A very private display of affection

by Delgardo

Steve Rogers is trying to find his way in this brave new world. The future is bright, the war is won and everyone how knows died or went on without him. He feels directionless until things start falling apart and he finds his true calling, fighting to protect people. Natasha Romanov is a puppet that has got free of her strings, tormented by the guilt she feels for all the horrors

5. Chapter 5

A Pretty interesting wall

Looking out of the window at Avengers HQ, Natalia pondered Nick Fury's parting words

"Trouble, Miss Romanoff. No matter who wins or loses, trouble still comes around. "

Isn't that the truth, she thought, watching Steve Rogers, Thor and Tony Stark walk out onto the lawn.

Thor raises his hammer and vanishes into the sky on a rainbow pillar of light, leaving an ornate sigil burnt into the grass next to Steve and Tony.

The two men walk towards the gravel drive as one of Tony's self-driving cars creeps close. They're talking but she'd not bugged either of them, so she takes a miniature scope from her belt and zooms in. Tony's facing away from her, but it's easy to tell he's being his usual sarcastic motor-mouth self. Then his stance changes, as he's saying something serious. She can see Steve's face clearly, it's easy to read his lips at this distance.

"I will miss you, Tony"

Then in reply to Tony, he says "The simple life". So Tony's leaving to try and have a simple life for a while? Pepper will be glad, she constantly has to run damage control and put out the fires Tony starts. Then Tony says something to Steve, a suggestion? Maybe saying he should quit and have a simple life as well?

Steve shakes his head "I don't know. Family. Stability. The guy who wanted all that went in the ice seventy-five years ago." He looks distant, almost sad. "I think someone else came out."

Tony says something, a question.

Steve draws himself up, looking round with an expression of quiet satisfaction.

For a moment he's looking right at her as he says "I'm home."

Somehow that hits her as if he was saying it straight to her, even though she knows the windows are mirrored, he can't have seen her. But she almost drops the scope, heart hammering.

Oh, if only he'd been talking to her.

She stares at the wall, controlling her breathing, forcing the tension from her shoulders.

She hears the main doors open, the sound of boots on the stairs. Steve's voice asks "You want to keep staring at the wall, or do you want to go to work? I mean, it's a pretty interesting wall."

She turns and laughs

"I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other's eyes. How do we look?"

He pulls up the roster of active Avengers on his tablet.

"Well, we're not the '27 Yankees." He says, handing her the list

She skims over it while trying to remember baseball idioms "We've got some hitters."

Obviously the Yankees in 27 were something important from the way he used it.

"They're good. They're not a team. "

"Then let's beat 'em into shape."

Waiting for them in the training room are War machine, The Vision, The Falcon and Wanda, all on new Avengers outfits.