Party

Avengers fic

Pairings: Steve/Natasha, Thor/Jane, Pepper/Tony, slight Sam/Darcy

Spoilers: The Avengers and Captain America The Winter Soldier

Summary: Steve and Natasha have to attend Stark's birthday in New York, the party turns out to be a lot more fun than they original anticipated. Multi ship fic, Steve/Natasha based.

Party at the Tower

Captain Steve Rogers had just returned from a training session at his local gym, he had showered and changed and was now in grey jogging bottoms and a navy t-shirt as he mooched around his apartment, contemplating plans for dinner that evening. There was a knock on the front door and when he answered it he was surprised to see the grinning face of Natasha Romanoff standing on the other side.

"Natasha?"

"Rogers" Natasha nodded, but the grin was evident on her face.

Steve chuckled as he brought her into a hug "Good to see you, it's been too long."

"Getting sentimental on me Cap, you know I don't do sentiment."

"I know you don't, but I do" Steve said, cheerily as he withdrew from the hug "Come in."

As Natasha stepped inside, dressed in black fitted trousers, wedged black shoes, a white tank top with which a black jacket adorned. She surveyed the apartment before turning to Steve as he spoke to her.

"So what brings you here, it's been what... four months since I saw you last? You could have kept in touch."

"Why, have you missed me?" Natasha joked, with one eyebrow raised.

Steve smiled, honestly "What do you think?"

'That means yes' Natasha thought inwardly, but said out loud "Oh I know what you think, you can't lie, remember."

Steve just rolled his eyes and sat on the sofa, whilst Natasha sat in an arm chair opposite him.

"Well I thought it was about time we crossed paths again" Natasha admitted "And I thought we could go to New York together for Stark's party?"

"You were invited to that?" Steve seemed surprised.

Natasha didn't, as she frowned "Yeah, why weren't you?"

"Yeah of course, but if you've been off the radar how did Stark get in contact with you?"

"Oh you know Stark, he has his ways. Plus when Pepper knew that Stark had managed to get hold of me, she kept hounding me aswell so there was no escaping it" Natasha smiled "So are we going then?"

"Uh yeah, if you want. Stark said we can use one of his planes to get there."

"I thought we could drive, my Corvette is outside."

"The plane would be quicker."

"Exactly" Natasha said with a sly grin "Gives us an excuse to be a bit late."

Steve laughed and shook his head "Yeah I have to admit the party is not something i'm very much looking forward to. Stark will just use it as a way of trying to persuade me to come and live in the Avengers tower with the rest of them."

"Yeah that's the reason I wasn't keen on going either, Stark doesn't let up about that. I dunno why he would want me there in the first place."

"He likes the whole team bonding element to it, having us all living under one roof."

"I like my independance and my privacy, I don't think group living is really for me. Plus no one could tolerate living with me, Clint barely survived when we had to do months of undercover work."

"Oh I don't know about that. Out of everyone on our team, I get along with you the most. So I wouldn't mind living with you" Steve half blushed as he confessed this, much to the Black Widow's delight.

"Are you trying to flatter me, Rogers?" Natasha teased.

"Always Romanoff" Steve teased her back, playing her at her own game.

Natasha smiled an impressive smile, he was learning quickly.

"Well if that's the case, you can get my bags from the car downstairs."

Steve's quick reflexes allowed him to catch the car keys that Natasha quickly threw in his direction, before he even had chance to argue with her. He got up with a mock salute and a "Yes Ma'am." This just made Natasha laugh and roll her eyes as Steve left the apartment.

He returned quickly with a small backpack and also holding what was clearly a dress, hung up in a bag that had been lying in the boot of the car.

"Did you want this aswell?" he said, holding it up to her.

Natasha got up from her seat, where she had been casually flicking through the TV Guide, and took it off Steve.

"Yeah it's my dress for the party. Have you got somewhere I can hang it? I don't want to get it all creased."

"Yeah just hang it in my wardrobe if you want" Steve said, thinking nothing of it as he put her other bag by his feet, a sudden thought then occurring to him "Hang on, are you planning on staying here?"

"I thought that was fairly obvious, Cap" Natasha grinned, and she playfully pinched his cheek and headed to his bedroom.

Steve looked baffled for a second before remarking loudly to her "Nice to be kept informed!"

...

Steve and Natasha got Chinese takeaway that evening, discussing Natasha's time away and what Steve had been up to. They had a lot to catch up on and they talked well into the early hours of the morning, until Natasha excused herself and headed to the bathroom and changed into black shorts and a red vest top and she returned to the living-room, where Steve was clearing up the empty takeaway trays and their now empty wine glasses.

"Want any help clearing up before bed?" Natasha enquired, her eyes showing her tiredness.

Steve shook his head "No, no, you're fine. I'll set up my bed on the sofa, then I'll leave you in peace."

"Steve, you don't need to do that. I'm more than happy to sleep on the sofa."

"No I can't have that" Steve said, adamantly "You take my bed, I'll have the sofa. No arguments."

Natasha liked that Steve still held on to some of his 1940s mentality, it was rather touching and actually something refreshing to hear.

"Well if you are going to insist on that, then let me insist on you joining me."

Steve looked at her, startled "What?!"

Natasha laughed "Don't look so surprised Steve, I wasn't insinuating anything. Just sleep."

"Natasha" Steve said, warily.

Natasha moved closer to the super soldier as she made her point.

"Steve, let's face it, you aren't going to fit well enough on that sofa to get a good night's sleep. We can share a bed, it isn't such a big deal."

Natasha could see Steve was trying to wrestle with the logical points she was putting forward, against his old fashioned values, so she smiled reassuringly and approached him further, closing the gap between them.

"Good night, Cap" she kissed his cheek and left him alone in the living-room.

A matter of ten minutes later, Steve came into his bedroom to see Natasha lying in bed facing the wall, on the side that was furthest away from the door. Natasha was not close to sleep yet, and could hear Steve moving around in the room as he got ready for bed. She snuck a quick peak over her shoulder and could see that Steve was stood with his back to her, shirtless, as he was rummaging through a drawer looking for something. The Black Widow admired the Captain's amazing muscles, even if she couldn't get a good view at them all, upon thinking this she could feel her cheeks going red. She quickly returned to lying with her back to Steve as she saw him put a fresh top on, before Natasha felt the weight on the mattress as Steve got in the bed beside her.

She then turned her head again to say to Steve, cheekily "I win Rogers."

Steve grinned to himself, as he now lay with his back to her.

"Enough Romanoff" he tried to say seriously but ended up chuckling, as did she, before silence fell upon the room.

...

Following a lazy lie in the next morning, Steve and Natasha headed into the centre of Washinton D.C. for a walk about and did a bit of shopping. Steve had nothing decent to wear to Stark's party, and Pepper had insisted on them all wearing formal attire, so Natasha set herself the task of helping Steve pick out a new suit. This was a lot more difficult than it looked, with some people starting to recognise the two Avengers as they moved from store to store. Steve even had chance to get Natasha something, whilst she had popped off quickly to get some things for herself.

Steve was sat in the corner of the food court, the cap on his head helping to cover his face and he was reading a newspaper. No one bothered him, until he heard a cough and he looked up to see Natasha stood there, holding a bag in one hand and giving him a quirky smile.

"Not going to buy a girl a coffee?"

Steve raised his eyebrows and made to get up, putting his paper down "Okay, as it's you. I'll be right back."

Natasha took a seat in a chair opposite Steve's. He had picked a good spot, it was out of the way from most other tables, and the food court wasn't even that busy considering it was mid-afternoon and the lunch time rush had eased off. A coffee was placed in front of Natasha minutes later, with Steve taking up his earlier seat.

"So, you got what you needed?"

"Yeah just some toiletries and stuff, needed to stock up before I head back off on my travels."

"Decided when that will be yet?" Steve asked, before taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Not yet" Natasha eyed Steve with a small smile "Trying to see if there are any reasons to stick around first."

Steve wasn't sure what she meant by that statement, but with the look on the Widow's face she wasn't going to give in to his questioning, so he decided to change the subject.

"Anyway, whilst you were gone" He reached under the table for the bag and placed it on the table in front of Natasha "I saw this and thought of you."

Natasha looked at Steve in confusion "What is it? Why are you getting me a present?"

"Just open it" Steve chuckled, now feeling rather nervous.

Natasha took the small black box out of the bag and opened it to reveal some stunning black diamond earrings.

"I know you don't wear much jewellery, but I thought they would go nice with your dress tonight. I've never heard of black diamonds before, but apparently they are like normal diamonds but at their most natural and toughest form. That just reminded me of you for some reason... it's stupid I know."

Natasha was genuinely touched, and gave a beaming smile at the Captain.

"It's not stupid. They're, they're beautiful Steve, thank-you. A very thoughful gift, one I really don't deserve."

"Why don't you let me decide that" Steve smiled sweetly at her.

"Thank-you" Natasha reached over and kissed Steve's cheek "I love them. And you're right, they will go perfectly with my dress."

Steve couldn't help but feel the slightest bit relieved, he thought Natasha would hate his choice of jewellery, after all he had never bought her any kind of present before and was not sure what she liked and what she didn't.

Following their coffee, they returned back to Steve's place not long later to get ready for the party. It was 6pm and Steve was now waiting for Natasha in the living-room, he had on a smart white shirt and was wearing a black suit and a navy tie and very smart shiny black shoes. Natasha soon appeared from his bedroom, dressed in a floor length black dress, which was a halter neck style and was completely backless. She had on the earrings that Steve had bought her and her flaming red hair was tied up in a very vintage style, pillar box red was her lipstick colour of choice. She had on stiletto black heels and walked towards her team mate with ease.

Her team mate in question looking stunned "Natasha!"

"Will I do?"

"Very much so" Steve coughed as he composed himself "You look amazing. And the earrings look great."

"Thank-you, I quite agree about the earrings. And I must say" Natasha said as she looked Steve up and down "You don't look so bad yourself, Captain" Natasha adjusted his tie for him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before smiling up at him "Come on then, we've got a party to go to."