Summary:Technically Black Widow only invited Skye to a cafe in LA because she needed her help to decrypt a USB drive. It's totally, definitely NOT a date.. but that doesn't mean they can't wish it was.
Takes place in Season 1 (1x11) with Rookie Skye and before Captain America: Winter Soldier. The second part of the 'If Skye Had Met Black Widow series'
Notes:Set after S1 Episode 11: The Magical Place and just before Captain America: Winter Solider
(See the end of the work for more notes.)
Work Text:Skye sat in the booth of the café – the café, her café, the one she had memorised the co-ordinates for so she could use it as a GPS encryption. It had been a lifesaver, her main base in LA. She could park close by and still use their WiFi. Plus, their restrooms were nice.
Skye fiddled with a packet of sugar as she contemplated how low those standards were. Her leg was bouncing wildly with nervous energy, but she couldn't seem to stop herself. It wasn't as if she were really going on a date with Black Widow, she was only here to decrypt the USB drive she'd made back in the French Alps. She couldn't help but feel smug about that – Black Widow had needed to contact the BUS to get her to come and finish the hack.
The sound of an engine revving made Skye snap her head to attention. Outside, a really nice black car pulled up to the curb. Agent Romanoff slid out of the driver's side, tossing back her straightened hair as she pulled off sunglasses. Show-off.
Skye drummed her fingers against the table as she watched Romanoff march through the entrance, eyes scanning the café before landing on Skye. She straightened in her seat as Natasha approached.
"Hi! You look great," Skye greeted and cringed at how that sounded, "I mean it's great to see you. Again. Alive – not hurt or anything."
Natasha smirked as Skye blushed. Skye looked to be doing well, all things considered. She noticed the electronic jammer had been removed from her wrist. Natasha cleared her throat.
"Switch seats," she ordered, then at Skye's confused look, "Please. I don't like having my back to the door."
"Oh, of course," Skye squeaked and shuffled over to the other side of the booth, mumbling, "Super spy stuff and all that."
Natasha gave a comforting smile as she slid into the booth, "You look nervous," Natasha observed, "Don't be."
Skye nodded, before recollecting herself and reaching for the zipper of her backpack, "So, the encryption," Skye began, "it shouldn't take me too long but you might want to order a drink in the process."
"What would you like?" Natasha asked, quickly scanning the menu herself.
Skye contemplated for a second as she lifted the lid of her laptop, "Just a black coffee, please. I'll pay you back, don't worry."
"I'm not worried," Natasha reassured, raising an eyebrow, "Are you sure you want more caffeine? You're bouncing off the walls already."
Skye frowned and Natasha reached out a hand to Skye's knee, stilling her rapid movement. Oh. Usually, Skye hated it when people commented on her restless habits, countless nuns and foster parents had chided her for her inability to sit still. None of them understood that she just needed to move – to release that anxious energy somewhere. Natasha's hand was warm on her knee and she could feel warmth in her face as her cheeks heated with her blush.
"Sorry," Skye apologised, "It's a bad habit."
Natasha nodded in understanding, and removed her hand, "It's okay, but if you want to be an agent it's best to keep your tells to a minimum."
She stood up before Skye could reply and went to order their drinks. Skye bit her lip as she watched her go and then shook herself to clear her thoughts, returning her attention to the task at hand.
Natasha ordered their drinks at the counter and waited as they were served. She turned to look at Skye, who was fixed on her screen, her fingers flying over the keys. She was wearing a cute little bomber jacket and far too many necklaces that an assailant could use to strangle her with.
Natasha thought, not for the first time, what it would be like to be a civilian. To go on a café date with a cute girl and hope for a relationship – maybe marriage, a few kids. She sighed as the barista called her name and she collected their order. Whilst she was technically in a café with a cute girl, they were both involved with a spy organisation and she was here on Fury's orders.
"So," Natasha began, placing Skye's coffee and a blueberry muffin in front of her as she re-joined the table, "How's your team?"
Skye's face lit up as she saw the muffin and quickly tore a bite into it.
"Good, yeah," Skye replied around a mouthful of muffin, turning her attention to Natasha, "I mean, we've had our ups and downs. Coulson got kidnapped and there's this really sinister talk of a Clairvoyant going around, but we got him back and that's what matters."
"Is he okay?" Natasha asked, concerned.
Skye's face became riddled with worry, "He…wasn't in a good shape. I was so worried about him, I mean, we all were. He says he's fine, but I don't know."
Before Natasha could stop herself, she reached out a hand and placed it on top of Skye's in comfort.
"Coulson can handle himself," she reassured, giving Skye's hand a little squeeze. Skye shot her a small smile. Natasha let go and leant back in the booth. She was looking into Coulson's death and it wasn't good news, not that Skye needed to hear that right now.
"Well, what about you? How's training going?" She asked, diverting the conversation to hopefully lighter topics.
"Training still sucks," Skye said with a scrunch of her face that Natasha found endearing, "But I did get to use one badass move on a cop. I pretended to be Agent May and tricked this rich guy into letting me borrow his super fancy car."
"What did Agent May think of that?" Natasha asked with a smirk.
"She seemed cool with it. I still can't tell if she likes me, she's got that serious poker face on all the time. It's hard to know what she's thinking."
"Agent May likes you," Natasha confirmed, "Otherwise you'd know."
Skye looked to her laptop, to see that her decryption program was running well.
"So, what about you?" Skye asked Natasha, raising an eyebrow and lowering her voice, "Been doing any cool avenging missions?"
"That's classified," Natasha answered, plucking a piece off of Skye's muffin.
Skye looked thoroughly offended and rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, SHIELD and it's stupid red tape, I want to hear something cool!"
"Steve and I are on a team now," Natasha offered, "It's going good. I've been introducing him to as much modern culture as I can."
"How does he like the internet?"
"He's trying." Natasha replied, "He still calls it 'The Google' though so…"
"What a grandpa," Skye remarked, "Must be hard to adjust."
Skye noticed Natasha's attention drifting to other patrons in the shop, eyeing up one guy in particular. He was sat at the bar, hair ruffled but dressed in a full piece suit and looking shifty.
"Is something wrong?" Skye asked, frowning at the man. Natasha turned to her with a beaming smile.
"Probably nothing," Natasha brushed it off, "I tend to notice when people act odd. He's probably hungover."
"Yeah probably," Skye agreed, "Looks like he's got like 5 children and a wife who probably hates him. His shirts have been ironed but he looks like he hasn't slept in months."
Natasha gave her an appraising smile, "Good observation."
Skye shrugged, "I mean, I'm probably wrong but I used to watch people a lot."
"Why?"
"It's stupid but when I was younger, I would see if strangers looked like me, just in case one of them was my parents. Which is dumb because I wouldn't know from just looking at them."
"It's not stupid," Natasha said, voice much softer. She pictured a younger Skye, sat in a coffee shop trying to find her parents among the blank faces around her, "I grew up without my parents too."
Skye touched a hand to Natasha's arm where it was wrapped around the now empty mug of coffee, she opened her mouth to say something sympathetic but stopped herself.
"Sucks, right?" she opted for instead.
They settled into a comfortable silence; Skye checked the encryption again and finished up her coffee, wondering whether to tell Natasha it was ready or not. Skye looked at Natasha over the top of her coffee, leaning on the table. Natasha was checking her phone, hair falling into her face as she frowned at a message. Her lips made a small pout and Skye wondered how this woman was a deadly assassin.
"You're staring," Natasha commented, not looking up from her phone.
Skye blinked and set the mug down, taking a stray hair behind her ear as she returned to the laptop. She closed her open windows and ejected the USB.
"It's done," she announced, handing it over, "One encrypted USB as ordered."
"Well I suppose it's time to go," Natasha announces, and Skye reluctantly packs away her things. She tries to press some cash into Natasha's hand to repay her for the coffee, but Natasha refused to accept it. They exit the shop together, brushing shoulders as they go through the door.
Skye followed Natasha out to her car, which Natasha unlocks, but she doesn't leave just yet.
"Stay safe, ribka," Natasha said, making sure to keep eye contact with the girl, "It's a dangerous world out there."
"I know," Skye replied, nodding in understanding.
Natasha paused and observed Skye, before pulling her in for a quick peck on the lips. Skye made a startled sound in the back of her throat. Natasha smirked as she pulled away.
"You're cute," she stated, opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat before Skye could react. She could see Skye's bewildered face in the wing mirror as she pulled away from the curb and sped into traffic.
Skye stared after Black Widow's car as it disappeared completely from sight. She was still reeling from shock when Ward called her.
"Skye, I need you back at the plane in 5. There's been an incident at a SHIELD Academy, Coulson wants us to take a look."
"Copy that."
**
In hindsight, that moment with Skye in the café in LA was like the peaceful retreat of the sea before the crashing wave of a tsunami. Whatever information was on that USB had set Fury on the warpath for more information – and then he was dead, and no-one could be trusted.
Natasha had wanted to warn Skye that SHIELD was falling the moment Dr Zola told them Hydra had infiltrated. She didn't. She had no way of knowing that Skye wasn't Hydra or compromised in any way. She didn't fit Hydra's bill as the rookie who wanted to find her place as an agent, but some risks were too big to take. Fury couldn't show his face, Hand was dead, the Triskelion was destroyed, and countless good agents had died at the hands of Hydra. SHIELD had well and truly fallen.
She sat at a Stark computer, using his impressive AI to find out what little she could of Coulson's team during the fall. There was nothing. No records of an Agent Coulson, Agent May, Agent Simmons or an Agent Fitz. No flight logs. No mission reports, no birth records, no passports and no IDs.
It gave her hope.
Skye was alive. If there was anyone in SHIELD who could wipe data that effectively it would be Skye. They might never meet again, but at least she hadn't been killed by her actions uncovering Hydra. Skye had put her trust in the organisation, and it had been destroyed.
She hoped that kid was raising hell.
Notes:Hope you enjoyed this little one-shot! I can't make any promises (defo not since I wrote the first part in 2017) BUT I'm hoping to continue with the next work which will be following Daisy and Natasha in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The first chapter is up, and I'm hoping to write the next few soon.
Series this work belongs to:← Previous Work Part 2 of If Skye Had Met Black Widow Next Work →