AN: Hey guys. I hope you're all doing okay and that you're washing your hands. Here's some whump to get you through the day.
"Stark! I need your help." Natasha yelled, walking into the lab and sitting on an almost empty desk. "What is it Natashalie?" Tony asked, swivelling around in his chair and taking off his glasses. She wasn't completely sure whether the glasses were a fashion statement or because he genuinely needed them, and she didn't think she wanted to know.
"I promised Steve I would book somewhere for our anniversary, and I kind of left it to the last minute and everywhere is full." She rushed out her sentence, panic finally setting in. She hadn't forgotten about their anniversary, the date had just snuck up on her and she wanted it to be special.
"Don't worry, I've got this. When's your anniversary?" Tony asked, already pulling out his phone. She ducked her head, trying to avoid his gaze. "Today."
"Today? Jesus Nat. When you said you left it last minute, I didn't think you meant tonight." He shook his head, pulling up a computer screen. "Whatever Stark. Can you help me or not?" She asked, impatiently tapping her foot. She wasn't in the mood to deal with his snarky comments today. She felt bad enough as it was without him telling her how bad a girlfriend she was.
"I'm Tony Stark, I can get in anywhere. I'll book you in for 7." Tony boasted, and she immediately calmed down. "Thanks Tony." She said, walking out the room. Now all she had to do was figure out what to wear.
"Why do I feel like we're the youngest people in here by 40 years?" Natasha asked, looking around the room. Everyone was at least 60 years old, most of them older though, and they were definitely bringing down the average age by a lot, assuming you used the age they looked like.
"Let's get out of here." Steve suggested, and she grinned back at him. "Agreed." She said, getting up and pulling on her jacket. Steve threw down some cash on the table for their drinks before practically running from the restaurant.
"Why can we never have normal dates?" She laughed as they slowed down to a walk outside the restaurant. "Because we're us. Anything normal would be abnormal." Steve said, kissing her before wrapping his arm around her shoulders, her own arm slipping around his waist in response.
"I'm still hungry though." She complained as they walked down the street. Despite the late hour, the streets were still crowded, letting them go unnoticed apart from the occasional disbelieving stare. They were in no rush to announce their relationship to the public.
"Well, what do you suggest?" He asked. She looked around the street, noticing a hotdog cart on the street corner. "Hotdogs?"
"I don't know. It seems pretty dodgy." Steve had a small frown on his face, clearly not on board with the idea. She waved off his concerns, pulling them towards the cart. "It'll be fine, besides, remember we have good immune systems."
"If you say so." He knew he'd be fine, it was her he was worried about. He'd eaten some pretty dodgy stuff in New York over the years, some of it enough to make his stomach turn, but he wasn't about to argue with her. He handed over some money, taking the hotdogs from the man and giving one to Natasha. She smiled at him gratefully, lacing their fingers together.
"We should go on dates more often." He said once they'd finished their hotdogs, having weaved their way to central park.
"We go on dates all the time." She defended, although she was trying to rack her brain of times they'd actually been out of the tower together. "Ordering takeout and watching tv doesn't count Nat." He said, as though reading her mind. She disagreed, she thought it did, but that wasn't really the point he was making.
"Have you ever been on a proper date?" He asked, his voice verging on amused although he couldn't help but be curious. They really hadn't been out on many proper dates.
"Of course I have. We've been out loads, and I was married remember." She countered, and he faltered slightly, clearly having forgotten that, yes, she had actually been married.
"And what did you do with your husband?" He raised an eyebrow at her, as if sensing her answer before she'd even said it. "Murder, mainly. He took me to dinner one time though." She neglected to mention the fact the dinner only took place to find out information about a target, someone they later killed.
"How romantic." He teased, causing her to slap his arm lightly before she tucked herself into his side. "Oh shut up."
"Right, I'm installing a monthly date night." He told her, and she looked up at him in surprise.
"Really?" Natasha wasn't the romantic type, just being in a committed relationship was strange enough for her, and he was honestly surprised she hadn't shut him down immediately.
"Yes, and don't kill me, but I think we should go out properly. Spend time together in the real world, away from Shield and the Avengers. Like normal people. I think it'd be nice."
"Okay." She shrugged her shoulders, smiling at him in the way she always did when he was passionate about something. Though, this was very different to the things he was usually passionate about.
"Really?" He hadn't been expecting her to say yes, she despised doing corny things. In fact, he had been shocked that she had suggested going out for their anniversary in the first place. Her favourite place in the world was their couch, usually using him as a human pillow. But she smiled at him again, "Yeah. I think I'd quite like to pretend to be normal every now and then."
"Cool." He grinned, kissing her softly before grabbing her hand and pulling her across the road, back to where he'd parked his bike. Luckily they hadn't wandered very far.
"Where are we going?" She asked, a little frown of confusion gracing her features. "Brooklyn."
"Brooklyn?" She knew the importance of Brooklyn to Steve. It was where he grew up, it was where he turned into Captain America. Needless to say, the fact he was bringing her to such a special place meant a lot.
"We've been dating for an entire year and I've never taken you there. I figured it was finally time to show you where I grew up. Just because you can't doesn't mean I shouldn't." He pecked her lips before climbing on the bike and letting her get on behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling into his back. He laughed at how comfortably she arranged herself before driving off.
"So where are we going first?" She asked when he'd parked and taken her hand once more, leading her through the streets. "Dunno, I just figured we'd walk around for a while. I'd show you some of my favourite places. Or what were my favourite places."
"Sounds amazing." She kissed him lightly before pulling his arm around her shoulder. She was glad he was finally showing her this aspect of her past. She knew Brooklyn made him think of all the 'what ifs', and it wasn't always pleasant for him to be back here. They walked a bit further coming across an apartment complex when he stopped suddenly.
"Is this where you grew up?" She assumed, looking at the building they were stood in front of. It had clearly been renovated since the 40's, but it was the only thing of any note around them.
"Nah, I grew up over there." He pointed to an old walk-up to the left of them, and she turned to look at it before briefly. "What I wanted to show you is this." He turned her to face a small alleyway, and she could only raise her eyebrows in response. "An alley?"
"I used to get beat up in this alley." He said, walking into it and running his hand over the bricks. "That's…depressing."
"Nah, it made me the person I am today." She took his hand again, squeezing it softly and giving him a warm look. He returned it with a small smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Made me the person I needed to be to meet you."
She rolled her eyes fondly, "You're infuriatingly romantic."
"It's one of my best qualities." He smirked, pressing a chaste kiss on her lips. She shivered as he pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself. "For example." He pulled off his suit jacket, draping it over her shoulders. It swamped her, but she pulled it around her, cherishing his leftover heat.
"Thank you." She kissed him softly as he wrapped his arm around her again, pulling her in close to him. Snuggling into his side, she couldn't help but smile, "Love you."
"Love you too Tash."
"Steve?" She asked groggily, trying to find his body next to her. She woke up properly when she realised he wasn't next to her, and the mattress was starting to get cold. "Steve?" She asked again, looking around the room. She saw light coming from the bathroom so she got up, knocking on the door softly.
"Steve?" She kept her voice gentle, opening the door when she received no reply to find him slumped on the floor vomiting into the toilet. "Hey, it's okay." She immediately jumped into action, kneeling on the ground next to him and rubbing his back gently. She stayed by his side until he finally seemed to be finished just as the sun was starting to rise over the city.
"Thanks." He whispered as she used a washcloth to wipe his mouth gently. "So clearly the hotdogs were a bad idea." She tried to joke, mainly because it made her feel better about the fact they were sitting on the floor of the bathroom.
"Yeah" He mumbled, closing his eyes weakly and resting his head against the toilet seat. She sighed, running her fingers through his hair softly. "Come on, let's get you back to bed." She helped him off the floor supporting him as he hobbled over to their bed. Before getting into bed next to him, she took the bin from the corner of the room and placed it on the floor next to him. He whimpered as she sat down, burying his face in the pillow.
"I'm sorry baby." She whispered, kissing his head gently and letting him pull her into him so she was curled into his side. "Are you okay?" He asked, though his voice was hoarse and rough. As always, he was concerned about her, even when he wasn't well himself.
She pressed another kiss to his cheek. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She knew she'd get ill soon, if Steve got ill, then she was certainly going to, but she was glad it wasn't yet. Steve always took care of her whenever she was injured or ill, and it was her turn to repay the favour.
"Okay." He fell asleep quickly, face still buried in the pillow and snoring lightly. She didn't want to go back to bed, it was 7am and it was time to start the day, so she got up, placing a glass of water on his nightstand before getting some breakfast. Her current outlook was that she was going to enjoy her last few hours before she ended up in bed, and that involved eating breakfast.
6 hours later
She had managed to get Steve out of bed and onto the couch downstairs. Their bed was gross and sweaty and she didn't feel like changing the sheets, so the couch it was. She was just starting to think that Steve's illness may not have anything to do with the hotdogs, as she still hadn't gotten ill.
"What's wrong with Cap?" Clint asked, walking into the room. She was sat on the floor, working at the coffee table whilst he lay on the couch, whimpering in his sleep. She couldn't bear to leave him alone, despite the fact she wasn't comfortable where she was.
"Uhh, food poisoning I think." Clint sat down in the armchair she was leaning against, letting his legs dangle over the arm.
"You think?" He sounded confused, and honestly, she was as well. She should've gotten sick by now, and she was starting to get worried there was something seriously wrong with him. "Well we ate some dodgy food last night but I'm fine so who knows."
"So let's hope there's not a world threatening crisis today." Clint joked, causing her to slap his leg where it had started to dangle over her shoulder.
"Yeah." Steve mumbled from the couch. She reached out and ran her finger through his hair, smiling when he leaned into her touch.
"He speaks!" Clint exclaimed, causing her to jump and Steve to whimper softly. She slapped him again, watching as Steve buried his face into the couch cushion.
"Why is Capsicle dead?" Tony asked loudly, walking into the room and thudding down on the sofa next to Steve.
"Food poisoning." She answered simply. Her stomach had started to turn and she knew what was going to happen next, she was just hoping to delay it as long as possible. Hopefully her silence would buy her time, because she really didn't want to blow chunks in front of her friends.
"I thought he couldn't get ill." Bruce commented, having walked into the room and pressed his hand to Steve's forehead lightly.
"The food must've been real dodgy." Clint replied idly, but he was looking at Natasha intently. She tried to swallow down a rising wave of nausea, and Clint hand came down to rest on her shoulder in a small attempt of comfort. "Was this from the restaurant? Because that is a five star place."
"No." She only managed to get out the one syllable word in response to Tony, she wasn't sure saying anything more was a good idea. "Tash?"
She grabbed the bin from Steve's arms. Luckily she had emptied it after the last bout of sick, so she didn't have to face a bucket full of old vomit. She started retching into it, couching and spluttering, each heave painful as she brought up what little food she'd actually eaten so far today.
"Oh boy." Clint said. He looked at Steve, but he was dead to the world and would be no help so it was up to him to deal with her. He pulled her hair back, stroking her back gently. "Get it all out Tash."
"Uh guys, Cap's looking queasy." Tony said, looking increasingly uncomfortable where he was sat. Bruce rolled his eyes, grabbing a bin from the other side of the room "I got this."
"Be an Avenger they said. It'll be fun they said." Clint mocked, looking at Steve who now had the bin in his grasp, his face buried in it. Natasha was still heaving up her guts below him, making a rather unpleasant smell.
"Stop complaining Barton. Fury wants you all at Shield." Hill walked out the elevator, looking at a tablet in her hands, clearly having not noticed the two vomiting avengers.
"Yeah, I don't think that's going to be possible." Tony told her, looking at their teammates, his face contorted in a look of sympathy and disgust. He'd moved up from the couch, hovering above Steve's head uneasily.
"I don't care." She still hadn't looked up and taken in the scene around her, and she was giving off an air of annoyance. Clearly, she didn't like being Fury's messenger. "No Hill, I really don't think we're gonna be able to make it" Bruce said, and she finally looked up from her tablet to look at them.
"What's going on?" Steve was sprawled out over the couch, his head buried in the couch once more whilst Natasha was still heaving her guts up. Maria could clearly see what was going on, but the why? was eluding her entirely.
"Oh god." Steve muttered, reaching for the bin he had only just put down, his hands shaking with the effort of moving. She wasn't one to judge, but she could only think of one explanation. "How drunk did you guys get last night?"
"Hey, don't blame us for this. Nat thinks it's food poisoning."
"How did they get food poisoning?" Hill didn't know what to think. How did two genetically enhanced individuals get food poisoning, especially Captain America. The man who was immune to everything.
"I think they went on a date, she's mumbled something about hotdogs at some point." Clint informed her, his hand still smoothing over Natasha's hair as she whimpered.
"Cliiinnnnt." She moaned, wrapping her hands around her stomach and pushing away the bin. "Can I have some water?" She mumbled, looking up at him with her slightly blown pupils. He looked down at her in sympathy, bending down to kiss her on the forehead.
"Would you mind?" He asked Hill, who had abandoned any hope of getting them to Shield. She simply shrugged, "Sure."
"Tony, go get some medicine from my lab." Bruce ordered, having come over to feel Natasha's temperature and frowning. It was way warmer than he'd like, although he wasn't hopeful she'd actually be able to keep something down.
"On it." Tony was all too happy to escape the room along with Hill, although not before a trash can was shoved in his arms to dispose of the contents. Maria couldn't help but chuckle to herself as he held it at arms length before busying herself getting some water. Then her phone rang, and boy was Fury not going to be happy.
"Hill. Where are my Avengers?" The man had an uncanny sense for when things weren't going as planned, because even if Steve and Natasha weren't chucking their guts up, there was no way he'd know they weren't on their way back to base.
"Sir, I don't think they'll be able to make it." She winced slightly, waiting for his inevitable response. She could practically hear his eyebrows raise as he responded. "They're unable to make it?"
"Romanoff and Rogers have food poisoning. And it's bad. Like, if there was a world threatening event we'd be dead by the end of the day, bad." She figured it was probably true, but she knew how mad it would make him. "Great. Just what I needed." His voice was laced in sarcasm, which was entirely unlike him. He was definitely annoyed then. He hung up before she could say anything else, causing her to sigh before grabbing a water bottle and leaving the kitchen.
"Oh god it smells in here." She screwed up her nose in disgust, handing the bottle to Natasha, who promptly took a swig before spitting it back into the bin.
"Why d'you think I dragged him out of our room?" Natasha told her, taking a sip of water, grimacing as she swallowed.
"Lovely."
"What the fuck is that smell?" Bucky walked into the room, bringing down his plate from breakfast. He was staying in a guest room when he wasn't at Shield, but he still wasn't entirely comfortable eating in front of everyone else.
"Ask your best friend." Clint complained, pulling Natasha's hair back from her face again as she started throwing up once more. Bucky looked over to Steve, who had fallen back asleep, a trail of drool hanging from his mouth.
"They've got food poisoning." Bruce filled him in as he sat on the arm of the couch Steve was laying on. He scrunched up his nose slightly in disgust before patting his shoulder gently.
"Right, Barnes, Stark, with me." Hill ordered, gesturing for them to follow her as soon as Tony came back into the room. Tony let out a deep sigh, and she braced herself for the inevitable complaining.
"Why do I have to go?" He whined, giving Bruce the medicine before sitting back down on the couch in protest.
"Don't even pretend that the first chance you get you're not gonna sneak off into your lab and not come out until the entire tower's been decontaminated." Hill pinched his ear before pulling him off the couch, gesturing for Bucky to follow them again. "Ow, owww, owwwww. Jesus Hill. You could just ask."
"We are never going on a date again." Steve groaned a day later when he'd finally stopped throwing up. Natasha hadn't quite finished purging her system though, so he was sat on the couch next to her and holding her hair back when required.
"Agreed." She let out a small chuckle before leaning her head on his shoulder, letting her eyes slip closed.
"Seconded." Clint interrupted, flopping down in the arm chair and turning to the tv.
"Thirded." Tony said, kicking his legs up on the coffee table. "You doing better Red?"
"So much better."
AN: If you have any ideas that you desperately, or not so desperately want incorporated into this story, please let me know and I'll try to write them in. I hope you enjoyed, please follow, favourite and review. Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated.
