Time jump less than a year.
Chapter 6
It was the morning of Natasha's birthday. Steve woke up early to buy her a large blueberry muffin from the bakery a few blocks away. He wrote a message on the paper bag:
Happy Birthday Nat
Love from Steve xx
He slipped into her living room and left the muffin on her coffee table. He returned to his own floor. He rummaged under his bed until he grasped the handles of a gift bag. In it was his present to Natasha and a card. On the front of the card Steve had drawn in black ink. His drawing depicted a couple sitting on a park bench with their arms around each other. The couple bore a remarkable resemblance to Steve and Nat. Steve waited patiently for Natasha to wake up.
Natasha's eyes snapped open, such was the brightness of the sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. She squinted and looked around. She dragged herself out of her bed, got dressed and exited her bedroom. The living room was equally bright, and when her eyes adjusted, she could see a brown paper bag on her coffee table. She picked it up curiously and read the message. She smiled. Steve was so sweet. She reached inside and extracted a plump blueberry muffin. She was just beginning to eat it when the door burst open. Tony and Clint paraded in, yelling birthday at the top of their lungs. Natasha rolled her eyes and continued eating.
When the idiotic duo left, there was a quiet knock on the door.
"Come on in!"
Steve entered the room, carrying a bag.
"Hey, Nat," he said. "Happy birthday!"
Natasha smiled broadly at him. Being around Steve usually improved her mood. "Thanks. The muffin was great."
Steve found himself grinning uncontrollably. Natasha patted the space on the couch next to her and he sat. He handed her the gift bag.
"Something else, too," he said. Nat peered into the bag and politely opened the card first. She gaped at the beautiful illustration.
"Steve…" she said, in awe of his talent.
She placed it standing upright on her coffee table. She then took out the present. It was a large wooden box.
"Go on," said Steve, "Open it."
She opened it slowly. Inside was an array of gleaming pistols and a small knife. The knife's blade glinted in the sunlight. She threw her arms around Steve. He wrapped his own around her small, thin figure. Neither wanted to pull away, and soon their lips met, crashing over each other.
"I love you," mumbled Steve.
Just then, Natasha's thoughts and emotions became tangled in a mess. She didn't know whether or not to say it back. She was at war with herself. And then she said it.
"I love you, too," she whispered.
Upon hearing this, Steve could feel a warmth spreading through him. He hadn't been expecting Nat to say it back. He pressed harder, felt her pushing back. Neither of them heard Pepper come in.
Pepper cleared her throat, and the couple started, leaping from their seats.
"Um, I made breakfast for you, Natty," she said, awkwardly. "You know, as a birthday treat."
"Thanks, Pepper," Natasha said gratefully.
"Pancakes," Pepper muttered. "I should go, sorry."
"No, no, I'm coming!" said Natasha, following her friend to the kitchen with Steve in tow. "Do you really think I'm going to let a batch of homemade pancakes slip out of my grasp?"
Pepper laughed. "Well, sorry for walking in on you."
"It's fine!" said Natasha hurriedly.
"Don't worry about it!" Steve said at the same time.
A few minutes later, they were sitting around the table in the large dining room, Pepper with a bowl of Special K, Natasha with her pancakes and Steve with a helping of oatmeal. Pepper had turned down Natasha's offer of a pancake because of her diet, and Steve, being the gentleman he was, refused to take any. They talked and joked, sipping on coffee. Natasha's phone buzzed repeatedly with birthday messages.
Thor entered the room.
"Lady Natasha!" he boomed. "If I am not mistaken, today is the anniversary of thy birth!"
"Yes, Thor, it is," said Nat.
"Well, how do you Midgardians phrase it? A cheerful birth anniversary to thee, Lady Natasha!"
"Not quite," said Pepper.
"Then I must apologise for my error, Lady Pepper!" he said boisterously. And with that, he wandered off to the kitchen to fest on his precious pop-tarts.