Summary: Captain America: In which the new nurse in the S.H.E.I.L.D. headquarters has caught the spangly soldier's attention and is in turn ragged on by his not-friends-anymore-friends.

Disclaimer: In no way do I own the great works that the Marvel Companies crank out on an hourly basis, or the epic story that was InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale. They are owned by The Walt Disney Company/Marvel Worldwide Incorporated (commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Incorporated/Marvel Comics Group) and Rumiko Takahashi respectfully.

Pairings: Steve Rogers/Kagome Higurashi

Rating: T

Settings: S.H.E.I.L.D. headquarters

Request: Anime hotty lover.18 & daisy

HBWD's Corner: Because who wouldn't want to see Kagome in a sexy nurse's outfit?

'Thoughts'

"Japanese"

"English"

Hello, nurse!

A lull in conversation caused bright, sky blue eyes to glance over to the white-clad woman who was laughing at something one of the nameless, faceless agents had said. They slid over the form-fitting uniform, from the way it clung to her shoulders, showing off how dainty she was, to where it cut off just under her elbow, down to the very trim waist, over the swell of that perfect ass, to where the dress flared slightly and cut off around mid-thigh, down the tone legs, tight calves and tiny, shoe-clad feet.

"You're staring."

"No, I'm not." Came the instant reply. A sultry chuckle followed making the blonde male's right eyebrow twitch in aggravation.

There was a pregnant pause, where the red-head at the table turned glittering eyes onto her partner, exchanging battle tactics without uttering a word.

"Yeah, man, why not just go up to her and ask her to go get a smoothie then you two can head over to the local sock-hop and stare into each other's eyes before you lose all your nerve and leave."

"… Clint, I will beat you senseless."

"Noted."

A sly smile. "Just grow a pair and ask her on a date, Rogers." The older blonde made a noise of exasperation at how crude the petite female had spoken. "Damn, it's not that hard."

"For some."

"Clint..!" Another pause. "Natasha!" The male's voice kicked up an octave in embarrassment, only for the owner to choke on his own saliva when said red-head stood up fluidly, patting herself down and righting her clothing before making her way over to the petite woman Steve Rogers had, not five minutes ago, been openly ogling like he was a teenager again. "Shit."

The other blonde at the table arched his left brow at such a naughty word, a snarky grin stretching across his handsome face. "My, my, Rogers! Such language from someone so proper!" He leaned forward on the table, elbows taking up the sudden weight easily.

Steve leveled Hawkeye with a sharp glare that had the other blonde laughing and raising his hands, palms forward, in surrender. "Right, Cap! Sorry 'bout that." He chuckled when the Super Soldier leaned back and covered his baby blues with his large hand, groaning. "Hey, man. It's not that hard!" Steve felt Clint rest his palm on his shoulder from across the table. The hand squeezed comfortingly. "We've all been through this. Just… We experienced it at a way earlier age." The guffaw quickly turned into a cry of pain when Steve grabbed his friends hand and twisted until he heard a faint pop. He knew he didn't break it, but it would be sore for the rest of the day.

"Spoilsport…"

Rogers turned his attention to the two females and gulped in surprise when Natasha pointed to their table before the tiny nurse nodded vigorously. His eyes widened and red stained his face when they turned towards the two blonds and made their way to the table, smiling softly at each other.

Steve knew, though, that Natasha's smile wasn't as genuine as the tiny Asian's was.

The duo stopped by the table and the Black Widow smiled broader (evilly) at Steve, gently pressing her hand against the raven's arm. "This is Steve 'Captain America' Rogers. I know you've heard about him and I know he hasn't been to the medical bay to see you. So, I thought to introduce you!" She grabbed the closest chair to Steve and offered it to the newcomer before taking her seat back next to the intrigued 'bird'.

The nurse smiled brightly at Steve before bowing at the waist to him. "It is a pleasure to meet you, finally, Captain America!" She said, her accent heavy on a few syllables. The woman righted herself, her hands wringing in front of her uniforms skirt. "My name is Higurashi, Kagome. I'm one of the head doctors in the Med Bay." Her eyes were a surprising shade of blue-gray, like newly forming storm clouds. Her fingers continued to play with themselves in her nervousness.

Steve cleared his throat, pulling at his T-shirt's collar. "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Higuh… Heeg…" He paused, his face flushing brighter and encompassing his ears in his embarrassment.

He saw Clint's face turn an awkward shade of red, though not for the same reasons his did.

"Call me Kagome. It's easier than my last name." Kagome said with a jovial smile.

He nodded and bit his lip. "Ah, yes. Kuh-goe-mae." He said her name slowly, sounding out each syllable to make sure he had it correct.

When her gentle smile turned on bright it nearly blinded him in its beauty. "That's right!" She uncurled her left hand from her right and brought it up to cover her giggle. She grabbed the back of the chair in front of her and sat down gracefully, tugging at the ends of the nurse's uniform absently as she scooted forward. She raised her arms and leaned against the table, her hand linking together.

Clint cleared his throat and caught Kagome's attention. "I got hurt." He said and held out his wounded hand.

Concern crossed the Doctor's face as she reached across the table, curling her hands around his, manipulating the flesh and watching his face for any signs of pain. Once she saw what she needed, a warm blue glow wrapped around the twos extremities. A few scant seconds of the manifested light and Kagome leaned back, watching Clint flex his hand experimentally. "Hell yeah! You're a life-saver, Kagome!"

At Steve's awed look, Natasha piped in. "Kagome can heal almost any wound without breaking a sweat." She informed the gob-smacked Super Soldier. She jumped lightly when Kagome reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "It's okay, Kagome. You don't-"

The little Asian cut her off. "Romanoff-san, it's more than okay! It's what I get paid the big bucks for." She winked playfully and let the healing energy encompass their connected digits. The glow lasted much longer than it had for Clint. Once she was done Kagome leaned back and let Natasha's hand fall onto the table.

A pleased sigh left the redhead's lips while she rolled her shoulders and neck. "Thank you, Kagome." Natasha said, giving the tiny female a genuine smile. Or, as genuine as the Black Widow could muster.

Steve leaned forward and looked at Kagome's relaxed hands. "How do you do that?" He asked before looking up into her sparkling blue-gray eyes.

Kagome reached forward and grabbed his wrist, turning his hand palm up before letting the cerulean glow cover her fingers. "I manipulate my soul." She said simply.

An odd, calming sensation filtered into his body from the azure-toned fingers. It spread out through his body and curled in every nook and cranny in his kind-hearted soul. It was as if he had been dropped down in a balmy oasis, or a sea of warm pudding, or snuggled under a pile of cozy blankets.

He felt safe.

He felt at home.

He felt right.

Like nothing in the world could ever hurt him. That he wasn't a man born in the 1920's and frozen in the 1940's only to wake up in the 2000's. Or that his best friend was used and abused by Soviet Doucebags until he, Captain America, took down their organization and let him free. Or that Bucky had practically disappeared off the face of the earth after said saving.

And then, just like someone poked a pushpin through his bubble of comfort and right-ness, it was gone. Consumed and never to be see or felt again. Or that's how his soul felt the minute Kagome's holy-energy left him.

He didn't realize he'd closed his eyes. When he opened them and focused on the blushing Medic, he felt his face grow warm with embarrassment. He cleared his throat. "Uh…"

Cause that's what you want to say to the woman who just made you feel like you were a child being held by their mother. Uh. Great. Just great.

'If I wasn't such a dunce when it came to girls…' He thought, only to jump when Clint's booming laughter cut through his self-imposed depression.

"It's damn addicting, ain't it?" The archer said, slapping his open palm on the table. "Kag's like a walking balm for the world's troubles." Barton glanced at Romanoff, winked, and then leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head, showing off his biceps and flexing his chest 'casually'.

Natasha rolled her eyes but when Steve glanced down at the dainty Asian, he saw a fine red flush dashing across her cheeks and up her ears.

Steve narrowed his eyes at the smirking bastard.

"Wanna go out to dinner tonight, Kagome?" Natasha said as she leaned forward on the table, her bright blue eyes watching Kagome like a hawk.

Said female blinked in surprise at the offer. "T-tonight?" She echoed before furrowing her brows. "I'd have to check my schedule…" She mumbled before rocking onto her left butt-cheek to pull out her phone from the pocket on her right.

And Steve couldn't help but gawk at the delicious curve and arch her body made with the movement. 'Holy hell…' He thought as naughty images of the little Medic bent over a bed, arching her back as she rode out her pleasure, moaning softly his name over and over and… 'Damn it…'

She leaned her spine of the back of the chair and scrolled through her smartphone before clicking her calendar. A bright smile quickly dashed across her face before she scooted to the end of the plastic seat and set the small glowing square on the table. "I'm free! What time?" She quickly poked at today's date and it pulled up a box, asking to make a new event.

Natasha turned to Clint, both having a silent conversation within a few seconds.

Clint's blue eyes twinkled. "Since it's a Thursday night, say seven so we get back before too late?" He said and rested his right elbow on the table, giving the tiny Medic a charming smile.

She smiled back at him, though not how most girls did whenever Clint put on 'his charm'. "Sure. What restaurant?" She asked as she typed in the time.

Natasha answered this time. "How about that sushi place close to 8th street?" She suggested and glanced momentarily at Steve to gauge his reaction.

Never before had he eaten sushi. The only reason he even knew what is was, was because Stark raved about it when he had sudden cravings for the raw fish dinners.

He didn't even realize his nose wrinkled with his disgust until Clint cut in. "Naw, I'm not feeling sushi tonight." He said and stared at Natasha pointedly. "How about that burger bar by the H & M store on 24th?"

"I'm not much of a fan of bars…" Kagome added in, biting her lip nervously. "There's a good hole-in-the-wall burger place on Hewes Avenue, across from Dunan Emporium. They've got the best steak and gravy fries I've ever had."

The duo nodded vigorously.

"Are you talking about Kevin's Diner?" Steve asked, surprised. He watched as Kagome blinked rapidly before a huge grin split her face.

"Yes!" She practically squealed. "You know it?"

"Oh yeah! When I was a kid me 'n my best friend Bucky used to eat there every day after school. The burgers are amazing."

"That's right! They've been there since the twenties!" Kagome said as she pressed her pointer finger against her chin, humming thoughtfully. "That's pretty amazing that we like the same restaurant." She laughed softly, covering her open mouth with the palm of her hand absently.

"It's a date!" Natasha cut in, making Kagome blush suddenly.

"A-A date?" She stammered, a cute flush coloring her cheeks and ears.

"Yeah!" Clint said and leaned farther on the table. "You 'n Cap and Natasha 'n I'll be going as friends." The grin he sent both blushing adults had Steve narrowing his eyes angrily and Kagome's face growing redder.

"Why just you and Natasha as friends? Why can't it be four friends enjoying a good burger?" She inquired.

Natasha gave Steve a 'Just-admit-it' look, which had the blond sighing and turning to face the inquisitive Asian. "Because I… I've been meaning to ask you out for a while now…" He felt his face explode with heat and he knew he was blushing harder than he had in a long damn time.

Kagome's face was no different than his after the Super Soldier's confession. "O-oh…" She cleared her throat, nibbling her bottom lip before she fixed her suddenly steady gaze with Steve's nervous baby blues. "I would love to go, Rogers-san." She said before blushing heavily again.

"I think we can skip over the last name thing and head right on in to first names, Kag's." Clint chuckled when she sent him a surprisingly scathing look.

"Forgive me for being raised in Japan where we feel using last names are a polite thing to do, Barton-baka." She snipped.

Natasha winked at Steve when his brows furrowed in confusion. She mouthed, 'Clint bugs her about almost any injury he has so they're pretty chummy.' Steve nodded in understanding before turning his attention back to the surprising conversation.

"I'm just saying, if you're gonna be shoving your tongue down someone's throat I'd think you'd want to call 'em by their first name instead of their last name."

"Shoving my-Oh! Barton-baka!" She slammed her tight little fist on the table before rolling it to rest her knuckles on the flat surface as she stood up angrily, the squeal of the chair being pushed back ignored by the enraged female. "I'm not a tramp! I don't kiss on first dates!" She hissed to him in Japanese, though Steve was the only one who didn't understand what the Medic had said.

Holding his hands in front of him in the universal surrender position. "My bad, Higurashi!" He chuckled when she leaned further across the table, stormy orbs narrowed dangerously.

"Remember, Barton-san, I'm also a damn good fighter… I don't just heal people, I'm good at hurting them too." The threat wasn't veiled at all and Steve's eyes widened in surprise.

"Careful, Kagome." Natasha said and pointed to the suddenly blushing blond. "Don't want to freak out Mr. Righteous just yet." She chuckled when Kagome gasped and twirled to face the Super Soldier.

"Rogers-san!" She cried, her cheeks reddening in her mortification. "I… I'm…!"

Steve cleared his throat. "It's okay, Kagome." He said and raised his hand, his fingers shaking just so, before he wrapped the digits around her tiny wrist. "Everyone here has to be able to fend for themselves. We are S.H.I.E.L.D. after all." Her skin was so soft under his calloused fingers he was momentarily distracted. Her gentle, lilting voice brought him back to the present.

"It's just… We've never spoken before and-"

Natasha's laugh made Kagome pause mid-sentence. "The minute a cute girl doesn't make Cap act like a lunatic is when you'll stop wanting to cave Clint's head in with a shovel." The words soothed both parties and Kagome pulled her chair back up to the table and sat down, smiling serenely at the trio.

"True." She said before giggling at Clint's wounded expression.

"My heart!" He pantomimed being shot and pressed the back of his hand to his forehead. "You've wounded me! Medic! I need a medic!"

"I'm not healing you." Kagome said, a bored look crossing her face at the declaration.

Barton pouted at her after he straightened himself back in his seat. "Rude."

The table laughed at his antics before Kagome set a few alarms before the meet-up time. "So, see you guys at seven at Kevin's Diner?" She confirmed as she scrolled through the ringtones on her alarm settings.

Clint cackled when 'You Give Love a Bad Name' played. "That one!" He pointed to the surprised female.

"Oh!" She smiled and laughed with the boisterous archer before selecting the song. "Why that song?" She asked and Clint shrugged lazily.

"It's one of my favorite songs." He said matter-of-factly.

Kagome laughed again before setting her phone down and brushing her fingers through the thick fringe of her bangs.

"And Steve's going to pick you up, by the way." Natasha's sultry voice slithered in the comfortable atmosphere, immediately making the Super Soldier and Holy Woman blush like school-yard children.

"W-what?" Steve sputtered, fists loosening to grip at the table in his surprise. "When did this get decided?"

The redhead and younger blond glanced at each other for another few scant seconds. "When Kagome was talking with Clint." Natasha answered.

"I'm okay with that." When Steve turned his baby blues to the flushed female he felt a spark of masculine pride well in his chest. "It is a date… Right?" When her stormy orbs glanced at him, nerves clear in the depths, the Super Solider couldn't help the gentle smile from crossing his face.

"Of course."

"Why do I need to do this again?" Steve Rogers asked, his voice grumpy with his agitation. "I have perfectly good clothes back home." He grumbled as Natasha pushed another set of shirts in his already over-full arms.

"Honey. No. Just, no." She gave a negative shake of her head as she walked back over to the clothing racks she had been perusing. "What you have is clothes to either work out in or to head to work in. Neither are good date clothes." The Black Widow paused in front of a long sleeve button-down shirt deep blue shirt that she knew would bring out his eyes in the best way. A smirk worked its way across her face. "And that leather jacket you're so fond of? Leave it at home." She plucked the shirt from the rack and made her way over to the pants section.

"What am I gonna do with all of these?" Steve raised and lowered his armload, a scowl marring his unusually handsome face.

"Buy 'em, of course. You need more variety in your wardrobe, Rogers." Clint said as he glanced down at the chipped and scuffed boots that adorned the soldiers feet. "What's your shoe size?"

Once Steve answered, Clint waved to Nat and disappeared out of the stores front doors.

"Where's he going?" He asked the redhead who was plucking through the different colored jeans. "And what's wrong with the jeans I have?" He kicked out one leg, balancing effortlessly while he looked at the faded denim that adorned his tree-trunk-like leg. He winced when he noticed the rips, tears and just general worn look that was not exactly proper for outside appearance. But, the jeans were comfy and his favorite pair. "They don't look bad…" Steve trailed off when Natasha shot him an exasperated look.

"Just stop, Steve. Let me handle this." She pulled out a pair of dark denim and measured it to the top before instantly chucking it back into the mass of clothing. With an aggravated huff the redhead moved to another display, this one with pants ranging from light grays to a deep black. Natasha wrinkled her nose in agitation. She rested her forefinger and thumb on her chin and let her blue gaze dance around the store before a large grin dashed across her beautiful face.

Her steps were long and she cut across the store in record time to a stand with different colored khaki's. She used the blue shirt ("Navy, Steve, it's NAVY") to gauge which suited the top more. She paused when her phone went off and pulled the device from her back pocket. She flicked her thumb over the screen a few times before placing it against her hear. "The dark brown ones. I'm thinking lighter pants to go along with the navy top." A pause as she listened to the other side speak. "Yeah. That works. I'll pick out a nice belt, too." Another pause. "No, no vest. That'd be too much. We're going to a diner, not to a fancy restaurant, Clint." Small wait. "Tell her I'll bring some food for the squirts, too." Pause. "Yes. Yes. No… Fuck off."

She hung up and slipped the phone into her pocket again before grabbing a pair of light colored khaki's and testing them against the shirt. A smirk crossed her face before she started checking the sizes. "34 length, right?" The redhead asked, tilting her head to look at him through the fringe of her ginger locks. "And drop those off at the checkout desk. I want you to try this on." She held up her selections with a wink.

Steve nodded and nervously rubbed the back of his right calf with his left. "Yeah. 34 waist, too." He clarified before nodding again and making his way to the clerk, who happily took the pile from him and started to fold and section it off from the rest of the patrons picked purchases.

Once back with the Black Widow, Captain America cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "So…" He trailed off and followed as she made her way over to a rack with different colored and sized belts.

"Hurry up, Clint…" She grumped as she grabbed at the different colored leather and leather substitutes.

Not even a minute passed before Barton's familiar voice called out. "Here he comes, to save the daaaa~y!" He sing-songed before pulling open the box in his hands to show Nat his purchase.

Natasha gave a positive nod before snagging a deep brown ("Sepia, Steve. It's Sepia.") real leather belt and handing him the clothing, Clint quickly dropping the shoe-box in his waiting arms. "If you need an undershirt, just let me know." The Black Widow said as she pushed him towards the dressing rooms.

Steve glanced at her from over his shoulder and cleared his throat. "That would be preferable…" He trailed off when her tiny hands left his back to sashay over to the undershirt rack. After choosing the appropriate size the female sauntered back and laid it on top of the mass in his arms.

"Hurry, I want to see what you look like before we get you home and ready to impress our little priestess." She said, an unusual twinkle in Natasha's ice blue eyes.

Huffing angrily, Steve told the clerk how many items he had before being ushered into the changing room.

He fumbled a few times trying to get the clothes right. He came out once, only for Nat to instantly tell him to tuck in his shirt, so he did a 180 and closed the door behind him and shoved the ends of the button down into his pants before smoothing the wrinkles as best as he could and looking at himself in the mirror.

The blue (Navy!) really did accentuate his startling baby blues, making them appear deeper in color then they really were and having the color stand out brighter against his slightly tanned face. The pants were just a few shades darker than his own skin, but didn't make his skin appear washed out. The dark brown (Sapia!) belt and shoes finished the ensemble, giving him a toned down but no less dapper look than what he was used to.

Taking a deep, calming breath, 'Why am I nervous?' Steve steeled himself and stepped from the room once again.

The soft gasp that left Natasha's mouth and Steve's lips thinning in a nervous line. Spreading his arms out wide by his sides, Steve glanced down at his attire. "Does it look bad?" He cleared his throat to get rid of the tiny squeak that had cut in on his last syllable. "Ahem. Do I look alright, Romanoff?"

"Give us a twirl, first." Clint said, eyes narrowing while he scrunched up his face in thought. That wasn't a good sign.

Not.

At.

All…

Shit.

But, being the good boy he was, Steve did a quick 360 and held his arms out at the sides again. "So…?"

"I am so good." Natasha said, a smarmy smirk crossing her face as she rested both of her hands on her voluptuous hips. She cocked said hips to the left, putting most of her weight on her left foot, and made her right hand into a 'gun' before she 'shot' him. "Bingo. Got our dinner dress." She stalked forward and started to tug and pinch and yank on the top and pants to get them just so before she stepped back and rested her chin in her curled left hand, the right cupping her elbow.

"Undo the top two buttons and I think we've got our winner." The archer suggested before clapping his hands together and raising his hands above his head, stretching. "Well. As much fun as this was, I'm gonna head to my apartment and take a shower 'n get a quick change of clothes for tonight. Cap, come by my place at six, 'kay?"

"Uh, sure, Barton." Steve said, uncertain.

"Later." And with that, Barton was gone.

Natasha pushed him to the check-out counter and watched as he purchased everything she picked out for him, smirking like a cat who got the mouse at his exasperated groan. "You've got more money than you know what to do with, Cap. Quit you're whining and take it like a man." The jab at his manhood made him grumble in irritation before grabbing the generous amount of bags and exiting the store into the brisk fall air.

He paused to take in a deep breath, letting the slight New York chill work its way into his lungs before stomping to Natasha's car that was parked a good distance away.

"Penny for your thoughts, Rogers?" Natasha's suddenly very grating voice asked him.

Steve felt his eyebrow twitch minutely. "Nothing, Romanoff." He bit out, waiting by her trunk as she sidled up to him, unlocking the car for him to dump his load in the opened compartment.

She laughed softly before climbing into the driver's seat and waiting for him to crawl in on the passenger side. "Take a shower and meet us at Clint's by six, I'll keep the date clothes so you can just change when you get there. You're taking Clint's car to pick up Kagome since she's not that fond of motorcycles." She paused to let the information sink in. "She's seen way too many vehicular accidents to be comfortable riding around on one. Her words, not mine."

Steve glanced at Natasha, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why are you getting so invested and into my possible extracurricular activities, Romanoff. It's not really your style."

The redhead gave a noncommittal hum as she took the exit to the highway that would take them on a straight shot to Steve's apartment.

The cabin was quiet for all of the ten minute ride and when Natasha parked in front of his complex, she turned in her seat, grabbed his forearm and looked at him. Like, really looked. The walls that were normally prominent in her eyes were gone, and it momentarily left Steve breathless. "Because, Steve…" She glanced to the right, to the back seat of the car before letting loose a deep breath she had unconsciously been holding. "You're not as messed up as I am so you deserve every ounce of happiness you can get." She swallowed, a pained light flashing across her luminous blue orbs. "And I know Kagome'd be good for you. You have more in common than you'd think."

She let her hand slip from his arm and righted herself in her seat before hitting the trunk button on the dash. "Now get out of my car before I kick you out." She snapped.

Still reeling from the confession, Steve stumbled from the passenger seat and with heavy feet, walked to the open compartment, pulling the multitude of bags out. He eyed the bag that housed all of his date clothes and grabbed it last, depositing it in the passenger seat that was still warm from his rump and back. "Thanks… And I know you'll find someone who'll love you and not care about your past." He slammed the car door closed and entered the brightly lit building before ascending his stairs.

Steve nervously fiddled with the cuffs of the dark blue button down shirt, plucked imaginary dirt from his lightly tanned khaki's and leaned down to rub out the made-up scuffs on his new dress shoes.

So, he was still bent over when the door opened and botted feet entered his field of vision. "Oh! Rog-uh-Steve-san!" Kagome's sweet voice stuttered and he saw the dainty feet roll and move with her sudden nerves. "Ah, I'm sorry… I felt your ki at my door, I didn't know you were fixing your clothes." She apologized.

Standing to his full height of six foot two inches Steve once again tugged at the sleeves again. 'Damn nerves!' "Ah, yes. Sorry…" He paused, his brows furrowing at the strange word. "Ki? What's that?" He asked, generally curious.

"Ah-ha-ha…" She scratched her cheek nervously before swallowing and plucking at the hem of her cute dark red (burgundy!) shorts and bright gold buttons (three on each following her leg down). "It's the literal term of the energy I can see." She clarified as she stepped back to offer him into her home. "Would you like something to drink before we leave? I have to put some food out for my cat and grab my purse and we can go!"

Steve followed the tiny female inside and watched as she sped-walked to the kitchen, stretching up to grab the small bag of cat food on top of the fridge. When the sound of the kernels it the metal bowl he heard a loud thump followed by hurried, tiny footsteps.

A large calico cat, looking more like a walking ball of fat than an actual feline, dashed into the kitchen and skidded to a stop to in front of the food dish. It meowed like the world was ending before diving face first into the full bowl. "Don't eat it all in one sitting, Buyo-chin." She cooed in Japanese, scratching the cat affectionately on top of its fluffy head.

When Kagome stepped from the kitchen Steve got a good look at her cozy looking outfit. An off-white (crème, its crème!) long sleeved top was tucked into the burgundy shorts, black stockings covering her legs from the biting cold (or they will once they exited the apartment) before ankle-high boots finished off the adorable ensemble. Her surprisingly long black hair was left to freely tumble down her back, the ends curling around the swell of her delectable derriere.

Her makeup was light, almost nonexistent, and as she stepped up to him, clutch purse in hand, she grabbed a thick, fluffy looking dark blue scarf. She fluffed it around her face before smiling brightly at him and walking towards the door. "Ready?" She asked, an adorable flush crossing her cheeks.

"Of course." He said and left the apartment before her, since it was her own place.

Once she closed and locked the door did the duo start the short trek down the stairs to the waiting sleek black car that belonged to his not-friend-friend at the moment, Clint. Jogging up to open the car up for her, Steve waited until she was seated comfortably before he closed her inside. He made his way over to the driver's side and sat down in the plush chair. The car started effortlessly and soon they were off down the back roads to get to Kevin's Diner.

The conversation was awkward (on his part) but she seemed apt at keeping the flow of words going without really missing a beat. And it wasn't the normal ditzy conversations, either. "I'm still kind of reeling from the sudden boom in technology, myself." Kagome had said, pressing her dainty hand against her chest. "So if I'm struggling to keep up, then you must feel pretty overwhelmed." She gave him a disarming smile and Steve chuckled.

"It's pretty hard sometimes… Especially when I work with guys like Stark who all they ever work with is technology."

"Or Nick-sama." She added, giggling softly.

"Yup. Or Fury."

They pulled up in front of the parking area, paid for parking (well, Steve did) and after Steve opened the car door and front door for her, headed into the surprisingly full establishment. The two were ushered to their seats where Nat and Clint were already stationed, eating a few of the steak-n-gravy fries Kagome had offhandedly suggested.

"Kagome!" Natasha called out and waved good-naturedly.

"You were so right about the fries." Clint groaned as he stuffed another few into his mouth. His baby blues slid closed in his fat-induced euphoria.

Kagome sat down and giggled at Clint's antics. "Well, I do have pretty good taste buds." She said offhandedly before smiling brightly at the portly waiter, quickly delivering her order.

Steve blinked owlishly before a large grin split across his face. "Give me what she's having. And her bill's with mine." He handed back their menus, ignoring Kagome's sputtered protests.

"You're talking to a man who was raised in the 30's and 40's. It's been drilled into that fat head of his to be polite and gentlemanly when on a date." Natasha sniffed haughtily before she winked at the blushing female.

"So, Kagome, tell us about yourself? We hardly know ya!" Clint leaned forward on the table, elbows taking up most of his weight and hands curling to hold up his head.

The woman nibbled her bottom lip before they saw her come to a decision. "Well, I lived on a shrine for most of my life until I left for medical school. I still go back every major holiday and be the shrine's resident miko… Er, priestess…? Yeah, I think that's the closest translation." She pressed her pointer finger against her bottom lip in thought before shrugging and resting her arms on the table.

"A shrine?" Steve asked, confused.

"A Shinto Shrine to be exact. It's one of Japan's religions. Shinto means 'way of the gods' in Japanese." She clarified, smiling softly at the nodding Caucasian.

"It's got a pretty big following, don't it?" Clint interjected.

Kagome nodded happily. "Yes! Our yearly matsuri, err, festival, is coming up in the Spring so I'll be taking leave for that." She gave a serene smile as memories long past crossed her suddenly hooded eyes. "It's such a wonderful time. The plants are blooming and the world is waking up from its frozen slumber." A nostalgic sigh left her lips.

"Festival?" Natasha prompted.

"Yeah!" The brilliant grin Kagome sent the trio left Steve breathless. He could tell this was something she a passionate about. "It's so wonderful! During the day we have so many worshippers come by and pay their respects to the gods and goddess! So many paper prayers are tied to the Sacred Tree on my grounds and at night we hold a special performance for our resident gods." A jubilant sigh passed Kagome's full lips. "It's always so wonderful at home around that time of year."

Steve furrowed his brows and tilted his head to the side. "That's pretty interesting! So what is the special occasion?"

"Shunbun no Hi, or the Vernal Equinox Day. It is part of a seven-day period of festival called Haru no Higan. It is one of two points during the year, the other being in the Autumn, where the daylight and night hours are at equal time and is the official change of the seasons." She said while happily clasping her hands together.

"That's cool!" Clint said, smiling broadly at the dainty priestess.

"I'd love to see that." Steve added, an embarrassed flush crossing his cheeks.

"Maybe you can come this year?" She asked, tentative.

Steve cleared his throat, fiddled with his sleeve cuffs, chewed his bottom lip.

"He'd love to go." Natasha cut in. "He's such a nervous nelly, I swear." She laughed behind her hand before leaning against the table. "Now that we've got your story out of the way, let's start delving into Mr. Mom's life, shall we?" The look she sent Steve had his inside churning with a sudden bout of nerves.

'This doesn't look good…' He thought anxiously.

'And I was right…'

Kagome's soft laughter was the only think keeping him rooted to the spot and not rushing over the table to beat Clint senseless. Story after embarrassing story had been traded about everyone present, but the majority of the subject matter was Steve himself. After working so many years together it was no surprise that he had some stories they shouldn't tell on the first (or any!) date.

But, no, he had friends like these two that wanted nothing more than to see how red he could get in the face.

"-And when he finally got over his embarrassment he sang-" Here Clint clutched his stomach as he guffawed loudly, "he sang that old song they would sing about him!"

"How did it go again?" Natasha prompted, looking pointedly at Steve.

"No, Natash-"

"The Star Spangled Man with a Plaaa~an!" Clint sang out and Kagome burst in to an adorable bout of giggles that made Steve's face hotter than anything he'd felt before.

After her giggle-fit passed Kagome leaned forward, "I sing like an idiot when I'm drunk. I remember when I was younger I was so splastered I saw two other me's… And then my friends started hitting on each other… It was pretty funny in retrospect!" She giggled again.

"I thought you said you didn't drink, Kagome?" Natasha asked.

"Oh no! I don't mind drinking, I just don't like bars. They're too crowded and way too smoky for my sensitive nose." She waved her hand in front of her scrunched face.

Clint chuckled and pushed his plate to the side of the table, leaning back to pat his full stomach. "Well, that was a great dinner and all, but I need to head to bed!"

Kagome glanced at her watch on her wrist and gasped at how late it had become. "Oh my! It has gotten late!"

After getting their bills and paying the group split off and left to their designated homes.

It didn't take Steve and Kagome long before he pulled into the parking space near her apartment and jogged around to let her out of the car. She stepped lightly onto the sidewalk and smiled brightly up at his blushing countenance. Steve offered his elbow and Kagome gently looped hers through the crook of his arm, resting her hand lightly on his wrist.

They walked and talked, each laughing and carrying on the earlier conversations.

Steve paused in front of her door and looked down at the blushing priestess. "So…" He cleared his throat, only to freeze when Kagome pulled her arm free and curled her fingers in the flare of his collar, standing on her tippy toes and pulled him down, bypassing his mouth to plant a gentle kiss against his cheek.

"Can we go on a date without your friends? Maybe this weekend? I like to bowl…" She trailed off as she settled back onto her feet, a hopeful look entering her stormy blue eyes.

Steve wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and brought his face down to her level, lightly touching his nose against hers. "Bowling sounds great. Does Saturday at 8 work? They start glow-bowl at 9 so I thought we could get some dinner before I wiped the floor with you."

A surprising look of competitive joy flashed across her blue-gray orbs. "I don't think I'll be losing, Steve-kun." She murmured before standing on her tip-toes again to press her lips fully against his.

HBWD's Corner: Cause who doesn't love a good fluffy, friends-embarrass-you-in-front-of-your-crush type of stories? Hope you enjoyed!

So, all of the color corrections in parenthesis are Natasha screaming at Steve. He's a man (a manly man) that doesn't know the difference in color names so he just lumps them all together. And it gets on Nat's nerves so bad.

I had so much fun writing the banter between Nat n Clint! It was like they couldn't keep from being total assholes to Steve. And to me. It was like every time I tried to move the story along, they'd storm in, witty banter-a-blazin'! They took my brain prisoner… *le sigh*

But my time the 'clink' was very happy and I feel so relieved to get this one off of my chest! It turned out to be more of a monster than anything I've ever had to write. Steve was just so… Stale in my opinion! No pizazz… Bleh. Maybe I need to write a Tony one next?

Naw, Nat n Kagome get center ring next! Yes, as in YURI! GIRL X GIRL! It's coming, y'all. And get ready. It's a doozie…

ALSO!

REVIEW CAUSE I'M A WHORE AND I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Translations:

-san – like Mr. Mrs. Miss.

Baka – idiot, foolish

Ki – life energy

Chin - an honorific, or suffix added to the end of one's name. chin is usually used when: 1. the person is a small child, ie, younger sibling or friends sibling 2. the person is cute, usually younger, usually a girl 3. can be used on pet cats, dogs, etc.

-sama - lord/lady