Work Text:
Pepper’s unconscious form rolled over, in the direction of Natasha’s retreating back. Her delicate fingers; strong without the bridle of wakefulness, grabbed hold of her lover’s naked wrist impatiently. Natasha sighed, pausing in her trek to get her clothes and looked down at Pepper’s face, scrunched up in confusion even in rest. Natasha’s own face softened and she took only a moment to watch; to see if Pepper would loosen her grip, before sitting back down on the bed even as Pepper’s grip kept firm around her.
It was much easier to leave when she was awake, no matter how ragged her breath or how watery her eyes when it happened; nothing was more painful then having to pull herself from Pepper’s desperate grip, who even while asleep felt the cold air of Natasha’s departure.
Awake Pepper knew their long going agreement better than asleep Pepper.
'Shield comes first. They saved me, now I have to help save them.'
Asleep Pepper could care less about Shield, or anything they’d done; only that Natasha was leaving and creeping chills were slowly making their way through her, as she held onto the empty air beside her. Chills that Natasha might not survive this next one, physically or mentally. Chills that she may not be back to lay in that bed again so to enjoy it while it lasted.
Natasha sighed and laid back down beside Pepper, head propped up by pillows and back warm against the quick cooled mattress. After she had settled her position, Pepper’s head came over to rest on the softness of her bare breast, and her arms wrapped firmly around Natasha’s middle.
Natasha couldn’t even bare to imagine what Pepper felt each time she had to leave; each time she woke up without anyone beside her. Without anything but the memory of the previous days to comfort her if Natasha didn’t return. Silently, she ran her hands through Pepper’s hair and down her neck in the comforting motion she knew her counterpart liked from gathered experience.
"Pep, why do you make this so hard?" Natasha murmured fondly to the head of red hair nestled on her upper body, a reverent expression marring the perfect smoothness of her unaged face.
She knew she would have to leave soon, and Pepper never made it easy. She was almost surprised when Pepper kissed the skin closet to her lips and with eyes still lightly closed whispered back,
“if I don’t, then who will?”
Natasha merely smiled, her hand squeezing Pepper’s arm and pulling her closer. She knew Pepper was right; making it next to impossible to leave was how they kept each other the closest.
Pepper snuggled further into Natasha’s pliant skin, hugging the curve of a naked hip closer to her own; an action not completely to be blamed on sleep, and sighed deeply. Her strawberry curls were evident without the stress of CEO-manship and superhero antics to weigh it down, and Natasha found herself touching it more often than not when it was like this.
"Do you have to go right now?" She said after a comfortably strained silence, in which Natasha had closed her eyes laxly, breathing evened out and body devoid of any tension.
Natasha cracked her eyes back open, bright even in the light glow of too-early-morning as her hand resumed its soothing circles on Pepper’s body, and Pepper tried to keep from staring.
"Later."