Honest Domesticity
Avengers fic
Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.
Spoilers/Set: Avengers Assemble & Captain America The Winter Soldier. Set pre Avengers Age of Ultron, but post CA Winter Soldier.
Summary: Natasha is hurt on a mission and it's almost her birthday. Can Steve and Natasha be honest with themselves that they aren't just team mates to each other anymore.
Honest Domesticity
The team of Avengers were fighting off midnight black flying Kinrets in the depths of the Canadian Wilderness, the alien species had partially destroyed a local town and were on the outskirts of another. Stark and Thor were the ones monitoring and fighting off the ones at the perimeters of the Kinrets lair. Hawkeye was up in the trees shooting arrows at the ones who had chosen to fly, but could also target the ones on the ground if necessary. Whilst Captain America and Black Widow were fighting the ones nearby on the ground. Hulk had been causing more damage to the wilderness himself, so had been sent a bit further away from the team, to catch any rogue ones that Stark could see from the sky.
"Stark, how we looking up top?" yelled Steve over the coms, as he dodged a jet beam of light coming towards him.
"Better!" Stark answered "They have slowed down a bit, but still coming steadily. Thor's doing most of the donkey work with the hammer and lightning."
Thor looked a little baffled "Donkey? What is donkey?"
Stark sighed "Have you not read that animal book we got you yet?!"
"Guys we haven't got time for a lesson in old McDonald had a farm right now!" Natasha shouted over the coms.
"Alright, alright, Miss Temper! Chill out!" Stark joked back to her, safe in the knowledge that she couldn't hurt him from the few miles he was from the master assassin.
Steve saw Natasha about to retaliate, but he gave her a stern look and much to his own surprise she backed down, and Cap said calmly.
"Nat, it's not worth it."
Natasha nodded and then ran at a Kinret that attempted to charge her, and she knocked it out with one of her batons. Steve battled another with his shield and with one swift hit of his shield, the Kinret was down. He shot a quick glance around to check for any more in his vicinity, only for another Kinret to come up from behind a tree and shoot a jet of light out of it's mouth, straight at Natasha. The Black Widow saw it and dodged it, but was not quite quick enough and it caught her ankle. She keeled over in a scream of pain.
"Natasha!" Steve cried, and quickly hurried over to her.
Hawkeye, also spotting what had happened, shot an arrow right at the Kinret that had attacked her. Killing it dead.
"Nat, come on talk to me" Steve said, as Natasha was sat on the floor clutching at her ankle, tears dripping down her face.
"Steve…" she said in barely a scared whisper, before she passed out cold and Steve caught her before she hit the ground.
"Natasha?" he tried to wake her up but to no avail. "Natasha's down" Steve told the team over the coms. "Clint! How we doing, is there any more of them near us?"
Hawkeye gave another glance around the area, where he could see Steve cradling Natasha below.
"No we're clear for now. I'll get the quinjet started up."
"Thank-you" Steve said to him before addressing the others "Stark, Thor, I want you both and Banner to stay here and fight the rest of them off, Clint and I will take Natasha back to base."
"Not a problem" Stark replied "Is Nat okay?"
"She's still breathing, she's just out cold and her ankle looks broken to me. Are you sure you're going to be okay? I'll send an emergency quinjet to come and get you guys, and with a back-up team if needed."
"Shouldn't be a problem, Steve" Thor told him "What about Banner?"
"Just keep an eye on him, let him know what's happening. Any problems let us know and me and Clint will come back. Stark, I hate saying this but I'm leaving you in charge. But Thor, make sure he doesn't step out of line."
Thor chuckled "I will keep a watch on Stark."
"Hey, I can be a serious leader when needed y'know" Stark stressed.
Thor reassured Steve "We'll be fine, there's not many of them left now. We've got this under control."
Hawkeye interrupted them over the coms, now from the quinjet.
"Steve, the quinjet is ready. Can you bring Natasha here? I won't be able to land this thing close to you guys without destroying some of this forest."
"Yeah we'll be there now" Steve carefully lifted his friend from the ground.
Natasha was still unconscious, and Steve ran as fast as he could to the clearing with her in his arms, dodging the odd jet of light from the Kinrets that were still targeting them.
He got Natasha onto the quinjet and they took off, Steve now securing Natasha onto the stretcher and watching her for any sign of consciousness.
Within twenty minutes, Natasha's eyes fluttered open to see Steve's bright blue eyes staring worriedly back at her.
"Steve?" she whispered quietly.
"Hey, you're awake" Steve said lovingly, gazing down at her from where he was standing next to her stretcher.
"What…what happened?" Natasha asked with confusion on her face, seconds before the pain of her ankle kicked in and she winced.
"You were hit in the ankle, and you passed out. Clint and I are taking you back to the tower."
Natasha made to sit up, but her head was still aching so she quickly decided against it.
"Why? I could've stayed on the jet until we got rid of all those Kinret things."
"Well you passed out, and you were hit with a weapon that is non-human in origin and it managed to break you ankle, so I'm not taking any chances."
Natasha gave him a small smile "You're too good to me, Steve. Thank-you. I don't deserve it."
"Why don't you let me be the judge of that, eh?" Steve said softly, smiling at her reassuringly.
Natasha smiled back up at him, and took hold of Steve's hand, which he had had resting on the stretcher she was lying on. Steve looked at her in surprise at her action, but he was content in holding her hand if that is what made her feel better.
The two of them still continuing to smile at each other, and their holding hands, had not gone un-noticed by Clint, who had heard and seen the whole exchange, as he had turned around from piloting the quinjet.
He gave a cough "Uh, guys, we're not too far from the tower. Medical is waiting for our arrival, how're you feeling Nat?"
Natasha and Steve broke their eye contact, but remained holding hands.
"Head is still a bit fuzzy, and my ankle is killing. Are there any painkillers I can have?"
Steve left her to find the medical supplies, and got her some medication to relieve the pain. Natasha had taken Steve's hand again after the medication had kicked in, before then dozing for the remainder of their journey. Steve sitting in a seat next to her, watching her quietly as she slept. Steve knew she was going to be okay, but he couldn't stop worrying about her. Maybe a little too much he thought, but he couldn't help himself.
Clint signalled their arrival a while later, and the medical team got Natasha into the medical bay of the Avengers tower. Steve still holding onto Natasha's hand as they wheeled her on the stretcher and into the tower. He let go as soon as she was inside, and he instructed Clint to go with her, whilst he got an evacuation jet sent to pick up the rest of the team.
...
Upon his arrival at the medical bay a while later, Steve saw Natasha sat up on the edge of the examination table. She was in the room on her own and she gave a smile as he walked in.
"Hey, you alright? What's the verdict?" Steve asked, before closing the door behind him and walking over to stand in front of her.
Natasha shrugged "Broken ankle, a few scratches and bruises, nothing serious. Got to keep this cast on for a while for it to heal" she motioned to her left ankle.
"What about the Kinret jet that hit your ankle, it's not done any other damage to you?" Steve looked concerned.
Natasha shook her head "No, the jet shattered my ankle bone completely, it was just such a powerful electrical jet that the pain of that made me faint. But don't ever tell Stark I passed out from just pain, he won't let me hear the end of it."
Steve sat next to her on the examination table, a sympathetic look on his face.
"Since when do you start paying any attention to what Stark says to you, eh?"
Natasha looked glum "I don't normally, but since I'm in a cast and I'm also going to be using these for a week while the bone heals" she pointed to the set of crutches leant up against the bed "He's going to lay it on like a trowel."
Steve put his hand on her back gently "I'll deal with Tony, don't you worry. And before you say anything, you are off any missions for at least a month now whilst you heal properly."
"Oh Steve, come on!" Natasha moaned, turning to him "Jill says it'll only take a week for the bone to heal completely, you know how the technology is now with Bruce and his team working wonders. I'll be fine after then. I can't take a month off!"
"Yes you can, and you will. Captain's orders." He tried not to laugh as Natasha gave a huff of annoyance. "Come on, don't you want to get some rest and have some down time?"
"No" Natasha said simply, in the annoyed tone of a grumpy teenager.
Steve couldn't help but laugh this time "Come on, I'll help you to your floor and it's bed rest for you, Romanoff."
Natasha stood up and started to get used to her crutches to get her around. Once Steve got her to the lift, she stressed she would be fine on her own and went to her floor to go and get some rest.
…
An hour or so later, Steve was busy talking to Maria Hill, when they saw the rescue quinjet arrive back at the tower. Stark, Banner and Thor all walked out looking rather battered and bruised, but all still walking with ease, with no apparent injuries.
"What's the update guys?" Steve asked.
"The Kinrets have been eliminated, none to be found anywhere. Jarvis scanned the area thoroughly and there are none left alive. So I think that's a job well done" Stark said with a grin on his face "I think a whisky is in order!"
"Hold fire a second, Tony" Maria told him, tablet in hand "We need to talk through the clean up operation first."
Tony groaned "Oh do we have to do that now?"
Everyone laughed, before Maria continued "Yes we do, Steve's informed me of everything he can, but as you guys were the last ones there, I need to complete the report."
"I will gladly assist you, Hill" Thor told her "But firstly what of Natasha? What calls of her medical status?"
"Oh yes, I must see how Red is first" Tony made to rush off to find her, but Steve held him back.
"Oh no you don't! Natasha is okay, she's broken her ankle and is resting in her room." Steve then directed his next words more towards Tony than to Bruce or Thor "So you do not disturb her, okay? She's got a cast on her ankle and she will be on crutches for a week. So don't you go making fun of her, Stark. I mean it."
"Me? Make fun of her?" Tony looked stunned at the suggestion "What would make you think I'd do that?"
Steve just raised his eyebrows, and said firmly "Just leave her be, she needs to rest."
Stark smirked and folded his arms as he said to the Avengers leader "You're getting rather over-protective of Natasha lately, Cap. People will start talking y'know."
This tactic didn't work on Steve, who continued with his firm tone of voice to Tony.
"Just go with Hill, or I'll let Pepper know you are picking on Natasha."
A look of horror spread over Tony's face, before he instantly smiled at Maria and made her walk with him, quickly beginning to talk about the mission.
The other guys laughed, as they watched the two of them walk away.
"Very well done Steve" remarked Thor "I need to remember to use Pepper as his last warning. It worked very well indeed."
"It works every single time" laughed Steve.
...
It was now early evening and Steve, Tony, Bruce, Clint, Thor, Maria, and even Pepper, who was now home from work, were all sat around the living-room a few minutes in to watching a movie. They were all eating pizza that they had ordered, as well as drinking beers and having a good laugh.
The laughter was soon interrupted by Thor's loud voice, when he saw a certain red-headed assassin coming down the stairs.
"Natasha has risen!"
Everyone looked towards the stairs, and saw Natasha coming to join them all. She was now wearing her pyjamas, consisting of a black vest top and black shorts, her flaming short red hair left down. She was trying her best to make her way down the stairs, using her one hand on the banister to steady herself, and the other holding both crutches, as she tried to hop on her good foot down the steps. She seemed to be struggling a bit, but was trying her best to hide it.
Steve had been sitting with his back to the stairs, but as soon as he had heard Thor call out Natasha's name, he had turned around to see her heading their way. He automatically got up and said "Here, Nat, let me help you."
Natasha was barely three steps down onto the stairs, when Steve came up and helped her for a couple more. Then he said "Here, stand still a second."
Steve put the crutches down that he had been holding for her, and Natasha gave a slight frown as to what Steve was planning.
And much to everyone's surprise, including Natasha who squealed in shock, Steve scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the stairs.
"Steve, you don't need to carry me!" Natasha half protested and half laughed.
"You really are a true gentleman, Steve" Pepper told him sweetly, much to Tony's eye rolling. Steve couldn't be any more predictable if he tried.
Steve placed Natasha gently down on the spare seat on the sofa next to him, then went back up the stairs to get her crutches and brought them to the living area, chucking them on the floor nearby. He put a spare cushion on the coffee table and moved it slightly closer to Natasha, lifting her broken ankle gently and placing it on the cushion so she was comfy, before he took his seat next to her on the sofa.
"Thank-you" Natasha smiled lovingly at the Avengers leader, touching his leg for the briefest moment, before he handed her a beer.
"Question" Stark raised with Steve "If I broke my ankle, would you be as attentive to me as you're being with Romanoff?"
"No, for the main reason that I like Natasha more than you" Steve joked with a cheeky smirk.
Tony pretended to look hurt, as the rest of the team laughed, and Pepper patted Tony's arm sweetly and kissed his cheek, which perked him up immensely.
"How're you feeling now?" Bruce asked Natasha, drawing the attention back to their injured team member.
"Yeah a lot better thanks, I needed that sleep it seems. Why didn't you guys wake me?"
"Steve warned us off" Tony sulked.
"Correction, I warned you off" Steve said, taking a swig of his own beer.
"Hey, I was just as concerned as everyone else" Tony attempted to say sincerely, but failed miserably.
Maria laughed "You just wanted to get away from helping with the final report!"
"That doesn't surprise me at all!" Natasha said sarcastically, as she took the slice of pizza that Steve had handed to her "But I'm on the mend guys, and now I just want to eat my pizza in peace and watch whatev…oh god not Titanic again!"
"Pepper's choice!" Tony shouted loudly, pointing at the woman in question sat next to him on the sofa.
Pepper hit him lightly on the arm "Hey, you know I love this movie, and it's my night to pick, so shut it."
Tony looked stunned "It was Widow complaining not me, why are you having a go at me?!"
"Just easier" Pepper laughed, as did the others, before she turned to Natasha "Sorry Nat, do you want me to pick something else?"
"No, it's okay. I'll probably fall asleep to whatever we watch anyway, not feeling all that alert."
The movie progressed, the pizza was eaten and the alcohol was drunk as the night wore on. Everyone had been crying at some stage of the film, even Natasha who snuck a tissue off Steve, who was the only one who had noticed she was crying. He put his arm around her and she leaned in to him to continue watching the film after that. Everyone noticed this at some point, and a smile lit up their faces at seeing them like this. By the end of the film, Natasha was true to her own prediction, as she had indeed fallen fast asleep, and had remained that way for the last half an hour of the film. She would learn to later regret this, as she missed the opportunity of seeing Tony in a flood of tears at the infamous driftwood scene.
As the credits rolled, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Pepper, can we not watch that again for a long while? I can't cope!" Bruce told her, as he was wiping his eyes.
"Oh you big cry baby!" Tony joked to his best friend, who was sat next to him.
"You're a fine one to talk Tony, you cried more than me!" Pepper laughed, before she had a look at Natasha cuddled right up to Steve, her head resting in the crook of his neck as she slept. Steve with his arm around her.
"Aww look at her, bless her. She must still be so tired, has she been asleep long?" Pepper asked Steve.
Steve gazed down briefly at Natasha, sleeping peacefully, before looking up to answer Pepper in a whisper "Almost half an hour I'd say."
"Do you want me to help her to bed?" Pepper continued.
"No, it's okay I'll deal with her" Steve reassured her.
"Right then, bed time I think" Stark said as he got up off the sofa "But not before…" he got out his phone and quickly took a picture of Natasha and Steve in their very cute couple position on the sofa, before hurrying out of the room as Steve threatened to chuck him off the Avengers tower if he didn't delete the photo. Pepper promised Steve she would have a word with Tony, as she too left the room.
Maria then headed on home, before Thor and Bruce bid everyone goodnight too, both of them left as quietly as they could so as not to wake their sleeping Avenger team mate. As the boys left, Steve gently tried to wake Natasha, who eventually woke up and groaned at being awoken, and tried to snuggle closer to Steve, before realising that she was indeed cuddling up to Captain America, and she sat up with a blush on her cheeks.
"Oh, Steve, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep against you."
Steve chuckled "It's okay, come on everyone's gone to bed. Think you ought to as well."
"Yeah he's right" Clint told her, as he too got up off one of the other sofas in the room.
Natasha rubbed her eyes in tiredness "Could you pass me my crutches?"
Steve gave Natasha her crutches and she got up off the sofa, and became unbalanced and fell back onto the sofa. All three of them laughed.
"I had two beers! I swear I'm not drunk" Natasha laughed in slight frustration "This lack of an ankle thing is difficult to get used to!"
"Tell you what, I'll carry you if you want?" Steve offered, even surprising himself at his offer "But this will be the last time, I won't make a habit of it."
Natasha laughed "You don't have to Steve, I can do it myself."
"Go on Nat, you're tired enough already" Clint urged, as he came closer to them both "Save you using the crutches trying to get up the stairs and all the way over to the lifts."
Natasha sighed as she guessed Clint made a fair point, and for once she was too tired to argue.
"Alright, just this last time. But don't say anything to anyone else, or I'll be the laughing stock of the team for many weeks!"
"Don't worry, they'd more likely make fun of me for it than you anyway" Steve told her, as he stood up from the sofa "Come on then Romanoff, off we go!" Steve said with a grin, as he picked Natasha up into his arms, and walked off.
Clint following in their wake with the crutches in his hands.
"At least I can skip weight training in the morning now" Steve said jokingly, and Natasha hit him slightly on the chest. She could hear Clint laughing behind them at Steve's remark.
"Oi! Don't you be taking notes off Clint and Stark! I won't have you being influenced by them, don't lower yourself to their level."
"Oh thank-you very much" Clint added, dripping in sarcasm. "That'll never happen anyway, Steve is too much of a gentleman. He's old school, we can't mould him to be like me or Stark. Believe me we've tried."
"Just shut it the pair of you" Steve chuckled "We're almost at your floor now."
Once they reached Natasha's floor, Steve put Natasha carefully onto her bed and she smiled up at him.
"Thank-you Steve, I appreciate how helpful you've been to me today." She took his hand "We really have got the best team leader."
Steve smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek "Thank-you, and you're very welcome. If you have any problems in the night or whatever, let me know, okay?"
"Will do" Natasha smiled, giving his hand a slight squeeze "Goodnight."
"Night Natasha, sweet dreams."
Steve left the room, with Hawkeye now stood in the doorway, he also said goodnight to the Black Widow and he put the crutches next to her bed so she could reach them, before he closed the door and caught up to Steve at the lifts.
"Y'know, it's very sweet" Clint said, with a knowing smile on his face.
"What is?" Steve looked confused.
"You and Natasha."
"What do you mean?" Steve wondered with a baffled look, as they got into the lift and pressed the buttons for their respective floors.
"I mean you two have been all lovey-dovey for weeks now, and what happened today has only added to that. When are you going to admit you like her?"
"I don't like her…not in the way you think anyway."
"Oh come on Steve, I know I'm a bit dense about these kind of things, but this is so obvious! And for the record, I think you'd be great together."
Clint smiled, and gave a wink at the Avengers leader as he got out of the lift to his floor.
Leaving Captain America still in the lift, with a dumbfounded look on his face.
…