Work Text:
It started as it always did, with a single message. On Instagram, so it could be deleted later if the other didn’t respond.
“Can’t sleep.”
“Be there in 10 :)”
Natasha smiled at the quick response, especially since the time was currently almost 1am and they both most definitely should be asleep at the moment. She got up from the bed where she had spent the last 3 hours tossing and turning and quickly moved to put on more suitable clothing. More suitable clothing may have just meant going from pyjama pants to sweatpants, and a shirt over her tank top, but it still counted in her mind. Knowing how these things usually went, Bob would likely be in a similar get up anyways.
She moved over to the mirror, fidgeting with her hair, contemplating. Holding her hair up to emulate a ponytail, twirling it to make it look like a bun, then letting it fall back down to her shoulders. He had seen her with all three before, her hair obviously usually in a bun for work, but on occasion would be in some other style for casual hangouts. A small smile appears on her face at the recollection of his reaction to both, he had tried to be so casual about it, but she didn't miss the way his eyes lit up when he saw her, the way his cheeks heated up and retained that heat throughout the night, the way his eyes followed her as she moved around the hard deck, no one else batting an eye at the small change. She was kicking herself for not noticing which one he seemed to prefer as she fiddled with her bedhead.
Not that she cared.
Her contemplation and the bottling up of her feelings was interrupted by a quiet and hesitant knock at her door, one clearly done with the assumption that she may have fallen asleep. A small smile appeared on her face as she moved over to the door, grabbing her phone, keys, and wallet on her way.
Bob visibly perked up at the sight of Natasha at the door, the tips of his ears flushing at the small warm smile on her face, beautifully framed by her long brown hair, down from her usual bun.
Natasha noticed this immediately, the smile on her face growing wider and more knowing, making him falter slightly. “Hey.”
“Hey! Uh, ready to go?”
“Yup, just let me lock up.”
He nodded, happily rocking slightly on the balls and tips of his feet as he waited. “I like the hair by the way.”
She let out a small laugh, looking down to hide the knowing smirk on her face as they walked to her car. Why he insists on driving to her place when they take her car will always confuse her, but she lets him anyway. “Its just my bedhead, but thanks.”
He huffs out a laugh, holding the driver side door open for her, yet another thing he insists on. He blames it on how his mother raised him, they both know he's at least partially lying. “I like your hair down in general, it looks nice.”
She can feel him looking at her with the same lovesick eyes he had been giving her these past few months, the same eyes which make her melt and make her terrified at the implications. Another small laugh escapes her as she breaks eye contact, attempting to regain her bearings. She places the key into the ignition, letting the four wheel drive roar to life, “Might just have to put it up out of spite, where to?”
She spots how his face falls slightly at how she brushes the comment off, before quickly recovering, but not with the same warmth as before.
She tries to ignore how her heart hurts at the sight.
“Wherever you want, fast food or convenience store?”
She hummed in thought as she pulled out of the driveway, Bob already knowing her answer based on the direction she was heading. “I’m not feeling too hungry, something snacky.”
He nodded, “Sounds good.”
They both didn’t know when this thing between them started, the long loving glances and borderline flirting disguised as compliments or friendly advice. For Bob he had always found Phoenix beautiful, and getting to know Natasha only confirmed his growing admiration for the woman beside him. Natasha on the other hand found her feelings for her back seater confirmed after the bird strike. The pure terror she felt at the thought of losing him was more intense than any other crash she had ever had before.
The birdstrike had been the start of their late night adventures as well. The horrifying experience of being on the cusp of death whilst also fearing that the person you cared for the most was going down with you didn't exactly guarantee a good night's sleep in the days, weeks, or months after.
And Bob and Natasha had found that they did not have to suffer this alone.
So they went out, usually to some fast food joint or convenience store for snacks, and out to the lookout close to their residency, and just… talked. That's truly all it was, or at least that's what they told themselves. They sometimes would go and explore the surrounding Californian area, but they usually stayed consistent. Whether their discussions were about themselves, their coworkers, the future mission that may possibly be their demise, or the event that almost was, it was something that they could do for hours on end, and they found themselves closer because of it. In more ways than one.
It terrified Natasha, the possibility of getting that close with her WSO. She feared the possibility of losing the friend she had come so close to purely because of these feelings they clearly both shared. Creating a romantic relationship in their demanding jobs was already risky, but with his life in one capable yet accident prone hand, and his sensitive emotions in her other, very emotionally avoidant hand spelled a recipe for disaster for her.
They arrived at the convenience store in comfortable silence and quickly got out of the car, greeting the worker who grew to know them in the course of their adventures. Natasha zipped over to the aisle belonging to the chips and jerky, running to make her decision, leaving Bob to gaze fondly at her before moving over to the drinks aisle.
After Nat made her choice, she turned to go find Bob only to be scared out of her skin, finding him right behind her.
“Jesus fuck! How do you do that?!”
A small yet knowing smirk settled on his face as he relished in her reaction, making her correctly assume he had done it on purpose.
“Stop looking at me like that you little shit, now let me just get my drink-”
He cut her off by handing her the drink she was thinking of, a passion fruit soda she had only ever seen sold in this one convenience store. She got it every time, she shouldn’t be surprised, he was always ultra observant, but the action still made her heart skip a beat, possibly harder than the spook that she had gotten before.
A small dusting of blush appeared on her cheeks, not going unnoticed by the man in front of her, his smile growing slightly. “Oh! Thanks.”
“Ready to go?”
She nods, them both making their way to the counter. Just as she was waiting behind Bob, zoning out with her items in tow, before she could fully process what was happening, he had grabbed the items out her hands and placed them on the counter along with his. Despite her protests, and their, pointedly a little bit childish, battle to the card reader, he in the end had managed to win, paying for her food with a smug yet warm smile on his face, nodding to the cashier whose face was full of amusement.
No matter what she did, Bob always insisted on paying for her. It initially frustrated her. Being in the job she is, surrounded by the arrogant men she was, she always interpreted little actions like that as patronizing. People using actions like that to say that she was lesser, or weaker, had been the reason she had snapped at him in the past. She will never forget the look on his face as she chewed him out, the emotions she was throwing at him slowly devolving into issues absolutely not involving him. The look of pain and fear slowly melded into understanding as he listened, truly listened, and took her into his arms so she could let it all out. Reassurance flowed out of him, beautiful words comforting her easily as he rubbed circles into her back, mumbling everything into the crown of her head. He made his intentions very clear, that he was just raised well by his mum, and that he genuinely wanted to pay because he cared. The look in his eyes when he said that told her there was more to it, but she was too scared to find out.
So after that conversation it turned into a fight to see who paid, Bob usually winning in person due to his punctuality, and Natasha winning in drive thru’s since she's the one who drives. It was a fun little challenge between the two of them nonetheless.
Natasha grumbled as they made their way to the car, taking glances at him and his love sick longing look that is so blatantly obvious that it hurt. Good god not even acting like a toddler can scare him off.
After they had gotten back into the car and set off to their final destination, Bob set up some music on low, and Tash forced him to supply her with jerky for the road. “You’re gonna finish the bag before we get there again, and you’re not gonna be happy.”
She rolls her eyes, “Don’t care, I’m hungry, gimme”, opening and closing her outstretched hand for emphasis.
“You only have three pieces left, Phoe.”
“Give me the damn jerky Bob.”
He chuckles as he passes her over a piece, rolling his eyes at the thought of her complaints later on in the night.
Natasha reverse parked them up at the lookout, a small spot away from any cars to avoid any awkward encounters with young couples. Tash quickly jumped out of the ute, taking off the tray cover and climbing in, setting up the pillows and blankets on the way. She kept the pillows and blankets in here specifically for this. Originally they had accidentally been left there after a camping trip, but they ended up being a welcome accident when they had gotten sick of being cramped in the car.
Bob hopped out the ute as well, climbing into the tray to join her, placing the food between them like usual. She quickly started rummaging, groaning at the apparent lack of jerky.
“Told you so.”
“Shut up.”
A loving smile warms his face as he chuckles, shaking his head as he rummages through the bag himself for his snacks. She let out a shuttery breath at the expression, her cheeks warming up. That is before she looks at the jerky bag again, and makes a realisation.
“Wait a minute, I only had two pieces after you said I had three.”
He looked over at her with those big innocent eyes, but she could see something smug behind them.
“You said I had three left, I ate two.”
“Oh, must’ve miscounted then, sorry.”
She let out a small amused scoff. “Miscounted. Bob you have a bachelors in aeronautical engineering from MIT, I can’t imagine you getting through that degree if you didn’t know how to count to three.”
He had the decency to look a tiny bit ashamed, but the barely hidden amusement in his expression made her laugh.
“You ate my jerky, you little shit!” She exclaimed with a large smile on her face and a big shove.
He laughed as he recovered, shifting closer to the edge of the tray to try and escape her fists. Whilst it had never happened to him, he had seen what she can do to Hangman and Rooster, and even though it was all in good fun, he didn’t exactly want to experience that. He held out his hands to protect himself from the onslaught of noticeably careful punches. “It was only one piece!”
“One piece I wanted! You don't even like jerky all that much!”
“I wanted something savoury, I'm sorry!”
The punches slowed down as they laughed harder and harder, their shared joy echoing into the open air. Bob caught the final punches in his hands, holding her wrists captive to stop the onslaught.
As their laughter died down, and their breathing slowed, the feeling of Bob’s hands on hers seared through her skin in the best way possible. His hold wasn’t controlling or forceful, more guiding, a subtle setting of boundaries, not a display of strength. It made her feel comfortable, respected, but most of all it was making her painfully aware of both her feelings and the growing tension of the moment between them.
Tash’s eyes moved from Bob’s hands on her wrists up to his face, immediately making eye contact with the seemingly starstruck man in front of her. His expression made her flush, growing uncharacteristically shy at the attention he was giving her, shrinking under his fond gaze.
There was a subtle glance. So subtle she almost missed it. The average person would've if they didn't know him, if they weren't in tune with him and his emotions like she somehow became in such a short amount of time. A subtle glance at her lips which only confirmed her suspicions.
She knew the risks she would be taking if she did what she had been yearning to do since the birdstrike, she knew that she could be putting their careers in danger, their emotions in danger, but at this moment she couldn’t seem to care. She knew what she wanted, and she was going to get it.
With a subtle glance to his lips, which he immediately picked up on with his ever observant eyes. Said eyes lit up slightly, and the grip on her wrists slowly slipped away as she moved her hand up to the nape of his neck and pulled him in. Their lips connected in a slow dance, something ever so gentle and calm, like any sudden movements would destroy the moment. Bob's hand slowly moved to hold her waist causing a subtle mixture of a squeak and a moan to slip out. Something decidedly feminine which she would have time to be embarrassed about later. To distract from the embarrassment she drew him in closer, deepening the kiss as she shifted forward. She shoves the bag of food out the way, ignoring the subtle scandalized noise from the man in front of her at the prospect of his drink being shaken up. Or maybe it was because she was practically on his lap as they made out. Probably that.
The movement of their lips sped up, moving in sync as they kissed under the moonlight. Small noises escaped from him as she moved her fingers through his hair, her nails raking down his scalp. The noises only worked to motivate her, every little peep out of him sending electric shocks through her body.
Soon they had to part for air, both parting slowly like they never wanted this to end. Quick breaths escaped both of them, practically exchanging air as they attempted to calm down. Her hand shifted from deep in his hair, down to the smooth skin of his cheek, pressing their foreheads together. The hand on her waist rubbed gentle reassurances, like he could tell how even in this intimate moment her mind was racing.
A small chuckle escaped from him, snapping her out of the moment. A seedling of doubt made its way into her mind as she moved her head to look at his face. “What?”
She saw the way his cheeks were flushed, a beautiful red tinge that made its way down his neck and chest. The way his lips were moist and slightly swollen from their actions. The way the hair on the nape of his neck and slightly above stood up at all different angles from her caresses. How his fringe fell down from its usual picture perfect military style over his eyes. How his glasses were now askew, having been completely ignored in the heat of the moment. The bright joy in his blue eyes as he smiled, eliminating any belief that the chuckle was in bad nature.
God how she wanted to make this moment last forever.
Or to have him forever so that she could relive this moment whenever she wanted.
A possibility that felt so so close.
His face lifted slightly to match her gaze, again the pure adoration in his eyes making her shudder, but now instead of fear, it was in anticipation. There was a subtle hunger in there that made her rearing for more. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long.”
A huff of a laugh passes her lips, “Me too”.
She lets her thumb slowly rub up and down on his cheek, admiring his mystified look at her response.
“Really?”
Natasha let out a giggle at that. “Yes, you big sap”.
He let out a shaky breath, like he couldn’t believe that the moment was real, like he couldn’t believe that the woman that was now sitting in his lap, that he was looking up at like she personally handcrafted the moon and hung the stars, could ever even think about the prospect of having feelings for him beyond a working friendship. And honestly, he couldn’t. He had practically accepted the fact that his feelings would forever go unrequited, happy to just be there for her platonically, and admire her from a distance. God he was even convinced she was a lesbian for a while there.
His hands slowly moved up and down her waist, eyes dragging down her body, not with lust but with admiration. Bringing his eyes back up to hers, seeing the warm yet smug look on her face, clearly enjoying the effect she had on him, practically made him melt.
“Can we do it again?”
A giggle punched out of her, shaking her head slightly as she slipped his glasses off his face. Another bout of giggles came out of her as she watched him squint, longing to see her face in full definition. “Of course we can.”
A big smile formed as he moved his hands up to her face, pulling her into a sweet kiss. Attempting to kiss each other through big smiles and bouts of giggles was a challenge, but they made it work.
A rush of relief ran through Phoenix at that thought, making it work. The worries of her past slowly left her as the comforting thought of commitment settled in her heart. A thought that used to terrify her, and in the back of her mind still does. Looking at the man in front of her, seeing his adoration, his care, his determination to make her feel comfortable and seen, something he has been doing since the moment they met, she truly felt that they were going to be ok. Gone were the days of horrible relationships and abusive exes, of the men only wanting her for her body, and gone were the days of casual flings. Call her naive, say she had wishful thinking, but she could tell that the man in front of her would never do that to her. She had never felt that way about a man before, never had that much faith in a man before, and it brought its own new realm of fear, but also excitement.
She wanted to know where this was going, she wanted to give it a shot, she wanted to give this man her all and trust him wholeheartedly because she knew, deep down, that they were going to make this work. Through all the trials and tribulations of commitment, work, relationships in general, the absolute truck load of shit they were going to get from Hangman, and even love, but she was choosing to ignore that one for now.
She knew that he would cherish the trust that she would give him because he knows how rare it is, how precious it is, and he knew that she would love, care, and respect him for who he is.
As the exhaustion from the day finally wore them down, they finally drove back to her place, him giving her a final kiss at the door, not expecting anything more, she flopped onto her bed with her heart full and a lovesick grin on her face.
Something new, exciting, and beautiful was being created, and for once in her life, Natasha was excited, she knew it was going to work out in the end.