop by the kitchen to make a peanut butter sandwich and tease him about his caffeine addiction. It occurred to him that this young woman might have meant anyone else on the team, because they all saved the universe, but they only lost two. His death was guaranteed. Nat's shouldn't have been. )