“You’ll just push me away again,” she said bitterly. It wasn’t a question.
“Don’t let me,” Tony replied, his voice sounding vulnerable. “You know who I am Natasha,” Tony said, finally letting go of her. He walked back to their dresser, feeling the sudden need to stand as far away from her as possible. He took a few calming breaths, before finally saying in a clear voice “I am going to try Nat, but there will be days I will push everyone away, and I need you to not let me.”
Natasha stilled at his words. She was unable to stay mad at him after that. She was frustrated, yes, but she couldn’t… He was right, she did knew him. She knew his past. She knew his fears. She knew his pain. She knew his destructive tendencies, but she also knew that over the past two years he had given her unprecedented power over him.
When he said “don’t let me” he didn’t mean it lightly. He was offering his full trust here. He was asking her to decide when it was necessary to step in and when to let him brood. He was asking her to know when to prod, while still taking care of his heart.
“Well I did say I would always be your ballerina,” she murmured with a half smile as she remembered the first time she danced for him while he played for her at Stark mansion, two Christmases ago.