Unzip Me || Romanogers || ✔️

Part 4

The doctors kept him under watch for a few more days before Steve was finally deemed well-enough to be released and returned home. That is, under the promise to seek therapy and mental help for his anxiety and PTSD, an idea which Natasha backed completely and whole-heartedly. She even recommended going to Sam's sessions for veterans that he had recently begun. Steve told her he would consider it.

With new medication and emergency protocols if something like that happened again, Steve entered his apartment for the first time in a while and was pleasantly surprised to find it all neat and tidy.

"I hope you don't mind that I cleaned up a bit." Natasha was hesitantly waiting outside of Steve's door, not sure if she should come in or not. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "When you gave me your keys so I could get the rest of my stuff, I wanted to clean up a bit cause I know you like things to be a little neater. I hope I didn't intrude." She hoped that when Steve stepped inside the new and clean little home, he wouldn't be reminded of the night that triggered it all. The cleaning was almost cleansing.

"Of course I don't mind." Steve looked around the apartment complex in awe before finally resting his eyes on her. "Thank you, Nat."

"Thanks for trusting me to come into your house alone," Natasha joked, finally feeling confident enough to step inside.

"You are always welcome." Steve rummaged through his kitchen drawers. "Speaking of which..." He pulled out a key and held it out to her. "This is my spare key. I want you to have it."

"You trust me that much?" Natasha was surprised. People tended to hide from her and doubted her intentions. She was slick and cunning and she knew what she wanted; she got there, regardless of the cost. These were characteristics people deemed untrustworthy and even she believed she wasn't to be trusted. She couldn't put her trust in anybody and nobody could put their trust in her.

"I do now," Steve responded.

Natasha took the key from his hands and held it in her own. The tiny silver piece of metal was a promise. For what, she didn't know, but she knew Steve was going to be a part of her life now, whether she liked it or not—for better or for worse.

She looked up at him and smiled as she curled her fingers around the key and held it tightly in her palm. "Thanks."

She didn't really know what else to say. She hoped Steve would understand that her little "thanks" was code for "you trusting me means the world to me and I'm sorry I don't know how to express that in actual words."

He nodded, but his head seemed elsewhere. The couch seemed to be his center of distraction and Natasha knew that memories of that night were haunting his thoughts. In an attempt to distract him, and also physically show Steve that she trusts him back because she was so obviously incapable of vocalizing it, Natasha said, "You know, I've been in your apartment so many times, but you've never been in mine."

"That's because you've never invited me."

To be completely honest, she never invited anyone in. She did... and she didn't. It wasn't him; it was just that she didn't really let anyone into her space. Even while she had roommates, rule number one was that no one was allowed in Natasha Romanoff's bedroom.

"Well, I'm inviting you now."

"Well, I accept."

"Good," Natasha stated.

"Great," Steve responded.

"Alright then." The two of them walked out the door and a couple of feet over to get to Natasha's door.

Opening the door to her apartment, she was greeted by a familiar sight. Her home was clean and pristine, but looked lived in. There weren't many pictures on the wall, just one of her old roommates and her at a carnival.