This chapter is a part of Romanogers Appreciation week.

13: Jealousy is never good for any relationship.

Since everyone was moving back to New York, the Avengers knew their vacation was over. SHEILD was no more. Chaos ensured and it was up to them to save the world and bring peace back.

The membership was now expanded. Sam and Rhodey were part of the team while Maria maintained her cover in Stark Industries and helped Pepper running the company while secretly helping the team too. Natasha couldn't resume her cover as Natalie Rushman anymore as all of her covers were out in public so she was a full time Avengers now.

Tony and Steve decided to divide the team into two. Steve will lead the stealth team consisted of Natasha, Clint, Sam, and Bucky. The second team will serve as their back up and the heavy hitter/assault team leading by both Tony and Steve.

Steve thought to himself that it wasn't hard for him at all. He could do it, leading people into battlefield, protecting this country from tyrant and super villain.

But things could go wrong in every possible way it could. Even the childish one like jealousy.

So what could a childish thing like jealous made everything when down straight to hell especially when they were teammates. They were parts of the Avengers, the Earth mightiest heroes, under the leader like Captain America. They were deadly, lethal and worked perfectly together.

Clint Barton, the master archer, the great mask man alive, former agent of SHEILD, and a longtime partner of Natasha Romanoff. Clint was the best at what he did. He kept his eyes on his teammates and watched their backs. He saw the upcoming threat and eliminates it before it got to his friends. Steve witnessed it first handed when the captain was busying battling a group of terrorists and didn't notice the sniper above him. Clint took the sniper out before he was even in the position to shoot Steve.

Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff.

Steve has to admit that he was very fond of the red head spy. After what they had been through together during the fall of SHIELD, he thought that he will ask her to stay but it would be selfish to do that to her. She needed time so he let her go. When she came back, he acted on his feeling and told her how he feel. He didn't expect her to say anything back because he just wanted to let her know.

But Natasha reciprocated and kissed him.

They were dating for two months now and no one knew it except from Bucky who knew both of the spy and soldier all too well. They kept it a secret and tried to pretend there was nothing going on.

And what made the Captain regret his decision of agreeing to keep this relationship in the dark?

It happened on the day they went for the mission. It was an easy, in and out mission. Nothing could go wrong with the best of the best doing this job. They were on the quinjet together on their way to the destination. Natasha and Clint were piloting the plane in the cockpit while Sam, Steve, and Bucky were studying and going over the plan on more time.

Then Steve heard the giggling from the cockpit and then it was Natasha and Clint's banter. Even he was dating Natasha secretly, even they were close, even they…loved each other but there was something that kept them apart. Something that Steve couldn't replace in her life.

Clint Barton.

There was always Clint Barton in between the two of them. She usually woke up in the odd hour to pick the call from the archer. She wasn't reluctant to get up from their bed and went out to help Clint. Sometime, they were enjoying their private time but then Clint interrupted with a mission. Steve was okay with it at first but he started to hate when Natasha left at night to go with the archer.

He was a reasonable man but he couldn't always control his jealousy.

Did she still have feeling for Clint?

"After this we should fondue!" Clint spoke up.

"You always want something cheesy after a mission, Barton."

The conversation had Steve's mind went on overdrive. Even he knew the true meaning of fondue but to be frank, he had this word and Natasha knew that he thought that fondue means having sex. Did she use this as a code or something?

God! He should stop thinking right now. He needed to clear his head.

When the jet landed near by the location, Steve suddenly changed the plan and had Nat with him to hold the ground and looked out for the infiltration team. Bucky and Clint opposed to this but Steve used his commanding voice to silent them.

His jealousy got the better of him and he had to keep Natasha near him. He will not let her going anywhere near the archer.

"What the hell, Steve?" She hissed at him, obviously angry.

He didn't reply and turn away from her. Nat pulled him back to stop him from walking away.

"Don't fucking turn your back on me when I talk to you" She raised her voice, "Care to explain why the hell you change the plan."

"Barnes and Barton could take care of the infiltration without you."

"That's not the reason and don't you dare trying to lie because I know you!"

"Hey, both of you keep the voice down and pay attention to the job" Bucky said through the com but Steve and Nat turned it off at the same time and resumed with their argument.

"You just jeopardize this whole operation, Captain."

"You're overstating it"

BOOM!

The bomb went off at the south west corner and suddenly bullet flew everywhere and Steve quickly grabbed Nat and they both took cover behind his shield.

"Cap, it's a trap." Sam reported and covered them from the sky.

"No, I tripped on the alarm." Clint said, "Sorry, guys."

"Get the hell out of there and met up at the quinjet." Steve gave his ordered and started attacking the incoming enemy that quickly engaging them, "Nat, go with Clint and Bucky! I will hold them off!"

"No, not without you!"

"Natasha…"

But she didn't do as he said and helped him took down the enemy. Clint yelled through their coms that he got the plane up in the air now. Steve turned to look at his girlfriend.

"Time to go."

She nodded and shot down one last enemy but as she turned toward to exit. Someone fire the gun and it went through her right upper arm. Steve threw his shield to knock the shooter off the roof then he carried Natasha to meet up with Clint at the rendezvous area.

Steve patched her up but Natasha wasn't saying anything to him at all or not even looking at him. The couple was in a complete silence that Sam had to join Bucky and Clint in the cockpit because he couldn't stand the awkward situation.

They didn't talk. Natasha was clearly avoiding him and Steve sunk into his own guilty because if he didn't change the plan, Natasha wouldn't be hurt. She would finish the job and she wouldn't be injured. It was all his fault. It was all his fault.

Steve couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"For god sake's, you two should talk." Bucky cried out when he saw his friends avoiding each other.

Nat threw him a dagger glare and Bucky turned away. Steve looked at her sheepishly and he was the one spoke up first, "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter." She waved him off.

Steve knelt down in front of her, placing his hand at either side of the armrest, "Natasha, I'm sorry for getting you hurt." He said, willing to drop his pride and ego.

His heart sunk when she didn't even notice him. She resented him and Steve felt worse than he already was.

"Natasha…"

"Steve, I don't know what I did to you…"

"No...No…it's me and my jealousy. I'm sorry for causing you trouble and I am fully understand that if you don't want to talk to me again and end this relationship."

"Steve, shut up."

Steve did as she said and looking away from her. Natasha raised her hands to touch his cheeks and force him to meet her eyes.

"What is it that bothering you?"

"You and Clint." Her eyes widened at his answer and Steve quickly explained to her, "I mean…we're in the relationship. We love each other. You and Clint are close but…"

"You think we still have feeling for each other?"

"Yeah…" He broke the eyes contact, feeling ashamed.

"Clint is my best friend. Yes, we were dating for a while but it turned out that we are better off being friends." She replied and cupped his cheeks, "Don't worry about Clint and I again. Especially not getting jealous all the time Clint asked me to eat fondue with him. She teased.

Steve chuckled, "I hate that word."

"Do you wanna join us too?"

"Nah, I think you two need sometime alone as friend. Bucky and Sam probably force me to cook dinner for them." He replied. Steve looked around to see that no one was watching them before he leaned in for a kiss, "Have fun tonight and I love you."

"Love you too."

"So we're good now."

"Yeah."

They had another quick kiss and smiled to each other.

"About damn time!" Sam yelled through the com and the couple realized that they still turned on their com and everyone in the plane now knew that they were dating.

"I totally see this coming." Clint added, "You still have fondue with me, right?"

"Yeah."

Steve couldn't contain his smile and kissed Natasha again.