The two figures paused in the shadows outside the medium sized town home. The female used her key, glanced back at her companion, and opened the door. They entered the home and the pair ghosted down the hall. Silent.
They both could hear soft murmuring coming from the living room around the hall. At least three persons had made themselves comfortable in the medium-sized room. She paused as she saw two of the shadows came together and then sink into the shadow of the couch. Natasha smirked and quickened her steps down the hall. She grinned in triumphed and she rounded the corner. She’d known that is was only a matter of time before those two—
Natasha stopped. No, not those two. “Huh”.
Clint side stepped his frozen partner and ambled over to the small kitchen table and took a seat next to Sam. He nodded in greeting and smirked at his still blinking partner. He followed her gaze and looked at the two men cuddled on the couch. Yeah, she hadn’t been expecting The Winter Soldier and Captain American. He heard Sam snicker.
Natasha looked at Sam as he flipped to the next page of his book.
“You said you were dating.” Her voice had little infliction and her eyes traced the distance between Sam and the now interested Bucky and Steve.
Sam glanced up and raised an eyebrow. He smiled a goofy smile that showed his bunny teeth, “I am. Just not Steve. Or Bucky. Or, whoever you thought I was stepping out with. “
Natasha narrowed her eyes and took a small step in Sam’s direction. Clint sat up a bit and started planning escape routs from his current position. No good can come from that look. Natasha pursed her lips slightly and studied her team-mates face. “You said I knew him.”
Sam sat up in his chair and nodded. “You do, and that reminds me of somethin’.” He stood and walked to the storage closet and pulled out a black leather jacket and a high powered scope that could be mounted to a bow. He set the scope near Clint’s elbow and handed Natasha the jacket.
“He said sorry about Budapest.”
Clink choked on the drink he’d been swallowing. He coughed out, “What! You’re dating him!?”
Sam tilted his head back and laughed at the reaction. He looked down and smiled fondly at the floor. “Yeah, off and on for a few years now. He just…showed up one evening to speak with one of my girls. He stood out you know.” Sam waved a hand vaguely towards the left side of his face, near his eye. He shrugged. “We started talking and—what? What’s wrong ‘tasha?”
He had never seen that look on her face before. She started at him and studied his face like he was a strange experiment that was potentially going wrong. Sam and Natasha held eye contact for several moments.
Clink and Steve shared a look from their respective seats and watched as their team mates stared at each other. Bucky looked at all four Heroes and wondered what was going on. Even he could tell something was off. She better not hurt Sam though. Sam was his friend.
Natashe tisked finally and took the offered jacket. “I was going to have to update your file anyway.” She frowned slightly and looked at the tall standing at her 3 o’clock. She looked him up and down again and said, “I didn’t think you had it in you. You just so…”
“Selfless” offered Bucky, which earned him a squeeze from Steve.
“Charming, handsome, well-read” offered Sam.
“Sexy” said Clint with an overly lecherous look at Sam’s generous backside which was now facing him. Sam looked at Clint over his shoulder and rolled his eyes.
“You’re not dangerous.” Natasha finally stated.
Sam turned back to Natasha. “Wait, you thought I wasn’t dangerous? I helped you take down SHIELD, Hydra, and hunt down the Winter Soldier.” Sam looked amused and irritated. Mostly amused though.
Natasha grimaced, “Yeah, I knew that. But the people that are generally attracted to him are on another level. They’re dangerous. Dangerous to us. I guess… I never saw you as that.”
Sam sighed and asked silently for permission to approach. It was granted and he gave his friend a reassuring hug. “Hey, we’re a team. You don’t have to worry about that.” They locked eyes again, “Do you believe me?”
Natasha smiled as she returned the hug. “Yeah, I do”
Clint nodded from his seat and sat back in his chair. He picked up the cup he’d been using and finished downing his drink. Steve and Buckey relaxed back on the couch together and watched Natasha make herself right at home on Clint’s lap. Sam grabbed another sweet tea from the cooler and retook his seat.
Steve looked at his team sitting around the table. “So Sam, just who are you dating? Those two seem to know him but you’ve never said his name.”
Sam looked around Natasha’s shoulder and smiled at Steve. “No, I guess I haven’t.”
He smile turned fond, “His name is Xander.”