on the rooftop + archer
“You guys better not do anything dumb,” Sam said as he closed the door of the car.
“Us? Never.” Natasha smirked. Sam scoffed. “Alright, sure. See you guys in a few hours.”
“Have fun, Sam,” said Steve.
“I always do!” Sam yelled as he drove off.
It’s a cold night. The streetlights are faint and yellow, lining down the streets in a perfect line like soldiers. The cobblestones on the ground are shining from the rain a few hours ago. Natasha is perched, literally perched, on a little gate next to the subway station entrance and gazing at all of the pretty shops. Steve is leaning against a lamp post, arms crossed, watching her look around.
Nat perks up. She glances over to Steve, still looking at her. She opens her mouth to say something, closes it again, then decides on, “Do you hear that too?”
“Hear what?”
“That music...I know it from somewhere.”
Steve raises his eyebrows, surprised. “You listen to music?” He half jokes.
Nat looks at him in annoyance. “Yes Rogers, I listen to music.” She pauses, and both of them are quiet for a moment, trying to listen to where the music is coming from. “I think that’s Taylor Swift,” she said, jumping off the black railing and adjusting her long coat.
“Who?”
Nat looks at Steve and chuckles, shaking her head. “Never mind. Come on, let’s run to the theater. I need to get a video for Lila.”
Steve and Natasha start jogging towards the theater, Nat leading the two. Once they get to the front, they see the guards blocking any guests who don’t have tickets.
“We can’t get in.”
“You think?” Nat sighs, shaking her head. “I’ll just get a video from out here.” She turns on her phone and starts recording as much as she can.
Steve sits back, leaning against a trash can on the side of the sidewalk, watching her record a message to Lila, smiling softly. Nat ends the video message and sends it, pocketing her phone.
“Hey, do you want to climb up on the roof? We just have to slip past the guards,” she asked.
Steve nods, leading the way behind the bushes. They get to the ladder on the side of the brick building, but it’s about 8 feet above the ground. Nat looks at Steve. “How am I supposed to get up here?”
“Here, I’ll lift you up,” Steve says, grabbing her waist. He lifts her up effortlessly to the third rung. Nat pulls her body up a few more so that she can have some footing.
“You good down there?” She asks.
“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll be right behind you,” Steve replied, taking a few steps back to jump up on the ladder behind her. They finally make it to the top of the building, where the ground is wet from the rain.
“Dammit,” Nat says under her breath. Steve lifts himself over the edge of the building, walking towards her.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nowhere to sit.”
Steve looks around for any dry spot.
“There’s one right there,” he points to a circle of dry brick on the corner of the building. “One problem; there’s only enough room for one person.”
“That’s all right, I’ll just sit on your lap,” Nat decides.
“On-” Steve pauses. “Okay.” Steve goes to sit down in the spot, leaning back on the gray generator in the corner. Nat walks over and plops down on his lap, sighing from exhaustion.
“I could go for a nap.”
“At 10 in the night?”
Nat chuckles, then leans her head back on Steve. The crowd under them is quiet, and they start to hear a soft melody and a voice singing.
Combat, I'm ready for combat
I say I don't want that, but what if I do?
“You ever climb up on rooftops back in your day?” Nat asks.
“No, not really. I never could,” he chuckles.
“Hm.”
'Cause cruelty wins in the movies
I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you
Steve looks down at Nat, who is looking out on Paris. The noise around the theater from the concert and traffic is so loud, but here with her, everything feels quiet. Peaceful. Comforting.
Easy they come, easy they go
“You ever just think that...maybe this life isn’t for you?” Nat thinks out loud.
I jump from the train, I ride off alone
At Nat’s words, Steve gets a flash of a memory, Bucky Barnes falling off a train, desperately reaching out to him. “All the time.”
I never grew up, it's getting so old
Help me hold onto you
Nat turns her head slightly, already knowing what Steve is thinking. She grabs his hand and squeezes it comfortingly.
I've been the archer
I've been the prey
Who could ever leave me, darling?
But who could stay?
“It’s just...seeing all these families reminds me of a one I don’t have...anymore.” Nat muses.
Dark side, I search for your dark side
But what if I'm alright, right, right, right here?
Steve nods. “I know what you mean.”
And I cut off my nose just to spite my face
Then I hate my reflection for years and years
“When I got out of the ice, I thought I only had Peggy. Then I found Buck, but lost Peggy, so I tried to keep the one thing I had left from my past.”
I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost
The room is on fire, invisible smoke
And all of my heroes die all alone
Help me hold onto you
“You did what you had to do, Steve.”
I've been the archer,
I've been the prey
Steve thinks for a moment. “Were you talking about Yelena? And Alexi and Melina? When you said that you lost family.”
Screaming, who could ever leave me, darling?
But who could stay?
“Yeah...they were my семья. Only thing I could count on. Then…” Nat trails off, feeling a lump in her throat. She shivers from a cold gust of wind.
(I see right through me, I see right through me)
'Cause they see right through me
They see right through me
Steve moves a little and starts to take off his jacket. He places it over Nat, who doesn’t object because she knows he’ll never let her.
They see right through
Can you see right through me?
They see right through
They see right through me
I see right through me
I see right through me
“Just...when I lost them, I didn’t know where to go. Who to turn to.”
All the king's horses, all the king's men
Couldn't put me together again
'Cause all of my enemies started out friends
Help me hold onto you
“You have us, Nat. Sam and I are always here for you.”
I've been the archer
I've been the prey
Who could ever leave me, darling?
But who could stay?
Nat turns around to look at Steve. He smiles at her, softly and genuinely. “You’d really stay? Even when things get rough?” She asks.
(I see right through me, I see right through me)
Who could stay?
Who could stay?
Who could stay?
Steve nods. “I’ve got you.” Nat’s expression changes to one of surprise as she searches Steve’s face for any sign of a lie.
You could stay
You could stay
In a sudden movement, she hugs Steve tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. “Thank you,” she says tearfully, muffled by his shoulder.
Combat, I'm ready for combat
“Always.”
The cheer of the crowd roars, the traffic bustles, and the people yell down on the street below, but up on the rooftop, Steve and Natasha just hold each other. There for one another, through everything, always.