Disclaimer: The Avengers belong to Marvel.
Together
After today's battle Steve was tired and confused. Pulling out his phone he thumbed it on and paused staring at the smiling faces of himself and Natasha that she had set as his background, claiming he would be stuck with it because he didn't know how to change it. However he knew that she knew he actually did know how to change it and chose to keep it instead. He remembered the day that picture was taken.
Steve was sitting in an armchair in the common room of the New Avengers facility frowning at the phone in his hands.
"What did that phone ever do to you?" he turned and spied Natasha leaning over his shoulder.
"Tony sent me this 'media message' and I'm trying to figure out how to open it." He sighed, technology these days was still a struggle at times.
"Oh, here you go," and reaching her arm over she pressed a button and an obviously drunk Tony started moving on the screen.
"Capsicle!"Steve just shook his head at his friend's antics.
"I thought phones were for talking to people," he missed his simple life.
"They can do all sorts of things, Cap." At that she gracefully jumped over the back of the arm chair and plopped in his lap, taking his phone in her hand. And he steadied her with his hand on her back and left it there, mindlessly tracing patterns on her lower back as she showed him things on his phone. Sometimes she amazed him at how patiently she explained new things to him. This was the Black Widow surely she had something better to do. On top of that she was never frustrated when he didn't understand something and she never talked down to him like he was a child.
"And you're an artist, I don't know if you were into photography back in the day. But you can take panoramic videos and photos. Then this button turns the camera around and you can take selfies."
"Selfies?" he had never heard the term before.
She whipped her head to him, fiery red hair flying. "You've never taken a selfie?"She smirked and leaned in close, "Come on it'll be fun." She started snapping pictures.
He smiled for the camera and then looked at her in confusion at the funny faces she was making.
Then, seeming to read his mind, "You don't smile, Steve. Make a duck face."
"What?" Turning in his lap she grabbed his jaw and arranged his face.
"There now look at the camera." But when she went to take the picture, his face had lost its pose slightly and she threw her head back and let out a laugh at how ridiculous Captain America looked.
The duck face was completely gone now and the camera was ignored as he listened to her beautiful laugh. It was a sound that he didn't hear often and it always brought him immense joy and pride when he was the reason for it.
"Alright, that's it, no more mocking me," he grabbed for his phone but before he could wrap his hand around it she had nimbly leapt to her feet and put the coffee table between them.
"But I'm not done with my photo shoot!" She snapped a couple of pics of herself in various poses, "Which side do you think is more flattering," she turned her head from left to right, face serious pretending to be a model.
Taking the opportunity when she was seemingly distracted he lunged but turning on her heel she bolted. With his long legs he quickly caught up to her and scooped her into his arms.
"Steve!" she playfully struggled but they both knew if she really wanted to she could escape from his arms.
"Now lets take a real picture," He lifted his phone up.
"What you don't like my funny faces?" she teased.
"Smile," he ordered.
"Yes, Captain." And one of those rare, genuine smiles of hers appeared as he snapped the picture.
She continued to steal his phone over the months, returning it with a new photo shoot of hers claiming that it was very irresponsible of Captain America to just leave his phone lying around.
Pocketing the phone he got to his feet, this was something he needed to do in person, not over the phone.
But when he reached the door, he didn't know what to do. So he just stood there, a few aborted attempts to knock and just as he was turning to leave the door swung open.
"You know you're not very quiet," and there she was, sleep tousled hair and clothed in a tank and shorts.
Now that he was facing her, he didn't know what to say and she stepped back holding the door open, silently letting him in to one of her many safe houses. He was actually surprised to find her here since she had told him about this one and they were currently on opposite sides of this war.
She crossed her arms defensively, "What do you want, Steve?" he noticed how tired she sounded and looked. There were bags under her eyes as if she hadn't been sleeping and he took in the cuts and bruises that she was covered in, most likely from his friends.
This fight was obviously taking its toll on her, she was fighting against her friends, people she had fought with before, not against. And before he could stop himself he blurted, "Why?"
And now that he started he couldn't stop, "You've always stood by me and now you're on Tony's side! I don't understand!"
She angrily cut him off, "I'm not taking his side. It's not about sides. I'm doing what I think is right. I thought you of all people would understand that, Steve."
"Is this about, Bucky?" she visibly flinched at the name and he sighed this wasn't how he wanted this to go. He was tired of all the fighting.
She couldn't do this, not now and maybe not ever, "Just go home, Steve."
"You don't understand. I am home. You are my home," she stared at him in confusion and he angrily ran his hand through his hair as he realized he probably wasn't making much sense and he didn't know how to say what he meant.
So instead he strode over to her, grabbed her arms, and crashed his lips to hers. Before she could even react he pulled away and leaned his forehead against hers, "I love you, Natasha Romanoff and I miss you."
She opened her mouth and closed it. She was stunned speechless and when she wasn't saying anything he began to pull away. But before he got too far she pulled his face back down to hers and even though she couldn't put to words how she felt, she poured all her feelings into that kiss.
He lifted her up and she quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, and never breaking contact they stumbled over to her bed. Their first time was quick, the two grasping desperately at each other as if the other would slip from their grasp at any second.
Then, they spent the night memorizing each other's bodies as if tonight was all they had and they would never see each other again. He kissed every bruise and scar that marred her perfect body, vowing that there would be no more because of this war. At the end of the night he wrapped his arms securely around her and held her tight to him, never wanting to let go. He wished this could last forever, but he knew it wouldn't.
She woke up with her head pillowed on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. Squeezing her eyes shut, she feigned sleep not wanting her bliss to end.
"I know you're awake," he ran his fingers through her silky red tresses and she could feel the vibrations of his laugh.
"Shh," she blindly reached up and placed a finger over his lips, which he in turn kissed.
"We need to talk," sighing she turned her head to look up at him from her position on his chest.
"You're turning yourself in aren't you?" and he wasn't at all surprised that even after all this time apart she could still read him so well.
"There's been enough fighting and I can't see any more of my friends get hurt because of this." He really hadn't meant for last night to happen and then to just up and leave her.
She pushed herself off of him and got dressed, "Come on. Lets eat and we can talk. You're making breakfast." She chucked his shirt at him, resigned as she knew she wouldn't be able to talk him out of this and she didn't even know if she should. But she just got him back and she wasn't sure if she was ready to lose him all over again.
They sat in silence as she sipped her coffee, watching him cook. Setting a plate in front of her and one for him, he joined her at the kitchen island. After a while he realized that she wasn't going to start, and he was going to be the one that would have to.
"Why didn't you tell me you knew Bucky?" They had faced the Winter Soldier before and there had been plenty of time since then that she could have told him she knew his best friend.
"I-I didn't realize that I did," she fearfully admitted and he frowned, not quite understanding what she meant.
She couldn't look at him as she explained, "Living with Wanda has brought back some memories that," she paused searching for words, "that the Red Room erased." She knew there were some gaps in her memory, but she wasn't really sure why they would erase him, maybe they didn't, maybe she blocked out the memories on her own. She supposed it didn't really matter one way or the other.
He reached over and gave her hand a light, reassuring squeeze. He knew she didn't like thinking about her time with the Red Room.
"We called him the Soldier or the American, he didn't have a name" she frowned at the lengths to which Hydra had gone to dehumanize James Barnes.
She pulled her hand out of his and leaned back in her chair. How did she tell someone that his best friend had tortured her, turned her into a killer.
"He was brought in to train us, and he took a liking to me," she shrugged trying to play it off as if it was no big deal.
He was suddenly kneeling before her, "Hey," he wiped the tears that she hadn't even realized had fallen.
"He's not that man any more. That was Hydra, not Bucky."
"But he's not Bucky anymore is he," he pulled her into his arms, not knowing what to say when what she said was true. Bucky was getting better but he was changed and haunted by the things that Hydra had made him do.
They jumped apart as her door suddenly came crashing in, men toting guns bursting in.
"Stand down, Captain!"
Natasha quickly wiped her face and let the Black Widow take over putting herself between the men and the currently very vulnerable Captain America. He didn't even have his shield with him at the moment.
Iron Man then walked in, "I knew you were a traitor, Red."
"What are you doing here, Tony?" She knew for a fact that he had no idea about her safe house. And she had been careful to make sure it stayed that way once this civil war had started. And she didn't bother to correct him, it didn't really matter. Though it did sting a little that for once she hadn't been playing a side game and people still didn't trust her.
He ignored her, "Lets go, Steve! There's no escape, we have the place surrounded."
The men advanced with heavy duty cuffs, built to hold a super soldier.
"Those aren't necessary. He's turning himself in," Black Widow glared at the men.
Steve placed a comforting hand on her arm and gently pushed her aside, "It's ok." And he let the men man handle him into the cuffs and march him outside.
"Tony! Stop this!" Natasha shouted and followed after them, trying to push her way through to Steve's side, where she was meant to be.
Then, she heard the gunshots and saw him fall, his white shirt turning red from the multiple wounds.
"Steve!" she caught him before his head smacked against the pavement, pulling him into her lap. Her hands frantically pushing against the wounds, attempting to stop the seemingly endless river of blood but it was no use.
"No, no, no!" She cried it wasn't fair, "Steve, Steve stay with me!"
His body was already becoming cold due to the massive blood loss and she saw his once vibrant blue eyes, full of love last night, now sightlessly staring up at the blue sky.
"I love you, Steve." She never told him and now she never would.
Finally shaking off his shock, Tony grabbed at Steve and Natasha just pulled the body closer to her, holding on tighter, "No!"
"Let me try and help him!" Tony pleaded, but they both knew it was too late.
Natasha batted at his arms, not caring that she was hurting her hands on his armor. She couldn't feel it over her overwhelming grief.
"No! No! You did this to him! You did, Tony! Get away!" And she didn't care that she was the Black Widow and was breaking down and sobbing in the middle of the street. She was holding the dead body of the man she loved in her arms.
She didn't know how long she sat there, mindlessly running her fingers through Steve's hair, rocking them back and forth.
Then, there was a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Tasha, you can let him go now." She clutched him tighter to her, emerald eyes squeezing shut and shook her head in the negative.
"It's ok, come on" and then she allowed her former partner to pull her up and into his arms. She buried her face in Clint's chest, trying to shut out the world around her and the sound of Steve's blood squelching beneath her boots.
He carried her inside and away from the media frenzy and the grisly scene at her feet. After gently washing the blood away, he set her on her bed. She pulled the pillow close, it still smelled like him, and Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow cried herself to sleep.