Today was a good day to pay Peggy a visit, Steve hadn't seen her in weeks and he finally had the time. He threw on the leather jacket Natasha had forced him to buy on the shopping trip she'd dragged him on a few weeks after they had started working together. She'd thought it was time for him to dress like his biological age. At first she'd taken him to a store that sold wheeled walkers and after she'd stopped cackling at her joke they'd gone to a clothing store. It had been the first time they'd spent time outside the Triskelion and it had been the first time since he'd gotten out of the ice that he hadn't felt lonely. He never felt lonely when he was with Natasha. He definitely hadn't felt lonely when Natasha had slept with her head on his shoulder after Tony's party.

He almost didn't notice that his neighbor Kate was in the stairwell as well when Steve walked down the stairs. Judging by the scrubs she was wearing she was coming back from a shift at the hospital.

"Hi, Steve." She smiled at him.

"Hey, Kate. How was work?"

"The usual." She shrugged. "Hey, do...do you maybe wanna go get coffee sometime?"

Natasha always told him that he needed more friends.

"Yeah, sure. Sounds good."

Kate smiled and brushed a strain of hair behind her ear. " Great! Well, I know where you live."

He chuckled. "I guess you do. I'll see you."

She nodded and made her way to her apartment. Steve continued to jog down the stairs and walked to his Harley. The one thing he'd splurged on. He loved his bike and the freedom that came with it.

Natasha liked fast cars, so maybe she liked motorbikes as well. They could take a tour with his bike and have a picnic somewhere. It was getting warmer now and he hadn't seen much outside of DC yet. He was sure that there were a lot of romantic places that they could explore together. They could stay at a little B&B and.. He had to take her on a date first, before he could fantasize about them spending the night together.

He started the engine of his bike and drove to Georgetown where Peggy was living and he spotted quite a few shops and cafes he knew Natasha would like. He shook his head when he reached the nursing home and got off his bike, he was here to see Peggy and not to think about Natasha.

He walked into the retirement home, the air smelling like air freshener, sanitizer and death. The ward nurse smiled at him and informed him that Peggy was having a good day when he signed his name to the visitors list, he saw that a Sharon Carter had visited Peggy this morning. Maybe she was a granddaughter.

He was relieved that Peggy was having a good day, it broke his heart that Peggy was disappearing before his eyes. She was still here, but not really. He had her back, but not like he'd wanted to. Most visits she didn't recognize him after some time or she'd forgotten that he'd come back. Peggy had always been so strong and confident and now most days she was a shell of that person. He didn't know Peggy anymore. Maybe he never did. They hadn't spend enough time with each other during the war. He'd thought that he'd been in love with her or had been falling in love with her after he'd woken up, but now he knew that there hadn't simply been enough time to fall in love. Love needed time to grow. They'd never had that luxury. And he was okay with that. Peggy had fallen for Daniel and from what she'd told him they'd had a wonderful marriage. He was happy for her, he was happy that she'd lived a long and fulfilling life.

The windows were open, the smell of spring in the air, and Peggy was sitting on her bedand reading the New York Times. She put the newspaper away when she noticed that he was walking through the opened door.

"Steve! What a lovely surprise, dear!" She gave him a warm smile. She smelled like roses when he leaned down to kiss her cheek.

"Hi, Peggy. How are you?"

"I'm good. A little bored, but good. The nurses won't let me get out today." Her eyes were full of mischief. "Do you think they would let Captain America take me to the park?"

He laughed, shaking his head at her, and left to persuade the ward nurse into letting them go to the park of the retirement home. The nurse wasn't a fan of the idea, but she eventually agreed to it if Peggy would use a wheelchair.

Steve pushed the wheelchair through the park and stopped near the pond. He checked if Peggy's legs were covered by her blanket and she patted his hand.

"Something is on your mind, dear." She squeezed his hand lightly and he could feel her dry and wrinkled skin. He sometimes couldn't believe they were the same age.

"I'm fine, Pegs."

He was tempted to tell her about Natasha but what was there to talk about it? He liked her, but he couldn't find the guts to ask her out. He sometimes thought that she was interested in him and then there were times where he was sure that she wasn't. She confused him, fascinated him, and challenged him. She was an enigma he wanted to unravel.

"Have you finally met someone? You shouldn't be alone, Steve." She gave his hand another light squeeze and then pulled away. "I worry about you, you know. I had a wonderful marriage with the most wonderful man and I want you to have someone. You don't have to marry the girl right away, but you should have someone who loves you. Or at least go on dates. " He turned to look at her and she gave him a small smile. "I hope you're not holding onto me, Steve. I don't want you to. We weren't meant to be."

He knew that they weren't meant to be. Maybe he'd always known deep down. When the USO girls had showed interest in him, he hadn't rejected all of them. He hadn't thought about Peggy at all when he'd been with them, and he didn't felt guilty that he'd slept with them. He hadn't owed Peggy anything because they hadn't been together.

"I'm glad that you found Daniel. I'm not pining after you, don't worry... Well, there might be someone..."

"Really?" Peggy's eyes lit up. "Tell me everything!"

He wasn't sure how much he could tell Peggy. Pretty much everything was classified.

"We work together at SHIELD. She's a capable agent. She's really tough and isn't impressed by me being Captain America. At all." He chuckled. "Um, she's surprisingly funny, super smart, sarcastic and likes to read Agatha Christie novels. She wrinkles her nose in a really cute way when she laughs."

He'd never talked that much about Natasha with anyone before and for some reason he couldn't stop rambling about her. "She's taught me pretty much everything I know about this century. She once tried to sign me up for meals on wheels and always asks for the senior discount when we go eating somewhere. And she's just such a beautiful person. I know she doesn't see it that way but she's one of the best people I've ever met." He looked at Peggy. "Sorry, I got carried away."

Peggy just smiled brightly at him. "Oh, Steve. It sounds like you're in love with her."

He never thought about being in love with Natasha before. He knew he liked her a lot but when he thought about it, of course he fell in love with Natasha over the last year. He was thinking about her all the time, when she wasn't with him he missed her terribly, he wanted to spend every minute with her, her opinion mattered the most to him, and he was ridiculously attracted to her. Of course, he was in love with her. How had he not noticed it before?

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"I would really like to meet her." Peggy brushed imaginary pieces of fluff off her blanket. "Agent Romanoff must be one hell of a woman if she makes you that smitten with her."

Agent Romanoff?!

Wait, what? How on earth did she know that? He'd never told her that he was working with her. That was classified. Peggy laughed when she looked at him.

"Oh, Steve. Don't look so surprised. Just because I'm not the Director anymore, it doesn't mean that I don't know what's going on at SHIELD. Nicholas visits me when he has the time. He told me that he partnered you with Agent Romanoff. He thought that the two of you with your differences would make a great team out in the field. And from what I heard, he was right. But I don't think he planned for you to fall in love with her. You might need to prepare yourself for a shovel talk. Romanoff seems to be Nicholas' pride and joy. Not that he would ever admit that."

"We didn't even go on a date yet." He whispered.

"Give it time, Steve. Some things are worth waiting for."

The DoD had asked him to train with a special ops team, so he was spending the following week at a military base in Texas. He couldn't stop the flashbacks he had of his training at Camp Lehigh. He missed DC and he missed especially Natasha. The soldiers were good men and he even met one of Sam's friends but he realized that the days where he felt at a home at a military base were over. He didn't need the Army anymore, SHIELD and Natasha were his home now.

He had dinner with the soldiers but after they were done he excused himself and went to his room. They reminded him too much of the Howling Commandos and Bucky. He checked his phone and saw that Sam had sent him a text. They were planning to go skydiving when he would get back to DC and Sam had texted him that his friend cancelled and if he knew someone t to take his place. Of course only one name crossed his mind.

You wanna go skydiving with me and my friend Sam this Saturday?

Natasha's reply came twenty minutes later when he got out of the shower.

Since when do YOU use parachutes?!:P

He grinned at her response. She loved to use emoticons.

I don't think they'll let me jump out of the plane without one. You guys only let me do it because I outrank you.

He could see that Natasha was typing an answer.

Maybe they'll let you jump without it if you bring your shield:)

Do you wanna come with us?

She still hadn't answered that question.

I guess it's my duty to make sure that this senior citizen doesn't break his hip;) Text me the details, I'll meet you guys there:)

He did as he was asked and added that he was looking forward to it. He was actually surprised she said yes.

You won't be saying that when I push you out of the plane:P

He laughed at her text and went with a really good feeling to bed. Only four more days until he would see her again. And Sam, of course.

Four days later Sam was driving them to the South Mountain State Park which was an hour away from DC. Sam told him that he'd asked out the girl that worked the desk at the VA and they would go on their first date tomorrow. Lucky bastard.

Natasha was already waiting for them at the small airport of the skydiving company. She was leaning against her Corvette and sipping on one of those iced coffees she loved so much. A guy was talking to her but it looked like she was ignoring him.

"Oh uh, looks like someone's hunting in your territory." Sam laughed when he pulled up next to Natasha's car.

"I don't know what you mean, Sam."

"Yeah, whatever man." He rolled his eyes and got out of his car.

Steve couldn't help but be annoyed with Sam and the guy who was obviously flirting with Natasha. He was kind of attractive, if you were into that whole tall, dark haired guy kinda thing. And he looked rich, his clothes seemed to be pretty expensive.

Sam waved at Natasha. "You must be Natasha. Nice to finally meet you!"

"Hi, Sam. Nice to meet you!" She shook Sam's hand before she looked at Steve. She pulled a flyer out of her backpack and handed it to Steve. He didn't look at it yet but the innocent smile on her face already told him that it was a joke at his expense.

Skydiving for seniors- what you need to know.

He rolled his eyes at her and she just smirked at him.

The tall stranger decided he need to speak. "Where are my manners. I'm Billy Russo." He shook hands with Sam and then with Steve.

"I'm Sam Wilson and well, this is Steve Rogers."

Russo stared at him and then he seemed to recognize him. He hated it when that happened. He only enjoyed it when it were little kids.

"Oh wow, Captain Rogers! What an honor!"

Russo had something about him that reminded him of a soldier. "You served?"

He nodded. "Yup, marine corps. I'm here with my guys for a team building exercise. I'm a military contractor now."

Natasha snorted but Russo didn't seem to notice it. She wasn't a fan of military contracting. And neither was he to be honest.

"Well, seems to be working well for you." Sam nodded at his Rolex.

Russo laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. Never thought I would ever be able to afford such a watch though." Someone called his name and Russo waved at him. "I have to go. It was nice to meet you, Captain Rogers. And you, Mr. Wilson." He turned to Natasha and gave her a wide smile. "And it was really nice to meet you, Natalie. Here's my card. I hope to hear from you soon." He handed her his card and walked away.

Natalie? Didn't he recognize Natasha from the battle of New York?

"So you wanna go in?" She pointed at the small building behind her.

Sam nodded and they followed her. Steve didn't miss how Natasha threw Russo's card into a trash can before she walked into the building. He tried to hide his smile but he could see out of the corner of his eye that Sam saw it and grinned at him. Whatever.

They listened to the instructions even though all three of them had jumped out of a plane more than once and Natasha complained about the pilot the whole flight. After the team realized who he and Natasha were and they vouched for Sam, they were allowed to jump without their instructors.

Natasha was a little show off and did a few somersaults before she opened her parachute. He and Sam landed before her and Natasha somehow managed to knock Steve to the ground when she landed. He was flat on his back while she sat on top of him, straddling his waist and laughing. She pulled the helmet off her head, wind playing with her hair. She looked so beautiful and carefree in that moment. He thanked his eidetic memory because he already knew he would draw Natasha tonight. She patted his chest and then got up and Steve immediately missed the feeling of her body against his. He glanced over to Sam who was giving him a knowing smirk.

They got picked up and drove back to the airport. Natasha suggested to grab a bite and they followed her car to a restaurant in the nearest town. Sam told them about his college days over steaks and fries and Steve even talked a bit about Bucky. Only Natasha didn't tell a story and he was reminded again that she had been robbed of a normal childhood and youth. Had she even gone to a school? Had she had sleep overs with her friends? Probably not. He hoped for those who had put her through the Red Room that they were already dead. He wanted to slowly kill them and he knew he would enjoy every minute of it. His dark thoughts shocked him and he focused on Sam who told a story about a naked roommate that made Natasha laugh.

Following the fun day she had with Steve and his friend Sam, she dreamed about Steve that night. She dreamed that they had gone on a date in Manhattan and walked through Central Park holding hands, he walked her home and she invited him into her bed. That part of her dream had been quite vivid and she woke up sweaty and aroused. She stumbled into her en-suite bathroom and took a long and cold shower. Fuck her subconscious for making her dream about Steve!

She wrapped herself in a towel and walked to her kitchen to make breakfast. Since it was Sunday and she had the time she made herself avocado toast with poached eggs. She had the whole day off and didn't know what to do. She could read the Agatha Christie biography she'd bought last week but she wasn't really interested in that now. After she was done eating, she rinsed her plate in the sink and changed into jeans and a shirt. She got her laptop from her bedroom to see if any museums had new exhibits. The Smithsonian had an exhibit about Captain America. Did Steve know about this? Well, he probably did but he wasn't one to brag. God, if they ever decided to make an exhibit about Stark he would never stop talking about it.

Natasha almost laughed at the irony. Here she was trying to find something to keep her mind of Steve and her sex dream about him, and of course she would stumble across an exhibit about the guy.

Ugh!

Apparently she was a masochist or just stupid because she slipped into a leather jacket and boots and drove to the Smithsonian. She paid for her ticket and entered the section that was dedicated to Captain America. Somehow it was strange to see all this about Steve. She knew how important he was to the American people and to the world but still he was just her partner and friend Steve. But to the rest of the world he was The living legend and symbol of freedom. She'd never thought about how much people depended on him, how much they adored him. No one cared about her after New York and she was happy with it. Her work was so much easier if no one paid attention to her.

She stopped at the Sergeant Barnes memorial. Steve sometimes talked about him with a pained look in his eyes and then quickly changed the subject. She had almost lost her mind when she hadn't know if Clint could come back after what Loki had done to him. She couldn't imagine how Steve felt about losing Barnes. Steve had no one in this new century, everyone he knew was dead. She had the Bartons, and if she thought about it she was the only one that Steve had now. She couldn't push him away just because she'd started to crush on him and didn't like it. It wasn't his fault that she didn't have herself under control, she couldn't take it out on him. He needed a friend and she would be his friend.

A small cinema showed clips of Captain America's companions who talked about their time with him. Director Carter was recalling how Steve saved a group of men including her future husband. She knew that Steve and Carter had been at the beginning of an epic romance before he'd crashed into the ice. Another reason why she would never be good enough for him. Peggy Carter was a feminist icon and hero and she was a murderer. Steve was clearly confused if he thought that he was into her after his thing with Carter.

Howard Stark appeared next on the screen and spoke highly about Steve. Natasha let her gaze linger over the audience and stopped when she spotted broad shoulders covered in a blue jacket. He was wearing a baseball cap but she would recognize those shoulders anywhere. She wondered if the others realized that Captain America was with them in the room. She considered leaving before he noticed that she was here but she couldn't do that to him. She wanted to be a good friend to him. This exhibit was probably very painful for him, reminding him of everything he'd lost and sacrificed.

She leaned against the wall and waited for the movie to be over. Steve was the last one still sitting on the bench when the light went back on. She had the urge to walk over to him and to wrap her arms around him but she fought against it. Steve eventually got up and turned around, he looked sad but when he recognized her his face lit up and he smiled at her brightly. She would never ever admit it to anyone ever but her knees got weak at the sight. He was just so pretty, it was unfair. And that smile was just the cherry on top, especially when she was the reason for it.

"Hi!" He walked over to her, still smiling. "What are you doing here?"

She pulled the shield magnet out of her pocket that she'd bought at the gift shop. "I wanted to have my own shield."

"I would borrow you the real one, you know."

She believed him. She knew how much that shield meant to him and yet he would let her use it. She didn't want to think about what that meant for the two of them. Rumlow had asked more than once to let him train with it and Steve had said no every time.

"You want an overpriced hot dog?" She asked him and he nodded.

She probably should have just said hello to him and then pretend she had to be somewhere else but she enjoyed his company too much. She wanted to be around him a little longer. Pretend that she wasn't a complete fuck up.

Steve paid for their hot dogs despite her inviting him, and they left the museum to find a bench outside.

"Why did you come here, Steve? I can imagine that it's not easy to take a walk down memory lane."

Steve wiped mustard off his chin and sighed.

"I don't want to forget them, you know. The more I settle into this new world the more I'm afraid that I'm forgetting them. There are sometimes moments where I think I always lived in the 21th century. I'm probably not even making sense."

"Finding your place here doesn't mean you're betraying them, Steve." She hoped her smile was encouraging for him.

"I know." He smiled back and finished the rest of his hotdog. Natasha wasn't really hungry and she gave him the rest of hers.

"Are you here with your bike?"

"Nope, I took the subway." He mumbled between bites.

It was probably a bad idea but the words left her mouth before she could stop herself. "I can drive you home. The subway is filled with people around this time."

Steve looked happy with her offer and nodded. "That be great. Thanks, Nat."

She noticed that he started calling her Nat and she liked it more than she should. Everyone called her Romanoff, Coulson and Fury sometimes Natasha and Clint called her Tasha but Steve calling her Nat felt special. She already knew that he would be the only one who would get away with it.

They talked about the skydiving trip when they walked to her car and she really wanted to do something with Sam and Steve again. Maybe she could have more than two friends. Steve's place wasn't that far away and ten minutes later they reached their destination.

"Do you wanna come in? I wanna watch Ghostbusters 1 and 2 and I have leftovers of the cheesecake Sam's mom made for me. I'm sure you'll love it. " He gave her his boyish smile and she hated herself for liking it so much.

"I can't, sorry. I have errands to run."

That was a lie but she didn't think it was a good idea to spend more time with him. Being alone with him would probably make her do something stupid like jump his bones. And sex would just make everything even more complicated. Steve didn't seem like the guy who could have sex without strings and she wasn't the kind of woman who had sex with strings.

Steve's smile dropped for a second before it returned. "Okay, another time then. See you tomorrow."

He got out of the car, gave her a little wave and crossed the street to his apartment building. His neighbor, the nurse, was just coming out of the building and beamed when she spotted Steve. The normal thing for Natasha to do would be to drive home but she just watched the scene before her.

The nurse walked down the stairs and stopped right in front of Steve. His back was to Natasha and she couldn't see if he had the same idiot grin on his face like the nurse. She touched his arm and was talking to him. Not that she could blame her, probably most women would fawn over Captain America if they lived next door to him. That nurse was way too touchy with Steve, Natasha didn't like it. She knew that she needed to drive away before Steve could realize that she was still there and practically stalking him, but her body had a mind of its own and she exited the car and walked over to them. She had to get that nurse away from Steve.

"Hey." She tipped him on the shoulder when she reached them.

He turned around and smiled. "I thought you were leaving."

"Changed my mind. Can't miss your introduction to the greatness that is Ghostbusters." She smirked at him and hoped the nurse would get the cue and leave.

The nurse looked at her with hesitation but then extended her hand. "I'm Kate."

"Natasha." She gave her a firm handshake.

"Well, I have to get to work." She waved at them and then walked down the street.

Weird, wasn't the next hospital at least a mile away? Maybe she took the bus. Something was off with Kate, but Natasha also knew that something was clouding her judgement. Something she didn't want to feel. She didn't go jealousy. Normally.

Steve was still smiling at her, telling her that he was glad that she'd changed her mind. They walked up to his apartment, he opened the door of her and told her to get comfortable. He put the promised cheesecake on plates while she got the movie ready. It had been some time since she last seen Ghostbusters and she'd forgotten how much she loved that movie and Steve seemed to enjoy it too.

Natasha's feet got cold and without thinking she pushed them underneath his thigh for warmth. Steve didn't say anything but placed a blanket over her legs. She enjoyed this display of simple domesticity way too much. She liked this and she wanted more. She liked watching movies with Steve, eating take out with him. But she wanted more. She wanted to straddle his lap, run her hair through his stupid, perfect hair and kiss him until she was out of air.. She wanted him to carry her to to his bed and to fuck her. No, it wouldn't just be fucking with Steve. It would be more, something that would change everything and she couldn't do that. She had to get a grip.

Steve's hand moved during the second movie to stroke her leg over the blanket and she let him. She was glad that the blanket and her clothes were covering her skin because she had goosebumps all over. Steve wouldn't just fuck her, he would worship her. She just knew it, and she didn't deserve that. But she wanted it. She wanted Steve's hand on her leg, she wanted it all over her body. Steve got bolder when she didn't push his hand away, and his hand moved underneath the blanket and he wrapped it around her ankle, his thumb brushing the naked skin between her sock and jeans. This was the most innocent way a man had ever touched her and yet it set her body on fire. It was the most intimate experience of her life and it confused the hell out of her. Why did she like this so much? Why did a simple touch turn her on?

She didn't leave after Ghostbusters 2 ended, no, she stayed right where she was and watched another movie from his list with him. Her feet were still underneath his thigh and he didn't stop caressing her legs.

She was royally fucked. And because she was a fucking idiot she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek when she bid him good night. Steve's smile was so bright that it almost blinded her and her skin felt warm and tingly when he pressed a kiss to her cheek in return.