To Find Love: Romanogers One-Shots

Just for a Day

Summary: When an agent gets killed on the field during a mission Steve's leading, leaving behind an orphaned infant, Steve feels responsible for taking care of the baby until SHIELD can find a safe home for her. Cue Natasha having to step in when Steve realises baby clothes and diapers are much, much different from 1940. It's a really good thing Natasha is such a wonderful girlfriend or he'd be royally screwed.

Steve knew telling Natasha they were going to be taking care of an infant for a few days could go one of two ways: she would absolutely love the idea and forget Steve existed while the baby was with them; or she could yell at him for volunteering to do something neither of them had experience in.  He was kind of hoping she'd love the idea even if it meant he would be ignored for a few days, but unfortunately for him, the world was rarely on his side.  The minute he walked onto their floor with a baby carrier and she saw him, she frowned.

"Steve,"  she said hesitantly, setting aside her laptop and standing up from the couch.  "What's that?"

Steve smiled innocently and held the baby carrier up higher so she could see it better.  Her frown deepened as she walked around the couch and over to him, peering down into the carrier.  He knew the exact moment she realised the baby inside was real and not a doll because her eyes widened and she took two big steps back.  Thankfully, the baby was asleep and didn't wake up even at her sharp gasp, so Steve promised to explain in a moment before hurrying down the hall to their guest bedroom and setting down the carrier.  When he walked back into the living room, Natasha was exactly where he left her, eyes wide as she stared at him from across the room.

"Okay, now I know I didn't ask you first,"  he began, slowly stepping towards her.  She nodded and he continued.  "But there wasn't much time to talk about it anyway.  Fury needed someone to take her tonight because her mom died on my op and she doesn't have a father.  I couldn't just leave her, Nat!  She's just a few months old and Fury didn't want to send her home with just anyone, so I volunteered considering it was my mission that killed her mom.  Plus, it's only for a couple of days until SHIELD can find her a good, safe home."

Natasha was dead silent.  Her face was completely blank and for the first time in what felt like forever, Steve couldn't read her.  He gingerly reached out to pull her into his arms and froze when he realised just how tense she was.  She didn't move when he touched her and for a moment he was worried she was going to run out.

"Nat?  Please say something,"  Steve begged.  He knew he had been overstepping when he offered to bring the baby home.  He shouldn't have done it, but Fury needed someone trustworthy and he promised it would only be for a few days.  It would absolutely suck if Natasha spent those few days at one of her safe houses instead of at the Tower with him, but he could live with that if it meant he could right his wrong.  At least, he hoped he could live with it.

"Only a few days?"  Natasha asked quietly.  Steve nodded hastily.  Natasha was silent for a few more seconds before turning to look up at him.  "Tell me what happened again.  I wasn't really listening,"  she admitted.  Steve just smiled and recounted how during his mission, one of his agents had been killed.  He had sent her and two others down a hall to check for guards only for them to be exposed to poisonous gas and die.  When he'd returned from the mission and told Fury what had happened, Fury had told him the lead agent had a kid in their childcare downstairs.

"It was horrible,"  Steve murmured.  Hearing Fury mutter about having to find the kid a safe place to stay for a few nights had made Steve feel even worse about getting those agents killed than before.  He hadn't even thought it through before he found himself telling Fury he could take care of the baby for a few nights, just until SHIELD found a good home.