[ WP ] After years of battles hard fought , at the close of a Civil War , Steve Rogers retires from the Avengers . Hanging up his shield and uniform , he settles down in a quiet little neighborhood , where he is known as simply as Mr. Rogers .

`` Thanks, Mr. Rogers!'' little Tameka grinned up at him as she nuzzled her kitten. 
 
 `` It was nothing,'' Steve smiled back as he clapped his hands free of dirt and bits of wood. `` Just try to keep Pumpkin inside for a bit longer; it might be a little too soon for her to explore outside.'' 
 
 `` Kay!'' his young neighbor nodded before scurrying off. 
 
 Steve kept the smile on his face as he walked back inside his house. 
 
 When he saw her washing the dishes, his small sense of satisfaction instantly vanished. 
 
 `` Your garden is beautiful,'' she told him as she scrubbed some greasy mess from a frying pan. 
 
 `` Thanks. If I knew you were coming, I would have saved some chicken for you,'' Steve ventured in a neutral tone as he took his place beside her. He began to dry off the dishes. 
 
 She shrugged, keeping her green eyes trained on the soapy pan. `` I prefer not to make prior arrangements. Life's hectic enough as it is, and I do n't like to break off engagements when emergencies pop up.'' 
 
 `` I understand.'' 
 
 The two stood in silence, and while Steve never looked directly at her, he would glance at their reflection from the window above the sink. 
 
 Natasha looked as she usually looked: stolid, focused, lovely. He preferred this side of her to the deadly assassin she was. 
 
 `` So how's the team?'' Steve finally asked. 
 
 `` Hmph,'' Natasha grunted. Most other people in the world would assume she was being neutral and cold, but Steve was not most other people. This was her at her most friendly. `` Same old same old: Thor's as gorgeous and naive as ever, Loki's still scheming, Tony's ego is bruised because that Squirrel Girl mutant managed to beat Doom when all his plans and tech failed, Clint's still a pain in the ass, Fury and Maria are still hardasses, and Bruce... Bruce is feeling better, now that we have a pretty solid contingency plan for the big guy.'' 
 
 He dared a glance at her. `` And you?'' 
 
 Her green eyes flashed, and for a second, he thought he could see a ghost of a smirk. 
 
 `` Same old same old,'' Natasha repeated. `` And you?'' 
 
 Steve stopped drying dishes, took a deep breath, and stared at the ceiling. 
 `` Alright.'' 
 
 `` I can imagine,'' she said as she rinsed the last cup. `` Getting kittens out of trees tends to make people feel'alright.''' 
 
 `` Why are you here, Romanov?'' Steve demanded. 
 
 `` I'm visiting a friend,'' the Avenger stated simply. 
 
 `` I *know* you,'' he snapped. `` I know what you're trained to do, and I know what you did to Bruce and Loki when we first started this whole misadventure.'' 
 
 Natasha looked at him for the first time. What little amicability she had vanished. `` I'm here to visit a friend,'' she repeated. `` S.H.I.E.L.D did n't ask me to get you back on board, and Tony did n't come whining to me to get the band back together. I'm here because I had some free time and I wanted to see how you were doing.'' 
 
 Steve scrutinized her for a moment. Far too many people assumed that she and Clint were the weak links in the Avengers, seeing how neither of them possessed Thor's strength, Iron Man's technical genius, or Captain America's reputation, but Steve knew better. Like a black widow, she seemed small and innocuous, but also like a black widow, Natasha could lure the unsuspecting into her web and take down foes far more menacing than her. 
 
 But looking into her eyes, Steve was ( mostly ) sure she was being honest. 
 
 `` I recently got certified to be a carpenter.'' 
 
 `` You always seemed like you preferred to work with your hands,'' she commented as she sat down at the table. 
 
 Steve nodded as he joined her. `` Back when I was a kid, pretty much all the guys in my neighborhood worked with their hands.'' 
 
 `` Well, I'm happy for you, grandpa.'' 
 
 `` I guess I am, too.'' 
 
 `` You seem uncertain.'' 
 
 Steve nodded again. `` Do n't get me wrong, I like working with wood and nails, but... I still wish I was doing more good.'' 
 
 Natasha shot him a dour look and raised an eyebrow. 
 
 `` Not like that!'' he scowled back. `` You can help people without your fists, you know!'' 
 
 `` So if the supersoldier and superhero business is n't how you want to help people, how would you go about it?'' 
 
 Steve looked away, and felt a small blush tinge his cheeks. 
 
 `` Well,'' Natasha said in a comforting ( by her standards ) tone, `` none of your ideas have ever been too egregiously stupid, so it ca n't be that bad.'' 
 
 `` I want to make a television show,'' he blurted. 
 
 `` I did n't know they had those back then.'' 
 
 `` You know what, Romanov --!'' 
 
 `` Relax,'' she stated, her voice stolid. `` I'm kidding.'' 
 
 `` I do n't know, it's just... the world's different than what it used to be, and while a lot of things have improved, I think we lost some values that we really should n't have.'' 
 
 `` And how do you plan to fix that problem with television?'' 
 
 `` Well, kids seem to be spending a lot of time in front of those things, and you know how kids are: they mimic what they see. Maybe if I'm giving them something good to mimic, then the world will be a better a place.'' 
 
 And Natasha smiled. 
 
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 I do n't often do prompts, and I ca n't say I'm particularly satisfied with this short story as it's a bit dull, but whatever. It's not like I'm sending this to Scholastic or Penguin or something. If you spot any typos, please point them out to me.
