This chapter is a part of Romanogers Appreciation week.

12: Water & Fire

Steve and Natasha was on their way to their honeymoon. Tony was very generous about this. He offered them his private jet and his beach house in Fiji. Steve will spend a full one month with Natasha. Tony and Clint said that the Avenges could survive without Captain America and Black Widow but the newlywed couple highly doubted that.

Bruce and Pepper assured them that they will keep Tony, Clint, and Thor in check and not doing anything to tear this tower apart. Natasha finally relaxed and started to pack her back after the 'adults' of this tower gave them the promise.

"We trust you." Nat said again, "I don't wanna come back to find that I'm homeless and Steve and I will have to find a new home."

Steve took a very long time to convince his wife that nothing will happen to the tower. Finally, Natasha was able to rest her worry of leaving the children alone at home and climbed inside the limo with her husband.

"You don't have to worry, darling." Steve reassured her as he wrapped his arms around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his body, "Everything will be fine without us."

"Are you seriously believe that?" She asked back, looking to see his baby blue eyes shining with love and adoration, "Stop looking at me like that, husband."

"You're so beautiful." He said as he traced his thumb over her cheek, "Why am I so lucky to have you?"

"Because I love you and I choose only you." Natasha replied, "Under this sky, I have only you."

Steve smiled, "Under this sky, I would follow you everywhere and I thank god every day that I have the courage to ask you out."

Natasha too was smiling when she recalled that beautiful memory, "20 seconds of courage."

"20 seconds is all I need."

Steve Rogers was a man with a heart of Vibranium. He never fear of anything, never terrify of anything. In his post-serum body, he literally could do anything and everything he want but somehow, asking a girl out was still pretty terrifying.

"I cannot do this" Steve said as he quickly turned back and headed to the opposite direction, "She's not even like me that way."

Tony forced Steve to stop walking away, "Come on, Capsicle!" The billionaire sighed, "She's not gonna bite you."

"The worst thing that could happen is she shot you down" Clint cheered, "Or she really shoot you across face."

"Thanks, Birdbrain" Tony rolled his eyes "Cap, it is very obvious for everyone to see that she kinda like you more than any of us."

"Yeah, I'm agree with Shell Head" Clint said, "She's kinder to you than the rest of us and she seems to spend a lot of time with you."

"Spend a lot of time with me because I'm the only one who doesn't always tease her or nagging her." Steve said, "I don't know, guys. She looks rather busy today. I will ask her tomorrow" And with that the Captain ran away to the opposite direction.

Steve continued to avoid asking Natasha out for a week and the spy picked it up real fast that he was also avoided spending time with her too. She was the spy after all so nothing could slipped pass her observance eyes. She asked Clint and Sam about this but no one told her anything. They only said that Steve was acting normal around them.

Another week had passed and Natasha seemed to crack. That night after Steve was gone on a mission with Bucky and Sam for three days, she broke into his room only to find the injured Captain trying to get out of his uniform without causing any more pain to himself.

"Care to explain of why are you avoiding me, Steve?" She spoke up.

"I'm fine and alive. Thank you for asking." He shot back, "How are you doing today?"

"I don't have time for the banters, Rogers." Natasha was about to lose her cool any moment. She wasn't the person who lost it easily but the certain star spangles man always had his way to do this to her, "What is wrong with you? Am I done something wrong and make you mad at me?"

"Nat, if you could just help me stitch up all these wounds, I will answer every question you wanna know." He bargained and looked into her eyes for the first time in many days.

Natasha sighed and moved closer to peel the uniform out of his battered body. She saw countless scratch and opened wounds. Blood bled from the cuts on his chest that made Nat quickly cleaned it off and stitched it up. She sewed up every big gashes and let him took a shower first. Finally, the soldier emerged from the bathroom.

"Okay, what you wanna talk about?" He asked.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm certain that I'm not avoiding you. We just didn't have time to hang out. You took a 3 days mission last week." He explained.

"Rogers, I'm not that stupid and I can tell the different between don't have time and avoiding to spend some time with me."

Steve took a deep breath. He saw no way out of this when Natasha was so adamant to get an answer from him. He could tell that she was gauging between beating the shit out of him to get the answer or to keep her cool until he answered her.

His mind was began to form a series of word in English language that he could find during the time of pressure like this. He then remembered the conversation he had with Sam and Bucky about asking Natasha out.

"Just ask her directly, cap." Sam said.

"You're fucking stupid, Rogers." Bucky laughed, "You are not fear of fighting but fear of asking a girl out!"

"That's not helping, Buck." Steve scolded.

"Well, if you need something useful…just gather your courage and use all of it within 20 seconds to tell her everything…the worst scenario is that she shot you down."

Steve took another deep breath again. 20 seconds. 20 seconds!

"I was thinking about asking you out on a date." He blurted it out and saw a shocking look on her face but he didn't let it bother him and continued to explain, "It's been going on for a while now bit I'm too scared to really ask you so I just trying to avoid you. I was thinking of how I should ask you. I want to take you out on a date, dancing, doing all the cliché thing they did in rom com movie you make me watch. I was kinda had a vision of doing those things with you every time we watched it."

His 20 seconds of courage was up and now he only waited for the consequence of his stupidity. Natasha remained quiet for a good one minute trying to find the right answer.

"How long?"

"Since the day we first met on the helicarrier." He replied with fainted blush on his cheeks, "It was stupid...really…I mean… love at first sight. After SHIELD fall and we had to part away, I was kinda wanted to ask you to stay but I figured it out that it would be better of both of us got thing figured it out first."

"Shut up, Rogers."

"What?"
"Shut up."

Steve pressed his lips tight to stop himself from making her angry. He felt a little humiliate because he was sure that she will turn him down any minutes now. Even after the serum, he still had no luck with the ladies and he screwed up this one the most by risking their friendship.

Natasha stepped closer but never took her eyes off him. Then Steve felt her soft lips pressing up against his lips. He went still for 5 seconds before he could process of what is going on. Shit! She kissed him! Steve finally moved his lips with her and his arms went around her and pulled her closer to him.

"For the record, dummy" She stated after she backed away from him for a little, "I would love to go out on a date with you too."

Steve smiled against her lips, "I thought you will say no."

"Well, I kinda wanna go out with you too."

They both smiled and pressed their lips together again. It wasn't so bad in Steve's mind. Bucky's advice worked and now he only wait for their date and see how they will work out together.

"So how was that paid out?" She asked.

"I'm glad that I have a courage enough to ask you that day" Steve replied "Because all the best thing in my life happen after that"

"You don't have to get through all that trouble. You could just ask me frankly because you know you can always talk to me."

"I know."

"So…I never asked you this but…how do you gather all the courage to ask me out that day?"

Steve smiled mischievously, "It was an adrenaline rush that was left over from the fight." Nat smacked his arm hard and Steve yelped, "It was an adrenaline rush combined with how much it hurt me to keep my distance from you and how much I want to be with you."

"Awww"

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, Steve Rogers."