Red Burning Satin (Natasha Romanoff x Reader)

Chapter 23

"Nat?" you said. It was a week later and the evening was just settling over the City, the dying light outside still lingering along the horizon. You were both sitting on the sofa reading a book, your legs tangled together. Your book was the encyclopedia Maria gave you and Nat was reading a romance novel set in the past, "Do you want to go on a date?"

You had been waiting for the right moment all week and you took to opportunity when you both had a few hours off work together at a suitable time, "Maria said it's when you do something fun with someone. We don't have those on my planet; I've never been on one." You left out the bit about love. You knew Maria hadn't just meant romantic love; dates could be platonic or with a family member but you were careful with your words so you didn't send Nat the wrong message.

"Uh, sure," she said, seeming taken aback, "But what would we do?"

"I thought we could go to Central Park and have a picnic," you said, "I bought some picnic food while you were at work yesterday." Maria had given you a list of things to buy that were typical for a picnic. You bought food that could be eaten by hand, snacks and a white cake with flowers iced on top. You also bought a lantern, candles and matches for when it got dark.

"That sounds great," she said. You didn't have a picnic basket so you ended up using carrier bags to transport the food. As you walked down the streets with the heavy bags in your hands, the handles digging into your skin and creating inflamed grooves, to passersby, you must have looked like a normal, young couple going home from your weekly shop. You blended in with the rest of the crowd that bustled the streets – there were no complex labels, no powers, no controversial affairs with the government or cursed pasts, presents and futures to see. You moved forward on the pathway of your daily lives that just happened to bump against each other that day.

Towers of all different heights and widths, some with flat roofs, others more obscure, stretched up above the trees, the park a haven at the bottom of a valley built by man. The unexpected oasis glowed with the reflection of thousands of lights shining down onto an abundance of darkened emerald green, the different areas outlined by harsh white. You passed by the sign that read 'Central Park' and followed the winding path until you were beside a lake, the moon's reflection rippling in the water.

You picked a spot beneath a vast, cherry-blossom tree and laid out the blanket before starting to unpack the food. It was evening and you were in a City with dangerous people so you were the only ones there. Being an assassin and a cyborg alien had its advantages sometimes. You didn't bring any cutlery or plates except for two spoons for the cake, meaning you had to pick up the food with your hands and eat from the packages but you didn't mind at all.

Nat was teaching you about finance and things of that nature, which was honestly the most boring thing you had learned so far. The only reason you managed to pay attention was because she was the one explaining it. She was always thorough and patient and her voice was like a record you could play over and over. When you got bored of that topic, you talked about anything and everything you wanted to, regardless of how silly it was. Both your guards were down but you were still comfortable. In all honestly, you weren't paying much attention to it.

"Hey Nat," you said, "This is a bit random but... Maria and I were talking last week, and it made me realise something." The breeze was like ice against your exposed skin, the moon hanging above your heads, "I haven't noticed you being on your period at any point. I've never seen a sanitary towel in your apartment either." Her face twitched, but she was quick to restore her composure, brushing off whatever emotion she had just revealed.

"Uh, I don't have a uterus." She said it calmly but the wandering of her gaze conflicted her exterior. You felt a flood of guilt wash over your body.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," you said. She shook her head, her hand reaching up to rest on your cheek.