driftfleet | action | party mingle

"You think I wouldn't dance with you if you were short?" Challenging. She knows he wouldn't put it that way. That doesn't mean she won't push back against the idea. Peggy didn't have any problem with the little guy. "I won't say there aren't plenty of people who write people off because they don't look like what they expect. My job would be a lot harder if that weren't the case.

"But I think you've had at least a few people who looked past that. Don't really need more than that, do you?"

"I was pretty short..." But then again, Nat saw that. She even boosted him up in his Calibration room. It's probably safe to say she would have given him a dance or two. If only they hadn't been born seventy years apart.

"I had three, so. Yeah. I think that's plenty. And if we count the people who visited my room and seemed to be alright with it then. Yeah. Maybe even a few more.

But I can count on one hand the people who could escape my left feet."

"Somehow, I think there's a fair amount of overlap on that list." Unless he expected to step on Peggy's toes too. She supposes she can't rule that out entirely. "You could see if Barnes keeps his feet safe."

Steve stumbles a little, surprised by Nat's suggestion. He laughs, regaining his footing and continuing along with the song. "I don't think I'm the sorta blonde he wants to be dancing with. His universe is different but it's not that different."

"Don't read too much into it." Especially not since it was mostly meant as a joke—a distraction to keep his mind off his feet. Seems like it maybe worked a little too well. "I'm just saying, hypothetically. Figure his feet would come out in one piece."

Steve laughs loudly, barely able to imagine it. "He'd make a whole Heck of a fuss each time though. I dunno if I want to give him that type of ammunition against me." Sure he'd come out of the dance perfectly fine but Steve would never hear the end of what a harrowing time it was for him and his well-being.

"He tried to teach me, once," he confesses. "I learned my lesson then."

"Think you learned the wrong lesson out of that, Rogers." Natasha smoothly avoids having her toes stepped on again, but takes it in stride. He's still doing better not thinking about it. "Wonder if I should talk to your teacher about that."

That is more amusing than it probably should be. "Captain Barnes would probably argue that he did the best he could with what he had." He is getting used to clarifying Captain Barnes or Bucky even if, privately, the distinction isn't made so clearly. "Just don't ask for stories."

"You know I can't promise that." And since he's mentioned it, she definitely will ask it. He can rest assured of that. "Captain Barnes would almost certainly have different things to say than you."

Steve groans but the banter is definitely getting him to dance better than he had before. He even steps outside of Nat's feet instead of on them as he moves. It's the same sort of thoughtless way he can fight; it's all instincts and knowing where another's body is. It's only when someone calls it 'dancing' and brings his mind to it that years of self-conscious anxiety makes him stumble.

"I'm sure he would. Our pasts up until the train seem to be identical so I know a few choice tales he might want to embarrass me with..."

"Must be you have a few stories of your own. Mutually assured destruction?" Because surely that's what it means. Perfectly fair in friendship. At least in the kind of friendship these two have. "If you ever wanted someone to tell them too?"

An impish look breaks over Steve's face as he thinks over all the material he truly does have. "If he says anything about my dancing, I'll tell him I'll let you know about his eighteenth birthday." Growing up during Prohibition made the eighteenth all the sweeter for them. Bucky might have been indulged a bit by their friends, Steve included.

"I'll remember that one." She also doesn't promise not to ask Captain Barnes herself. A tease like this is too good not to follow up on eventually.

Steve knows her well enough to know she's gonna ask Bucky as soon as she can about all this amazing gossip. He rolls his eyes and just allows it. Like he could stop her, anyways. "Hey," he finally seems to notice, "I'm not doing too shabby..."

"It's like you're not really all that bad at it, once you get out of your own head." Teasing him, taking the opportunity to pull away and do a little flourish. She spins herself, really, but Steve could make it look good.

He ends up making it look alright. Men don't have to do much except lead the girl in and out and he does so, just a little unsure and stiff. But Nat is a natural and somehow manages to do both part's work by herself.

He reels her back in and lifts his eyebrows.

"Impressive."

"Just proving the point." And she thinks rather well, all things considered. "And winning our bet."

"I guess I owe you dinner, huh?" He moves to spin her and she'll probably have to duck to avoid his arm but it's an attempt. "Better pick a good planet. I'm not sure there's anything better while drifting."

"You better believe you you do." Natasha adapts to the spin. Luckily, she didn't wear heels. "And I'll keep that in my pocket until it's worth cashing in. I'm not going to settle for a waffle house."

Steve looks way too excited about that. "There are waffle houses around here?" Steve loves cheap diner food. It's just how he was raised. Give him an oily French onion soup and a burnt panini and he'll think it's the epitome of food.

"Not necessarily around here." Considering they're currently on a space ship, and who knows what systems they might be in next. Natasha's eyeroll isn't for Steve's question, though—it's his excitement, and the fact she had a similar conversation with James early in their relationship when she'd questioned his drive to find diner pancakes. "But you never know. We've run into them before."

His face is lit up like a sun. A planet that had diners, maybe! Real, honest diner food. Sure he and Buck might be the only ones doing nothing but eating on that planet but even having a possibility was amazing. Who knew, maybe there was a whole 1920's planet? The options available seem to be endless. And for the first time, that idea is thrilling instead of worrisome.

"That would be amazing. Real food! You should definitely cash in your meal there, if it happens. Don't know what you'd be missing."

"Most systems have real food, even if you can't order pancakes or a cheese burger. Next you're going to to be talking about soda fountains again." Not for the first time, Steve. Don't think she's forgotten.

"I'll let you know when I want to cash in my meal."

The song comes to an end and Steve isn't about to try his luck with another. He steps back and raises Nat's hand to his lips to kiss the top like a gentleman.

"I'll be ready whenever you wanna go. But if there is a soda fountain somewhere..." She asked for this one, "you better believe I'm dragging you there cash in or not."

If they find a soda fountain, Natasha imagines that Steve won't be the only one in a hurry to go. Captain Barnes wouldn't be far behind. Not if he's anything her her Barnes was.

"If you want me to go with you, I will." Letting him kiss her hand. It's cute.

Wrap?

brooklyn_boy - 2019-03-29 09:24 (UTC) - Expand

Works for me!

outstandingbalance - 2019-03-29 14:59 (UTC) - Expand

action | party mingle

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Wrap?

Works for me!