The First Date
Steve paced the room, occasionally saying stuff like "I can't do this", "She's my best friend", "What would Bruce think?", and "What about Sharon?" That last one was the one that was bugging him the most. Sharon obviously had feelings for him, and he couldn't hide the fact that he shared those feelings. Sam sighed.
"Come on, Steve. Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, she's obviously had feelings towards you. Anyone can see that," He said, watching Steve pace the room. "And can you stop that? It's making me dizzy." Steve stood in place, but bounced on his heels.
"I've never been on a date, that's the problem," Steve said with a groan. "I haven't worn a suit like this since '45." He picked at the fancy dress Sam had him wear.
"Too bad. You have to impress her." He said. Steve made an incoherent noise, and sat down next to Sam, who was fiddling with a remote control.
"You'll be fine," Sam said. "Trust me." He said. Steve sighed.
"What's that?" He asked, pointing at the remote control. Sam grinned.
"This," He said, as if expecting Steve to ask about it. "Is my make-the-wings-come-out button." He said. Steve cocked an eyebrow at him.
"That's the name?"
"It's a work in progress," He mumbled. Steve chuckled. "Anyway, I can attach it almost anywhere on my exosuit. And, when I press the make-the-wings-come-out button, this happens." He attached it to the shoulder of his exosuit, stood up, and pushed the small button. Immediately, two metal wings exposed themselves from either side of the suit. Sam grinned.
"Cool, right?" He asked, looking at them.
"Yeah, it's pretty awesome. Although, you could use something like the magnets on my gloves to attach the button to your suit," He said, shrugging. "Just a suggestion." Sam scowled slightly.
"Damn it, Steve… I felt really good about this." He sighed.
"Sorry… it's cool, though." Steve said, smiling apologetically.
"Thanks. Good luck on your date." Sam said, clapping Steve on the shoulder as he walked to his room. Steve stood in the empty room, and sighed.
"Thanks…" He sat down, and started fiddling with his breast pocket.
A few minutes later, Natasha emerged from her room, Wanda at her side.
"You'll be fine," She was saying. "Don't worry." Natasha nodded, and walked down the stairs. Steve gasped when he saw her walking downstairs. She looked stunning, with her jet black dress, and her hair curled and around her shoulder. He was almost completely speechless. Almost.
"Hey." He said, as she got closer. She smiled at him.
"Hi, Rogers." She replied.
"Should we go?" He asked, not entirely sure what they were going to do on this date.
"Oh, yeah." She said, and they walked out the front door of HQ. She intertwined her fingers with his as they walked.
"Where do you want to go?" He asked looking around. She thought for a second, before gasping, indicating that she thought of something.
"There's a really nice place near here. It's… a steakhouse, I think." She said, grinning. Steve nodded, and continued walking.
"Why would you want to go on a date with me?" He asked, completely out of the blue.
"Well… because you're a nice guy, you aren't hard to look at, and… I just really like you, I guess…" She said, shrugging. Steve smiled at her.
"Is that it?" He asked.
"Oh, there are a million other reasons, but it would take me all night to list them." Natasha said, stifling laughter. Steve nodded, still smiling.
"Did Wanda set you up for this?" He asked.
"Yeah… did Sam set you up?" She replied.
"Yep." Steve said, nodding. She smiled at him, an eyebrow cocked.
"So, you didn't set yourself up for this?" She asked, smiling even wider. He remained silent.
"Oh my god, Steve! And you must've asked Wanda to ask me…" She said, more to herself than to him. He felt his face go red.
"I thought you were going out with Banner." He said.
"Uh-huh," She said, still smiling. "I'm sure that's the only reason."
"Speaking of Banner, did you dump him?" He asked, happy to steer the conversation in his favor. She nodded.
"Yeah… it wasn't working out. But," She said, grinning at him. "Now I can maybe go out with you. Maybe." Steve laughed.
"Maybe."
About twenty minutes later, they arrived at the restaurant. They walked inside, and immediately the smell of almost a hundred steaks overwhelmed them. Steve smiled, but there was still a question itching in the back of his brain.
"Why didn't we take the Quinjet?" He asked Natasha.
"Because, we might as well wear our uniforms. Everyone would know that it's Black Widow and Captain America, instead of Natasha Romanoff and Steve Rogers." She said, as if it was common knowledge. Steve simply nodded.
"Hiding in plain sight," He said, smiling slightly. "Just like the old days…" She laughed.
"Steve, we were in hiding a year ago. That's not "the old days". That would be a few years ago." She said, grinning at him.
"You knew what I meant."
"I know. I just like correcting you." She said with a grin. Steve rolled his eyes, and followed the waiter to their table. When he asked what they wanted to drink, Steve ordered a beer. Natasha ordered a Sprite, and looked at Steve in amazement.
"I never thought I'd see the day when Captain America would drink." She said. Steve smiled.
"I'm not a saint. I don't try to be." He said with an air of new confidence. She laughed.
"Sure, Steve." She said with a grin.
"Don't act like you're any better." He said, still smiling.
"I don't try to." She said as the drinks arrived. She thanked the waiter, and ordered their food.
"Hm… I'll have the 12oz. with… fries. Steve?"
"Oh, same." He said, handing the waiter his menu as she did the same.
"Thanks." She said, with a smile at the waiter. He blushed slightly and walked away. Steve laughed.
"Try not to use up your womanly charm before the nights over." He said before taking a drink. She smiled at him, and took a drink of her own.
"I just smiled. It's not my fault he creamed his pants." She said, barely holding back laughter. Steve wasn't holding up any better.
"How did you know?"
"Womanly senses." She said, the dam breaking with the last word, and a fit of giggles breaking out from both of them. They laughed for almost a minute straight, getting strange looks from the surrounding people.
"Oh my god, Nat." He said, wiping tears from his eyes. She let out a couple more giggles.
"What?" She asked, as if nothing had happened. Steve laughed again.
About thirty minutes later, their food arrived. Natasha thanked the waiter with another, slightly more flirtatious smile, making him blush even more as he walked away. Steve looked at her in disbelief.
"You can bring any man to his knees, you know that?" He asked, smiling.
"Yeah. It's fun." She replied simply, cutting into her steak. Steve grinned, and started cutting into his own. It was just as he had wanted it, medium rare. He took a piece and ate it, and immediately made a mental note to come here more often. It was possibly the best steak he had ever had. Natasha looked at him, and laughed.
"You okay, Steve?" She asked with a smile.
"Never better, Nat." He answered. She took a bite of her own, and made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a moan. Steve almost choked on his steak.
"You're worse than that waiter. Do you need a change of pants?" He asked, grinning. She immediately blushed.
"What?"
"You… enjoying that steak?"
"Y-yeah…?"
"Oh, seemed like it, given that you just moaned when you ate it." He said, still smiling. She blushed even more.
"Steve!" She said, obviously about to laugh. He took another bite of his steak to stop the eventual giggling fit.
"Я не знаю, почему я тебя люблю..." She mumbled.
"What was that?" Steve asked with a smile.
"I do not know why I love you..." She said, even quieter. Steve gaped at her.
"You… love me?" He asked in a whisper. She sighed.
"Yes, Steve, I love you. I thought that was obvious." She said, her face red. Steve smiled.
"Why are you so embarrassed?"
"Because, I've never told anyone I've loved them. You're the first, and maybe only, person I really love." She said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Steve nodded, and continued eating his steak.
"Je t'aime aussi." He said, smiling. Natasha looked at him in bewilderment.
"What?"
"I love you too."