"Ugh, no!"

Natasha looked at the tree in front of her. Nope, this wouldn't do. Steve deserved better!

She had let herself into Steve's apartment to set up a Christmas tree for him. She'd used the key he'd given her in case of emergencies, so it wasn't really like she'd broken in, okay?! And she was doing something romantic for him!

At least, she hoped it was romantic. He didn't have a tree and she thought he should have one. So she'd bought a little one , ornaments and fairy lights. She was going to decorate it and the little surprise would wait for him when he got home. She would be long gone, back at her place getting ready for their date. She was currently in yoga pants and a hoodie and that was definitely no date look. Nope, she'd seen enough rom coms to know better.

She put the ornaments down and started again. This time, she liked the tree better. She was going through the shopping bag to find the batteries for the fairy lights, when she heard a noise.

Shit, that was a key! No, no, no! She was supposed to surprise him with it and she wasn't done yet! And she looked like a mess! She wanted to wow him with her look tonight!

Natasha could seethe front door from her spot in Steve's living room and it got opened. No! Steve walked in and did a double take when he spotted her.

"Nat!" He seemed really happy to see her and it made her heart flutter.

"Surprise?" She said awkwardly and stepped away from the tree so he could see it. It was smaller than her. She loved Steve, but she wasn't going to drag a giant tree up to his apartment!

"You got me a Christmas tree?" There was a touch of awe in his voice. He was standing in front of her in seconds. "Thank you." He whispered and pulled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground. "I didn't have one in forever..." He buried his face in her neck.

She wrapped her arms around him. "I take it you like my surprise?"

He hummed into her neck as an answer, pressing sweet kisses onto her skin. He put her gently back down and he cupped her face to kiss her. It was a soft and innocent kiss, a kiss that showed her that she was special to him too.

"I was about to get the lights ready." She told him after their kiss. The way he looked at her made her want to melt. She was about to leave his embrace to get the batteries, but Steve pulled her back against him.

"One more, sweetheart. Let me thank you." He slanted his lips over hers, thanking her until she was out of breath.

"You're...you're welcome." She managed to get out and Steve grinned proudly. She snorted and decided to get even. She jumped into his arms and used every trick she knew until he was panting into her mouth. She jumped down again and went to her bag to get the batteries.

"Minx!" Steve laughed and took the batteries from her.

They finished the tree together and Steve wrapped his arm around her when they looked at their finished work.

"It looks great. Thank you, sweetheart." He kissed her head. "Are you gonna stay?" He asked hopefully.

It was late afternoon. She had originally planned to get ready for their date and then return to Brooklyn. "I'm not exactly dressed for a date."

"You look great. You don't have to change for me."

She knew he was telling her the truth. He wasn't lying to her to make her feel better. "I'll stay. The longer the date, the better."

Steve smiled and kissed her. "I agree! I'll just have to get to the grocery store quickly. I haven't been yet."

"I'll come with you." Steve opened his mouth and she covered it with his hand. "I want to. It'll be romantic!" She quipped and Steve chuckled and she felt the vibrations against her skin.

"You're easily to wow, Romanoff." He pecked her lips. "But bundle up. As much as I love your ass in those yoga pants, they can't be really warm."

She gave a mock gasp. "You've been looking at my ass?!"

"Every chance I get, sweetheart!" Well, it wasn't like she wasn't doing the same.

"Don't worry, they're thermos tights. I'll be fine."

The grocery store was just around the corner so they decided to walk. Natasha reached for Steve's hand and he immediately laced their fingers together.

They agreed on a simply dinner and wanted to just put vegetables and salmon on a baking tray and let the oven do the rest. That should be doable even for them, right?

Inside the supermarket they got asparagus, potatoes and salmon. They also wanted wine and chocolate. Steve had run out of olive oil, so Natasha went to get some. She saw a couple that looked very in love. She smiled at the sight. Did she and Steve look like that when they were together? Were they even a couple? Did you have to talk about something like that?!

She grabbed a bottle of what she hoped was good olive oil and looked for Steve. She found him near the check out. She put the olive oil into basket and saw that Steve had added a can of her favorite Pringles.

"Are you my boyfriend?" She blurted out without any thought. Smooth and subtle, Romanoff...

Steve stared at her. "Well yeah, I thought I was..." He looked insecure. "Am I not?"

"I want you to be my boyfriend." She admitted. "I want to be your girlfriend."

"You are." Steve smiled and her tummy flipped. His smile alone could bring her to her knees. "Of course, you are!"

She grinned happily and rose to her tiptoes to kiss him. "Do you think other couples have this conversation in front of the canned tuna as well?"

He snorted. "I'd like to think we're special."

"We are." She pecked his lips again. "Now let's pay and go home. I want to make out."

Steve's lips curled into a smirk. "Yes, ma'am!"

They paid and Steve insisted to carry the grocery bag. She rolled her eyes fondly at him. They were walking down the street when a group of young men recognized them and came straight towards them. Steve moved slightly in front of her.

"Thanos was right! Why the fuck did you bring them back!" One guy yelled at them. "Everything was perfect and you fucked it all up!"

Natasha thought it was best to just ignore them, but Steve was so fast she had no chance to react.

He pinned the guy against the nearest wall and held him there. "Take that back, you fucking scum!" He snarled. "Take that back! How dare you! You have no idea what it took to bring them back!"

The others looked scared just like their friend, but she knew they would get their phones out soon. She had no clue why Steve was getting so angry. There were Thanos was right graffitis all over the city.

"Stop! Let him go. He is not worth it." Steve's jaw was clenched, he was furious, but he let go off the guy. He stormed off without another word.

"Genocide is never the right answer!" She yelled at them and then followed Steve.

He was much faster than her and was already in his apartment. At least he'd let the door open for her, so she figured he didn't want to be alone right now. He was standing in his hallway with his back to her, the grocery bag by his feet and his coat thrown onto the nearest surface.

"Steve?" She closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." He was still not facing her. She could practically feel the anger radiating off him. She was worried about him.

She came closer to him. "I'm not scared of you. I'm just confused. You've never reacted like this to the whole Thanos is right nonsense."

He took a deep breath and turned around. He was practically fuming. "How dare he say that to you!"

"What?"

"You died! You're the reason everyone's back. How dare he say that to you!" He yelled. "How dare he treat your sacrifice like that!"

"Steve, he doesn't know. No one knows. And I don't want them to know. I don't care what he thinks!" She assured him. It didn't matter to her what people like him thought. They did not deserve any attention.

"You died for them. You died for everyone who was lost or has lost someone. You were gone." He voice got quieter. "You left me."

So this was what this was actually about.

"Steve." She said softly. "Come here." She opened her arms and he came willingly. He hugged her tightly against him and started to cry. "I'm sorry I left you. But I made a choice. I had to do it. I had to bring my sister back."

"I know." He buried his face in her neck and his tears were falling onto her skin. "But I hated Clint. It wasn't fair that he got to live after what he'd done. I was ashamed, but I wished he would have jumped. And it's a horrible thing to think, let alone say, but that's how I felt."

"Steve, look at me." He pulled away from her neck and she cupped his beautiful face. "He's my best friend. I couldn't let his children grow up without their father."

"I know. I know that." He nodded. "But I...I never asked for anything. All I wanted was for you to be by my side and then suddenly you weren't...It...It broke me."

"I'm sorry." She started to cry as well. They had never talked about her death before. It never seemed like he wanted to. "I never wanted to leave you. I never want to hurt you."

"I know and I know why you did it. I would have done the same. But I still...God, I hated Clint. I actually got into a fight with him after Tony's funeral. He overheard me telling Buck that I was going to look for your family after I returned the Stones to tell them in person about...about your death...and Clint wanted to come with me. I just...snapped. I know it was unfair and I had to honor your choice and sacrifice, but I was just so angry."

"You weren't mad at Clint. You were mad at me."

He wasn't looking at her. "Yes..." He whispered. "You said see you in a minute and then you didn't come back..."

"I'm so sorry. The last thing I ever want to do is to cause you any pain."

"You don't have to apologize for anything. I get it. If anyone gets it, then it's me. And it's in the past, you're here with me now. And I am so so thankful that you came back. I will never ask for anything again, Nat." He rested his forehead against hers. "I don't think you realize how much you mean to me."

She kissed him gently. "I do because...it would have killed me if you'd died."

"I love you, Natasha." Steve whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." She whispered back. "And I'm sorry for leaving you. But I promise you that I won't go anywhere. Never again."

He nodded and kissed her. She could feel everything in that kiss. His love for her, the pain he had been feeling and the second chance they were giving. He picked her up, deepening the kiss, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"Bedroom?" He murmured against her lips and looked up at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

She slanted her lips over his and he carried her to his bedroom. Their kisses grew desperate and hungrier. He gently laid her down on the bed and smiled down at her.

"Come here." She panted, trying to catch her breath.

"God, I love you." He crawled over her and leaned down to kiss her hard. "You're my dream come true."

She wrapped her arms around his torso and pushed until he was lying on her. She never liked lying underneath someone because it had always made her feel trapped, but with Steve she felt safe and protected.

"I love you, Steve." She gasped into his mouth and her hands moved underneath his sweater.

The sheets and blankets had been kicked off the bed ages ago. They couldn't stand anything touching them except each other. The only thing she wanted to feel on her skin was Steve. She was covered in love bites and she was sure that bruises in the form of Steve's strong and very talented hands were forming on her waist and thighs. Not that she cared, she was going to wear them with pride.

The scratch marks on Steve's back were unfortunately already healing and the bites on his neck were also almost gone. She hadn't been able to control herself and bitten him whenever he'd hit that spot inside of her. It had been so...There were no words remotely good enough to describe what had happened between them. Maybe magic was kind of getting close to-

Oh, God.

"Steve!" She moaned and grabbed his hair. "I...Oh, fuck!"

He looked up at her from where he was between her legs. "You taste so good, sweetheart." He looked drunk. Drunk on her... He kissed the inside of her thigh before he continued to devour her. Oh wow... She was ruined forever.

She had no idea what time it was. Nothing mattered besides Steve. They were giving into each other again and again, Steve's serum being a blessing. She was on the brink of insanity, it was all a blur of intense pleasure and so much love.

They were in desperate need of a shower after they had enough. For now. Steve washed her hair and he let her wash his beard, a fond smile on his face.

"Okay, I don't think the fish is good anymore." Steve decided after they had picked up the groceries from the floor. He'd only put on boxer briefs and Natasha couldn't keep her eyes off of him. "My stomach can probably take it, but you could get food poising."

"Nothing less sexy than that." She jumped onto his kitchen counter, wearing one of Steve's giant hoodies. She was going to steal it. She knew it, he knew it. She had been stealing his clothes for years and he'd acted like he didn't notice.

"I hate wasting food." He said while throwing the salmon away. "But it was for a good cause." He winked at her.

"A very good cause. The best cause. Love confessions and lots of sex? Is it Christmas already?" She grinned and he kissed the grin of her lips.

"Smart ass." He squeezed her waist. "You still want to put the vegetables in the oven?"

"Not really. Too much work. You've got some cereal?"

"Yeah."

They sat down on his couch with their bowls, facing each other, and the little Christmas tree was illuminating the living room. It was perfect. This was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Just being with Steve, doing normal everyday things. She didn't need anything fancy. It would always be perfect as long as Steve was by her side.

"I really do love you, Steve."

"I know, Nat." He smiled softly. "And I really love you, too. And I always will."

She put the bowl on his coffee table and crawled over to him. She wanted to be close to him. Steve put his bowl away and opened his arms for her. She laid down on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. She was safe here. This was her favorite place in the world.

"Can I stay the night?"

"Of course. But isn't Yelena gonna ask questions tomorrow?"

"Let her." She shrugged. "I don't care. And it's not like she doesn't want this for us. And I'd really like to stay the night."

"You can always stay here, sweetheart. You don't have to ask."

"Thank you." She hummed sleepily. She was getting tired after everything that had happened today. "I'm not going anywhere." She mumbled into his chest, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.

"I know." She felt Steve press a kiss to the crown of her head. "And if you do, I'll follow you to bring you back home safely."