Natasha felt awkward.

Looking at him but not being next to him, made her chest hurt. Everything hurt, to the point where her body felt numb.
However, she was terrified to walk over to him in case she startled him; he was the wild deer and she was the equally nervous human. She hoped for God's sake that she wasn't a predator.

The seconds ticked by and her heart hammered against inside her chest, her body shook with vibrations of a mindless torture.
Natasha didn't know where to start. Natasha didn't know where she'd end.
Above all an explanation was necessary.

Bravely she moved forward, her eyes always watching, ready to retreat at the slightest jolt of hurt. She stopped a short distance away from him, too far but she knew any closer would be pushing his boundaries.
What should I say? A voice in her head laughed a cackle of pity. More like what can you say?

Finally Natasha blurted out the first reasonable thought that fathomed in her dizzying mind. "I love you."

She felt like slapping herself like she'd just slapped Henderson. Except this time she was positive Rogers' would join in, he didn't. Instead he did the most unexpected thing; he smiled at her.

Bursting to hold onto his blood bubbling recuperation she stammered to explain "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stormed off like that. I just..." she was struggling to stop the flood of emotions before they drowned her whole. "I love you and when you got jealous, it made this all real. Like really, really real." Her throat was dry and slowly closing up, in an attempt to hold herself back from embarrassing herself further.

Who was she kidding? She was in a bed sheet, in a palace belonging to another realm declaring her love for her boyfriend who was over the age of 90. There was nothing more embarrassing than this.

"I started doubting myself: my feels, my ability to treat you right. I felt like I'd mislead you, turned you into a jealous, possessive monster. But you're not, I...I was just so absorbed in this feeling of panic. I thought I'd actually done something to make you doubt my loyalty. Then I began to compensate that maybe you didn't trust me, maybe you never had."

Breathe! She reminded herself.

"Worse of all, I thought you didn't love me back. I felt used." That was the last statement her mouth could utter without it hurting her, she felt her throat close up and she sealed her eyes. Waiting for the pain that would shame all mistreatments she'd ever experienced.

Whether it was her abandonment or senseless torture, nothing in the world would compare to loving someone and having them reject you.

What she heard shattered her heart into a million pieces, a soft sound of silenced sobbing swirled around her eye-drums. Her eyes snapped open to see Steve, tears running down his face, reaching for her. She didn't hold back, her entire body was enveloped by his arms. He held her like a life line and for a while they stood there, each muffled cry being comforted like a broken limb. Finally he had gotten a hold of his emotions and he whispered to her, because it was for her ears and only her ears:

"I love you too, more than you would have thought humanly-possible. I'm deeply sorry for how I reacted. When you ran away I realised how insensitive I had been, I wasn't having a dig at you. I was angry with myself for feeling so weak and vulnerable, of course I trust you. You've given me absolutely no reason not to. I just felt threatened by Henderson, because I saw a connection between you two. No matter how much time I spend with you, I will never be able to just look at you and know instantly what you're feeling. I know that's stupid to dote on because he has powers and gifts..."

Natasha interrupted, her breath finally coming back to her. "Don't you understand you babbling idiot, your gift is being able to with-stand me, and you're wrong. I know you understand my emotions and how my crack-wired brain works, sometimes more than I do myself. It's just easier for Henderson because he's part God."

Steve smiled down at her, his fingers holding her jaw. "I love you with all my heart." No matter how many times he'd said it before, it no longer counted, because she forgot them all; everything he was doing now: the way he held her, the look of love in his eyes, the words he uttered to her, felt brand knew. She felt this exciting and yet unnerving desire to come clean to the world.

"Steve, I love you too. And...I think, I think I'm ready for people to know." His eyebrow hitched. "You...you want them to know?" Nat smiled proudly at his handsome face, "I need them to know. From the bottom of my heart, how much I love you."

In the end, Natasha had been right when she had told Loki that love makes you do childish things. She never said love was a bad thing, but it can make you act irrationally or make you do bad things. Both her and Steve experienced dangerous dilemmas that love brought them. And during the middle of this story even I didn't know where and how it would end. But in the end with a little help from a usually troublesome Asgardian Natasha got her head straight and Steve learned the disadvantages to jealousy.

PLEASE REVIEW - if you have any ideas for future stories you'd like me to write or if you just want me to read some of your own stuff let me know!

THE END

XXX