Disclaimer: Everything belongs to MARVEL. I'm just playing for a little bit with their kids.
Tumblr said that today is RomanogersDay so…
Natasha Romanoff was currently enjoying her day off. Her good mood hadn't been dampened even by the overcast skies and Steve Rogers, her partner, was in the process of getting her coffee and doughnuts from the bakery down the block that they both liked. The co-leaders of the Avengers had formed a particularly tight bond since they met and that bond had only grown stronger with time. Now that they were co-leading the New Avengers the relationship was jokingly compared to a marriage by everyone in their acquaintance.
Natasha pondered that comparison along with the feelings she knew she had developed for the super soldier and she longingly thought about what could be. A relationship with Steve would be different from any she had been in before, and although she definitely wanted him, she knew without a doubt that she wasn't good enough for him. Steve deserved someone who was as good as him, someone who could give him a family, not someone whose hands were dripping in blood like hers were. It was why she had decided long ago that there could be nothing more than just friendship between them, even if her heart physically hurt every time she imagined him with someone else.
"This is the last time I'm stopping to get you coffee, I hope you know that," Steve's voice came from the lifts and interrupted her sad thoughts.
Natasha smirked, "That's what you said last time."
"Well this time I mean it. That same barista from the last time was there, she won't take no for an answer."
"Maybe you should go out on that date with her," Natasha said with a fake smile.
"No thanks."
Natasha rolled her eyes and grabbed the hot coffee cup he was holding out to her, taking a moment to inhale its sweet aroma, "You know you can't keep saying no to everyone."
"Why not? I've got nothing in common with half of the women who've hit on me lately and I barely know the others."
"And you can't get to know them while out on a date?"
"Nat," he sighed, exasperated, "you and I know that Lorraine from the coffeeshop doesn't really have 'getting to know each other' as part of her date."
The spy snorted, "Well… she kind of does. It's just not the kind of getting to know each other you'd be comfortable with."
Steve groaned which made her laugh loudly, "I let myself open for that one, didn't I?"
"You did, soldier. I'm disappointed, I expected more from such a great tactician as you."
Steve rolled his eyes and pushed her shoulder playfully. She retaliated by punching his arm and then laughed when the soldier held his arm as if in pain.
"Where is everyone?"
"Where do you think? You gave them the day off and cloudy skies weren't enough of a deterrent. Sam is out with Wanda, showing her more of New York according to him; Rhodey went to visit his family and Vision is with Stark if I'm not mistaken. So you're stuck with me."
"What a horrible fate," Steve joked as he smiled widely at her.
Natasha raised her eyebrow, "I could leave and let you spend the day off alone, but I'd feel bad about doing that to someone of your advanced age."
"You don't have much room to talk there, grandma," Steve retaliated.
"I hate you," she said simply, grumpy about the fact that he wouldn't let her real brith date go.
"You hate the person who stopped and got you your favorite drink and snack?"
She rolled her eyes at him again, "It would be a crime if you let me starve. I can just imagine the headlines in the paper All American Hero Let's Teammate Die of Hunger or something like that."
"I hardly think you would've starved."
"Well there's no way of knowing now because you brought me food. And anyway, what do you have planned for us for today?"
"I was thinking we could run a simulation for a training drill I wanna put the kids through," Steve said seriously and she gaped at him.
"Steve no…" whatever else she was going to say got interrupted by the Captain's laughter and Natasha knew she'd fallen for his terrible joke.
"I hate you," she said glumly.
"No you don't," he replied in between laughs, "but you should've seen your face." Steve said still laughing.
"You're mean."
Steve stopped chuckling, "I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd actually believe that."
"Why not? You love training."
"Well, yeah but I also love spending time with you and we all deserve a break. However I'm not telling you what we're doing."
"Then how am I supposed to get dressed?"
"Just wear something casual, preferably jeans."
Natasha frowned trying to figure out what he had planed but gave up and headed to her room to change out of the AVENGERS pajama set she was wearing. They had been a gift from Tony probably meant to annoy her but the thing was comfy as shit and she used them a lot. When she got to her room, the spy did as the soldier asked and changed into black skinny jeans and a blue t-shirt with Captain America's shield stamped on it. That had also been a gift but this time from Wanda who had taken it upon herself to also find a t-shirt for Steve with the Black Widow's hourglass symbol stamped in the front. Where the younger woman had found the shirts was a mystery but Natasha loved wearing hers and she enjoyed it immensely when Steve wore his. The spy pulled her once again long hair up into a ponytail and then went back to the living room to find Steve already there and dressed.
The super soldier was wearing the shirt Wanda had gifted him and it made her giggle when she saw that, "Hoping that wearing my symbol will keep you safe?"
"Maybe, you ready to go?"
She nodded yes and they got in the lift and down they went to the parking level.
"You know if I didn't know any better, I'd think you're taking me out to the woods to dispose of me," she joked once they neared his motorcycle.
Steve rolled his eyes, "As if it were that easy to lure the Black Widow into a trap."
"Some of the people we go up against think it is."
"Yeah well, most of them are idiots and you soon point out the error of their ways to them."
"That I do," she said with a smile as she got on the bike behind him and clasped her arms around his waist.
The second she was secure, he sped out of the garage and Natasha couldn't help but giggle at the feeling of the wind whipping against her face and playing with her hair. After a while of riding, Steve slowed to a stop in front of a ranch with beautiful horses running free.
Natasha gasped, "Did you bring me horseback riding? I haven't been on a horse in too long."
"I know. You told me that the last time we were at Barton's farm."
The spy grinned widely at him, not at all surprised that he'd remembered something she'd said so long ago and touched that he'd done this for her.
"Come on," he said tugging gently on her hand, "I know you want to go out for a ride and I already cleared it with the owner."
Natasha couldn't wipe the grin off her face and she was sure she looked like a lunatic but in that moment she didn't care. "You didn't have to do this."
"I know, I wanted to."
She let herself be pulled to the stable were there were even more horses happily munching on hay or drinking water or just staring at them curiously.
"You can pick which one of them you want to ride, lass, they're all quite spirited but gentle at the same time," came a gruff voice from one end of the stable.
"Nat, this is Charles, he's the owner of the ranch. Charles this is Natasha," Steve said introducing the two.
Natasha smiled in the direction of the sweet old owner of the stable, "Thanks for letting us come here," she said.
"It was nothing, lass. Steve here saved my father a long time ago. This was the least I could do."
Saying that the old man moved away and to the house that connected to the stable leaving Steve and Natasha alone with the horses.
"So do you know who you're riding?" Steve asked after she'd spent a few minutes admiring all the horses.
Natasha turned with a smile and nodded, walking toward a pure white mare with a single black spot in the middle of her forehead. The spy caressed the animal's neck softly and the mare snickered in pleasure. Steve smiled widely at the two, "Her name is Athena and she's quite smart."
Natasha got on the horse after whispering a few things to her to get her comfortable with her presence, and before long Steve and her were riding through the countryside. They spent about two hours with breaks riding through the fields and having fun with racing each other before they decided to stop to give the horses a longer break and also to eat the picnic lunch that Steve had apparently arranged for them. The chosen spot was very pretty and Natasha couldn't help but appreciate Steve's eye for detail.
"You hungry?"
"Starving," she answered.
He pulled her toward the picnic blanket which was sitting innocently in front of the lake. Once they sat, Steve started taking things out of their picnic basket. They ate their food as they talked and joked easily as it always was between them. The overcast skies never dampened the mood of the two Avengers who sat underneath a tree looking out on the beauty that surrounded them. The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming in the lake as the horses watched them. When the light from the sun started to fade, the two knew it was time to return to the stable. After they had returned the horses and thanked Charles once more they went back to Steve's bike.
"Did you have fun?"
"I did," Natasha said softly, a gentle smile on her lips.
"I'm glad. Maybe we can do this again sometime soon."
"Definitely," the spy said.
Steve smiled broadly and Natasha couldn't resist kissing his cheek softly, "Thanks."
"You're welcome."
And there, in the middle of a ranch in upstate New York as twilight fell all around them, Natasha Romanoff came to the conclusion that maybe she really could love Steve Rogers despite her past.