settling down

chapter 1

"Mommy? Mommy? Hello?"

Natasha Romanoff awoke to her daughter, Alyssa, sitting on top of her.
"Good morning!" Alyssa excitedly exclaimed.
"Hi muffin" Nat sleepily replied back. She turned her head towards Steve Rodgers, who was still sound asleep next to her.
"Why couldn't you have woken up dad instead of me?" she prodded.
Alyssa gave an apologetic grin.

Not too long afterwards, Steve slowly opened his eyes.
"Morning princess" he groggily greeted Alyssa. "Where's your brother?"

As if on cue, James Rodgers entered his parents' bedroom, holding Nat's phone.
"What did I tell you about taking my phone in the mornings?" Nat scolded James, taking back her phone. Minecraft was open. "This game again?"
James crosses his arms. "It's fun mommy!" he defends himself.
"It's scary!" Alyssa adds.

Steve watches as Nat tries to mediate the two squabbling four-year-olds, and smiles to himself.
He never expected to have this life, especially with Natasha Romanoff, of all people.
Trained Russian assassin, and a WW2 super soldier. The unlikeliest of pairings, yet they worked. Perfectly.

The couple's one-year-old Thomas gurgled from his crib.
Nat grinned. "My baby's awake!" she laughs as she tickles his stomach.
Tommy giggled and squirmed.
Steve sat up and lifted the twins off the bed. "You two have swimming lessons at nine this morning. Get ready!"
Although they were only four, they were pretty capable by themselves, which Steve found astonishing.
The twins go off to get changed into swimsuits, as Steve prepares breakfast: cereal.
Nat on the other hand is still in bed, this time cuddling Thomas.

"Natasha!" Steve calls from the kitchen. "Can you help out a little?"
Nat snaps awake. "Alright" she calls back down.
"C'mon Tommy" She says as she leads him down the stairs, "Your favourite is ready, Rice Krispies!"
Tommy gurgles in delight.

In twenty minutes the family is ready to drive down to the public pool for Alyssa and James.
Once they get there, Steve drops the two off at their lane and sits with Nat who is upstairs in the viewing area with Thomas.

"Never in my life did I expect this" he says, out of the blue.
"Expect what?" Nat asks with a questioning look.
"Imagine, you're a soldier in the forties, you die, freeze in ice for seventy years, and find yourself in the future. You're presented with an opportunity to be part of a superhero initiative, and then are almost killed by a purple alien grape. Years later you've settled down with a whole family."
Steve was about to continue when Nat stops him.
"Okay, I get it" she chuckles, and rests her head on his shoulder.
Steve puts his arm around her.
"You're warm" he says.
Nat looks up and pecks him on the cheek.
"You're cute" she says back.

Ten minutes pass and Thomas is asleep.
So is Nat. Almost.
"Nat?" Steve whispers in her ear.
"Natasha? Are you awake?"
Nat wakes up, startled. "Oh. Yeah, yeah."
Steve chuckles and playfully pushes her shoulder.
"Shit. Tommy is asleep" she sighs.
"Language Nat!"
"I thought you were over that."
The two go at it for a couple minutes until Steve eventually gives up and kisses her.
"What was that for?" she says bitterly, hiding a smirk.
"I know you want it" he winks.
"You know me too well"
All the commotion has woke up Thomas, who is visibly annoyed.

Twenty more minutes pass. The twins are ready to be picked up.
Nat goes down to collect them, as Steve picks up the diaper bag and heads down to the entrance to the building.

Once everyone's changed, they walk out to the car, and load everyoned in.
"Tim Hortons or McDonalds?" Steve asks.
"Both!" The twins yell.
Steve turns to smile at Nat.
She rolls her eyes. "Eyes on the road captain" she jokes turning his cheek back.

The Rodgers family spends the rest of their day lounging at home, watching movies and eating popcorn.
After Steve tucks Thomas in he walks back to the living room to find Nat sprawled on the couch.
As Steve sits down next to her, Nat sits up and pulls him for a kiss.
Surprised, Steve wraps his arms around her waist and kisses back harder.
Suddenly they're both shirtless, Nat on top.
As she's about to lean in, Steve stops her.
"How did we get here?" He asks.
"I wanted you." She replies.
"Alright" Steve says, seemingly satisfied with the short answer.
As things are about to escalate even further, there's a knock at the door.