You're My Future

The smell of toasts and coffee woke her up. Natasha hardly ever felt so rested, opening her eyes and getting accustomed to the morning light of the sun that illuminated her room through the windows. She turned on her back and nestled in this new, previously unknown feeling. She was strangely calm as if everything was in the right place, and every possible problem remained in the past.

So that's how happiness looks like, she thought.

This morning Steve went jogging as it had become his habit and always reminded him of Sam. Later, he visited a bakery and returned home with a sudden thought it was the high time to turn his quiet feelings for Natasha into something serious. And as they say, the way to woman's heart is through her stomach.

She found him in the kitchen, where he was preparing a breakfast worthy of the royal family. He did not notice her at first, so she took a moment to look at him. He stood with his back to her and put a toast on a plate. She wanted to approach him, embrace his back and kiss him on the neck, but they were not yet at that stage of the relationship. As the matter of fact, she did not know exactly who they were to each other now. Maybe nothing had changed. After all, it had been just one kiss. Maybe Steve was not going to...

"Good morning," he said, sending her one of his best smiles that made her legs weak. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Very well."

Natasha sat at the table, trying not to look at him too ostentatiously. Was he always so sexy?

"I couldn't decide what to prepare, so I made toasts and scrambled eggs." He handed her a cup of coffee. "No sugar and no milk."

"You really know what I need. Thank you."

Steve sat down on the other side of the table and put two toasts on his plate. Only now did she notice that his hands were shaking slightly, and her gaze brought a faint blush to his cheeks. He was as nervous as she was. It relieved her a bit.

Usually, for Natasha, contacts with the opposite sex came easily. She could seduce, lie, use and abandon, but things with Steve looked completely different. He remained her closest friend, and she cared about not ruining the special bond between them. She felt like a teenager who was falling in love for the first time. She had experience in meaningless romances, but she knew nothing about true love. What she felt for Steve… It was new and beautiful.

"Do you have any plans for today?"

"I promised Pepper that I would help her buy some clothes for Martin." She took a bite of her toast. "I bet it's only an excuse to spend some time away from Tony. He's overprotective."

"Well, I'll check on him and then... maybe... I thought we could go somewhere. You and I," he stammered, avoiding her gaze. "There's an Italian restaurant two blocks away."

Natasha froze with a cup of coffee raised to her lips. She smiled warmly, struggling with the temptation to throw herself at Steve and shut his lips with a passionate kiss.

"Steve, are you asking me out?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'm not good at it." He rubbed his neck. "Would you like to go on a date with me, Nat?"

Inside she was screaming with joy, but outside she remained calm, hiding a smile of triumph behind the cup and responding, "I thought you'd never ask."

Being in her company was like breathing clean air. Steve mostly valued moments spent alone, just the two of them, because then he could focus only on her and forget about the whole world. He felt more comfortable with her than with anyone else.

That's why he was terrified by the prospect of expressing feelings in public. Going to a restaurant was associated with gazes of strangers, overhearing conversations and their moment getting interrupted by a friendly but somewhat obtrusive waiter.

All fears, however, were dispelled as soon as they ordered pasta and wine. They never lacked topics for conversations, so even now there were no problems with words, although both of them deliberately avoided mentioning the kiss.

Natasha looked as stunning as ever, or even more, although it was not a black dress that intensified her beauty but her captivating charm. She was extremely relaxed and amused when she held a glass of wine in her hand, stared at Steve from under her long eyelashes, and her smile rarely disappeared from her red lips.

"I found your notebook," she suddenly confessed.

"I know." He laughed at the glimpse of surprise in her eyes. "Come on, Romanoff. I'm neither blind nor stupid. I pretended not to notice anything because I was curious about your reaction."

"It was quite an emotional reaction, wasn't it?"

He bravely endured her gaze. Steve had known perfectly well that she would be the first to mention the kiss. Yet, he decided to ignore her provocation and see if she would mention it again.

Black Widow wasn't the only one to play games.

"I rarely sketch, and when I do, I try to focus on the things that matter to me." He attempted at speaking with indifference, winding the pasta around his fork. "The drawings have sentimental meaning, just like your necklace reminds you of Barton."

Instinctively she raised her hand to the necklace and stroked the pendant with her fingers.

"But there was no association with Peggy Carter in your notebook," she pointed out.

Steve lifted his head and looked at his best friend in amazement. Even in the worst nightmares, he had not expected that on their first date Natasha would touch the subject of Steve's first love. It was only now that he realized that for a long time Peggy had not entered his mind even for a moment. Only Natasha was always present in his thoughts.

Although she would not admit it even to herself, Natasha wanted to be assured that Steve's heart did no longer belong to the deceased woman. She had to be certain that she was not about to compete with the memory of his old love.

"There's a compass with her picture... I keep it in my room. Nat," he reached over the table and took her hand, "I painted only your portrait. I could draw a weapon or a spider or whatever, but I chose your image."

"I appreciate it, Steve, but if we're really doing it… I need to know if you still love her."

He wanted to kiss her, hug her and prove to her that only she mattered. Steve found it hard to believe that there was so much confidence in her, and at the same time, she doubted her worth, the possibility of someone falling in love with her.

"Part of me will always love her, just as part of me will never quite come to terms with the loss of my mom, Bucky and Sam. Part of me will always miss the past and regret it cannot be changed." He caressed the palm of her hand; his voice as soft as his touch. "But now I'm here with you, Natasha. You bring joy to my life and encourage to stop recalling what is long behind me. You make me feel alive and happy. You're the one I'm dying to kiss again. You're my future."

Natasha lowered her head for a moment, and when she looked at Steve again, her eyes were filled with love, and her heart beat quickly with emotion. She gently took her hand from his grip and rested her head on her hands.

"You lost," she said with a smirk.

"What?"

"You mentioned the kiss. You used the word."

Of course. Typical Natasha Romanoff responding to his confession with a joke. He couldn't help but smile. Sometimes he thought she could read his mind and outwit him before he could even notice.

"For real?" He shook his head. "You're impossible."

Suddenly, she stood up, circled the table and put her hands on Steve's shoulders. He forgot about the whole world and felt the heat pouring all over his body when Natasha leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm dying to kiss you, too."

He did not need more. They left a big tip and crowded restaurant behind. Natasha pulled him by the hand towards the apartment, and Steve didn't mind, knowing that he would follow her to the end of the world and back if she asked him to.

It turned out that opening the door could be quite difficult when someone was kissing you on the neck.

Finally, the lock gave in, and Natasha turned in time to meet Steve's thirsty lips. They entered the apartment, letting the door close behind them. Steve picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They had been indeed dying to kiss each other. Just like their earlier kiss had been full of feelings but a little uncertain, this one suggested that it would not end there. Natasha felt her body burn as Steve would take her breath away with each passionate kiss.

Instinctively he headed to his room, but then Natasha forced herself to break away from him and lead him to hers. After all, he had not seen it yet. Steve looked around, his breath coming out in a short, gasping pant.

"So," he mumbled, "where's the legendary bathtub?"

Natasha laughed, and then he kissed her again. She wanted every moment to look like that. To be filled with happiness and excitement, be kissed like never before, to be constantly assured that she was the only one.

She was going to pull him towards the bed, but Steve stopped her. He leaned his forehead against hers, their heavy breaths mingled in the air.

"Don't you think it's a bit too fast?" he whispered.

"Right. It's the first date after all." She licked her lips, already missing his. "We're not like that."

"Exactly."

For a moment it seemed as if they really meant it, as if they were ready to keep the remains of decency. As befits a gentleman, Steve pulled away. They stared at each other in silence, stupid smiles adorning their faces.

"But," Natasha started.

"Yes?" Hope could be heard in Steve's tone.

"We've lost a lot of time. We've known each other for years, and only now have we dared to be honest with each other about our feelings. We don't know how much time we have left. I only know that I want you. So bad."

Steve was afraid he would explode if he did not kiss her again. So he did, this time gently and slowly, enjoying every second. Natasha unbuttoned his coat and helped him take it off. Then she took off her jacket and sat on the bed without taking her lips away from Steve's as he leaned over her. She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hand over his bare skin, making him shiver under her touch.

So damn beautiful. Steve Rogers just for her.

She fell back on the pillows, and Steve took off his shoes and leaned over Natasha, resting his hands on either side of her head and spending a long time looking at her. He did not kiss, he did not touch, he just watched. He admired.

Her hair, scattered on the pillow, was red with blond highlights. It had almost come back to its natural color, to the furious red he truly missed.

Waiting for her consent, he asked, "Are you sure it's what you want?"

Natasha turned him over so that now she was leaning over him. She ran her hand over his chest, then his neck, until she finally stopped on his lips.

"I'm sure, Steve. I really am. Remember how I asked you what you wanted me to be? Years ago, in the car?" He nodded. "Back then, becoming your friend was the best option. Now I want to be more."

"You already are, Nat. You are my everything."

There was so much of innocent honesty, so much beauty and love in him. She wanted him, she needed him more than air. So she kissed him, undressing him slowly and letting his hands wander over her body to get to know every inch of her skin.

That night, just like every subsequent one, their world was limited to only two of them. They were not heroes, they were not victims, they were not the embodiment of their suffering. They were just two people falling in love with each other in the way they both deserved; boundlessly, purely and sincerely.

I know you might find it strange that they're so happy right now, that quickly in the story, but they have to get some sweet love before all the pain they have yet to experience. Ha! Don't forget to tell me what you think :)