A/N:

For this chapter I'll be using vlynetwilight's word.

Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer:

I don't think minors are allowed to own movie rights and comic rights, are they?

C for Claim:

"So you want me to portray a prostitute?"

"Yes". There is gruffness in his voice, she can see his hands clench and unclench. His back muscles are tense and his stance is aggressive.

Steve and Natasha stood in a training room, where Widow had been practicing throwing knives. Not that she needed to, but it was a fun way to stay occupied. Currently she was cleaning a knife, leaning against a stand. She was really tired, today had been unbelievably busy but of course she wouldn't accept the fact that she was in desperate need of chocolates and 8 hours of sleep. Okay, maybe she'd willingly eat chocolate but not sleep.

But at the moment her fatigue wasn't the topic of discussion. There was some new intel. Apparently some thugs were trying to get their hands on vibranium and S.H.E.I.L.D. couldn't possibly allow that. You see they aren't exactly sharers and they feel that they are the only ones who can use it for a greater good. What that meant, nobody knew but as far as they were concerned, they were trying to save the world.

It so happened that these thugs enjoy the company of drinks and women, what a surprise! So they wanted to send Romanoff undercover as a prostitute, get close to their leader and uncover information.

"Alright. Give me the detalis" Natasha said with a sigh. She turned away from Steve. She took support of the stand to steady herself and she didn't want him to see that. She was exhausted and she wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He noticed, he always noticed. How, she didn't know. But this always happened, she'd try to hide something and he'd always find out. He was observant, not just count-how-many-guards observant, he was the I-know-how-many-freckles-you-have-across-the-bridge-of-your-nose observant. She didn't know if he was like this with most women, simply cause she hadn't seen him with other women besides Hill and herself. So she provided herself a small amount of comfort by telling herself that she was the only one he dealt with, with such care. And then he'd pull off these cliched caring acts and she found it very hard to not give in to temptation, to hold him close, to tell him how much she loved him. Her feelings would resurface with such vigour, it physically hurt contain them.

"I'm fine" is all she can provide and she knows he won't believe her but she hopes he won't push further anyway.

"Are you sure?" he asks as he steps closer to her.

"I'm fine!" There is more force in her voice than she intends. Now there is clear confusion written on his face. However he presses on.

"You look tired" he states.

"Leave me alone" is all she can come up with. He takes another step in her direction. Now he's barely a foot away. She spins around to face him and she regrets it. Her head hurts too much for a spin.

"Steve you obviously don't care about my well-being so could you stop pretending?" She doesn't know why she said that. She doesn't mean it. Okay she was lying. She was a little upset that he'd asked her to play an escort. But then again he did seem angry while informing her of her cover. Maybe she just needed him to say it out loud. This was so stupid, she felt stupid. She wasn't supposed to be upset about it. She was a spy, this was her god damned job. But some part of her wanted him to be possessive, to be unhappy with the arrangement, to worry about her safety. Yup, this was definitely dumb. She resists an urge to slap herself.

"What would possibly make you think that way?" Another step and now he's barely a few inches away.

"I shouldn't have said that. Nevermind it. Just please leave" Another exasperated sigh escapes her.

"You're sighing a lot today"

"Go away" Her hands land on his chest in an effort to push him away.

"That'd be no fun" He grabs her wrists and removes her hands from his chest, only to slip them into his.

"What?" she asks with a little laugh and looks at his large hands swallow her own.

"Lets play a winner gets what they want. I win, you tell me why you'd think that I don't care about you, you win, I'll forget about what you said. Deal?" He still hasn't let go of her hands.

"Game on!" A smirk is plastered on her face now. She loves challenges. Steve knows that. He guides her to the wall and asks her to sit, her back resting against the wall and he sits right in front of her. For some reason, he's still holding onto one of her hands. His touch is comforting, she feels safe, sleepier. But a challenge is a challenge.

"So we have to sit here in silence for 3 minutes, eyes closed. Whoever speaks or opens their eyes first loses. Clear?" he explains. It's such a weird game. Like, what was even the point? She doesn't bother asking.

"What if one of us opens our eyes and the other has them closed? Cheating seems easy in this challenge" she points out.

"I trust you to be honest and you can do the same. Okay?" It's such a harmless thing to say but he doesn't realise the storm it awakens. This is just a game but does he trust her to always be honest with him? To always be there with him? And can she trust him equally? Oddly, she already does and she knows it. She's too tired to be thinking. She focuses.

"Ready!" He sets a timer on his phone and it starts. As soon as Natasha closes her eyes, the urge to fall asleep is back with full force and then he starts rubbing small circles on her hand with his thumb. It was as if the universe was conspiring against her. Finally letting go, she tilts her head back, resting against the wall and then she's in dreamless sleep.

The timer rings and Steve quickly switches it off, not wanting to disturb her from her slumber. He knew this would happen. She looked beyond exhausted but he knew she wouldn't accept it but a challenge? There was no way she'd be able to resist that. He also wanted to know why she'd felt that he didn't care about her. But her health was more important. He looks at her, sleeping peacefully and a smile makes way to his face. She was so unexpected, always surprising him.

Carefully he lifts her into his arms, carrying her to car so he can drop her back to her apartment. The entire ride, she sleeps like a baby on the backseat, not stirring even once. She was really tired because he knew she was always alert, asleep or not. This one time, she had been sleeping on a couch and the moment he got close, she had him at a choke-hold.

They had keys to each others' apartments in case of emergencies, for they trusted each other enough. Unlocking her apartment while carrying her in his arms was a little difficult and time taking so he had to throw her over one of his shoulder yet she didn't seem to wake-up, only groan. He soon had laid her down in her bed. He did once consider changing her clothes but, very wisely, decided against it. He didn't know where that'd lead, he was only a man and touching a woman you love like that could result in unwanted situations.

He tucks her in, lays a soft kiss on her forehead and is getting up to leave and that's when she stirs.

"Steve?" she calls out. The room is fairly dark and maybe that's why she hadn't noticed him right next to her. But his heart does go pit-a-pat when she calls for him. Waking up disoriented, yet she calls for him. How was he not supposed to feel special?

"Yeah" he replies, sitting on the bed, next to her.

"Are you leaving?" she asks.

"I think so, yeah"

"Don't go" she promptly replies and bunches the end of his t-shirt in her hand. She sounds like a kid throwing a tantrum.

"I don't think-"

"Why won't you stay with me?"

"What? Nat-"

"Why don't you care about me?" She's too sleepy to properly process what she's saying and maybe that's why she's voicing her thoughts so easily. It's a moment of weakness for her and he should go but when she asks him why he doesn't care, he can't leave. At least not before showing her how wrong she is.

"Why would you think that? Why wouldn't I care about you?"

"I don't know. You seem quite okay with the idea of me seducing another man, I'll probably have to sleep with him. You don't have a problem with that, do you?" So this is what she thinks. Steve had been trying to ask himself to be a good soldier and not tell her that she shouldn't go because he hated the idea of her with another man, a man as lowly as those thugs. He thought she'd call him an idiot if he told her that he was disgusted by the arrangement and he was worried for her safety. But now, it seems like it's backfired because he'd much rather see her laugh at him then have her question his feelings towards her.

"I'm actually quite mad" he admits. "It really bothers me that you'll have to spend an entire evening with a lowlife when you deserve better than a king. So don't go about making stupid assumptions about me not caring. Let me, categorically, tell you that I'm possessive and I get jealous the moment a pair of eyes land on you. I may not always tell you how I feel but you never have to wonder if I care or not because I do, no matter what. Clear?"

A huge grin spreads across Natasha's face. She holds his face in her two hands. "Crystal. After all I'm yours to claim".

Now he's smiling too. He pulls her close, she's almost on his lap.

"I forbid you to leave"

"I wasn't planning on anymore"

"Good" she says with a yawn.

"Alright, go back to sleep"

"Only once you're next to me"

He takes off his shoes and climbs into bed with her. Her back is against his chest. Both his arms encircle her torso and she lays her hands atop his.

The next morning they report late as they both, coincidentally, didn't hear their respective alarms ring.

A/N:

Well that turned out longer than expected. Well whatevs as long as you all enjoy it.

Well next up is 'd'. Untill next time.

~TSF