To Find Love: Romanogers One-Shots

When HYDRA Joins for Date Night

"I'm sure you could hold your own against him," Steve replied with a smile. She shrugged.

"Who knows?" she asked. "Maybe I'd let him; just see what happens."

"You could do that too," he said. She frowned at him and he laughed, reaching across the table for her hand. "Don't worry. Let me have fun surprising you."

"Fine," she said, running her thumb over his knuckles as she looked around the bistro. "You did find this place on your own. I guess I can trust you," she told him with a teasing smile. He rolled his eyes and reached for his own water, smiling as she told him about the latest Barton family news.

* * *

Everything had gone fine at dinner. Steve didn't spill his water everywhere or choke on his meal despite how nervous he was. Natasha either hadn't noticed or ignored his nerves. He'd honestly be more comfortable if she just hadn't noticed. If she had, it was likely she already knew what he was planning and that would take the fun out of it all. Well, the fun of surprising her. Right now it was stressing him out just thinking about it.

"Are you alright?" Natasha asked, stopping mid-sentence to ask. She rubbed his arm and Steve glanced at her to see her looking up at him worriedly. "You seem stressed."

So she had noticed.

"I guess I'm just anticipating an attack," he said. It was only a half-lie. Their previous outings had been covers and often ended up in fights. It was reasonable for Steve to worry about an attack. Especially with all the recent HYDRA activity Tony had been picking up. "It's not often we go out without being shot at."

"Don't jinx it," she muttered. She bumped his hip with her own. "We'll be fine." She paused, almost stopping in her tracks before remembering to keep walking. "At least, we will be if that's not someone tailing us."

"What?" Steve asked, resisting the urge to turn and look behind them.

Natasha pressed against him, forcing them to take a corner and Steve spotted a tall man in black behind them.

"He matches your three o'clock," he muttered. Natasha's eyes flicked to her right only to see another man on the opposite side of the street walking beside them. She cursed.

"One night," she mumbled, her grip on Steve's arm tightening slightly. "We just wanted one night of peace, but no."

"You know what they say," Steve said, taking another turn. The men continued to follow them and he held back a scowl. "Evil never sleeps."

"Which means we can't either," Natasha said.

They ducked down an alley and Natasha opened her purse. Before she could pull her gun out, men came dropping down from the top of the building on either side of them. One landed directly on top of Natasha, forcing her to the ground. She scowled and pushed him off of her, punching his face and knocking him out. She hadn't even stood up before another man was dropping on top of her.

She grunted in pain as her arm bent in a weird angle, distracting her long enough for the man to pull something from his pocket. Silver flashed and she rolled out from under him. Three more men jumped on top of her and metal clasped around her wrists. Strong magnets pulled her arms back, trapping her against the dumpster she'd been hiding behind earlier.

Steve managed to avoid being landed on, but one of the men was able to get a cuff around his wrist, trapping his left arm to the dumpster behind him. He frowned, immediately recognising the cuff as one HYDRA had tried using on him in Washington many years before. He kicked a man in the chest, looking around the alley for Natasha. She was stuck with both wrists stretched out at her sides, held down by the magnetic cuffs. That wasn't stopping her from fighting though.