Hooray! Chapter 7! Here's another Romanogers chapter...I promise I'll be switching perspectives, but I couldn't resist writing a bit from Natasha's POV. If you have a preferred point of view, let me know in a review and I shall take that into account when I am writing the coming chapters.
Good Morning, Miss Romanoff. Seven a.m. as requested.
F.R.I.D.A.Y. babbled cheerfully, prodding Natasha gently with an automated robotic arm which extended from beside the bed. The bamboo blinds fluttered open mechanically, letting in the soft light of dawn.
Natasha rolled over, and reluctantly opened her eyes. The sweeping earthy drapes which surrounded her regal Japanese four-poster bed had been pulled aside.
"Thank you, F.R.I.D.A.Y." she muttered groggily, detaching herself from the comfy green sheets. With a yawn and a stretch the events of last night gushed into Natasha's thoughts. Her mind already ached at the notion of apologizing to everyone about her outburst...especially that awkward intern.
She made her way over to the ornate doors which marked the entrance of her closet, and stepped inside. A sort of warehouse of drawers, hooks, and hangers filled the spacious room. Natasha pressed a red button which adorned a complicated wall panel, and F.R.I.D.A.Y. responded, awaiting her clothing request.
Remembering Steve's promise to take her riding today, Natasha hesitantly spoke.
"Equestrian?" she stated doubtfully. A moment later several completed outfits on hangers appeared, gliding across a long bar and proceeding to slide to a stop in front of her.
Natasha chose the one which was the simplest, a collared black v-neck top, beige riding pants, and tall leather riding boots. The simplicity and functionality of the outfit was not unlike her typical garb. Snatching the hanger off the bar, Natasha strode out of the closet before F.R.I.D.A.Y. could insist on dressing her. Reluctantly dressed, she made her way out of the suite and into the common area a heartbeat later.
The kitchen, media pit, and lab appeared, thankfully, deserted. Natasha entered the kitchen and had one of Tony's arm-bots prepare a simple egg and toast breakfast. Once again, Tony's ridiculous inventions proved useful, and Natasha scowled as she snatched up her machine-generated cup of coffee.
"You don't like the brew? That's sad." The billionaire himself jibed, strolling over to take a seat at one of the bar stools. Tony pressed a few buttons on his wrist watch and an arm-bot strolled over to hand him a giant omelette and a glass of orange juice.
"What are you doing up so early?" Natasha grumbled, hiding behind her coffee.
"Doing what geniuses do. I have big plans for today." Tony proclaimed, digging into his food.
"Are your 'big plans' world-threatening?" she replied, only half-sarcastic.
Tony shrugged. "Highly unlikely. There's an eighty percent chance they'll be very world-improving."
Natasha rolled her eyes. "What exactly are you making, Tony? I feel an obligation to confirm that you aren't creating another Ultron."
Tony appeared to visibly shudder. "I won't mess around with artificial intelligence again for a while...just look at what happened with Otis- even I will admit that thing is scary. Just trust me when I say, this new invention will be good! If it works, we shall be using it tonight." he determined proudly.
Natasha tried not to appear too worried at the prospect. She retrieved her eggs and toast and took a seat at the long dining table.
Steve awoke a while later, and Natasha was grateful for his silence about the events of last night. He said very little as he ate, speaking in a vague, polite manner which was very characteristic of his honourable nature. She admired his ability to diffuse a potentially awkward situation. When Steve finally finished, he handed his plate to an arm-robot, and bid Tony farewell.
"Time for you and I to hit the stables." He said simply, heading for the spiral staircase.
Natasha followed, and was soon proceeding down the winding metal steps. She had not bothered to venture up or down the compound's stairs in the few days she had lived there, and she wondered what awaited her below its living quarters. Steve clearly knew, since he led the way with confident authority.
"Been down here yet?" Steve called out as she stepped down the last few jumps.
"Never, Captain." She responded playfully, experiencing a brief foot fault in her distraction. She keeled sideways into Steve, in an uncharacteristically ungraceful instant. He caught her weight and steadied her, saying nothing about her clumsiness.
"You'll like it down here- Tony outdid himself." Steve said excitedly.
As Natasha raised her gaze to take in the surroundings, she tried not to feel too surprised at what she saw. Tony had constructed a bunker-like basement; chock full of cars, vehicles, and mechanical playthings of endless variety. There were golf carts, ATVs, hovercrafts, small airplanes, old-fashioned cars, modern formula one racers, and dozens of other sorts of ways to get around. Big bay doors lined one wall, and they had been opened to the outside world for their arrival. The forest which surrounded the upper New York state Avengers compound was clearly visible, penetrated by paths on which one could enjoy the vast collection of vehicles. In one corner of the bunker was a large wooden structure, which Natasha assumed could only be the stables.
"Stark never ceases to amaze me..." Natasha breathed. "Does he really think we'll use all this?"
Steve smiled and shook his head. "He just does everything bigger and better."
He wandered over to an inflatable tube for pulling behind a motor boat, and appeared very confused. "I don't even know what this is..." he admitted through laughter.
"You pull it behind boats and people ride on it for entertainment." Natasha answered factually.
Steve took a step back. "Sounds terribly dangerous." He muttered.
Natasha smiled. "I believe it is actually quite enjoyable and entertaining to watch, although I've never tried it. There's a small, deserted lake about five miles north of the compound. One day we'll have to drag this thing out there and get Tony to pull you around behind one of his numerous boats."
"That's the spirit, Nat! Operation Fun-tasha is already in effect. Now it's time for phase two." Steve said, gesturing excitedly to the stables.
Natasha rolled her eyes, but eagerly followed Steve toward the strong scent of equines. Once inside the stable block, she observed ten stalls, some of which held curious occupants already poking their muzzles out. Natasha made her way over to one, a tall dark specimen with a small white star on its forehead. The horse nuzzled her hand, and she cautiously patted its nose. Steve had disappeared into a room the end of the stable, and returned a moment later carrying horse tack. The equipment appeared brand new, and daunting in its complexity.
"I take it you know how to put this stuff on?" Natasha wondered, eyeing the saddles and bridles.
Steve shrugged dismissively. "I grew up riding ponies on a farm for the first ten years of my life before going into the city, and I received basic cavalry instruction in the army. Tack can't have changed too much in seventy years, right?"
As it turned out, Steve was pretty skilled with the horses, and he had prepared the black horse with the star for Natasha to ride in no time. He saddled a chestnut for himself, and showed Natasha how to lead the horse properly, standing on its left shoulder and holding the reins loosely.
They walked outside with the two horses, and Steve took them to a small fenced paddock that had been hastily constructed at the forest's edge.
"I can see this paddock through my window. I always wondered what it was for." Natasha remarked, glancing back toward the mass of concrete that was the Avengers compound. The second floor windows loomed over them a couple hundred metres away. From her vantage point below, Natasha could not see what lay on the top of the building. Her curiosity got the best of her.
"What's up there, Steve...more horses?" she questioned jokingly.
"A swimming pool." Steve answered, straight faced, as he adjusted his saddle.
Natasha's mouth fell open, incredulous. "You're kidding, Rogers. Tony built a pool on the roof? Why on Earth would he do that?"
"I'm one hundred percent serious. He wants us to bond over pool parties or something."
Natasha raised her eyebrows. "There is no way I'm going in that pool."
Steve walked over, still leading his own horse, and took Natasha's reins. "We'll worry about that later. That's phase three. For now, let's mount up."
Steve directed Natasha to place her left foot in the stirrup, and haul herself over the horse's back. Natasha managed to scramble up, thinking of the movement as a sort of spy training. It was one of her less graceful moments, but it worked, and soon she was straddling the horse, a foot in each stirrup. She took the reins from Steve, and attempted to hold her horse still as Steve effortlessly vaulted on top of his chestnut. Natasha sat stone-like on the back of her horse. The animal shifted under her, and she felt the raw muscle power in its legs as it swayed, and in its neck as the horse tossed its elegant head. The feeling was exciting, appealing, and terrifying all at once.
Steve walked his horse over to stand beside Natasha's. "Riding is simple. To go, gently squeeze the horse's sides with your heels. To stop, lean your weight backwards-not so much that you actually lean, just your weight-and gently pull back on the reins. Finally, to turn, open the reins in the direction you want to go." He finished, demonstrating the movements from a standstill on his own horse.
Natasha looked doubtfully ahead, and squeezed the horse's sides. The black horse shifted under her, and delicately lurched forwards, rocking back and forth in a casual, swaying walk. She couldn't help but smile as the animal responded to her command.
"There you go! Nice job, Nat!" Steve called out, urging his own horse forwards to follow Natasha's on the rail.
"What are the horses' names?" Natasha called back from across the paddock.
Steve replied "You're riding Cobalt, and I have Beryllium. Tony named them."
"He tapped into his internal chemist." Natasha chided, with a rare laugh. "How do I go faster?"
"Squeeze the horse again, a little sharper this time." Steve stated.
Natasha gave Cobalt a little kick, and the black horse burst forward, jumping into a brisk canter." Natasha absorbed the extra speed hungrily, rocking with the horse's motion. She glided along the rail speedily, displaying good form, until a distant call echoed across the field from the stables.
"Steve, I require your opinion!" boomed Thor, poking his head out from the stable block.
Natasha's horse spooked suddenly, digging in its hooves and sliding to a rickety stop. Natasha's feet fell out of the stirrups, and she flew over the horse's neck, rolling to an assassin-like halt in the grass. She stood up, brushed the grass from her pants, and moved her hair off her face. Steve trotted over briskly and took Cobalt's reins.
"Are you okay Natasha?" he called down worriedly from Beryllium's back.
"Never better." Natasha answered, slightly winded as she took back Cobalt's reins.
"I'd better go see what Thor wants." Steve determined, trotting out of the paddock and back to the stable. Natasha followed slowly, leading her horse. She was slightly irritated that Thor's yell had spoiled her moment, but the sensation of riding was one she wanted to experience again, despite having fallen.
When Natasha got back to the stable, Steve had dismounted and tied his horse outside. She mimicked his knot and left Cobalt before walking inside.
Thor and Steve were engrossed in a discussion, and Steve seemed to be convincing Thor of something.
"This one is an obvious choice, since he is the biggest and should have no trouble carrying you and your armour. He's docile but still athletic, an excellent choice." Steve said knowingly, as he and Thor stood outside the stall of a giant dapple grey horse. Thor reached out to stroke the big horse's nose, and appeared to approve of the choice.
Steve turned to regard her. "Natasha- sorry to run off on you like that. Thor needed my opinion on which of Tony's horses would make the best battle mount."
"Not a problem, Steve. Are you like, the master of horse here or something?" Natasha inquired.
Thor smiled. "He is the only one in the compound who seems to have any knowledge of Midgard horses. Sorry about spooking your mount, by the way. I was perhaps a tad too enthusiastic about choosing a battle companion." The god of Thunder finished. He was handsomely dressed in a regular shirt and pants, rather than his usual battle armour.
"Don't worry, I'll be getting you back for that." Natasha added quickly, before self-consciously brushing the remaining grass from her pants. "Are you ready to go back out, Steve?" she posed.
Steve appeared surprised. "You're not scared of falling off again? If you're ready to go again, I'll go with you."
"Then let's go." Natasha decided, turning to walk back to where Cobalt and Beryllium were tethered, awaiting another ride.
Thor and Steve watched her go for a moment, before Thor piped up.
"She's quite something, isn't she? I'm still working on getting Jane to come and see the stable." Thor mused thoughtfully.
"She is. Quite something." Steve agreed, before bidding Thor goodbye and jogging after her.