( closed )

[araneidal]

Who: Natasha & Steve, later, Evelyn.
Where: Training room and the library.
When: 22/10.
Rating: PG
Summary: Natasha challenges Steve to a sparring match, and later meets a nice librarian. All in a day's work.

Comments

[assembles]

[ This isn't quite the same as going for a jog together, but it works. In some ways Steve had been waiting for this invitation. His own Natasha had sparred with him on a regular basis. In fact, she's partly responsible for the way he fights now. SHIELD had sent them on a number of stealth missions during their time working under them (before they knew the truth). Steve's usual methods wouldn't have worked in those situations, and so Natasha had helped him brush up.

So this, more than anything else that this other Natasha has done so far, seems right.

Steve shows up in a pair of sweats and a tanktop, his hands already wrapped and a large bottle of water in tow. He nods to Natasha in greeting and then sets down the bottle on a bench, heading over to the mats where she indicates. ]

You gonna go easy on me?

[ It's only half a joke. Steve knows this Natasha is older, more experienced, that she's worked with the Avengers for years. He won't underestimate her. ]

[araneidal]

Not a chance.

[ She smirks, taking position. No stance; Natasha's reactive, she's waiting for him to dictate the attack. ]

Don't hold back.

[ It's the only warning he gets; he's entitled to it. ]

[assembles]

[ Even though Natasha says that, Steve intends to pull his punches somewhat. She may be one of the best, but she's still human at the end of the day, and if he gets a lucky shot it could end up breaking a bone or at least leaving a really nasty bruise.

Still, he isn't exactly taking it easy either. He rushes forward, his right arm shooting out so that he can aim the heel of his palm for her clavicle to potentially throw her off balance. At the same time he kicks out for her ankles, looking to trip her up. He moves fast and with confidence, but he isn't making use of the serum yet. ]

[araneidal]

[ Natasha sighs, inwardly. She catches his hand, looks at him only reproachful enough to make her point. ]

I warned you.

[ Then, she attacks. She holds back only enough — her reflexes as fast as his, almost as physically strong, but she rarely faces a threat head-on. Natasha weaves in and out. When his blows connect they hit nowhere that pushes her off. And keeps pushing forward until he's flat on the mat and she's leaning over him. ]

Dead. Try again.

[assembles]

[ Natasha manages to catch his hand as if it had been moving at a snail's pace, like it was nothing for her to anticipate and then intercept. If anything, she seems bored with his first attempt, and when she strikes back it's as fast as a snake. Steve's on the ground before he's even aware of what hit him.

It's not like his Natasha hadn't done similar to him in the past, taking him down with such efficiency that it made his head spin, but it hadn't been quite like this. There's an effortlessness to Natasha's actions that gets the gears in Steve's head turning.

Either way, it looks like he's in the clear to take the kids gloves off. Without any warning, he lunges upward to grab for her shoulders, aiming to fling her clear over him and onto the floor. This time he allows his strength and speed to exceed human levels -- time to see if she can get out of this one. ]

[araneidal]

[ He doesn't hesitate to shift gears. Interesting. ]

[ She can't pull away or block, so Natasha takes the flip and rolls, getting to her feet. She smirks at him, the only outward sign of approval, and then lunges at him again, with full force, expecting full force in return. ]

[assembles]

[ Steve manages to get back to his feet by the time that Natasha is on the offensive again. He lifts his arm up to block her punch and feels the full brunt of it -- that's definitely not a human level of strength.

He pushes back with his arm, aiming to throw her off balance, and then ducks down to rush forward in a tackling move. It's not often that Steve is allowed to go all out in a sparring match. Thor's usually the only person who can handle his strength without blinking. He can't help but enjoy himself as a result. ]

[araneidal]

[ And not a human level of speed. Natasha gives him no quarter, but she's not trying to kill him or end the fight quickly. The first real round is always about finding the limit. ]

[ She does not let him get to a straight tackle, but he connects with her side and she brings them both down, rolling again and getting to her feet. ]

[assembles]

[ Natasha's back on her feet faster than Steve, but not by a large margin. He doesn't really want to hurt her either, nothing beyond a bruise here or there, but someone watching them might think they were going full force. This is beyond what Steve usually allows himself in a spar, since he's generally more focused on control, but actually using what the serum has given him feels good. ]

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like you must really eat your Wheaties, Natasha.

[ She wouldn't have been so obvious about her strength if she didn't want him to know, so why not comment on it? He'd like an explanation eventually, but for now he dances away from her on light feet, toward the wall. He's curious to see what she'll do on the offensive. ]

[araneidal]

[ Natasha's default setting is not attack. It's stay quiet, strategise, out-think the enemy. She might have her own augments but she's still far smaller and easily crushed in a head-on fight than most of the other Avengers. But the offensive is expected of her, and so she seamlessly fits into it, going for his chest to make him block her precise blows. One hit and she could stop his heart. She isn't going for that. The thing is: she could be. ]

Perhaps we shop at the same grocery store.

[ Explanation later? How about now. Multi-tasking at its finest. ]

[assembles]

[ If she wants to talk and fight at the same time, that's fine by Steve. There might be a little bit of a delay in his response, though, since concentration is still needed to block all of her attacks. His bruises heal in a matter of hours, but he's going to have some scattered over his forearms at this rate.

He backs up as she advances on him until he's against the wall. Usually that's not a good place for anyone to be, but Steve lifts up a leg and then kicks off of the wall, giving him some height so that he can come down on Natasha with a punch to her shoulder. ]

Do you buy the serum-laced kind?

[ It's hard to imagine, but there's not any other explanation that makes sense. ]

[araneidal]

[ Natasha smirks. ]

What do you think?

[ He's not naive, and he's not stupid — well, not this particular kind of stupid. ]

[assembles]

[ The punch connects, but Natasha absorbs it with hardly any trouble. Steve backs away from her, figuring that their conversation is a little more important than continuing to exchange blows.

He's quiet for a few seconds as he looks her over. It seems impossible, but... ]

Is the serum really that common in your world? Where I'm from, they weren't ever able to replicate the process after me.

[ Unless they count Bucky, but Steve isn't really sure what category he falls into. ]

[araneidal]

[ Always one to follow the music, Natasha stops. ]

Your serum? No. There's only you. Medical experimentation and genius is not limited to Dr. Erskine, however.

[assembles]

So then...

[ Steve pauses, wondering just how he should phrase this question. Knowing what little he does of Natasha's history (not this Natasha, but maybe it doesn't make a difference -- the other Steve has the same background that he does), there's probably no point in sugarcoating it.

He backs away from her, wipes some sweat from his brow and then comes out with it. ]

What did they do to you?

[araneidal]

[ Natasha reaches up to brush his cheek gently with her hand. ]

Thoughtful. Hm. Unnecessary.

[ Unnecessary, not unwelcome. It's his way of being kind: open, and empathetic. What did they do — what did they take that he thinks she deserved to have? ]

I think you can fill in enough of the blanks.

[assembles]

[ The sudden physical contact that doesn't have to do with sparring shocks Steve more than any punch ever would, and he has to fight not to jerk away from her. That kind of reaction might give Natasha the wrong idea, when really it would just have been out of surprise.

He looks down (though not as far as he would have to with the other Natasha) into her eyes, studying an expression that betrays nothing. He can fill in the blanks, but he still has to know. His jaw tightens. ]

Was it HYDRA?

[araneidal]

[ She makes a derisive noise. The long answer is HYDRA isn't capable of making something like her. Department X had — has — better sculptors; more finesse. The short answer is, ]

No.

[assembles]

[ That noise she makes really tells Steve everything he needs to know about HYDRA in Natasha's world. Which is that they're just as much of a thorn in her side as they are in his.

Still, her situation isn't the same as Bucky's, if someone else was responsible for turning her into a weapon. Steve looks her over, trying to figure out if he should push any further, but she's made it pretty obvious she doesn't want to get into details. ]

Superhuman strength, speed -- anything else?

[ These kind of facts are easier. ]

[araneidal]

[ Sterility. We wanted warriors, not mothers. She never wanted children, but that should've been her choice, and it was made for her. Natasha steps away, stretching, like they're not having a serious conversation. It's a behavioural quirk commonly found in cats. ]

Everything you can do. [ a playful smile. She is nothing like him. ] Backwards and in heels.

[assembles]

[ The fact that Natasha retreats from him probably means that there's an answer to that question she doesn't want to give, and unsurprisingly, she responds in relation to him. Always taking the spotlight off of her, because if anyone looks for too long, they might see something they don't like.

Well, Steve can't say he knows much about this Natasha, but he hasn't seen much about his own version that he doesn't like, regardless of her unpleasant past. ]

Now that's something I'd like to see. [ Steve shifts to enter her field of vision then, manages a playful smile. ] It sounds like sparring is gonna be a lot more fun now that you're here.

[araneidal]

[ There are things about her no one likes. High peaks no one scales, trenches no one walks in. Everyone has them. Natasha's are just more unforgiving than most. ]

I'd hate for you to be bored.

[ She gestures, for him to make the opening move. ]

[assembles]

It's hard to get that bored around here.

[ People coming and going on a weekly basis, the events, and organizing his team -- there ends up being a lot to do. Not to mention the downtime he spends with Bucky, watching movies or walking his dog around the grounds. Steve's certainly made a place for himself here, much as he might hate to admit it.

But it looks like they're getting back into the swing of things. Literally, since he sends a punch Natasha's way, advancing on her with fists flying.

They could probably do this all afternoon. Maybe they will. ]

[araneidal]

[ Because there's a few special people who carve out places for themselves wherever they go, and draw the rest of the world around them. She sees that now — she's always one drawn in towards that, building only enough to remember what's important. Family. Friends. A place outside the Widow. ]

[ Steve is finally on the offensive, and Natasha meets him blow for blow, in a steady rhythm, until a while later she has him on the floor with his arm twisted behind his back and her knee on his spine. She lets him go, but doesn't move. ]

You don't want to try some push-ups, do you? My weight won't throw you off.

[assembles]

[ At least there had been a few times when Steve had gotten the upper hand over Natasha, even though she's the one who pins him by the end. Steve grits his teeth at the sharp pain in his arm from the way that Natasha's twisting it, his hands balling into fists as he accepts yet another defeat.

He can learn from her. That's good.

It's hard to tell if her remark then is serious or not, and Steve cranes his neck around to look over his shoulder at her, trying to judge. ]

That a challenge, Romanoff? [ Because he's pretty convinced he could do it. Even with only one arm available for use. ]