-October-

Natasha moved around her bedroom with ease, phone balanced between her ear and shoulder as she folded up a shirt.

"I know, I miss you too," she said into the phone. "I haven't seen you in forever. Why don't we go to lunch soon?"

"Yes, let's do that," Wanda's voice squeaked excitedly from the other end of the phone. "This week?"

Natasha thought about what a crazy week it might be but that didn't matter, she could juggle things to have lunch with Wanda. "How about tomorrow?" Natasha asked.

"I can do tomorrow," Wanda replied. "Where should we meet?"

"Ummmmm," Natasha hummed into the phone, before realizing how distracted she was. "I'm sorry, my head is... elsewhere right now. Why don't you think about it and text me later?"

"Of course," Wanda said. "I'll let you go. I can tell you have lots to tell me. I will just have to wait until tomorrow."

"Can't wait," Natasha responded. "Talk to you later."

Natasha looked around the room, surveying the small amount of her personal things that still needed to be packed. She was going to miss it here... and all the Bartons. It was comforting to think they wouldn't be that far away because they were like family to her.

She had been a little unnerved about telling Clint and Laura about moving out, even though she knew that was what she needed to do. She wasn't sure what reaction to expect for multiple reasons, least of them being that she and Steve had only been dating a little over three weeks. They'd even smiled at each other when she told them "Staying at Steve's is just temporary until I can figure out what my next plan is." Clint had chuckled and said "Temporary, my ass." Steve had not laughed at her when she assured him her stay would be temporary. She fully intended for her stay to be temporary and she was planning on being helpful to him while she was staying there. After all, in her mind, everything was temporary. Everything.

That's the life of a spy. Or at least, it was. She wasn't sure anymore.

Later that morning, as she drove to Steve's, like she'd been doing for weeks (or sometimes he'd come pick her up), it all felt surreal. She wondered if this was the right thing to do. And would it give him the wrong impression?

What was the impression she wanted to give, anyway?

But there was excitement and, if she'd admit it, a little part of her felt there was something right about it. She was very happy to be dating Steve, it felt like things had fallen into place. But in her mind, dating him and moving into his house were two separate things.

Rounding the part of the road that lead to Steve's house, Natasha's heart sank a little as she noticed his truck wasn't parked in the driveway. However, it didn't get her down for long because she remembered Steve telling her he'd finished the addition enough to start siding it. She eyed it from far away, enjoying the way the new dark blue was starting to make the house look sharp. It definitely is going to look better than the old siding on there now.

After parking her car and unlocking the house with her brand new key, she walked inside quietly. The house felt very empty and quiet without Steve but she would have to get used to that eventually. She noticed a flapping paper hanging from the newell post by a piece of blue painter's tape. She took it down when she saw her name on the front in Steve's handwriting. Her mind immediately began reading it in Steve's voice:

Hi Nat,

Sam and I are meeting halfway for lunch - I thought you might want some space to settle in. I won't be back too late. Don't unload everything without me. Make yourself at home... I put a couple things upstairs for you.

—S

Natasha smiled at the paper in her hand and immediately started up the stairs to see what he'd left for her. She gave a laugh as she saw another paper taped to the master bedroom doorframe. It said "Your Room" and she knew exactly why he'd done that. He didn't want her taking a different room while he wasn't there. She had already told him she was putting her foot down and not taking the master bedroom, she wanted to take the smallest bedroom. It was his house, after all. She looked at the doorframe to the small bedroom and another paper was taped there that said "Not Your Room" and underneath, he had written "I'm totally serious... walk away." She had to laugh at his notes. If I don't take that room, he's going to be upset. I better take it.

She expected to see the master bedroom empty as it was before, but much to her surprise, Steve had bought a king-sized bed for the room and hung blinds in the windows. The bed was made up with new white sheets and there were a few packages of hangers sitting on top. So sweet, he even bought me hangers, she thought. Natasha took her phone out and dialed his number without even thinking about it.

"Hi baby," he said when he picked up the phone.

"You are the sweetest," she said. He could hear happiness in her voice and it made him feel good. "Steve, I told you I would buy a bed once I moved in, you really didn't have to do that."

"I know I didn't. But what was I going to let you do? - Sleep on the floor? I would have felt horrible about that. I feel bad, I don't even have a dresser for you to put things in. It's all good, don't worry about it. We can go out later and get you a comforter and curtains if you want. I wasn't sure what you would like so I didn't buy anything."

"Well, thank you. I really appreciate what you did. You're already fighting me on paying rent... you're going to have to cave and let me pay you somehow."

"Honey, I'm just glad this is going to work for you. And the nice part is, I'll get to see you more." He tried to make it sound like the temporary situation which he'd suggested to her, even though he was hoping it might be permanent. He didn't want to put pressure on her yet, he had a bad feeling about what the outcome would be if he pushed.

"I want to help with the house. Can I?" she asked, sounding like a little kid wanting to help.

"I'd love that," he said. "Listen, I'm about to leave here to head back. I think I will be back right around dinner time. I can pick something up, what are you hungry for? Or do you want to go out?"

"Let's go out," she said after thinking for a second. "I will probably have a little list of things to pick up by the time you get back."

"Okay, that sounds like a plan. I'll see you in a couple of hours?" he asked.

"You bet. I'm going to get busy here. I will see you later."

Natasha headed back outside to start unloading her car. Honestly, there wasn't much. Someone who moves around the world so much cannot have many personal belongings. She'd lost almost all her things when she couldn't return to the Avengers Compound to get them after finding out she was a wanted woman. Most of what was left was clothing and a few other random boxes.

By the time Natasha saw Steve coming up the driveway, she was hanging the last of her clothes in the closet. He bounded upstairs to see her. "There's my best girl," he smiled.

"Hi," she said as she buried her face into his hug. "You must have thought I have a lot more stuff than I actually do. There are a lot of hangers left over."

"Oh that's okay, I'm sure we'll find a need for them later." He bent his head down towards her, still holding her. "Mmm, your hair smells good." Steve tried to savor moments like these... the ones that seemed like nothing. But compared to going into a battle with aliens, it was everything to him.

Everything.

And he hadn't had anyone to hold in so long. No real human contact.

"I liked your signs" she said.

"Thanks. I'm sorry I wasn't here. Sam called and I haven't seen him in a while... and I just didn't want to crowd you today," he sighed lightly.

"Steve," she pressed her hands on his chest, "it's okay, you don't have to worry about scaring me away."

"Okay, I'm glad to hear that. You already unloaded everything, didn't you?"

"Yep. There wasn't much. I travel light." She looked at the time and asked "Do you want to go out?"

"Absolutely, let's go," he rubbed her back as they started to walk. He glanced over at the bed and smiled as he saw the teddy bear that he'd brought her at the hospital. "Got a list?"

***

Steve and Natasha tried a new place for dinner, a family owned Italian bar/restaurant. He'd been looking for places where he could keep a low profile ever since he bought the house. This was getting added to the list for sure. After a nice dinner, they went looking for a comforter for Natasha. On the car ride back, Natasha started wondering...

She was wondering what was going to happen when they got back to the farm.

For the past month, when they got together, lots of times they were out somewhere and not at the house. The few times they were at the house together, they were working on a project.

So there hadn't been much free time... alone... in the house.

She wasn't sure how to approach this or if she should bring it up. Should she just go for it and make a move or should she wait to see what he will do?

I'm out of my element here, she thought.

"Honey, did you hear me?" Steve asked.

She looked over at him in a blank stare.

"You okay?" he asked as he put his hand on her knee.

"Oh yeah," she said, "just going over my list in my head." Yeah, the list of things I've been waiting to do to you for, like, the last five years.

"That's what I was asking - do you have everything you need? At least for tonight?" He gave her a warm smile. He was wondering if she was having some kind of flashback when he interrupted her.

"For tonight, sure. I think so."

They rode back to the house quietly. Steve was giving her quiet time because he felt like she might need it. Maybe she's overwhelmed by moving or maybe it's the new relationship... or a flashback or something. She'll talk to me when she's ready.

Back at the house, Natasha started up the washing machine to wash her new comforter while Steve put some groceries away. "You want to watch a movie or something?" he called out to her from the kitchen.

"I recorded something you might like!" she hollered back from the basement.

Natasha returned to the living room and pulled up the dvr to get the movie ready. Steve joined her in the living room and held out a bowl of sliced apples. "Snack?" He sat down right next to her.

"I remembered you said you've seen this movie - but you probably haven't seen it for a while..." she said as she grabbed an apple slice. "Here, don't look," she said and leaned into him to shield his eyes from the tv screen. It was a good opportunity to get close to him.

"I won't look," he said and his breath grazed Natasha's wrist as the words came out. It made her want to ditch the movie and climb onto his lap for a make out session. After the dvr titles went away, she moved her hand from his eyes and slid down onto the couch to lean on him. Steve wrapped his arm around her side and offered the bowl of apples with his other hand. They could communicate effectively without speaking from years of being partners. It was a comfort to them both.

When the music began to play, Steve asked "Is this the Wizard of Oz?" Oh my gosh, you're right, it's been a long time." Natasha was pleased with her choice. "You know, I actually went to the movies to see this one - it was a really big deal, you know, for that time."

"You're so cute," she said. "You like movies with a sassy redhead?"

"Awww, I miss my sassy redhead," he said, grinning down a her.

"Maybe someday I will be again," she said, continuing to watch the tv. Her focus was on the tv because as she leaned against Steve and felt his warmth and he rubbed her arm with his thumb, she was plagued by the question of making a move or not.

"The new couch is comfortable," she said.

"Yeah, I like it. I guess I did have it in me to pick out one thing."

Natasha leaned her head back to smile at him and he smiled down at her and started to play with her hair.

"Hi, beautiful," he said to her, his voice a little deeper. Her smile widened, "Hi there."

Steve leaned down to Natasha's mouth and kissed her softly, moving his hand underneath her head and feeling her silky hair fall between his fingers. Natasha let her head relax onto his hand and let herself feel his smooth lips dancing with hers.

When Steve broke the kiss, he said "I'm so lucky to have you here" and he gave her a little squeeze. Natasha leaned back onto his chest again and he wrapped his arms around her as they went back to watching the movie.

Of course, Natasha wasn't concentrating on the movie anymore at all. She was trying not to roll over and climb Steve like a koala climbs a tree.

Steve was holding her in his arms thinking he'd gotten everything he always wanted.

He may have been thinking about something else as well but he wasn't going to let on. It being Natasha's first night at the house, he didn't want her to think that's what he expected from her or that it's all he wanted from her. Besides, he was hoping they'd have all the time in the world for that.

***

Steve walked softly up the basement stairs, carrying Natasha's new comforter which smelled like fabric softener and was still warm. At the top of the stairs, he looked in at Natasha, who was still asleep on the couch. He debated whether to wake her up or not. Maybe the moving was rough for her, she looks exhausted. He ran quietly upstairs to put her comforter on her bed and then returned to the living room for her.

"Sweetheart," he whispered as he brushed her cheek with the back side of his knuckles. When Natasha opened her eyes, she saw Steve crouched down on the floor next to the couch "Hey," he said. She smiled and sat up. He held out his hands and said "Come on, let's get you to bed."

As they got to the top of the stairs, she said "Oh, I didn't get to put my comforter in the dryer," and she started to turn around to go back down the stairs.

"I got it already, Nat," Steve smiled and held up his hand. They were almost eye to eye with the height difference of the stairs. He leaned over and gave her a little kiss. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

***

As Natasha brushed her teeth, she thought about the day and couldn't help but think it was a little awkward. He didn't seem awkward, it's just me. Maybe tomorrow will be different.

After she'd changed out of her clothes and gotten into bed, she laid there and wondered why Steve wasn't in bed with her. But he's a gentleman, maybe he just wants to honor his word that he was offering me a place to stay. She decided not to overthink it and she turned on her side to fall asleep.

***

Natasha opened her eyes and looked for her phone on the floor next to the bed. What time is it? Seems early...

It wasn't quite 8:00 yet.

She thought about going back to sleep. But then, she was sure Steve was already up and moving. No one really wants to look lazy in front of Steve Rogers, king of getting more done in a day than an army could. She got out of bed and walked out into the hallway, where she could see that his door was open and his bed was made. Yeah, he's definitely up already. She walked into his bedroom and looked at the dresser. Everything was very neat and she noticed he had a framed photo of her with Sam and himself. She had taken that when they were all in Washington D.C. It made her smile.

Natasha grabbed her bathrobe and headed for the shower. She noticed that there were no sounds inside the house so she assumed he was on his morning run.

After a hot shower, she felt like a million dollars. While she was getting dressed, she peeked out the blinds in her bedroom. Steve was kneeling on the front lawn taking siding of a long box. Her chest swelled with excitement as she drew in a sharp breath. There was something about him wearing a baseball hat and jeans that she had always liked. Keep your hormones in check, lady. You've got plans, she thought, as she finished getting ready.

As she stepped out onto the front porch, the air felt more chilled today. Walking towards Steve and stepping into the sun, it felt warmer. "Good morning," she said cheerily. She handed him a water bottle filled with ice water.

"Thanks, babe. Good morning." He squinted at her as the sun hit his face.

She walked around the box of siding to stand at his side and put an arm around his waist. In turn, he put his arm around her shoulders. "How did you sleep?" he asked.

"I slept like the dead," she said. "I don't think I ever woke up during the night."

"It's nice and quiet here," he added.

"I can't believe you're almost done siding the addition," she said.

"The house will be more difficult," he admitted.

"I can help," she offered. "Not today, but I can help." She flashed him a big smile.

"What are you up to today?" He smiled back at her.

"I'm going to meet Wanda for some lunch and shopping."

"You look kind of excited," he said.

"I am, I miss that kid," she said. "Steve?"

He looked at her.

"Should I tell Wanda about... us?"

A grin crept over his face. "Well, she kind of already knows. Kind of." Natasha waited for him to explain. "She knew I have feelings for you..."

"You have feelings for me?" she winked at him.

Steve leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up until she was right in his face. She wrapped her legs around his waist. "Oh you didn't know?" he teased. "I kind of like you," he smiled and kissed her. Natasha slid her hands up around his neck. When he broke their kiss, she dropped her legs back down and slid to the ground.

"Wanda was really supportive of me telling you how I feel," he said. "I didn't yet tell her that you moved here... you know, just tell her whatever you're comfortable with."

"That I moved in with my boyfriend?" she smiled.

"Am I?" he asked, softly.

"I'm not seeing anyone else," she had to laugh when she said that one. She got more serious, "I don't want to see anyone else."

"Okay then, if you say so," he said as he leaned in for another kiss. He was pretty happy that she'd said that. Steve found himself kissing her more urgently and raising his hand up to the side of her face to hold on tighter. When her hands found his waist, chills ran up through him.

Natasha pulled back and looked up at him. "I have to get on the road, Mister." She raised an eyebrow at him, "I will see you later."

As he watched Natasha walk away, he was pretty sure he knew what she meant by that. He had a feeling he'd be taking a cold shower shortly...

"Be careful," he called out after her.

She turned around to flash him a smirk before driving away.

What was I doing before that? he wondered after her car had disappeared. He looked down at the siding and continued to sort. Today might be a long day. At least he had a smile on his face while he was working.