AN: Hey there guys, my deepest apologies for not updating for so long. The reason for this inactivity is because I was in the midst of my finals week and they are taking up a lot of my time and effort (and also because of laziness); however, I have not forgotten about y'all. Any who, in celebration for the birth of our nation and our favorite captain, here is an AU one-shot to sort of celebrate the 4th of July. The story was originally going to be a two-shot about how the team is going to plan and have a party for the Captain, but that is so boring; instead, this story is going to be a combo of the original and another idea I had, and I am going to blend them together into this cute, fun one-shot for everyone to enjoy. And it is going to be Romanogers of course, no matter what the MCU says.

PS: Sorry that this came out too late, it wasn't my intention.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and the story line is based off of Taylor Swift's music video for You Belong with Me, which I also don't own.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVEN G. ROGERS! HAPPY 97TH BIRTHDAY! (and hopefully many more)

A Kiss Under the Light of Fireworks

The burning hot July sun beats down hard on the small neighborhood near Washington DC; however, the day is beautiful and bright, almost as if the heavens have opened up for the 4th of July. The day may be beautiful, but Natasha preferred to stay inside today; so stretched out on her comfortable bed with a Taylor Swift album on and an air conditioner running at full blast, Natasha ponders about what she should do for Steve's birthday, which is today, and the party is going to start later that evening, so she doesn't have much time left.

Their parents have known each other for years, and Natasha has known Steve almost her whole life. As kids they were extremely close, and that bond hasn't changed in the years that came and went. Natasha supports Steve throughout their childhood, and stays by his side through thick and thin. She knows everything about him, as he does about her; Nat knows his favorite activities, dreams, and secrets, including his crush on Sharon Carter, and this breaks her heart to pieces.

As they grew older, her feelings towards Steve grew to the point where she knows that she likes him as more than a friend - way more. However, she supports him in whatever he chooses to do because they promised each other that they would, and she will always keep that promise. Nat kept that promise even when it nearly shattered her heart to see Steve hold and kiss Sharon.

In the months that followed, the couple became the most popular pair in the school, with Sharon as the captain of the cheer squad, and Steve as the captain/quarterback of the football team (which Nat speculates was the real reason Sharon even noticed Steve in the first place). Everyone in the school idolize them, and they want to be their friends; however, Nat knows the truth. The couple may seem happy in public, but in private, it isn't all sunshine and happiness. They argued a lot over meager things, and the arguments can get very loud and hurtful. Natasha knows all of this because she comforts Steve as he cries, and Sharon continues to break his heart and soul. Yet he still stays with her because Steve is not that type of guy, that is until a few months ago.

Snapping out of her reverie, Natasha looks out of her window into Steve's room in the row house right next to her's. The room is currently devoid of her friend, and Natasha figures that he is probably out with his friends. Shaking her head, Natasha looks way from the window and opens her notebook, hoping that an idea for a special gift will just come to her that will show Steve she thinks of him as more than a friend.

Then, almost as if fate decides to play with her, You Belong with Me, by Taylor Swift, comes on and reminds her of a memory from not long ago. It was the day of the big championship game and the night before it...

Flashback

The day before the big championship game is full of excitement and nerves, especially for Steve; even when everyone in the school wishes him good luck, it did not alleviate any of the burden he feels that day. But then again, that's what happens when you are the captain of the football team. Everyone looks to Steve to lead them to victory, and he is never one to disappoint anyone in his life. Things are especially hard for him because he had a fight with Sharon again that day, and this time, it was over her supposedly flirting with another football player, Brock Rumlow.

The argument lasted all day and into the night, when Steve and Sharon exchanged hurtful things to each other over the phone. Natasha sees all of this from her room and could only watch her best friend with worry and sympathy. Steve hangs up and practically throws his cellphone onto his bed before pacing his small room and rubbing his face in frustration. Natasha then writes a quick message on a pad of paper, something that she and Steve did as a silent communication method so that they could talk to each other in the night when they were kids, and shows it to him. Steve turns to look out his window when he catches Natasha writing something out of the corner of his eye and sees his friend's message: You okay?

Chuckling, Steve grabs his own notepad and writes his message: Just Tired of Arguing

Nat then writes her message while giving him a small, sympathetic smile: Sorry :(

Steve only gives her a slight shrug, but he gives her a tired, yet grateful smile in return. Almost subconsciously, Natasha begins to write another message; however, as she writes it, Steve decides to turn in for the night and gives Nat a small wave before he closes his curtain, not seeing Nat's message: I Love You.

'Stupid,' Natasha scolds to herself when she sees that Steve didn't get to see her confession. Ripping the page out of her notebook, Natasha contemplates throwing it away, but decides to keep it instead; she is not going to give up just yet.

To distract her from her embarrassment, Natasha decides to do the one thing she has kept a secret from everyone but Steve. Making sure that no one is looking, Nat plays her favorite Taylor Swift album and begins to go through her closet. Natasha loves to dress-up; ever since she was a child, the idea of morphing into different personalities and people fascinates her, and dressing-up had became her favorite way of becoming the different people she wishes she was. From the smart, dorky, shy girl to the high-strung, popular girl; she became these people, but only in the privacy of her own bedroom. She refuses to perform in front of a large audience, much to the encouragement of her friends and family, for reasons she doesn't personally know herself.

Then, her favorite song comes on, and Natasha couldn't help but begin to dance to the tune and lip sync to the lyrics, pretending that she is a star she could never be on stage and performing in front of a large audience; she even uses her hairbrush as a microphone. Natasha becomes so into her moment that she doesn't see Steve peeking through his curtains and seeing her dance crazily in her room. Steve had to laugh at his friend's antics, and with a parting, loving smile, he gives Nat her privacy.

XXX

The next morning is the start of the big game day, and everyone is excited. Trying to get away from her crazed family, Natasha grabs her school bag and heads to a bench in front of her house to wait for her bus.

Nat is just starting to read her reading book, when she hears the familiar steps of her childhood friend coming down to the bench in his old, worn-out jeans and T-shirt.

"Hey Nat," Steve says with his signature dopey smile - the one that makes Natasha secretly swoon inside.

Closing her book, Nat turns to Steve and gives him a big smile, "Hey. Excited for the big game today?"

"Yeah, I think we got this championship in the bag," Steve says as he sits down.

"You seem very confident in yourself and your abilities."

"Well," Steve couldn't help but be modest and blushes, "it's not just because of me. I have a lot of confidence in my teammates; I know that they won't let me down."

"Of course they won't, they would never let you down. You're all in this together."

"But their image and motivation to win comes from me, all the responsibility of the team is on me."

"Sounds hard," Natasha feels sympathetic for Steve. She knows how hard he tries to make everyone proud of him and to exceed anyone's expectations; he would over-exert himself to the point of collapse, and this worries Natasha constantly.

Steve chuckles and looks across the empty street, "Well, that's what happens you are the captain, the responsibility just comes with the title."

"But I know that you'll be fine, you are so going to kick the other team's butt," Natasha playfully punches Steve on the shoulder, causing him to smile and chuckle.

"DC High isn't going to be easy," Steve then slouches and seems to stare deeply at the concrete sidewalk.

"You will win," Natasha puts on a serious face and pulls his face up so that Steve can see how much she really believes in him and his abilities. After a few moments of staring at each other, Nat breaks the gaze and leans back on the bench, "You never really told me much about your team, you know. What are they like?"

At this, Steve relaxes his posture and he immediately goes into an animated, detailed description of his teammates, even those he doesn't particularly like personally. As Steve digresses into a funny discussion about his teammates' pranks and antics, making even Natasha laugh with him, Natasha couldn't help but pause and just observe Steve's smile. His smile has always been bright and beautiful; it held so much hope, and it could light up even the darkest of nights. From the start, Natasha noticed immediately that his smile was the first to go when he got together with Sharon, and she rarely sees it anymore, except for when he is with her. The discussion goes on, and Nat also couldn't help but think to herself about how easy this is: just them hanging out and talking like they always do.

"Nat?" Steve says trying to regain her attention, and Natasha had to quickly twist her neck to the side to meet Steve's gaze again, causing a few strand of her hair to fall over her face, "You okay? Am I boring you?"

"N...n...no," Nat begins to stammer and doesn't notice Steve leaning in. By the time Natasha notices their close proximity, she blushes hard, but still kept her eyes on him. Steve then brushes the fallen hair away from her face and tucks then behind her ear. Steve looked as if he wanted to say something, but is then interrupted by a car horn.

A fancy Mercedes Benz then pulls up to the sidewalk. The passenger side window rolls down to reveal an annoyed and bored Sharon Carter, and this makes Nat glare at the disinterested cheerleader. Steve immediately notices his friend's sudden annoyance, and he knows how Nat feels about his situation with Sharon.

"It's okay, I'm going to be fine Nat..." Steve is interrupted by another impatient beep beep from the car and that is his cue to leave. So with one final goodbye, Steve walks into the car, leaving a very disappointed and sad Natasha who only gives a small wave good-bye. Nat wants to believe Steve, but she doesn't because she can easily tell when he is lying.

Sharon sees this close interaction and doesn't like it; so as Steve sits down in the passenger seat, she pulls him into a hungry kiss. This, of course, upsets Nat to watch, so she looks away, rolling her eyes in annoyance. Seeing Steve be with Sharon always upsets her greatly, and she couldn't help but compare herself to Sharon: for one thing, Sharon is the most popular girl in school, while Nat's popularity is limited at best; Sharon wears high heels and short skirts, while she wears t-shirts and sneakers; and most of all, she is the cheer captain, the perfect position to be with the captain of the football team, and Nat could only watch from the bleachers. Nat knows that she shouldn't be doing this, but she just couldn't help but feel as if she isn't as special as Sharon in Steve's eyes.

The said girl then pulls away from the kiss and embraces Steve, creating a show in front of Nat to show her that Steve is her's. The blonde cheerleader glares at Nat and smirks victoriously when she sees Natasha bow her head to not look at the scene anymore. The couple then pull away from each other to settle in their seats, and they drive off.

'What are you doing with a girl like her Steve?' Nat thinks in her head as she watches the car disappear down the street.

That day, students and teachers alike are all excited for the game, and they all wished their football team good luck whenever they could, especially to Steve. For the entire day, Natasha barely gets to talk to Steve, but at least her friends were there to distract her by talking about prom and such. But nothing seems to be able to take her mind off what had happened earlier that morning.

XXX

To say the game later that evening is intense would be an understatement of the century. Both teams are giving it their all, but they are neck and neck. On Marvel's side are the Avengers, and they are going up against their biggest rivals, the DC Superheroes. The cheer squad on Marvel High's side are rooting for their team and pumping the crowd up, and at the head of them all is Sharon Carter, who leads the squad into multiple practiced routines and stunts.

In the crowds, Natasha is joining the loud cheers with her friends. Jane and Darcy are some of the loudest in their group since their friend, Thor, is the star linebacker, and Nat is a close second, cheering for her best friend.

With only minutes left in the game and the Superheroes in the lead by a few points, Marvel's Avengers need one more touchdown to win. The players line-up one last time at the starting line. Before starting the play, Steve quickly glances into the screaming crowd and spots Natasha, and their eyes lock onto each other for a few moments. Natasha gives a nod and Steve turns back to the game, yelling his commands and then a "Hike!"

The ball lands in Steve's hands and he spots an opening with his wide receiver, Sam Wilson (AN: I know very little about american football, so sorry in advance if I butchered the story with my inaccuracies). As Steve's lineman, Rumlow, blocks a tackle from DC's Hal Jordan, Steve takes his aim and releases the ball from his hand, just as another DC defense player, John Stewart, tackles him to the ground.

Natasha gasps, along with her friends when they see Steve hit the ground, but the others quickly turn their attention to the ball flying thought the air.

Time slows down as everyone in the stadium gaze at the flying football, holding their breaths in anticipation.

All the players from both sides look up...the coaches are on their feet...the cheerleaders silent their cheers...commentators stay silent, adding to the tension in the air...

Wilson prepares himself to catch the football flying to him, determination flashes in his eyes...a few yards away, Wally West rushes in, hoping to intercept...

Then...

The football lands in Sam's arms, and quick to dodge West, Sam turns on his feet and dashes to the end zone, scoring the final touchdown for Marvel High, with only a second to spare.

Jumping off their seats, the deafening roar and cheers from Marvel High overpowered the commentators as they yell in excitement, "And Marvel takes the win! They are 2015's championship winners!"

Natasha jumps for joy when she sees Steve get up with the help of Stewart, and they later shook hands to show their good sportsmanship. The rest of the team rushes into the field and lifts both Steve and Sam onto their shoulders. Nat has never seen Steve look so happy in his life, riding on top of his teammate's shoulders while holding the big championship trophy in his hands.

Steve then hands Sam the trophy and heads over to the sidelines, hoping to see Sharon; however, the sight that met him was what he didn't want to see: Sharon kissing Brock Rumlow. Natasha is on the bleachers, but she has a good view of the events unfolding below her. Drowned out by the noise of the stadium, Nat couldn't hear what was being said, but it didn't look good: Steve has a hurt, yet angry, look that marred his handsome face, as he and Sharon yell at each other. Eventually, Steve walks away with a defeated look, all the happiness of winning flew out the window, and Sharon goes back to flirting with Rumlow. Natasha couldn't do anything to help her friend at the moment since he is on the field, so she resorts to glaring daggers at Sharon.

The next night was prom night, but Steve didn't leave his room all day, not even to go to school. Natasha was worried about him all day, but when she tries to see him, his mom turns her away, saying that he needed some space. Natasha personally didn't want to go to prom either, so she stayed home all night studying.

Steve did eventually get out of his room and starts mingling again, but Natasha could see the way his confidence level dropped, his eyes lost the light within them, and his smile is almost nonexistent, especially when Sharon is around. Steve also begins to hang around with Nat and her friends more than with his football friends. Normally she wouldn't mind, but Steve has changed, and that frightens her.

End of Flashback

Natasha had been so lost in her memories that she didn't realize how late it is until a beam of the setting sun's light somehow bounces into her eye, snapping her out of her thoughts. With a look of horror, Nat realizes that the party is only an hour away, and she still doesn't have a gift for Steve. Groaning in frustration, Nat falls back onto her bed, giving up on the prospect of ever finding the special gift for Steve.

Nat then hears a faint tapping sound and looks out the window to see Steve standing with a T-shirt and swimming trunks on, ready for his birthday party; in his hands is his notepad with a message: You Coming to the Party?

Steve has a very hopeful look on his face that made Natasha all the more ashamed for not having anything to give to Steve. Knowing that she isn't going to be able to face him, Nat responds with a lie: Can't. Grounded.

The hopefulness in his eyes vanishes, and this kills Nat that she is doing this to her friend. Steve then regains his composure when he saw Nat look depressed, and gives her a small smile, and another message: It's okay. I wish you were though. With that, Steve grabs his bag and leaves his room.

When Nat sees Steve leave his room with a slight slouch in his once proud posture, Natasha screams in frustration and swipes nearly all of her stuff off her bed. Bending down in defeat, Nat catches something at the corner of her eye: a piece of paper that flutters to the ground. Picking it up, Nat realizes that it is the old confession note she wrote to Steve months ago.

The sight of the note brought to Natasha's mind all of the memories of the times she shares with Steve: the times they spend together; even as innocent kids they shared everything about each other; the times they would comfort and make the other laugh when they know that the other is about to cry; and most of all, the times they spend together just to be together. Natasha now understands: if there is one thing she knows about their relationship, it is the fact that they belong to with each other, and that they need each other.

With that determination, Nat picks up the note that holds the message from her heart.

The beach party is in full swing and everyone is having a good time. Knowing that the party is planned by his parents and friends, Steve tries to have fun since they worked so hard to plan it out and overall enjoy his birthday and the 4th of July, but it is hard. Steve puts on a smile for his guests and his parents, but all he could think about is Natasha.

Steve's friend, Thor, sees how down he is and tries to talk to him, "Steven! What is the matter? Why is it that you are not enjoying your party."

Steve faces his friend and heaves a big sigh, "I don't know Thor. The party is wonderful and all, but..."

"But..." Tony jumps in when he overheard the conversation, thus bringing both Bruce and Clint into the conversation.

Steve couldn't look at all of his friends at once. He knows how much time and effort they all put into planning the party just for him, but he couldn't help but feel as if something, mainly someone, is missing, a someone with bright red hair. Turning his head uncomfortably around to look at the other guests and not at his friends, Steve catches something at the edge of the party. Wondering what caught their friend's attention, Thor, Tony, Bruce, and Clint all turn to face the same direction as Steve, and they all gaped at what they see, but not as much as Steve, who also smiles in delight when he sees his childhood friend.

Natasha knew that by being late to the party, she would draw a lot of attention, but she wasn't expecting nearly everyone to stare at her. Looking down at her outfit of a simple, black bikini and a complementing beach wrap, Natasha wonders if it is too daring. However, looking at the piece of paper in her hand, Natasha lifts her head high and walks with all the confidence in her through a passage made by the other guests as they parted to let her through.

Eventually, Nat's path ends with Steve, who has a smile that could have been brighter than the rising moon. Then out of nowhere, Nat sees Sharon shove her way through the crowd and grabs Steve's hand; however, Nat doesn't even have enough time to even think of it because Steve then wrenches his hand free, gives Sharon his coldest glare Nat has ever seen, which effectively makes her pause. Steve quickly turns towards Nat, leaving a stunned Sharon Carter.

As Steve draws nearer, Nat couldn't think of anything else but everything that led to this one moment. Then, as if fate decides to mess with her one last time, the song comes on from the DJ, who has been temporarily replaced by the eccentric Stark. Ignoring Tony's obvious attempt of setting the mood, Steve closes the remaining distance between him and Natasha, bringing them all the more closer.

"Uh. You made it..." Steve starts off while awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

Nat has to chuckle at his cuteness, "Well, I have my ways."

"You look great by the way," Steve quickly adds, blushing even harder.

"Thanks. I have something for you, and I should have given it to you a long time ago," Nat unfolds her message in her hands: I Love You

Steve flusters for just a moment at the sight of his childhood friend's confession, but he barely falters at what he does next; instead, he smiles at Nat and pulls out his own note and unfolds the paper to reveal its message: I Love You.

Both Nat and Steve have never smiled as brightly and greatly at that moment in what felt like a long time when they saw the other's confessions.

After regaining her senses, Sharon witnesses Steve and Natasha confess their feelings and is about to storm up to the pair in an angry fit, but is dragged away by both Thor and Sam before she could get near them.

Coming even closer, Steve leans down and Natasha leans up, but before their lips meet, Nat whispers, "You belong with me."

And the night sky is then lit-up with hundreds of fireworks; however, their light could never outshine the light of the true love between the two lovers who have finally found where they belong.

AN: Please leave a comment below on how you think the story is, your reviews keep me going. As mentioned earlier, it was not my intention to post this story so late, it was meant to have been up by the 4th of July, but things happened.

On a completely different note, this story was indeed inspired by the Taylor Swift song, "You Belong with Me," and its music video, but I did try to change it up a bit to make it a real story and not...well...a music video. So really, anything that relates to the video, or song, I don't own.

On another important note, this story also serves the purpose of giving you a sneak peek into an event in my next story, Marvel University, a multi-chapter story about the entire Marvel Universe...

In college...duh duh DUH!

And that is all for now folks! Please check out my other stories, leave comments and favorites, be on the look out for new stories, and I will see you next time.

Fire Dragon