-Steve's POV-
I lay in the same spot where Natasha was. I line up the sights and take a few deep breathes. I shoot four time. Each forming a keyhole shape in the target, next to Natashas' bullseyes'.
"That's a good shot Steve," Yelena teases.
"Thanks I guess," I reply, I get up from the snow and dust it off of me.
"Wanna shoot 'Lena?" Nat asks her.
"I'm good," Yelena replies. She goes to say something else but is cut off by Nat's mom,
"Let's go in, I'll make brunch." We all follow her back inside and sit around the kitchen table. I sit next to Nat.
"So how long are you guys going to stay in Russia for?" Nat's mom asks while getting eggs prepared to be scrambled.
"I'm not sure. Few days or so then we should head back," Natasha nods to me.
"Yeah that sounds good," I agree. Silence fills room and it soon grows uncomfortable.
"Cold in here huh," Yelena laughs, releaving some tension from the room.
"I am going to go change I'll be right back," Natasha says coldly.
"Ya me too," I say and I follow her back to our bedroom.
Natasha stops in the middle of our room with her back towards me. I grab her wrist and pull her to me.
"What's wrong Nat?" I ask. She says nothing but she silenty pulls away and grabs clothes from her bag. She throws them on to the bed and I find my own clothes. I decide to give her space, trusting that she will talk to me if she needs me. I change in the bedroom as Nat goes into the bathroom. I am quick and go help cook brunch. I set the table and sit back down with Yelena.
"Is 'Talia ok?" Yelena whispers to me.
"Yeah I'm sure she is fine. I think she just needs space," I answer.
-Natasha's POV-
I wash my face harshly with cold water, wiping away the little mascara left on my face. I get ready and set a smile on my face. Being with my parents today is too much to handle. I don't understand why but I don't feel welcome let alone safe here. I open the bathroom door. I inspect my outfit quickly, it's another one of my black leather jackets, which I'm pretty sure is Maria's. I'm wearing dark blue jeans and black combat boots, my shirt is black also. I walk into the kitchen and sit back down next to Steve. I slouch into my seat. Silently hoping to sink into the floor, never to be seen again. I watch my father gaze on me, it's as if her is studying me, like a caged animal.
"What is there something on my face?" I try.
"No,"
"Then what's up,"
"Nothing," He replies shortly.
Katya sets food onto the table. Once we are all eating, well I'm just playing with the food on my plate. My mother speaks up,
"Natasha don't slouch."
"I'm not slouching," I retort, more harshly than I wanted to.
"Your gonna get a back hunch," She urges.
"Listen to your mother Natalia," My dad joins in.
"Enough all of you. And it's Natasha now,"
"I didn't say anything," Yelena laughs.
"She likes to put her feet on tables also," Steve adds. My glare like daggers as I stare him down. Mother looks pissed and my father laughs.
"Oh Natalia lighten up," Dad decides for me, or rather Nikolai in my book now.
"It's Natasha," I remind again.
"Well to me it's Natalia. You are my daughter and that's the name I gave you," He argues.
"Well you haven't been my dad for 20 years. So to you it's Natasha," I end. Then to my extreme luck, my phone rings. Fury's contact flashes on the screen. I show the name to Steve and he nods for me to go and grabs my dish for me.
"I have to take this, thank you for brunch," I go outside and answer the call.
-Steve's POV-
I stand up with urgency to do the dishes. I clear off the table.
"Steve you don't have to do that," Katya says.
"It's the least I can do ma'am," I say. Adding some 1940s charm to lighten the mood. She smiles and sits down, worry lines on her forehead more pronounced than earlier.
"Hey Steve what is wrong with your girlfriend," Natasha's dad says. I have kept calm and had even added to the teasing. But I now realize today probably wasn't the best time. But now my collectivness starts to slip.
"I'm not sure. Maybe it's the emotional toal of seeing your parents again after 20 years. Or maybe you could just ask her yourself," I retort, obviously defensive.
"Calm down Mr. America I thought you would know. You are sleeping with her," He snaps back.
"Her name is Natasha. Not your daughter or my girlfriend or some girl I'm sleeping with. But Natasha. So stop objectifying her and treat her like a human being. She's right you haven't been her dad in a long time. And you don't even know half of the shit she's gone through. It's not your fault but show some sympathy will you. If you had the slightes idea of who your daughter is, then you would know when to stop. So before you go and disrespect the name she has worked for, maybe try asking her something about herself. Just once," I plea with conviction I didn't know I had.
"And I'm not sleeping with her, show some respect," I finish with authority.
I rush out the front door with heavy steps to find Natasha. I spot her leaning against a large oak tree. As I near her I see a lit cigarette in her mouth.
"Where did you find those?"
"In the nightstand in our room,"
"It's a nasty habit,"
"Well I didn't think I'd live this long anyway," She sighs. I don't say anything. I just sit next to her. Because now more than ever I know that just being there for someone, can say more than words.
She turns her head to me and smiles. The cigarette in her hand flicks off somewhere.
"Thanks Steve," She says. I'm not sure what she's thanking me for she I smile and nod.
"What did Fury want?" I ask.
"Says he wants my ass in his office by next week or I'm fired. But that's not true, I'm his favorite. I could leave for years and he wouldn't care when I came back." She pauses before continuing, "Ya know it's strange, Fury has been in my life not even consistently for ten years but, he will always be more of a father to me than Nikolai ever will be,"
"You choose your family. He sees you as a daughter also. I know that more sure. You should of seen his face when he saw you being treated by medical yesterday. Man he looked terrified,"
Natasha just nods and lets a single tear slip from her eye.
"Talk to Katya Nat. I think there is something she wants to tell you," I say.
Earlier I noticed Katya expression when we were all argueing. She looks like she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. I wrap an arm around Nat's waist and pull her to my side. Her head rests on my chest. She playfully kicks my feet and we go back in fourth for a while, until I push her away from the tree, she tumbles softly into the snow. She laughs whole-heartly at our play fighting. Natasha gets up and pushes me into the snow also. She straddles me, so I push her off. We lie side-by-side in the snow. A few flurries land in Nat's hair. The snow turns her already pale complexion lighter, only making her eyes shine brighter.
"I love you," I say before kissing her lightly.
"I love you too," She replies, as I help her up from the ground.
Thanks for reading!
Updates will probably only be around once or twice every week-week and half. School is starting to be school. And online is super stressful. Sorry for the slow updates. I'm aiming to have this story complete by Christmas of 2020 but who knows.
I'm also considering doing a Romanogers one-shot book. Maybe.
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Learning to Love
Fanfiction•Completed• Natasha Romanoff the infamous Black Widow, has settled into her new life working for S.H.I.E.L.D. She has found a family in the Avengers. She has everything she wants. She finds herself starting to feel. Feelings that she was never allow...
