The Avengers, "Something Different" Natasha/Steve, rated PG
Fandom: The Avengers (MCU)
Title: Something Different
Author: Paynesgrey
Characters/Pairings: Natasha, Steve, implied Steve/Natasha
Word Count: 583
Warnings/Spoilers: No warnings. Finished ficlet. Spoilers for Avengers movie only.
Notes: Written for the "laugh" prompt for the Summer Mini Challenge.
Summary: Natasha notices something different about him.
His laughter was the first thing that drew her to him.
Of course, she knew he had other skills - skills that she’d already compiled as a list in her head that read both “strengths” and “weaknesses”. Yet, his laughter did not get so coldly categorized as everything else. It was something that made Steve different than other men she’d observed.
(She’d spent a lifetime observing men, gauging them. It was one of her most highly defined skills. She’d seen the worst of them, and when it was easy - so easy - to use them to get what she wanted.)
His laughter, his manners, and the way he composed himself around her separated Steve from the usual crop of men. He was, of course, a man out of time, a curious human anomaly that Natasha couldn’t pull away from.
He watched her evenly, with eyes that revered her with both equality and chivalry. She didn’t think it was possible anymore, not for modern men anyway.
It made her curious. It jarred her, and made her rethink how she looked at most people: as simple cogs in a system where she effortlessly outscored them. The nothings of her daily life, the people who barely caused a flicker in her calculated, heavily-trained mind.
And perhaps she wouldn’t have noticed him as significantly as she had until he approached her, until that nervous laughter became a soft symphony to her ears.
She nodded to him stiffly, yet she still probed him deeply with her eyes, looking for one small behavior to completely shatter her glowing analysis of him. He didn’t disappoint her. Instead, he surprised her, as many people rarely do.
“Uh, I was wondering, if you’re not busy tonight, if you could show me around the city,” he stammered. Her brow knitted together as she could not believe the words from his mouth. He chuckled nervously, and she tilted her head.
“Captain Rogers, are you asking me out?” No one ever did that without knowing they could lose a limb from such audacity, yet Steve Rogers had an innocence that would be blind to such unspoken rules.
And normally, she would tersely refuse. Possibly threaten him to never try it again.
She didn’t. She was slightly off her guard, sure, but the moment she’d regained her thoughts, she nodded. Curiosity quickly overruled her suspicious callous nature.
She admitted to being intrigued, and it was very hard for her to rein in the obvious allure she projected when she approached him. He spoke a few nervous words through an equally nervous laugh, and was about to tell her “to forget about it” and “sorry he bothered her” when she moved close and looked into his deep blue eyes. He stiffened, stunned and bemused more than anything.
“Fine. Pick me up at seven. I like Italian, Indian, or German food. Do not dress in uniform, and do not dress like a time traveler. Be punctual,” she said, and when he nodded once with his mouth gaped open, she felt a surge of satisfaction in leaving him speechless. She never lost her touch.
Perhaps Captain Rogers was not so different from men of this time after all.
She gave him an inviting smile before leaving, and she felt him watching her as she walked away.
It may be true that he was not so different from most men, she realized, but he certainly made her feel differently, which was definitely a challenge that Natasha couldn’t resist.
Title: Something Different
Author: Paynesgrey
Characters/Pairings: Natasha, Steve, implied Steve/Natasha
Word Count: 583
Warnings/Spoilers: No warnings. Finished ficlet. Spoilers for Avengers movie only.
Notes: Written for the "laugh" prompt for the Summer Mini Challenge.
Summary: Natasha notices something different about him.
His laughter was the first thing that drew her to him.
Of course, she knew he had other skills - skills that she’d already compiled as a list in her head that read both “strengths” and “weaknesses”. Yet, his laughter did not get so coldly categorized as everything else. It was something that made Steve different than other men she’d observed.
(She’d spent a lifetime observing men, gauging them. It was one of her most highly defined skills. She’d seen the worst of them, and when it was easy - so easy - to use them to get what she wanted.)
His laughter, his manners, and the way he composed himself around her separated Steve from the usual crop of men. He was, of course, a man out of time, a curious human anomaly that Natasha couldn’t pull away from.
He watched her evenly, with eyes that revered her with both equality and chivalry. She didn’t think it was possible anymore, not for modern men anyway.
It made her curious. It jarred her, and made her rethink how she looked at most people: as simple cogs in a system where she effortlessly outscored them. The nothings of her daily life, the people who barely caused a flicker in her calculated, heavily-trained mind.
And perhaps she wouldn’t have noticed him as significantly as she had until he approached her, until that nervous laughter became a soft symphony to her ears.
She nodded to him stiffly, yet she still probed him deeply with her eyes, looking for one small behavior to completely shatter her glowing analysis of him. He didn’t disappoint her. Instead, he surprised her, as many people rarely do.
“Uh, I was wondering, if you’re not busy tonight, if you could show me around the city,” he stammered. Her brow knitted together as she could not believe the words from his mouth. He chuckled nervously, and she tilted her head.
“Captain Rogers, are you asking me out?” No one ever did that without knowing they could lose a limb from such audacity, yet Steve Rogers had an innocence that would be blind to such unspoken rules.
And normally, she would tersely refuse. Possibly threaten him to never try it again.
She didn’t. She was slightly off her guard, sure, but the moment she’d regained her thoughts, she nodded. Curiosity quickly overruled her suspicious callous nature.
She admitted to being intrigued, and it was very hard for her to rein in the obvious allure she projected when she approached him. He spoke a few nervous words through an equally nervous laugh, and was about to tell her “to forget about it” and “sorry he bothered her” when she moved close and looked into his deep blue eyes. He stiffened, stunned and bemused more than anything.
“Fine. Pick me up at seven. I like Italian, Indian, or German food. Do not dress in uniform, and do not dress like a time traveler. Be punctual,” she said, and when he nodded once with his mouth gaped open, she felt a surge of satisfaction in leaving him speechless. She never lost her touch.
Perhaps Captain Rogers was not so different from men of this time after all.
She gave him an inviting smile before leaving, and she felt him watching her as she walked away.
It may be true that he was not so different from most men, she realized, but he certainly made her feel differently, which was definitely a challenge that Natasha couldn’t resist.