The Prince And The Rose

12 - Public Displays Of Indifference

Steve fidgeted uncomfortably in his suit, and Natasha tried not to laugh at him. "Would you stop?" she snorted, smacking his arm. "We're about to go out there and I will not have you scratching your neck like a middle schooler at his first dance."

He made a face at her but settled down, straightening the tailored suit one last time with a rueful sigh. "I don't want to do this," he muttered.

"I know," she answered, giving his hand a squeeze. "But we've been hiding from the public eye for a few months now and people are starting to worry."

Steve took a deep breath as Steven Colbert called out their names and alter egos, and Natasha let go of his hand and made her way out into the blinding light of the studio. There were ripples of polite applause, but she knew full well that everyone was remembering what they had read about her on the internet. The files she had dumped didn't paint a very nice picture of her.

The response as Steve walked out was considerably warmer, a fact that he noticed, if the look on his face was anything to go by. His smile was too tight and too forced, his eyes frustrated. She gave him a quiet smile from her seat by Colbert's desk, and he relaxed slightly.

"Hey, welcome, guys," the host said, smiling warmly. "It's an honor to have you here."

Natasha answered, knowing Steve would really prefer not to talk too much tonight. "Thanks for having us, Steven."

Colbert faked confusion. "Are you talking to me or him, because I... I'm not sure which Steve you want."

Her Steve cracked a small smile, while the audience laughed at the host's antics. Natasha was already sick and tired of this interview, but she grinned like Colbert had said something clever. "You, obviously."

"Oh yeah, of course." The host leaned back in his chair, gesturing expansively. "How are you both liking New York? Am I correct in believing, Captain Rogers, that you grew up here?"

Nat looked at Steve. He nodded. "Yeah. Brooklyn, actually." A few audience members cheered. "Yeah." Steve's smile grew a bit more genuine. "It was great."

"Personally, I think it would be better if we weren't staying with Stark," Natasha said, giving Steve an eye roll. The audience laughed, and Steve snorted, nodding.

"Agreed."

"Yeah, he seems like he's a bit tough to deal with," Colbert agreed, still smiling. "How are your relations with the rest of the team, Natasha, if I may ask?"

She raised an eyebrow, keeping her expression deliberately light. "What do you mean?"

"Well, since SHIELD released all its files onto the internet, it's become evident that both you and Mr. Barton have difficult pasts."

Natasha could almost feel Steve's demeanor switch from uncomfortable to defensive, but she didn't look at him. "My team is very understanding," she said smoothly. "Sometimes a little too understanding."

Then she did look at Steve; irritation was evident in his blue eyes. She knew he wanted to argue and tell her that no, he wasn't too forgiving and she was too hard on herself, but he couldn't do that here.

"So no tension or anything?"

Natasha smiled. "Not the kind you're thinking of, anyway."

Steve turned bright red and turned his gaze to the floor, and Natasha was badly tempted to wink at him, but he wanted their relationship to stay secret for now and that would be the opposite of subtle. So she simply smirked and crossed her legs.

The audience appreciated that quip, as did Colbert, who waggled his eyebrows and grinned. "Sounds interesting, Miss Romanoff. Care to share?"

"No thanks, Steven," she said. "Captain Rogers doesn't like that kind of talk."

The audience really thought that was amusing (because God forbid Captain America be anything but innocent and perfect) and applauded them. He sighed and cast Nat a "please don't" face. She shrugged at him.

"Now, I've got to be honest, as fun as this is…" Colbert began, folding his hands on his desk. "I think the majority of the people here would like to know why you both dismantled SHIELD, or Hydra, as the case may be."

Natasha and Steve shared a look, and finally he answered, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "It was a corrupt organization even before we knew Hydra had infiltrated it. It was better than most, but…" He shrugged. "They started sacrificing too many values and said they were still doing the right thing. There comes a point when the end doesn't justify the means anymore and then you're no better than the people you fight."

Quiet applause. Colbert nodded slowly. "That makes sense. So does that mean you and the other Avengers are in charge of national security now?"

"Not national security," Nat answered. "Global security. Sure, we're based in America, but our primary goal is world security. Despite our fearless leader's name," she winked "we don't actually prefer the safety of America over the safety of every other country."

"I think America still has an army," Steve said, faking bewilderment. "Right? I mean, maybe not, but I was pretty sure that the Armed Forces still had national security more or less under control."

The audience's laughter was surprised, but pleased. Nobody really expected Steve to be a sassy little shit, but then most of what people imagined about him was just propaganda and half-true historical accounts.

Most history textbooks probably didn't talk about Steve's sense of humor.

The rest of the interview went smoothly, without too many awkward questions (although Colbert asked whether Steve was a virgin, a question which he declined to answer; Natasha knew for a fact that he was) or audience disapproval. Several times Nat made some little inside joke that had Steve holding back laughter.

Once they got out from under the lights, Steve practically collapsed into the car Tony sent for them, tugging peevishly at his tie. "I am never doing that again," he grumbled.

Natasha laughed, kicking her heels off, and scooted closer to him on the back seat. She saw Happy watching them in the rearview mirror and rolled her eyes. "Sure you aren't. You were great, though."

"Yeah, but I feel like I just spent an hour with a firing squad," he groaned. "And those people weren't fair to you."

"Oh, knock it off, Rogers. Is that still bothering you?"

"Yes, it is. They were all judging you without even knowing you. Even the host."

"People do that. It doesn't bother me."

"Maybe not, but it bothers me," he retorted, fitting one arm around her.

"What are you gonna do about it, though? Beat them all up with your shield until they like me?"

"If I have to, yeah," he said, cracking a crooked smile. She laughed at him, resting her head on his shoulder. While she constantly thought that she didn't deserve his faith in her and his loyalty, there was almost nothing she was more grateful for.