Title: Potential
Fandom: Marvel/Captain America
Rating: PG
Length: 300
Content notes: Relationship between people who were recently instructor/probationary agent.
Author notes: For fan-flashworks.
Summary: Natasha is in charge of Sharon's training, and she knows that Sharon has potential.



Sharon was better than the other new agents, but not nearly as good as she could have been. Fury had trusted Natasha to make sure the agents met their potential, and Natasha wouldn’t fail.

She made Sharon do double sessions of hand-to-hand and shooting practice. Sharon was breezing through tactics training effortlessly, so Natasha pulled her out and gave her private lessons, usually involving stranding her somewhere dangerous without an exit plan.

When Sharon finished training, she shook Natasha’s hand. “You were my favorite instructor.”

“I was hard on you.”

“You were the only person here who didn’t tell me I had to make my aunt proud.”

“Why would I say that?” Natasha smiled, “I assume my standards are more impossible than hers.”

“You might not say that if you met her. If you want to, I can… introduce you.” Natasha looked at her, read her. Sharon wanted a mentor, someone who wouldn’t define her by her family, but she didn’t really have anything else to offer Natasha that Natasha couldn’t easily get herself.

“That’s okay. Ex agents should get to enjoy their retirement. And besides, I already know an Agent Carter I can hang out with.”



Sharon grinned. “So does that mean we can keep sparring even though training is done?”

“Sure, if you want to keep getting your ass kicked, that’s no problem,” Natasha answered.

Sharon nodded, unperturbed. “Cool. Thursdays?”

“Sure.”

“So… some of us newbies are going out for drinks to celebrate. But if you’re free, we can maybe have drinks, just you and me?”

Natasha tilted her head. She didn’t misread people often. The eagerness, the slight nervousness… Sharon wasn’t looking for a mentor at all.

“I wouldn’t mind a nice vodka.”

Sharon smiled, and Natasha suddenly observed that Sharon had very nice lips.