Tumblr Prompt is the picture :)

Thanks a lot to Emily, who betaed this for me! :)

I'm thoroughly sorry for this fluff explosion, it wasn't my fault, people are having a bad influence on me ;)

I would love to hear your opinions!

(1130 Words)

Old-Fashioned

Natasha had always known that Steve was, despite having finally arrived in the 21st century, still a rather old-fashioned man when it came to women, love and relationships. He was a gentleman, even though she didn't feel like she needed him to be, he was a hopeless romantic, and though she definitely wasn't the kind of woman searching for true love, she found his way of handling her intriguing. It was something that was rare in the modern world, therefore she wasn't used to it, and that he saw her worthy of courting, despite her past and all her demons, was something new.

Natasha, on the other hand, definitely wasn't an ordinary woman – she'd learned early that romance and love were things that could endanger your mission, that loving someone could make you weak. Before Steve, she'd barely let anyone see so deep under her skin, and Steve was the first man she allowed herself to love and show this love to. It took her a lot to open herself like that, and he respected that, allowed her to dictate the pace, knowing that she would shut herself away if she felt uncomfortable.

Over time, Steve managed to get used to her antics and Natasha accepted Steve's romantic ways, even enjoyed them sometimes, but what he prepared for their one year anniversary still took her by surprise.

She'd told him that she didn't want him to fuss about the day; she honestly would have been fine with an evening on the couch with ice cream and a good movie, but she'd also guessed that Steve wouldn't listen to her. Anniversaries were the one thing that she'd granted him, and therefore he always tried to make the best of it – Natasha didn't think that they were so important for their relationship and could have lived without them.

Still, as he picked her up and drove her to the place of their date, she was feeling slightly nervous and also excited about what he'd prepared. And as they arrived, she was overwhelmed by what she saw.

In the middle of the small park he led her into after parking the car was a fountain, the marble shining in the light from the moon and the chains of lights winding around the branches of the trees surrounding the little square. The reflection of the stars in the water seemed to be a continuation of the lights hanging in the trees, and it was a breathtaking sight. An old-fashioned, wooden radio stood on the edge of the fountain, together with a bottle of champagne and two glasses, the light splash of the water building a nice atmosphere.

Steve smiled as Natasha looked at him with wide eyes, being at a loss for words, and he whispered: "You said you didn't want me to make a fuss. I tried."

He winked and led her to the fountain, where they sat down next to each other. Old music started to play from the radio, and Natasha lightly shook her head before leaning against him, staring at the sky full of stars above them for a moment.

This was something she hadn't expected from him – it wasn't as big and pompous as a candlelight dinner with a violinist, but it was still a very thought through arrangement. Decent but romantic, and Natasha felt her heart beating fast in her chest.

Nobody had ever done something like this before for her, and she'd also never felt like she was the person for something like that, but still she was sitting here, on the brink of tears. Joy flooded him and she looked at Steve with gleaming eyes, her voice shaking ever so slightly as she said: "This is beautiful. Thank you!"

Their lips met for a short but soft kiss and Steve smirked as he announced: "Well, this isn't all yet. I've prepared something else."

Natasha wondered what else could come now – from her perspective, everything she could have wished for on this evening was already there: Steve, something to drink and a wonderful atmosphere.

Steve leaned over and pressed a switch on the radio, causing different music to fill the air, and Natasha immediately recognised Frank Sinatra. A small smile was playing around the corners of her lips, but it was immediately wiped away, her face as blank as her mind as Steve suddenly knelt down in front of her, taking her shaking hand while Sinatra sung passionately.

Night and day
You are the one
Only you beneath the moon and under the sun
Whether near to me or far
It's no matter, darling, where you are
I think of you
Day and night

"Nat... I love you, you know me better than anybody else, and I can't imagine being without you. I know that you're not an ordinary woman, and that you don't need a man by your side... But I need you, and therefore, I want to ask you if you would make me the happiest man in the universe by marrying me?"

Natasha blinked, staring at him with wide eyes. Her heart was racing in her chest, beating so hard against her ribs that it hurt, and she needed a long moment to comprehend what Steve had just said. Panic was rising inside of her for a moment – was she really the person for all these things that Steve was dreaming of? A big wedding with a white dress and a giant cake, a house somewhere on the country, children... Did she really want all of that?

Their gazes were locked, and what she saw in his blue eyes was soothing her. There were no demands, no dreams of the picture perfect... All he was asking for was her and her pure love, he didn't want her to give more than she wanted.

His warm hands were holding her trembling ones, his thumb gently caressing her skin, and Natasha took a deep breath before she whispered, barely audible: "Yes."

Relief was showing on his face as he took a ring from the pocket of his jeans, and now he was the one shaking as he slipped it onto her finger.

"For a moment I thought you would kill me." Steve chuckled, breaking the nearly uncomfortable tension of the moment, and Natasha laughed, pulling him up to kiss him. He was holding her close afterwards, her head resting on his chest while they sipped the cool champagne. After the initial shock and disbelief, she was now feeling a wonderful happiness, and right now, nothing could taint this moment. Nobody would be able to take this happy memory away from her, and she didn't feel nervous as she thought of the future, knowing that the best was yet to come.