Dark Arrow

Chapter Forty Six

The large bed in our hotel felt big enough to swallow me whole. My heart pounding in my chest did nothing to ease the pain I was feeling. Steve had happily sat in silence while I told him everything. He had been perfect letting me get everything off my chest, not interrupting me once.

"I didn't know how to tell you." I ended my half an hour long speech.

He settled against the pillow the other end of the bed. Closing his eyes he shook his head slightly. "Did you think it would change how I felt?" He asked gently, the honeyed tone to his voice helping to soothe me slightly.

"Doesn't it?" I shrugged my shoulders. "You always wanted the white pick fence lifestyle."

A lifestyle he'd never get with me.

"So our life would look different." He gave me that smile that always made me weak at the knees. "As long as you're in it, that's all that matters."

I wanted to believe his words, more than I'd ever wanted anything in my life. To believe that he could give up that part of him for me. What woman wouldn't want to hear that she was enough for him? Unfortunately I wasn't that selfish to allow him to give up his dreams for me, not without at least thinking them through first.

"What if you change your mind one day?"

He pulled me to him, placing me in his lap. His hands worked their way under the fluffy robe I was wearing to rest on my hips.

"For months I tried to push you away." We both chuckled remembering how we used to be around each other. "It never worked. I'm never going to want a life where you are not a part of it."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah Rain, I do."

"How do you know that years down the line you won't regret making the choice to give all of that up?"

He flipped us over, pinning me to the bed with his hips. "Because my life is brighter when you are by my side."

I searched his eyes, looking for any hint of a lie. Looking for a spec of doubt, no matter how small it might be. I found nothing. My entire body relaxing as I reluctantly accepted that this was what he wanted. That we were what he wanted.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?" I pressed my lips softly against his. "My vanilla asshole."

He smiled, his eyes all but twinkling-yes fucking twinkling- back at me.

"My beautiful brat."

He leant down, keeping his weight on his forearm as he kissed me. The simple gesture mixed with the emotion of the night weighing down on me. I felt lighter yet heavier than I had in a long time. Nat's words echoing around in my head.

"Have you ever spoken to Bruce?"

Maybe all hope for me wasn't lost. For now I couldn't concentrate on that, not when I had Steve's tongue sweeping across mine, his warm body pressed firmly between my legs.

He had barely done anything and my body was burning for him. I tugged at the belt of his robe, pushing it off his broad shoulders so I could run my nails down his back. He growled into my mouth. I wanted him, no I needed him and I couldn't wait. I shifted my hips, knowing my body was more than ready for him, it always was.

With a single thrust he was sheathed inside me, filling me to the point I felt like I was going to burst. We had always had chemistry, even before we liked each other. After tonight that only burned brighter. With each shift of his hips he hit all the spots that he knew so well, bringing me right to the brink of ecstasy.

"Steve..." I panted out.

He twisted his hips, pulling back to look at me. "Cum for me sweetheart, let it all go."

I complied with his order all too easily, pleasure sweeping over me in waves as I clamped down around him. He kept going, pulling me through my orgasm straight into another. This one was more intense than the last, I cried out not caring who would hear us. I was lost in him. Lost in the man that I would happily grow old with. I felt when he let go, his cum spirting into me as his eyes fluttered closed. His jaw tensed as he slowed, drawing out both of our releases blissfully before he collapsed beside me.

"I love you." He mumbled.

"I hate you too." I teased, curling up into his side.

There was no doubt in my mind that nothing could tear us apart. He knew the truth and yet he'd chosen to stay anyway.

***

I hated lying to Steve, but I didn't want to get his hopes up. I left him at the hotel under the premise of going to see Clint for a while. That was not where I went. Steve was willing to give up everything he wanted for me, the least I could do was make sure he wasn't giving it up unnecessarily.

I lingered outside of the Avengers compound, half expecting to have SHIELD agents surround me curtesy of Tony. When that didn't happen I headed inside. It felt weird to be back here, but I had no choice. I had to try.

My hand hovered over the door I wanted, taking a deep breath I knocked lightly. I stepped back, fiddling with my hands while I waited. A few seconds later it opened revealing a very perplexed Bruce.

"Rain? What are you doing here?"

"C-can we talk?" I took a deep breath. "Please?"

He nodded his head, wasting no time in grabbing a jacket before we headed out of the compound.

The streets of New York were busy even at night and yet I could hear him just fine. We made small talk as we walked until the topic of conversation drifted to Tony.

"He's miserable y'know." Bruce said softly, not wanting to upset me.

"I miss him."

Bruce knew how close me and Tony were. How much I'd needed to hear about him without even asking him. He was intuitive in that way.

"He's moved. Left the compound completely. We only see him every now and again."

I struggled to keep my jaw from dropping. "Where has he gone?"

Bruce sighed, stopping to look at me. "Why did you really want to talk? Because it wasn't about Tony."

Sometimes I hated how straight to the point he could be. Unfortunately he was right, as nice as it was to hear about Tony, it wasn't what I'd come back here for.

"An old...injury is causing me problems. Nat said you might be able to help."

This was it, my one and only shot to fix what my mother had stolen from me. Whether I could do it or not all depended on this one conversation.

No pressure.