Redrum

Three

Over the next week, the two had fallen into a comfortable routine. With Steve being as active as he was with what remained of S.H.I.E.L.D., he hadn't spent much time outside of eating dinner and sleeping in his apartment. On slow or off days, he still didn't see much of Natasha. Steve always thought he started his days early, but she proved to be an even earlier riser and, more often than not, she wouldn't return until well past sunset.

That's why he was startled to see her curled up on her make-shift bed on the couch when he returned from a mid-day meeting with Agent Hill.

"You're back early," he playfully scoffed as he kicked off his boots by the door.

Natasha looked up from the book she was reading - one all about the history of Captain America that Fury had given him when he came off the ice.

"Just the man I was looking for," she said, green eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm loving this outfit, by the way. Please tell me you still have it."

Steve peered over her shoulder to see that she was looking at the first version of his now-famous red, white, and blue uniform. His cheeks burned as he grabbed the book and snapped it shut. "I knew I should have tossed this as soon as I got it," he mumbled to himself as he crossed his arms. "What's up, Romanoff?"

"Well," she sang as she got off the couch, "I hope you didn't have a hot date planned for tonight, because I've made plans for us." Natasha flashed a mischievous smile as Steve's face shifted from embarrassment to confusion. "How're your Swedish skills?" she asked before snatching the book back and gliding to the front door.

Steve followed as she led him to the top floor of the building and to the front door of another apartment. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of keys.

"As wonderful as it's been staying with you Steve - drinking all your coffee and eating all your food - the truth is," Natasha smirked as she looked over her shoulder at him, "your couch just isn't that comfortable."

She opened the door to reveal a small one-bedroom apartment that almost mirrored Steve's. Aside from an old couch and chair he recognized from the Tower, there were only a handful of boxes littering the space.

"Obviously, I'll be staying in D.C. for a longer," she said as she made her way to the fridge, dropping the book she had stolen from Steve's apartment on the counter as she passed. "I asked Fury if he would reinstate our little partnership and he happily obliged. He thinks we work well together." She winked as she pulled out two beers.

"This won't do anything for me," Steve said as Natasha handed him the cold bottle.

"What's wrong?" she said as she circled behind him, peeking her head over his shoulder, "is Captain America afraid of a little fun?"

The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight up as he felt Natasha's warm breath caress his neck. If he just turned his head slightly to the left he could kiss her. He took a large gulp of his beer in an attempt to push the thought from his mind.

He cleared his throat. "After your little stunt on Capitol Hill, I wouldn't think you'd want to stay around here." Steve watched as she sauntered over to one of the boxes and began rooting around.

"I hope you called that nurse at least once while I was gone," Natasha said, ignoring Steve's remark and sneaking a peek at him. "She's trading in her S.H.I.E.L.D. badge for one from the CIA at the end of the month. She's moving to Berlin I guess." She shrugged nonchalantly before a brief spark of joy flashed across her face as she pulled a small toolbox from the box.

Steve took a moment to process the information Natasha had just shared with him, taking extra note of the way she said that nurse as if she were spitting out poison. He had, in fact, not called Sharon, let alone interact with her much outside of the pleasantries they shared in the hall. He had been so busy being bitter over her lying about who she really was that he hadn't even thought about giving her a chance. Plus, he had spent so much of the past two years worrying about Natasha and trying to track her down that he didn't save much time for going on casual dates.