Captain Steve Rogers stepped out of the helicopter on to the deck of the helicarrier, squinting lightly in the bright sunlight. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phillip Coulson offered him yet another handshake. "Captain Rogers, welcome aboard."
"Thank you." Coulson was a decent man but his hero worship made Steve slightly uncomfortable.
Coulson turned slightly, his arm indicating back and to the left of Steve, "This is Agent Natasha Romanoff."
"Hello, Captain Rogers." The voice was feminine, sultry, smoky. Steve turned and found himself looking down into an intoxicating lovely face. She was petite yet curvy with flaming red hair, a kissable, full mouth and green eyes full of mischief and wariness.
"Ma'am", was all he could manage as she boldly looked him up and down. He felt a blush climbing up his face from her frank appraisal.
Coulson hurried off after Natasha delivered the news that he was needed elsewhere.
"Dr. Banner, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Steve had a momentary reprieve from Natasha's piercing emerald regard after spotting Bruce Banner navigating the flight deck.
Natasha began an impromptu briefing in that husky, smoky voice of hers. Steve was busy taking in his surroundings while trying not to stare at his lovely Russian guide. He'd seen plenty of beautiful women in his day, Peggy Carter being one of them. Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, was something for the books. Her red hair glowed in the sunlight; her green eyes missed nothing; her petite figure made him ache with the desire to hold her in his arms, and her voice sent shivers down his spine.
Chronologically, he was 90; physically, he appeared 27, the age he'd been when he went into the ice; psychologically, he was an ego-less expert tactician and strategist- the serum in hie veins had boosted not just his physical body but his intellect as well. He cared about people and he cared deeply. Beautiful women, however, made him nervous. Natasha was no exception there.
Since he'd been rescued or rather, thawed out, six months ago, he'd been trying to catch up with the decades. 1945 had been a good year for American pride and victory. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to be rescued a lot sooner and having his dance with Peggy. The super soldier serum had insulated, repaired and guarded his body while it healed in the suspended animation of the ice. No other human could have survived that crash. He was well aware he was a man out of time who was now trying to make up for lost time by doing the only thing he'd ever wanted to do: serve his country and its people. Now he was in command of...what exactly, he didn't know. The Avengers Initiative had been explained thoroughly in the documents Nick Fury had sent over. He'd now met two of his team, and wondered how he was going to bring them all together.
Bruce and Natasha joined him in watching the massive ship transform itself into a flying carrier. Bruce's remark about this being an aircraft was "so much worse" was not lost on Steve. His job was to protect Banner, as he would protect the rest of his new team while they completed their mission. He made certain Banner knew he didn't care about rumors, only performance.
Natasha beckoned them to follow her into the ship. As she walked, she cast a quick glance over her shoulder and noticed the straight laced Captain checking out her ass. A wry smirk twisted the corner of her mouth. Oh, this is going to be fun, she thought to herself.
She'd read his file, like she'd read the files of all the new people coming on board the helicarrier. Steven Grant Rogers was more than just Captain America. Whatever had been in that super soldier serum had not changed the quality of the man inside the now gorgeous body. He had been honest, ethical, even noble, all along. The serum simply amplified what he had and wrapped it in a bigger, healthier, breathtaking package. Seducing him would be a pleasure.
Steve adjusted his longer stride behind the petite Agent Romanoff. He allowed himself a quick glance at her figure as she walked ahead of him and Bruce Banner. At six feet four inches tall, he towered over both of them. Banner was just shy of six feet while the woman was closer to five foot two. Black jeans which would have been scandalously tight back in his day hugged her curves. Her leather jacket was short enough to give him an enticing view of her hourglass figure. He sighed, wondering if he would ever fit into this time frame and with today's modern women. On the quinjet, Phil Coulson had told him that maybe a little "old fashioned" might be just what this group needed. Steve hoped he was the right man for the job.
Things weren't happening fast enough for Natasha Romanoff. She was more keyed up than she had been in awhile, mostly because Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye, was still M.I.A. and apparently under the spell of that Asgardian, Loki. She chewed on her plush lower lip absently while she changed into her Black Widow catsuit. Keyed up and edgy didn't suit the cool Russian spy at all. What to do for a distraction before the shit hit the proverbial fan? A small smile quirked up the corner of her mouth. Maybe she could find some amusement in stirring things up with Captain Rogers.
Steve stood looking at his new uniform. Was he ready for this? With all the technology and firepower surrounding him, he couldn't imagine what kind of use he could be. He was a soldier, a leader and expert tactician; in World War II he had been a hero. He doubted they really needed his skill set now. As he dressed, he hoped this would not be another publicity stunt using Captain America while the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. did the actual fighting.
As he exited the changing room, shield on his left arm, he unexpectedly collided with Natasha Romanoff. He'd been looking straight ahead when suddenly his free arm was full of squirming, slinky Black Widow. She tossed her fiery locks out of her face and steadied herself against his solid form. The skintight black catsuit she was wearing did everything to enhance her curves and nothing to stop his embarrassment. He was glad the uniform he wore was made from sterner stuff than his trousers. He wouldn't have been able to hide his attraction to her.
"I'm so sorry, Captain Rogers, I wasn't looking where I was going. Thank you for not creaming me with your shield." Her very green eyes crinkled at the edges as she looked up at him. Her sultry voice stirred things in him that he thought long dormant.
Steve held her for a moment more to make certain she was steady on her feet. He'd caught her completely by reflex. "You're welcome, ma'am."
To his horror, he felt himself blushing under her direct stare as she looked him up and down. "Let's grab a coffee later," Natasha suggested in her smoky tone. "I'd love to help get you caught up on everything you've been missing." Steve nodded as she patted his bicep and stepped away. He watched her sashaying down the corridor and blushed again when she looked over her shoulder and gave him a suggestive wink.
Ninety years old and I still can't interact with a beautiful woman, Steve fretted as he continued to the quinjet. Once inside, he realized that Natasha was sitting the in co-pilot seat. She turned, gave him a lopsided smirk and a nod then turned her attention back to the controls.
As he was preparing to engage the threat in Stuttgart, Natasha's sultry tones got his attention again. "Be careful out there, Cap," she said, "This guy is Asgardian; essentially a god."
"There's only one God, ma'am," Steve retorted, surprising himself, "and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." He leaped from the plane to the sound of her laughter.
He was just adorable, Natasha decided. Quick witted and apparently not intimidated by her...well, not much anyway. With still no word from Clint or his whereabouts, her unease ratcheted up another notch. Once Rogers was back on the plane and then the helicarrier, she could direct her attention his way until Clint returned or was found.
After capturing Loki, twice, the partially assembled Avengers were back aboard the helicarrier, arguing about what to do with him. Thor, an unexpected new recruit was making an impassioned statement about the Tesseract and its power while his brother was sealed in the brig they'd built for Banner.
Bruce, Tony and Nick Fury were batting opinions back and forth. Thor was pacing with large strides in front of the large table. Steve sat very still, he looked aggravated but seemed to be unsure whether to jump into the fight since he had no idea of the technicalogical aspects they were talking about. Natasha, already edgy, was getting more fed up by the minute and was not wholly paying attention to what the point of the argument was. At the moment, she was trying to locate Clint via old school spy methods on her tablet.
"Natasha!" Fury's voice cut through her thinking, making her jump.
"What the hell, Nick?" She glowered at him.
"Have you found Agent Barton yet?" He snapped back.
"If I fucking knew where he was, I would have told you by now!" She spat the words at him. Next to her, Steve's eyebrows shot up at her audacity. His eyes flicked back and forth between her and Nick Fury who now looked like a thundercloud.
"Watch your attitude, Romanoff," Fury growled, "you're an insubordinate pain in the ass. Knock it off or I'll have Captain Rogers put you over his knee. They used to do that to smart asses back in his time."
Phil Coulson leaned over Steve's shoulder, and added in a loud stage whisper, "See? A little old fashioned might be just what this group needs."
"And fuck you, too, Phil," Natasha snapped.
Fury turned to Steve while pointing at Natasha, "See that? That is your problem now."
Steve could feel the blush on his face and tried to avoid eye contact with everybody at the table. He wanted very much to get to know the beautiful redhead. Somehow, he didn't think spanking her would be a good way to do that. Natasha did nothing to help matters.
"Don't tease me like that, Nick. You know I'm not that easy." She threw a quick wink and a grin to Steve who'd made the mistake of looking at her as she spoke. He blushed harder.
Nick pointed to Steve, "Keep it up, Little Red. He is fully authorized to paddle your butt."
"I would actually pay to see that," Tony interjected. "Let me know if you need any help, Captain. I know all her best hiding places."
Natasha flipped Stark off and went back to Clint-watch on her tablet.
"I am certain that Agent Romanoff and I won't have any problems," Steve said in his warm baritone, earning him a beaming smile from Natasha.
"Can we please focus on something other than spanking Natasha?" That was from Bruce who was getting very frustrated with how things were going.
"Some of us were enjoying the discussion and the prospect," Tony smirked.
Fury rounded on Stark, "You know what Tony? You could use a little discipline from Captain America too. Cap? If these two get out of line, bend 'em over your knee. The rest of us won't interfere."
Steve was wondering not for the first time, what the hell he had gotten himself into.