Natasha was just grabbing a jacket out of her closet when she heard a light rap at her bedroom door.

"Nat? You awake?" she heard Laura whisper in the hallway.

Natasha opened the door and gestured for Laura to come in. "Of course I'm awake - the kids are up already," she laughed.

"Coffee," Laura said, handing her a mug and sitting on the bed. She looked like a little kid on Christmas morning as she folded her legs up underneath her. "Coffee and then you tell me everything."

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING," Clint's voice came from out in the hallway where he was walking past on his way downstairs. He kept walking and started saying "LA LA LA LA" loudly.

Natasha laughed and closed the door. "It went well..." she paused because she didn't know where to start. A big smile started to overtake her face.

"Did he kiss you? Did you kiss him? - I'm sorry, am I asking too many questions? Too personal?" Laura made a displeased face.

"No, it's okay, I'm just in a little bit of a hurry. I'm on my way to meet him right now. Yes, he kissed me... we had dinner, we danced, we watched the sun set, we got milkshakes... we stayed out way too late."

"You look good though, you look happy. Not tired at all." Laura confirmed.

"Thanks, I did sleep well finally." Natasha grabbed the jacket from her closet and started gathering some other things to take with her.

"A hot date and a good night's sleep. All is right in the world," Laura sighed. "Where did he take you to dinner?"

"Have you ever been to Barbara's Lakeview Restaurant?" Natasha asked and Laura shook her head no. "It's not that far from here, it's gorgeous, you should go. We had a private dinner outside overlooking a lake. We slow danced" Natasha stopped to look at Laura who was making an "awww" face. "It was..." Natasha sighed, "it was great." Her smile got big again.

"Aww, Nat," Laura said and rubbed Natasha's arm. "That sounds amazing. And you're going to see him now?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm not sure what to think, I'm not sure what to expect. I feel kind of silly though," Natasha admitted.

"No, you don't need to feel silly," Laura broke into her mom tone. "Feel what you feel." Laura got quiet for a minute. "He won't hurt you."

Natasha tilted her head and looked at Laura.

"I wasn't going to say anything... but Clint has a really good feeling about him. He knows Steve better than I do and I trust his judgement here. I think he is rooting for you two. He didn't even give him that hard a time when Steve came to pick you up. You didn't hear this from me." They laughed. Laura stood up and looked at Natasha more seriously. "Seriously, don't feel silly, don't shy away. This is a good thing."

It was a nice moment between friends. Natasha didn't know what she would do when she didn't have Laura around every day.

"By the way, I'm sorry I stopped you guys to take a picture yesterday," Laura started, "You know how I am. I just wanted you to have a picture of your first date for later... you know, if things go... well."

Natasha's eyebrow shot up. "Laura, are you going to marry me off and throw a goat into the deal too?"

They laughed. "But thanks, I appreciate the picture. You are about the best picture taker with a phone I've ever seen, it turned out great."

Laura gave her a little hug and then she was off.

Natasha looked at herself in the mirror with her best serious face. She couldn't even help it, the corners of her mouth crept into a smile.

Come on, Romanoff, get your act together. You need to get on the road.

***

Steve sat up from his sleep with a yawn and some stretching. He hadn't slept long enough and the twin bed at the house wasn't comfortable at all. But he was going to get to see Natasha this morning, so that made up for it.

Ahhhh, Natasha. His Natasha.

A smile grew on his face as he stood up and stretched a little more. He'd let himself sleep later than normal and skipped his morning run but now he had to grab a quick shower before she arrived. He ran down to the kitchen and took an apple out of the bag he'd brought home with him and started eating it as he jogged up the stairs.

He stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and felt his face for stubble. He wasn't yet used to the beard being gone but it was more comfortable. Yeah, definitely have to shave... especially if there ends up being a repeat of last night. He started getting his shaving supplies out of the bathroom cabinet and when he closed the cabinet and looked back in the mirror, he noticed he was smiling at himself.

You're a goner, Rogers.

He found himself wondering if he and Natasha were on the same page or if it would take a lot more time to win over her heart. Either way, he hoped the end result would be the same.

After a shave and a shower, Steve felt like a new man. He checked the time and realized Natasha should be arriving any time now. He towel dried his hair a bit and pulled a gray shirt over his head. It was then that he thought he heard footsteps on the front porch. As he grabbed for his jeans, he heard knocking on the front door. He didn't doubt it was Natasha because it reminded him of how she'd knocked on his door many times before at the Avengers Compound.

Because there were no blinds or curtains on the front door, Natasha was able to see him hurry down the stairs while he fastened his belt. He had no shoes or even socks on and his hair was still damp, this was a very different look for him. She was open to seeing this side of him, and even looking forward to it. She always enjoyed the moments of normal life Steve Rogers. As he reached out to unlock the front door, he smiled at her and the morning sunlight shined right in his blue eyes making them look crystal clear like the ocean. Her chest fluttered as he opened the door.

"Hiiii," he said, more drawn out and with more enthusiasm than he should have for someone who only slept a few hours.

"Sorry I'm a little early," she said, "it didn't take me as long as I thought it would."

He was already stepping out onto the porch and throwing an arm around her, giving her forehead a kiss as she slid her arms around his waist. "No, it's okay. I'm really glad you're here." He stepped back to look at her. "You hungry?"

"I'm good," she said. The morning sky was clear and blue and it was so nice just standing on the porch with him. "So what do I get to help you with today?"

"Wow, an eager worker, I see," he said.

"Just happy to be here with you, Rogers."

He wondered what it meant that she had admitted to being happy to see him but yet she still used his last name like she was distancing herself from him.

"I thought maybe you could help me with some colors?" he shrugged at her.

"What? You're the artist... what can I help with?" She shook her head at him.

"Yeah.... yeah, I know. This is a little different though, it's a house. Besides, I'd like a second opinion. And you're the best one I know." He looked back at the door. "Let me grab some shoes."

Natasha sat down on the front step to wait for him. Steve returned and joined her to sit down and put socks and boots on.

"You have nice feet," Natasha smiled.

"Thanks?" he said, looking confused.

"I can't remember ever seeing them before," she said.

He laughed. "Oh, okay. Well, you've seen me at the pool before...?"

"I guess I never paid attention." Maybe that shouldn't have been an out-loud comment, she cringed.

"Well, thanks, I guess." He rubbed her knee a little and she felt better about it.

"I thought we could take some pictures of the house before we go get siding samples. I'm almost at the point where I need to side the addition and I want to do it before the weather starts to get bad" he said, standing up.

They walked out far in front of the house until they got a good view. Natasha snapped some pictures with her phone. "This place is going to be really great," she said. "I still can't believe you did this!"

"I know, kind of crazy, right?" he chuckled.

They continued to walk around all sides of the house and take pictures. It was a good opportunity for Natasha to see everything in the daylight. When they rounded the right side of the house to where the addition was being built, Steve said, "So I'm going to finish the roof before I start siding the house but I thought it might give me time to look at the colors for a while. I can just side the addition and the house at the same time. What do you think?"

"What if we buy some siding samples and attach them to the house? That way you can get a better idea of what it looks like?"

"That would be perfect, I think it would make me feel more confident about it." He wondered if someday, she would join him at the house. He wasn't about to push her for an answer though. "Let me go lock up and we can head out," he said as he jogged towards the front door.

Natasha walked towards the driveway to wait for him and she watched him come back out of the house with a baseball hat on and he was tucking his wallet into his back pocket. Watching him dressed like he was, she guessed this is what normal felt like for other people. She felt indifferent to "normal" but she did enjoy getting to know more sides of Steve.

He opened the passenger door of his truck for her and she walked closer. She stopped right in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You are the sweetest," she squeezed his shoulder. "But you might have to tone down the door opening while we're out... just so we blend in." She delivered the blow softly.

He leaned down and gave her a little kiss on the lips. "Roger that."

She hopped up into the truck and he asked "Does this mean no more door opening?"

"Not at all. I think dates would be okay...?" After all, she didn't want to take that from him completely.

"Okay, well this is definitely not a date," he confirmed. He walked around to get inside the truck.

"If this was a date, you would know it," he said tauntingly as he smiled big and looked straight in the rear view mirror and started to back the truck up.

Oh my God, he is totally hot, she thought to herself. I would date you so hard... She stifled a smile. That hat is really working for him. Get it together, Romanoff.

There was a hardware and home improvement store in a smallish town about 18 miles away. They took their time looking at siding colors and paint for some other spots on the house, pulling up the pictures of the house on her phone. They chose a stack of paint chips and Steve picked up a few other supplies while they were there. Once they picked more firm colors at the house, he would come back and buy some small samples.

Walking out of the hardware store, Natasha noticed a furniture store in the distance. "Hey we should check that furniture store out." She looked at him and his face instantly changed to a frown with an eyebrow raise. "What? You need stuff, right?" she asked.

"I know, I just.... I just don't really love what I find in those stores. Nothing feels like... me."

"Doesn't feel like home, does it?" she asked softly.

"No, not usually," he sighed. He looked over at her and saw her smile and he suddenly realized it wouldn't be so bad. "Alright, I'll put this stuff in the truck and then let's walk over. It won't kill me."

"That's the spirit," she joked. I really must have struck a nerve.

Inside the furniture store, Steve walked around with his lips pursed. Once in awhile, his expression would change to raised eyebrows. She found this amusing to watch as he wasn't usually so picky about anything. He realized he was being analyzed and he laughed as he looked over at her. "I know - I'm sorry."

"It's not like you have to buy anything today," she reminded him.

"I don't really mind that couch," he pointed. "A lot of this stuff just feels too fancy for me or too modern." He looked around again, his body language was screaming dejected. "I think my style lies somewhere between antique and modern... I just don't see anything."

"Come on," she said, putting a hand on his back. "Let's get out of here."

"Whew," he laughed.

Back at the house, Steve announces he's hungry and Natasha agrees she could eat as well. "How about a picnic? We can sit under those trees over there in the back yard." He pointed in the right direction.

"I like that idea," she said. "Do you have a blanket we can put down?"

Steve thought for a second. He realized the only blanket he had was on his bed so he went to plan B. "I do have drop clothes in the garage... that would work."

"I can grab one," she said, heading for the garage.

"Thanks, Nat. I'm going to grab some things from inside," he said as he turned towards the house.

When Steve came out of the house, he saw Natasha laying on her stomach under the trees, drop cloth all set up for them. She was holding up paint swatches to the house and she she started to laugh when she saw him. "Nice serving tray!" she called out to him. Steve was carrying a beer box full of food and grinning from ear to ear.

"Only the best for our guests at the Rogers house," he kidded her as he got closer.

"You had all this food here?" she asked, surprised as she rose to her knees to look inside the box.

"Oh... no... not at all," he said.

"When did you have time to do this then?"

"I stopped at a store on the way back here last night..."

"You must have been tired, you didn't need to do that," she smiled at him.

"Well, yeah, I did. I figured you would also appreciate toilet paper in the bathroom." They had a little laugh and Steve started taking things out of the box. She couldn't believe how much he had bought and wondered if he was trying to impress her, she wondered if he was nervous around her. He didn't seem like it.

Then again, Steve could eat. The man could really eat.

There was an assortment of fruit, lunch meat, fresh rolls, potato chips, condiments, bottled water. "Where is the actual beer?" Natasha joked.

"That was just a box that was left laying around here," he mock frowned at her.

Steve and Natasha made sandwiches and took their time eating. They sat side by side and discussed paint samples and color combinations for the house. It was cool and breezy in the shade and they were happy taking all the time in the world. After they ate, Natasha walked over to the house and held up a few paint swatches against the house for him to see and he would give her thumbs up or down for his decision.

"It seems like you have the color palette pretty settled," she said as she walked back over to him and handed him their top four swatches. She laid down on her side, facing him, and propped her head on her hand.

"Are you on the same page with the gray and blue?" he eyed her laying next to him.

"I think it's a really nice combination and I also think it really fits you and the house."

"Yeah, me too," he smiled as he laid back on the drop cloth next to her. He took a deep breath and looked up at the leaves in the tree as the breeze moved them around. He could lay here all day. He looked at Natasha who was also taking it all in, her hair starting to blow in front of her face. He rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbow, mirroring Natasha, and using his free hand to move the stray tresses aside from her face. The feel of his fingertips on her skin caused her to lean into the warmth of his hand. He let his hand rest on the side of her face.

Natasha scooted a little closer to him. "Is any of this..." she tried to speak softly and choose the right words. "Is this moving too fast for you?" As soon as the words left her lips, she felt they were wrong. "It's not like you're a little kid or anything, you can make your own choices... I just want to make sure I'm not being too forward." She stopped awkwardly.

"Am I giving you trouble reading me?" he asked quietly. "I know I'm not always an open book when it comes to personal things."

"Oh no," she stopped him. "I think you're actually very open. Maybe it's my own insecurities..." She looked off into the distance.

"You feel like it's moving too fast? Too much pressure?" he asked.

"No, not at all," she said, looking right at him. "We've been friends a long time."

"...And I waited too long to open my heart to you," he confessed. "Nat, I promise you I will talk to you if there's an issue. I promise."

"Open and honest," she sighed, "not necessarily the way I was raised," she said sadly. "You're the one who helped me see that honesty is a valid choice."

"So you'll talk to me if there's a problem?" he questioned.

"I promise." She somehow doubted her own promise but she had every intention of keeping it. When it came to Steve, she wanted to do the right thing. Deep breaths, Natasha. You're not going to screw this up. Just tell him.

"I'm afraid I'm going to screw this up," she said. There, it's out. "That's the last thing I want."

"That's not going to happen," he said, reassuringly.

"You seem pretty confident about it," she said.

"I am." He looked straight at her. "Natasha, I have faith in you. This is all new to both of us, we're in it together though. Do you want this?" His question was in no way an ultimatum.

"Yeah, I do," she smiled. Natasha reached over to Steve's hat and slowly turned it around backwards. She swallowed what was left of the insecurity and leaned in to kiss Steve. As their lips moved against each other, her mind went to his words: I have faith in you and she couldn't believe she was even doubting what was happening. Suddenly she couldn't get enough of him, she couldn't be close enough to him. As she continued planting kisses on him, she pulled on his shoulder trying to get closer to him and Steve fell forward towards her making a little sound against her mouth and catching himself by putting his hand on the ground behind her. She reached up to his face with both hands as she pulled her face back for a second to whisper an honest "I do want this... us, I mean."