confidence shakedown

[Steve Rogers]

[Natasha Romanoff]
The Super Soldier had just returned from his daily run; sweat dripping down his face though it didn’t seem to bother him as he changed into a clean t-shirt and pair of jeans. He would look around the tower, cautious as he went to pull out a box of cereal and poured a bowl. He knew that Clint was out on a mission, and Tony and Bruce were probably in their respective labs. Thor was dealing with matters on Asgard as far as he knew, but he never knew where Natasha was. He was cautious because, as stated by her several times before, she could kill him with her pinkie.

He would sit down at a barstool on the counter, watching around as he strained to hear something that might give away her location, even though the attempt would be futile. There was a certain feeling of dread that came with living with a master assassin. All he could try and do was take a deep breath and eat his breakfast in peace.

[Natasha Romanoff]

Love is for Children.

The spy had taken a careful consideration as to what she was going to do on her free day. These days fell few and far in between as she ran secret operations for Fury underneath the noses of the Avengers. She would rise, changing into a simple black t-shirt and jeans, slipping her phone into her pocket before brushing her hair so it was completely straight in all of its fiery glory. She would leave her room, walking down the hall to get herself some coffee – a girl’s best friend. She snorted a little bit when she saw Steve looking around, watching his back.

“Something on your mind, Cap?” The assassin would ask nonchalantly as she moved towards the coffee maker. There was a small smirk as she turned her back from him, taking her time with the actual brewing of her caffeinated drink. She would have had JARVIS make it but he was probably busy with Tony’s shenanigans and he also never made it right. She would turn to the first Avenger, her face turning back to its stoical illusion, before looking expectantly at him for an answer.

[Steve Rogers]

The weary Avenger saw the spy walking gracefully towards him and he relaxed only a little bit, realizing that she had just awoken as she appeared to be heading towards the coffee maker. It was part of her daily routine. He would watch her carefully, his eyes still, refusing to narrow them to avoid suspicions. She would turn to face him, her hair a burning red and straight. It reminded him of their brief time on the run when SHIELD had fallen to Bucky and Hydra. He gave her one of his casual grins before speaking. "Nothing, just wondering if anyone was still around. Tony and Bruce are in the labs, Thor's on Asgard for some business, and Clint's out on some kind of mission." He brushed it off as nothing before turning to finish his breakfast.

[Natasha Romanoff]

Love is for children.

She appreciated his answer, but she still held a glimmer of doubt that he was wondering. He appeared on edge earlier, and that wasn’t a reaction that one would get if they were wondering if they were alone. “What? Thought I was going to do something to you?” Her tone was dry as she stared him in the eyes, suspiciously. She would take her coffee, which had finished brewing, and she poured it into a mug before turning, taking a small sip of it. 

How fitting was that; black coffee for the Black Widow. She fought back a sly grin as she walked away, sitting across the counter from him. “What are you doing on this very rare day off, Cap?” She would ask out of blatant curiosity as she debated numerous different of tasks: practicing her almost perfect shot, maybe asking Steve for a round or two with hand to hand combat. Part of the spider started to debate doing something normal and mundane. She wouldn’t be caught dead shopping or sightseeing like some overly eager tourist. She would wait and hear about what he was going to do before saying anything about her plans.

[Steve Rogers]

It appeared that she could read him like an open book as she spoke up, accusing him of being cautious around her. The man looked up from his bowl of cereal and then proceeded to answer. "You caught me, but can you blame me? I mean, you are a master assassin." The Captain attempted to defend himself as he cast an apologetic look on his face. He should have trusted her, especially after the fall of SHIELD and the Winter Soldier ordeal, but he still found it difficult because most of her methods went against everything he believed in and he couldn't tell when she was lying.

Then she asked one of the most simple of questions that caught him off guard. "I'm going to go down to the gym to practice. I'm still uncomfortable with all the fan girls that hang out outside the tower." He said before finishing up his breakfast and placing his bowl in the sink. The great thing about JARVIS? He did the dishes.

[Natasha Romanoff]

Love is for children.

Natalya might have been surprised about the honesty of the man before her but Natasha wasn’t. She had found that the Captain could never lies, especially not to the group who had fought beside him in the battle of New York. “Do you mind if I go with you? I was going to head to the gym to practice my ballet anyway.” Her word filter hadn’t been active that day, especially with the lack of caffeine, and she had let her true ‘plans’ (she used the term loosely since everything can change in the blink of an eye) when she hadn’t meant to.

She did not tell anyone of what she did, and none of them knew anything of her past. She preferred to keep it that way so she could maintain any cover and be able to use their lack of knowledge against them should it come to that. She doubted it would, but it was safe to have precautions.

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