DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.
The rating of this story has CHANGED from T to M now, due to sexual content. Please bare this warning in mind if you decide to continue reading.
~0~0~0~0~0~
As relieved that Steve was that he had his best friend back, finally, he couldn't push away the feeling of sadness that threatened to consume him as they drove for the airport.
Bucky, sat at his side, looked across at him and asked, "Why did you act that way, when that girl kissed you? I know Peggy was special to you, Steve, but you really ought to try to-"
"It had nothing to do with Peggy." Steve told him, his hands tightening ever so slightly on the steering wheel.
Sam leaned forward from his spot in the back seat. He'd been slightly annoyed when Bucky had claimed shotgun first, but he seemed to have gotten over himself now. "Trust me, man, I've been trying to set him up for months. It's pointless. You remember the fiery red-head?"
"I think I recall shooting her." Bucky admitted, sounding so regretful that Steve knew that it really was his best friend sat beside him. "What about her?"
No one spoke, but Steve didn't have to tilt his head to know that Sam was looking at him, waiting for Bucky to put two and two together.
When he did, Bucky did a shameful job of hiding his surprise. "Her? Wow, I take back what I said about you're luck with girls. How did a punk like you even manage to get a girl like that?"
"This is not the conversation that we should be having right now." Steve bit out, because even thinking about Natasha made his heart ache in the most unbearable way. He'd wanted to say goodbye to her, before they'd busted out from under Ross's nose, but there just hadn't been the time. It would have been too great a risk, and when other peoples lives were involved in this, Steve knew he couldn't take such a chance.
No matter how, with every minute that passed that he was away from her, Steve felt as if someone was continuously gutting him.
"Dude, you do realise how this might play out, right?" Sam checked with him, being the voice of reason considering that Bucky was still trying to catch up on everything that was happening. "If she stands with Tony, then she stands against us. Against you."
Even hearing the words out loud hurt. "I know." He did know that, he wasn't lying by saying that. But, it still destroyed him inside. Tony would not let them get away without a fight, if Tony actually came after them. In the truck behind them, he knew the rest of his team were ready for that outcome. Briefly, he wondered if Clint truly was ready to face Natasha as well.
"I'm sorry, man." Sam said, patting his shoulder.
"We haven't - we're not..." Steve fumbled for the right words. How could he explain it to them, when he didn't even understand the situation between him and Natasha himself? It was impossible. "Before all this, I was going to...I wanted to - oh, forget it. I really don't want to talk about it."
Sam and Bucky exchanged a glance, neither of them ever hearing Steve sounding so broken before. Sam gave his shoulder one last brotherly pat before sitting back in his seat, and Bucky turned to look out the window.
Silence broke out amongst them, but as Steve brought the car to a stop, he told them firmly, "Whatever happens, I don't want a single scratch on her after this."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Stood with her arms folded over her chest, Natasha blocked on Tony and Rhodey's conversation behind her. They were standing in the waiting area of the airport, a large space filled with rows of seats, where tourists would assemble to wait for their flight to be announced. It seemed far too mundane of a place for such an event as this, but they knew that this was where Steve would come. Hidden away in plain sight was a quinjet, and Steve would need that if he hoped to get Bucky far away from Ross, as quickly as possible.
"You're upset."
She didn't turn her head as Vision moved to stand at her side, but she knew it was pointless to try to shut off her emotions when it came to Vision. Over the months that she had spent training with him, she had been surprised by just how humble Vision was as a person. He listened, and he truly cared, and because of this, she didn't push him away or snap at him to leave her alone. Instead, she just stood there, gazing out at the landing strip, waiting for that familiar blue, red and white shield to appear. Along with it, the man she loved.
"I have not known Captain Rogers very long, but I know he is a good man." Vision said to her, his voice was gentle was waves lapping up along the shore. Natasha wished that it was enough to calm her. "That has nothing to do with being Captain America. He is righteous, and he believes that he is doing the right thing."
"He's too stubborn for his own good." Natasha said, her hands clutching at her elbows tightly. "He's going to get himself hurt."
"You care for him deeply." It was not a question, but a statement. When it came to being observant, Vision almost rivalled Clint Barton. "Your heart is hurting, because you feel like you have lost him." Vision's hand came to rest on her shoulder, and she surprised herself when she didn't shrug it off. "When I tell you that the power of the feelings you both share for one another is the strongest thing I have ever felt in my life, I am not lying."
She remained silent, trying to will her heart to stop pounding so fast in her chest as his words sank into her. But, as Vision dropped his head and turned to leave, she asked him, "Does Wanda know? How you feel about her?"
Although she'd never even brought it up with Steve, Natasha had noticed how Vision was around the girl. He always sought her out after a mission or a hard training session. He had always been the most concerned whenever she was upset, but he had gone to Steve because he did not feel as if his help would be appreciated. Perhaps, she could recognise all these things, because she had convinced herself many times that she was undeserving of Steve.
Vision stilled, looking over his shoulder at her. "I do not think so. I'm not...I'm not particularly good at this sort of thing. Expressing emotion."
"Sometimes, how we feel is not reflected on the words we say, but how we act." She told him, remembering that night all those years ago when she had awoken from that nightmare, and Steve had held her and stroked her back softly, whispering to her until she felt safe enough to sleep again. How the way he looked at her didn't change when she'd told him about her past. She remembered the two times he had covered her with his shield to protect her. How he'd always made her laugh, or how he'd not given up on her. She remembered how he'd kissed her so senselessly when she had joined him on the battlefield in Sokovia.
The reality of just how much she loved him, how much she missed him, hit her in that moment. She felt as if her heart had been cut open, and was now bleeding onto cold stone.
Vision took in her words, and she saw the small twitch at the corners of his mouth when he processed them. "Indeed, Natasha." It had been the first time that he had addressed her as anything other than 'Agent Romanoff', and it eased her a little bit. It made her feel less alone. "Never feel like how your heart feels is a weakness. It can be your greatest strength, if you allow it to be."
As Vision walked away, Natasha tried to hold herself together as she went to join Stark and Rhodey. Stark gave her a questioning look, and she saw the glimmer of concern in his eyes as he regarded her. Locking her jaw, she gave him a curt nod.
In her head, her mind was made up.
~0~0~0~0~0~
From the looks of things, Steve had come alone. As he stood facing Tony, Rhodey and T'Challa, his chin was raised with that stubborn pride of his, and his tone was calm as he tried to tell them that the doctor who had been interrogating Bucky was behind everything.
Just hearing his voice again made her want to run to him, but she managed to keep herself back. Forcing herself to remember to keep her breathing level and steady, Natasha slowly made her way out from behind a vehicle behind Steve, a sinking feeling of dread forming in the pit of her stomach. Nearby, Vision was hovering, just in case this turned south. She knew it was foolish to think that they would be able to walk away from this without a fight.
"Ross gave me thirty-six hours to bring you in." Tony was saying. "That was twenty-four hours ago. Can you help a brother out?" Natasha could hear the quiet pleading in the billionaire's tone, and she knew it was because that Tony didn't want this to go badly, almost as much as she did.
"You're after the wrong guy." Steve told him, his eyes locked on Tony. The air was thick with tension as Iron Man and Captain America faced each other. Neither of them were likely to back down.
Tony's jaw locked, a sign that he was definitely disappointed in which way this was heading. "Your judgement is askew. You're old war buddy killed innocent people yesterday."
"And there are five more super soldiers just like him. I can't let the doctor find them first, Tony. I can't." His tone was decisive. His mind was made up.
Natasha sighed. "Steve," She said softly, trying not to wince when he turned, his cold stare landing on her as if she was a stranger. But, it seemed to soften slightly, his body tightening when his eyes scanned over the red marks still around her throat. She lifted her chin, which had the desired effect as his gaze locked with hers once again. "You know what is about to happen. Do you really want to punch yourself out of this one?"
There was a flash in his blue eyes as he looked directly at her, as if he could see through her, right to her heart. She prayed that it was what he was trying to do, that he could see that she really didn't want to do this, but she would, if it stopped him from getting hurt. She'd do anything to protect him, even if the thing that presented the biggest threat to him was himself.
For a moment, she believed that perhaps, he was about to stand down. To listen to her, to Tony. To help them find a way out of this mess. The thought of going against him, of dragging him back to Ross against his will...it was too much, it felt like it was choking her. She willed him, silently begged him, to just come with them.
But, then, his jaw set and he moved his gaze back to Tony, blanking her completely, and any hope she held died instantly.
It seemed Tony had come to the same conclusion as hers. "Alright, I've run out of patience." He declared, with that tone of boredom that he mastered so well. "Underroos!"
Peter Parker's web struck the shield, snatching it clean out of Steve's grip and binding his hands together in a thick mass of silver. Spiderman landed on top of a luggage truck, crushing it slightly from the impact. Rising to his feet, the eyes of his suit widened as he took in the scene in front of him.
"Nice job, kid." Tony praised, and in a funny way, it sounded as if he truly meant it. Natasha knew that if there was a fight, Tony would ensure that Peter didn't get himself in the middle of it, where he could get hurt.
"Thanks!" Sometimes, it was easy to forget that under the suit was only a teenage boy. He sounded thrilled at the praise from Tony. "I could have stuck the landing a little better, it's just the new suit - wait, it's nothing, Mr Stark. It's perfect, thank you." His babbling was a reminder of his youth, and Natasha just hoped that he wouldn't get himself too badly injured trying to prove himself today.
"Yeah, we don't really need to start a conversation." Tony shut him down, and Peter instantly stopped gushing out words.
The slitted eyes of his suit shot to Steve once again, widening slightly. "Captain America, big fan. I'm Spiderman."
Steve dipped his head to the kid, before commenting to Stark, "You've been busy."
"And you've been a complete idiot," Tony snapped, and Natasha found herself in agreement with the billionaire once again. Steve had been an idiot. A reckless idiot. "Dragging in Clint, 'rescuing' Wanda from a place she doesn't even want to leave, a safe place. I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart."
"You did that when you signed." Steve said, and at those words, any hope Natasha had left of a peaceful ending was crushed. They weren't walking away from this as a united team.
"Alright, we're done." Tony growled. "You're going to turn Barnes over and you're gonna come with us, now, because it's us or a squad of J-SOC guys with no compunction about being polite."
Steve looked to Natasha once again, and her breath caught in her throat as her traitorous heart flipped. She dipped her head once, the smallest of movement, to confirm Tony's words. Please, Steve, just listen, she pleaded silently.
No one moved from a long moment. Natasha then took a step forward, Steve's eyes never leaving her face once. Then, he raised both his hands in the air, and an arrow shot through the web confounding his hands, breaking him free. "Alright, Lang," Steve said, touching his ear where the earpiece sat.
Nothing happened, and then Peter alerted them with a startled yelp. Suddenly, a full-grown man practically jumped out of thin air, kicking Spiderman to the ground and retrieving the shield, and jumping to Steve's side. He was dressed in a strange red, silver and black suit, with a mask covering his face. Not even his voice was familiar to Natasha when he spoke.
"I believe this is yours, Captain America." The man announced proudly, passing the shield over to its rightful owner.
Steve had brought reinforcements, too.
"Great," Tony muttered. "Alright, there's two on the parking deck, one of them's Maximof. I'm going to grab her." His jet blasts powered him into the sky. "Rhodey, want to take Cap?"
"Got two in the terminal, Wilson and Barnes." Rhodey announced, using his tech to scan the building surrounding them.
T'Challa instantly started running. "Barnes is mine!"
Steve's shield shot out, whacking Rhodey out of the sky. The War-Machine managed to save himself from hitting the tarmac just in time to avoid scraping his suit. Steve darted in pursuit of the Black Panther, but before Natasha could even try to go after him, the stranger in the suit was facing her.
"Look, I don't want to hurt you." He said, and to his credit, he sounded genuine.
That, however, wasn't going to help him in this situation. "I wouldn't stress about it." She said, grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. But, he disappeared into thin air again, and something was crawling up her suit arm. In a blink of an eye, she was rotated and smacked into the ground. As her arm was pushed over her back, she managed to use her shocking bracelet. A little smudge was sent flying away from her, which she realised, was the man. Just a very, very tiny version of him.
"Who the hell are you?" She groaned out, but when she looked, the little guy had vanished again.
She rolled onto her side, getting up and scanning the airport. Cars were being shot out of the parking lot, aiming for Tony who tried his best to dodge them. Closer to her, Natasha saw Steve kick T'Challa to the ground and then block an attack from Rhodey, who spat out in annoyance.
As Natasha approached, the little man was back, only this time, he was back to normal size. He passed something to Steve, pointed, and then threw a small disc in the air. Whatever Steve had in his hand, he chucked towards the disc, and a large truck appeared in mid air. Natasha ducked to the side as the vehicle crashed and went up in flames.
The force of the explosion knocked her down, and she looked up as Rhodey landed beside her. "Alright, now I'm pissed."
Tony joined them, offering his hand up to Nat and helping her up. "Is this part of the plan?" She demanded. So far, she'd been beaten up by a tiny little man, and had a truck launched at her. Neither of those things had eased the tension that was coiled inside her.
She really needed to hit something.
"Well, my plan was 'go easy on them'. You wanna switch it up?" Tony asked.
Natasha only growled, brushing dust off her legs. "They're heading straight for that jet."
Sure enough, Steve and the rest of his newly assembled team were racing across the landing strip, heading straight for where the small jet was stored. The only thing that stopped them was a yellow beam which cut through the tarmac in front of them as effortlessly as a hot knife through butter. Vision.
"Come on," Tony said, his arm going round Natasha's waist as he powered both of them up to the sky.
"Captain Rogers," Vision's voice boomed through the vacant airport. "I know you believe that what you are doing is right. But, for the collective good, you must surrender now."
Tony landed them below Vision, and Natasha stepped away to face them, her eyes going instantly to one face in particular.
T'Challa, helped over by Rhodey, rolled across the ground on landing and sprang to her side, his sharp claws out and flexing. Rhodey crushed the ground, still raging. Lastly, when Spiderman and Vision joined them, they stood facing Steve's team.
Natasha pulled her eyes away from her boyfriend's face long enough to glance over to Clint. Automatically, she felt her heart surge at the sight of her best friend. She hadn't seen him in so long, and she definitely didn't think their reunion would involve this. When Clint looked back at her, he gave her the smallest of smiles, confirming that he wasn't against her.
In her heart, she also knew that Steve wasn't against her. He had made sure to stay out of her way, but she had seen him glancing around for her when that fire truck had burst.
"What do we do, Cap?" Sam asked, rolling his shoulders, ready for whatever decision was made.
Steve's eyes were purely on Tony when he responded, "We fight."
Heart sinking in her chest, Natasha sighed. "This is going to end well." She muttered under her breath.
As Steve's team moved, so did theirs. It started off at a walk, and then a jog, and then suddenly, they were flat out running, and utter chaos followed close behind.
Not forgetting their earlier encounter, Natasha went straight for the masked fighter, grabbing him and chucking him into a nearby vehicle. She heard him groan, but he fought back, his blows and kicks not nearly ones of a well-practised agent.
Somewhere behind her, she was aware of Tony and Steve going at it, furiously, and just prayed that neither of them were going to take it too far. But, Steve had pushed and pushed Tony, and the billionaire wasn't exactly the most patient of men...
Then, someone else tackled her. Clint struck fast, using his hands and legs rather than his arrows for once. They tousled on the ground. Having trained together for years, they knew each other's moves before they were made, which made it particularly difficult.
Somehow, Clint managed to pin her, and she glared up at him. "We're still friends, right?" She asked.
He chuckled. "Depends how hard you hit me."
Natasha smirked, accepting the challenge. It had been a long time since they had practised on mats, but she caught him off guard, managing to wrap her legs just under his shoulders and flip him. Clint sprang to his feet in time, and as Natasha rotated her hips to kick out at him, her foot was grasped in a tight, red grip.
Wanda.
The girl faced her, hands crackling with red power, and sent Natasha crashing into another luggage cart. Natasha wasn't too sure which impact hurt the most; the vehicle, or the ground, and she groaned as she lay there. Glaring up at her best friend, Natasha rolled up onto her knees.
Clint stood over her, looking smug. "Stop being mean to Ant-Man, and then you can avoid this sort of embarrassment, kid."
"Ant-Man?" Natasha repeated, and then realised that must be the name of the unfamiliar suited man with shrinking ability. "How very fitting." She looked forward to getting her hands on him again and swatting him.
Clint helped her up, but Natasha's gaze turned to the woman stood near them, watching their exchange. Wanda moved to face her, and Natasha rolled her neck slowly, preparing to get battered again.
"Don't fancy trying out those moves I showed you in training, huh?" She asked, as more red mist appeared from Wanda's fingers. She tried to ignore the way her stomach dropped. "Thought so,"
But, Wanda didn't strike. "Steve would never forgive me if any harm came to you." She said calmly, turning to Clint. "You're pulling your punches." Then, she lifted herself up into the air and flew off in the direction of Rhodey and Sam.
When Natasha shot him another accusing look, Clint lifted his hands in defeat. "What?"
"Why did you let Steve talk you into all this?" She wasn't mad at Wanda, even though her back still ached. For a moment, she forgot just how mad at Steve she was for getting himself in the middle of this mess in the first time. But, she hated the fact Clint was involved. "I thought you were retired."
"I am." Clint told her, and his voice was firm. "But, I can't ignore what is happening here. Steve needed someone with the voice of reason. Wanda's too sensitive still, and Sam was itching for a chance to prove himself. Barnes is still...I'm not sure, but he's changed, Nat. I really do think he's gotten out of whatever bullshit Hydra did to him. I came because I knew you'd want someone you trusted to watch Steve's back."
She sighed, leaning against the same luggage cart that now had a slight intent on it from her collision. "You're right." She relented, knowing that the second she had discovered Clint was with Steve, she had felt slightly better. "He's going to get himself killed."
Clint snorted. "Yeah, but not from all of this. I pity the guy, when you finally get your hands on him." He walked over to her and gently patted her shoulder. "He still loves you, kid."
How her legs didn't give out underneath her, she didn't know. But, she covered Clint's hand with hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, not trusting herself to vocally thank him for what he just told her. Strength returned to her body, and she scanned the airport. The fight was still going on, but time would soon run out. Just as a massive, towering Ant-Man burst from thin air, Natasha heard Clint whisper a "Holy shit.".
While the others became distracted by a very giant Ant-Man, Natasha made her play. Her leg muscles burned as she ran across the landing strip, sliding into the garage hosting the jet.
Moments later, the tower beside the garage started to fall. It crashed and crumbled into a thousand pieces, but two bodies rolled out of the way just in time, and Natasha turned to face them.
The sight of him, so close and so angry, made her heart shatter in her chest. Sadness swarmed through her as their eyes met, his blue ones burning into hers, and she wondered if he really would fight her to get Bucky to that jet.
This is Steve, she reminded herself firmly. He'd never hurt you.
"You're not going to stop." She mumbled, her voice quiet and shaking.
He sighed. "You know I can't, Nat."
Time stretched unbearably.
Outside the garage, she could hear the chaos of flying cars and shouting. But, inside the garage, it was just her and Steve in the whole world. The noises and commotion of the fighting faded into the background, and even Bucky disappeared into the shadows of her vision as she gazed at the face of the man she had fallen so helplessly in love with.
Then, there was a flicker of movement, and she raised her arm, aiming the Bite around her wrist. "Don't make me regret this." The words came out sharper than intended.
Steve's eyes widened, but the shot she fired didn't hit him. Instead, it grazed past his side and struck it's true target; Prince T'Challa. The Wakandan warrior had come for Barnes, managing to wiggle through the gaps in the rubble behind them. Now, he fell to the ground, writhing as the Bite took effect.
When he turned to look at her, Steve didn't even try to mask his shock.
She clenched her jaw, her eyes burning as she forced herself to not crumble into a helpless heap right in front of him. "Go." She ordered him, begged him.
"Nat, I-" He walked to her, stopping just in front of her. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say more, and the small gap between them was unbearable for both of them, but whatever he planned to say died in his throat. In a heartbeat, her hands clasped round the back of his neck while his arm wrapped around her waist, drawing her flush against him, and it was unclear who made the first move. Maybe him, or her, or both of them at the exact same time. But, as soon as their lips met, it didn't matter.
A thousand different emotions filled her, but most of all; she found a sense of home. He was her home, and she realised there and then just terribly she had missed him. She whimpered, and he felt it.
As his lips moved against hers, Steve breathed out. The amount of love he had for the woman in his arms was terrifyingly powerful, but right there and then, everything in the world clicked into place. He was where he belonged, with the woman who he belonged to completely.
The kiss was too short for both of them.
When they broke apart, their eyes burned into one another. "Go," she whispered the order. Before he could respond, Natasha had to force herself to look away as T'Challa started to stir. She'd only be able to buy Steve so much time, and her heart was already at the point of shattering. She wasn't sure she could bare to stand there any longer, but she refused to fall apart. Not here.
As the Prince writhed on the floor from another bolt of electricity, Steve's lips brushed against her temple before he left her side, squeezing her waist once last time. Whilst he and Bucky boarded the jet and she continued to block T'Challa's attempts of reaching them, she let a single tear run down her face.
~0~0~0~0~0~
To say that Natasha felt sick to her stomach would be an understatement, but she did her best to keep to herself. Tony was pissed at her, that was evident enough. She needed to make the most of the few minutes of peace she had before he came and spoke to her.
Once the quinjet had left, it had only been T'Challa and her in that hanger. She had prepared herself to fight the Prince, and to feel his anger at the fact she had left Barnes escape him once again.
"I said I'd help you find him. I didn't say I'd help you catch him." Her voice didn't waver as she addressed him, even with those narrowed eyes burning into her soul. Him hurting Barnes would in turn destroy Steve, and she couldn't have let that happen. "There's a difference."
But, T'CHalla had stood slowly and regarded her before asking one simple world, "Why?"
Natasha had stood with her hands clenched into fists at her side and her chin raised in stubborn, perhaps foolish pride, as she faced the Wakandan warrior. "I love him." As if that was enough to justify exactly what she had just allowed happen, by helping Steve and Barnes get to that jet.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Neither of them even moved an inch.
Then, as if the entire ceiling had crashed down on her, Natasha's words hit home, and she fell to her knees. Hugging her arms around her body, she sobbed. The tears that cascaded down her cheeks were red hot, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming. She bit it so hard that she was surprised she didn't taste her own blood.
A hand was on her shoulder, but she didn't have to tilt her head to know that T'Challa had knelt down beside her. "I understand." He said, in that deep voice of his that left no doubt that he was a king. "Therefore, you must understand why I have to go after Barnes."
Because Barnes was accused of the bombing that had taken T'Chaka's life, and his son wouldn't be able to stop grieving his death until justice was served.
Natasha understood, better than most people, what it was like to love someone that much that you wouldn't rest until they had paid for what they had done. If anyone had hurt Steve, she would burn down the Earth until they suffered for what they had done. She remembered that rage that had threatened to overwhelm her when Ross had declared his disregard for Steve's life. T'Challa had his own rage lurking inside him.
Until Barnes' name was cleared officially, T'Challa would not rest.
But, before she could even think of a response, T'Challa was gone. The blocked entrance of the hanger was pushed to the side by red fibres, and Clint was beside her at once, Wanda hovering close by.
Now, as she waited at the Facility for any word of Steve, Natasha's heart felt heavy in her chest.
Rhodey had been severely injured at the airport, and Tony had already informed her of the extent of the damage. How things could have gone so, so wrong were beyond her, and she wished more than anything she would wake up and it had all been one big, horrible dream.
Tony joined her, and she kept her eyes firmly on the trees in the distance. If she wished hard enough, would she blink and find herself at the Barton's farmhouse, preparing for an evening of making s'mores and listening to Cooper's guitar?
"Steve's not going to stop." She said, breaking the unbearable silence between her and the man who, perhaps unknowingly, had been holding her hand throughout all of this. The man who she had betrayed by helping Steve and Barnes escape.
Tony's voice was distant as he replied, "You let them go Nat."
"We played this wrong."
He snorted coldly. "'We'. Boy, it must be hard to shake the whole double agent thing, huh? Sticks in the DNA."
His words struck deep within her, but she tried her hardest not the show it, show just how much of an effect that accusation had on her. "Are you incapable of letting go of your ego, for one god-damn second?"
"Ross knows what you did. They're coming for you."
She had been chased before, hunted down like an animal. A bounty had been on her head since the Red Room had started sending her out on assignments. That didn't scare her. What scared her was the possibility that she would never see Steve again.
But, she would not give Tony Stark the satisfaction of seeing just how much his words shook her. She glared up at him, and snarled, "I'm not the one who needs to watch their back." A promise. That if he went after Steve, if any harm came to the man she loved, she would never be able to forgive Stark.
As she turned to leave, Tony's next words caught her off guard, freezing her to the spot, "I know what Rogers is to you. I've known for a long time. But, if he's so ready to drop all of us for Barnes, aren't you worried that his past will always come first to him? That the life he has with us - with you - can never compete with the life that he didn't choose to leave?"
Natasha would never have thought that Tony Stark could be capable of recognising her deepest fear and then using it to shatter her heart right there and then. She couldn't cry, not again.
So, she walked away and didn't look back.
~0~0~0~0~0~
As Steve stared out at the mist surrounding Wakanda, his heart felt heavy in his chest.
His friend was safe. T'Challa had offered Bucky the advanced medical aid that only Wakanda would be able to offer him, even though that had meant that he would have to go back under for a little while, whilst they figured out exactly how to amend what HYDRA had done to him.
But, even the knowledge that Bucky was currently in the safest hands, Steve couldn't ease the aching he felt in his chest. He knew that only one person would be able to ease that pain inside him. As he stared out at the jungle surrounding the city, he tried to ignore the fact that none of those rich greens could even compare to the emerald of her eyes. He tried not to remember that heart-broken look on her face after the kiss in the hanger, or the way she'd looked away and kept her gaze off him as he ran for the jet.
"You miss her." T'Challa commented from where he stood at Steve's side. Even after they had discussed Bucky, the Prince had remained with him.
Steve didn't even have to question who T'Challa had been meaning. "Every minute," He confirmed. Every minute, every second, with every single breath.
T'Challa made a noise of understanding. "She is a very special woman, indeed. Will you go back to her?"
"I don't know if she'd want that." He replied honestly. He hadn't forgotten how Natasha had let him and Bucky escape, or the sadness in those emerald eyes of hers. He had paused, right before getting on that jet, wanting to go back to her. Without her at his side right now, he couldn't remember a time he'd felt quite so lost.
"You did not see her after you left." T'Challa said kindly. "I do not wish to overstep here, Captain, but what she did for you wasn't just because she believed it was the right thing. It was because she loves you, very much, and when you left, she practically fell apart right in front of me. In Wakanda, in the outside world...I've never seen such raw emotion before."
Years ago, Steve would never have believed it. He would never have thought of Natasha Romanoff as anything other than the fierce agent who was untouchable by anything. But, he knew Natasha now, better than anyone in the world. The image that T'Challa painted had him wincing, because he was responsible for her feeling this way.
He'd rushed off in search of his best friend without so much as mentioning it to her, even after they both promised to look together. Then, he hadn't been with her in Vienna. It wasn't just because of the bomb that he felt guilty - although, that was definitely something that had caused him to have the worst nightmare last night - but because they should have been there together. He should have seen that she was only agreeing to the Accords because she wanted to keep the team together. Yes, it had hurt him when he thought she was siding with Tony over him, but it wasn't that at all. She hadn't sided with Tony because it was Tony. It was because she believed that signing the Accords really was their only option.
There had been so many chances that he could have told he loved her. When he called her after the bomb, because he couldn't think straight until he heard her voice. When he had been brought in by Emmett's men, and she'd walked over to him, looking so beautiful that his heart had tightened at the sight of her and his breath had caught in his lungs as he realised just how much he missed her. Facing her on that airport, he had wanted to say those words to tell, to her her that his feelings for her had not changed, not even in the slightest.
Perhaps, he really was a coward.
But, she had kissed him back. He'd felt it, and at first, he hadn't been able to believe it. Perhaps, her feelings for him hadn't changed either. After everything that he had put her through recently, he definitely didn't deserve her. But, he had to go to her. He had to speak with her, to see if she still loved him.
"Will you contact me, when he's okay?" He asked the Prince, glancing over his shoulder to the doorway. Down that corridor, Bucky Barnes was going back under, with the chance of wiping everything that Hydra had done to him. Bucky was safe here, and all Steve could think about what the red-haired spy he'd fallen so desperately in love with.
The Prince nodded solemnly. "Your friend is in good hands, Steve Rogers. Do not forget my earlier offer." He hadn't, although he still couldn't get his head to process it completely. What T'Challa had offered him, in their earlier conversation that morning, seemed so unbelievable to him. "I look forward to seeing you again, Captain. Wakanda will always be a safe place for you."
~0~0~0~0~0~
Hint hint, something big is happening in the next chapter...
- E x