K - Karate and Kisses
“Steeeeve!” Natasha whined, her voice jumping as Steve walked with her slung over his shoulder, his hold on her never wavering, “Whyyy!”
“You know why, honey.” Steve chuckled, lightly patting her butt in consolation.
“But I don’t wanna!” Natasha cried out again, lightly battering his back with soft blows and kicking her legs, throwing a tantrum.
“Want to or not, it’s important.”
He pressed the elevator button, waiting for the machine to reach the floor they were on.
“You know what’s important?” Natasha asked, trying to look up at him but clearly failing, “Not waking me up so early for this.”
“It’s 10 A.M.”
“Any time before 12 P.M. is too early. Take me back to bed.”
“Nope.” As he said that, the elevator reached and the doors opened. Not wasting a second, he walked in and pressed the button to take them to the training room.
“Maybe if you came to bed with me instead of staying up till 5 A.M, you would feel more rested for this.” he scolded lightly, “And I wouldn’t have had to drag you out.”
“Drag is too nice of a word.” Natasha retorted, her voice a bit stuffy from her head being upside down, “Kidnapped is more like it. I’m reporting you. Jarvis, call the cops.”
“Pretty sure there’s more chance of the cops calling you in case of emergencies, Ma’am.” Jarvis said, making Steve laugh and Natasha groan.
“This has turned into bullying now. Both the men in my life turned on me. Be careful, this could be the beginning of my villain origin story.”
“And imagine, you’ll be an even better villain if you knew how to fight.”
“...dammit how did you turn that on me?”
After another pat on her butt, the elevator doors opened, accompanied by the ding that notifies them that the floor was reached.
“Alright babe,” Steve said, finally putting Natasha back onto her feet once he reached the center of the gym, trying and failing to not smile at her red face “You ready?”
“...What do you think?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Honey,” Steve said, cupping her face gently, “”I know you don’t like it, but this will be a useful life skill to have! I can’t always be around to protect you.”
“Excuse you,” Natasha said, offended, “Do I have to remind you that I'm literally Iron Woman?
What makes you think that I need you to protect me?”
“Well, you won’t always have your suits either,” he gestured around them, “Learning the basics of martial arts will probably come in handy one day.”
“Please, there’s only one handy that is useful in life and you know more than anyone that I’m a pro.”
“Stop.” he lightly pinched her waist, making her giggle over how flustered he got, “Now come on, you’re learning Karate.”
“Ugh!” Natasha tossed her head back, her back bending like she was about to fall but Steve was quick enough to press a hand against her back, catching her.
“You’re so dramatic.” Steve said as he easily supported her weight, trying to sound annoyed but he knew he sounded incredibly fond. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her protruding collar bone, his tongue coming out to give it a quick lick before he pulled her up.
“Now come on, there’s Karate Gi in the lockers and I bought one for us to wear.”
He expected her to whine again but surprisingly she remained silent. She scoffed at the confused look on his face, clearly knowing what he was thinking.
“You look good in Gi so sue me if that isn’t something I want to complain about.” she smirked as she slapped his butt, trying to fluster him.
It almost worked but he held his ground.
“You call that a spank? I could barely feel it baby.” he teased before reeling his hand back and smacking her ass, the impact echoing through the room, making her jump with a squeal.
“That’s a real spank.”
“Fuck you.”
“Later. Now, we’re learning Karate.”
~~~~~
Did he get this idea from watching Sam train his dog? Maybe.
Was he implying Natasha was trainable like a dog is? Absolutely not.
But he had to admit, the kisses were very effective.
“Perfect! There you go!” Steve cheered happily as he saw Natasha throw a punch with perfect form, “Don’t you feel more balanced then before?”
“...I guess.” Natasha muttered.
“Of course you do.” Steve cooed before he hugged her from behind, placing little pecks on her cheek before pulling away, “Now try it again.”
Cheeks red, and not necessarily from the physical exertion, Natasha repeated the movement, this time even more finessed.
“Exactly! Now couple that with the kick I taught you.”
Letting out a sigh of frustration, Natasha braced herself as she threw two punches followed by a roundhouse kick. The first time she tried the kick she tripped over herself and fell to the floor but this time she wobbled but managed to stay upright, showing clear signs of improvement.
“That's my girl!” Steve cheered, picking up the water bottle nearby before handing it over to her, pulling her into a hug. He squeezed her tightly, placing feather light kisses onto her hair as she hydrated.
“So proud of you, honey.” he chuckled as she tried to brush off his compliment, trying her best to pretend like she didnt like the attention, “We can stop here or we can go for a bit longer. It’s up to you.”
They had been practicing for a while now. Natasha was definitely going to feel the soreness of her muscles later, but Steve knew her well enough to know she could handle more.
But he just wanted the satisfaction of her admitting it herself. Cuddled into his sturdy chest, his arms around her protectively, he wasn't the least bit surprised when Natasha agreed to continue their practice for just a little bit longer.
He made sure to hide his smug grin by nuzzling into her hair.
~~~~~
“Alright, that's enough for today!” Steve said with a clap of his hands, chuckling at Natasha’s state. She was sweaty and red, her hair matted to her face as she sat heavily on the ground, groaning as she finally got to relax. Steve handed her a bottle of water, instructing her to drink as he joined her on the ground.
Not caring that she was covered in sweat, he started peppering her face with kisses again, leaning into her as he kissed her cheek over and over again, whispering sweet nothings as he praised her.
“So proud of you.” a kiss on the cheek, “my sweet baby.” a kiss on her jaw, “You’re so smart and strong.” a kiss to the corner of her lip.
“Alright, alright! I get it!” Natasha said, shrugging her shoulders to get him off of her, her cheeks flushed a bright red, “I know what you’re doing, you know.” Natsha said once she took a swig of water to cool herself down.
“Hmm?” Steve hummed in response.
“You think you’re so slick, always kissing me when I get something right.” She teased, raising an eyebrow at him.
Steve actually felt a bit embarrassed when she called him out on it, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, “You figured it out, huh?”
“It’s not like you were subtle.”
“But it worked, didn't it?” he asked, bumping against her softly with his shoulder, “Didn’t it make learning Karate a bit more fun?”
“Can’t say it did honey,” Natasha said, lying through her teeth, “Try harder next time.”
“So there’s gonna be a next time? I call that a win.”
“Mmm- nope.” Natasha said, “You have to sweeten the pot a bit more. You think a bunch of kisses is enough for me to make this a habit?”
“Hmm?” Steve hummed, raising an eyebrow before grinning, “How about...I offer you plenty of hugs and kisses while we practice and,” he leaned towards her, his hot breath tickling her ear as he continued, “I teach you another type of sweaty exercise when we shower after.”
“...does the deal start from now?”
“It does.”
“Then deal.” Natasha grinned as she threw her arms around his shoulders, giggling as he picked her up and started walking towards the showers.
~~~~~