"People are more what they hide than what they show." Unknow

"Where did Captain America learn to steal a car?" Natasha finally asked with a curious little smile to break the heavy silence that had been falling for an hour and a half on the whole car.

A glance over her shoulder at Danae suggested that the brunette had fallen asleep, but Natasha was almost sure that it was more of an excuse to avoid confronting the blond's eyes at her side after Dan last revelation.

After their close call in the mall with Rumlow and the Strike team, Steve had stolen one of the trucks from the parking lot so they could recover Dan. The flash drive Fury had given them suggested that the answers Dan couldn't provide were in New Jersey. A place where Steve hadn't set foot for more than seventy years.

"Nazi, Germany." He answered her question before catching himself glaring at the brunette in the back. He still remembered the time they had spent time in this spinning car of one of her clients. He leaned his chin in toward the feet of the redhead currently against the dashboard."And we're borrowing, get your feet off the dash. "

Nat gave him a slight smirk before dramatically removing her feet from the dashboard.

"Fucking Jersey?" Danae suddenly exclaimed from behind confirming Nat's suspicions while Steve found himself smiling slightly in spite of himself in agreement with her words."Is that your escape plan? It's Jersey god damnit. Nobody likes Jersey."

No matter how disappointed he was with Dan's behavior or even betrayed, he couldn't help but realize that she still had a deep impact on him. It was as if the last few months had built something in him that just made him unable to stay really mad at her. And in a sense, he could almost understand her train of thought.

First, she seemed to have really done it with good intentions at first. She had always had his best interests at heart. She knew him. In spite of all, Dan remained the one who knew him better than anyone and even though he had questioned her intentions earlier, he knew deep down that he knew her too.

She wasn't one to indulge easily.

As for the date, he could not really ignore this deep feeling of rejection. It had taken days to find the courage to asking her out and it would seem that he had built his hopes for nothing. He did not even know if she had done this for her own benefit or just to please his. It was probably what kept him from forgiving her immediately. She had hurt his ego.

Even worse, she had lied to him about how she felt. Part of him was confident after the way she had accepted the date. She had been surprised at first but he had seen the change in her. He too knew her and she had chosen to remind him of her intention to sabotage their moment.

Now that he was thinking about it in hindsight, he could not help realizing that she had done it intentionally.

At the thought, he could not really help but give her a look through the inside rearview mirror. The first thing he could say was that she was exhausted. The bags and the disheveled air were a clear indicator. But he could not help feeling that slight flutter in his chest again. He could not deny the truth. Dan had a deep impact on him.

After all these months, she had been the only one to call him about his hypocritical behavior, his faults and his way of thinking about his alter-ego. She reminded him that Steve Rogers was still there in the uniform and he shouldn't be forgotten. She had allowed him to flourish in this world that was not his and allowed him to live. She had changed everything from the moment she entered his life.

The way he was before his arrival in DC, even how he was in New York was definitely not the way to handle things and Dan had just changed everything. No matter how much he wanted to blame her for her lies, he could not forget what she had done for him. He was not indebted to her, but he couldn't do without what she had and what she was doing for him.

Strange as it may seem, she made him more human. More down to earth. He was learning something new about himself. He learned to manage his emotions and more importantly, he loved the person he was with her. Dan had even reconciled him with his pre-serum phase. She was obviously fond of this skinny little guy from Brooklyn and never ceased to amaze him when she showered him with compliment on this version of himself. She had no barriers and he liked being the one she trusted to indulge.

Well maybe not completely given the situation.

But even more, she accepted him as he was and kept reminding him how important it was to be himself. She had reminded him that he was more than just a Captain. He was just a man with emotions he should not be ashamed of.

He was both Captain and Steve and he was not to neglect either side.

"Alright, I have a question for you, Steve." Natasha's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I immediately glanced between the blond and the redhead in curiosity. "Which you do not have to answer." Added the super-spy as she suddenly gave me a strange look over her shoulder with a small smirk. "I wouldn't want to make matters worse."

I left a disdainful snort in spite of myself as I crossed my arms over my chest before whispering under my breath as I turned my eyes to the boring and tasteless landscape of Jersey."That's exactly what someone would say if he wanted to make things worse."

I could already imagine the grin on the redhead's face as she turned her eyes to Steve, who seemed to be staring at me with a slight frown. "But I feel like, if you don't answer it though, you're kind of answering it, you know."

"Pushy much." I snorted with sarcasm under my breath.

Something told me that I probably wouldn't like the turn of this conversation. I did not really know why but I could feel it deep inside me. For some reason, Natasha's smile had the gift of irritating me almost every time.

I was more focused on the redhead than I didn't even realize Steve's uncertain look at me before he looked at Nat, impatient. "What?"

I could feel Natasha's gaze on me again as she took a moment in the observation before turning her eyes back to Steve with her trademark smirk."Was that your first kiss since 1945?"

"You kissed her?" I exclaimed in spite of myself, turning my head so quickly on the duet that I almost missed making a whiplash. Steve started to stammer, letting me shake my head in a feeling strangely irritated by the idea."Look like finding a person with a shared life experience was not that hard after all."

"Wow, jealous much, Danae?" Romanoff said immediately with a smile worthy of the joker.

I gritted my teeth as I rolled my eyes before narrowing my eyes on the window in a groan."Oh bite me, Romanoff."

"Dan, that's not what you thought it was." Steve argues with a shameful blush on his cheeks.

"I don't think anything, Cap." I replied, trying to keep my tone even as I shrugged acerb."After all, it's progress. You finally take my advice to the letter."

Even though he did not really have to explain himself, Steve felt his shoulders fall into defeat as he hastened to justify himself. "It was to distract Rumlow. He and the Strike team was after us." Steve gave Nat an uncertain look in the hope of getting help, but she seemed anything but ready to intervene. On the contrary. He frowned at her smirk. "Public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable."

"Yeaaah ... I guess." I said sarcastically before again avoiding the blond's nervous and embarrassed look. I let a scoff escape me."And these are totally your words, not her."

I risked an annoyed look at the blond at my statement just to see him frown as he met my gaze through the rearview mirror.

"Well, you're the one who pushed me to practice." He countered, defensive and somewhat proud by my incredulous gaze. "Or it was another of your lies?"

I immediately left a scoff as I could suddenly feel my blood boiling under my skin.

This little dipshi-

I let out a deep sigh to stop me from saying something that I could regret before leaving a laugh without humor."You know what, Rogers? You're totally right. The practice is perfect. I hope you enjoy it."

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Intervened Natasha, trying to lighten the argument.

I paused as Steve gave a slightly humiliated look at the redhead before leaving a little scoffed avoiding my gaze through the rearview mirror as he tilted his head forward."That bad, uh?"

I shook my head, feeling a little satisfaction at his hurt ego before feeling almost immediately guilty. I frowned in conflict with my own emotions since I was still strangely angry at the blond before rolling my eyes.

"I didn't say that." Argued Natasha.

I brought my knees to my chest and leaned against the back seat before focusing my attention on the landscape through the back window. I could still hear their conversation, but I strove to act as selflessly as possible despite the raging emotions along my chest.

"Well, it's kind of sounds like that's what you're saying." He looked back at Dan through the rearview mirror just to see her completely turning away from him. He knew that this conversation was out of place, but her reaction had the gift of making him act like an arrogant idiot.

Nevertheless, a small, little part of him was relieved that he had not shared that kiss with Dan. He agreed with Natasha; it was a bad kiss. He couldn't really be offended by that. By the reaction of Dan on the other hand.

"No, I didn't." Natasha insisted with a hint of innocence in her tone before giving a new teasing look at the sulky brunette in the back. "I just wondered how much practiced you've had."

Steve rolled his eyes as she had just used the same arguments as Dan before objecting to disagree."You don't need practice."

"Everybody need practice." Nat insisted in a clear tone before throwing her eyes onto Dan with a plan in mind. "Am I right, Dan?"

"Totally." I answered in a hard tone before shrugging my shoulders and glancing at Steve, childish."Me for example, I had a lot of practice. So much. With several men. So, fucking much."

"It was not my first kiss since 1945." Steve gave me an irritated look through the rearview mirror making me look at him just as annoyed as he set his sights on Natasha."I'm ninety-five, I'm not dead."

I left an incredulous scoff while Natasha let another amused smile as she glanced over her shoulder at me, suggestive."Nobody's special then huh? "

Still, I found myself glancing at Steve's obvious question of Natasha. I noticed the blond gesticulating in his seat as he adjusted his grip on the steering wheel before quickly turning my eyes away as he suddenly looked up at the rearview mirror. I swallowed as I could suddenly feel my heart again missing a beating in my chest.

It was completely stupid given our current situation but I just could not stop my body from functioning. No matter how much I wanted to fight it, I couldn't control my attraction to the super soldier.

That was probably why I felt a new ping of pain in my chest as he let a humorless chuckle as he keep his eyes on the road. "Believe it or not, it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience."

Steve could feel guilt swallowing his lie and he found himself glancing at Dan through the rearview mirror just to see a deep crease between her eyebrows. She had her lips narrowed in a thin line and her eyes riveted on the window. She seemed detached from their conversation and yet, Steve could easily read through her expression. She was pissed. And he had to admit that he could easily understand her. He was annoyed by the way she reacted. Once again, she was confusing.

Hence the reason he chose this excuse. He had deeply thought about their situation and he could not really deny their difference. They both came from another era; they both had a heavy past that still weighed on their shoulders and they were two different people.

Unfortunately, they could not even explore this side of their relationship. He always seemed to have a bad timing.

"Well, that's alright. You just make something up."Natasha challenged, letting her eyes travel between him and the brunette in the back.

Steve glanced at her, tilting his head to the side to change the conversation by raising his eyebrows a bit."What, like you? "

"I don't know." She mumbled, looking down at her thighs before meeting his eyes again."The truth is a matter of circumstance." She explained with a slight, monotonous smile. "It's not all things to all people, all the time." She paused, raising her eyebrows. "Neither am I."She gave him a knowing look.

"That's a tough way to live." He pointed out with a knowing look on Dan.

"It's a good way not to die, though." She replied slightly, heaving a sigh as she slumped in her seat.

He knew exactly another person who was hiding most of the time behind a facade.

To tell the truth, he still remembered how Dan used to treat people before they met. Despite the latest events testing their bond of trust, Steve could not deny the change in Dan. She was not a spy. She was a whole person who had refrained from expressing her feelings since the death of her husband.

At that moment, he realized he was not the only one to change. He had changed her too. It had the gift of alleviating some of his doubts about her.

"You know, it's kind of hard to trust someone, when you don't know who that someone really is."He stated, looking at Dan through the rearview mirror just to meet her intense brown eyes. He had long realized that he had completely let go with the brunette. And even if it seemed double-edged, he did not regret having indulged.

"Yeah." Nat agreed as she blinked, her eyes catching the silent exchange between Steve and Dan before turning back to him. "Who do you want me to be?"

"How bout a friend?" He replied with a small smile. He could use a friend. Plus, Dan was much more than that for him, even though they were at a dead end right now.

Nat let her head roll against the headrest before laughing a little."Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers," he replied, intentionally pointing to the wrong as she silently supported his gaze.

However, the redhead seemed far from over as she turned to Dan again. "And you? Who you want me to be?"

"Argh, Romanoff ..." Dan sighed in a bored groan, letting Steve look at the brunette over his shoulder just to realize she was now leaning her head against the headrest with her eyes closed in fatigue and an annoyed grimace . She waved her hand in the air, probably supposed to dismiss Nat."Right now, I just want you to shut up. I'm not drunk enough for this shit."

Natasha gave a small, amused smile to the brunette's rough behavior before turning to Steve with a teasing hint of her eyebrows.

Steve smiled a little before turning his eyes to the road.