WARNING!! THIS CHAPTER MAY HINT TO SPOILERS IN INFINITY WAR AND MAYBE EVEN AVENGERS FOUR! READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK! (also includes my own spin on how I think things should have turned out)

"Clint, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm fixing the sink, obviously." Clint ran a greasy hand through his dirty blonde hair and stood up. Natasha shot him a confused look.

"Shouldn't we . . . Call Stark for that or something?"

"What? Are you judging my plumbing skills?" he joked.

"Oh of course not. Plumbing's just . . . not your thing," she teased, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. 

"Besides, we couldn't call Stark. It's Pepper's birthday, we shouldn't bother him," Clint went on. 

Then Nat remembered their friend's birthday. Ever since Tony had announced their engagement, Pepper was all Tony seemed to be concerned with. Which was fine, because Nat and about a few other million people knew how Tony used  to be. Pepper had finally managed to tame the beast, and Natasha was happy for them. However they still had managed to come down to Clint's home for weekend to visit, as the whole team had. 

She wasn't sure she felt all lovey dovey about anybody though. Ever since being a spy, Nat had learned to be cautious. Perhaps she had built her own wall over the years, and the only one that ever seemed to break that wall was Banner. However, that had crashed and burned. And ever since that, Natasha hadn't really felt anything for anyone. 

"You alright?" called Clint. 

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." But truthfully, she wasn't entirely sure. She turned away from Clint to stare out his house's window onto the farm. 

"You sure?" Clint called behind her. "You were staring at the wall for a good minute, which I know means your thinking."

Natasha shrugged off her annoyance. "No seriously Clint, I'm fine." 

"Nat, I've known you long enough to know - or at least get a hint - as to when you're lying. What's wrong?"

She ran a finger through her hair which she had dyed back to a gingery-red color. She shuddered as she recalled recent and awful memories, memories from Thanos, ones that she was determined to forget. Memories of her friends turning to nothing . . . all at the snap of a finger. 

After she refused to answer for a while, she heard Clint get up and walk away, his boots creaking on the wood, without saying another word. She had stayed silent long enough for him to get the hint and go, because anyone who knew her knew that when she didn't want to talk, she didn't have to talk.

She must have been staring outside for long time, because she swore she saw the sun start to set across the horizon. Sighing, she walked back to her bedroom, in which she was surprised to find that her door was shut. She opened it with caution, cracking it open only slightly. 

To her surprise, she saw Steve sitting on the bed, looking out the window facing away from her. 

"What the hell Steve? What are you doing in here?"

Steve instantly turned around, looking innocent and at a loss for words. It was odd how his face looked . . . Nat saw pain, sorrow, regret . . .

She immediately softened her gaze and opened the door all the way. Steve turned away from her and back to the window. "Sorry . . ." he mumbled ever so slightly. "I just . . . I don't have a window in my room and your window faces the sunset so-"

"It's okay," she jumped in, pursing her lips for no reason.  She walked in and sat next to Steve, leaving little space between them. "What's on your mind?" she asked gently, looking up to his face. He refused to match her gaze. 

"Nothing I just . . . was thinking about all that's happened, you know? The war we just had to re-start and finish . . . the people we lost in the process . . . I just, I don't know. After Thanos and all the problems with S.H.E.I.L.D, I feel like it's just not the same."

 Nat wrinkled her brows but continued to eye Steve. "What's not the same?"

There was a long pause, before Steve broke the silence. "Nothing I guess. I don't know. Maybe . . . maybe us? Maybe the whole team? The entire world perhaps? I just . . . just . . ."

Nat was surprised at how emotional Rogers was being. Sure, he was the most emotional out of all of them, but this was different. He put his head in his hands, covering his eyes. "I've been thinking a lot lately about all the things that have happened because of us. Because of me."

"Steve . . ." Natasha started. "It's okay to think that, because a lot of stuff has happened because of you. Look around," Natasha spread one of her arms in a circle, as if to gesture looking around them. "You have changed this world. No one would be where they were if it weren't for you. You've done so much, not just for your country, not just for the world, but for the entire universe." Natasha was shocked at how deep she had just gone. She didn't even realize that Steve was now staring right at her, his blue eyes twinkling in the evening light. 

Then again very much to her surprise, she reached out and rested her left hand on Steve's knee. The slight touch was electric, sending chills down her spine. What was that? Stop it Nat! You don't love him, do you? Ugh, don't even think about love.

Steve looked first to the soft hand on his jeans, and then to Natasha, and back again. "Nat . . ."

Natasha quickly pulled away to face the wall, removing her hand in the process. "Sorry . . ." she started. Stop it Nat, don't do this. Do you really want to repeat what happened with Bruce? But then a part of her whispered; but what if this isn't like Bruce . . . what if Steve is different?

"Look, Steve I . . . you're an amazing person, okay? You have to realize that. You've done so much. I'm not trying to get all emotional, because you know me." That earned her a smile that almost warmed her heart. ". . . but you really have done a lot for everyone everywhere. You mean so much to so many people." And before she could stop herself . . . "You mean so much - to me."

Steve raised his head at that comment and stared her straight in the eyes. He opened and closed his mouth, not able to find words. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Don't do this to yourself Nat. Don't cause more pain. You don't want to break his heart anymore than you'll break yours. 

She squeezed her eyes shut as she held back a fierce blush, which was extremely odd, because she never blushed. She opened them just in time to see Steve lean in towards her too fast to stop, and his lips crashed against hers and she let them, her eyes slamming shut. Her every instinct told her to pull away, but her body didn't listen to her. Before she knew it she was kissing him back, her hands raising to wrap themselves around his neck. Fire erupted in her chest, her stomach, everywhere as they sat there, their lips locked tightly. 

They only broke when a familiar voice rang from the doorway. "You know we have thin walls here, right?"

Natasha and Steve pulled away so fast and Nat tucked her hair behind her ear nervously. Tony stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame. "Oh, please don't let me interrupt," he joked, putting his hands up innocently. "I just had to see what was going on in here." He smirked before pretending to cover his eyes as he pivoted on his feet. "Continue," he said as he walked out of the room and down the hall.

Natasha turned to Steve, to find him grinning wildly, and a faint shade of pink overcame his cheeks. After an awkward silence, Steve stood to his feet and walked to the door, pausing before he left. "Goodnight," he said awkwardly. 

"Night," she said back, slapping on a nervous grin. 

And for once in a long while, Natasha slept peacefully, without any nightmares about Thanos. Because all she could think about or focus on . . . was Steve. 

A/N

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!! MY SECOND FAVORITE SHIP OF ALL TIME!!! ROMANGERS FOREVER!! I LOVE IT THESE TWO ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER!!

So anyways, just wanted to say thank you and i hope to be posting here often, as i usually say about everything but . . . 

Feel free to leave recommendations on what you would like to see, and make sure to comment and vote!!

Thanks!!

-BurningEmber