Pepper decided to build her own restaurant, complete with a small playground on the second floor, of course, with her fiance's help, the one and only Tony Stark. She loves kids so much and does not want them to experience the same pain she went through when she was still a child. But there's still one tiny problem. She doesn't know how she'll attract her customers and she has no idea how she'll promote her restaurant's name. Of course, her fiance insisted again but she refused this time. Then suddenly it was like a bulb was lit above Tony's head and that involved a certain blonde. Or blondes, rather.
Tony hasn't told Pepper his plan yet. Not until he's convinced Steve (because he knows Thor will agree immediately when he hears his brilliant plan) to agree with him because he really, really hates it when he disappoints his fiancee. The plan was quite simple actually, he was just going to dress as Santa.
Except Steve hates it.
And so, he asks why can't it be Thor, because just why. The man literally looks like a blonde Santa, save for the big stomach (no offense, Santa). To his relief, Tony told him that Thor will do it, as well. But of course, Thor will need a substitute in case of emergency like, when he's hungry which is always and when he needs to use the bathroom. In short, when he could use a break.
So, with the smug smirk of one and only Tony Stark, accepted the Santa Claus costume complete with the beard except the stomach bump because Tony really wanted to push the idea of a "hunk" Santa instead of the "fluffy" one. Another argument ensued but Tony answered with a "let's make it different this time, okay?" And that kinda just ended everything, since he knows he won't win anyway. When he'd asked Tony another question because why he already has a costume that was Steve's size is beyond his mind's comprehension, his millionaire friend just winked at him and told him that he already knew he would agree to do it.
The next day, Pepper gave her fiance a very nice 'thank you' gift for what he's done. And Tony knows that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
There were posters and fliers everywhere about the "Santa Claus Meet & Greet" that will happen at Pepper's restaurant. And since, they were in a small place in Brooklyn anyway, the news quickly went around and it left kids feeling giddy. But unbeknownst to them, Tony also posted information about one of the Santa Claus, who he is and what he looks like. (Tony was kind enough not to include Thor anymore since he already has a girl named, Jane Foster who Tony likes because she's a real pretty lady and also a nice one. She also kinda looks like Padme Amidala, and everyone knows Tony's a big Star Wars fan.)
So here was Steve already clad in his Santa costume save for the beard because when he'd tried asking Tony why half the customers were women, Tony can't keep his laugh because of the damn beard. And he'd almost ripped it out so he decided to completely rid of it for the mean time.
Tony finally admitting his motives, but not really, shooed Steve and told him to wear the beard and go entertain the kids and the ladies and find a woman to settle down with. Steve huffed in frustration because there was nothing much else he could do than oblige because after all, Pepper looks genuinely happy seeing the kids lined up in front of her restaurant. And it seems to be too late to run away, anyway.
Bucky was with Wanda somewhere half across the globe. Wanda dragged her boyfriend along with his twin to their house in Europe. And he couldn't be more grateful to the woman that he'd come to know as his sister that Bucky is away and not there to embarrass him further. It's not like he'll be left alone in the dark anyway since Tony has the biggest mouth ever, he just feels a tad bit better that his best friend wasn't exactly there at the moment.
He'd been about ready to give up and tell Thor to replace him, because those girls just enjoyed sitting in his lap too much and if looks could kill, he's pretty sure Tony's a cold corpse right now with Pepper by his side maybe laughing her ass off because when it comes to punishing Tony, she'll concede easily and will even help them to do it (and the ridiculousness always increase tenfold because she knows Tony most, and thus knows all of Stark's blind spots). But he's also certain that he'd die first because he can't breathe anymore with the beard and the girls crowding his space too much than what is necessary and also because of the fact that his face can now be actually considered a tomato so he's glad at the same time for the beard because it hides half of his face.
He sent a look in Tony's direction but then he caught a glimpse of color red and he whipped his head back to completely stare at her. She's halfway through the line and he can't believe himself for being so blind and not noticing her first hand because he'd been so damn grumpy that even the smiles and looks of utter happiness in the kids' faces slipped his mind. The toddler that's now in his lap sent him a curious glance but when he let out a "Hohoho" the toddler just giggled and it also made him smile.
The kids, together with the ladies of course, proceeded to climb in and out of his lap and whisper what they want for Christmas (and yes, Steve is slowly trying to get used to all the flirts and...requests from the ladies), diminishing the long line until she's finally in front of him.
He was, dare he say it, disappointed when she stood at the side and ushered out two kids that were apparently hiding behind her towards Steve and together, they climbed his lap. The boy at his left and the girl at his right. The realization dawned on him that maybe they were her kids and maybe she's actually married but with one quick glance to her direction (that actually ended up in him not so secretly checking her out and listing off her red hair, green eyes, pouty lips and even though he's a gentleman he can't help but also notice her breast, waist and hips, mentally so he could draw her later because she was just beautiful in every sense of the word. And as an artist, he appreciates it more than anyone.) and her left hand that is now holding a phone aiming at their direction possibly recording the whole ordeal. To say that he was relieved that there was no ring to be seen in any of her fingers, would be an understatement.
And he held onto that tiny hope until the two kids were off of his lap and they, together with their aunt (He vehemently hopes), head inside the restaurant. He followed them with his eyes until they settle at a table near the window and he's glad because she's still within his line of sight. He faced the new kid in front of him and encouraged the little girl to come near him.
Later when Thor finally came up to him and replaced him in his seat, he quickly changed out of his costume and was breathless when he saw Pepper talking with the girl and with Tony beside her. And the two women looked like it was the first time they've seen each other in a long time.
Oh, he's dead.
Especially when Pepper called him.
He just wants the ground to open up and eat him whole.
But his traitorous mind was jumping with joy that they would still be seeing each other again because they somehow share a mutual friend.
"STEVE!" Pepper half yelled, half squealed. And he's pretty sure that if she weren't the owner of the restaurant, she'd be kicked out of the property.
"Hey, Pepper," he meekly replied. He stopped a few steps short where they were standing and blushed when he caught her eye. A beautiful shade of emerald, he noted.
Motioning for him to step closer, Pepper caught his arm and shook it vigorously, akin to a child asking for her parent's permission. He focused his sight on Pepper, but not until he saw Tony's sly smirk on the corner of his eye. "Steve, this is Natasha Romanoff. She was an old friend of mine, and hopefully she won't longer be," she chuckled. "And this man is Steve Rogers. He was the Santa that entertained your kids, a while back."
"Hi." God. She'd only uttered a word with two letters, yet a tingle run down Steve's spine. Her voice feels like drinking whiskey, there's a certain rasp in them.
"Ma'am." Steve settled for an old-timey greeting because it just seemed appropriate.
"Oh, yeah. Lila and Cooper couldn't stop talking about you. You'd make a great Santa." She couldn't decide whether he should be glad because she started the conversation or not because now he is blushing furiously. Her plump lips turned into a smirk that looks oh so delicious and it only made him blush further.
You're a punk, you know that?
"Yeah, and he was also the one who was checking you out." Tony. Of course.
He resisted the urge to glare at Tony, because it will only then serve as a confirmation to what he'd said. "Come on, Pep. I need to make a call. And I think I can hear Darcy beginning to complain." And the jerk and asshole that he was, sent a wink towards Steve's direction.
"Pepper told me that you're an artist." God, Steve. You're letting her start the conversation. What the hell?
"Uh, yea-yeah. I have a small gallery here in Brooklyn. Four blocks away from here actually." He scratched the back of his neck and looked down at the ground, because he honestly think he wouldn't be able to control his self anymore if he spend another second looking at her face, especially those lips of hers and he might just grab her face and kiss the living daylight out of her. And also because he thought that she might think that he's one of those jerks who tells about himself and only himself (though he seriously doubts it because he just simply supplied the information about him that she said).
"Oh, the Howling Commandos Gallery? I've been there and I love every piece of artworks there. Especially the 'Valkyrie'." At that, he looked up and he's pretty sure his eyes are wide as saucers, then. And suddenly, he only had one thought in his mind: why in the world hadn't he ever seen her? She also sounds genuinely surprise and the fact that she just named one of his artworks just confirmed that she's actually been there and not like one of those girls who says stuff like that just to flirt with him.
He hadn't realized that a few seconds had passed them until she let out a low chuckle and it sounds so cute, but then he's suddenly reminded that he still looks ridiculous so he composed himself with the little amount of self-preserve he still has.
"Thank you, Natasha," he managed to say without stuttering and he was elated he was able to. And he reveled to the fact that something flashed in her eyes and that the green in them look somewhat darker. And he had to fight off the shit-eating grin that was tempting to show on his face when she almost visibly shivered at the way her name sounded when it rolled off his tongue. Almost.
None of them were able to find out who would eventually give in to the sexual tension first (he knows she feels it, too), though he knows it'll be him, when two small heads popped on either side of her hips and started tugging at her hands. "Come on, Auntie Nat! The food's ready!" the little girl that was Lila, if he remembers correctly, said enthusiastically. While the boy, Cooper he thinks, was only grinning from ear to ear.
And he also can't help the smile that was forming in his face when she was indeed their aunt.
He looked up from the two kids when he heard Natasha saying something. "Steve, this is Lila and Cooper. Their my adoptive brother's children." He wasn't sure but he thinks she emphasized the words 'brother's children'. "Hi, Mr. Steve," Lila said and showed him a full-toothed smile and waved at him. "Hey, Lila." He waved back.
He then shifted his attention to the young lad and immediately regretted it when he saw that the boy was scrutinizing him and looking him up and down, almost as if he were a criminal in the interrogation room and Cooper was the officer waiting for him to tell the truth. Steve offered his hand and smiled at the young man and fortunately, Cooper regarded him with a tight-lipped smile and a small nod of his head.
Natasha told the kids to go ahead first and that she'll follow. When the two kids were out of earshot, she laughed and tipped her head back, exposing her creamy neck and Steve willed himself not to stare at it (he amazingly failed, by the way). "Don't mind Cooper. He got that from his father, Clint's an ex-sniper in the military." Steve gulped, suddenly feeling more uncomfortable. "His father tends to look at everyone that way, and apparently so will his son," Natasha added.
"No, no. It's fine," Steve replied and joined laughing with her. "Hey, do you mind sitting with us? We could use one more company," Natasha offered when they both calmed down. "Yeah, sure." Steve realizing a little too late that he had just agreed to join them for lunch felt like slapping his forehead for being an idiot.
His order came quick (one of the perks of being friends with the owner of the restaurant) so they were only halfway finished when his food arrived. Lunch was fun and not so quiet, not when you have an active seven-year old.
"Mr. Steve, can I call you Uncle Steve?" Natasha immediately reprimanded her, but Steve was quick to reply. "Yeah, sure Lila. You can call me Uncle Steve." And the smile that Steve gave Lila may have just melted Natasha's insides.
"Uncle Steve, are you going to be Auntie Nat's new boyfriend?" And with that, Steve choked on his food. Natasha quickly gave him a glass of water and tapped his back, which is hard because Natasha was across the table from him, with the two kids by her sides, and she had to bend to reach over him. He caught a glimpse of cleavage and he had to turn away abruptly because he still is a gentleman. "I'm fine, Nat. I'm alright." And took the glass from her. Their hands touched and he's sure she also felt the jolt of electricity that run down his body.
Before Steve could reply to Lila's earlier question, the kid apparently was still not finished. "I hope you're going to be because I really hate her ex-boyfriend. And you seem like a nice guy and I know you will take care of my Auntie Nat." Now, Cooper has joined Natasha in reprimanding his sister. Steve after recovering from choking, is now blushing and is looking anywhere but Natasha.
Later, when the kids were finished eating, they both asked their aunt if they could go upstairs to play in the mini playground. "Just wait for a few minutes. You've just finished eating," Natasha replied, sounding an overly-concerned Mama Bear and damn if Steve didn't find it endearing.
Natasha called the waiter's attention and asked for the bill. Steve insisted that he should pay but Natasha paid him no mind. "Nat, you should let me pay. Really, it's no problem." Natasha shook her head. "Non sense, Steve. It's fine. It's not like it's our first date, anyway," she replied and smirked, winking at the now-blushing Steve. And so, Steve just let her pay, not trusting his self to form any coherent words.
A few minutes later of silence and Steve and Natasha just gazing at each other's eyes unknowingly, Natasha stood up and told the kids that they could now go play upstairs. Steve just wasn't expecting that she'll already leave to go with the kids. It wasn't all that surprising, it just slipped Steve's mind because all he had in mind was that he's finally going to have some time alone with her.
However, Steve shoved down that disappointment and stood up as well, "Thanks for the lunch, Nat." Steve sent Natasha the same smile he sent Lila, except there is something else there in his blue eyes. "Auntie, you should stay here. I'm a big girl and I have Cooper with me. You don't have to watch us anymore," Lila suddenly said. Protests and arguments were at the tip of Natasha' tongue, but Lila added, "You should not leave Uncle Steve here alone. You should finish your date." And with that Lila took off, dragging her brother with her who only send a nod at his aunt's direction.
"I'm sorry about Lila. I honestly don't know where she got her nosiness," Natasha apologized and laughed quietly, sitting back down at her previous place. "No, it's fine. She's a great kid." Steve mirrored her actions and sat comfortably. Natasha probably thinks that he's an idiot right now because he can't hide the big grin on his face as he sat across her.
Now, it was just the two of them.
"Clint and Laura, his wife, went on a vacation for the weekend," she said while sipping her juice. "You're not staying here with them?" Steve inquired innocently, and he really resembles a puppy. "No," she shook her head, "I live in New York." She stirs her juice with her straw and looks at her under her long eyelashes, and her lips quirk up in one side.
Steve blushed for what probably feels like the millionth time that day. "Oh, you'll go back to New York, then, after the weekend," he deduced and there is that sinking feeling tugging at the strings of his heart again. "No," she looked up at him, "I'm spending the Holidays with them."
Steve, feeling happy and elated, still wanted to know more about her. "Why are you in New York, though." She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at that. "I mean your family's here in Brooklyn, after all." Steve shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Work. I'm a ballerina there." His mouth formed a small shape of 'o'. If he still wasn't in love with this woman when she first talked to him, he probably is now. He has been captivated since then with her beauty, but the more he talked to her and the more comfortable he feels around her, the more he realizes that she's not just another pretty face.
With one last longing glance, she grabbed her purse and stood up. "I should probably check on the two kids there. See how they're doing." Steve was quick to follow her. "I'll go with you." Then motioned to Sam, a friend of his who also works at the restaurant, that they'll be back.
The two kids were having fun so the two adults decided to leave them be for a while and head back to their table. Having so caught up in their conversation, neither of them saw that there was now a mistletoe hanging on the top of their booth. "MISTLETOE!" someone suddenly shouted and both Steve and Natasha whipped their heads at the voice's direction but suddenly all eyes were on them.
Pieces fall in places and now Steve realized that the shout was for the two of them and when he did look up, there is indeed a sprout of green plant. He looked back down at Natasha who seems amused and inwardly groaned because he just knows that it's all Tony. "What do you say we uphold this silly tradition?" He barely registered Natasha's voice over the loud pounding of his heart and also because her voice is barely above a whisper and she sounds almost breathy.
Without having the chance to reply, he was pulled down to her height and their lips touch and suddenly there were no shouts and chants of "KISS! KISS!" everywhere. He was also glad that there is a playground upstairs because there are no kids to be seen so that means no parents will sue him for corrupting their children's mind. Because the moment he felt Natasha's plump lips, his aim for a peck flew out the window.
His arms instinctively circled her waist and damn if she isn't the softest woman he's ever met. He pulled her to his body closer, wanting to feel more of her and wanting her to be just near him. He was consumed by her, barely registering the sound of her moan when he jutted his tongue past the safety of his lips to explore the crevices of her mouth (for God's sake, he doesn't even remember asking for permission).
He nipped at her bottom lip for the last time before pulling away. They were both breathless and panting, trying to catch her breath when they realized that the people were clapping and some are even holding their phones out, including his friends. "I would very much like to devour you and your mouth if we weren't in a public place," he said in her mouth when he had caught his breath, nuzzling her nose with his.
She slapped his arm multiple times playfully and he caught it the third time and pulled her to the planes of his chest. She nuzzled his left chest and rested her head, sighing contentedly when she heard the pounding of his heart. Steve kissed her head. "If that wasn't our first date, shall we have our first date this week, then?" Steve asked in her hair. She laughed, muffled by his shirt and punched his chest, not before saying 'Yes'.