— babysat. Nat slowly let that revelation settle in before she finally lifted her eyes back to his face.

“Okay— does Fury know about this? Just out of curiosity.”

“My assistant?” The widow echoed in response while her emerald gaze fell to the document he presented, a slight twitch curling on the edge of her lip in annoyance.

She had heard rumors that Shield was going to be collaborating with other agencies, but she had not expected the need to be —

“I didn’t realize you were so hungry”

Smirks slightly.

“Picky. But if you insist…”

Her lips pursed slightly while she spent a moment allowing her gaze to roam over him, curious as to why he even had a file on her in the first place.

“It’s true…. I’m assuming you know that I’ve been trained extensively to deal with any 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 that I come across.”

“How about a corn dog instead?”

“I suppose that…is all a matter of perspective.”

“Black is my color.”

What’s he waiting for? She’s just double checking a few facts on the computer.

Her fingers ran in soothing circles over his back before drifting up to stroke through his soft locks.

She knew that he did.

“Don’t worry about paying me back. You can get dinner the next time.” Nat shook her head with a gentle squeeze to his hand, their digits still entwined. “What are you in the mood for?”

She smirked while her gaze drifted up to the night sky. These late night missions weren’t for the faint hearted.

— time job.

“That sounds just perfect to me. And I promise I’ll be on my best behavior” She would try in any case, promise might not have been the best word. “Let’s get out of here.”

𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞? That thought made a smirk tug at the edges of her lips, though she knew that he had every reason to make such a request. Nat offered a nod in understanding while her gaze softened as his watch went off once again. Trying to keep the Hulk from breaking through must feel like a full —

“How about buying me a drink?”

She was fairly certain those weren’t the only thoughts in his mind, though she decided to let out slide for the time being.

“Anything I can help with?”

He really was so noble and sweet at times, though his ruthlessness was what often saved the day on these missions.

“It’s the least that I can do. Plus it gives us an excuse to order take out.” Nat chuckled softly while her hand went to his arm, tugging him off.