Winterwidow One-shots

Mr. and Mrs. Barnes

This was it. The mission that was in every single spy movie with a woman in it. The obligatory "you have to pose as husband" mission. It was so cliche. It shouldn't be hard. Nat and I were a couple. Weren't we? It was sort of an unspoken thing. We've just never really...gone out in public together before. I don't know why I'm nervous what is there to be scared of. I was a normal mission.

We were going to a nice party at a drug kingpin's estate in upstate New York. We didn't even have to go far from the Avengers compound. We were going together because we both spoke Russian and so did some of the guests. We were supposed to pose as a couple who were business partners of the kingpin. All we were supposed to do was to chat with the guests and gather some information on the kingpin's plans. It was a relatively easy job. I was still nervous though. I can't really articulate why. I just am.

The party is supposed to be very high class. Tuxedos are required. One thing I didn't tell Natasha, was that I had my previously long hair cut off and shaved my face. It's back to the cut I had in the 40s. It's also closer to the cut I had when I first met Natasha. I think it looks nice. It reminds me off before Hydra happened. It's a nice feeling. Steve cut it. Gotta say, the guy has talent in this area.

I'm just combing my hair into place when I hear "Ready, James?" come from my door. I turn around. There she is. The most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.

Natasha is standing in my doorway wearing an elegant tight-fitting black dress that flares out with a slit about three quarters of the way down her body. It's backless with a bunch of straps criss-crossing over her back. She has some strappy black shoes to match. Her hair is in a gorgeous braided bun, and she's wearing a sparkly long silver necklace and earrings. All I can do is stare and say "Wow..." under my breath.

As soon as she sees me she shows the slightest bit of her wonderful smile. She pulls my door closed and walks over to me. I can tell she's trying to stifle her smile, but it's not fully working. "You cut your hair." she says as she feels the short sides of my head and drops her hands around my neck. "I like it. You look very handsome." I'm still speechless. I don't even know how I have the privilege of knowing the beautiful, smart, and elegant creature in front of me.

"Are you going to say anything? Or are we just gonna be a silent couple?" I think my mouth is still hanging open. "James?" she asks. "I-" she's still stifling a laugh. I must look so foolish. "I don't know why you are, but I'm thankful that I'm yours and that you're mine." I finally manage to choke out. Was it the cheesiest thing I'd ever said? Yes. But Nat was full on grinning now, so in my book that's a success. We kissed for a few moments and then she said "You ready to do this Sgt. Barnes?" I smiled. "Ready, Natalia."