I originally planned for this one shot to be based on the ‘Enrapture’ prompt, but it actually has elements of the ‘Look Each Other in The Eye’ and ‘Devotedness’ prompts as well. So I decided to make this fic a little longer and sweeter for my followers.❤️
Natasha watched Steve as he stood away from the dance floor. For some reason, Tony thought it would be a good idea for the Avengers to host a Valentine’s Day party - a Valentine’s Day party, for God’s sake.
When a few of the other Avengers questioned why the hell Stark wanted to throw something so frivolous and cheesy as a V Day party, he just said, “Hey, we’ve all been through hell the past couple of weeks, cleaning up after miscellaneous Hydra bases all over the globe. I think we deserve a break for once.”
Then he made eye contact with Natasha and obnoxiously waggled his eyebrows at her before switching his gaze to Steve and grinning lasciviously. “Besides, I think a few of you guys could use some loosening up,” he’d said in a stage whisper.
All of the Avengers had suspected there were romantic feelings between Natasha and Steve. In a way, they had been engaging in a little dance of their own together, but neither chose to step forward and do anything about it. Hence, this damn party thought up by Tony to try and push the two of them together.
Now, the Valentine’s Day party raged on and to Natasha’s surprise, she was actually enjoying herself. Wanda and Vision were dancing - well, floating slightly above ground while swaying, which was pretty cute - Clint and Laura were chatting with Sam and Maria and showing them pictures of Nathaniel, Tony was being the life of the party, as always and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Everyone except Steve.
From her spot at the buffet table, Natasha could see the longing and apprehension on Steve’s face. It was clear that he wanted to be out there, dancing like the other couples, but as he’d told her many times before, he had two left feet and didn’t know how to dance.
Every time the subject was brought up between them, Natasha felt a pain in her chest because Steve always got this faraway, broken-hearted look on his face. She knew that was because of the promise he made to Peggy Carter, a promise to dance with her, which sadly, was never fulfilled.
The crash had ended any chance Peggy and Steve could have had together, but being a part of the Avengers gave Steve a new family and a cause to keep fighting, continuing the kind of work he’d done before. He wasn’t so alone as he previously thought.
As Natasha had gotten to know Steve, she felt blessed that he considered her to be his friend. He was such an amazing man, unlike anyone she’d ever met before. He had a heart for people and a protective, patriotic kind of character that urged him to do his duty, using his abilities to keep the world safe.
Personal experience taught him to defend those who couldn’t defend themselves and he never judged people by their past mistakes. He let them prove who they were in the present by their actions.
At first, it astonished Natasha that Steve was willing to overlook all of the bad she’d done and let her work as an Avenger speak for how she had changed and overcome the Black Widow persona to just be herself, Natasha Romanoff.
Her biggest breakthrough would always be that moment they shared in Sam’s house, when she asked Steve if he would trust her to protect him. From the three words he responded with, “I would now,” she felt like a load that she hadn’t even realized she was carrying, lessen.
In that quiet moment with Steve, hearing him say that he trusted her, Natasha had begun to fall in love with him and it continued through the following years. Oh, she wanted to tell him many times, but the words always got tangled up in her throat.
She did know that Steve cared for her just as much, if not, more than she did for him. Countless times on missions, when she’d gotten injured, he would always check on her and make sure if she was alright.
It was always Natasha who he would go to in the middle of the night whenever he had a nightmare, needing someone to comfort him. It was Natasha who he exchanged witty banter with and sent cryptic, yet meaningful looks when he thought she wasn’t paying attention. In his own way, he made her a priority in his life. Perhaps he didn’t know it, but she did.
How long are we going to play this game? Natasha thought to herself. Steve Rogers was truly an amazing man and she was sure that if she didn’t make a move soon, someone else would and she would spend the rest of her life wondering about what could have been.
Well, there was no way in hell she was going to let that happen.
At this point, she was tired of being alone and denying herself happiness out of a fear of rejection. That was something a the old Natasha would do, and Natasha was not that same woman anymore. It was time for her to take a chance and lay it all on the line.
Closing her eyes, Natasha murmured to herself in Russian, summoning up her strength. Then she took in a deep breath and moved through the crowds to Steve. When he was close enough, she grasped his hand in hers, pulling him to the dance floor.
The handsome blond blinked down at her and furrowed his brow, but he didn’t pull away. That was a good sign because Steve didn’t let just anyone tug him around anywhere. “Nat,” he asked, “what are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Natasha replied with an bit of sass. “I’m going to dance with you.” She took Steve’s left hand, placed it on her waist, put her right hand on his shoulder and took his other hand in her free one.
She looked up at him and couldn’t resist the laughter that bubbled up from her throat. He looked so nervous. “What’s wrong, Rogers? Is this your first dance since 1945?”
“Well…yes.” He licked his lips and he held on to her a bit more firmly, but there was something gentle in his touch. Being in Steve’s arms was startlingly intimate and the redhead had to keep from trembling at the closeness of his body as he lessened the space between them.
“I’m happy to contribute to it, then.” His hand felt so warm as he held hers that she felt herself melt a little inside. In all her life, she’d never had a man hold her like this. Like she was something to be treasured and cherished.
Steve returned her smile and entwined her fingers with his. Natasha laid her head on his chest and they swayed to the sound of Andy Williams crooning a love song above their heads.
I have often walked down this street before, but the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before. All at once, am I several stories high, knowing I’m on the street where you live.
No one knew this, but 'On The Street Where You Live’ was one of Natasha’s favourite songs. For years, she wondered if she would find a man who loved her that much, someone who would be so enraptured of being with her that it felt like he were flying. Yes, it was a bit of wishful thinking on her part, but she was still a woman and wasn’t it the wish of every woman to be loved wholeheartedly?
After a while, she pulled back and said, “You know, you really aren’t as bad as you think. The way you dance…it’s almost as if you’ve done this your whole life. Are you sure you want to stick with your original 'I can’t dance to save my life’ story?”
Steve laughed out loud and the reverberations shook her to her core. God, she loved his laughter. It was so full and deep, like it shook every part of him. It made sense because Steve wasn’t a man who did things halfway; he was an all or nothing kind of guy.
“What can I say? I guess I just needed the right partner…”
Those words made Natasha’s head snap up and she stared at him in shock, hoping that her ears weren’t deceiving her. “You’d better not be teasing me, Steve,” she said in a hushed voice.
A possessive look appeared on Steve’s face and he gave her a gaze that burned her with the raw desire behind it. “I’d never do that to you, Nat,” came his husky reply.
Natasha knew that she could get lost in those blue eyes if she wasn’t careful, but that wasn’t such a bad thing. After everything they’d been through together, they both deserved a win. She knew that she and Steve were just right for each other. He was her missing puzzle piece. With him, she was complete, stronger and happier. They were already a great pair in the field and even better as friends. Love was the obvious step to come.
For Steve, there was a blend of elegance and toughness imbedded in her personality, a distinct feminine sensuality and that kept him on his toes. Natasha was a woman through and through, but she could be just as capable and skilled as a man. He may not address it, but that was a big factor in his attraction towards her and she knew it.
In those brief moments right before a mission, she’d catch Steve watching her out of the corner of his eye and she knew that he liked what he saw, but it was more than just that. He looked at her, proud of the woman she’d become and as if he didn’t regret choosing to trust her with his own life all those years ago.
The thought that Steve could see her in such a way made Natasha’s head spin. Her life may not be a fairy tale, but dammit, she was going to get her happy ending one way or another.
After a while of dancing, Steve surprised her by suddenly adjusting his hand placement on her body, then twirling her away from him and back into his arms. She let out a delighted gasp. “I didn’t know you knew how to do that.”
Steve leaned forward, so that his lips brushed against her ear. He whispered, “I’m a fast learner.”
Shivers ran down her spine, but she got ahold of herself and replied, “Interesting. After this dance, I’ll have to see what else you can pick up quickly.”
There was a sizzling look in Natasha’s eyes and Steve felt his whole body warm from the intensity of it. He felt like he could look into those blazing green eyes and just get lost in them.
Maybe that’s what he needed all along. The right woman to wake him up from his doldrums and bring him out of the cold for good. They were good for each other. Anyone could see that, and at this stage in their relationship, Steve knew that the time had finally come for him to let his feelings be known. It was hell holding them back from Natasha as well as fighting the urge to take her in his arms as he wanted to so many times before.
“This feels nice…and right.” Natasha murmured as they danced on the floor. Her heartseemed to beat in time with Steve’s own and he kissed her hand, wrapped up in a feeling of wonder.
“There’s no way it could be wrong…could it?” He pulled back slightly so Natasha would lift her head to look at him.
“Being around you is never a bad thing, Steve. You always seem to find me when I need you the most and…I don’t want to lose that.”
Now, they had stopped dancing, and Steve stared down at Natasha, eyes full of hope. “Nat…?”
The redhead just looked at Steve, an overwhelming look of love on her face and she said, “I’m saying that I want this. I want us.”
Steve’s mouth opened and closed several times, but words failed him. She had finally told him. This was it. This was what he’d been waiting for ever since that that stolen moment they shared in Sam’s guest room. Clutching her more securely around her waist, Steve managed to breathe out, “You mean…?”
Natasha pressed herself closer to Steve and ran her finger along his jawline and up to his lips. “I want to wake up next to you every morning and go to sleep in your arms every night. You, Steven Grant Rogers, are the only man I want to be mine. I want forever with you.”
Suddenly, it was like time stopped and everyone else in the room faded away, leaving only the two of them. Steve caressed Natasha’s cheek and she smiled at him, nuzzling her face into the touch. Steve’s heart pounding in his chest even harder and he thought that he might leap for joy. “I want forever with you, too, Nat. I want everything.” He placed his palm on her heart, where he could feel her own muscle beating, proud and strong.
Tears shone in Natasha’s green orbs and she sighed in relief before she laid a passionate kiss on his lips. Having his arms around Natasha was wonderful, but from the little teases of her hands and the nips he made on her mouth, Steve knew it was a mere shadow of the other pleasures he’d experience with her.
As Steve and Natasha danced together, they both believed wholeheartedly that no matter what they'd face in the future, their love would never run dry because it was truly everlasting.
