They strolled together, Steve following behind as Natasha lead the way. As she walked her luscious red hair bouncing with every step. He was tempted to run his hands through it like he had been doing 15 minutes ago, with his arms around her, lips pressed together. Steve could feel his passion rising again. He shook his head to clear the thought.

"Here." Natasha pointed, indicating to a small shabby looking restaurant across the street.

"Here?"

"Yes. The place has great reviews. Come on." Natasha tugged on his arm lightly, guiding him to the restaurant.

The place was humming with activity. Not full but far from empty. A waitress smiled and asked "Table for two?"

Natasha smiled and nodded and they were quickly seated and handed menus. Natasha opened hers and was soon engrossed in the pages deciding on what she wanted. Steve filled the glasses with the water the waitress brought over before turning to his own menu.

"Hmm. I'm not sure if I should go a Thai chilli basil or some curry. What about you, Cap?" Natasha mused.

"Well... I'm not really sure. I've never had Thai food before." Steve admitted.

"Never? Well then lets start off nice and simple. Some spring rolls, Pad Thai and some Thai chilli basil for me." Natasha quickly decided.

"Are you sure I'll like it?" Steve asked.

"Pad Thai is the most well known Thai dish and it is quite mild. I'm sure you'll like it." She reassured him.

"All right. I trust your judgement. You are much more experienced than me."

"Is that supposed to be an double entendre?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Not everything is about sex, Natasha."

"Maybe not in the 40's, but nowadays it certainly is. But then again you aren't really like other people."

"And neither are you."

The waitress came and took their order. As she left a slightly awkward silence settled over them. Steve fiddled with his water glass not sure of how to talk to the woman who sat across from him, the woman who he had fought alongside and had spent the last hour and a half holding and kissing. It was a confusing way to feel about a confusing and infuriating woman.

"So..." He started.

"So." Natasha replied, a smug smile playing across her lips, relishing in his shy awkwardness. Catching his eye, she smiled a little wider. It was enough to make him give a slight smile.

"You did well in your lesson, Rogers. Better than I expected."

"Um..."

"Thank you. I believe the correct response when someone gives you a compliment is "thank you. " You aren't forgetting you manners now are you, Cap?" Natasha said with a fake shocked tone.

"No... I mean thank you.. but..." Steve stammered.

"Relax, Rogers. I'm just teasing you a little. Trying to get you to relax. You take things too seriously some times."

"Well for me that kind of thing is." He defended.

"I'd suppose so. And I have to ask you something I find hard to believe. You've never really had Thai food before?"

Steve wasn't expecting the conversation to be about food, rather sex and relationships and was glad to be focusing on something else. He breathed a sigh of relief before answering.

"No, never."

"Sushi? Japanese? Korean? Chinese?" Natasha inquired rapidly.

"No, no, no and... no."

"Well Cap, it looks like you are due for another lesson."

Steve's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well what I mean, Rogers..." Natasha's eyes dropped down and her right hand moved across the table to take his right hand.

Steve swallowed as Natasha's finger met his. This was definitely very coupley and relationshipey. This was not what Natasha Romanoff was known for and he had no idea what kind of lesson in modern love she could do in a crowded restaurant.

"Is that you will have no idea how to use chopsticks. And I refuse to have you use a fork to eat Pad Thai." Natasha insisted.

"Ah. I'm sure I can manage. How hard can it be?" Steve asked.

"Harder than you can imagine. Relax your fingers and let me show you." She instructed as she moved her chair around to the side of the table to be closer to him.

Steve resisted the urge to chuckle. It seemed he was going to have a very informative day. Relaxing his fingers he watched as she turned his hand over and placed it over hers. She was so close that he could smell her perfume and see her hair brush against his arm. That mixed with the touch of her hand against him was enough for his mind to instantly flash back to his couch an hour ago and a goofy grin to spread across his face.

"Pay attention, Rogers or I might have to reconsider teaching if you aren't going to be attentive." Natasha scolded.

"I'm paying attention. Show me." Steve answered, quickly shaking himself out of his flashback.

"Good. Now you place your fingers like this, just like you're holding a pencil. And these ones on here. Thats it." Natasha moved her fingers into position and Steve's fingers being on top of hers followed the movement.

"I'm going to move my hands now. Let's see if you can maintain the position." Natasha slowly moved her hand out from underneath his and waited to see what his hands would do.

He looked her dead in the eyes and held his hands perfectly in position.

"Did I pass?" He grinned.

"For now. Wait until you actually have to use them. Then we'll see. Oh good, the spring rolls."

The waitress came over to them and placed a plate of spring rolls and a small dish of sweet chilli sauce with a teaspoon in it next to them. Natasha picked one up and spread some sauce over it before biting into the fresh spring roll. Steve meanwhile held his hand in the same position and looked uncertain.

"Whats the red stuff?" Steve asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Sweet chilli sauce. Not that spicy at all."

"I don't know about this." He said dubiously

"Try one without the sauce and then with it." Natasha suggested.

"Alright." He agreed, reaching his left hand over the table.

Steve picked up on of the spring rolls, eying it suspiciously. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed it. He looked over to Natasha who was eating hers with satisfaction and finally brought it to his lips and bit into it. He chewed slowly and swallowed.

"So how is it? Good, right?" Natasha observed.

"Mm. Not bad." Steve agreed.

"Try it with the sauce. It will taste even better." Natasha prompted.

Steve looked puzzled. He was unsure at how to put the sauce on one handed. Natasha seeing the frown on his face and the way he kept looking between his hand and the sauce.

"You can use both hands." Natasha laughed.

Steve relaxed his hands and gingerly spread a tiny bit of sauce onto his spring roll and took a bite. He looked surprised then delighted and chewed and swallowed enthusiastically, going back for more.

They quickly finished the rest of them and settled into Natasha teasing Steve and him bantering back, in his own way. At least until the main dishes arrived. Steve tried to use the chopsticks as she showed him but couldn't quite get the hang of it.

"Need some help?" Natasha offered.

"No. I've got this." Steve said stubbornly.

She watched as Steve got a single noodle close to his mouth before it dropped back to his plate. She helped herself to a mouthful of her food and suppressed a smile as he persisted to try to eat. The look on concentration, his intensity and focus were amusing to her because physical tasks seemed to come so easily to him.

"I'm sorry Steve, but if I don't help you then we will be here all night. Here." Natasha shifted over to him and placed her hands over his.

Guiding his fingers with her own at last, together, they brought a mouthful of food up to his mouth. Natasha removed her hands and watched to see how he enjoyed it. He smiled and nodded his head in approval.

"It's good." Steve remarked.

"I told you." Natasha agreed. She still sat close to him and waited to see how he would do with his next mouthful.

Steve carefully maneuvered his fingers and deftly helped himself to another mouthful. Natasha watched, momentarily spellbound at how in control and natural he looked. He relished in his new found skill and was enjoying his dinner immensely.

Natasha shifted over to her place and began to eat in earnest. After a while she sensed he was looking over at her. She rose her eyes and found his steely blue ones gazing back.

"What?"

"How come you're eating a dish that comes with a fork and a spoon?" Steve admonished.

"Because I know how to use chopsticks and I've had Thai food before." Natasha quipped back. "Want to try some of mine?"

"Sure" Steve said, reaching his chopsticks over to her dish.

"Hey. Don't get my sauce all over your chopsticks. Here." Natasha scooped up a mouthful of her food and fed it to Steve.

Steve's eyes bulged out while his face turned bright red and he quickly swallowed the mouthful of spicy food. Gasping for breath he grabbed his water glass and drained it in one gulp before refilling it and taking another big gulp. Natasha giggled while she watched him.

"How can you eat that?" Steve gasped

"Too hot for you, Cap? Or are you just not used to something so spicy?" Natasha smirked, helping herself to another mouthful.

Steve glared at her. "Why do I feel you aren't just talking about the food?"

"Oh Rogers, not everything about sex, you said so yourself." Natasha replied innocently.

"And you who said it was." He retorted matter of factly.

"East your dinner before it gets cold, Cap."

They finished their meals over more innocent subjects and Steve paid, refusing to let Natasha even open her handbag.

"Chivalrous as always, Cap. You do know that when a guy pays for dinner it is normally considered a date?"

"Consider it even since you paid for breakfast." Steve bargained.

"Fair enough." Natasha allowed.

They walked outside and Natasha shivered in the cold. Steve noticed.

"Natasha, where's your jacket?" Steve demanded.

"Back at your place. Its not that far."

"I'm not letting you walk back like that. Here, take my jacket." Steve declared.

"You don't need to do that."

"I insist."

"I'm not taking your jacket, Rogers." She maintained.

"Then I'm not taking another step until you do."

"I could just leave you here, Rogers."

"Not if you want your jacket back."

"Maybe I don't want to get my jacket." Natasha objected, suppressing a shiver.

"Natasha."

"You're not going to give up on this are you?" Natasha asked.

Seeing him lock his eyes onto her and shake his head she gave in. "Fine."

Steve smiled and handed her the jacket, resisting the temptation to help her into it. It went against his sense of manners and decency not to help her but he knew that she wouldn't accept his help would probably be insulted or offended.

For her part, Natasha was glad for the jacket to cover her bare arms against the slight wind. She hated to admit it, but she found his old fashioned manners and chivalry endearing. It was nice to have someone looking out for her even though she was more than capable of taking care of herself. She pulled the brown leather jacket closer to her, inhaling the rich scent of leather mixed with his cologne.

They walked back to his apartment in an easy silence, side by side under the clear and starry sky. Once they reached the apartment Steve unlocked the door. Natasha waited behind him in the hall removing Steve's jacket.

"Aren't you coming in to get your jacket?"

"I'll wait out here if you don't mind."

Steve strode into the apartment and retrieved Natasha's grey hoodie, walking back to her with long purposeful strides. He stood close to her, so close that he could smell her perfume and could see himself reflected in her eyes. He reached his hand out to her and removed the jacket folded over her arm. His fingers brushed against her arm and he heard her breath catch in her throat at the unexpected touch.

"Your jacket, Natasha." He offered.

Natasha took the offered jacket and slipped it on. Steve's eyes were still on hers, steely blue and intense. Natasha felt the electricity build between them, the longing. At last he looked away, his cheeks reddening.

"Goodnight Natasha."

"Goodnight Rogers. I'll let you know when your next lesson will be."