Summary: After a mission involving children, Natasha confides in Steve that she wants a child no matter how hard the Red Room tried to convince her they weren't worth her time.
Natasha walked into her and Steve's apartment and promptly found her way to the couch. She had barely managed to kick the door shut and walk the few steps to the couch before collapsing from exhaustion. The action caused her bruised ribs to protest and she groaned. Grabbing a pillow, she buried her face in it and let her body melt into the couch.
"Natasha? Is that you?" Steve's voice echoed from the kitchen. Natasha just moaned in response and heard his footsteps approach.
He stopped at the edge of the couch and looked down at her on his couch. She was still in her catsuit that was covered in dust, but he didn't have the heart to tell her off for getting his couch dirty. He could tell just by the way she had entered and collapsed that her mission had been more exhausting than originally planned.
"Hey, you all good?" he asked. She rolled over, grimacing as her ribs ached with the movement.
"I hate Hungary," she told him. Steve raised his eyebrows and moved her legs so he could sit on the couch beside her. She sat up and leaned against him.
"What happened?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She slumped against his side and wrapped an arm loosely around his stomach.
"I don't know why it was so hard, because it was easy," Natasha answered. Steve was confused by what she meant, but let her continue. "Everything went smoothly and I got all the kids out, but I just feel like it was hard."
"All the kids were okay?" Steve asked. Natasha nodded. "And no one died?"
"I was the only one even injured," Natasha replied. Steve decided to wait on that subject since she wasn't bleeding anywhere. "It just... Something about all the kids and... I don't know."
Steve hugged her gently as she buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath.
"I want a kid," she mumbled.
Steve almost didn't hear her, so it took a couple seconds for him to figure out what she'd said. When he did, he paused, hoping it wasn't noticeable. Apparently it was because Natasha pulled away and sat up.
"I know it's not possible and that you've been wanting kids longer than I have, it's just," Natasha ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Every time I have a mission with kids, I'm reminded of what can never be and how much I'm missing out on because of the Red Room."
"That's not your fault, Nat," Steve said. The subject of kids was always hard for both of them because Natasha couldn't have any and any conversation about it usually led to mentions of the Red Room.
"I know," she muttered. She stood up from the couch suddenly then looked down at Steve. "I'm going to go take a shower."
"Alright," Steve said softly. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Steve took a deep breath then returned to the kitchen to finish dinner before she was done showering.
When Natasha walked into the kitchen, she was wearing leggings and one of Steve's t-shirts. Her hair was still wet and she was struggling to fix the wrap she'd put around her ribs. She stopped at the edge of the kitchen, watching as Steve moved the food from the stove to the table then went to grab bowls.
"What's for dinner?" Natasha asked, walking towards the table. Steve glanced back at her and smiled.
"Soup," Steve answered. Natasha smiled and looked in the steaming pot. Her smile grew at the sight of the creamy potato soup and she sat back down in her chair.
"Best person in the world," she said, dishing herself a large serving of the soup. Steve copied her actions and the dining room was quiet as they ate their soup.
"So, I was thinking," Steve said hesitantly. Natasha looked up from her soup, looking wary.
"About?" she prompted. Steve stirred his soup, trying to figure out how to phrase his thoughts exactly.
"We both really want kids and I know it's not possible," Steve was interrupted by Natasha sighing and looking down at her soup guiltily. "What if we adopted instead?"
"What?" Natasha asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.
"There's tons of kids that need homes out there, so what if we adopted?" he suggested. "If you don't want to, then that's okay, I just thought—"
Steve was interrupted by Natasha almost knocking him off his chair. He grunted as she collided with him, hugging him tightly. He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her down into his lap. She pulled away at the action and grinned at him with watery eyes.
"Are you serious?" she asked. Steve nodded, smiling back at her. Natasha hugged him again, tighter this time, and he hugged her back just as tight. If he'd known she would be as excited about the idea as he was, he would have brought it up sooner.