Summary: So here's the thing, Natasha might be just a little (read completely and utterly) in love with her bodyguard Steve Rogers. That might not seem like a big problem, but get this: she's the Princess of Prussia and expected to marry Crown Prince Bruce of Wales. There's also the fact that, you know, her parents don't really know her and Steve are unofficially courting. Thank goodness (not) some rebels were able to reveal that particular secret to the ENTIRE WORLD!

Romanogers royalty AU with Natasha joining the Stark family (meaning there's some wholesome Natasha/Tony sibling-ship as well as some wonderful Romanogers content)

Author's Note: Please hit me with your ideas. I'll mostly see what you DM me, but comment your ideas here too because I'm going to make a point of reading all my notifications so I can see your ideas.

Natasha was pretty sure that Steve was trying to get them caught at this point. He hadn't exactly been subtle when stating his protest against having yet another royal ball for her and Prince Bruce. Luckily, her parents hadn't seemed to suspect anything other than Steve being annoyed he had to work another late night. Natasha had come up with some excuse about needing to leave before Steve could try and argue further, making her parents even more suspicious than they might already be. She had every reason to think Tony already knew, but she was desperately clinging to the small hope her parents were still completely oblivious.

Before the guards or servants could see them, Natasha grabbed Steve by his sleeve and pulled him into the nearest empty room. She spun him around and pushed him against the wall, glaring at him for risking their cover and accidentally exposing their relationship to her parents.

"What were you thinking? You could have gotten us caught," she hissed. Steve grinned down at her and her glare hardened. "This isn't funny. They could kill you if they wanted."

"Have I ever told you it's a huge turn on when you take control and slam me into a wall?" Steve asked, throwing Natasha off for just a moment. "Cause it is and I feel like you should know that."

"Steve," she growled, "This is serious. If you keep throwing a fit whenever they arrange for me to meet with another prince, they'll figure it out at some point. I'm pretty sure Tony already knows as it is."

"Oh, Tony definitely knows," said a voice behind them. Natasha froze, eyes widening as she took a moment to recognise the room she'd pulled Steve into. Sure enough, Tony's red and gold decorations met her eyes and she turned around to see her brother smirking behind her. The asshole was even lying on his couch with a book on astrophysics in his hands as if this was a common occurrence.

"What are you doing here?" she whined, letting go of Steve to face Tony. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What am I doing here?" he repeated, sitting up and closing his book. "I live here. What are you--" he waved at Natasha and Steve, "--doing here is the better question."

"Clearly, we're having an important discussion that doesn't involve you," Natasha snapped. Tony rolled his eyes then gave Steve a welcoming nod. Steve smiled and nodded back much to Natasha's annoyance. At this rate, she wouldn't be surprised to find out Steve had just flat out told Tony they were secretly courting. The two seemed closer than she and Steve did sometimes.

"No, my name was said," Tony objected, a wide grin on his face. "I think this conversation involves me."

"It'll involve you when you can figure out how to get us out of the stupid ball with Prince Bruce this weekend," Natasha bargained. Tony pursed his lips, tilting his head to the side for a second. After a short moment, he clasped his hands together and stood up with a somewhat unnerving smile.

"I've got it," he announced. Natasha narrowed her eyes at him. "You two still have to come, but I have this new theory Brucie would absolutely love, so I can keep him distracted all night long."

"And what do I have to give you in return?" Natasha asked. Tony shrugged, casually looking around the room. Natasha grew even warier the longer he thought about his part of the deal.

"I get to be there when you tell Mom and Dad you two are courting by the end of next week," he replied. Natasha's eyes widened and Steve coughed behind her. Natasha immediately shook her head, taking a step back and bumping into Steve.

"Absolutely not," she denied, lacing her fingers with Steve's behind her back. Who cared if Tony knew, she was too used to hiding it to change now. "They'll kill him if they found out."

"I'll make sure they don't, Nat," Tony promised, walking toward her. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a soft smile. "You have to tell them eventually. I promise to help things go smoothly and if they don't, I have a place you can run off to and live happily ever after as long as you promise to write me every week."

"I don't know, Tony," Natasha sighed. She did know. She hated the idea beyond reason. There was no way the King Howard was going to show any remorse toward Steve when he found out she wanted to marry him instead of a Crown Prince. Howard may love Steve and trust him with her life, but there were some things (like politics and "tradition") that he refused to part with.

Steve squeezed her hand gently and she glanced back to see the corner of his lips twitched upward. She could tell he didn't like the idea either, but he wasn't going to argue with Tony. They both knew they'd have to tell the King and Queen eventually, Natasha had just been hoping the day would never actually come. Nevertheless, Tony was willing to help them and that had to be worth something. Natasha knew his resources weren't always aligned with what their parents thought was right, but having him be able to provide an escape plan could definitely make things easier.

"You promise nothing will go wrong?" she asked. Tony nodded, looking from her to Steve then back to her. "Alright, but Steve has to leave the day before just to be safe."

"Natasha," Steve argued. Tony immediately agreed with her and Steve sighed. "I think that's a little extreme."

"It won't seem so extreme when the King sends out a kill order and you're safely hidden away," Natasha told him. Steve knew there was no arguing about it, not when both Tony and Natasha were teamed up together. The two had always been forces to reckon with even when opposed, so having them both agree on something so important, Steve knew there was no escape.

"Fine," Steve gave in. He brought his hand up to cup the back of Natasha's head as he looked at both her and Tony. "But if anything goes wrong, you tell me," he said, looking directly at Tony. Tony nodded.

"Wouldn't dream of doing anything else," he replied.

* * * * *

Natasha was lying on her bed, not quite asleep but not fully awake, as Steve sat beside her with his sketchbook. It wasn't uncommon for him to be with her in her room, sketching quietly while she either read, danced, or dozed off curled up beside him. At the moment, she didn't have any good books to read and cuddling up to Steve had felt like a much better option. Now, though, as she laid beside Steve, she couldn't help but worry about the deal she'd made with Tony. Steve seemed unbothered and relaxed, so she didn't mention it to him, but she still couldn't stop thinking about it.

Steve glanced down at her, causing her to shift and force her gaze upward. She smiled up at him and he opened his mouth, about to say something, when a loud knock came to the door. They both jumped. Natasha scrambled off her bed and practically shoved Steve behind her changing wall. He crouched down just as the door opened and a maid walked in carrying a slim white box.

"This just came for you," she announced, setting the box on the bed. Natasha didn't need to open it to know it was another dress; she always got one before an event and they always came in the same box. "It's from his Highness Prince Bruce for you to wear at the ball this weekend."

"Oh," Natasha said, gingerly opening up the box. She wasn't sure Bruce could find anything she'd like, so she was hesitant as she looked at the dress. As she pulled it out, she wondered if he'd had help from her mother or father. It was a beautiful white dress, high collared but short in length.

"Your mother would like for you to try it on now," the maid said. Natasha glanced back at behind her changing wall where Steve was crouched down, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "The tailor is currently helping Crown Prince Anthony and she would like for any necessary adjustments to be made today."

"Alright," Natasha replied, picking up the dress and walking toward Steve.

"Would you like assistance?" the maid asked, stepping forward to help.

"No!" Natasha denied, a little too quickly for normal. She smiled at the maid and assured her she would be alright as she stepped behind the wall. She glared at Steve, daring him to try something with a maid in the room, and turned her back to him. She unzipped the dress she'd been wearing all morning, letting it fall around her feet as she unzipped the new dress. She carefully stepped into it and pulled the zipper all the way up her back. Looking in the mirror, Natasha decided she liked this dress. It was unfortunate Bruce had been the one to get it for her, but at least she'd get to wear it once.

"Does it fit alright?" the maid asked, snapping Natasha out of her thoughts. She turned away from the mirror and smoothed down the dress. It only went about mid-thigh, but the high collar and sleeves made sure she didn't feel too exposed.

"Yes, it does," she replied. She jumped at the feeling of hands wrapping around her waist, drifting lower and lower as they slyly turned her around. Natasha scowled at Steve, quietly trying to swat him away. He was not easily put off and reached up to unzip her dress. She stiffened as his fingers splayed across her bare back.

"Shall I tell the Queen everything is alright then?" the maid asked. Natasha sucked in a breath as Steve began to suck softly down her neck, making sure not to leave a mark.

"Yes," Natasha answered weakly. Steve sucked hard just below her collar bone, nipping lightly at the sensitive skin. It was low enough any dress would cover it, but just high enough Natasha would worry about it anyway.

"Would you like me to take it to get ironed and prepped for the ball?" the maid asked. Natasha bit her lip to stifle a moan as Steve nipped at a particularly sensitive spot. She'd almost forgotten the maid was still here.

"No, it's alright," she replied, sucking in sharply when Steve's fingers began to slowly tug down her dress. "You may leave," she instructed, wishing the maid would just hurry up and get out of there. Steve had managed to pull her dress off entirely and was unbuckling his pants as quietly as he could.

"Alright," the maid said. It felt like hours as Steve stood in front of her, completely naked and slowly slipping off her bra before they heard the door close. As soon as it had latched shut, Steve grabbed Natasha roughly and pressed her against a wall. He kissed her breathless, barely giving Natasha time to thank her lucky stars he'd been patient before getting to work.

* * * * *

The day of the ball arrived and Natasha was stuck with hairstylists and make-up artists all afternoon. Her morning had consisted of facials, manicures, pedicures, and any other kind of treatment that could make her skin smoother or brighter. Halfway through the afternoon of hair pulling and stabbing brushes, Natasha was ready to murder anyone who so much as looked at her funny. Just before she reached her breaking point, the make-up artists announced they were done and the hairstylists tugged on her head one last time. They left almost as quickly as they came and Natasha had a moment to finally just breath.

"Why aren't you dressed yet?" Natasha jumped at the sudden voice and spun around to see her father standing in her doorway with a raised eyebrow.

"There's still three hours until the ball begins," she explained. She did not want to be in heels and a white dress longer than necessary.

"And?" her father prompted. Natasha rolled her eyes and King Howard immediately glared at her. "Do not roll your eyes. You're a princess, not a peasant."

"I don't need to be dressed yet," she told him, crossing her arms. Her robe was perfectly fine to wear around her bedroom, thank you very much.

"Prince Bruce is here early and would like to spend time with you before the ball," her father said. Natasha's eyes widened but she managed to keep her jaw from dropping. "You will be dressed in five minutes or he will walk in here to see you half-naked and in your robe."

"Wait, he can't--" King Howard slammed the door behind him, cutting Natasha off. She groaned in frustration and resisted the urge to pull at her hair. She all but stomped over to where the short white dress was hanging in her closet and snatched it from its hangar. She stepped behind her changing wall and pulled off her robe, stepping into the white dress and zipping it up. She was in the middle of strapping on her black heels when a knock came to her door.

"Come in," she called, trying not to grumble as she knew it would be Bruce. She looked up as the door opened and Prince Bruce sheepishly walked into her room, shutting the door behind him. With the door latched and no one else in the room, Natasha tried not to feel uncomfortable, but she'd never had another man in her room aside from Steve or Tony before, so it felt strange. Besides, she didn't know Bruce that well and she was supposed to marry him.

"Hi, Natasha," Bruce said, smiling at her. Natasha smiled back and sat up, finishing strapping on her shoes. "I figured maybe we could walk around the gardens, get to know each other better and whatnot. It'd be nice to know who you are considering we're getting married in two months."

"Yeah," Natasha agreed, trying not to choke. Two months? Since when were they getting married in two months?

"Great," Bruce replied, offering her his arm. Natasha hesitantly looped her arm through his and let him walk her through the palace and to the gardens. She could see staff stop and stare just a little longer than usual and she felt like throwing up when she made eye contact with Steve, but she didn't stop as they walked down to the gardens together and began to talk. She could do this. It would be fine. Only one more week before she told Bruce and her parents their plans were ruined and she was running off with her bodyguard.

* * * * *

That night during the ball, Tony kept his promise. Almost as soon as they'd returned from the gardens and walked into the ballroom to begin talking with guests, Tony had appeared and started gushing about some new theory he had to Bruce. Luckily for Natasha, Bruce seemed immediately interested and was easily distracted long enough for her to slip away unnoticed.

She milled around, talking to some of the Ladies and Duchesses, then moving on to speak with other guests. Tony did a wonderful job at keeping Bruce distracted and she'd almost completely forgotten about him until her mother walked up and asked where he was. It was at that moment Natasha realised she had genuinely no clue where he was. She let out a long 'uh' as her eyes skimmed the crowds for him, desperate to give her mother an answer that wouldn't make either of them feel bad. When she realised she couldn't answer her mother, she deflated and looked at the ground.

"I have no clue," she mumbled. Her mother smiled warmly at her and put a hand on her cheek.

"I figured as much," she said, smiling at Natasha comfortingly. "Now, while Tony is off conveniently distracting your fiancee, why don't you come with me and talk to some of the other guests?"

"Oh!" Natasha exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. "He's not—Tony isn't—Well, he is, but it's not—"

"It's alright, dear," her mother promised. Natasha sighed but knew her mother was upset. "I know what it's like to be forced to marry someone, I won't force you into being around him longer than necessary. However, if you want to avoid your father's wrath, I suggest you come with me and look busy."

"Yes, Mama," Natasha smiled, looping her arm through her mothers. Queen Maria kissed her cheek gently then guided Natasha over to some of the older ladies at the ball and introduced Natasha to them for what must have been the twentieth time.

* * * * *

Natasha was not expecting to be grabbed the moment she stepped foot in her room after the ball. The door slammed shut behind her and a hand covered her mouth when she tried to scream. She thrashed around, elbowing the nearest person and causing the hand over her mouth to fall. In the few seconds she had, she let out an ear piercing scream in hopes of getting anyone's attention. Her scream was cut short as one of her attackers hit her in the back of the head hard enough to make her stumble. She fell to the floor and twisted around in hopes of seeing who was behind her. Her room was dark, but she could vaguely make out four figures, all wearing the familiar symbol of the rebels currently destroying the kingdom.

One of the rebels lunged toward her but she rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding him. She scrambled back to her feet, racing toward her balcony. Her fingers were within reach of the balcony doors when she was grabbed again and roughly pulled backward. She elbowed the rebel in the chin and he let out a cry of pain. She struggled to get free of his grip only to be grabbed by another rebel.

"Let me go," she demanded, stomping on his foot with her heel and piercing his foot. She could see one of the rebels coming toward her but before he could do anything, her bedroom light flickered on and Steve walked in. He froze at the sight in front of him as did the rebels. Natasha elbowed the one holding her back and he let her go by mistake, causing everyone to scramble into action.

In hopes of escaping capture, the rebels left Natasha alone and jumped off her balcony, sliding down long ropes they'd used to climb into her bedroom. Steve came running over to her, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tightly.

"I'm okay," she assured him, melting into his touch nonetheless. Now that she was no longer being attacked, she could feel herself shaking. Her nose stung and her eyes began to water, but she forced herself not to cry as she clung to Steve tightly.

"I almost didn't come," Steve whispered, more to himself than her. His own heart was racing as he stared over the balcony where the rebels had disappeared. They'd been so close to taking Natasha, too, if he'd waited any longer before slipping away from his duties downstairs to check on Natasha, she would have been gone.

"I'm alright, it's okay," she promised, pulling back to look at him. She reached up to cup his face and smiled tenderly at him. "I'm alright. You came, they left; we're all good."

"God, Nat," Steve whimpered, biting his lower lip to keep it from wobbling. It was stupid, really; crying even though Natasha was perfectly fine and barely had a rug burn on her elbows. Still, he couldn't help but worry about what would have happened if he hadn't come.

As if sensing his growing panic, Natasha stretched up to kiss him shortly. She didn't pull completely away, staying close enough she could feel his warm breath on her face. A second later, Steve wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. He kissed her deeply, wrapping both arms around her tightly as one of her arms went around his neck. Her free hand softly cupped his face as she kissed him back just as passionately. When they finally broke apart, Steve pulled her into a tight hug and buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"We should go inside," she murmured, running her fingers through his hair soothingly. Neither of them made any attempt to leave the balcony, though. At least, not until they heard voices below and immediately scrambled to hide away inside Natasha's bedroom.

That night, Steve stayed in Natasha's room. It was rare for him to spend the night, knowing that if anyone were to walk in on them they would be screwed. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without worrying about her and Natasha would be lying if she said she didn't want him to stay anyway, so after convincing Tony to lend Steve a pair of sleep pants and a shirt, they both curled up in Natasha's bed to go to sleep.

* * * * *

There were many things that surprised Natasha, but her father's unyielding anger issues were not one of them. Very rarely did he barge into her room unannounced to yell at her, but when he did, she knew she was in for trouble. However, when two guards came pounding on her door just as she was finishing getting dressed, she was confused. They didn't say anything as they roughly grabbed her from either side and escorted her into the throne room.

"What's going on?" she demanded, thrashing around in the guard's arms. The attack from last night loomed in her mind as she realised she didn't know what any of the palace guards other than Steve and her family's personal bodyguards looked like. The two now holding her were very unfamiliar and she wouldn't put it above the rebels to recruit men in the royal army. When they guided her into her father's throne room, though, she knew she was in even more trouble than if the guards had been rebels.

King Howard was livid. He watched in furious silence as the guards shoved her to the ground in front of him and stood on either side. The room was dead silent as Natasha stared at the ground, eyes wide in horror as she realised she'd never seen her father this angry before.

"Do you have something to tell me?" he asked quietly. Natasha cautiously looked up from the ground but didn't bother standing. Her knees hurt from the hard hit to the marble flooring, but she'd check them over later when she wasn't being burned by the King's glare.

"If this is about Bruce, I swear I was going to—"

"Shut up!" King Howard yelled. Natasha flinched at the loud sound as it echoed around the room. "You think you can keep secrets from me? You thought I wouldn't find out?" King Howard yelled, standing up and walking toward her. Natasha tensed and her heart plummeted. He knew.

"Just let me explain," she begged, looking up to find him looming over her. Before she could process what was happening, he slapped her hard across her face. Her eyes welled up in unwanted tears and she bit her lip.

"I don't want your explanation," he hissed, bending down so he was in her face. "I don't want to hear about how you fucked your bodyguard and I only found out because some rebels got a photo of it and the maid reported you two sleeping together." He spit on the ground in front of her then grabbed her face roughly. "I want you to listen to me as I tell you exactly what's going to happen now," he snarled, spit flying from his mouth and hitting her face. Natasha closed her eyes and grimaced as he said, "That creature is being escorted to a prison cell as we speak. He will be flogged once for every day I think you've been lying to me and since I don't know for sure, I'll let my guards decide the number. When we're done here, these two guards will escort you to your own cell where you will be flogged as well then left to either marry the Crown Prince Bruce with no complaint or die. That creature—"

"He's not a creature!" Natasha cried, shaking as tears flowed down her face without pause.

"That creature," King Howard screamed at her, causing her to cry even harder. "Will be hung tomorrow in the centre of the kingdom and left for the crows to eat. You will publicly announce he forced you into it and he will be marked down in history as a traitor to the throne."

"Howard!" the Queen exclaimed. Natasha opened her eyes to see her mother standing a few yards behind her father, looking horrified at what was taking place in front of her. King Howard let go of Natasha's face, glaring at her fiercely, and turned around to face his wife.

"Mama," Natasha cried, wishing for nothing more than her mother to come running to her side and hug her. As if hearing her silent plea, Queen Maria pushed past King Howard and dropped to her knees in front of Natasha. She immediately pulled Natasha into a hug and ran her hand over her daughter's long red hair. Natasha cried loudly as she clung to her mother, hiding her face from her father's view.

"Shh, baby," Queen Maria soothed, tears starting down her own cheeks as Natasha shook in her arms. Queen Maria carefully twisted around to scowl at her husband, keeping Natasha secure in her arms. "How dare you!" she hissed at him, her hold tightening on Natasha as she let out another cry.

"How dare I?" Kind Howard exclaimed. He pointed at Natasha and said, "She defiled her worth for a lousy bodyguard! We'll be lucky if the Crown Prince still wants her!"

"She's not an animal to be evaluated and sold," Maria sneered. She'd known how Howard valued tradition and what he had always intended for their children, but this had gone too far. "That poor boy has kept her safe all these years and you had him flogged because they fell in love! What did you expect would happen when they've spent so much time together?"

"Nothing!" Howard yelled, throwing his hands up. "Nothing should have happened. She knows what's expected of her; she shouldn't have fallen in love with him."

"And I shouldn't have fallen in love with you if that's how you're going to think of our daughter," Maria snapped, effectively silencing Howard. The throne room was silent aside from Natasha's muffled cries and Maria's soft reassurances. All three royals jumped when the throne room doors were suddenly thrown open and Tony came storming in.

"Leave her alone," he demanded, shoving the two guards away from Natasha. They stumbled backward but returned to their spots moments later. Tony didn't hesitate to punch the first guard in the face, knocking him unconscious in one swing. The second guard held back when he saw Tony's scowl.

As soon as he was certain the guard was going to leave them alone, Tony knelt down beside his mother and put a hand on Natasha's back. She looked up, wiping her face pathetically and Tony felt his heart break at the sight of his baby sister.

"Don't worry, Nat," he said softly, pulling her close to him. "I made good on my promise. He's okay."

"You did?" she asked hopefully, pulling away from him. Tony nodded and brushed her hair out of her face, gently pulling the strands that got stuck in her tears. "You're the best, Tony," she said weakly, biting back a smile. Tony smiled at her, not prepared for when she threw herself on top of him seconds later, hugging him tightly. He grunted at the impact but smiled and patted her back.

"Yeah, yeah, you love me, I know," he said, sitting them both back up. He kissed her cheek softly. "You know I'll never break a promise to you."

"I know," she nodded, hugging him tighter and burying her face in his chest.

Although confused as to what her son was talking about, Queen Maria got back on her feet and turned to face her husband. He was still scowling at Natasha, refusing to look at Maria even when she blocked his view of their two children hugging.

"Get out of my palace," she demanded, pointing to the doors of the throne room. Howard stared at her in shock.

"You can't throw me out," he told her, crossing his arms. "I'm the King."

"Yes, and in the case of the King becoming corrupt and attempting to undermine the good of the kingdom, the Queen is given entire control," Maria said firmly. She pointed again at the door. "Get out before I have you thrown out."

Howard scowled but made his way to the doors, making his irritation known as his stomps echoed through the throne room. When he pulled open the door, he was met by the sight of a dozen guards, all heavily armed and blocking his way. He stopped short then turned to look at Queen Maria.

"What's this?" he demanded. One guard stepped forward and grabbed his arm, not releasing even when Howard thrashed around and tried to break free.

"That's your escort party," Queen Maria said calmly. "They will be taking you to your ship which will take you to the South of Africa. If you attempt to cross our waters again, you will be arrested upon sight and left to rot in prison, is that understood?"

"Clearly," Howard growled, allowing another guard to grab his other arm and lead him out of the palace.

Once Howard was out of sight, Maria returned to Natasha. She was no longer crying, but her face was still red and stained with tears. Tony helped her to her feet, keeping her close to his side as she wiped her face again. Maria hugged her tightly and Tony sent the remaining guard away, telling him to take his friend down to the doctor.

"I'm so sorry, Natasha," Queen Maria said, kissing her cheek. "I should have done that years ago and I'm sorry I waited until today. Tony says he managed to take care of Steve, though, yes?"

"Uh, yeah," Tony nodded. They hadn't had much time, but Tony had figured out what his father was planning before his mother had and been able to grab Steve before the guards had gone to get him.

"Where is he?" Natasha asked, still worried her father had been able to hurt him before Tony could save him. Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she looked up at him anxiously.

"I'll take you to him," he replied. He led Natasha out of the throne room and up to his room. She raised an eyebrow at him as he unlocked his door and walked inside. His room was completely empty and for a moment Natasha worried he'd been kidding and was about to tell her he hadn't gotten to Steve before they could kill him.

"Where is he?" she whispered, looking up at Tony worriedly. A loud scrambling came from Tony's closet and he sighed, muttering about how'd that had just been organised. A split second later, Steve was standing on the other side of the room, looking at Natasha worriedly.

"Natasha, oh my god!" he exclaimed, hurrying over to her. Natasha jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly and throwing her legs around his waist.

"Alright, I don't need to see this," Tony mumbled, walking out of his room and shutting the door behind him.

Natasha grabbed Steve's face desperately, checking him over quickly to make sure he was completely unharmed. When she was certain he was alright, she pulled his lips down to hers. She kissed him desperately, feeling her eyes well up with tears again. Steve kissed her back just as hard, holding her tightly and only letting her down when he figured something was off. When he pulled back to see tears in her eyes, he frowned.

"Nat, what's wrong? What happened?" he asked worriedly, gently brushing away her tears. She bit her lip and shook her head, hugging him tightly.

"I was so scared," she told him, choking back a cry. "He was so mad and I was worried he'd hurt you."

"Me? I'm fine, Natasha," Steve assured her. He'd noticed her flinch when he'd brought his hands up to her face, though, and asked, "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing—He just—Nothing," she said. Steve gently forced her to look up at him. "He hit me, but that's all. I'm fine."

"Oh, Nat," he sighed, kissing her forehead gently. "I'm so sorry. We never should have done this, I knew he'd hurt you."

"Hey," she said, grabbing his attention. "I'm fine. Mama got rid of him, we're okay." She bit back a smile but failed. Steve grinned back and pulled her back to him for another kiss.

"Tony said you were—Oh my!" Queen Maria slammed the door shut even though Steve and Natasha had pulled away abruptly. Natasha looked up at Steve, struggling to stifle a laugh. He chuckled and she lost it, dissolving into laughter as she reached for the door and opened it back up for her mother.

"Sorry, Mama," she said, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"Oh, no worries," her mother replied, waving her off. "I just thought you'd like to know I've sent an official message to Prince Bruce and his family calling off the wedding." Tony was grinning widely behind her, giving them two thumbs up. Queen Maria smiled slyly as she said, "As it turns out, another young man has captured Princess Natasha's eye and arrangments are being made for their wedding as we speak."