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“I am personally offended that you didn’t ask me to be your fake date.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to me Rogers! I had to hear it from Tony of all people! Tony! What kind of best friend am I if I didn’t even know you needed a plus one for your award? I thought it was just some boring ceremony where all these people go and kiss you ass about what a goddamn hero you are.”
“... see this is exactly why I didn’t ask you…”
“Are you doubting my acting skills?”
“No, that’s not it Nat. You’re a fantastic actress, you literally have an oscar to prove it.”
“Then what is it Steve? Why not ask me?”
“You and I both know the award is a load of bs, and I don’t want more people to make a fuss over it…”
“You deserve the recognition Steve, you’re too good for this world.”
“No, let me finish… look I just… it’s complicated okay…”
“Fine, who did you ask anyways?”
“I haven’t yet, but… I was thinking Carol?”
“Carol? As in Carol Danvers? You were planning on asking the literal gayest woman we know! What is going on in that thick skull of yours?”
“Carol’s a safe option…”
“No, definitely not. They’ll see right through it. You won’t be able to convince Peggy this way.”
“How did you…”
“I’m your best friend Steve, who else would make you freak like this and have to conjure up a fake girlfriend? I’m doing you a favor here, you can buy me dinner and we’ll call it even.”
“... alright Nat. I’ll pick you up at six on Friday.”
“It’s a date.”
This is a terrible idea, Steve knew from the moment he agreed to letting Natasha Romanov talk him into bringing her as his date, he would be in trouble. There’s a hundred reasons why he should have said no: Peggy’s going to be there, Tony knows it’s fake and will be giving him shit the whole night, he’s the worst liar on earth, but most importantly Natasha is going to be perfect. Having an unrequited crush on your best friend is a fate he would never wish upon anyone, and to have said best friend pretend for even just a few hours that the feelings are mutual is just pure torture— it’s not real, no matter how much he wants it to be.
“Stop fidgeting so much, you’re doing great.”
Her hand touches his shoulder before sliding down to adjust his tie as an excuse to help keep him calm. She doesn’t realize it has the opposite effect, having her so close and her attention solely focused on him, the rest of the crowd fades away including his ex-girlfriend who just couldn’t take a hint. She smiles up at him after fixing his tie, her hands lingering on his chest a pause longer than necessary, until she brings them down taking his right hand to pull him to their seats in time for the ceremony. Just their luck, they’re sitting at the perfect angle for Peggy to see them. Once seated, Natasha leans her head on his shoulder with a content sigh, he smiles as he holds onto her hand though he should’ve let go already. The loved up expression is evident on both their faces, sharing space comes naturally to them, there are no boundaries when it comes to the two best friends. She whispers in his ear telling him not to look to his left if he wants to avoid the stare down his former flame is giving them.
“She really wants you back Steve… I’m honestly not even sure why you won’t give it another chance. You ended on good terms and she’s a good person.”
“We’re not the same people we were in college. I don’t want to live in the past.”
“But I thought she was the one?”
“Yeah, so did I.”
They spend the entire evening wrapped up in each other as he nearly misses his cue to go on stage to accept his award, luckily Natasha also helped him with his speech so he didn’t screw that up. After a few more speeches, the event is over, now for the after party. This is the part of the night he was worried about, though for different reasons. At first he was afraid he would possibly be persuaded by his first love for a second chance, but now he knows the real danger is falling harder for his best friend. This was the real reason why he didn’t ask her to be his fake date, when reality hits and he’s left alone again, his heart will still be stuck on the perfect night with his dream girl. He feels a tap on his shoulder snapping him out of his woes, he struggles to keep it together when he looks into her gorgeous green eyes. She smiles and he’s a goner, barely registering what she’s saying.
“It’s not everyday I get to see you all dressed up, dance with me Steve.”
“I don’t know how.”
“I’ll teach you, follow my lead.”
She extends her hand out to him with a playful expression, the number of times she’s tried to get him to dance with her is remarkable yet she never gave up. A part of him never entertained the idea given his awful luck with his former flame, something always kept them from getting their dance. With Natasha though, even with him shooting her down everytime, she still wants him to experience a simple sway along with the music— a chance to bond over her favorite pastime. He isn’t sure whether or not he should take the plunge, but when he looks over to see Peggy’s disapproving gaze, he makes his decision.
“Only if you promise not to get mad when I step on your toes.”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen. I’m a lot faster than you Rogers.”
Together the two of them make their way over to the dance floor where others have coupled up to slow dance to a song request from one of the guests. She positions his hands on her waist while she places hers on his shoulders, she tells him to calm down as they follow the beat moving along slowly, his nervousness dies down when he sees her excitement as he hasn’t bailed on her yet. She lays her head on his chest as the chorus starts, he’s sure she can hear the pounding of his heart from how close she is.
“This is nice, you’re doing great Steve. See, it’s not so bad.”
“You’re right, it’s not. I just wasn’t sure it would be worth embarrassing myself.”
“That’s the only reason why you always said no?”
“Well…”
“I know the real reason Steve… but I’m glad you’ve finally moved on.”
“Didn’t you just question why I was against giving Peggy a second chance?”
“I did… but that’s because I thought you were still hung up on her.”
“I haven’t thought of her that way in years.”
“Then why haven’t you dated? Even when I tried to set you up with some of the women I know.”
“You know why.”
“Too busy, sure, but you always make time for me. You could easily reschedule one of our hang out sessions for a date.”
“You would miss me too much and complain that I’m having fun without you.”
“Not true…”
“Nat, be honest.”
“Fine, but that doesn’t mean I want you to grow old by yourself.”
“I could say the same about you, when’s the last time you went out on a date?”
“Right now.”
“This doesn’t count.”
“This is definitely a date. I got all dressed up, you picked me up, we had dinner together and now we’re dancing. A picture perfect evening that you see from the movies, I would know.”
“... well, just like the movies this will end after the credits.”
She pulls back slightly to look at him, he can’t quite read her expression, it quickly flickers back to a teasing smile as she decides they’re done dancing for the night. When they walk back past Tony and Pepper with big grins on their faces and demands for details next time they meet, he swears he can feel the disappointment from the other side of the room as Peggy leaves the venue. He lets out a sigh of relief knowing their plan worked. He hopes she finds the one who won’t keep her waiting soon, she’s a good person, she deserves someone who will cherish her properly.
Their hands are still laced together as she leads him to the balcony, the summer night is relatively cool compared to how hot it was when the sun was still up. They overlook the view of the lush garden, she leans against him still not letting go of his hand. His heart aches knowing this isn’t real, he should put an end to this charade, at this rate he’ll never get over her if she keeps the act up.
“I guess we don’t have to pretend any longer.”
“Maybe we can just tell the truth from now on.”
He hums in agreement, waiting for her to remove herself from his side and put the distance back where it belongs. Back into the friend zone where it’s safe and the lines are clearly drawn so that they do not cross them. She does no such thing, instead she continues to lean against him now with her head resting on his shoulder.
“Steve?”
“Yes?”
“What would you say if I didn’t want this to end?”
“What?”
“I don’t know what it is, but something about this just feels right. I mean, I’ve always felt so comfortable with you nearby, and I didn’t really know how to describe it… but I think I realize what it is now… you feel like home.”
They were both looking into each other’s eyes now as she admits she feels the connection between them, he knows exactly what she means. Happiness, content, solace; all words he associates with her. She feels like home, he’s been lost for so long, but he feels a sense of belonging when he’s with her.
“Nat, I love you. I’ve loved you for some time now, but I didn’t want to ruin our friendship…”
“Is that why you didn’t ask me to be your fake date?”
“It’s hard enough ignoring my feelings for you when we’re together. I didn’t know how I could go back to normal after experiencing what it would be like to have you as my girl.”
“What was it like?”
“Terrible. You’ve ruined me.”
Her light laughter sends his heart soaring, she hasn’t responded to his confession, but at least she hasn’t run away yet. It was definitely too soon for him to tell her the full truth, but he’s always been too honest for his own good. It’s a miracle he managed to hide this secret from her for so long, especially when she can read him so well.
“If it makes you feel better, you ruined me too, but…”
“But?”
“I think it’s best if we end this fake arrangement. Let me finish. If we’re going to do this, I want it to be real, I expected to be properly courted Steve.”
“Oh I don’t know if you can handle that Romanov. Can you resist my charms once I stop holding back?”
“I’m not planning on resisting, playing hard to get isn’t as fun as it used to be.”
“Prepared to be wooed then Miss Romanov.”
“Looking forward to it Mr. Rogers. Now take me home, so that we can stop all this pretending.”
“As you wish my lady.”
He kisses the back of her hand after bowing his head, she laughs again at his dedication. He’s just happy she’s willing to give him a chance to fully win her over, he expected this evening to end in heartbreak, but love is just starting to bloom between the two fake lovers. He can’t wait until they become a reality, and hopefully get to hear her say those three words back to him one day.