Everything calmed down after a few days, Steve coming around to talk to Nat the never next day, and soon she and the two renditions of Captain America fell into an easy pattern: Steve would teach Rogers how to cook, while Rogers and Nat would go through the finer points of combat with Steve. It seemed that while he was taking on the frost giants he'd ran into a bit of a problem, not wanting to kill them because they were still innocent lives being wasted on the teachings of a madman. At least that was how he saw it. Eventually his past training seemed to kick in, and it was with a wide grin he managed to flip Tony onto his back and pin him without hardly an effort. The billionaire simply rolled his eyes, snarky comment that without his suit he was one of the weaker Avengers punctured by coughs. Steve patted him on the back while Rogers offered a laugh. The second version of Cap had loosened up considerably since the battle with Loki, and had even resigned himself to rejoining with his twin. It was why they were trying too hard to teach Steve how to let go, sure that once he mastered that it would be much easier.

The good soldier helped Stark up to his feet, promising that it had still been a good fight, and to everyone's surprise-including Steve's-he pressed a quick kiss to the man's lips. There was a pause as everyone gawked, Tony's eyes wide as the arc reactor in his chest, and a quick blush covered Steve's cheeks as it sunk in what he'd just done.

"Oh-ah-crap. Sorry," he murmured as he turned and all but ran away, likely disappearing to the kitchen to go scrub at the dishes or cook. That seemed to be his go-to stress reliever now that they were separate. Rogers was the first to react, letting out a quick bark of a laugh, while Tony and Nat just marveled, both at a loss for words.

"About damn time," Rogers muttered. "Cap-when we were all together in one piece-he had a huge thing for you, Tony. Just about as bad as he did for you, Natasha. I talked to Bruce about it after the first time Stark and I fucked, and he said that the residual emotions would likely manifest in both of us."

And here Nat thought he'd just been looking to screw whoever was nearest. Her stomach did a tiny flop that Stark must've felt, too, given the flash of discomfort and surprise on his face.

"Right. So, uh, should I just go talk to him?" He looked nervous. Emotions had never been his strongest but neither had they been Nat's before Steve came along. Not for the first time did she wonder if this accident wasn't a good thing.

"No, give him some time. I had it easy: no previous social constraint to worry about; I just did what I pleased. I still kind of do. Steve's head is sometimes still stuck in the forties, though, especially in some of the social beliefs. That makes it difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that he likes both men and women. But this is a good sign, right?" He asked, looking between the spy and the genius. "It shows that he's finally coming over to my side, to the dark side."

Nat groaned. "I am never letting Tony show you movies again."

Stark just started laughing, finally breaking out of his reverie enough to look over at the two. Rogers joined right in, and shortly after Nat couldn't help but do the same, letting the laughter bubble up inside her and out her lips. They left Steve alone to think on what had happened, all of them thinking he might need some distance for a little bit to pull his head together. Stark was the first to talk to him, thinking it might a good idea if they came out with it, and Rogers watched him go with a little bit of envy in his eyes and face. Nat frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He said, too quickly, then sighed. "I'm just-I've never had someone look that way when they were gearing up to go talk to me, all determined and drunk on their emotions. It's always just: "hey, let's fuck" and that's cool. Nothing wrong with it; I just can't wait till I'm back in one body and I can pretend that it's me they want." He paused, then snorted. "I can't believe how pathetic that sounded."

Natasha felt her heart ache a little at his words, and moved over to pull him into a tight hug, her head resting against his chest. He froze up for a moment before returning it, and Nat wondered what else he was holding back and keeping from everyone else. From himself, even. He'd seemed as surprised by his confession as Nat had been.

"You know, I seem to remember someone having a very similar reaction to the first time they saw me," Natasha murmured quietly, looking up at him with the smallest smile and a glint in her eye. His mouth opened to gape for a moment before he started to try and backtrack. She shook her head and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Stop. You understand now, and that's all that I could ask for. At least you can empathize and I'm sure for however long you're still Rogers you won't do it again because you'll always reflect on that," she reminded him with a small smile. "But the progress is a step in the right direction," she promised him. He just nodded, looking numb, and she reached down to squeeze his hand.

"Hey, let's go see how Stark and Steve are doing. Wanna put money on which one of them started crying first?" She teased, nudging him a little. As Rogers laughed and walked with his arm around Nat she grew silent and reflective herself. A few years ago, hell a few months ago she never would've imagined doing this. Not just walking with a guy, but opening up like this. Talking about more than just fighting and strategy and what was the next move. She wouldn't have thought twice about bringing up emotions-his or hers-because they were simply too complicated, too dangerous in a fight. As her best friend Clint had gotten the closest, but Cap? Well she'd not thought him any way interested in how she was besides checking her mental capacity for continuing with a fight. 'He's a great team leader,' she thought, 'and a great guy.' But that didn't mean that he was always so front and center with everyone about how they felt at the end of the day. Contrary to what everyone seemed to think, Cap hadn't really cared to get into everyone's business, assured that so long as they were ready for a fight that meant they were sound enough. Only when things got really bad-like they had when Tony had tried to square off against the Mandarin-had he ever bothered to call the man up and ask him what was going on, was he okay, just to find that he was about three days late and Tony was already on his way back to Manhattan.

Not that it was much Steve's fault, considering he and Nat were on a mission at the time, but that was a thought for another day.

They didn't make it very far to wherever Steve and Tony had disappeared to before Rogers stopped Nat with a hand on her shoulder.

"Is it wrong of me to be, I dunno, envious of the attention that Steve gets?" He asked. His voice was quiet, as though he was ashamed to even be considering the idea. Nat couldn't help but smile, and surprising even herself she reached one hand up to cup the side of his face.

"I wondered if you did, if you were just acting out before to get attention."

"You make me sound like I'm five," he muttered.

"I don't know about five. You're at least two years older than Tony is so maybe seven."

In spite of himself Rogers laughed.

Nat continued. "We're all children when it comes to some things." Rogers eyed her and shook his head.

"You aren't."

Sure she was. She'd always said love was for children, and as the emotion registered in her mind her stomach tightened. Oh, hell. Without saying anything else she stood on her toes to kiss him the way she'd always wanted to be: gently enough to stop her breath but with enough passion to weaken her knees and stop her heart. Beneath her Rogers gave a low moan, one hand planted on her hip the other running up and down her spine. They barely made it to the bedroom before clothing started falling to the floor.

When he pushed into her she gave a low, shivering moan that made her gut clench and toes curl, and much rather than fuck her brains out the way she was used to Rogers started to take his time, fingertips exploring and caressing every inch of skin, lips and limbs tangling with hers as their bodies bucked and canted, arched and seized together as they chased their own orgasms, both so near it was as if they had come together. This was nothing like the Rogers she had become familiar with, Nat reflected as he held her loosely in his arms, lips leaving feather-light kisses all along her collarbone, and his sensitive side was catching her entirely, uncomfortably, off guard.

By the time they showed up for dinner, Natasha's grin a little wider than perhaps strictly necessary and Rogers' hair much more mussed up, they found Bruce, Tony, and Steve gathered around a bowl of what looked like guacamole and tequila shots. Nat couldn't help but laugh as she watched Steve take a shot and pull a face.

"What are you playing?" She asked, moving to grab a chip from the bag and scoop up a decent chunk of the green dip. Delicious; she loved it when Bruce cooked.

"Never have I," Tony said, his eyes already glazed. "Steve is losing."

"Am not," Steve murmured.

"YEP!" Tony slurred. "And Bruce . . . Bruce is a dirty birdy. He's done a lot more than he likes to make us think-don't-don't let his calm sciencey demeanor fool you," he slurred, wrapping an arm around the man's shoulders. Bruce just chuckled, his color perhaps a little higher in his cheeks than normal, but his eyes looked normal and he seemed more relaxed than anything.

"I play dirty, that's for sure," Bruce countered.

"I want to play," Nat grinned, her eyes going bright as she took a seat beside Steve and kissed his cheek. Rogers sat between Tony and Bruce, asking to be counted in as well. Though it may have seemed idiotic to have the two versions of Captain play, to say that they'd done many different things within the past few weeks was . . . well, Nat was sure that Steve would have the upperhand.

As it turned out, Natasha had done far too much, especially when Bruce was as crafty as he said about figuring out how word the things he hadn't done so that he could intentionally make others drinking. While Steve had gotten away with "Never have I had sex," which just made Tony call bullshit and Nat and Rogers catch each other's grin, Bruce just grinned and let it all pass him by. He was rather good at targeting people, and while Steve, Rogers, and Stark had both Bruce and Nat on never being in a long lasting monogamous relationship, Nat got them all back by saying that she'd never had a dick, to which Steve had replied "Never had I had sex with a woman."

"Cheater," Nat muttered as she took a shot.

Tony demanded answers as Steve flushed three shades of red and Rogers' grin tripled in size.

"It was part of my mission!" Nat had insisted with a laugh as she felt the tequila singing in her veins. "And, well, she wasn't a half bad looker-."

"I just knew you swung both ways!" He exclaimed, the color in his cheeks high as the alcohol increased the volume in his voice as well. "Called it!"

"Shut up," Nat said with a chuckle, rolling her eyes. "Never have I created a mechanical suit all by myself."

"Bitch."

Three bottles of tequila later Rogers and Bruce both had to help Tony back to his room, the pair snickering as Tony explained how much he loved them both, before calling back to Steve and Nat: "And you two! Just fucking . . . fuck. Make-out. Something. I love you both," he grinned before he was pulled around the corner and upstairs. Nat could practically hear Jarvis sighing with disbelief above them, but her attention was soon changed to the now-very close Steve. His impossibly blue eyes were glazed and his pupils nearly fully dilated as he looked deeply into her own eyes. She swallowed hard. When the hell had he gotten so close? He was adorable, she had to say, with his bright pink cheeks and the way his hair was perfectly parted and how he pressed his lips hard, demandingly, against hers as he bent her backwards over onto the table.

Wait, what? Was this Steve?

She moaned as she opened her mouth, his hips snapping against hers as he positioned himself between her legs. His breath was hot and tasted of the lemon and salt he'd demanded along with his tequila, and she loved every moment of it, practically sucking on his bottom lip. He moaned. Her hands were quick as they tried to get his shirt off, pulling and pressing and all but ripping it from his chest so she could rake her nails over the skin she was becoming so familiar with.

Well, they'd talked about deflowering him, hadn't they?

He took her right there on the table, the liquor-which had only kicked in, they would later find out, because the pair of them had been separated. Something about the division had messed with their metabolic process-made it easier for him to let go, and once he was fully seated inside her, his hips pressed hard against hers and a soft cry on his lips of pure, raw pleasure, she wrapped her legs around his waist and urged him on. He figured out what to do soon afterwards, picking up the pace at the same time she did so that they were arching into one another and had the other's names on their lips. It was nearly perfect, Nat thought quietly, especially for his first time.

They very nearly passed out the minute that he finished, Nat absolutely exhausted from having gone through both of them in the same day, and Steve's lips spread in the biggest, widest smile Nat had ever seen before.

"I love you," he murmured quietly a she pulled away from where she'd just kissed him.

"I know," she said quietly. "I love you, too."

Something in her heart twisted and she swallowed hard as she tried not to realize how open she left herself to both of them. To Captain as a whole. She hadn't thought she'd be able to do it, certainly not with everything that she'd seen and been through, but with Steve Rogers? Well, maybe. She wanted to at least give it a shot.

After picking up what scraps of clothing they had left Steve carried Natasha back to her room, curling up into her bed with her after asking her permission. Like she'd say no. She let him wrap his arms around her, relaxed against his chest, and breathed deep the familiar scent of him. Yes. She could get used to this, she could learn how to open herself up she supposed. It wouldn't be easy, and there was no way it would be quick, but she could do it.

The warm body beside her in the morning started to panic by the time that Natasha opened her eyes, the heart speeding up as its owner looked around. She could feel his whole body begin to tremble and eventually Steve-her brain reminded her-said "Nat? What the heck? What happened?"

Great. Damn tequila had wiped his memory. She sat up and smiled when it hit her. Something was off about him, or rather it was far too familiar.

"Steve Rogers?"

"Yeah. You know anyone else?" He asked, curious as he looked her over, then caught himself staring at her breasts and blushed. "Oh, God. I took advantage of you. Oh gosh Nat, I'm so sorry."

"No, Steve, you're fine," she smiled and pressed her lips to his forehead. He stopped where he was laying, staying stock still, and she reminded herself not to do that again. Great.

By the end of the day he started to remember everything, the different views of his life for the past few days coming together bit by bit to create a cohesive idea of the time he'd spent and how it had been divided up between Steve and Rogers. Nat had to admit that she missed the two, especially since she'd finally gotten to see such a different side of Steve. He'd been so free, unafraid of himself. It was sexy, not that he wasn't now, but they'd just have to work on it.

He still couldn't believe what he'd done, and she was sure he was beating himself up for doing anything to begin with. No matter how often Nat, or Stark when he'd come down after hearing the news, reassured him that yes, they were fine with it-they'd liked it, and wanted to do it again-he still had the same, shocked reaction.

They'd just started winding down when Nat pushed him down into the seat beside him, climbed atop his lap, and pressed her lips to his. He didn't move and for half a second she thought she pushed him too far too fast. But Rogers was there, and Rogers she wanted. She wanted both of them, wanted them to know that just because he was afraid of hurting her didn't mean she didn't want them. Him. All of him.

When he kissed her back it was tentative but comfortably familiar, and she grinned against his lips as she raked her hands through his hair. "Thought that might get you to shut up," she murmured when she had to pull away for air.

He tried for a laugh but it failed, too nervous looking. Nat nearly choked on her disbelief.

"I just don't want to take advantage of you-."

"Okay, Steve Rogers. I have a deal for you," she said quickly before he could say anything else. He rhand covered his mouth and smiled when he looked, curiously, up at her. "I owe you a first date. Or you owe me if you want to think of it that way. Anyway. After that will you allow me to tell you that I like you and I would like to do physical acts with you?" She was only half teasing.

So help her if he said no.

But he nodded his head, the hand moving to hold her hip, as comfortable as if he'd done it for all of their lives. She smiled at the contact.

"Alright. I can do that."

"Don't you dare be late," she said as she kissed his cheek, and only then, when she decided to go easy on him, did she stand up to go. "And hurry up because I'm not a patient woman-."

His hand wrapped around her wrist before she could disappear. "Wanna go have dinner?"

Atta boy.

"I'd love to, Cap. Lead the way."

A/N: Finally, finally got this out and finished and I'm so sorry it's taken forever and a day to finish this fic, but I hope it's very much worth it and not too anticlimactic. More feels in this part than the rest, I feel, and it just felt-I dunno-right to end it here. I might end up working on an epilogue, but for now we're going to say this is done. Thanks so much for sticking with it for so long, I really appreciate it!