Stay A Little Longer
It was surprising to Steve when Natasha called him. He'd been chatting it up with Sharon Carter, his next door neighbor and former S.H.I.E.L.D agent - she was a nice woman, as Natasha had informed him, but she really wasn't Steve's type - when the Russian spy had called his cell phone.
The number wasn't one that Steve recognized, so he hesitatingly answered, "Hello?"
There was silence on the other end for a moment and Steve wondered if it were possible that some star struck female fan managed to find his cell number. It wouldn't have surprised him in the least if it did happen. He still had to get used to the 21st century and a lot of the young females in this generation were shockingly and ofttimes, scarily obsessed with their heroes.
"Rogers," said the breathy feminine voice on the other end of the line.
Natasha.
Steve's shoulders tensed a little, out of habit, and he raised an eyebrow. He had no idea that she knew his number. Well, she would because they had been paired on missions together for several months now. They were friends, but they never called each other, never contacted each other beyond their work, and work always kept the soldier and the spy very busy. It was an odd kind of friendship, but it worked for them.
"Romanov...what is it?"
"Can I come over?"
"To...my apartment?"
"Yeah."
"Sure. Is everything okay?" There was no clue how many safe houses there were between Washington and New York for Natasha to stay at, but for some reason, she wanted to spend time at Steve's place. Well, he wasn't one to reject a lady.
"Everything is fine. I just want to come over." Simple, tact and to-the-point. Obviously, she didn't plan to elaborate further, so Steve keep his questions to himself. Maybe when she arrived, she would let him know what this was all about.
"Alright. I'm already at home, so I'll be waiting." He bit his tongue once he realized how domestic that sounded. Hopefully, Natasha took no notice of it.
There was another period of silence on the phone before she spoke again. "I'll be there in ten." Then she hung up. So she was in DC. 'Maybe she's on a job,' he mused silently.
With an awkward apology to Sharon, Steve went back to his apartment and turned on the lights. He had never been a messy person, but the place needed a bit of fixing up. He put up the dishes that he'd left in the sink, folded stray clothes that he found in his bedroom and wiped off the stove while he was at it.
"A man should never let a woman into his home when it's a pigsty," his dad had told him years and years ago. Joseph Rogers always had advice he gave his son, for the moment at present and for future reference. Steve felt a pang as he thought of his father. It still was difficult, living here in the 21st century since everyone that he cared about was dead. At least he still had Peggy, but she was stricken with Alzheimer's and half the time, she forgot what decade it was. Even though he had been back in the world for over two years, Steve still felt like a man out of time.
A knock on the door shook him from his reverie and he opened it. Natasha stood there, with a smile on her face and a large pizza box in her hand. Steve smiled back and furrowed his brow slightly.
"You didn't have to bring food, you know. I could have made something...then again, I wasn't sure what to expect when you called."
The lithe redhead walked into the apartment and set the pizza box on the counter. "Oh, I couldn't have let you do that, Rogers. The element of surprise is a time honoured tradition that I submit to on a daily basis." She turned and gave him a probing look. "Though, next time, you have a deal. I would like to see what the culinary talents of Captain America have to offer~"
Now Steve wasn't green to Natasha's flirtatious behaviour, but there was still a stirring in his stomach whenever she teased him like that. He knew that she was aware of her effect on men and that her flirty attitude came naturally as a front to hiding what she really felt.
Sometimes he wasn't sure where he stood with the woman. Their relationship had always been a formal one, that is, until they starting getting teamed up together on missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. There was something between them, of that he was convinced, but it wasn't defined. Steve knew that Natasha was attracted to him and he was to her. Still, it wasn't very much to go by. Mystique and Natasha Romanov always went hand in hand...
It always bothered Steve that he was a bit clueless when it came to the Russian spy. He liked it when there weren't a lot of secrets among the people he worked with, but he understood that someone of Natasha's dark background wouldn't be willing to just open up on a whim. Maybe this visit was the start of something.
He walked over to the cupboard and pulled out two plates, setting them down next to the pizza. "Agreed, but only if you return the favour by fixing one of those amazing Russian dishes Barton keeps raving about."
"Tsk, I told Clint to stop telling people that. I swear, he does that to make me feel like an accomplished chef. Do you have anything to drink?"
"Water and milk. That's about it. I have to go to the grocery store tomorrow."
Natasha smirked and set down a brown bag on the counter. "Then I did the right thing, bringing my own." She had a feeling that he wouldn't have soda or liquor since he wasn't big on carbonated drinks and alcohol, so she brought something herself.
The sound the bag produced once Natasha placed it on the hard surface made Steve suspect that it was some kind of alcoholic beverage. He opened the bag and raised an eyebrow at her. "Vodka? You know I can't get drunk, right?"
With a slow turn of her head, Natasha gaped at Steve as if he just told her something terrible. "Wow, Rogers, I had absolutely no clue. And here, I was planning to get you hammered and take advantage of you. Oh, well. Some other time, then."
Steve rolled his eyes and pulled two glasses from the cupboard. While he poured the vodka in both of their glasses, Natasha doled out the pizza on their mutual plates. It was a strangely intimate setting and their arms brushed against each other as they silently prepared their food.
Once they finished, they both went into the small living room and plopped down on the couch. Natasha kicked off her boots and crossed her legs, sighing contentedly as she bit into a piece of pizza. "So...you got any good movies around here?"
"Yeah, I have a few."
"Good, could you pick one to watch? I trust your judgement."
"Sure, but Natasha..."
She cocked her head to the side and replied, "Yeah?"
"What's all of this about?"
"I just...I wanted to spend time with you...alone. If that's okay."
So that was why she came over. Steve gave her a grin and a slight squeeze of her hand. "Yes. It's okay."
They watched The Best Years of Our Lives, which didn't surprise Natasha in the least. From the scuttlebutt in Avengers tower, it was one of Steve's favourite films. It was a good movie and she had seen it once or twice before, but that was long ago. As they watched the movie, Natasha curled up in a semi-fetal position and laid her head on Steve's shoulder. To her pleasure, he didn't pull away.
By the time the film was over, Natasha had fallen asleep, her head lie against one of the couch pillows. Steve turned off the tv and turned to look down at the redhead. She looked so peaceful in her sleep that he felt it would be wrong to wake her, so he left her alone. He made quick work of dispensing the glasses and plates, cleaning everything up and and putting things back in their proper place.
A sleepy moan came from the living room when Steve closed the cupboard door. He went back over to Natasha and picked her up, taking her to his bedroom. Steve placed her sleeping form on his bed and removed her jacket and shoes. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and smiled down at her.
"Guess I'll just sleep on the couch tonight." He got a few clothes from his dresser and changed in the bathroom. Once he came out, Natasha was wide awake, sitting up and looking at him, her expression unreadable.
"How long have I been out?"
"A little over an hour. You need me to drive you back?"
"No. Is it okay if I just spend the night with you?"
Steve raised his eyebrows.
"I mean, not to do that...ah, I just want to stick around tonight and I'll be out of your hair by tomorrow morning. I promise." She licked her lips and met his blue eyes with her green ones.
"I have no problem with that."
She sighed and stretched out her legs, arms slipping under the pillow her head rested on. It smelled like Steve, but it was no substitute for the real thing. He was just about to leave the room when she called out, "Steve..." He stopped and turned back, looking at her curiously.
"What is it?"
"Could you just stay with me a little longer, please? I think it would help me fall asleep faster."
He smiled and got in the bed with her, letting her rest her head on his chest as their legs tangled together. He chanced giving her a small kiss on her forehead and he felt her smile.
Natasha spoke, voice low and seductive, "Why Steve. I had no idea that you wanted a little action. All you had to do was ask."
He laughed and rubbed her arms with his. "Shut up and go to sleep, Natasha."
She grinned before closing her eyes, enjoying the feel of Steve's skin against her own. "Aye, aye, Captain."