summerpipedream:

Consider – When the Avengers first move into the tower, Tony showed Natasha to a private dance studio a few floors up from her own.

With ceiling to floor mirrors, beautiful mahogany barres with a state of the art system…

Natasha was in heaven.

Going through the stretches felt strange, but like meeting an old friend. She slipped on a new pair of pointe shoes, relishing in the tight fit and slight pain as she tested out the toe boxes.

Hours later, she untied her shoes with a wince, blood starting to pool under her cracked nails, but she was satisfied.

It was the first time in a long time she got to dance because she wanted to, not because she had to.

It took a few months of Natasha quietly using the studio to her heart’s content before she realized it. 

She approached Tony carefully, leaning against the kitchen door while Tony nodded at her from the fridge.

It took her a while, a few months actually, to realize it. The small scratches on the ground from wear and tear, not from her. The mini fridge on the side always re-filled with cold water bottles, the towels neatly pressed and laid out before she arrived.

“You don’t have to leave just because I want to use it you know. It’s your studio, you should get to use it whenever you want to as well.”

Tony shook his head, eyebrow raised. “I have no idea what you’re-”

He sucked in a breath, scrambling to stick out his arms as Natasha had blurred across the room, leaping into the air. He caught her effortlessly, arms automatically lifting her above him as he held her. 

Natasha landed gracefully as he carefully lowered her down, satisfied.

“When did you learn?”

Tony let out a sigh. “When I was five. My mother was appalled that I kept bumping into everything and stepping on her toes during our ballroom lessons so…ballet was her solution.”

Natasha hummed. “So why hide it?”

Tony shrugged, eyes dropping to the ground. “Habit I guess. My mother wasn’t pleased that I enjoyed ballet more than the ballroom or etiquette lessons she forced on me, so she made me quit when I was twelve.”

Natasha’s eyes softened, holding out her hand. ‘No one is stopping you now.”

Tony nodded slowly, slowly placing his hand in hers. ‘I guess not.”

Natasha squeezed his hand. “Then let’s dance.”