In Sickness and in Health.. (Tony Stark, Messy, M)

[SneezyHolmes]

So I've been thrust into shipping madness and currently I'm in dire love with the Tony/Natasha pairing. Most of whatever I write or draw from now on will more than likely be these two until the fad dies down for me.  Either way, this started as a drabble but then it quickly spun out of control and now I'm gonna try and churn out a full story! There is very brief mention of getting sick in a public bathroom at the very beginning but it is not detailed and it will not appear anywhere else in the story for those that are not fans of emeto. So without further ado..

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Tony Stark was many things: A genius, a wealthy philanthropist, a dashing husband but there was one thing he wasn’t and that was sick. Sure his throat felt like he’d swallowed broken glass, one nostril was completely clogged yet both seemed to run, and maaaaybe just maybe he had a fever of a hundred point three but he was in no way sick! Not even as he was currently draped over the toilet in some filthy public bathroom at some boring publicity stunt while the ever patient assassin turned wife rubbed his back and told him how sick he was. He gasped and shakily flushed, swallowing hard before speaking,”Y-You don’t wanna see that..doesn’t mean I’mb sigk though. Just had some questionable sushi is all. Yeah..that’s it.”.

“Mhm..and I’m sure that explains the box worth of crumpled tissues in your suit pockets, huh? And the fact that you’re sweating through your suit annnnnd should I even mention how you’ve done nothing but sneeze and cough since you woke up this morning? I mean, if you’re not counting that stuff then sure, you’re fine. One hundred percent okey-dokey.”,she countered with a tone far too close to ‘I’m right and you’re wrong’ for Tony’s tastes,”I mean what do I know? And certainly Friday has no idea what she’s talking about. Her scans must be utterly wrong..”.

He huffed and slowly got to his feet, taking a moment to put one, slightly pointing finger up while the look on his face shifted from pained to his signature accusatory one. “Ndatasha..if I was sigk could I still do this..?”.

A moment of awkward silence passed.

“..Did I do something cool..?”.

“No.”.

“Can you have Happy bring the car around..?”.

“Already on it. Come on, we can sneak out the back exit and no one’s gotta see you like this.”.

Tony smiled at how well his lovely wife knew him,”And damage control since you seem tdo have everything else handled?”.

Natasha smirked and looked at him as she brought her cell phone up to her ear,”Rhodey? Stark’s sick. Do us both a favor and make something up for the press. Say he had important Iron Man business to attend to. They buy it every time. Thanks.”. She hung up and pocketed her phone in one swift movement, her heels clacking against the ground as she walked.

“You kndow, I almost wish I had imbortant Iron Mban business tdo attend tdo. It’d sure beat..this.”,he gestured to his fever flushed face,”I feel gross and--Hihh..h-hold on...Hh’EstChu! HhrrSTCh! Oh god, oh god it is everywhere! Gross!”. The sound of his sneezes was amplified by the echoing qualities of the long hallway they were walking down. He cupped a hand around his nose and mouth, looking pitifully over at Natasha as if she was supposed to do something about it, which, he was sort of hoping for.

She grimaced and reached into her skirt pocket, producing a makeup smudged cloth. “Uh..here I suppose. It has lipstick on it but knock yourself out.”. As they approached the exit, she held the door for him, rolling her eyes slightly as he blew into the fabric loudly before stifling two more, rather wet sneezes as he walked past.

Happy was already waiting patiently and upon seeing them, he quickly opened the back door for them,”Jesus you look terrible, Tony!”.

Tony sniffled dramatically, eyes glaring at Happy as if they might shoot lasers at any given point. “Thanks and yet, I still somehow look better than you.”. He grumbled more as he slid into the car, promptly loosening his tie with a grumpy huff. How dare Happy say that! As far as anyone was concerned, he was still desireable and drop dead gorgeous! Yeah. Absolutely stunning!

“Tony! That was rude, even for you! Don’t mind him, Happy. He’s just cranky because he’s sick..”,she hurriedly apologized for her husband’s rude commentary, sliding in beside him and smacking his arm,”Don’t be such a dick!”.

He yelped and flinched away from her, scowling,”Well next time he’ll keep his mouth shut! And might I just say it’s mean to hit an invalid! Ow!”. Despite his irritable mood, he scooted back over and rested his head on her lap, not even caring if his shoes scuffed the new leather seating as he bent his knees to rest his feet on the seat as well. Right then, all he wanted was to go back to the tower and be miserable in the privacy of his own home.

[SleepingPhlox]

I have read this SO MANY times this morning, you have no idea.  You've really outdone yourself with this one.  It is just, every bit of it-the characterisation, the setting, everything is just so spot on.  And yeah, I am sailing this ship so hard right now, I am adrift at sea with this ship, holy crap. But I wanted to wait until I could get on my computer instead of my phone so I could quote properly because I think it's this bit...

9 hours ago, SneezyHolmes said:

He huffed and slowly got to his feet, taking a moment to put one, slightly pointing finger up while the look on his face shifted from pained to his signature accusatory one. “Ndatasha..if I was sigk could I still do this..?”.

A moment of awkward silence passed.

“..Did I do something cool..?”.

“No.”.

“Can you have Happy bring the car around..?”.

...that just MADE it for me. If that isn't THE most Tony thing I've ever seen, I don't know what is. I'm partly jealous I didn't think of it!  I swear I can picture his face progress through the different expressions as this is happening.  And Happy!  He really should know better by now but of course he'd just blurt that out without thinking.  There were so many little bits that jumped out at me while I was reading that if I were to try to quote them all it would pretty much just be the whole thing

And on a related note, your signature is killing me, I spent ages just watching Tony's face over and over again.  I don't get signatures on the mobile site so I just had a moment of pure joy when I was scrolling and saw that.

[SneezyHolmes]

2 hours ago, SleepingPhlox said:

I have read this SO MANY times this morning, you have no idea.  You've really outdone yourself with this one.  It is just, every bit of it-the characterisation, the setting, everything is just so spot on.  And yeah, I am sailing this ship so hard right now, I am adrift at sea with this ship, holy crap. But I wanted to wait until I could get on my computer instead of my phone so I could quote properly because I think it's this bit...

...that just MADE it for me. If that isn't THE most Tony thing I've ever seen, I don't know what is. I'm partly jealous I didn't think of it!  I swear I can picture his face progress through the different expressions as this is happening.  And Happy!  He really should know better by now but of course he'd just blurt that out without thinking.  There were so many little bits that jumped out at me while I was reading that if I were to try to quote them all it would pretty much just be the whole thing

And on a related note, your signature is killing me, I spent ages just watching Tony's face over and over again.  I don't get signatures on the mobile site so I just had a moment of pure joy when I was scrolling and saw that.

Ahh, thank you so much! I'm trying to stay in character for sure so it's a huge relief to hear it's a success so far! Also, that's probably my fave part so far! As I was writing it, the scene played out in my head and I'd be lying if I said I didn't chuckle-snort a few times! And it just wouldn't be a Tony fic without some grumpy and snappy commentary, lol! Annnnd as far as my signature goes, I spent far too long looking for the perfect gif..

[ID2006]

Love sick Tony! I've always been a little more into slash fics and am not used to the pairing but can still enjoy it. Also, I am so thankful someone mentioned the signature. I always peruse the site using my phone and hadn't even realized I was missing out. These are amazing and really help me get more into the pairing. 

[SneezyHolmes]

3 minutes ago, ickydog2006 said:

Love sick Tony! I've always been a little more into slash fics and am not used to the pairing but can still enjoy it. Also, I am so thankful someone mentioned the signature. I always peruse the site using my phone and hadn't even realized I was missing out. These are amazing and really help me get more into the pairing. 

Thanks for reading and yeah, imagery really does help make the pairing come alive!  

[SneezyHolmes]

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧The next part!✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

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The ride home seemed to pass by slowly, traffic rather heavy for late afternoon and by the time they made it home, Tony had dozed off and Natasha was tasked with waking him despite the sour mood he’d be in. “Tony..? Hey..wake up. We’re home now.”,she gently shook his shoulder but was met with a groan of displeasure.

“Mm..I’mb up..sort of..”,he cracked his eyes open, taking a moment to focus on Natasha’s voice and her face. He felt lousy but forced himself up and out of the car, shuffling alongside his wife into the tower. His sinuses burned, indicating an incoming sneeze but like hell he was gonna let that happen! Loss of control, even in the form of a mere sneeze, wasn’t really his style. “Not gonna sndeeze..not gonna sndeeeh...hehhh--?!”,he quickly pinched his nose between his thumb and forefinger to halt the sneeze,”Ohh..’Tasha..this sucks. Like really sucks.”. There was an added layer of obnoxious nasal-ness to his already congested voice thanks to his pinched nose.

Natasha, busy texting Rhodey as they stepped into the elevator, cast him a look of utter pity. “Well maybe if you quit doing that.”,she gently tugged his hand away from his nose,”And just let yourself sneeze, it wouldn’t suck so much.”. She grunted in mild surprise as he pulled her close, burying his face into the crook of her neck for comfort. A soft smile tugged at her lips, one hand gently working it’s way through his hair while the other attempted to resume texting. “I love you, Tony..”,she whispered softly into his ear.

“Love you teeehh..t-too..Hh’MptCh! Hrr’EStChh!”,his body convulsed with each sneeze that just happened to be smothered into her neck,”Huh..well it’s ndot like this is the first time I’ve showered you ind bodily fluids.”. In an effort to perform damage control of his own, he stepped back and sniffled thickly, swiping at his nose with the back of his hand.

Natasha’s face cycled through emotions rather quickly, starting with surprised then shocked and finally ending with disgust. She wiped at her neck, nearly gagging at the slime that came off onto her hand. She swallowed hard, unable to help the small whimper that escaped her. As soon as the elevator opened, she beelined for the nearest bathroom to wash her hands,”Just go get comfy in bed and I’ll join you in a minute!”. A very faint ‘ew, ew, ew!’ could be heard as she rushed off, leaving Tony to sulk and shuffle to their room.

It’s not like he’d done it on purpose! She was just being over dramatic! Besides, surely the whole ‘In sickness and in health’ vow had covered this? Definitely. His conscious was clear. Once to their room, he removed his tie and tossed it to the floor followed by his suit jacket and shoes. He gazed at himself in his full body mirror, disgusted by the sweat stains soaking through his shirt but that didn’t hold a goddamn candle stick to his physical appearance. His normally flawless complexion pale, cheeks and nose sporting a tacky shade of red, and the bags under his glassy eyes certainly wasn’t helping anything! Okay, maybe he was like ten percent less desireable than normal..

He sniffled, doubling forward suddenly with a sneeze that showered the once spotless mirror with flecks of spit and milky green..oh god no. Yeah, he wasn’t gonna think too hard about that. New mirrors were cheap anyways. Instead, he focused on unbuttoning his dress shirt, shaky fingers fidgeting with the buttons that seemed far too hard to undo. Fuck it. He walked over to the bed and flopped down on his back, coughing openly into the air above without much care for the hygiene of anyone else breathing that air. It was his tower and he’d cough wherever he damned well pleased! He closed his tired eyes for a moment, not hearing Natasha come in.

“Asleep already? You should change first.”,she murmured, picking up his tie and jacket to hang them up neatly,”Come here..”. She sat down beside him, not minding as he turned to his side and curled around her. His skin felt clammy against hers as she unbuttoned his shirt and helped him out of it, a task made difficult by his reluctance to actually sit up. She didn’t blame him though, he felt like a furnace and sickness was something he just didn’t handle well at all. “You know this vaguely reminds me of our honeymoon when you got food poisoning and we spent the entire trip in our hotel room. You kept insisting you were fine even though you had a bad fever..”.

Tony smirked, cracking an eye open and peering up at her,”In my defense I didn’t want the trip to go to waste..but you refused to leave my side and we watched German rom-coms without subtitles..”. All in all the trip hadn’t been bad per say, just off track from the original plan. She’d been so gentle with him then and of course now despite how gross he felt. He wrapped a strong arm around her waist, unable to help the loud yawn that echoed out. All he needed was a few minutes of shut eye and he’d be good as new for sure.

Noticing him drifting off, she encouraged him to change into pajama pants as opposed to the slacks he currently wore. Once satisfied that he was comfortable, she let him drift off into a deep sleep, staying by his side and reading. She did quickly press a kiss to his warm brow, whispering softly,”Sleep well, Tony..”.

Edited July 16, 2017 by SneezyHolmes

[Sitruuna]

oh gods
I have to admit I wasn't really into this ship before but damn
this is goood

[SneezyHolmes]

2 minutes ago, Sitruuna said:

oh gods
I have to admit I wasn't really into this ship before but damn
this is goood

Lol thanks! And welcome to the S.S. Tony and Natasha!  

[SleepingPhlox]

Why am I reading this in work oh god concentration will be impossible.  At least I've a half day and them I'm off to go see spiderman again and I can just look at Tony and think about him being this miserable.

I am on my phone and can't quote easily which is a shame because there were so many parts I loved.  I loved that he'd just go "screw it I'll buy a new one" just because he sneezed on something.  I love the "ten percent" line.  Yet another thing that is perfectly Tony.  As is deciding that it's his tower and he can cough where ever he pleases. 

I love the touch about their honeymoon and I'm dying to know more but I also feel like I don't need to as the details slipped in makes it feel like it's alluding to something that already exists.  If it makes sense.

Long may inspiration continue to strike for this, it's such a good read and seriously this pairing Is so rare that being able to read material for it, let alone material this awesome, just makes my life. 

Okay now I gotta go daydream about sick Tony until I can finally get out of here and daydream about sick Tony.

[SneezyHolmes]

4 hours ago, SleepingPhlox said:

Why am I reading this in work oh god concentration will be impossible.  At least I've a half day and them I'm off to go see spiderman again and I can just look at Tony and think about him being this miserable.

I am on my phone and can't quote easily which is a shame because there were so many parts I loved.  I loved that he'd just go "screw it I'll buy a new one" just because he sneezed on something.  I love the "ten percent" line.  Yet another thing that is perfectly Tony.  As is deciding that it's his tower and he can cough where ever he pleases. 

I love the touch about their honeymoon and I'm dying to know more but I also feel like I don't need to as the details slipped in makes it feel like it's alluding to something that already exists.  If it makes sense.

Long may inspiration continue to strike for this, it's such a good read and seriously this pairing Is so rare that being able to read material for it, let alone material this awesome, just makes my life. 

Okay now I gotta go daydream about sick Tony until I can finally get out of here and daydream about sick Tony.

I'm glad you're enjoying it, Phlox! I've found my mojo back, mainly thanks to a music playlist I've been compiling for these two, so I'm just gonna keep adding chapters until I can't anymore, haha!  

[SneezyHolmes]

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧PTSD is discussed in this next chapter, read with caution!✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

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After a short while, she opted to change from her black pencil skirt and light pink blouse to a ‘Stark Industries’ sweatshirt and some sweat pants adorned with tiny sheep. While Tony slumbered, she tidied up their room and reorganized their closet, figuring now was as good a time as any. Before long it was early evening and the room was spotless. She glanced back at Tony as she hung the last of their clothes back up in the closet. He seemed to be having a rather intense dream, muttering and moving about the bed.

Tony was, in fact, having a rather rampant dream. Well, it was more like a PTSD induced nightmare about almost dying in a giant hole in space but still. Before him and Natasha had started sharing a bed, the nightmares were nearly never ending and sleep had been something he direly avoided at all costs. Now they only reared their douchebag heads when he was running a just high enough fever. There did seem to be a slight difference to this dream though, the one getting sucked into the hole of death wasn’t him this time but rather..Natasha. His hand made a motion like his was desperately trying to grab something while frantic muttering filled the air,”N-No..I’m sorry...I’m sorry..!”.

Natasha hurried over, crawling back in beside him and gently slipping her hand into the one making the grabbing motion,”Shh..I’m right here. It’s just you and me, darling. Come back to me.”. Her free hand cupped his feverish cheek, her thumb stroking over it in a calming manner. She breathed a sigh of relief as he startled awake, immediately moving to accept the hasty embrace he pulled her into. “It’s okay! Deep breathes..deeeep breathes..just like Bruce told you.”, she was referring to the calming methods the other man had taught Tony.

“I-I thought I lost you..oh god I thought for sure..it was so real and..”,he sputtered, almost on the verge of tears,”I tried so hard tdo get tdo you but the closer I got the further you were!”. He coughed harshly, the sound rattling in his chest. Dream or not it was far too real for his tastes! How could she be so calm when she almost died?! Granted of course it was all in his head so really she had no reason to be panicking but his quickening breaths proved otherwise for him. “Ndatasha..hh..hhh…”,he started to hyperventilate, trying his best to take deep breaths despite the thick sludge blocking his sinuses and filling his lungs,”God damnit! Hh..!”.

“Tony. Look at me, okay? Focus on me..”,she cupped his face in her hands, gently coaxing his head to turn and face her,”It was another nightmare, that’s all. What happened in it isn’t real. I’m still alive and so are you. I love you.”. She allowed him to reach a hand up and cup her cheek, gently feeling it as if he was validating that she was, in fact, real and unharmed. His breathing settled down and his posture visibly relaxed slowly. “That’s it..easy does it..”,she nodded, leaning into his hand for additional validation,”You have a fever which is making your nightmares act up again. But that’s all it is..I promise.”.

The inventor nodded slowly, his arm going slack once more against the bed as he laid back down. “Fuck..”,he muttered, rubbing his nose harshly,”I feel like shit..complete and utter shit.”. His voice was deeper than normal and had a rough quality that only came from sickness. Another chest rattling cough escaped him, making him wince and rub at the arc reactor. He turned to his side, wordlessly requesting to spoon with her, to which she obliged.

“I know you do and I’m very sorry that you’re sick. But I’m sure a few days in bed will do you some good. I think there’s some Nyquil left in the bathroom cabinet. Want me to get it?”,she asked with a patient tone. It didn’t bother her taking care of him nor did it bother her calming him down when his PTSD was triggered or when he was in a rancid mood. She cared about this man more than almost anyone else she’d ever met. Of course, back then when she still went by ‘Natalie’ and was faking a smile just to get info, she hadn’t cared about him. He was nothing more than a pretentious and egocentric douche that undressed her with his eyes every chance given. But after all these years and countless missions together, not only had they courted but they’d married. If someone had told her when she was in the red room that someday she’d marry a client, she would’ve punched their lights out!

Tony immediately made a face of disgust, clearly not a fan of that suggestion. The only time he particularly enjoyed downing cold medicine was when his body was demanding rest but his mind refused to power down. “I’d rather ndot..it don’d do shit but make mby mind fuzzy and groggy which is already a thing right now thagk you very mbuch!”.

“Well then could you at least blow your nose so I can understand you?”,she looked over her shoulder as far as she could without moving her shoulders.

He smirked tiredly as he sniffled dramatically,”Whad..? You mbean you don’t thigk all this sndot is hot?”. He sat up slowly, reaching over to the tissue box beside the bed and plucking out three tissues. He brought the wad of kleenex to his nose and blew as hard as he possibly could without pissing off his already agitated sinuses, the sound thick and gurgling. The soiled tissues were then disposed of to the floor before he cuddled back up to her.

“Hey Natasha..?”.

“Yeah?”.

“Just, uh, thanks for being..you know. Not judgemental or whatever.”

“Of your snot?”.

“No, not that! ..Well, yeah, that but of me in general..”.

“Oh Tony..”,she rolled over to face him,”Nobody’s perfect. I’m not going to judge you for something that’s out of your hands. I mean, you accept me knowing my past and the things I’ve done so It’s only fair that I do the same for you.”.

He pulled her close, arms wrapped around her tightly in fear that maybe one day she’d leave him just like everyone else had done in his life. She meant more to him then his money, the suit, or the fame. If he lost it all right then and there, he knew he’d still have her.

Edited July 17, 2017 by SneezyHolmes

[SleepingPhlox]

Another update of pure gold.  I have the same headcanon, that Tony does get control over his nightmares more or less but fevers tend to mess with that.  But I felt really sorry for him though...I am pretty sure it would be the case for him, if he really cared about someone, the thought of losing them would be worse than the thought of losing his own life. 

And "What, you don't think all this snot is hot".  Only you, Tony...

Also "No, not that!  Well yeah, that..."

[SneezyHolmes]

12 minutes ago, SleepingPhlox said:

Another update of pure gold.  I have the same headcanon, that Tony does get control over his nightmares more or less but fevers tend to mess with that.  But I felt really sorry for him though...I am pretty sure it would be the case for him, if he really cared about someone, the thought of losing them would be worse than the thought of losing his own life. 

And "What, you don't think all this snot is hot".  Only you, Tony...

Also "No, not that!  Well yeah, that..."

Definitely! I based that scene off when he has the dream about the entire team perishing and it being his fault.  And of course only him! How silly of Natasha to not appreciate his snot!

[SneezyHolmes]

 

Alright guys, sorry for the wait! I honestly had this chapter done for some time but I have no clue where to take this (hence the awkward second half of this chapter..) so if there's anything ya'll would like to see then please tell me!

Now without further ado..

 

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧The next part!✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

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The rest of the night passed by slowly for both of them. Tony seemed reluctant to go back to sleep and as such, he fought it tooth and nail, eventually just sitting up and trying to fidget with some hologram for a suit prototype for Peter. His head was pounding and his eyes demanded to close but like hell they got a say in this! “Mbaybe if I tweak this..and relocate that..”,his nose was leaking like a faucet but it hurt far too much to consider blowing. Plus he felt like he was annoying Natasha with all of his nonstop blowing.

Natasha stayed up with him, reading her book and occasionally listening as he tried to discuss the in’s and out’s of the latest Spidey suit. She couldn’t quite understand the slurred jargon but he seemed insistent on trying to discuss it. “I don’t wanna try and tell you what to do but I really think you should get some rest. And for heaven’s sake, do your nose a favor and blow it!”,she glanced at him,”I think Peter’s suit can wait until you’re feeling better..”. She dissipated the hologram, cuddling up to him and yawning in the hopes that it might rub off on him.

“I don’d wanna sleep. And I don’d need tdo blow mby ndose!”,he sighed at how ridiculous he sounded. Maybe she had a point and just this once he’d do as he was told. Just once. For her. “Fine..”,he muttered, grabbing a few tissues and blowing into them. The sheer feeling of the congestion shifting as he blew set off a rather burning tickle deep in his inflamed sinuses. “Hehh..HhetChuu! Hh’TscHu! Guhh..ehh..? ‘MpTChh! O-One mooreeeetschh! Fuck..”,he dabbed at his nose, slightly watering eyes focusing on Natasha. He had to give her props for being able to stand being so close to a plague victim.

“Bless you.”,she met his gaze, looking sympathetic at how terrible he looked. His pride was slowly cracking, indicated by his lack of a fight at being told what to do. “Will you please at least lay down and try to rest? It’s six in the morning and you’re not gonna nix this bug by fighting sleep.”.

He grunted in response. Deep down he knew she was right but she didn’t need to know that. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to sleep, god no he wanted it more than anything, but he couldn’t get past the potential for another nightmare. Even though she was right there beside him and her comforting skills were top notch, it was rather..scary and unnerving. He felt like a coward and the faint voice of his father echoed in his mind,’You’re no Stark! You’re a damn disgrace is what you are! Scared of a little dream? Pitiful.’. A wince crossed his face, hands tightening into a slight fist. Maybe his old man was right? Maybe he was just a pitiful man good for nothing but taking up space?

“Tony? Hey..what’s the matter?”,she patted his arm gently, scared to startle him out of whatever thought process he was having,”Hellooo..? Earth to Stark!”.

“Huh..?”

“You’re zoning out over there! Everything okay?”

“Mm..yeah, just thinking is all.”,he shrugged, finally laying back down and staring up at the ceiling. He wasn’t gonna mention the whole ‘dad’s nagging voice’ thing. She’d put up with enough from him for one night. Not to mention how tired she looked, which lo and behold, was his fault. So much for a clear conscious.

“About what?”,she asked, her finger tracing circles around the arc reactor,”Is it about the dream again?”.

“No, nothing like that. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it, okay? You should get some sleep. You look tired.”,he whispered and pressed a kiss to her hand, having taken it in his.

Natasha didn’t look nearly convinced but the thought of getting some sleep did sound nice,”Alright fine but promise me you’ll rest too..”.

He nodded, looking rather drowsy.

About three hours later, Natasha awoke to the overwhelming feeling of being smothered. She glanced up to see her husband practically laying atop her. Well, more like his upper torso was laying atop her right side while one leg wrapped around her’s.

“Oh for the love of--!”, she muttered, managing to free herself from his vice-like grip. She wasn’t used to being cuddled so firmly, chalking it up to his illness. Either way she slid out of bed and made her way downstairs, pleased to see Bruce and Steve at the breakfast nook. The trio chatted idly for about thirty minutes before they were interrupted by a rather grouchy looking, blanket clad Tony.

Natasha was the first to greet him, a warm smile on her face,”Hey hun, why don’t you come join us? We were just chatting a bit..”.

“I’mb sure you were.”,he muttered, none too thrilled to have to sit anywhere near Captain Kiss-Ass,”What were you talking about..?”. He plopped down beside Natasha, resting his head down against her shoulder. Half of him knew it was probably nothing about him but his insecurities screamed otherwise, resulting in a very low,”Better not have been about me..”.

Bruce and Steve exchanged looks, knowing a sick Tony was a highly irritable Tony.

“We weren’t talking about you, Tony.”,she reassured him.

A mildly awkward silence fell amongst them, only broken by an occasional snort and cough from the ailing inventor..

Edited August 13, 2017 by SneezyHolmes

[SleepingPhlox]

Oh Tony.  My heart breaks for him in this one.  The doing absolutely everything including putting himself through extreme physical discomfort just to avoid another nightmare just gets to me.  And the whole replaying his dad's voice in his head.  Though I'm not gonna lie, one of my favourite tropes is all his internal issues coming to the surface when he's feverish so this is the good stuff.

But I love the idea of him subconsciously seeking comfort by cuddling up to her in his sleep.  I'd say I feel sorry for her but let's face it, I'd love to be in her position.

[SneezyHolmes]

4 minutes ago, SleepingPhlox said:

Oh Tony.  My heart breaks for him in this one.  The doing absolutely everything including putting himself through extreme physical discomfort just to avoid another nightmare just gets to me.  And the whole replaying his dad's voice in his head.  Though I'm not gonna lie, one of my favourite tropes is all his internal issues coming to the surface when he's feverish so this is the good stuff.

But I love the idea of him subconsciously seeking comfort by cuddling up to her in his sleep.  I'd say I feel sorry for her but let's face it, I'd love to be in her position.

Yeah, I like that trope too so I might bring more of those issues into play in the next few chapters, especially now that he's irritable and running on little sleep. Unfortunately for Natasha that means he's going to be an insufferable prick.  

I'd still kill to be in her position too though..