[ Steve tries not to get too tripped up over who is or isn't a friend, but he knows that sometimes it's hard to be sure whether or not you became that close with someone. Especially since Natasha is the sort of person who keeps her walls up for a while with people she's just getting to know.

Maybe this guy is the same. ]

A sparring partner. [ He raises an eyebrow, mildly curious. ] She must have respected your abilities, then. She doesn't tend to go easy on people.

[ Unless she was also teaching them, like with Hilda, but that's neither here nor there.

Realizing he should probably explain his connection to Nat, something that's such a given for him that he forgets that it's not self-evident, he adds: ] We were friends. From home. We led a team together, were on the run for a while... [ He feels his throat get tight again and cuts off, staring out toward the water. ] It was good, to have her here.