Chapter Thirty-Eight

Steve

Three Months Later

We sit in the old van watching the building across the small square from us. We are somewhere just miles from the Russian boarder, waiting for a drop off of gun supplies from a major black market arms dealer. Nat is in the passenger seat beside me, and Sam and Wanda are both laying down in the back bench seats, getting a few moments of shut eye while they can.

It's been a long few months tracking these guys and we don't want to miss our opportunity no matter how uncomfortable the accommodations. Seems it takes more time to track down bad guys when you don't have the full might of the Avengers behind you.

I look over at Nat. Last night she cut her hair to her shoulders. It looks good. Mind you I get the feeling she could shave her head and I would still think her the most beautiful woman in the world.

She feels my eyes on her and slowly turns her head to look at me. "Hey soldier," She says quietly, smiling at me. I lean back my head as I watch her, she raises an eyebrow at me, questioning me without words.

The last three months... it is hard to know they have been real. She was always there. With me now. I feel like the next shoe is going to drop, I wonder sometimes when she is going to lose interest in me and walk away. It's a reoccurring thought I can't seem to shake. I just don't know what holds her here with me. She is so much, so many things, and I ... I am just a kid from Brooklyn.

Her brow furrows and she cocks her head to the side looking at me. "What's wrong Steve?" She questions, raising an eyebrow even higher.

"Just wondering how a girl like you could be happy with a guy like me?" I can't help but smile at the surprise on her face, "I don't know how I got so lucky." I look back out the windshield.

She scoffs at luck, "Yeah, that's one thing we are, lucky. Ha!"

I reach over and take her hand, running my thumb over her palm. "We are, Nat."

She looks quickly back into the van to make sure Wanda and Sam are both still asleep. It isn't as if we have been keeping this from them specifically, it was just hard to sit down and explain to them, how.. this... happened. Plus, Natasha was a private person and I didn't want to push my luck with making her uncomfortable. Her eyes look back at me, "I know." She says quietly, before looking down at our hands.

Suddenly, she looks up at me, "When did things... change, for you? With me?" She looks back up and meets my eyes as she asks the question.

I blink thinking back on all the moments, all that time. I think about sitting in the kitchen with her in the compound talking about Bruce leaving. I think about sitting on the porch of Clint's house under the moon. I think about the Smithsonian gala. I look back at her and shrug, "I don't think I could pin point it."

Her brow furrows and she rolls her eyes, "That is a pathetic answer, Rogers,"

I scoff, "Ouch."

She shook her head, "There had to be something," She goes to pull her hand away from me but I tighten my grip, holding on to her, and her head snaps around to look back at me.

"I can't pinpoint it, cause it's always been there, Natasha. You've never just been a team mate for me." I say quietly. Her eyes are huge in the night moon's light. "It's always been more than friendship for me. Since meeting you on the flight deck of the helicarrier."

She looks caught off guard, like she has no idea what to say and my lip catches, pulling up in the corner of my mouth. She opens her mouth to say something but-

"I think the point of staking out a place is to actually watch it." We both jump at Wanda's sudden voice. I drop Nat's hand at the same moment she pulls it away.

"Heh, right," I say, sitting up straighter while Nat clears her throat looking out the window as we focus up again. I glance at her out of the corner of my eye and am happy to see a smile on her lips as she leans her chin on her hand to continue the look out.

Bad guy caught, tied up, and dropped off on the doorstep of the right authorities and left till morning when the first person arrives at work.

We are on the jet getting ready to leave. I am in the pilot's seat next to Sam as we prep the Jet to take off. Nat is in the back with Wanda looking through headlines on the internet trying to figure out where would be good to go next. Sam looks up at me.

"So, you and Romanoff huh?"

I look up at him with wide eyes. "I, uh," I clear my throat. I glared at him, "Well-"

Sam put both of his hands up and smiles brightly shaking his head, "Don't get me wrong. I think it is about damn time." He shook his head, "For people so brave, you both sure can be stupid." He rolled his eyes as he adjusted some of the controls.

"Yes, well," I actually feel flustered by Sam's candour and try and focus on the task at hand.

"For the record, I knew it was a good idea from the beginning."

That catches my attention. I look at him. Had we been that obvious in New York? I thought Sam was just excited to see Nat. But the way he said it, it didn't seem like that was what he was referring to. Besides, New York was never really the 'beginning'. "What do you mean 'from the beginning'?" I ask.

He shrugged, "Just trying to say, I think it's a good idea." Sam looked at me and became serious, "You two... well, you are kinda perfect for each other. ..." He took a deep breath, "Just the right amount of mutual crazy." Sam shakes his head, "And if you choose that one armed neanderthal over me for best man, I'll kick your ass. Super soldier or not."

I can't help but let out a nervous bark of laughter at his words, feeling my throat close a little at his words. Maybe Nat wasn't the only one with hook ups.

"You boys having fun up here?" Nat says appearing beside me.

I jump and look up at her wondering if she heard Sam's words. But she just looks down at me with a confused, questioning look that seemed to say, 'what?'.

I shake my head and Sam answers for me, "Always," He smiles at her and looks so happy, like a cat that has gotten into the cream. He really can be a pain sometimes. "Where too?"

Nat shrugs, "Come to the back, we need to decide together. There are a few options."

Sam nods and stands up, he pats Nat on the arm as he walks back, "Sounds good."

I stand up swallowing, and I feel her eyes on me, and look to see Nat's eye's boring into me with intensity, "What's up with you?" She asks raising an eyebrow.

I take a deep breath looking into her beautiful face, "Nothing, just happy." I smile at her.

And she smiles back at me, rolling her eyes before turning to the back of the jet. "Alright, on the run from every government, and law enforcement agency in the world but yeah, 'happy' works."

I put my hand on her arm before we move to join Sam and Wanda. Natasha looks up at me. "We should be up front with them." I say nodding my head in the direction of them. Nat's brow furrows a little and she looks over at the two of them, leaning over a screen together. Her lips purse, "We are all we have now, and we can't hide things from the people we are depending on."

She meets my eyes and crosses her arms, taking a deep breath she suddenly says loudly, "Sam, Wanda!" They both look up and over at us. Nat rolls her shoulders before looking up at them, "Steve and I need to tell you something."

They both look at us like they know what is coming and I find my stomach wants to do some surprising flips in my gut when it actually comes down to saying it out loud. Up until now, we have been in our own little bubble, safe and unbothered, uncomplicated. But I remind myself that they deserve to know the truth. Sam raises an eyebrow at us expectantly. Natasha looks up at my hesitation.

She rolls her eyes, "Steve and I are-"

"Congratulations!" Wanda says smiling before Nat can even get the words out properly. And comes over and wraps her up in a hug. Nat looks caught off guard.

Sam chuckles and shakes his head coming over to me to clap a hand down on my shoulder. "Like I said, 'bout damn time." He shakes my hand like a conquering hero.

"Right," I say clearing my throat, "Well, we just wanted you guys to know," Wanda lets go of Nat and wraps her arms around me in a surprising hug while Sam goes and hugs Nat who seems a bit more prepared this time. "That it won't effect how we work as a team."

Sam rolls his eyes and Wanda lets me go, stepping back. She looks between the two of us, and I have to admit she does look genuinely happy. "You both deserve to be happy." She said sweetly.

Sam chuckled, "So when did this all come about?" He asks waving a finger between the two of us.

"Uh," Nat shook her head to the side looking down at the ground bashfully, "New York."

"HA!" Sam over enthusiastically punched the air startling both Nat and I, he turned on Wanda, "You owe me fifty bucks."

"Uh, what?" I ask fixing Sam with a glare.

Wanda shrugged looking a little deflated. "Sam bet me you guys started hooking up in New York. I said thought it was in Prague."

I feel my mouth drop open. Nat looked like she was thinking back, "When we were breaking up the human trafficking ring?"

Wanda nodded, "You guys kept looking at each other when you didn't think we were looking and then snuck out after you thought we were both asleep. Seemed like a good bet. Damn."

Sam smiled, "I will take any bill denomination," Wanda stuck her tongue out at him and I found myself shaking my head.

Nat glared at the two of them, "No more bets." She said in a hard tone that made both Sam and Wanda nod and look like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar. "We are supposed to be doing a job. Focus up." She gave them one last glare before heading over to tech schematic table. Sam and Wanda both looked at me.

I simply shrug, "That's my girl," I find myself saying. And I realise, just what a nice ring to it, that statement has.