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35 : HIGH EXPECTATION

Steve and Natasha were a perfect couple in everyone's eyes. They had become very attached to one another. Steve would always pick Natasha up after class or Natasha would be found watching his practice.

They were indeed a perfect couple.

Like today, Steve was waiting for Natasha in front of her classroom. Every girl was eyeing the Captain but he didn't pay them any mind, he just texted with Natasha until she finally came out of her class room.

"Hey, sweetie" He greeted

"Hey, handsome" She hugged him and leaned up for a quick kiss.

But Steve pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Nat allowed the intimacy because, to be honest, she liked kissing him.

Over the course of their courtship their friends had separated into two groups. The group that supported their love and the group that doubted its seriousness or more specifically doubted Steve's commitment to it.

Clint Barton fell into the second group. He never fully trusted Steve because of his reputation with women. He feared that Steve would hurt Natasha but more importantly, that he was pretending to be a good guy just to bed Natasha?

Clint got a chance to talk to Natasha about his concerns when he found her alone at the rooftop. This was the first time in many weeks that she was alone without Steve by her side.

"Hey, Barton. What's up?"

"I have something to talk to you about, Nat"

"About what? You sound serious"

"Because it is serious, Tasha." Clint sat down next to her "I'm here to talk about Steve"

Nat didn't say anything in reply because she knew what her best friend was about to say.

"You and Steve are getting too close. I'm afraid for you, Tasha. I'm not sure that he's on the up and up."

"Clint I appreciate your concern but I trust Steve. I know him. I know what is in his heart. He's a good man, Clint." Natasha answered whole heartedly.

"I don't trust him, Nat. I think he's playing you.

"Because you don't know him like I do!"

"You are completely in love with him, Nat, and it's blinding you. I'm afraid that you care for him more than he cares for you."

"He has changed, Clint. I've seen it. Just trust me on this"

"Nat, I'm worried about you. He's a player and the master of mind games."

"Clint, I know him. He would never hurt me"

Natasha got up and walked away from Clint, no longer wanting to hear his negativity about her relationship.

Why was everyone so interested in her relationship with Steve? It wasn't anyone else's business. She was tired of hearing everyone cut Steve down! Why couldn't anyone see that he had changed?!

"Hey, Nat! Shall we go?" Steve asked as he emerged from the door.

"Yeah, we should" She replied and went downstairs with Steve, leaving Clint alone on the rooftop.

They had dinner with Steve's mother and Natasha's parents the night before and ended up in Steve's room but when Nat awoke she found herself alone in bed with no sign of Steve.

She immediately began to panic, all the worst things she could imagine popping into her head. He hadn't even left her a note. She quickly dressed and walked out the bedroom to find Thor eating his breakfast.

"Hey, Thor"

"Good morning, Lady Natasha" He greeted.

"Do you know where Steve went? I woke up and he was gone."

"He went to the Guggenheim. He said he needed to clear his head"

"Is there something bothering him?"

"Not that he mentioned or not that he told me."

Natasha went back into the room to gather her belongings. She took a cab to the museum and was surprised that the security guard let her in before it opened to the general public.

"Mr. Odinson called to inform me of your arrival" He told her as he let her into the building before opening hours. Natasha thanked him for the curtsey and walked inside the quiet building.

Nat inherently knew where to find Steve, and headed to the Klimt exhibit. She found him sitting alone on the bench in front of his favorite piece of art, The Kiss.

"Hey, handsome" She called

"Hey, beautiful" He replied and sadly smiled at her. From the look on his face she knew something serious was bothering him.

Natasha sat down next to him, laying her head against his shoulder, before asking in a quiet voice, "So how did you get pre-opening hour privileges?"

"My mom is a renowned patron of the arts in New York City. Dropping her name is like laying down a red carpet. All the museum directors worth anything in the city know that to keep her pen signing those checks, they have to keep her happy. Keeping her happy has its benefits this happens to be one of them."

"What are you doing here?"

"Clearing my mind"

"What's bothering you, baby? Talk to me."

Steve blew out a breath he hadn't know he had been holding before looking at her with the most serious look she had ever seen on his handsome face. "I'm worried about the game on Saturday, Nat."

Nat was almost startled by Steve's response. He had never seemed worried about a game before, but, then she remembered it wasn't just an ordinary game. It was a grudge match between Marvel and its long standing rival, AIM Extremists.

"Babe, that's a couple of days away. Besides you don't have anything to worry about" She tried to cheer him up "You guys are going to demolish AIM! I completely believe in your abilities!"

He smiled brightly at her words and she knew she had succeeded in cheering him up a little.

"My dad said he's coming to the game." Steve said suddenly "He will confirm tomorrow."

"He will be there for you, Steve"

Nat really hoped that Joseph would be there because, from the look on Steve's face, he had set a very high expectation that his dad would finally pay some attention to him.

"Thanks, little red" Steve somewhere between relief and frustration murmured "You have to be there too, you know?"

"Nah, I think I'll pass I have things to do that night" Nat teased unmercifully

"WHAT?!" Steve gasped out broken heartedly

"Steve, I'm just kidding there is nowhere else I would be" Natasha added quickly

"You're my lucky charm. Don't do that to me, Nat!" Steve said still feeling a little desperate.

"Steve….really I was just kidding. Of course I will be there! You know I will always be there for you."

She kissed him to chase away any doubt the he had about himself or her. Steve forgot what he about to say and leaned closer.

His little red always had a very unique way of cheering him up. Everything about her just him feel like the nothing bad could touch him.

How could he possibly live without her?

Coach Fury let his team out early from practice the day before the game, knowing his players needed a good night's rest. Steve received a call from his father.

"Steve, I will be attending your game tomorrow. If you speak with your mother please let her know that I have confirmed with you since she hasn't stopped reminding me all week of this ever important game." His father said sarcastically

"See you tomorrow, dad" Steve replied "Glad you willing be able to come"

"You had better make it worth my time, son" His father replied coldly.

"Yes, sir"

Joseph hung up. Steve sighed and threw his phone onto the passenger seat. He put all his belongings in the trunk before driving off to meet up with his friends for dinner.

Steve stopped his friends and walked over to their table, kissing Natasha before sitting down next to her.

"I'm surprised that Fury let you and Thor out from practice this early"

"He wants us fully rested" Steve told her "As much as we don't want to admit tomorrow's game is a big deal. By the way my father will be there, he just called to confirm."

"Good luck, Captain"

"I'll have my lucky charm with me" He said and kissed her "I want you to wear this" He added and handed her a paper bag.

Natasha opened it and found a new jersey "A new one?"

"Yes"

"The one I have is fine, Steve. It's stupid but I'm superstitious about these types of things. When I wear the old one, you always win."

"It's not because of the jersey, Nat." Steve answered with amusement in his eyes. "It's because you were there with me."

They smiled at each other before resuming their normal dinner ritual. Natasha ordered food for them to share. The redhead made sure that her Captain got back to his room before 9 PM so he could get a solid night's sleep.

It was widely known that Marvel was playing their longest running rival the Advanced Idea Mechanic Institute or AIM for short. Everyone could feel the tension building the excitement on campus was literally palpable for this historic game.

University staffs made sure to put up the team decorations everywhere to intimidate the opponent. Every single person at Marvel University wore their school's color and carried full cheer gear.

The Captain woke early to find his little red waiting for him in the living room. She was making him a sandwich and milkshake.

"Hey, sweetie." He hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.

"Morning, Stevie" She smiled "This is your breakfast and you better be at the stadium within half an hour"

"Thank you"

He ate his sandwich and drank his milkshake. Natasha told him that she would meet up with his parents before going to the stadium. Steve kissed her before he left.

Everyone that Steve walked pass was wishing him good luck and asking him to get them another victory.

Coach Fury went over the game play while the team got ready. Steve was very confident that luck was on his side. He was going to win this game. He was going to make his dad proud.

He had gotten his lucky kiss from his little red. He couldn't see how today would go wrong.

"Rogers! There's someone here who wants to talk to you" Coach Fury shouted from the door.

Steve found his mom in the hallway. Sarah hugged her son tightly and wished him good luck.

"Is dad here?" Steve asked

"Yes, he is here" Sarah replied "Are you nervous, sweetheart?"

"A little" Steve said "It's the first time dad has come to watch one of my games so I'm pretty excited"

"Don't be nervous. You're the best quarterback this university has ever had"

"Thanks, mom"

Fury yelled out that it was only five minutes before kickoff, and to get in position. Sarah quickly gave her son a kiss on the cheek before heading to the stands. The players lined up inside the main tunnel leading to the field. Steve was with Thor in the front. They ran onto the field after the commentator announced their name.

"And this is our home team, our pride, the one and only—Marvel Spartans!"

The crowd came to their feet, their cheer deafening as the team hit the field. Steve immediately looked to the stands in search of his little red. When he found her, she was waving her hands at him and smiling. Then Steve saw his dad in his military uniform, sitting next to his mother.

Steve knew that he had to make his dad proud of him.

Marvel won the coin toss and Steve selected to receive the opening kickoff. He knew the faster he got his first touchdown, the easier he could win this game.

The announcer started the play by play. "Marvel takes the opening possession. At the 20 yards line, Captain Steve Rogers, the superstar of this team leads the charge. Marvel's top offensive players huddle. Brock Rumlow, Pietro Maximoff, and Sam Wilson are the main receiving targets."

Steve shouted the play before the ball flew into his hands. Sam was able to break open and Steve threw a perfect pass for an easy completion.

"Marvel gains 11 yards and first down. Nothing can go wrong. As the home team, it's their ritual to crush their opponent."

It was Steve's luck indeed that his offensive linemen were great at their jobs. They were able to protect the Captain from the pass rush. Steve threw his first touchdown of the game and a massively loud cheer erupted.

Steve was looking for his little red and the camera man knew his duty to get a close up of Natasha as the Captain waved his hand and smiled at her.

His one and only distraction.

"Hey! Get your head in the game, dude." Brock shouted. He smacked Steve's head to bring him back to reality. "She's a distraction. Don't think about her."

"It's really hard to do that!"

"We have to win this shit so you better be thinking about the game, and not the girl!"

"I'll try," Steve replied and sat down on the bench, watching the defense.

Thor was doing a perfect job in commanding his defensive unit and calling the plays. They were able to stop Aldrich Killian and his right hand man, Eric Salvin. Luck was still on Marvel's side as Peter Rasputin sacked Killian, forcing him to fumble the ball. Thor pounced on the ball, securing the turnover.

Steve was prepared to get back on the field as Fury gave him a heads up.

"Be careful of Tarleton. They call him MODOK. That stands for something, something, Designed Only for Killing."

"That sounds lame, sir" Steve said.

"Yeah, but that motherfucker will break your legs in half if you don't watch your ass."

"Yes, sir."

Steve stepped back onto the field. The Quarterback managed to perfectly avoid any collisions with MODOK. Steve used his agility to score the second touchdown for his team before the end of the first quarter.

Steve's ego was at the max, completely sure he was going to win this game without even breaking a sweat. His arrogance got the better of him after the fourth touchdown with Marvel leading 28-7.

At the start of the third quarter, AIM got another touchdown and the score was now 28-14. Steve called a risky play to further their lead. Steve was so high off his ego that he wouldn't take anyone else's suggestions and called all the plays himself. Even from the stands, Natasha noticed that Steve was caught up in his pride, and began to get a bad feeling.

"This is not good" The redhead muttered.

"What do you mean?" Pepper asked, confused.

"I know that look on his face. He's about to do something monumentally stupid to show off to his father all because he's feeling invisible." Nat said.

"Rogers knows better than that, Nat" Pepper said, not completely sure she was right.

"I hope your right, Pepper! I really do! I just….I have a bad feeling about this." Nat said fearfully.

From the side line, Fury ordered Steve to run the clock but Steve ignored the coach, sure that he could score another touchdown. Fury belted out curses at Steve who ignored him.

He called for another risky play and got sacked, fumbling the ball. Everyone gasped as Andrew Forson picked up the ball and ran into the end zone. Steve could do nothing but watch as MODOK pinned him down.

"How does it feel to get owned, Rogers?" MODOK taunted "'Cause you better get used to it"

"Get the fuck off me" Steve pushed the linebacker away from him and got up.

Steve was visibly angry. Fury grabbed his helmet and yelled into his face, "Get your head out of your ass, Rogers, and get it back into the game!"

Steve threw his helmet to the ground and sat down next to Brock. His teammates knew that their Captain was emotionally compromised.

AIM scored another touchdown and the score was now tied. Everyone could sense that the tide had changed. AIM had the upper hand now and had the lead for the first time. Fury sent Steve back onto the field warning him to stick to the play book.

Steve was able to gain some ground in the fourth quarter. Marvel was in possession of the ball after a 3 point field goal with 4 minutes left on the clock. Fury ordered Steve to run the clock but Steve ignored his instruction and called for a pass play.

Everyone got to their feet, praying the Captain knew what he was doing. The ball flew into Steve's hands, and he pivoted to the side looking for his star wide receiver but Brock was covered and Sam was the only available receiver.

With no other choice he threw to Sam but MODOK saw the play and intercepted the ball, running straight into the end zone before any Marvel defense could block him.

Time stood still as the game ending whistle blew with a final score of 38-42. A terrible hush descended on the stadium, the onlookers too shocked by the outcome of the game to move. Steve Rogers stood alone, numb and empty as the enormity of what had just transpired hit him.

His blue eyes scanned the crowd, his teammates, his dad, and his heart broke when all he saw staring back at him was disappointment.

The General got up from his seat and sighed at the sight of his biggest disappointment, his own son. Joseph turned and left without looking back.

AN:

- Special thanks to my dearest friends, sleeplessinbudapest & internetangie!

- Thank you to my proofreaders, chrwrigh.

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