(300 Words)
Birthdays
Natasha was caught somewhere between joy and embarrassement as all of her friends started to sing Happy Birthday for her, drawing the attention of every single person in the restaurant towards them. She hadn't been able to keep them from singing, especially because Tony had been determined to show that he would be a force to reckon with at the first S.H.I.E.L.D. SingStar competition ("But I'm abso-fucking-lutely going to sing! And you'll kneel in front of the king!"). But at least Steve was throwing an apologetic glance into her direction as she took a sip from her cocktail, and his smile was so cute that she forgave him immediately.
When they finally finished singing, everybody clapped loudly and presents were handed over together with congratulations, including Tony, his present that suspiciously looked like anything from a sex shop and his fitting smirk as he exclaimed: "Welcome to the age of un-innocence!"
Steve hugged her and pressed a kiss onto her cheek, retreating faster than she would have liked.
The evening passed in a blur; it was amusing and Natasha enjoyed herself a lot, but she was also glad when the round was slowly dissolving and only Steve and her remained.
He insisted on walking her home so she wouldn't have to carry her presents on her own, and on the short way to her place, they casually chattered. When she asked him why he'd really wanted to accompany him, he confessed that he'd planned on giving her his present in private, causing excitement to rush through her.
She hadn't been expecting what followed, but she felt like it was the best birthday present of all when Steve leaned down to her and pressed a soft kiss onto her lips.