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45 : SCARS FROM THE PAST

The couple came back to New York to find their friends' miss calls and messages. They were trying to locate them until they found Steve's status update and Instagram photo. Clint thought that Steve was kidnapping Nat. The loner still had a trouble with trusting Steve Rogers.

"Guys, it's just a weekend trip." Nat groaned.

"I just took her to Venice!" Steve said loudly.

"You should have left a note or something!" Pepper yelled.

"We are sorry alright." Nat admitted defeat because she couldn't see the way she and Steve could win this war.

Everyone cooled down and when Nat presented them with souvenir, they were completely forgot what they were arguing.

Steve knew that he had to slowly win everyone's trust back. He wanted it so badly for everyone to approve his relationship with Nat.

Another storm started to form. Since Steve and Thor declared war with Rumlow and his goon, the tension in the football team arise. They did very well in the field but their relationship with each other was sore.

Steve and Thor turned themselves into a protector. They stopped bullying and helped poor kids who couldn't defend themselves from popular kids who harassing them. Nat couldn't be more proud of her boyfriend, of what he had become. Steve asked every guy in the gang to help keep a close watch on Natasha when he wasn't around because his instinct told him that someone had plot a plan to take him down from his throne and his only weakness was Natasha.

Tony had to accompany Nat that evening when she told him she will be watching Steve's practice.

"I assume that you and Steve are back to you normal stage." He said as they were watching the football team. "I guess you guys are at it on nightly basis."

"What?"

"I assume you guys fuck each other brains out every night."

"We didn't do it since we get back together."

"What?! He took you to Venice on a very romantic trip. In this case, when all the detail comes from Pepper, it must be really romantic."

"There is something else in relationship rather than fucking, Tony." She frowned "More than that, we need to take things slow."

"What the hell is taking slow, red? You and Rogers are only inch away from tearing each other's clothes off."

"I want this time to be as perfect as it can be."

"There is no perfect timing, sweetheart. When it gonna happen, it will happen."

"I never say 'I love you' to him."

"WHAT?! After all this time you never say those three words to him."

"Yeah, I want to say it too but every time it came out in a stupid word because I chicken out the very last second."

"You need to tell him, Red. Everyone needs something to ensure them. That's all I can tell ya."

"Guys, we will head back early. We still have a lot of homework to do." Steve told everyone as the couple got up from their seat. Nat reached out for the check but Tony waved his hand.

"Don't worry, Red. I will take care of it."

"Thank you."

They took a shower and met up at Steve's room. They helped each other out with their study. Steve needed a model for his portrait while Natasha needed to rehearse her line in the upcoming musical of Performing Arts student.

But she easily got distracted by her shirtless boyfriend as he was lying flat on his stomach on their bed, working on his current sketch. She loved watching his powerful muscles move. Nat was trying to put her focus back on her script so she put all papers on his back.

Nat looked up at Steve again because they were sitting in a total silent and she found him lost into his drawing and couldn't help but yanked her pen into his ear teasingly.

"Just mind your work, Romanoff" He warned and let out a small chuckle as she continued to poke her pen on his body "Seriously, I have to finish this sketch within tomorrow."

"I just got an idea, babe" She said "How about after you finish with your drawing, we will go and watch a movie tomorrow night?"

"I don't know…"

"Come on, Rogers" She poked her pen at his side again.

Steve sighed "Fineee"

"Good boy"

"You know I always do anything as you want"

"I do know and you are very cute when you did just that"

He dropped his pencil and flung her down on the bed before kissing her lovingly. His lips trailed down to her neck. She giggled as his stubble tickled her neck. Nat wrapped her legs around his waist and used it as a leverage to flip them over.

It was her turn to tease him. Nat placed butterfly kisses along his neck before nibbling and suckling on his collarbone, making him moan softly and gripped her hips a little tighter. She trailed her soft lips down to his chest. Her eyes were half lidded as she looked up at him seductively to observe his reaction.

But when she noticed something on his chest, she immediately pulled away and said, "Hey…I never notice that you have a scar here"

Steve immediately let go of his grip on her as she gently traced her index fingers along a fade scar on his chest.

"It's nothing." He said but didn't look into her eyes. She cupped his face to force him to look at her. "It's a long story"

"I got you with me all day and night so I think we have enough time for your biography lesson, Mr. Quarterback"

"Okay"

"Where are these scars came from?" She asked again "I never seen them before"

Nat found a long cut on his rib, two small scars on his right forearms.

"Because you didn't look close enough, babe" He replied and looked into her eyes "They are scars from when I was a kid. A scrawny little kid who cannot fight bullies but he never back down. That stupid kid away got injure and got scars. Mostly from a fight."

Nat frowned. Why did he always put himself in harm way?

"This one." He put her finger on a small burn scar on his left shoulders. "This one is my first scar. I was ten when I was helping this kid from a bullied senior at the parking lot. He wanted his money so I help but the bully pinned me down and cauterize me with his cigarette. I had a lot of fight back there until the one where Bucky was badly injured. "

Nat never heard this story from him. He told her only that he got bully a lot when he was a kid.

"Since Bucky was badly injured and move out of New York, my health condition got worse. Doctor said I will never make it out alive, no matters how they cured me. Howard Stark appeared at our door and offered his help but the procedure is illegal and is in an experiment process so there is a chance that I might die during the process but I survived"

She saw his face contorted with painful memories. It was still haunting him until today. He told her he got if from the bully in high school and his neighbor and he have to fight a lot of them since he was a kid. Steve also got a scar from his cure process.

"Steve, you don't have tell me everything." She quickly said.

"It's okay, babe. It's something you should know from me." He replied and kissed her hand. "I've changed since 6th grade both my behavior and my physical. My health got better. Then I have to pack up some muscle and started joining sport teams. I fight back and I won but that was a long time ago but I never get bullies again.""

"Why you have to change? I like this gentle side of you"

"I've to change in order to survive, Natasha. I don't want to but it's the only way to survive because there is no one to watch my back anymore. I'm all by myself"

That's way he lived by that code. Inflict pain and fear to someone else before they inflict it to you. Now she understand why he was acting like a thug before.

"If you don't scare them first, they will scare the hell out of you" He told "I learn this lesson for a long time, Natasha. It's the only way to keep people away from me. I need powerful friends like the football team."

"Speaking of the football team, I'm glad that you stop being friend with those jerks."

"You know that they are my only family, right?"

"Your family is here, Steve" She said "Your place is with me and our little gang. They don't even like you but they care about you enough to get up from their bed when they heard you got arrest. Where is your only family when you call for help?"

Steve kept quiet and broke eyes contact with her. Nat tilted his chin up to look at him

"Your family is here, Steve. The only matter is…Will you open up yourself or not?"

"I opened up more than I ever did in my entire life, Nat" He replied, "And I got my guidance angel with me."

He pulled her down to kiss her and tell her how much he love her with that kiss, how much she mean to him and he was lost until he found her.

Nat always thought that Steve always did something for her in the most extreme way. The other day her filled her room with candle and pedal of rose on her bed. He just wanted to surprise her and nothing more than that. Later that night when they snuggled on her bed, he told her that he took off the fire alarm because of the candle.

"What?!" Nat practically yelled at him.

"Babe, I already put them back. It's not a big deal."

"Steven, you took off my

"Baby…"

"Don't baby me, Steven."

"Little red, this is our first fight." He noted

Nat's face changed immediately and hugged Steve and squealed with excite.

"Awww, it's our first fight." She said before punching him really hard on his chest "But I'm still mad at you. It's too much sometime, Steve. You don't need to give me all of this."

"Nat, you give me too much that you didn't even know."

"How?"

"You make me happy."

Steve didn't tell her how much that she gave him back and in which form. He only knew that he was very happy to be next to her, to have her in his arms, to be hers.

She always made him smile even when he had the worst, he looked at her and all the burden was gone. How could someone possibly had that much power over you?, Steve thought to himself. The only logical answer to that question was he was madly, deeply in love with her.

He had his football practice the next day. Nat said she will be watching him again. This time, Clint and Jessica accompanied her and Nat didn't notice why her friends wanted to spend they time watching Steve practicing football.

"You guys still going strong I see" Jessica said.

"Yeah, we just have our fight last night." Nat replied Clint tensed up and frowned. "Not that kind of fight, Barton. Just a couple's little argument."

"What happened then?" Clint asked.

"Well, he wanted to surprise me with a room full of candle and paddle of rose. He took of my fire alarm in order to do so. Lately, he always did something extreme just to surprise me."

Clint and Jessica laughed.

"It's not funny. He could get me kick out of the dorm."

"No one is brave enough to do such thing to Steve Rogers' girlfriend, Nat." Jess said.

The three of them continued with their conversation while on the field, Steve had a lot of trouble with his teammates. Since he started a war with Rumlow and his goon, they had a hard time with team work. Steve always picked Sam or Pietro to receive the ball while Frank and Jack never made a block for the quarterback.

Fury yelled at them and told them to sort thing out before the game. They had only three games away from the championship and everyone needed this.

Steve sighed and looked over the bleachers and found Nat sitting there with Clint and Jessica. And she looked up just in time, waving her hand and smiling at him, and Steve felt everything become well with world again.

When the practice was finished, Steve headed hit the shower with the rest of the team. Rumlow cornered Steve immediately.

"Hey, Rogers!" Brock called before shoving Steve to the locker.

"What the fuck, Rumlow?"

"Are you trying to get me benched?"

"Why would I do that? I can separate my personal life with my professional life, Rumlow."

"Really? Because it seems like you only picked Wilson and Maximoff."

"Because they had an opening for me to throw to them." Steve replied "Are we gonna do this? Because if you ask for a fight, I can give it to you."

Brock winced because he already had a taste of Steve's fists before and it took him almost two weeks to recover. He let go of the Captain and walked away.

And this shit always has its way to put him in a bad mood, Steve thought before heading to the shower.

Nat, Clint and Jess were waiting for Thor and Steve but trouble kept following Nat around. Sharon Carter appeared and Nat knew she will have to deal with this girl all the time if she was Steve's girlfriend.

"Clint" Jess shook her boyfriend's arm. "It's Sharon again. We should help Nat."

"Babe, don't. If you want to see Nat kick some ass." Clint whispered to his girlfriend.

The couple observed and prepared to intervene if thing get out of hands.

"Sup, Carter?"

"Stay away from my Steve." Sharon said and poked her finger at Nat's shoulder. "You're dragging him down with you and your loser friends."

"Carter, I thought that I make myself clear the last time I kick your ass."

"He risked everything he had for you. Do you ever know that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Dating you only hurt his reputation and you should leave him alone."

"Do you smoke a joint or something?" Nat asked "Because Steve loves me the way he never ever feel that way for you, Carter. He's in a relationship with me now so stop dreaming and moving on with your life for fuck's sake."

"I'm warning you, Romanoff. He will lose everything he had in this university if you continued dragging him down."

"You never learn your lesson, are you?" Nat asked

Sharon raised her hand to slap Nat in her face but someone caught her hand and jerked her away from Natasha. It was Steve and Sharon saw the look on his face that she hope not to be on the receiving end of it.

The you-are-dead-to-me look.

"What are you doing with my girlfriend, Sharon?" Steve asked. His eyes turned cold.

"Steve—I"

"Did Sharon bothering you, Nat?" The Captain turned to his girlfriend.

"A little but there's nothing I cannot handle."

"But she's still bothering you" Steve said.

Sharon winced in pain because Steve increased the force used to grab her wrist.

"If you touch her or bothering her again, I swear to god, I will make your life hell." Steve threatened "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Steve."

"And one more thing. You should apologize to my girlfriend."

"I'm sorry, Romanoff."

"You should bow for her too, Sharon. Nat's the future Grand Duchess of the Romanov family. Show her some respect."

Sharon's eyes went wide when she heard that Nat was from a Russian royal family. She quickly did as Steve said and ran away.

"Are you alright, baby?" Steve asked as he turned back to Nat his eyes searching every inch of her body worriedly

"If your old skanks came after like this every day, I'm gonna break up with you."

"Only Sharon will do such thing, sweetheart."

"What did you do to her and turn into this crazy stalker bitch?"

"Well, in my old day, you know that I gave her a Wednesday privilege and she kinda took it as I had a feeling for her."

"I can't believe I agree to be in a relationship with you."

Steve frowned. "Why are you saying that, little red?" He raised his hand to his chest. "It hurts."

Nat turned to look at him and saw that he wasn't joking about it. His eyes were screaming the same thing as his word.

"I'm sorry." She told and hugged him instantly "You know I didn't mean it, right?"

"Don't say that again, okay?"

"You have my promise." She replied and kissed him on the lips "I'm sorry, babe."

Steve held her tightly in his arms, afraid of losing the only person that matters to him. Clint and Jessica watched the couple with amazement. They never saw any couple who could change the emotion this instant or understood each other like Steve and Natasha.

Clint knew that he and Jess fight a lot but it never end up the way Steve and Nat's fight end.

"Brothers and Sister! Shall we head to the bar?!" Thor boomed as he walked toward the group. "Lady Jane is waiting for me at the bar!"

Before Nat let go of Steve, she kissed him again to chase away any fear left in his mind.

They met with their friends at the bar. Tony and Pepper already ordered everything for everyone. The rich boy even ordered five jugs of beer.

"Is there anything special to celebrate, Stark?" Steve asked when he saw how many foods and drinks already waiting for them.

"Nothing. I'm just happy." Tony replied "Well, Pepper agree to be my girlfriend."

Everyone fall into a deep trance of silent and stared at Tony, hoping to get more explanation from Tony Stark. Steve and Nat frowned while Thor, Jane and Darcy's jaw dropped. Clint scratched his head. Phil was looking at Pepper and Tony back and forth while his girlfriend and the new member of the group, Melinda May choked on her drink.

Apparently, Hill and Bruce were the only two people that knew about this.

"Really?" Nat asked, still making on believing what Tony just said.

"Pepper, are you high?" Darcy put her hand on Pepper's forehead.

Steve trying to find the right word to say, "You—after all this time, you told Nat that she making the biggest mistake dating a womanizer like me while you in love with one the whole time?"

"Well, even Tony's worst day. He still better than the old you, Rogers."

"What da—you and I need to have a serious talk, Pep."

Steve and Pepper continued with their bickering while Nat tried to calm Steve down. The others just laughed and congratulated the new couple.

"Aww, I'm the only single girl in this group!" Darcy exclaimed.

"Thank you for noticing that I'm not a woman, Darcy" Maria said.

"Hill, you are hot. You can find a guy in no time." Darcy replied "Guys asking your phone number every night but you're picky."

"Well, Loki tried to ask you out like six times already."

"Speaking of Loki, Thor, can I date your brother?!"

"That would be great, Lady Lewis."

Maria faced palm "What happened with my life? It's winter's disaster!"

"It's the winter of love!" Thor boomed, earning a laughter from everyone.

Steve held his girl close as she sat on his laps. They both sat in silent while savoring the happy moment of the group. They both happy to find their friends finally found that special someone to fulfill their lives the way they find each other.

"Hey, our first month anniversary is coming up." Steve spoke up "I want to take you to Monaco."

"As much as I want to go but I have an audition next week." Nat replied.

"Aww, it's a five star hotel and they have the best spa." He tried to convince her.

"No, Steven. I can't risk injured or fatigued myself."

"I said the same thing to you the last time I have a crazy night out with you…"
"I'm forbid you from planning an oversea trip for us."

Steve pouted. "How about Hawaii?"

"Eastern seaboard only"

Steve took time to think of the perfect place for them to spend this special time together and one place came up in his mind.

"How about Tennessee?"

AN:

- Special thanks to my dearest friends, sleeplessinbudapest & internetangie!

- No proofread, sorry for any mistake.

- Please kindly leave a review. It's the only motivation I need, to hear what my reader think about the story.