Even if the stars don't shine

Birdboy

  It was strange for Natasha to be out in the streets with someone walking beside her and actually wanting to. She glanced at Lana, she had such a simple smile on her face. As if she was just happy to walk down the street, not anything overall exciting, not like she was hiding something. It was fairly refreshing.

  "So, they call you Black Widow?" Lana asked and met her eyes.

  "They?"

  "The former Avengers, the news... Sam talked a lot about you guys, sometimes I think I know you and then... I meet you and it's all different, I think he might be lying to me," she confessed.

  Natasha chuckled. "So, what's he saying about me?"

  "That you're scary, paranoid, he was right about you being pretty... said you were three feet tall but your more five feet and a bit, he said you really moved like a spider which of course I didn't believe then either," she recited which made her smile. She missed the late-night calls from Sam and their sleepovers. She once resented the Avengers for taking him away, but after meeting only a few of them she knew she couldn't dislike them.

  "Sam's an idiot, I mean I guess I could be pretty scary to people I want to be scary to," she glanced at Lana with a smile, confirming she didn't want to be scary with her.

  "I loved your defence on Capitol Hill."

  "Thank you, it was some of my best work," she grinned as they entered the small shop.

  Lana and Natasha walked through the aisles for a while, Lana explaining to her she wanted to buy the cheapest stuff but the most of it as well, so she'd likely end up with a stew packet and some low-cost vegetables.

  At some point they had dispersed, and Lana predicted this wasn't very exciting for the former spy, then as she was finished and looked around for the red-head she found her in front of the hair dyes. A long row of different colours and brands that she inspected.

  "What you looking for?" Lana asked a she approached, as not to startle her.

  "I'm not sure... I've been considering a change but haven't been in any place long enough to do it, maybe now's the time," she stood straight and crossed her arms, "what do you think?"

  Lana thought for a moment as Natasha watched her thinking process. She assessed Natasha herself then the colours in front of them. "Not sure... In your line of work, I'm assuming you need to hide a lot and black would be good for that but..." she picked up a box she knew was a trusted brand, "if you want a real change, I'm thinking platinum blonde," she showed it to Natasha.

  "Perfect," she grinned.

                                       **

  Steve had finally gotten Sam to relax and sit down again after barking at Bucky for: taking away his little girl's innocence. Bucky had just clenched his jaw and looked away during the barrage of words and anger.

  Steve sat down himself and took a breath. "So, Buck, how's it going?"

  Bucky held in a smile looking back at the past few weeks. "Pretty good-"

  "Yeah, I'm sure you are, defiling my little angel..." Sam muttered bitterly.

  "Haven't defiled her yet," Bucky murmured making Steve's eyes go wide and Sam stand in anger.

  "What did you say?" Bucky stood which only made Sam go closer. "Come on, one-armed wonder, say it again I dare you."

  "Make me, Birdboy."