Captain America and Black Widow were once again fighting side by side. Despite SHIELD no longer existing, Director Fury still kept contacts and ran the Avengers Initiative. Natasha got more and more serious with Hawkeye, and Steve looked on as the love of his life (yes, he admitted it, he felt the same way about her like he did with Peggy) spent less and less time with him. She was a grown woman, and she had every right to choose her lover, but he missed the nights they used to spend together. She used to show him movies to adjust him to the references of modern society. Now, the time they used to spend curled up on the couch together, watching moves, sharing popcorn, bringing Natasha flowers, cuddling with her; were now spent on dates with Clint. His best friend and the love of his life (who, coincidentally, were the same person) were both gone from his life. It had been five months since she had first shown up at Stark Tower, yet the time he had spent with her was probably less than a week.
Captain America respected women, he respected Natasha, he respected Hawkeye, and he respected their relationship. He wasn't one to steal another guy's dame, and he sure as hell wouldn't want to take a gal away from her feller.
All the Avengers were in on the bet now. Tony had already lost, thinking that they would get together in a month; Thor had bet three cases of Asgardian mead that they would get together within six months, yet it was nearing the end of the fifth and there was so far no sign of him winning; Bruce bet that Natasha would end up with Clint; and Pepper (stronger than any Avenger, as she managed to keep Tony in check) had bet that it would take at least a year for them to sort out their feelings.
None of them, however, had expected Clint to pull out a ring after defeating yet another alien race and ask Natasha to marry him. Nobody had expected a yes. Nobody expected her to ask to get married next month. Steve just looked on, a wide range of emotions showing on his face.
Steve had found some of Thor's Asgardian mead. The super soldier, aware of what it would do to him, began to drink heavily. Tony had found Steve in one of the labs, knocking down mead in shot glasses one by one.
"Tony, leave me alone. Bruce already told me to stop dr-dr drinking, and he took away my other case of mead." Steve said, drunk and slurring his words.
"I'm not going to preach to you. I'm going to drink with you." Tony said, pulling a bottle of Bourbon from a cabinet. "Spill."
Steve sighed, "I loved Natty, ya know. I- I was gonna ask her to be my gal the day I came back from hunting Bucky, yeah. We-we kissed when we were hiding from SHIELD and-and that made me feel for her even more. I loved her ever since I first set eyes on her. But then she tells me she gotta date with Hawkeye. I feel for this girl like I did for Peggy, okay. I can't go see her get married next month, it's too much."
"Well, life's a bitch, ain't it. I'm sorry that Legolas took away your hopes of being with her."
"I love this girl like-like she's the love of my life. I can't go to the wedding. I'll just leave a note and be gone from her life."
"Okay, Steve. Steve? Steve?" Tony asks the unconscious Captain. Sighing, he activates his new Iron Man suit, moving Steve to sleep on a lab table, before shutting off the lights and taking off his new armor, going to go sleep with Pepper.