Steve

"Romanoff! Cap! We're back!" Tony's voice jolted me awake.

Natasha stirred slightly at my side, but her eyes stared closed as her grip tightened around me.

"Shut up, Stark!" Sam whispered loudly. "They're asleep."

"Really?" The floorboards creaked as someone definitely got closer to the kill zone. "Man, this is too good!"

"What are you doing?" Wanda asked.

"Getting photographic evidence."

"What? No! Tony, leave them alone."

"Aw, come on. Just one photo!"

"Tony!"

Tony didn't say anything else, which I hoped meant that he was letting it go. Once I heard all footsteps dissipate, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

Natasha moved around in her sleep, elbowing me in the ribs as her eyes opened. "Are they gone yet?" she mumbled into my chest.

I grunted then carefully untangled myself from where we laid on the sofa. "Yeah. Sorry about that, I didn't know they'd show up out of nowhere."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. We're the ones who fell asleep down here." Natasha stood up from the couch and stretched. A sliver of her stomach peeking out from the bottom of her shirt. She caught me looking and smirked. "I'm gonna go, I'll see you in a few hours?""

"Or we could go up to my room?" I asked, scratching at the back of my head. "My bed's more comfy and we've got more space up there."

Natasha tipped her head to the side, considering my offer. "Maybe another time. But you can still walk me upstairs if you'd like?"

I smiled. "I'd like that."

We walked upstairs, stopping outside of Natasha's room.

"So I'll, uh, see you in the morning?"I looked around at the empty hallway. I really wanted to kiss her but didn't want to overstep my boundaries.

"In the morning, yeah." She leaned up on her tiptoes, depositing a kiss on my cheek.

"You're cute when you're nervous, you know that? Night, Rogers."

"Night, Romanoff."

She closed the door and I walked back down to my room, nearly jumping out of my skin when Sam appeared in the doorway between our rooms.

"You and Nat have a good rest?" he asked, barely containing the smirk that was plastered on his face.

I rolled my eyes. "Dude."

Sam put up his hands in defense. "I'm just saying. You two look cute together."

I shook my head and stripped off my shirt. It was nicer to sleep without it sometimes. "I just hope it didn't alert Tony to anything."

"I'm not sure it did. But I mean, it's kinda hard to hide much here. If he hasn't suspected something by now, he's denser than I thought," Sam said. He paused at the panicked look on my face. "I know you and Natasha don't want anyone to know about your hookups but it's just something to consider that he might know. You two are far from subtle. That said, if he hasn't reprimanded you by now, I doubt he would."

I swallowed. Maybe not reprimanding but I was worried about what Tony would do when he found out.

We said our goodnights and closed the door between the rooms. I turned out the light and crawled into bed.

Natasha's face was the last thing I saw in my mind before I drifted to sleep.

***

A few hours later, I woke up again to my alarm. I took a quick shower, washing all the thoughts of last night away as the cool water cascading down my body. When I was done, I pulled on a fresh shirt and pants then went downstairs for breakfast.

"Steve, I'm making eggs. Do you want any?" Pepper asked, standing by the stove.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks, Pepper."

I took a seat on one of the breakfast counter stools and swung my legs.

"Something on your mind, Cap?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Nope."

Pepper smirked. "Natasha is outside if you were looking for her."

"I wasn't. Did she say something?"

"No. But she is talking to Tony. Although, I don't think it's about last night, so you don't need to worry about that." She winked.

Sam joined us. "What's the plan for today?"

"I was going to go for a run after breakfast, and then I need to work out," I replied.

"You worked out yesterday," Pepper said.

Sam smirked. "He works out every day." He turned to me and lowered his voice. "Except now you have a reason to."

"Sam—"

"I'm kidding. Relax, man." He clapped me on the shoulder.

I stabbed at my eggs. "I have to pick up some dry cleaning."

"Oh, you can go with Tony. He promised he'd pick up some things for me," Pepper said.

I nodded. "That'd be great." I watched Natasha come back inside. She gave me a small smile before walking toward the stairs. "Maybe I'll stop by the diner and pick up something for lunch."

Natasha

I slept better than I had in weeks after leaving Steve. Hell, I slept better when I was with him, but I couldn't risk doing that too often. Not until the team knew we were...whatever it was we were.

I passed Sam on my way out of Steve's room and tried to hide my face the best I could under my hair. I hoped Steve meant what he said about not telling Sam. Downstairs, I ran into Tony, Clint, and Pepper, who were already sitting on the sofas drinking coffee.

"Morning," I greeted them.

"Hey, Nat." Clint raised his coffee in my direction.

"Do you have the report for me?" Tony asked. I couldn't read his face, but something told me he didn't want to exchange pleasantries.

"Can I get coffee first before we discuss my assignment?" I stood with my hands on my hips.

Tony smirked. "I thought the mission always came first?"

"Not without coffee," I tossed back. I walked into the kitchen and started the coffee machine.

A few seconds later I heard footsteps behind me.

"Ok, Pepper. Spit it out," I said. I turned and saw Pepper leaning against the wall.

Pepper sighed and opened a panel in the wall. She pressed a few buttons to secure the room before walking over to me. "The things we talk about in the next few minutes will never leave this room, ok? I promise."

I nodded.

"What's up with you and Steve?" she asked.

I groaned and put my head in my hands. I forgot I'd told her about meeting with Steve. "Honestly, Pep, nothing really. At least, nothing serious."

Pepper raised her eyebrows. "Yet."

"Pepper!" I laughed. "Look, Steve and I are just friends." I paused. "Kind of. It's complicated. And last night was just time for us to spend alone together to figure things out."

"So what did you figure out?" Pepper asked.

I sipped my coffee. Well, I guess if Pepper is on to me, she might as well know how I feel. Maybe she could help me. "I figured out that I like him, but given the team rules, we can't make any sort of relationship public."

"You really like him?"

I nodded. "Yeah." And for the first time, it actually felt good to say it out loud.

"Your secret is safe with me, Nat. I won't tell Tony. Or anyone else."

"Thanks, Pepper. I really appreciate this."

Pepper nodded. "Of course. I do have one condition, though."

I groaned. "What is it?"

Pepper smiled. "If and when something more serious happens with you and Steve, I want to know. You were there for me when I first fell for Tony, so I want to be there for you during your relationship."

"Deal. And thanks again." We shook on it and headed back out to the sofas.

After breakfast, I went upstairs to get my assignment report and change for work at the diner. I wasn't alone for long.

"You know, if we don't want people to talk, you can't follow me up to my bedroom," I said before turning around.

Steve stood in the doorway. "Maybe you should give me a reason to leave. Wait, no. That's not right."

I laughed as I walked over to him, closing the door. "You're cute when you're nervous, you know that? What's up?"

"I wanted to see you before you went to the diner. And to thank you for hanging out with me last night. I had a lot of fun."

I sat down on the bed and gestured for him to do the same. "I had fun, too."

"I know you have to go, Nat. But can I kiss you?" Steve asked hesitantly. "We're alone right now, after all."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."

He leaned in and kissed me. I tugged at the front of his shirt and pulled him on top of me.

"Nat, you're gonna be late for work," Steve said but didn't stop kissing me.

"Then I'll be late." I smiled and ran my hands through his hair. It was so different than kissing Devin.

Kissing Steve was everything.

I gripped him tighter, not wanting to let go. His hands slipped up and down my waist, sending shivers down my spine. "Damn, I wish I didn't have to work."

"Who says you do?" he murmured in my ear, then pulled back. "S-sorry. I know the mission always comes first and relationships aren't part of that especially with your line of work."

I narrowed my eyes. "What do you mean 'my line of work'?" I asked. "I do the same thing you and the others do. Hell, I wasn't the one frozen for seventy years, captain. I'd say I have more training than the whole team combined."

I could feel my heart racing as the words tumbled out of my mouth. "That's not what I meant. You know what I meant."

"Did I?" Steve crossed his arms over his chest.

Okay, this was how he wanted to play? "Forget it, Rogers." I straightened my clothes. I didn't want to leave us on a bad note, but he started it. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, later." Dejected, Steve left my room and I fell back onto the bed.

"Dammit!" I muttered out loud. Could I have made things any worse? I was a trained assassin. Steve was a trained soldier. We had different skill sets but used them for the same goal. That's all that mattered in the end. We wanted the same things.

In more ways than one.

Glancing at the clock, I hurriedly got dressed. Before I went to work, I dropped my report off with Tony who was still not happy about having to wait even longer for it. I convinced him to drop the issue and he obeyed.

"Are we getting anywhere with the case, Romanoff?" Tony asked.

I scratched my head. "Not really. But I'm working on Emery. And Devin, in every possible capacity. Speaking of, any updates on what happened to his keys?"

Tony shook his head. "No, Shuri is still running some tests. She's supposed to get back to me soon. And once I know something, I'll tell you." He glanced at me. "This assignment, you think we need to up the game?"   

"Maybe. I'll talk with Emery, and we can reconvene after work. But if I don't get going, I won't have a job or an in on the whole situation."

Tony nodded and waved.

Once at the diner, Emery caught me behind the counter on my way to pacify Devin for why I was late. Again.

"Late night?" she asked.

"Just a late start this morning. Car trouble."

Emery smiled. "Glad I got the story right." She bumped me with her hip. "Anyway, did you have fun last night?"

"I did. But nothing happened."

"I don't believe that for a minute." She raised her eyebrows.

"Well, believe it." I tossed her the cleaning cloth. "I've got to go do damage control with Devin."

Emery pursed her lips. "There's something going on with the two of you, too, isn't there." She said it like a statement, like there was no doubt in her mind it was the truth.

"It's not important." I squeezed her arm. "I'll be right back." I walked back to Devin's office, not even bothering to knock.

"Oh Devin," I said dramatically, "I'm so sorry I'm late, however will I make it up to you?" I undid the buttons on my blouse, waiting for a response.

Devin stared down at his computer screen, his eyes never wavering. "Uh huh."

I frowned. "Devin. Dev!"

He jumped. "Is, what the hell?! Get dressed and get to work!" Devin was foaming at the mouth, almost literally.

I pulled the fabric of my top closed. "Dev—"

"No, Isabel. I don't want to hear any more excuses." His eyes softened. "Please, baby. I'm working over here. You should be too."

My lips curved into a frown. "I'll just, um, go then." I didn't even wait for a response as my fingers flew back over the buttons of my shirt, closing it back up. After leaving Devin's office, I snuck out the back, wincing at how terribly I was doing my undercover work right now.

Warm outside air greeted me, giving me a breath of relief. I found my way to a park bench where I sat and held my head in my hands.

How could I be so stupid?

First, the fight with Steve and now my target, the man I was supposed to be seducing for information. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I just do my job properly?

I jolted upright at the sound of my phone ringing. Sighing, I answered it. "Yeah?"

"It's me." Steve's voice sent another flood of relief through my body.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Secured?"

Uh oh. I glanced around. I was far enough away from the diner that I didn't think I'd be overheard but close enough that this was probably not the best place to be. I crept farther away. "Well enough," I replied. "What's this about?"

"Black car, end of the block."

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and then I let out a sigh of relief as my gaze landed on the tall man leaning against a car with tinted windows.

I straightened my spine then walked over to him, visibly relaxing when he wrapped me into his arms.

"Nat," he whispered into my hair. "I'm so sorry about this morning, I shouldn't have—"

"Stop, no, I don't wanna talk about the fight." I pressed a hand to his chest. "Steve, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Running errands with Tony," he replied.

I raised an eyebrow. "He left you alone with the car?"

Steve gestured to the passenger seat. "In the company of one of his robots."

"Aha." I covered a laugh with my hand. "So, you called me. What's going on? There had to be a reason."

Steve's expression darkened. "Tony's got a call back from Shuri. She discovered what happened to the keys."

"And?" My heart thumped in my chest.

"We'd better discuss it more at the compound."

"I can't leave," I snapped. "I'm working."

"Really? Because from what I could see you ran out on your job at ten in the morning."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." Steve tucked my hair behind my ears. "Your comms is still on."

"What?!" I shrieked, ripping the little button from my ear. "Dammit! How much did you hear? Hell, how much did the team hear?"

"Nothing, as far as I know." Steve raised his hands in defense. "But I did. I heard Devin yell at you."

I rolled my eyes. "That was nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't want to talk about it, it's not important." I shuddered at the thought of Steve racing in there to defend my honor.

"It seems pretty important," Steve argued. He just wasn't going to let this go.

I jabbed a finger at his chest. "Rogers, you and I aren't really dating, okay? We can't. Not now anyway. And you especially can't get any ideas. I deal with Devin on a daily basis. This is part of my job, part of my skillset."

"You're still a person, Nat. And whatever this seductive reasoning is that you do...I think it's getting you into more trouble than it's worth."

"Seductive...what?" I thought back to years ago, I'd used those exact words 'seductive reasoning' when explaining my skillset to Tony. "Oh my god, did Tony put you up to this? You manipulated my comms to keep tabs on me, didn't you? And where the hell did you come up with 'seductive reasoning'?"

He shook his head. "No, no I didn't. Look, Tony said...he said there was a thing. With you and him, like a long time ago."

"Eugh that's not...no!" I slapped a hand to my forehead. "Steve, this is not the time or the place to be jealous. If you have to know, Tony was dying. I was flirting—but only as part of a cover. That's all it ever is, okay? Part of a cover. He was totally in love with Pepper and I basically shoved him at her, telling him he'd be an idiot to let her get away."

"Nat—"

"And another thing," I said. There was no stopping me now once I was on a roll. "Any time I do something with a guy, it's none of your business. There's a reason missions have a certain level of clearance."

"Tash—"

"The men I sleep with, or pretend to sleep with, that's my business. It's how I do my work and I won't have you questioning—"

Before I could react, Steve pulled me against a tree. His lips were on mine, frantic to shut me up. His hands threaded through my hair, blocking my face from the world around us. The kiss overpowered my senses as I breathed in the scent of Steve's woodsy cologne. He wore just enough to perk my nose to its presence but not so much I felt like I was dying.

And all I could think about was the way his body made me feel.

Steve left my mouth, working his way down my neck.

"What the hell, Rogers," I whispered, letting his lips nip at the sensitive skin. "That was dramatic."

He smirked against me. "Public displays of affection, right? You've got a tail; I'm trying to dissuade them."

My fingers gripped at his arms as he pushed against me harder. "Are they taking the bait?"

"Looks like—uh oh."

I stiffened. "What? What's 'uh oh', Steve?"

He pulled away and I whipped my head around to find Tony standing there with a look of amusement on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. "Well well well."

"Stark," I spat at him. Then I whacked Steve's arm. "That's who you were trying to dissuade?"

"No, he was trying to dissuade your 'boyfriend'," Tony answered, putting the last word in quotes.

I swallowed. That could only mean one thing. Devin had followed me here and had seen me with Steve.

Seen him call me Natasha, not Isabelle. And god knows what else.

"So I'm compromised is what you're telling me," I said.

Tony shook his head. "No, not necessarily. If he breaks up with you, we use that to our advantage. Actually, I think we want him to break up with you."

"What?! Tony, Nick will kill you if you interfere."

"Actually, the one-eyed pirate man agrees with me," Tony replied. "He wanted to fully terminate the case but after I told him about the keys and the rockiness of your relationship with the target, he's agreed that turning the tables might expose Devin's secrets."

I rolled the idea over in my mind. "So now what?"

A devilish grin formed its way onto Tony's face. "Now we have a perfect way to lure the jealous boyfriend out into the open, all thanks to Mr. America over here."