The usual Sunday girls' night out had turned into girls' afternoon in. After relentless requests from every news organization in existence, Steve had reluctantly agreed, via Hill and Fury's intervention, to an interview with 60 Minutes. When Stark had found out the interview was shooting on a Saturday, he had insisted on hosting the male Avengers overnight at the Tower, to be followed the next day by a Giants' game in a private box at MetLife Stadium.
Wanda had watched the 1pm game in the lounge with Maria, Natasha and Helen, playing a game that involved drinking every time the network broke to a shot of the Avengers, which had become a regular thing after their presence was noted during the second quarter. Vision wearing a blue Giants' jersey over a collared shirt and khakis as he watched the field with polite interest had been a source of great amusement for the announcers. Sam, Rhodey and Stark had been excited about the game, while Bucky had lurked in the background, barely showing his face. Steve stubbornly wore his old Brooklyn Dodgers cap and pretended to watch something other than his phone ; Natasha had been sending him text messages to see how much they could make him blush while unaware he was on the air. The network had shown the Avengers more often than one would have thought, if Wanda's current state of inebriation was any indication.
She tried to sit up a little straighter in her chair and realized she must have dozed off. The Giants' game was apparently over. Helen was snoring softly, mouth agape, on the couch across from her, Freckles draped over her legs. Maria and Natasha were sitting on the couch facing the TV, flanking a largely empty bowl of popcorn. Natasha, of course, barely seemed like she'd been drinking, although she was currently debating with no one which quarterback (or 'throwing guy') had the more punchable face while Maria stared intently at the television. Wanda vaguely remembered her saying she was looking forward to the Chicago Bears' game. She tended to agree with Natasha's opinion that American football was nonsensical and arbitrary, but Maria looked totally enthralled. Wanda could only assume it was a cultural thing; she still personally followed Pietro's favorite real football team, CSKA Moscow. She closed her eyes again, remembering him practicing free kicks and Cruyff turns on the pitch.
She opened her eyes an indeterminate amount of time later. Helen was no longer present, Freckles stretched across the couch by himself. Without turning her head, Wanda glanced at the TV. The Bears appeared to be crushing their opponent, although she wasn't entirely clear on the scoring. Twenty-seven to six seemed like a good lead. She rolled her head, blinking to restore focus after the blurring the movement had caused.
Maria was far more relaxed than she had been earlier. She and Natasha were now sitting side by side on the sofa, feet propped up on the coffee table. "…but if you just talk to him…"
"I've tried," Natasha replied with a huff. "He runs in the other direction whenever he sees me coming."
"What about Steve?"
"He thinks this is a you and Sam thing and doesn't want to get involved."
"Even though your glorious ass is at the center of the controversy?"
"Aw, Maria. I never knew you'd noticed."
"That was a direct quote from Sam. I don't think he feels guilty about walking in on you and Steve as much as he feels guilty that he liked what he saw. And the fact that he told me he saw Steve," she crooked her fingers to indicate a quotation, "'clutching two glorious handfuls of ass.' Honestly, to hear him tell it, he stood there for a while so you guys could put on a show, which I know can't be true because he hasn't been decapitated."
"It really was over in a second. I hadn't even gotten my head around when he was slamming the door and yelling about how sorry he was for interrupting."
"Hmmm." Maria bent forward to grab a vodka bottle from the coffee table and took a long pull before passing it on. "I know SHIELD had some kind of rules about unrelated sex during missions…"
"…but we're not SHIELD anymore," Natasha concluded. She took a swallow from the bottle. "Fury never asked me to do that, anyway. Not once."
"Don't tell him I told you, but he made it an unofficial policy that he was never going to send you out with that expectation. I think he wanted to prove to you that you made the right choice, coming to SHIELD."
"Huh. And I thought I was the one proving myself to him." There was a long pause, during which Wanda almost dozed off again, before Natasha asked, "Did you ever think we'd be here?"
"On the couch?"
"Well…indirectly, I guess. I just meant…y'know…being friends?"
Maria chuckled. "I have to admit, I didn't see it coming. Of course, considering the first thing I ever said to Sam was, 'Who the hell is this guy?,' I'm probably not up for any clairvoyance awards."
"I don't remember that at all."
"You'd lost a fair amount of blood at the time."
"No, I remember you saving us, I just don't remember you and Sam meeting. Weird."
"Well, like I said, you'd taken a bullet to the shoulder."
"Uh-huh." Natasha caught Wanda's attention with her next comment, "Hard to believe Bucky is on our side after all that."
"I still can't believe you're one of the good guys sometimes, never mind him." Maria immediately amended, "Not that I'd change anything, just that…I mean, I remember when Barton brought you in and pretty much everybody thought Fury had suffered a head injury when he agreed to keep you on, but…this isn't coming out right…"
Natasha gave her a light swat on the thigh to stop her rambling, passing the vodka back. "I'm glad we're friends now, too."
"Good."
Wanda felt somewhat intrusive listening to the drunken conversation, but she currently lacked the will to rise from her chair. She blinked several times before asking, "What happened to Helen?"
"We put her to bed at halftime," Maria replied. "We thought about dragging you off, too, but the third quarter started and it was still close, so…"
"We decided to let you sleep so Maria wouldn't miss any of her precious Bears slapping each other's asses."
"Soccer players hug after a goal."
"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response." Natasha tipped the vodka bottle to her lips. "How much longer before Steve makes me feel better about watching TV all day?"
"Watching TV and drinking?"
"Why would I feel guilty about drinking?"
Maria rolled her eyes before squinting at the television. "Two-minute warning. If you have to pee, you should be back within the next ten minutes, not that clock-management matters at this point. Bears win!"
"And I used to think you were so smart."
"I'll pretend that was a compliment."
Natasha suddenly sang out, "Ave Maria!"
"Ridiculous."
They were still giggling several minutes later when 60 Minutes came on, promising an extensive interview with Captain America, following election coverage. A brief preview showed Steve smiling in a suit provided by Tony Stark's personal tailor and a silk shirt and tie direct from Italy. He looked like was threatening to sweat through all of them as he sat under the Klieg lights. "I'm just a kid from Brooklyn."
"That should be his catch phrase," Natasha said with a sigh. Wanda was about to doze off again when an announcer stated that the interview with Captain America was coming up next. "He was really nervous about how they'd edit this thing when we talked last night."
Maria laughed. "As if Steve could say the wrong thing."
"I know you coached him, but he was still nervous about telling the world…"
"Shhh," Wanda hissed as the program resumed.
After a brief introduction, the interviewer, Laurie Boothe, immediately said, "I guess the first thing we should talk about is Freckles. He has really become the public face of the Avengers in the past months, hasn't he?"
Steve smiled and settled into his chair a little. "Yeah, he's a really great dog. He's mellow, he likes everybody, he loves to play…everyone at headquarters is just crazy about him."
"He has a very popular Twitter feed and I understand he has over a million friends on Facebook."
"Well, I'm not really up on everything he gets up to on the internet, but he does seem to be very popular."
"Does he have his own space at Avengers' Headquarters?"
"He really has the run of the place. He's got dog beds in several strategic locations, but sofas and beds are fair game."
"Does he ever sleep with you?"
"Only every night," Steve replied with a goofy grin.
"He knows who the Boss is."
"Well, as I understand it, dogs are drawn to the person they perceive as their pack leader. I will say that he's much better than a hot water bottle."
Boothe laughed. "I'm sure there are plenty of women who wouldn't mind being in your bed. Speaking of which, you must be expecting me to ask about your relationship with Agent Romanoff."
"You're the news person," Steve replied with a shrug. Wanda knew he had rehearsed his answers to any possible questions about his relationship with Natasha, but he seemed to be defensive.
"Right. Of course. Given that she released a vast amount of SHIELD data a few years ago, I suppose you are aware of her past?"
He paused before providing a wary, "I am."
"And I assume you've been briefed on the extensive history of the Cold War and Russian relations with the United States."
"I've done a lot of research, both government-provided and independent, since I've been, uh, back. I read. I have internet access. I'm not living in a bubble. I know what people are saying."
Booth nodded sympathetically. "Of course. You have access to some of the best intelligence in the world. Given that, you can understand why there has been some speculation about the influence of Russian interests in…"
"Let me stop you there," Steve interrupted. "I'm not ignorant of the history between the US and the Soviet Union, or Russia. I know I'm not a Harvard historian, but I understand the tension in the past. I didn't live through it, but I certainly appreciate the, uh, the history there."
"Then you understand why many Americans question your choice to become romantically involved with a former Soviet agent?"
Steve visibly clenched his jaw. "Natasha is the strongest person I have ever known, mentally and emotionally, and she'll give anyone a hard match physically. That's not the most important thing, though. You have to understand that she was raised in a really tough environment. She was indoctrinated from birth. Rather than focusing on her past, I think we should concentrate on the fact that she overcame all that to become a person who defends freedom and autonomy and…she's an Avenger. She fights with all of us to ensure justice and liberty and…"
"I'm not questioning Agent Romanoff's qualifications," Boothe interrupted with a smile. "I just wonder, with a significant proportion of Americans, according to recent polls, if she is the right person for Captain America to pair himself with…"
"I can only say that…it's obvious they don't know Natasha." Steve took several deep breaths before continuing, "I'm not so naïve to think my private life won't be analyzed like some celebrity's, but the fact is that I'm going to marry her and if that means I have to give up the title of 'Captain America,' that's fine with me. I'll continue doing my job with the same sense of pride and duty I always have."
"I'm sorry, but did you just say that you and Agent Romanoff are engaged?"
"Yes. I'm going to marry the woman I love."
Steve was suddenly speaking live, in the lounge, as he leaned over the back of the couch and embraced Natasha, "I meant every word."
"Shh. My fiancé is on TV saying lovely things about me." She reached up to hold him and he buried his face in her neck. The show went to a commercial break on the sudden revelation that Captain America was engaged to Black Widow. She turned to nuzzle against his cheek, sending a warm feeling through Wanda. "What happened to spending the night at the Tower?"
Wanda missed his response as Freckles suddenly realized Steve was home and bounced over to greet him. Natasha suddenly looked less pleased. Still, she stood and led him toward the door.
Sam tried to avoid her as he walked in, looking down at the floor. "Oh, hey. I, uh, is Maria around?"
Maria waved from her spot on the sofa, but Natasha grabbed his hand and guided it to her backside. "Sam, there is nothing wrong with appreciating natural wonders."
He stared at his hand with a look of horror. "This is not happening."
"You're allowed to appreciate it." Natasha let go of his wrist, and he drew his hand back as if he'd touched a hot stove. "I'd only be insulted if you didn't admit to liking what you saw. Are we cool?"
Sam didn't look sure, but nodded. "We're cool."
"Good." Natasha walked out of the lounge, followed quickly by Steve and Freckles.
Sam walked over to take Natasha's vacated seat on the sofa, throwing an arm around Maria's shoulders as he sat. "Damn." His eyes suddenly popped open very wide. "I mean, damn, I can't believe Natasha just did that."
"Relax, flyboy," Maria said, patting his thigh. "We've been drinking."
"Uh huh." He tipped his head to peck her cheek, then worked his way down her neck. Wanda had to admit that the two of them were starting to emit their own glow. She could certainly feel the familiar prickles of love.
Maria suddenly stopped Sam's attentions. "Why did you all come back early?"
"We didn't all come back. Vision is helping Stark work out some kinks with FRIDAY and Rhodey had a date with some chef he met. If she looks anything like her photos…" he trailed off, then continued, "She's only half as beautiful as you are."
"Sam…"
They were walking out of the room when Wanda remembered something important. "What about Bucky?"
"He drove back with us," Sam replied, before disappearing around the corner with his arm supporting Maria.
Wanda huffed to the empty room. On television, Steve said, "I just hope we can all be of service for a long time. That's my ultimate hope."
60 Minutes ended with a brief preview of the stories they were working on for next week. Wanda began to flip through the channels, feeling less drunk and more awake. She had settled on a trashy reality show when Bucky suddenly dropped onto the couch to her right. "Hey."
"Hey," she replied.
"How did Steve's interview go? He was freaking out about it."
"I think…I think it went well. The part I saw, anyway." She didn't mention that she had missed most of the interview when Steve, then Sam had arrived to lead her girlfriends away. "I am sure it is available online or that we…" she paused to press a few buttons on the remote, "Yes, we recorded it."
"I'm sure it'll be all over the news tomorrow. Captain America and Black Widow? Everyone'll be talking about it."
"It is strange that something so commonplace for us is so new to the rest of the world."
"Isn't that the case with most Avengers' stuff?" He picked up the half-empty vodka bottle and drained the remainder. Smacking his lips, he set the empty bottle on the coffee table. "Dr. Banner is the Hulk, right?"
She tried not to be thrown by the abrupt change in topic. "Yes."
"Well, he's in New York. Steve didn't seem too happy. Can't say I blame him, assuming the YouTube stuff hasn't been altered."
"Steve and Natasha will be fine." She ran her hands through her hair, realizing that Steve and Sam had both returned to HQ to spend time with their girlfriends. "Why did you come home?"
"Well, it's home. Nothin's keepin' me in the city. I'd rather be here."
She nodded, flicking through the channels until she came to the late football game. "Interested?"
"Seahawks and Ravens are just birds, as far as I'm concerned. Hell, I agree with Steve that the Giants should be playin' baseball at the Polo Grounds, if it still existed. 'Course, I'd still be rooting for the Dodgers if…Los Angeles is a fake city."
"People who live there would likely disagree."
"Yeah, well…real people live in New York."
Wanda shook her head, unsure of how to respond. She and Bucky spent the rest of the night watching football, football highlights and football analysis. She still had no idea what the game was about when he gently guided her to her quarters early the next morning.
