Rumor has it
A/N: Wow that was an…explosive response! Why are you all freaking out? haha. I can make you all feel better by giving the story plot away – but then what would be the point of reading the story right? We all know how this is going to end though right? (If you don't please read the official pairing) This little problem is just pure drama for fun XD If you wanted pure clintasha you should read my other Clintasha stories – not this one. This one has a lot of Steve and will continue to have him for quite some time.
Read on if you like! Try to remember that Clintasha is my OTP too ;) I just like messing with you guys.
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Chapter 12
Steve took a sharp breath and firmly glared at the Russian who was currently being a pain in his ass.
"Cat got you're tongue Captain?" she whispered with a knowing smirk pulling at her red lips. Steve narrowed his eyes.
"No," he said determinedly even though his breathing rate had become uneven and his heart rate had elevated to unhealthy levels. It was hard not to respond to an extremely alluring and attractive woman like Natasha Romanoff – but that didn't mean he actually wanted her. Especially not when she was obviously playing a character. He felt her chuckle lightly and tensed as one of her hands left his hair and started inching its way down his back.
"I think you're lying little soldier," she whispered as her lips ghosted over his cheek. He really hated how she was forcefully enticing a response from his body against his will. He knew she was good and it was pissing him off.
"Stop it Natasha," Steve said as he roughly grabbed both her hands and halted her downwards journey to somewhere she was no way in hell going. If Clint killed him for faking dating his partner like he knew he was going to try – he would absolutely torture the captain if he ever found out he let her get physical with him. Frankly Steve did not have a death wish.
"But I'm not doing anything Steve," she said innocently tilting her head to the side even as he tightly held her wrists high above her head and far, far away from anywhere below his waist. It was a harder feat then he would like to admit.
"Have you ever tried seducing Clint?" Steve asked seriously trying to defuse her desire to screw his self-control. He felt her tense ever so slightly and he knew she was doing this to try and forget about her partner that haunted her thoughts.
"Barton's not here right now. It's just you and me," she whispered as she expertly distracted him by suddenly pressing her rather obvious cleavage into his chest. Steve felt his entire face start to burn up as he unwilling responded to her soft warm body being pressed up against his. His eyes were unfocused for just a second but that was all the Russian assassin needed to take control of the situation. Before Steve could stop her she slammed her lips down on his and roughly stole his breath away. In his shock he accidentally let go of the spy's hands – which was the stupidest thing he could have done because the next he knew he was roughly being pulled forward by skilled Russian hands that dug into his hair. He squeaked as he felt something grab his ass and that allowed Natasha to deepen the forceful kiss. She ignored how a darker shade of brown hair flashed across her eyes, she ignored how she was unwillingly imagining what it would be like to kiss a slightly shorter man, she damn well shot the thought of how she was staring into the wrong shade of blue eyes.
Natasha knew she was so utterly screwed.
Steve just hoped she would stop kissing him before he passed out in mortification.
After a few tense seconds of both of them knowing it wasn't working for either of them Natasha finally pulled back and took several controlled breaths and she gripped his shirt tightly in her fist and glared daggers at the wall behind him.
"Are you happy now?" Steve asked gruffly trying to catch his breath after practically being attacked by his seriously stubborn friend who was trying to prove something they both knew was futile. She was ruined for all other men long before she ever realized she had feelings for an archer.
"It's not the same," Natasha muttered irritably. Why was it not the same? Steve shot her a disbelieving look.
"Of course it's not the same woman! Don't you get it? I'm not Clint Barton! It's not going to feel right unless it's him you're directing all this insanity towards," Steve said heatedly gesturing towards the currently nonexistent space between them. He tried to ignore any of the other emotions that were running through his head at the moment. He refused to acknowledge he was feeling anything other than annoyance and frustration towards the Russian agent. There was no reason to feel anything else.
"It's not supposed to work like that," Natasha said as she clenched her hand around his shirt with a frustrated look on her face. She just didn't understand. Steve finally sighed and felt the anger drain out of him.
"You're scared Nat. You want him but you're scared – why?" he asked quietly resting his palm against her cheek – she didn't even look like she felt it.
"Because sleeping with him means emotions and all the crap that comes along with it," Natasha said tiredly as she finally stopped trying to force him into something they would both probably regret. She was a good seductress – but she didn't have it in her to truly seduce her one real friend. Steve stared at her.
"And sleeping with your best friend doesn't have the same emotional garbage?" he asked feeling slightly insulted. He deserved some credit in her life right? He put up with enough of her bullshit to merit some respect right? His words instantly sparked her irrational anger again. He felt like repeatedly banging his head against the wall.
"Stop bringing your 19th century ideals into this Rogers," she hissed at him. Steve narrowed his eyes.
"You know what I learned about women in this new world Nat? You all think that sex has nothing to do with love and affection and being connected. You think equality means being as detached and uncaring as some of the coldest men in the world. You think the old fashion means boring and prudish and all the other insulting slurs agents throw around behind me back. But I think you are all just lying. I don't think making love has changed. I think all girls want to share that moment with a man that actually cares for them. I don't know about other men – but I don't want to do it with any random girl Nat – I want it to mean something!" he said heatedly clenched his fists at his sides in an unnecessary attempt to not accidentally hurt her. As if she couldn't hold her own ground.
"Pretty words in a dark world Rogers," Natasha said warningly. She didn't grow up in the same world he did – frankly she though he was full of idealist crap. Steve shook his head fervently – she just didn't get it.
"The world is only as dark as you want it to be – there are plenty of bright spots that are worth fighting for," he shot back holding his ground against the pessimistic woman. She suddenly pulled away from him and if she wasn't Natasha Romanoff he would swear she looked almost…lost.
"You really choose the wrong person to be friends with then Mr. I can save the world with love," she said with an almost broken laughter. Steve's eyes softened and he shook his head again.
"I don't think so. I think you're a good friend Natasha," he said quietly reaching up and brushing the red hair that had fallen over her face away from her eyes. Her laugh turned 10 shades darker and for once Steve wished his friend wasn't as broken as he knew she was. They were all broken – but that didn't mean she didn't deserve to have people who cared for her.
"Really? You think good friends force you to pose as their fake boyfriend just to get a reaction out of their partner? You think good friends try to seduce you just to prove that they aren't so far gone in their obsession with someone else? You think good friends put you through the crap I've put you through?" she said roughly shoving him back against the wall in her anger. Steve kept his calm even though all he really wanted to do was shake her back.
"You look out for me don't you? You threaten Stark within an inch of his life when he is being unbearable in his annoy remarks about my real age and habits don't you? You pull me out of countless near death experiences during missions don't you?" he asked staring at her dead in the eye. She was a good friend. Many people don't stick around when things get rough – she did. Natasha firmly shook her head and huffed.
"Those things mean nothing. I look out for you because we're teammates. Stark annoys the shit out of me too – I shut him up for my own benefit. I save your ass because it's my job," Natasha said refusing to take his reasons as proof. Steve stared at her in disbelief.
"You know, you are like your own worst enemy Natasha!" Steve exclaimed in irritation.
"What do you want me to do about it?" she asked angrily. Steve shot her a heated look.
"Why are you here then Nat? Why are you messing with my head? Why? Because we all know you're in love with him!" Steve exclaimed as he finally gave in to his frustration and forcefully shook the Russian by her shoulders. He knew that the anger coming off of her in waves meant she was about to deny everything until suddenly her irritated expression froze before it promptly blanked and all the words stopped in her throat. Steve didn't know the Russian assassin long enough to figure out when she was lying every single time – but he definitely knew she just threw up a million walls for some reason.
"Shit," Natasha hissed under her breath staring daggers at something behind Steve – or someone. He slowly turned around to see what exactly had caught her attention. There was a slim blond agent wearing the distinct SHIELD uniform standing in the doorway of the gym – he swore Natasha had locked it in her attempt to trap him here so that he wouldn't rat them out to her partner.
"Sorry to interrupt your private conversation – but everyone is already waiting on the Director's office for the official briefing with the rest of the Avengers," the rather pretty but tired looking blond said with a weak apologetic smile. Steve gave her a careful look and realized he didn't recognize her from all the agents they see every day.
"I'm sorry I'm not familiar with all the agents at SHIELD - who are you?" Steve asked slowly dropping his hands from Natasha's more than a little tense shoulders. The Russian obviously didn't like this person – whoever she was. The blond tilted her head to the side and flashed him a pretty smile – after working for SHIELD for over 6 months Steve have become wary of pretty smiles.
"I'm agent Mockingbird – your informant and field expert for the UN mission in Turkey. Nice to meet you Steve Rogers," she said holding out her hand in a universal sign of respectful introductions. Steve gave her a quizzing look but saw no reason not to accept her handshake. Natasha wasn't going to have any of that. How the hell did Bobbi Morse get passed her deactivation codes?
"Don't touch her," Natasha said roughly dragging his arm back before he could fully grasp her hand. Steve shot her a questioning look but Natasha wasn't looking at him – she was glaring icy daggers at their new company. Bobbi raised an eyebrow but casually dropped her offered hand all the same.
"A little possessive of your boyfriend aren't you Romanoff?" Bobbi said warily taking a step back all the same. She's not stupid enough to outright enrage a skilled Russian assassin. Natasha narrowed her eyes.
"A little beat up after your last 5 years of exile from America aren't you Morse?" Natasha shot back giving Bobbi's slightly worn and weathered appearance a once over – Morse looked like a hardened woman who has been on the run for a long time. She was exactly what she looked like. Steve glanced back and forth between the two agents and for once he decided to keep his mouth shut and just watched the interaction play out. He learned from Stark's mistakes – don't make yourself look like a total idiot when you don't know what exactly is going on. Bobbi suddenly gave the Russian a tight smile.
"I'm not the only one who's been forsaken by her country. At least I earned my right to come back into my motherland. Someone I know is still considered a wanted fugitive and is on the shoot on site list if Russian Intelligence ever catches whiff of her even toeing the boarder of their country," Bobbi said airily. Natasha gave her a cold look – just because Natalia Romanova is banned from entry into the soviet country doesn't mean agent Romanoff is – Russian intelligence loves her. She didn't need to play these games. She was going to get straight to the point.
"Why do we need an informant? Barton and I can run intelligence on this mission fine," Natasha said coldly giving the blond the closest thing to a dirty look an expressionless face can give. Bobbi didn't look phased at all – it was a testament to the woman's true ability to stand her ground.
"Because I've been in British intelligence for the past 3 years and I was originally posted as external security for the UN conference. I'd still be there under British orders if we didn't get whiff of the bombing plan and the Chinese impersonation plot 2 days ago. Then SHIELD decides to cash in on my debt and wants me to work on their side of stopping the bomb threat. Apparently it's important enough to drag the famous Avengers team into the mess," she said looking away from the tensed Russian and glancing at the silent Avengers leader.
"Is she keeping you on a tight leash Mr. Rogers?" Bobbi asked curiously. Steve gave her a long look.
"I'm hardly on a leash agent Morse. It's called a relationship – which is supposed to be built on trust, love, and affection," Steve said steadily stressing the last few words and felt damn proud when he felt Natasha tensed up with each word. Not lies, deceit and deception – was left unsaid. Oh yeah she better feel uncomfortable – he has being feeling uneasy through this entire disaster charade. Natasha ignored his stab at expressing how unhappy he was with her and kept her attention on the woman in front of them.
"I won't believe a word that comes out of your month until I hear confirmation from Fury," Natasha said firmly. Bobbi rolled her eyes.
"Well thank you for wasting my time then Widow," she said sarcastically. Natasha snorted.
"No one asked you to share your life story Bird," Natasha shot back with equal sarcasm. Bobbi narrowed her eyes and Natasha could feel she had successfully ruffled some feathers.
"Still jealous that I've flown with the best while you're still stuck on the ground spider?" Bobbi asked carefully. Natasha clenched her jaw in anger but before she could give a biting response Bobbi had already beat her to it.
"Any more soul shattering questions Romanoff? Or can we get moving before Fury starts breathing down my neck and Clint accuses me of committing unnecessary murder?" Bobbi asked tilting her head to the side and cocking an eyebrow. Natasha gave her the drop dead bitch look before she promptly shoved passed the blond agent and stalked down the hall. Steve gave Bobbi one last wary glance before he quickly caught up to his seething girlfriend who he would really like to break up with but couldn't because of their damn complicated jobs. He easily fell into step with her fast pace and could feel the staring from agent Mockingbird as she followed behind them on their way to the Director's office.
"How real are we supposed to keep this?" he asked quietly. Natasha didn't react and for a second Steve thought she was ignoring him until she finally spoke.
"Very real," Natasha said gruffly – acutely aware of the agent trailing behind them at a decent distance. Steve sighed and reached down to grab her hand and intertwined their hands together – they both instantly felt the staring increase in its intensity.
"I really hate being your boyfriend," he said point blank as he gave her smaller hand a comforting squeeze. Natasha glanced down at their joined hands and a barest hint of longing flashed across her face.
"Yeah I really wish you were someone else," she muttered as she squeezed back. Steve stared at their hands for a second longer then he normally would and looked away. He needed this to stop before he started feeling things he wasn't supposed. The second this mission was over and he broke up with her he was going to stay far, far away from the volatile Russian spy. He refused to fall for someone who wasn't his and would never be his. He refused to want someone who would never want him back. He was determined not to let this go any farther than it already had.
She just made it so damn difficult.
Stupid stubborn Russians screwing him over big time. He was never going to let a Russian assassin talk him into anything like this ever again.
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A/N: Well…DAMN. I don't know how much more Natasha can screw up this situation – but it is apparently very possible to get worse with her bad luck. Add a crazy Russian to a story and she complicates everything haha.
Yeah so maybe Steve likes her just a little bit. Can you blame him? She is the stupid one who started all of this – blame her if you have to blame somebody. XD
Anyone missing Clint? Probably. Trust me things are going to be Avengers and mission based starting from the next chapter. The next 10 chapters is Clint/Steve/Natasha/Bobbi all within 100 feet of each other linked through communicators the entire thing. Everyone can hear everything and it is going to be hell haha.
Round 12
At least Natasha realized she's never going to want anyone except her partner (pity points – can you blame me?) – Natasha 1 : Evil 0
Steve is smart enough not to chase after a girl he knows he is never going to get (pity points – again) – Steve 1 : evil 0
Bobbi is going to be on the mission and who knows if she is a real threat right? - Natasha 0: Evil 1
Total: Evil…what can I say? Time for Natasha to earn some points back?
1st - Evil – 17
2nd - Natasha - 9
3rd - Steve – 8
A/N: Now. How on earth is Natasha going to fix the mess she has created?
