Her Bodyguard

4. Never Take Your Eyes Off Of Your Opponent

When Steve gingerly approached Natasha the next day and asked her to spar with him, he didn't expect her to go along with him so enthusiastically. Less than a minute after he suggested it to her, however, she raced downstairs and hastily grabbed a couple of supplies. Within five minutes, she was done changing. Steve bit the corner of his lip to keep from smiling because as much as he disliked Natasha right now, he had to admit - happiness looked good on her.

"What?" The actress was trying to shoot him an annoyed expression, Steve could tell, but her normally olive green eyes were brightened to a shiny emerald today.

"Nothing," Steve said, and looked back down. Except for the fact that you're actually happy with me today.

"Well, you better get changed quickly or else I'll kick your ass even harder than I was planning to," she said, crossing her arms and squinting at him.

Steve nodded carefully, trying to conceal any doubts clouding his mind. "Yes, ma'am."

"I saw your eyes, Rogers. You're unsure of my capabilities. I'm going to make sure to put you in your place today," Natasha called out as Steve jogged over to his room.

"Yes, ma'am!" Steve repeated, and came running back quickly as he finished preparing. Natasha slung her duffel bag over her shoulder.

"Let's go."

Steve tightened his grip on his own bag and moved to take a step forward when the actress said one last thing: "And stop calling me ma'am."

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Steve studied Natasha from across the ring as she tied her auburn hair into a half-up, half-down hairstyle. What's the point of tying your hair if you're not going to tie all of it?  Women were confusing. Steve shook his head to snap his brain back into focus. He couldn't afford to get distracted. Not when he was sparring. Especially not when he was a bodyguard sparring with his own celebrity. From what he heard from Sam, the actress would not be an easy opponent.

Natasha approached him with confidence in her every step.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," she said, smirking. Steve then watched as her eyes widened with pleasant surprise as she looked at something - or rather, someone - behind him.

"Stark! Hey! Did you come here to watch? Why didn't you bring some popcorn? This is going to be a fun round, I can feel it," Natasha called out and gave her body a quick stretch. Steve decided to take advantage of the distraction.

"Rule number one - never take your eyes off of your opponent," he warned as he aimed a light punch towards his opponent's solar plexus, just below her chest. Perhaps a nanosecond later, she caught his fist with an iron grip and flipped his body over hers. Steve was sure he would never forget that moment - suspended in the air - thrown up by a body twice as small as his. Before he could even blink, he was lying on the ground and Natasha was - quite literally - on top of him.

"That's called a judo flip," she said haughtily, and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "And here's a secret about me you should know - I always have an eye on my opponent."

She climbed off of him and reached out her hand. He took it reluctantly, then found that her skin was surprisingly soft, compared to how strongly built her body was. Just like... No. Stop. You just got over her.

Steve frowned, shaking the thought away. He looked over to his right where a short man with a notable goatee was leaning against the wall and laughing hysterically. He had substituted a granola bar for popcorn, Steve noticed.

"For the record, I was going easy on you," Steve turned, as he prepared to fight once more. He wouldn't embarrass himself in front of that stranger anymore.