Locked, Loaded, Loved ✔️ COMPLETE | UNDER EDITS

Chapter 2--Steve | EDITED

"What flavor do you want?" she asked.

I stared at her confused. "Um, the coffee flavor?"

Nat stifled a laugh with a cough. She opened the drawer just below the coffee machine thing and pointed. "These are flavored coffees. You can pick whatever you want."

I shifted from foot to foot. "Is there one for normal coffee? Sorry, I'm just not used to all this new technology."

"No worries." Natasha picked one of the little cups called "French Roast" and put it in the machine. A minute later she took the mug of freshly brewed coffee and handed it to me.

"Fascinating," I said.

She laughed and put a new mug under the device for herself. As she started to walk toward me, she slipped on a spot on the floor.

With my quick reflexes, I reached out and put my arm around her waist to catch her. We locked eyes for a moment, and I hoped she couldn't hear my heart. Her petite frame fit so perfectly against my arm that I almost dropped her from the shock.

"Nice catch," she said, not taking her eyes off me.

"And I didn't even spill my coffee," I added without missing a beat.

Natasha laughed. She didn't leave my embrace, despite having regained her balance. Her fingers rested delicately against my arm, tickling the invisible hairs. "Steve, I—"

Before she could say anything more, the kitchen door burst open.

"C'mon Cap, how long does it take—oh Nat. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Tony said. The grin on his face said otherwise as he looked between us, the unspoken question hanging in the air.

"Sorry, Tony. I came down the back way," Natasha replied, pushing off my chest. With a quick glance at me, she made her way out of the kitchen to join the rest of the team.

I turned to Tony who was staring at me. "What, Stark?"

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Nothing. Just...you and Nat—what was that all about?"

I sipped my coffee. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Tony cleared his throat. "Uh huh. Sure. Anyway, the team meeting is about to start."

"Thanks. Now that I've done battle with the new coffee machine thing, I will happily join everyone."

Tony grimaced. "I forgot to tell you I got a new machine. I'm sorry, Steve."

I laughed. "No harm done." Truth be told, as much as the serum had enhanced my muscles and stamina, my body still required caffeine and I kind of enjoyed that. It made me feel less of a science experiment.

Tony held open the kitchen door. "Oh, before we go back out there, I need to tell you something about Natasha."

"Tony," I warned. What was it with everyone today? "Nothing is going on between me and Nat."

"I didn't say there was," Tony said, putting up his hands defensively. "But you should know that the seductive reasoning she does, it's meant to mess with your head."

"Seductive reasoning?" I asked with raised eyebrows. "Don't you mean deductive reasoning?"

Tony leaned against the counter. "Why would I mean deductive reasoning? No, look—before the Avengers, I knew Natasha a little differently. I was dying at the time, Pepper and I weren't involved and—"

"Wait a minute, you and Natasha?" I pinched the bridge of my nose with my fingers, trying to clear the mental image from my brain. "Wow, that is hard to imagine."