The Heart Thaws In Its Own Time (Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff)

Chapter 19 - Friends And Secrets

It's so nice having him home, Natasha thought, as she watched him do dishes at the sink. She was standing next to him making a salad. "Dinner's done in about five minutes," she said.

"Okay," he said, continuing to wash.

"You think maybe we should get a dishwasher when we work on this room?" she asked.

"We could," he smiled. "I'm really glad you're staying. It makes working on this house so much more... rewarding."

She snuggled against his arm. "It feels like home."

Steve finished with the last pot and grabbed for the towel to dry his hands. He put an arm around her. "It does feel more like home now that you're here."

"What would you think about having some people over for Thanksgiving?" she asked.

He thought about it for a second. "Yeah... I really like that idea."

"It gives us a reason to get the old dining room painted and we can just put a couple of card tables in there or something," she said.

Natasha invited everyone the same day and they set about making plans for what they wanted to get done before then. The downstairs was finished besides the kitchen and the old dining room. They could at least get the dining room looking good.

***

-Monday, Thanksgiving Week-

The Monday before Thanksgiving, Natasha went out to shop for their supplies while Steve finished up some trim work in the dining room. She was walking through the grocery store with her giant list when she got a call from Nick Fury.

"Romanoff," he said.

"Nick..." she replied.

"I haven't heard from you," he said. She couldn't tell if he was angry about it or not because he sort of spoke like that all the time.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to give you a call," she said. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about it."

He was silent on the other end of the line.

"I'm seriously considering retirement."

"Retirement?" he sounded shocked. "Romanoff, you have to be kidding me. You're the best there is."

"Yeah and I'm also a wanted woman right now." She ducked aside into an empty aisle and spoke quietly. "What can I say? I guess the last mission just gave me a good scare. It's got me wondering if it's worth it."

"Okay..." he said.

"To be honest, I'm not completely done thinking about it yet," she said. "I can't say for sure."

"Alright," Nick said, sounding understanding and frustrated at the same time, "I can't pressure you. If you're done, you're done. But I need some intel asap so I'm going to have to send someone else." He paused. "Natasha, please reconsider. I would hate to lose you."

"Okay," she said. "I'll be in touch when I have made a decision."

***

The rest of her grocery haul was a blur and she found herself getting so lost in her thoughts, she couldn't focus. What in the hell am I going to do?

Pulling in the driveway at home, she saw Steve walk out of the garage towards her. "Hi babe," he said. He popped the trunk and started grabbing bags. "You okay?" he asked. She knew she wasn't hiding her conundrum well.

"Just a headache," she downplayed it. "You working on another painting?"

"Yeah, it's actually finished. I'm working on building a frame. I thought it would be nice to have something on the dining room wall when we have guests." He laughed playfully but Natasha wasn't joining in. "Sweetie, why don't you go lay down for a while? I can get the rest of the bags."