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~
"Tell me everything," Natasha requested, leaning back against her husband's chest as they sat in bed together. Steve was sat with his back against the headboard, while Natasha had settled between his outstretched legs, enjoying the contact and warmth far too much to even think about moving away any time soon. From the kisses that Steve had peppered across the skin of her shoulder, exposed by the vest top she was wearing to bed that night, it didn't seem that he had any complaints about this arrangement either.
Not needing to ask her to explain what she was referring to, Steve leaned back, removing his lips from her, but slightly tightening his arm around her waist as if wanting to keep her close so he could steady himself. "The first stone I returned was the power stone. I followed Nebula's instructions, and by some miracle, the only things keeping me company on that planet were these small, weird creatures that scuttled around and hissed at me every now and then. I put the stone back in it's rightful place, a hidden room that she had mapped out for me, and was out of there in less than five minutes."
"Always so punctual," Natasha teased, and her husband squeezed her waist in retaliation to her jibe. She smiled, despite how fast her heart was beating as she listened to him tell the story of where he'd been for that minute, with the stones.
"Next, I returned the reality stone. Honestly, Natasha, I can see why Thor loved his people and his kingdom so much." There was real admiration shining in his eyes when Natasha tilted her head to look. "The colours...everything was gold, and white, and green. The buildings were beautifully designed, as if it had been so effortless to build them. If I felt as if I could do it justice, I'd paint it. For Thor."
To give their friend a piece of the home he'd lost, to remind him of the people he fought for. If Thor wasn't currently somewhere in space with Rocket and the rest of the Guardians, the god of thunder would have appreciated the gesture greatly. Natasha covered her husband's hands with her own. "You should." She encouraged. Over the years, she'd seen glimpses of his work, little sketches he'd doodle here and there, and he'd gift her with drawings for her birthday or special occasions. But, with everything that had happened over the years, she couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her husband want to paint, to bring something to life. They just hadn't had the time for that sort of thing.
As if knowing what she was thinking, Steve kissed her temple and whispered, "When we buy our house, I'll paint whatever you want."
A house. A future. She couldn't help but smile at the promise, at the butterflies that swarmed through her. They hadn't discussed anything about SHIELD yet, about their careers, but over the last few hours, they'd both exposed how much they wanted a proper house together. The facility was gone, but it was time to experience what normal people got to experience. A house, even a dog, if Natasha could be persuaded. Steve would definitely try to change her mind on that front, as he made it no secret that he'd like a dog in the next few years.
Her husband then told her about how he'd returned the time stone next, managing to return it to a lady known as the Ancient One, a person of incredible knowledge and power, who Steve had wished he could have had a longer conversation with, her admitted. "She just took the stone and didn't question me, as if she'd known all along to expect me standing there, on top of that building in New York." Steve said.
Natasha had done some background reading on Dr Strange, but the Ancient One was a title that wasn't recorded in files or history. A mystery upon the world, but a fierce protector of it. Someone who had taught Dr Strange everything they had known, but also someone who had not been around for the final battle, because their time had ended not soon after Dr Strange had learnt his true calling in life.
The next stone that Steve returned was the mind stone. A sadness washed over both of them, because of who that stone had belonged to for so long. Natasha couldn't think of the stone by itself, the mention of it always brought back the face of Vision to her mind. She remembered the advice that Vision had given her all those years ago, at the airport in Germany, and all the advice after that. Vision had been a good friend, and he'd always be missed.
Between Steve, Natasha, Bucky, Sam, Wanda and Banner, they'd all had a small service for Vision back in Wakanda, near where he'd spent his last moments. To remember his own brave sacrifice. The people of Wakanda would tell his story to their children for generations to come.
The next stone, that Steve jumped back through time to return, had been the soul stone.
Natasha had tried not to flinch when he spoke those words, but her body reacted to the memories that swarmed her mind as soon as Steve spoke of that stone. She nestled further against her husband, as if he truly could shelter her from reliving those memories. Focusing on her breathing, with each inhale drawing in that comforting smell of cinnamon and home, Natasha tried to relax.
Another kiss was brushed against her temple, lingering slightly longer than the first. "Seeing the Red Skull again...wasn't something I had prepared myself for. But, he's trapped there, for eternity." Steve said softly, his spare hand resting on her thigh. "I...if there was a way I could have killed him, Nat, I would have done."
But, that would have changed the course of the future. The golden rule of time-travel, the thing to always avoid at all costs.
"You came back to me." Natasha said, because any alterations in the past may have risked his safe return. "The Red Skull can rot on that damn planet for the rest of his miserable existence. That's a fate much more deserving than death."
"You're right." Steve agreed. "The stone went back, and I'm sorry that...I'm sorry that I couldn't find a way to bring Clint back with me."
At the sound of his name, her heart didn't feel like it was about to break, but it did clench. It had only been a matter of weeks since his death, and she knew that the road to recovering from that day would be long and complicated, but she was still taking every step at a time. "We both know that wasn't an option." She whispered. Reversing the effects of the stone would have been too great a risk, and no one could tell if - even if it had been possible - how that would have changed the course of events in the future.
Thankfully, neither of them wanted to talk about Vormir, or the stone, any longer than necessary. It was gone, back where it belonged, where it was more than welcome to stay.
"When I went back with the space stone, Peggy was there again. I...I went back into that office, because I just needed to say goodbye, properly. I didn't speak to her face-to-face," Steve made sure to add, when Natasha froze. It was an irrational fear that gripped her, because her husband had returned in one piece, but she couldn't help but worry at the thought of him risking himself like that. "I just...stood there, and I wished I could have told her that I appreciated what she did for me. And, also, I just wanted to tell her that after all these years, I may have learnt a thing or two about women."
A true smile spread across Natasha's lips at that small joke, about the history and teasing behind it. Yes, she'd forgotten how much Steve had had to learn right at the start of their relationship. She turned her head so she could kiss him, in a long, deep kiss filled with emotion and appreciation. "You were a fast learner." She assured him, and she could feel his own smile against her mouth.
"I had the best teacher." He shot back, affectionately nuzzling his nose against the curve of her neck. Natasha laughed as he brushed over a particularly known ticklish spot of hers, but she made no attempt to stop him. Moments like this were ones that she would never take for granted again. Ones she would cherish, always.
"You're little adventure with the stones is the last one you'll be doing without me." Natasha told him, her voice firm, once his assault on her neck finished with a sweet, lingering kiss.
Steve's small chuckle of amusement was like music to his ears. "I know. I'm counting on having you by my side, through everything life chucks at us."
If she didn't love him already, she would have fallen in love with him in that very moment. He had always believed in her. "You know, Thor told me that you could have wielded Mjolnir." She spoke quietly, more because of the privacy of the moment than anything else. "If you learn to forgive yourself. Was he talking about what happened with Tony's parents?" She knew her husband had always carried that guilt with him, even when things between him and Tony had been patched up and strengthened.
Steve's chin rested on her shoulder. "One day, perhaps we'll test that theory out." It was clear he didn't want to talk about it, to dampen the mood, and Natasha wasn't going to force the conversation to continue. "Besides." Her husband's teeth nipped at her earlobe before he added, "I enjoyed watching you far too much."
"Oh, really?" She hadn't missed the look on his eyes when he'd first regarded her carrying that hammer, after using it to knock Thanos of it. There had been gratitude, yes, considering the blade that had been at his throat. But, there wasn't a hint of fear on his face when he'd looked at her, as he watched that lightning surge through her body and be used as her own weapon. He'd looked ready to burst with pride.
"Very much." Steve admitted, and they both knew without having to admit out loud that they could have done without the after effects of using that hammer. Still, if Natasha had to go back and relive that battle, she wouldn't have changed what she did, and Steve knew that.
Natasha repositioned herself so she was now kneeling in the space between his legs, facing him. She made sure her best, most devilish smile was on her face as she brought her mouth close to his, less than an inch between them. "Show me."
His hands had grasped her waist and flipped her onto her back before she could blink, and he swiftly positioned himself over her body, hands on either side of her face, his weight supported by those god-like arms of his. His own lips now hovered above hers, teasing her. "Where to start, though?" He asked thoughtfully, as if talking to himself, debating on how best to render her into a moaning, speechless mess.
Desire and excitement pooled in her stomach at the darkening look in her husband's eyes.
"I could start here," Steve's lips followed the curve of her neck once again, dancing over her pulse point. "Or, here," Lower, so his mouth could explore her collarbones, could graze over the curves of her breasts, as he admired the skin exposed by her vest. "Or, I could start here." He mumbled, sinking back slowly onto his knees so his nose could draw a circle round one of her peaked nipples, and then the other.
Natasha gasped, her back arching invitingly, silently begging for more, for him to touch her without the barrier of clothes getting in the way. For him to claim her, again and again, until his name was the only word she could manage to get out, to scream to the entire world who she belonged to.
Then, Steve's knees straddled her thighs, so he could free his hands from holding himself up. The sight of him, on his knees before her, was enough to make Natasha have to bite her lower lip to stop herself from begging for him right there and then. Only the enjoyment they both got from these games kept her from throwing herself at him.
"Or, here is another option." Steve commented, as his hand gripped the material of her vest and lifted it, exposing her flat stomach. His fingers danced over her skin, making goosebumps appear over her entire body. Her back ached with the urge to arch again, to press herself even closer to his contact. But, knowing Steve, he'd probably go even slower if she tried, so she tried to endure it, endure the waiting, even though patience had never been her strong point - not when it came to him.
Steve dropped his head so his lips could kiss along the trail that his fingers had just invisibly marked. He drew back so his fingers could run along the trim of her shorts, and Natasha released another throaty moan that she was convinced caused the entire room to shake.
"No, was that?" Steve hummed, his voice thick with need. He may enjoy taking things slowly, may enjoy rendering her to this mess of whimpers and need, but he was aching for her just as badly as she was for him. Still, their matched stubbornness would make this game last for longer.
Natasha once again tried to ignore her body's demand for more as Steve's hands found her thighs, caressing and kneading the muscles. "Steve." His name came out shaky, as even speaking was proving quite a task for her right now. Her entire body was trembling for him already, and he had only just started. Fast leader indeed. All she had done was discover the beast in the sheets that lurked within him, and had done nothing to try encourage him to lessen that side of him. Not when she loved it so, so much.
"Natasha," Her name rolled off his tongue like a kiss of it's own. "You told me to show you, and that's exactly what I intend to do." His fingers were so close, so close to where she was burning for him to touch her, yet they kept their distance playfully. He knew exactly what she wanted, and was now playing her like a cat with a mouse. He was enjoying every single second of this.
Her chest was rising and falling quickly, as she fought against the urge to demand he stopped teasing her and fucked her. "I need you." She gasped out, as his hands returned to her sides, as if tempted to pull her shorts down her body and reveal her to him.
"I know you do." Steve replied, as he leaned forward and kissed her where his hands had just been, in the slope below her belly button. "Do you know how I know?"
A whimper in response, as his fingers moved up and snagged the thin material of her vest.
"Because I need you, Natasha." He informed her, lifting the vest up and over her shoulders, practically tossing it away once it was over her arms, which she had held up helpfully, because she was just as desperate to be rid of her clothes. "Very much. All the time. Always." Each word came with a kiss to her breast, his lips taking any inch of skin they desired before his tongue traced around her nipple and he blew cold air against it.
Her hand flew up into his hair, and it was a wonder that she'd been able to keep from doing that this whole time. Now, her fingers weaved into his locks and gripped tightly, silently demanding that he kept doing what he was doing, that he didn't dare stop. Steve seemed more than willing to comply, especially when he took one nipple into his mouth and sucked. Hard.
This time, Natasha didn't try to stop her back from arching, as his tongue swiped over her before he released and moved to the other breast. Once he was satisfied that he'd given them the attention they deserved, his mouth started it's slow downward trail over her stomach, back to her shorts. Finally, he pushed that last scrap of clothing off her, and she heard his growl of approval when he discovered that now, nothing lay between him and her body.
Steve moved off the bed, his hands grabbing her hips and pulling her effortlessly over the sheets so her legs hung over his shoulders, his breath touching her in the most intimate of places. The sensation of that breath, the knowledge of just how close he now was, had Natasha writhing desperately, craving nothing more than the man that now knelt between her legs.
"You're mine, Natasha." Steve told her as he looked up, and the sight of him between her inner thighs, that grin on his face, had her almost climaxing right there and then. "As I am yours. Forever." Then, his mouth was upon her, rendering her unable to reply as he set to work on devouring her.
Devouring was the right word. His tongue worked in long strokes, showing how much he enjoyed this, just as much as she enjoyed receiving such pleasure from his talented mouth. Her hands flew to her side, clutching at the bedsheets tight enough to almost rip the material. Breathing heavily, Natasha couldn't resist lifting her hips up to meet his mouth, as her head rolled back and her eyes closed in bliss. It surely was criminal for someone to be so good at this.
His grip on her waist showed just how much he appreciated every single moan that escaped her lip, every subtle demand behind the rising of her hips. Steve continued with what he was doing, drawing out her pleasure for as long as possible, but Natasha was already so close to the edge that she wasn't sure she'd be able to hold off much longer.
Sure enough, his tongue was enough, and had her falling into that wonderful world of pleasure within the next few seconds. She came moaning his name, the word sounding like honey on her tongue, and Steve remained where he was, coaxing her through wave after wave. When he looked up at her, he smiled, clearly enjoying seeing her pink-tinged cheeks and panting chest. He crawled up her body, kissing as he went, until his mouth found hers.
"Your turn," Natasha whispered against his mouth, biting down on his lower lip before she pushed him to his side. Steve rolled onto his back as she straddled him, determined to take her time just as he had done.
She kissed every inch of that beautifully sculptured chest of his, her tongue gliding out occasionally to taste his skin. Above her, she could hear Steve's pants and groans, and it urged her to keep going. She pulled his boxers off him and exposed him to her, the proud length of him alert and begging for her touch. Deciding it would be cruel of her to keep him waiting any longer, especially considering what he'd just done for her, Natasha gave him another devilish smirk as her hand held him. Her name never sounded as good as it did right then, when he moaned it for the world to hear.
Her husband's hand snaked into her hair as she finally lowered her mouth onto him. Just as he had done for her, Natasha knew all the ways that she could get him to find his release, but also bring him the most amount of pleasure possible. She loosened her jaw, enabling her to take more of him in, and it seemed Steve had lost the ability to speak, as all she could hear were moans and whimpers, and occasionally her name. Smiling, she started to bob her head.
Her hands braced themselves on his muscular thighs. Not a single scar lay on his skin from the final battle, curtesy of his serum and Shuri's medical care. They both had invisible, mental scars from that day, and would do for a long while yet, but neither of them were going to let those memories win. They had won, the threat had been defeated. The world was safe, for now. It was time that the two of them stopped focusing on everything else that wasn't themselves.
They'd definitely earned that peace.
"Nat," Steve groaned out, his head thrown back as he lifted himself onto his elbows, having wanted to watch her. His eyes closed just as his orgasm hit, and Natasha swallowed every last bit of him. Kissing the tip of him one last time, she moved to straddle his waist once again.
"You're mine." She repeated his words, as her arms locked around the back of his neck, pulling their bodies so close that their heaving chests almost touched. "As I am yours. Forever."
As she had planned, her words summoned a growl from deep within his chest as he flipped them over and had her pinned to the sheets once again. Natasha made no protests, no attempt of getting back on top. They had the whole night ahead of them, after all.
Leaning down and claiming her mouth once again, Steve sank into her slowly, as if he had all the time in the world to do so. As if he intended on making tonight last forever. Another reminder that they now had a future ahead of them to plan for. "I'm with you." He whispered into her ear as he moved deeper. "Always, sweetheart." Because there was nothing that they would let stand between them.
Nothing was quite like having her husband inside her, joining him as one not only in body, but in heart and soul. Their paths had been entwined since the day they had met, and if Natasha believed in fate, she would agree that they had been destined for one another. Two different sides of the same coin, but exactly what the other needed.
Her nails dug into his shoulder blades as he thrusted in and out of her, in powerful but controlled movements, once again taking his time. Natasha did not rush him, instead she closed her eyes and let him surround her completely, until it felt as if they were sharing the same breath, their hearts working in sync with one another. Their entire beings combined as one. Ready to face whatever was waiting for them.
"I love you," Steve told her softly, as their approaching orgasms started to catch up on them.
Natasha sealed his lips with hers in a passionate kiss. "I love you, Steve." She returned, her heart feeling full. They both gave in to their desires, slowing down for only a few minutes until they were going again. For hours, neither of them broke apart from the other, moving as one, experiencing such intense love and pleasure that they could only find together. Love that neither of them had expected to ever have in their lives. Love that they would fight for, against anything.
It wasn't until the soft dawn light was entering the room that they finally stopped, both sweaty and sedated, and Natasha cuddled into her husband's side and fell to sleep listening to the sound of his breathing, the feel of his heartbeat thudding against the chest that she was resting her head again.
When they returned to the outside world, they would face many decisions; their careers, their new lifestyles. They would face conferences and meetings and endless questions, from both people they knew and complete strangers. Both of them had briefly spoken to Nick Fury at Tony's funeral, but all of them had silently agreed that it had not been the time or place to be having such discussions fully.
But, right now, in their apartment in Wakanda - so close to the heart of the city that they could still hear the music of the streets, of people who celebrated because the world had been saved - they focused only on each other.
~0~0~0~0~0~
"You're thinking too loudly." Natasha mumbled, as she traced invisible patterns onto Steve's chest with one finger. They'd only left the bed that morning to shower and have some food, before returning under the sheets, where they intended on speaking the rest of the day. Until tonight, when they would venture into the city and dance, like they'd done every night before and after their wedding, falling in love with the music, the people, the culture.
She tilted her head up to look up at her husband, who was watching every small trail left by her finger, while his arm was slung round her waist, keeping her against him as if she didn't have every intention on never leaving his side again. "Tell me," She requested.
Steve smiled down at her softly. "I was thinking about whether I want to go back to being Captain America, or not."
Surprise surged through her, so quickly that she couldn't stop her brow from raising, or keep from saying, "Really? You'd retire?"
"I've been Captain America for a long time. It's not something I'd give up without careful consideration." Not because he enjoyed the fame that came along with the title, she knew that. It was because if Steve truly did leave SHIELD, he'd want to make sure that they had someone who could take on the role without hesitation or doubt in themselves. "But, yeah, I've been thinking about it."
She swallowed. "Me too," She admitted, and when his hand tightened on her hip slightly, she understood his silent request for her to explain. "Not completely retiring but...perhaps focusing more on training agents, helping them learn and push themselves. I...I think it's time to have a name for myself, without the Black Widow."
Nothing but understanding shone in his blue eyes as he said, "You already have." Articles of what she had done had already been published on every outside news source, reports already spoken about over all the worlds news channels, from what Okoye had reported to them last night. The world now knew that Steve and Natasha were married, and it knew their sacrifices on that battlefield, along with the sacrifices made by their friends.
"I want a chance to have a quieter life." Steve said, his hand brushing over her lower back. "A chance to take my wife to the Caribbean, being top of that list. After we find a house."
She smiled up at him, at that private joke that had been carried throughout all their years together, but asked, "If you retire as Captain America, would you still work for SHIELD as an agent?" Even without the shield, Steve was a formidable asset to SHIELD, with his fighting skills and tactical thinking, not to mention his experience on the field. He'd make a good mentor, like Coulson and Hill.
"I'd like to explore that option a little more when we go back." Steve said. "But, more of a nine-to-five sort of thing. Where I know my weekends would be spent with my best girl, unless I decide I fancy a mission or two to spice things up a bit."
She glared up at him, teasing, "Are things not spicy enough for you with me?"
He laughed. "You know what I meant, Nat." She did; the two of them couldn't just turn off their instincts, their wanting to protect the world. But, it was also time to consider their own lives as well. "I would like to assume that my wife would join me on such missions, should they come about."
"Well of course, someone has to be the boss after all." She remarked, and squirmed as his fingers tickled her side in retaliation.
The tickling punishment stopped after a few seconds, but Steve was still smiling as he said, "We've definitely got a lot of things to consider."
She made a thoughtful noise from the back of her throat. "Yes, including where we want to live." The facility was gone, his old apartment in Brooklyn had been sold years ago, it's safety and location breeched. As much as they loved Wakanda, it wasn't a home for them. A safe haven. An escape. But, they belonged somewhere else.
"Close enough to SHIELD that travel isn't inconvenient, but far enough away that we can easily leave work at work." Steve decided, his fingers curling and uncurling over her hip, bare because of how much her vest had risen. She didn't mind though, and Steve clearly appreciated the contact of skin on skin.
"You'd want to live in New York?" She asked in disbelief. Steve was a city boy, yes, but a Brooklyn boy.
"I managed to survive when we lived in the tower." He pointed out, and their memories of the months spent at Tony Stark's New York home flooded back to both of them. They came with that ache of missing their friend, but also the good times they'd shared; sneaking into each others floors, flirty looks exchanged when they were in company. "I think that one day, I'd...I'd like to own a studio, in the city."
She hated the doubt he had in his voice, the fact that he didn't believe he could possibly achieve such a thing. So, she reached up and kissed him, her tongue brushing against his lip before she pulled away, met his gaze, and said firmly, "If you want it, you'll go after it. I know you, Steve Rogers. You can achieve anything you set your mind to." She then added, because she knew he'd smile, "You managed to thaw out my icy heart, after all."
He did smile, but to his credit, he also rolled his eyes and said, "You never had a heart of ice, Nat. You just liked to believe you did, to stop people being able to hurt you." He then hugged her closer to him, nuzzling his nose against her hair and breathing her in as he whispered, "Would you take up dancing again?"
At first, she was about to say that she didn't know the answer to that question, simply because she was slightly scared by the prospect of taking up that beloved hobby once again. But, she had thought about it, quite a few times, and had even dreamed about that pair of ballet shoes that Steve had gifted her months ago. "You paint again, and I'll dance again." She decided, needing that extra push to be brave just as much as he did, to pursue that studio he wanted one day.
Chuckling into her ear, Steve pressed a kiss to her shoulder as he said quietly, "You have yourself a deal, sweetheart."
A future. That's what they could plan for, together. That was what they had earned, what they had always wanted to plan together, but had never been given the time to do so. Now, as that future of possibilities and memories lay before her, Natasha was not scared. In fact, she was quite the opposite.
She was excited.
~0~0~0~0~0~
No matter how long it had been since their honeymoon, Natasha would never forget just how beautiful Wakanda was at nighttime. It took her breath-away during the daytime hours, but at night, it was transformed into light and colours that came out to play when the moon was high in the star-filled sky, it was alive with music and dancing, as if the land itself joined in with the festivities.
Whilst the men headed to an all too familiar bar alongside the street, Natasha and Wanda joined in with the dancing, laughing and moving without the fate of the universe weighing down on their shoulders.
When she looked and caught her husbands eyes across the ground, as he watched her with a beautiful smile on his face, she beckoned him to join her. Steve made his way through the crowd without a hint of awkwardness, and he swept her into his arms and moved them both to the beat of the music without hesitation. Natasha beamed brightly as she danced with him, as the moonlight lit everything with a silverly glow and shone in those blue eyes that she loved so deeply.
"You look so handsome." She told him, tilting her head as she pressed against his chest, enjoying being so close to him as he swayed them both to the rhythm of the music. It was a slower beat this time, that seemed to sink into the ground and radiate all the way to the stars, filling Natasha's body with happiness and peace.
Lips brushed against her ear and glided down the side of her neck as Steve replied, "You have no idea how hard it is for me to not want to throw you over my shoulder, take you back to the apartment, and ravish you."
Her stomach fluttered with a thousand butterflies, a reaction that had never faded from hearing him talk like this, even after years of being with him. As tempting as his idea sounded, she'd spent ages getting ready - and yes, she had styled her hair so it left her neck bare to his eyes, and had picked out her outfit whilst smirking at the response she knew it would gain from her husband, but the night was still young.
"Was a whole day in bed not enough for you?" She asked cheekily, ensuring to keep her voice low, as children of all ages weaved through the crowd, giggling and chasing one another.
"I could never get enough of you, Nat." Steve said, but he added, "I'll keep my hands to myself, but later, I won't be able to make that promise."
She smiled at the promise in his words. "I'm looking forward to all that ravishing." She pressed her lips against his jawline before he surprised her by twirling and spinning her with the grace and confidence of a man who'd had countless dance lessons, instead of only dancing when the woman he loved asked him to. Still, the smile on his face and the light in his eyes was mesmerising, and she fell in love with him all over again.
Steve danced with her for a while, until he checked something over his shoulder and said quietly into her ear, "Food's waiting."
Not much could tempt Natasha away from dancing other than food, and it wasn't just because of her rumbling stomach. It was because nothing - absolutely nothing - in the entire world could compare to Wakandan local delicacy. As if summoned by her hungry thoughts, the scents of all those different spices hit her, dragging her from the street with her hand clasped in Steve's, Wanda following close behind them, still laughing.
The five of them - Sam and Bucky had waited by the table with the food, and hadn't seemed unashamed to tuck in whilst they waited - settled down and ate with the night breeze stirring around them. Steve's arm rested over the back of her chair whilst he ate with his spare hand, and Natasha melted into the warmth provided by his body as her stomach was filled with hot, delicious food.
Bucky surprised them all by declaring that he would be working with SHIELD in the future, and therefore leaving Wakanda. "I'll forever be grateful for what T'Challa and his family have given me." The soldier had said, speaking round a mouthful of food. "But, it's time I made amends for...for what I've done, in the past."
Steve, sat beside his best friend, gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder. "No one holds you accountable for any of those things, Buck."
Still, it was clear that the soldier had yet to learn to forgive himself, even if what Hydra had done to him had been out of his control. Natasha could understand that, so she gave him a soft smile and said, "It'll be nice to work alongside you, James."
Bucky dipped his head in thanks, and his body seemed to soften, as if relieved he'd finally gotten his news out of the way.
Wanda and Sam would continue working alongside SHIELD, but they had yet to decide what sort of roles they would be taking on. None of them had been in contact with Nick Fury since the funerals, so it was hard to tell what the Director might have in store for them, when they all went for their first meetings. The date for such a meeting hadn't been decided yet, because Fury had given them time and space to decide what they wanted for themselves, before starting to draw up any new contracts. However, the Director had seemed thrilled that they were even considering coming back, so perhaps this space was because he wanted to keep them all happy. Natasha was definitely going to make the most of this little break.
"How about you guys?" Sam asked with an expectant, raised brow as his gaze flickered from Steve and Natasha.
Steve's hand covered hers, fingers entwining. "I'll make sure you all get invitations to the house-warming party." He promised, even though they all knew fully well that his idea of a 'party' was a couple of drinks, pizza take-out, and several rounds of cards. But, that thought brought Natasha unexplainable warmth as she imaged all of them seated around a table, in a house that she and her husband owed, like any regular group of friends. Yes, she could get used to Steve's idea of parties quite easily.
"Perhaps, there'll be a dog around, too." She added, because she knew it would make her husband smile, knowing that she considered getting a pet even though she'd originally never expressed an interest.
As she had hoped, Steve's eyes glowed, his smile widening even more as he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. Any other displays of affection would lead to endless comments from both Sam and Bucky. Having none of that, Natasha leaned across and captured Steve's lips in a kiss, enjoying the slight tinge she saw on her husband's cheeks when she pulled away. Wisely, neither of the two jokesters at the table said anything, not when Natasha sat back in her chair and raised her chin in challenge. Wanda, on the other hand, looked ready to burst with happiness as she watched the exchange, and Natasha silently hoped that one day, her friend would find someone who made her happy, like Vision had done.
She raised her glass and declared, "To the future," And they all repeated with equal lightness in their voices as they lifted their glasses in unison.
It was nice, sitting and talking whilst their food went down, but Natasha's heart was being tugged back towards the dancing crowd, near where a large fire was already burning. Laughter and singing filled the air, and her body hummed with the wanting to get up and join them once again.
So, unable to deny herself what she wanted, Natasha rose to her feet and turned to her husband, who was watching her with eyes sparkling with love and appreciation.
"Dance with me!" She shouted over the music, grabbing Steve's arm and pulling him up onto his feet and back to the crowd. Steve made no protest whatsoever, that smile never once faltering, as the couple melted into the sea of dancers and lost themselves for the next few hours.
Later that night, as she made love with her husband amongst those thin, silk sheets, as the moonlight streamed into the room and made their skin glow, Natasha had never felt more thankful for anything in her entire life, that she had this incredible man at her side. Always.
~0~0~0~0~0~
Is anyone on here excited for A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas to be released? It's being released on the 16th and I'm desperately trying to order a copy that will get here sooner than my Amazon order estimates, which is all the way in late-March early-April. If you've read either Sarah's Throne of Glass series or A Court of Thorn and Roses series, or Crescent City, please drop me a message as I'd really like to talk to someone about them and share opinions and theories!
- E x