Marvel owns the Avengers, not me. I just like to play with them once in a while.
You know how every Romangers writer eventually writes a story where Natasha teaches Steve the ins and outs of modern relationships before accidentally falling in love with him? Well, this is mine only things don't quite follow that formula and Civil War and it's aftermath ensure things get a whole lot more complicated.
Tone is much different from most of my stories in the beginning, but things even out once the Accords get involved.
It started out simple enough. Steve seemed so stressed, and Natasha needed him focused. They'd been leading the new team almost a year, and they worked well together in the field.
Training was a completely different story. Natasha pushed the team, but Steve pushed them harder-to hard. It wasn't good for moral, and Natasha was afraid the new recruits were going to self-combust if Steve didn't get a handle on things.
She pulled out a notebook and started making her list. She wrote, "Ways to Help Steve," at the top then quickly started making a series of bullet points underneath. "Find James, get Steve away from the facility more often, get Steve a new hobby, convince Steve to take a real vacation."
Looking over the list, Natasha shook her head. She couldn't do more than they were already doing to locate Barnes. He'd been gone for three months this time, and Steve said to leave it alone. It was odd behavior on his part and made Natasha even more convinced he knew why Barnes had left. She put a mark through find Barnes and looked at the other items on the list. That's when the idea hit her. Steve really needed a woman in his life.
Natasha had given up playing Steve's personal matchmaker after they left D.C. It hadn't ever really paid off anyway, but there had to be someone out there who was right for him. She just needed to find the right match and convince Steve it was his idea to ask her out. How hard could that possibly be with her training? She used to be a master of seduction. This was really the same thing.
The first step to any successful mission was always reconnaissance, and Natasha knew just where to start. She walked down the hall to Sam's room. It wasn't that late, so she knew he'd be awake.
"You want to know what?" Sam asked when she tried to find out what type of woman Steve seemed attracted to while the pair was traveling Europe looking for Barnes. "It's not like Steve was trying to find a girl in every port, Widow. You know how focused he gets when he's on a mission."
"You didn't notice anything. He didn't flirt with anyone or have a preference in hair color? Sam, surely you can give me something."
"Widow, the only woman I've ever seen him pay any attention to is you. When you'd call, he dropped whatever he was doing to answer. If he talked about any woman other than his girl in the war, it was you. Honestly, until we settled in her at the compound and I found out about Banner, I thought you two were-"
"No, we're just friends. It was never like that between us."
"It sure looked like something was brewing in D.C. When I came to get you for breakfast, I was pretty sure I was interrupting something."
Natasha looked down before replying. "Maybe there was a little spark, but it was really just a weak moment for us. You really aren't much help here, Sam. I'm trying to figure out how to help Steve and the rest of the team. He's too stressed."
Sam nodded. "I get it. I care about him, too. Having someone special in his life would probably be good for him, but I'm not sure he's really ready for dating in the twenty-first century. Too bad they don't offer classes. We could sign him up."
"Maybe classes are exactly what he needs. Thanks for the assist, Sam. I think I have what I need."
Natasha left a confused Sam and made her way to Steve's room. His light was off, but she knew he was a light sleeper. Besides, if he was going to agree to what she had in mind, she probably needed to catch him a little off-guard.
Steve's hair was slightly mussed when he opened the door. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt and some flannel pajama bottoms. He didn't say a word as he pulled the door open enough for Natasha to walk inside.
"We need to talk," she said softly. "You are entirely too stressed and it's taking a toll on the team."
Steve plopped down on his bed and sighed. "I know I've been pushing a bit, but we're down a good soldier with Bucky gone. I need to know they're ready."
Natasha sat down beside him. "They're doing pretty well out there, Steve. Vision is a quick study. Sam and Rhodey have their military background, and it really shows. Wanda's a work in progress, but she's getting there. You need to lighten up, or you're going to cost us another Avenger."
"You blame me for Bucky leaving?"
"No, I don't. James has his own path to chart. If anyone blames you for him leaving the compound, it's you. I just need you to loosen up a little, and I have a plan to make it happen. You trust me, right?"
"I do," he said.
"Good, close your eyes." When Steve closed his eyes, Natasha leaned in and kissed him. He didn't immediately respond, but when he finally came around, Natasha found herself wondering whether he actually needed any help in the romance department or not. She finally broke the kiss. "How'd that feel?"
Steve's face turned pink. "Good, confusing. Why did you kiss me?"
"That was lesson number one. I told you once everyone needs practice. I've tried to get you to get out there and do a little practicing of your own, but you always resisted. You need someone in your life, Steve, and I don't think you're confident enough to go after it."
"So, you're planning on filling the role yourself? And, Bruce?"
"Bruce is gone. This has nothing to do with him. I'm just going to get you up to date on modern dating the same way I've gotten you up to date on everything else then the rest is up to you."
Steve ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't think this is such a good idea, Nat. This isn't something a friend can help with. It's too-"
"Intimate?" Natasha supplied when it was obvious he was struggling to find the right word. "I'm not suggesting we sleep together. We are just going to date. You'll learn the skills you need, and I'll get to enjoy making fun of you while you learn."
"This isn't going to end well, but I've never been good at telling you no, and I'd really like to kiss you again."
Natasha laughed. He really did need someone if he was willing to play by her rules just to kiss a girl. "Show me what you've got, soldier."
Steve pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. By the time she finally extricated herself from his arms and left his room, Natasha wasn't exactly sure it was such a good idea either. The man certainly knew how to kiss. Maybe he had more experience with modern women than she realized.
Steve didn't mention the late night kissing section the next morning, but he wasn't quite as hard on the team, leading Natasha to decide she was right about him needing someone to help him loosen up. She just needed to come up with the perfect lesson plan to get him from point A to point B quickly.
Steve didn't get a chance to talk to Natasha alone before lunchtime. It was a Thursday, and they always had lunch alone in her quarters on Thursdays to discuss the team's progress.
When Steve arrived, Natasha was busy typing something on her laptop. "What are you doing?"
"Working on lessons plans," she said, continuing to type.
Steve walked over and sat beside her on the couch, so he could look over her shoulder. "Those aren't for the team. You really think all of this is necessary?" he asked, pointing to her syllabus listing all the skills she intended to teach him. "Do you seriously think I'm going to go to the club with you and try to pick up women?"
She smirked. "Well, not yet. That's why it's so far down the list. There are lots of things you need to learn before we get to picking up women, soldier. I'm just trying to make sure I cover all the basic skills you're going to need. I wish I'd thought of this while we were in D.C. You could be married with a couple of kids by now."
Steve groaned. Why was Natasha going to this much trouble? Didn't she realize there was no need for a show? He was already crazy about her. He'd just been waiting for some kind of sign she was ready to move on from Bruce. Now, that he had it and it was obvious she was interested in him, couldn't she just come out and tell him?
Steve had thought about Natasha's offer all night, and by morning, he finally had it figured out. He wasn't a fool. He was sure the whole lullaby thing with Banner was Natasha's idea. It was her way of testing the waters to see if Bruce was interested in her.
Now, with this crazy scheme, she was obviously testing the waters between them. There really wasn't any reason for her to go to so much trouble, but he figured she would be happier if he just let her set the pace and believe he had fallen into her little teacher/student trap.
"Looks like you've put a lot of thought into this," he said. "What's next on the agenda?"
"It's Thursday. We'll have lunch and discuss the team, Steve. This little side project can't affect our jobs."
"Right, I didn't mean we should have a lesson now. I was just curious," he said, and he was curious. He was curious about when he'd get to kiss her again, curious about how long she had been interested in him, and curious about how long it was going to be before she just admitted it.
"Next lesson is tomorrow night. Dress nice. You're taking me dancing."
"I can't dance."
"I know. That's the lesson. Girls love men who can dance, and I think you'll enjoy it. Don't worry. I'll make sure you don't step on my toes. I've taught dance a few times when I was undercover."
"Well, alright. I'll look forward to it," Steve said. "How'd I do with last night's lesson? I was a little sleepy, so if you think we should repeat it while I'm awake, I'm game."
Steve smiled when he saw the look on Natasha's face. It took a lot to make her blush. He had never actually seen until now, and he liked the look on her. "You did really well. I don't think there's any reason to repeat it."
"Are you sure? You did say everybody needs practice."
"Rogers, are you just fishing for a kiss? Because, men today don't generally do a lot of talking about kissing. They just do it."
Taking her words as an invitation, Steve took her laptop out of her hands, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a deep kiss. She let him kiss her for a few moments before pulling back. "Better?" he asked.
"Like I said, you seem to have lesson one down. No reason to repeat it. We should eat and discuss the team."
Natasha looked a little frazzled, so Steve figured he'd done his job. It shouldn't take her long to get the hint that he was interested and drop her little charade. In the meantime, he was just glad he hadn't completely missed his chance after all.
