never leaving your side || romanogers

Finale

6 months later

I wish I could tell you that the next day, Steve Rogers woke up, went downstairs, and kissed his girlfriend while she was cooking breakfast. I wish I could tell you that Natasha Romanoff laughed and punched him and told him to stop it before she burned his eggs. 

Most of all, I wish I could tell you that Steve and Natasha lived happily ever after with their Avengers family, and one day, with a family of their own. 

But this is not the case. At least, not exactly.

---

"Are you ready for our surprise?" Natasha giggled as Steve covered her eyes with his hands. "Are you?" He asked again.

"Yes, yes!" Natasha burst into laughter. "But I swear to god, if I trip over a tree root while you're blinding me, you won't be walking for a week."

He quickly removed his hands and remembered just how recently he had been confined to a hospital bed. "Come on, you were a dancer. But anyways, we're here!"

Natasha opened her eyes. "A picnic?" She gasped. 

"Happy birthday Natasha!" A confetti cannon blew into her face, surprising her with a loud pop! and dozens of streamers floated down around her. Natasha laughed as all her friends ran into her all at once and squeezed her in a hug. Once she could see again, she took in the view. 

A large picnic blanket was spread across the grass, and then all sorts of sandwiches and pastries were displayed on it, along with several bottles of wine and lemonade. And in the center, was a cake. 

"Do you like it?" Steve asked anxiously, rubbing his fingers along his jaw. "I didn't know if you'd like the picnic and the cake and everyth-" Natasha smashed her lips against his, her on her tippy toes, him leaning down to meet her. 

Breathless, she pulled back. Applause sounded around them. "It's perfect, Steve. Nothing could make me love you more," she whispered. 

"I could love you more," he replied. "I can love you more."

They rested their foreheads against each other, communicating and loving each other in some unknown language only the two could understand. 

---

They were stuffed.

After sandwiches and wine and pastries and cake, all the Avengers plus more lay down on their backs, fading sunlight shining on their faces. 

"Thank you guys, seriously, I'm so grateful for all of you," Natasha prepared herself up for all that she was about to say. "Without you guys, sure, maybe I wouldn't be as bruised as I always am, and maybe I wouldn't be captured as often, but you've been with me every step of the way, even when I don't want you to be. Every single one of you have helped me in one way or another, and I mean it." She tilted her head to the side to look at all her friends. "Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Thor, Clint, Nate, Lila, Cooper, Laura, Yelena, Tatiana, and Steve- I love you all so so much. And I wouldn't be who I am without you."

"I love you Natasha!" Clint whooped loudly, earning a glare from his wife. 

"Aww, Talia," Yelena cooed. "Little baby Talia."

Natasha smiled before retorting, "Shut up Grandma Lennia, just because you're 7 months older doesn't make me a baby!"

"I love you Auntie Nat!" Lila smiled widely.

One by one, every member of Natasha's family spoke up, each saying how much they loved her, or something along those lines. Their sentences ranged from "I'll buy you and Steve a new bed" (Tony; Natasha wasn't in range to slap him so Pepper did) to "Lady Natasha, I'll order you a lifetime's supply of Pop Tarts for the rest of your life" (Thor, respectively) to "Natasha Romanoff, you're the girl I love".

As soon as the last person finished speaking, Natasha felt herself breaking into tears again. "I-I'm sorry," she hiccupped. "Today was perfect, I'm not sure why I'm crying."

Steve pulled her closer, resting her head on his chest. "It's ok, Natasha. I'm never leaving your side."

To any bystander, there was nothing special about the man and the woman sprawled in the center of the picnic blanket. But everything was special about them. The way the man looked at her, blue eyes bright with adoration. The way he brushed her red hair away from her face with his thumb. The way she smiled contently whenever his fingers made contact with her bare skin. The way she laughed when he tried flipping her over, but only resulted in getting himself punched. The way their their fingers locked, tightly and desperately and lovingly all at once. 

Steven Grant Rogers and Natalia Alianovna Romanova were not perfect people. The love they shared would never be bright and golden all the time. But maybe, maybe that was the most perfect thing about it.