They are all arranged in a circle, as per Natasha's instructions. Now everyone is staring at her since she's reached the second part of the instructions.
Natasha smiles her sphinx smile, and repeats herself. "You turn and kiss the person to your left. It's a team-building exercise. It builds trust and encourages team bonding. We did this at SHIELD."
"You did not do this at SHIELD," Sam protests. "Steve, did you do this at SHIELD?"
Steve is about 90% sure Natasha is totally trolling them, but he just holds up his hands. "Hey, the lady's in charge today. I'm following her orders, same as the rest of you."
"So, like ... on the cheek, on the lips, what?" Rhodey wants to know.
"Wherever you like. I'll start." Natasha turns to Wanda, who is kneeling next to her. The girl stares at her nervously. Natasha kisses her lightly on the corner of the mouth and smiles at her. "Your turn."
Wanda smiles shyly back at her, then turns to Rhodey, on her left. He gives her an encouraging smile. She leans forward and places a quick, light peck on his cheek.
"See?" he says. "Wasn't so bad."
Her sudden smile is bright. They've been getting these little peeks through the clouds with Wanda lately. Natasha and Rhodey can bring it out better than anyone else can.
"Your turn," Wanda says, a little more confidently.
Rhodey turns to Vision. For a moment the two of them stare at each other.
"You are supposed to kiss me," Vision says politely.
"I know that."
There's another long pause. Sam clears his throat. "Pucker up, Rhodes. We don't have all day."
"That's Colonel Rhodes to you, Sergeant." Rhodey turns back to Vision, who is still watching him with warm, curious eyes. "Have you ever kissed anyone before?" Rhodey asks him.
"No," Vision says. "I have not."
"Well, then." Rhodey leans forward. Steve's totally expecting him to do what Wanda did, and give him a perfunctory peck on the cheek, but instead Rhodey kisses him on the lips, and kisses him long and slow. Rhodey's eyes close. Vision's, after a moment, do likewise, like a contented cat's.
Rhodey draws back and sees they've become the center of attention. "What? It's the guy's first kiss! He needs to have a decent one."
Vision turns to Sam with parted lips.
"The cheek," Sam says. "On the cheek."
"It's important not to kiss people in ways they're uncomfortable with, Vision," Natasha says. She pretends to ignore Steve rolling his eyes at her, because hello, mall-kissing hypocrite. "That's part of what this exercise is for, to become more comfortable with your teammates and their level of comfort with you."
So Vision kisses Sam lightly on the cheek, a brush of the lips, in an apparent imitation of Wanda's kiss. "Is that done well?" he asks.
"It's perfect," Sam tells him. "Aces, man."
Vision smiles.
This is all working out a lot better than Steve was expecting. Nat's good at people; he forgets that, sometimes. Then Sam turns to him, and he thinks, shit. Somehow he'd forgotten that the kisses were going to come around to him eventually.
But ... it isn't awkward. He was expecting it to be, but it's not. They've been under fire together, after all; they've pulled each other's battered bodies out of wreckage. After that, this is just ... it's just a kiss. And maybe that's the whole point Natasha wanted to make. Sam leans in and gives Steve a light, closed-mouth kiss on the lips. His lips are soft.
Steve turns to find that Natasha has turned her face up to his, her eyes half-closed. Well. If that's how it's going to be. He kisses her very lightly on the cheek, just in front of her ear. "Wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable," he tells her.
She playfully scowls at him.
"Lunch?" Wanda asks hopefully.
"Lunch," Rhodey agrees.
"I would like to practice kissing some more," Vision says.
no subject
They are all arranged in a circle, as per Natasha's instructions. Now everyone is staring at her since she's reached the second part of the instructions.
Natasha smiles her sphinx smile, and repeats herself. "You turn and kiss the person to your left. It's a team-building exercise. It builds trust and encourages team bonding. We did this at SHIELD."
"You did not do this at SHIELD," Sam protests. "Steve, did you do this at SHIELD?"
Steve is about 90% sure Natasha is totally trolling them, but he just holds up his hands. "Hey, the lady's in charge today. I'm following her orders, same as the rest of you."
"So, like ... on the cheek, on the lips, what?" Rhodey wants to know.
"Wherever you like. I'll start." Natasha turns to Wanda, who is kneeling next to her. The girl stares at her nervously. Natasha kisses her lightly on the corner of the mouth and smiles at her. "Your turn."
Wanda smiles shyly back at her, then turns to Rhodey, on her left. He gives her an encouraging smile. She leans forward and places a quick, light peck on his cheek.
"See?" he says. "Wasn't so bad."
Her sudden smile is bright. They've been getting these little peeks through the clouds with Wanda lately. Natasha and Rhodey can bring it out better than anyone else can.
"Your turn," Wanda says, a little more confidently.
Rhodey turns to Vision. For a moment the two of them stare at each other.
"You are supposed to kiss me," Vision says politely.
"I know that."
There's another long pause. Sam clears his throat. "Pucker up, Rhodes. We don't have all day."
"That's Colonel Rhodes to you, Sergeant." Rhodey turns back to Vision, who is still watching him with warm, curious eyes. "Have you ever kissed anyone before?" Rhodey asks him.
"No," Vision says. "I have not."
"Well, then." Rhodey leans forward. Steve's totally expecting him to do what Wanda did, and give him a perfunctory peck on the cheek, but instead Rhodey kisses him on the lips, and kisses him long and slow. Rhodey's eyes close. Vision's, after a moment, do likewise, like a contented cat's.
Rhodey draws back and sees they've become the center of attention. "What? It's the guy's first kiss! He needs to have a decent one."
Vision turns to Sam with parted lips.
"The cheek," Sam says. "On the cheek."
"It's important not to kiss people in ways they're uncomfortable with, Vision," Natasha says. She pretends to ignore Steve rolling his eyes at her, because hello, mall-kissing hypocrite. "That's part of what this exercise is for, to become more comfortable with your teammates and their level of comfort with you."
So Vision kisses Sam lightly on the cheek, a brush of the lips, in an apparent imitation of Wanda's kiss. "Is that done well?" he asks.
"It's perfect," Sam tells him. "Aces, man."
Vision smiles.
This is all working out a lot better than Steve was expecting. Nat's good at people; he forgets that, sometimes. Then Sam turns to him, and he thinks, shit. Somehow he'd forgotten that the kisses were going to come around to him eventually.
But ... it isn't awkward. He was expecting it to be, but it's not. They've been under fire together, after all; they've pulled each other's battered bodies out of wreckage. After that, this is just ... it's just a kiss. And maybe that's the whole point Natasha wanted to make. Sam leans in and gives Steve a light, closed-mouth kiss on the lips. His lips are soft.
Steve turns to find that Natasha has turned her face up to his, her eyes half-closed. Well. If that's how it's going to be. He kisses her very lightly on the cheek, just in front of her ear. "Wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable," he tells her.
She playfully scowls at him.
"Lunch?" Wanda asks hopefully.
"Lunch," Rhodey agrees.
"I would like to practice kissing some more," Vision says.