Chapter II
Not that he would ever admit it but Steve was really tempted to pick up Wanda from her dancing class next week but he still didn't know his mother's plans and he didn't want to add gasoline to the fire. His ma hadn't mentioned
Natasha to him at all since Wanda had started the class a couple of weeks ago and that alone now made him suspicious. Why didn't she tell him how beautiful and amazing Natasha was? Not that he was interested in her. He barely knew her and he wasn't looking for a girlfriend. He'd just never seen such a beautiful woman before and he wasn't blind, okay?
Sunday afternoons were always spend at his mother's house and he smiled at Wanda's attempt to do a messy bun when she walked into the living room of their apartment. He wondered if she was so obsessed with buns because her dance teacher had been wearing one this week. He helped his daughter into her vest since it was pretty chilly for September and together they walked to his mother's house. She opened the door after the second of Wanda's rings and both Rogers' women seemed to be over the moon to see each other again. Ma had only be gone for five days for her cruise! He chuckled and then wrapped his arms around his mother. She had always been his rock and he knew that he wouldn't be able to raise Wanda without her.
"Hey, sweetheart." She kissed his cheek and let him in and he only watched how Wanda ran into her grandmother's living room after she'd told her that she had a gift for her.
"How was the cruise, Ma?"
She smiled and it still amazed him how young his mother still looked. "Incredible! I already booked the next one." She laughed and he followed her into the kitchen. "How was it with the munchkin?"
"Ma, I can look after my own child for a few days!"
"I know, I know. I just worry about you two. So how was it?"
"Good. No fires and we're both still alive." He joked and his mother smacked his arm.
"That's not funny, Steven!"
Wanda came in that moment into the kitchen, hugging a giant stuffed seal against her chest. Jesus Christ, that thing was almost as tall as his kid! "Thank you so much, Granny! I love it!"
"I knew you would!" His mother smiled at Wanda. "I also got us a book about them and other sea animals, munchkin. Do you wanna read it with me later?"
"Yes!" Wanda nodded eagerly since she loved animals. He already saw a visit to the zoo in the foreseeable future. Sarah moved a plate with cookies towards Wanda who immediately grabbed one. He could have only dreamed about his mother giving him cookies before lunch as a child but he guessed that it was different with grandchildren.
His mother was finishing the roast and he stole a cookie from Wanda's plate which earned him a scowl from his daughter. But it looked more adorable than scary. "Granny?" Was she really gonna tell on him?
"Yes, dear?" She was with her back to them making the sauce.
"Daddy met Miss Natasha!"
Sarah turned around with a smile on her face. "Really?"
He didn't say anything but his daughter did. "Yes! When he picked me up from her class! He was too late and Miss Natasha stayed with me even though she had to work and we danced to the Spiced Girls!"
"Spice Girls, munchkin." Sarah laughed. Natasha'd stayed with his kid even though she'd had to work? He should have thanked her. She probably thought that he was an asshole.
"That's what I said!" Wanda pouted. "Anyway, we danced and then daddy came. Miss Natasha is such a great dancer! I wanna be as good as her one day!"
"With enough practice, maybe you will." His mother said to Wanda and told him to set the table. Her not really paying attention to the fact that he had met Natasha made him even more suspicious. What? Did his mother think that Natasha would want to date him? He was pretty sure that a woman like her could have any guy. Why would she go for a single dad? Not that he wanted her to go for him!
During lunch they talked mostly about his mother's cruise and what Wanda had learned in school this week. She was excused from the table when they heard the neighbor dog barking and Wanda left to play with him.
He decided to just confront his mother about Natasha. "Why did you ask Natasha if she was single?"
Ma just smiled. "Natasha, huh? I was just curious about the woman who teaches my granddaughter to dance. Don't you think it's important to get to know the people who spend time with Wanda?"
"Sure."
"And I was just asking because I wanted to know if there was someone who could potentially ask her to get married and then she would stop volunteering at the community center, Steven. And wouldn't that be sad for Wanda? She loves dancing so much."
He knew that his mother was bullshitting him since she was a feminist and there was no way that she would think that a woman would or should quit her job once she got engaged. "Sure, ma."
"Don't use that tone, Steven! I asked her other stuff, okay?"
He got curious since he pretty much knew nothing about her. Only that she was incredibly beautiful and according to Wanda the coolest person ever. "And what?" He asked nonchalantly. A quick smirk flashed over his mother's face and he knew that she knew that she got him. Fuck!
"I just asked her the usual stuff, you know? What she was doing and so." He waited for her to continue but she didn't. "Oh, did you want me to tell you?" She looked like she was having way too much fun. "She's doing PR for some big company in Manhattan. Wanted originally to be a ballerina but had to quit due to an injury. She's doing the classes in her free time since she still loves dancing. All the children adore her. I've never seen so many dads pick up their kids before." She laughed and he knew she told him that on purpose. "She's originally from Russia. Wanda is convinced that she's Anastasia." His mother laughed and he had to smile. That really did sound like his kid. "And she speaks Sokovian."
"What?" Pretty much no one he knew spoke the language and he only knew a bit. He'd looked for a teacher so Wanda could learn her mother tongue but most Sokovians refused to speak the language since it stirred too many bad memories.
"Yeah, apparently she learned it back in Russia. I was wondering if I should ask her if she could teach Wanda a few things?"
"Ma, she's already teaching her to dance for free. We can't ask her to do that."
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind!"
He didn't know why but he thought so too. But maybe she would just feel pressured. His mother could be a force of nature. "Please don't ask her."
"Fine. And what do you think about Natasha?"
"Wanda seems to like her." He asked avoiding her question.
"Oh, yes. She's pretty much in love with her. Natasha is really special, isn't she?" His mother said with a sparkle in her eyes and now he definitely knew that she wanted them to date. God, he was a thirty four year old man! He was too old for his mother to meddle with his life!
Bucky was "driving" Wanda around the apartment in a laundry basket when Steve came home. He'd had to stay longer at work again since they were almost done with Thor Odinson's new book and finishing a book was always hectic. He was really thankful for Uncle Bucky or Buckybear how Wanda had started calling him after he had given her a teddy bear for her second birthday.
"Another round, Buckybear!" Wanda squealed and Buck groaned.
"I'm not the youngest anymore, kiddo!"
"Pleeease!" She said with a pout and Bucky rolled his eyes.
"Okay, but that's the last round!"
Wanda was waving at him when they passed him in the hallway. "Hi, daddy!"
"Your kid is a menace!" Bucky complained.
"I heard that, Uncle Buchanan." She only called him that when she was mad at him. His mother called Bucky Buchanan when she was unhappy with him and Wanda'd copied it. "I won't help you with the ladies anymore."
"What is she talking about, Buchanan?" Was Bucky really using his goddaughter to meet women?
"I help him look good with the ladies and he buys me ice cream!" Ladies?! Bucky had definitely too much influence on his child. "I can help you with that too, daddy! Do you want me to make you look good in front of Miss Nat-"
"Okay, I think you two scratched the floor enough for today!" He quickly interrupted Wanda and helped her out of the laundry basket and told her to get ready for bed.
"Are you really using my daughter to pick up women?" He hissed to Bucky while he helped him pick up Wanda's toys from the living room floor.
"Don't make it sound so scandalous! If a woman comes up to me when I'm with the kid, I just tell her how great we get along. That's not a lie and Wanda says something nice about me and then yes, sometimes she gets ice cream. But I would get her some anyway. I'm not some creep! And who's Miss Nat?"
"No one."
Bucky's face lit up. "Uh, is it Miss Natasha? The best dancer in the whole world according to Wanda? Did you meet her? Is she hot? Do you like her?"
"What are we, 12?"
"No, we're not. But it's time for you to go out there and meet someone. And you really need to get laid, dude! You're tense all the time!"
He looked at the doorway but Wanda still seemed to be in the bathroom. She was very proud of the fact that he let her brush her teeth on her own. "Shut up. Work is just stressful. And you know that I can't just date! I have to think about Wanda!"
"No one's asking you to get married! Sarah would certainly watch Wanda for a night and you know that I would too. Live a little, Stevie. If not for yourself, then for your daughter. She needs to see how a man treats a woman rightfully."
"You're using her to pick up women!"
Bucky smirked. "See! Just another reason for you to show her how it's really done!"
Steve looked around the dance floor still not believing that he actually was at one of Tony's parties. Tony invited him often to his SI parties and galas but Steve pretty much never came. Tony was his friend but his world just wasn't his. But his mother had seen the invitation on his kitchen island and pretty much forced him to go promising to look after Wanda while he was out. Knowing that his mother wouldn't take no for an answer, he'd thanked her and got into a grey suit but left the tie at home and came to this party. Tony's eyes almost fell out of their sockets when he'd seen Steve which just proved that he never went out. He just wasn't the person for it. He preferred to stay home with his kid, tuck her into bed and then watch something on Netflix but here he was now with a Bourbon in his hand leaning against the bar watching other people have fun.
A few women had approached him but he politely turned them down. He just wasn't in the mood for flirting (he never seemed to be) and it was not like he could take someone home or spend the night somewhere else. He had a kid waiting at home and he wasn't the guy for one night stands.
He scanned the crowd on the dance floor again and spotted Tony's best friend Rhodey dancing. Rhodey was an Army man just like him and it kinda amused Steve to see him dancing. Rhodey held his arm out and then pulled a redheaded woman against his chest. They were both laughing and then his eyes went wide. The woman dancing with Rhodey was Natasha! What was she doing here? And then with Rhodey? Was she his date? He gripped his glass tighter. Didn't ma say that she was single? Wait, did his mother know that Natasha would be here?!
Wow, she looked amazing in her black cocktail dress and her hair falling over her back. Her hair was even longer than Wanda's and curly. Were those her natural curls? God, why did he care about that? He wanted to look away but he couldn't. Natasha kissed Rhodey's cheek and then left the dance floor. Rhodey didn't seem to mind because he was already looking for a new dance partner. So they had been just dancing? It wasn't a date? And even if it was, it was none of his business. He barely knew the woman, she was just his daughter's dance teacher!
Natasha reappeared on the other side of the bar talking to the bartender when her gaze landed on him. She looked surprised but then she smiled at him and he couldn't help but raise his glass and grinned back. She thanked the bartender for her martini and started walking into his direction. Was she coming over to talk to him? Be cool, Steve. She's just teaching your kid to dance!
"Hi!" Natasha greeted him with a bright smile. "Fancy seeing you here!"
"Hi." He echoed dumbly because he always lost at least 30 IQ points when he talked to a beautiful woman. "Yeah, you too."
"I didn't know you worked for SI."
"Oh, I don't. Tony's a friend. I'm an illustrator."
She nodded. "Right! Wanda told me you were the best drawer in the world. I hear your dragon sketches are remarkable!" She teased with a sly smile.
"Haha." God, what else had Wanda told Natasha about him? Did his mother tell her to butter him up to Natasha? "Do you work for Tony?"
She laughed. "He wishes. I answer to Pepper. That way I get my job actually done."
"You do PR, right?" She raised an eyebrow. "My mother told me that."
"Yes, I do. I met Pepper through a mentoring program in college and then she offered me a job after I graduated. Are you really the best drawer in the world?" She reached over the bar grabbing a pen that was next to cocktail shaker. She shoved both pen and her napkin over to him. "Can you draw me something?"
"Um, sure." He took both things and before he could start to think about what to sketch his hand was already moving. He realized he'd drawn a ballerina when he was done. "Here." He said awkwardly and pushed the napkin over to her.
"Wow, that...That looks amazing. You really are talented." She gave him a pretty smile and then he watched the napkin disappear into her clutch. "I'm keeping this, Picasso."
He laughed, he really liked the way she was. So carefree and open. "Do that."
She eyed him carefully and he somehow felt like she was reading him. Like she was looking for his darkest secrets. Not that he had any. He didn't think he had any. Did he have dark secrets? She was still looking at him and he shifted uncomfortably. "You hate it here." She said eventually.
"What? No!" He said, not convincing at all.
"And you're a terrible liar." She noted amused. "Just like your daughter. Don't worry, I'm not a big fan of these parties either. But the drinks are for free and I like dancing so I show my face for an hour or two and then I leave."
"Okay, fine. You have me. This isn't my scene. Never was. I'm rather at home with my kid."
"Nothing wrong with that." She said with a warm smile. "Are you hungry, Steve? I'm hungry."
"Sure, I could eat." He answered confused.
"Do you wanna get out of here? I hear a cheeseburger calling my name. Can you hear it?" She leaned closer. "Natasha, Natasha!" She whispered into his ear. "I think they're calling for you, too. Steve. Steeeve!" The way she whispered his name was sending shivers down his spine. Was she doing that on purpose to him? Was she flirting with him?
Before he really knew what was happening he followed Natasha to the elevators and they left Stark Tower together. Once his brain was working again, he offered her his blazer since it was a bit cooler than it had been when he arrived for the party. She thanked him and he helped her into his blazer. God, it would smell like her when he would get it back. Okay, woah, Steve. Creepy much? He was just thankful that Natasha couldn't read minds.
He followed her to a diner that reminded him of the ones in old Hollywood movies. He felt like he walked straight into the 40s or 50s after he'd held the door for her open and then followed her in.
"They made the best burgers in New York, I swear." She said with a smile and then ushered him over to a booth. A waitress was coming to their table. "Two chocolate milkshakes, please." She turned to him. "Trust me, they are amazing."
He chuckled. "Two chocolate milkshakes then. What else can you recommend?"
Natasha grinned and then looked at the waitress. "Two of Stan's cheeseburgers and curly fries." The waitress wrote the order down and left. "Be prepared to have your mind blown!"
"You eat here often?"
She laughed. "If I could, I would everyday but that wouldn't be very healthy. I hope you like burgers?" She looked almost shy. "I didn't just force this on you? You're not a vegan?"
"No, no. Don't worry. Who doesn't love a good cheeseburger."
She seemed relieved. The waitress came back with their milkshakes and he took a sip. Natasha was looking at him. "Okay, this is damn good!"
"What did I tell you!" She smiled and took a sip of her own shake. Their food arrived shortly after and Natasha was right. Those cheeseburgers were amazing. He really had to come back with Wanda. Maybe Natasha could come...Nope, stop right there!
They talked about Wanda over dinner and he really felt like Natasha truly liked his daughter. He knew that Wanda was great but he was probably a bit biased with being her dad.
"I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries but is Wanda's mother in the picture?" Natasha asked carefully and he was surprised. Didn't she know about their situation? Didn't his mother tell her? "I'm just asking because there's a mother daughter dance planned for November and I was wondering if Wanda might want do it with her mother?"
"She doesn't have one."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked."
"It's just me and her. One look into her eyes and I knew I had to take care of her."
Natasha gave him a warm smile. "Sounds like fate. She really adores you and talks about you all the time. I was just wondering about her mom...I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. I was doing a tour in Sokovia when I saw this tiny little thing in an orphanage and that was it." He smiled thinking back to the moment he'd first seen her. He never had felt anything like that before.
"And now you're raising her on your own. That's pretty incredible."
"Best choice I've ever made."
"She's really a great kid. Don't tell anyone but she's my favorite." She winked and he somehow knew that she actually meant it.
"And this mother daughter dance?"
"Ah, yes. It's kind of like a pageant. The center is raising money for the children's hospital with it."
He sighed. Wanda would most definitely want to participate. "Is it strictly for mothers?" Maybe Bucky's sister Rebecca would do it?
"I see what I can do. If Wanda is interested, I'm sure we'll find a way."
"Thank you."
He wanted to pay for their dinner but Natasha was having none of it and insisted to pay since it had been her idea. He agreed in the end but he still felt like he should have paid. But he did insist to walk her home. It just didn't feel right to let a woman walk alone at night. New York could be dangerous.
They stopped in front of an apartment complex. "This is me. Thanks for walking me home. Sarah raised you right." She said with a smirk and he huffed a laugh out. She got out of his blazer and handed it to him. He caught a sniff of her perfume. "And thank you for keeping me warm."
"No problem. I had a good time tonight."
"You sound so surprised about that."
"Yeah. The evening turned out so much better than I could have hoped when I left home."
Was he imagining things or was Natasha blushing? "Good night, Steve." She came a little closer and was looking at him through her lashes.
Should he kiss her? He wanted to kiss her but what if she didn't want to? And they barely knew each other. He couldn't just kiss her. "Good night, Natasha."
She nodded, almost looking a bit disappointed, and then walked up the stairs. He watched her disappear behind the doors and turned around to hail a cab. Should he have kissed her?
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