xrcmanova:

“I thought you loved that thing.”

Natasha tilted her head, examining
the car for a moment before nodding
her approval.

“I wasn’t assuming you’d buy anything
else, to be honest.”

"I did, but how am I supposed to help
out my friends on a small bike?”

Steve dug his keys out of his pocket
and then hit the unlock button.

“Thought I’d get a chuckle for it to be
honest with you, Natasha.”

xrcmanova:

“I think you’re a realist. Just a more optimistic
one than I happen to be. And I’ve always got
your back.”

She shook her head.

"No. But it’s the way I grew up. You read up as
much as you can, and then fill in the rest with
observation. I had you and Banner pegged the
second you guys stepped foot on the helicarrier
for the first time.”

"We make a pretty good team, huh?”

Steve chuckled as she told him that
she had Banner and himself all figured
out. Of course she had, reading people
was basically her specialty.

xrcmanova:

“I think you’re cut out to be Steve Rogers. You’re a
good guy, but sometimes to do the right thing we
have to pick the ugly choices, and if you like calling
things ‘borrowing’ rather than ‘stealing’ to help you
sleep better at night then who am I to judge? You’re
just lucky that I tend to be okay with kicking men
like Jasper Sitwell off roofs, because I’m comfortable
crossing a line that you aren’t. And I personally think
that you’ve seen too much shit to be any good in an
office setting.”

She smiled, zipping up her jacket against the cool of
the night air.

"I keep tabs on everyone, not just my friends. The
doctor I had cheats on his wife, the parking attendant
is trying to quit smoking and you worry too much.
What purpose will it serve me knowing that you’re
into redheads?”

"Well, it may not be ideal, but you get results,
and I need someone to keep me in reality for
when things happen that I can’t see the way
a realist sees them, you’re there having my
back.“

Steve chuckled at all the secrets she had.

"Do you need to blackmail parking attendants
often, Natasha?”

xrcmanova:

“Most of the time, unless it doesn’t suit your
needs, you can do the moral compass thing.
And then you just do the morally dubious thing
and spin it so it doesn’t sound wrong. Don’t
think I haven’t noticed your other secret.”

She shoved her hands into the pockets of her
ruined jacket, fingers curling into loose fists
against denim material. She liked Steve, and he
was actually one of the best men she knew,
but she also just knew things.

"You’re sharing secrets. I’m just filing them
away for future use…Who told you I was
here, Rogers?”

"So, you think I’m cut out for politics, then?”

Steve flashed a teasing smile toward his friend
as they exited the hospital, having felt he’d gotten
past the discussion about when he’d bend the rules.

"Oh, I see, our friendship is based on you keeping
tabs on me for when you need to blackmail me into
doing things for you, is that it?”“

xrcmanova:

“Don’t tell Barton that though. I told him I only
hold him in fond regards. He’ll get jealous knowing
that I like someone more than I like him.”

That wasn’t actually true. Natasha owed her life
to Clint, and the man was her best friend, but Steve
ranked high in her opinion of him.

"Guess I’d better stop looking inside SHIELD and start
looking in nursing homes then, shouldn’t I?”

A smirk and a sigh as her pool of potential matches
was even further reduced.

"So picky, Rogers. What color, then? Shelby from
medical is going white, plus she’s actually closer
to your age range than just about everyone else
in the damn place, Zoe from Food Services has
blue hair of all things, and Christie from HR has…
you got a thing for redheads that I don’t know about?”

"As much as I love ruffling feathers, I think
being your secret best friend is probably smart.”

Steve almost laughed, but the smile was evident.
He’d never once attempted to antagonize Barton,
sarcasm was reserved for Natasha and Stark.

“Well, I do love a good cup of jello.”

He paused, thinking about her three questions as
one was obviously the right one. Still, it did leave
an opening of a jab of his own.

“Red, white, blue. You know me so well.” The smirk
didn’t die, Steve actually was enjoying himself, “One
of those. And that’s all you’ll get out of me about it
ever.”

xrcmanova:

“I also feel like a helpless child, so there’s
that as well. But I do appreciate the fifty percent
that I’m getting out of this.”

Natasha’s eyebrow arched, and she stood back
for a moment before following after Steve with a
curious look on her face. Not into blondes? How
could she have not taken that into account? Great.
Now she had to readjust her entire candidate pool,
and refocus her attentions. And to think she’d thought
Sharon would be a great match.

        Just great.

"I’m old, Rogers. I like getting involved in affairs that
I’ve got no business being involved in. What is your
type, then? Kelly from accounting’s pretty. And she’s
super interesting, and she’s a brunette.”

"Appreciation? We really are getting to be
best friends then, huh?”

Where was a;; this bravery coming from? Steve
wasn’t sure, but he was enjoying it. He was starting
to feel comfortable in his own skin, like he could
really cut it in this era. People like him were around,
people that understood and could talk to him on an
equal playing field.

“You’re old? Natasha, if you’re old, I’m ancient.”

He knew he was opening himself up for a severe
age joke right there.

“Warmer,” Steve mused as Natasha tried again,
“But still the wrong color, besides, I hate math.”

xrcmanova:

She sighs, not even bothering to hide the
irritation in her voice as she mutters something
in Russian about stupid soldiers who worry too
much, and then sighs again, nodding reluctantly
because she’s not huge on the idea of being
taken care of, especially when it’s not Barton
taking care of her. 

“I could get out of here on my own, you know.”

And then Natasha holds out her good hand for
her jacket, neatly manicured fingers curving up
in a ‘give it here’ gesture as she gives Steve a 
small grin despite herself.

“I could kick your ass with an arm in a sling,
Rogers, make no mistake.” A red eyebrow lifts.
"Since when do you cook?”

“I know you could, but you asked me anyway.”

Steve couldn’t help it, he smirked a little bit as
he moved to put her jacket over her shoulders.
The hand signal she gave made him think again,
Cap sheepishly offered it to her instead when
Natasha asked how long he’d been able to cook.

"Since, 1940?”