Natasha woke up in the middle of the night, sweating and screaming. It took her a few seconds to realize where she was and what was happening. She had a nightmare.
She dreamt with the New York battle; the whole team was killed by the Chitauri, only her survived. This dream was a first to her.
Whenever Natasha had bad dreams, they were always about the Red Room and the training she got there; or about the first people she had to murder.
She started to control her breathing again and took a look to her side. Steve was dreaming serenely, with his body turned to the door.
Natasha was glad she didn't wake him. She knew how Rogers was. He would be worried about her and would probably ask her about the dream. Talking about that was the last thing she wanted to do.
She lied in her side again but moved closer to Steve, so her right arm could entangle his waist and her face was touching his back. She fell asleep like this.
It was past 8 a.m. when Steve woke up. He felt Natasha holding him by the waist and let out a sigh. If only that embrace meant something more than just friendship.
He knew how hard was for a man to get close to Natasha that way. He witnessed how Bruce succeed at it and how he then walked away. Steve was jealous of him. The one man who could have had Natasha's heart and let it go.
Nat flirted with Steve sometimes, but he was sure that was just a playful part of their friendship and meant nothing else.
Even if it meant, there was no way they could have a romantic relationship. They were a team, had a job. Having a romance could jeopardize their work, put them in dangerous circumstances.
At least, that's what Steve tried to tell himself in order to bury his feelings for her. It didn't work. It was impossible to forget Natasha Romanoff.
Steve moved slowly out of bed, taking Natasha's arm out of his waist, and trying not to wake her.
He decided to go for a run. Left a note in the kitchen table and left the cabin, running in the forest adjacent to it.
When Steve got home, Natasha was in the kitchen, having a toast and drinking a glass of orange juice.
He was sweaty and panting when he entered the kitchen.
"Good morning, Nat."
"Good morning, soldier. Went out for a morning jog?" – She said teasingly.
Steve flushed a little. "Yeah. Gonna take a quick shower."
She gazed at him and smiled without saying anything.
Steve got into the shower, turned on the water and realized he had a big erection. He closed his eyes while washing himself trying not to think about Natasha and to ease his hardness.
When he finished cleaning himself he left the shower and got dressed. This while thinking how he could live with Natasha without letting his true feelings show.
He left the bathroom and entered the kitchen with a frown. Natasha was looking outside the window. She turned when she felt him enter the room.
"Is everything ok, Steve?"
"Hum? Yeah, everything's good. So, I think we should contact Sam today. See if he needs anything. We should check the news too, pay attention to all Ross's moves. We can't let ourselves get caught." – Steve said harshly.
Natasha was surprised with Steve's tone of voice but decided to ignore it. "Rogers, you know I'm a spy? I know how to lay low. You don't have to give me tips on how not to get caught by the bad guys."
"I know. Just saying. Ross is a sneaky bastard. We need to be really careful."
"Watch your language, Rogers!" – Nat said playfully with a lighthearted smile.
Steve laughed, letting the frown go and prepared something to eat.
Then, they called Sam, whom was happy to know Natasha was ok and briefed her and Steve with the latest informations he got. Sam was working on a case. A 14 year old girl who got kidnapped in Argentina.
"Do you need help?" – Natasha asked.
"No. I've got this, guys. You lay low. I suggest we meet after I'm finished here and discuss what to do next."
"Sam, be careful. Nat and I are here in case you need an extra hand. Just give us a call."
"Thanks. I'll keep in touch. And I'll call you guys after I'm done here. This might take a while, but will be handled."
After they hang up, Natasha thought of Wanda and Vision. She and Steve proceeded to call Wanda to check on her. She was with Vision.
They were fine, hiding in the UK. No one would find them there. They made a deal with Natasha and Steve that they would call them regularly to inform them on their location and situation.
"So, we're supposed to just stay here and wait for Sam." – Natasha stated.
Steve shrugged. "There's nothing more we can do. Stay in this cabin until Sam calls us again. When he does, we arrange a meeting with him. From then, we stay together."
"Fine."
