A/N I'm glad FFN fixed the thing with the reviews and to kind of celibrate this, I post another oneshot. I really had fun writing it and I could just see Steve as this dog-person. I also used this to pay tribute to my own dog who passed away this summer. You won't really notice, since it is only a name, nothing more, but I felt like I had to do it. So please, enjoy!

Invader Johnny: As long as it was amusing to you, I'm glad ;) Thought those two could use some bonding time.


Title: Dog (prompt #107)

Characters: Natasha, Steve (relationship)

Word count: ~1950


„Natasha?" Steve's voices sounded strained, almost afraid.

Natasha raised an eyebrow and put her book aside. That didn't sound well. "In here!" She eyed him suspiciously when Steve entered their living room, visibly squirming under her gaze. "What's wrong?"

"Remember the talk we had about me proposing to get us a dog and you not wanting to have one?"

Natasha groaned. "I'm so not gonna like what you're about to say."

"I stepped by the shelter after finishing training the new recruits," Steve continued as if she hadn't said anything. "I wanted to just take a look. But there was this pup and he looked so lost. So I asked if there was already someone who showed interest but nothing. He's a little shy, I guess that's why. But I thought he would be fine with us."

"When you're gonna get him?" It wasn't like Natasha was angry or pissed, just resigned. She didn't hate animals or dogs in particular, but she felt like they were already having enough to do with the Avengers and saving the world and stuff like that.

Steve sat done beside her and looked at her with those blue eyes of his. Asshole. He just knew how to play her. "I didn't want to bring him right along. Maybe we both could get there and you take a look at him. Look, I know your reasons, but this little guy seems really in need of a home. And I'm sure he will be welcome at the HQ once he's house-trained. If you really don't want to get him, then that's fine. Just take a look at him, alright?"

"Alright," she finally sighed and kissing him gently. "Just let me put on my shoes. You're adorable when you want something, you know? Adorable, but annoying."

"That's why you fell for me," Steve replied with a crooked grin. "You won't regret it, I promise."

Natasha sighed, tied up her second shoe and grabbed her coat. Behind the window the snow had just started to fall. "You're coming?"

-#-#- -#-#- -#-#-

Inside the shelter it was warm and bright. On both sides were dogs waiting for new owners, some barking and jumping, others being more careful and observing the visitors from a safe distance. Natasha took a look around. The Black Widow might have the reputation of being a heartless, ruthless killer but Natasha also had a different side. Memories of a little pup in the Siberian cold came to her mind and she quickly casted them aside.

"Oh, Mr. Rogers! I didn't expect you to return so soon. Have you made up your mind yet?" A woman whose name badge showed Marisa was eager to appeal the Captain. Natasha almost smiled. Poor thing.

Steve laid an arm around the assassin and said: "My girlfriend wants to take a look at him first. It should be our dog, not mine alone."

"Of course." Marisa's smile seemed to falter a bit, but she led the way nevertheless. "That's the little guy Mr. Rogers was so interested in. We assume he's only a few months old, half a year maximum. Unknown breed, but his paws indicate to be at least partly something bigger. Maybe the size of a Labrador. Found him fastened to our front door. He's a little shier than the rest of our dogs here, we don't know what he's been through yet. But he's vaccinated and chipped."

"I want to get to him," Natasha announced.

Marisa didn't look pleased. "Well, um, sure. Just please don't scare him, he's a little sensitive."

Natasha threw her look that most surely scared the girl and opened the door to the pup's kennel. "Does he have a name?"

"We're calling him Cupcake, but if you want to take him, you can give him a name of your own."

"Sure as hell we'll do that," Natasha muttered and slowly hunkered down. "Hey little guy… Steve thinks you should come with us. I think he's crazy, but what do I know? What about you, fellow? Wanna come with us?" Her voice was low, calming, warm. A long while nothing happened. Marisa already left them to do some paperwork and Steve waited outside the kennel, staying silent and observed. The puppy watched her with wary eyes and sometimes his paws twitched just as he wanted to do a step in her direction. "Look, I really want to give you a chance. Won't happen again, trust me. But Steve seems to like you." Although Natasha talked to him, her body didn't move half an inch. "Don't tell him, but I think everyone deserves a second chance. I'd liked us to be yours. And you would get a better name than Cupcake, though your cute. You know, I once had a pup. A little girl, smaller than you. You remind me of her."

The pup watched her with his head cocked before carefully taking some steps towards her until he could sniff at the back of her hand. He sneezed. Natasha smiled. "Yeah, I cooked today. Promise, won't happen often." Slowly she turned her hand around and touched the dog, gently stroke over his dark grey fur.

"What do you think?" Steve asked softly.

Natasha sighed. "I think you're a cunning asshole," she answered, never changing her tone as to not scare the pup. "You thought that through? Because this little bundle of fur will cause us a hell of work."

"I think we're fit for it. Elsewise I wouldn't have brought you here."

"Fine." Natasha sighed, smiling as the pup slowly leaned into her touch.

"Fine?" Steve sounded as if he was afraid to believe her.

Natasha chuckled. "Go sign the papers, you idiot."

"Still your idiot", he replied with a smile and kissed her before literally hopping out of the kennel to go to the office.

"So, we need a name for you. Any ideas? No? You're not helping, little one." She contemplated the dog in front of her for a moment. "What do you think about Ghost? No, right, too mainstream. Jules? Well, your ancestor was a wolf. Guess you've never seen The Jungle Book, have you? Akela sounds good to you? Yes? Alright." She smiled when the pup waggled his little tail.

"You two got friends already?" Steve asked as he returned to the kennel.

Natasha picked Akela up and held him still so Steve could close the collar. "Sure. Even picked a new name. Steve, meet Akela."

"Akela? Sounds… curious. But hey, who am I to complain. I'm happy you two like each other." Steve watched with amusement as Natasha tucked Akela in her coat to protect him from the cold despite his thick fur. "We need to buy some things before heading home. Food, bowls for both food and water, a leash and a blanket or dog basket."

"Don't forget his name tag," Natasha added and adjusted he pup in her arms when he tried to nuzzle her neck. "Just don't make his bed too patriotic, he's not Captain America."

"But the colours would be fine?" Steve grinned at her when he opened the car door for her so she could get in without jostling Akela.

Natasha and Steve both agreed on the sofa and the bed being exclusion zones for Akela, but just as willingly decided that since it was his first day in the new home he could get on the sofa for cuddling time. After having carefully inspected his new home and sleeping berth (Steve did manage to find a pillow for the dog basket showing an Avenger's A, explaining innocently that "his name starts with A, too, and he's a member of the team now"), Akela sat in front of the sofa, head lying on the cushions, and hesitantly raised one paw only to put it beside his head.

"Just today," Natasha said as a warning to both him and Steve and patted on the blanket for Akela to jump on. The pup happily obliged, stamped over both Steve's and Natasha's legs and made himself comfortable at one end of the sofa beside Steve, coiled himself up and soon started to snore softly.

"Regret your decision yet?" Steve softly asked and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Natasha smiled. "No, not yet. I think he's perfect and just needs some time. Although he already trusts us enough to sleep near us, so that's something."

"How comes you know so much of dogs? How to approach the scared ones and all that? Part of a mission?"

"No." Natasha didn't say anything more but Steve could feel her walls rising. He knew prodding wouldn't do him anything good yet, but he wanted to know. There were a lot of things he didn't know about Natasha's past, so many things she still kept for herself. He knew it wasn't to hurt him; if Steve was being honest, he doubted that even Clint knew that much more than him. Natasha seemed to sense his thoughts, as usual. "I once had a dog in the Red Room," she started so quietly that even Steve had to strain his ears. "Every girl was given a puppy at some age and we had to take care for them. Feed them, train them, everything. I taught mine some tricks. Sezja, that's how I called her. She could turn on or off the light and even opened doors. I would sneak her something to eat, though I guess my instructors knew that."

"What happened to her?" Steve posed the question although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer. As if he couldn't help it, his hand reached for Akela's soft fur.

Natasha gave him a one-shoulder-shrug, similar to the one she showed in Sam's apartment after barely escaping S.H.I.E.L.D.'s missiles. "I needed to survive. It was her or me. Let's just say the career of the famous Black Widow started with her killing a friend. And it wasn't the only friend she sacrificed."

"Come here." Steve pulled her in an embrace. Though not expecting to see her shedding tears, he wanted her to know that he was there for her. That she wasn't the monster she thought herself to be. That is was alright to love and to care without being weak. "You're not the monster you so vehemently think you are. Trust me, I know monsters. I faced them. You are not one of them, never forget that. You know… I think Akela's lucky you agreed to get him. I don't know that much about dogs and you seem a pro. And… I appreciate you didn't send me to hell for throwing you off your guard with me being at the shelter. I guess I would have deserved it."

Natasha couldn't help but smile. "I couldn't leave him there. Just as I said, second chance for everyone. Maybe he's my second chance on deserving a dog's trust."

"I'm sure he is", Steve said reassuringly and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Guess we have to dope out who's training the recruits tomorrow and who's on dog duty, huh?"

Steve grinned. "Dope it out? Why, you wanna be on dog duty? Thought I wanted the dog, I'm taking care of him most of the time."

"You wish!" Natasha answered with a laugh. "If I let you take care of him all the time, he's howling the National Anthem before he's house-trained. Besides, he's too small now to keep up with you on your morning runs, so I'm gonna take him for a walk tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, maybe we can show him HQ so he gets used to the other guys. Deal?"

"How comes I think Akela is going to be your dog rather than ours?"


Well, what do you think? If you like the two of them with Akela, I would love to write some more oneshots dealing with the trio. As to Natasha's story of Sezja, originally I included an abridged version in this chapter, but then thought that I'd rather dedicate that story a whole oneshot which will probably not follow directly, but is definitely planned! That is, if you're interested in it ;)