We'll Fight Together (Romanogers / Steve X Natasha)

An Unexpected Visiter

Natasha Romanoff was in the midst of a very long drive. Dawn was just beginning to break and although she had been behind the wheel for most of the night, she wasn't in the least bit tired. Well, that was a lie. She was a little tired, and she could feel her eyes drooping as the miles stretched over the horizon. However, she didn't let it bother her.

The radio in her black Corvette, although quiet to most people's standards (mostly Tony's, who preferred to let the radio tell of his arrival), kept her company. She wasn't really listening, but instead just wanted some background noise. Soon enough, "Here With Me" by Susie Suh and Robot Koch began to play. She had never heard the song before, and with a curious mind she picked up on some of the lyrics, specifically the chorus.

Calling your name in the midnight hour
Reaching for you from the endless dream
So many miles between us now...

The lyrics began to tug at a not-so-distant thought, something that she was trying hard not to think about towards someone that she couldn't get off her mind. She turned the radio off, deciding in that moment that she wasn't much of a music person. Who listened to that sort of romantic babble, anyway? Love was for children.

Soon enough, although it felt like awhile, she reached her destination: the middle of almost-nowhere. Before her stood a decently sized wooden cabin, which she noted must've had several rooms. Suddenly feeling anxious, she stepped out of her Corvette and approached the front door. Without hesitation, she knocked.

She heard slight clattering from the other side, followed by the low creak of footsteps. Within seconds, Steve opened the door. His appearance caught Natasha off guard almost as much as her arrival had surprised Steve.

Steve looked very different from the last time Natasha had seen him. His blond hair had grown longer, long enough for him to begin slicking it back with hair gel. He was also sporting a beard, which astonished her. The Steve Rogers she had known for years usually preferred a clean shave. She studied the look on his face and found only happiness. Little did she know, she had a lot to do with that feeling of his.

"Natasha?" He stared at her with disbelief.

"Hey there, solider." She leaned against the door frame, her arms crossed. "What's wrong, did you run out of shaving cream?" She flashed him a playful grin.

Swiftly and unexpectedly, he pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her away from the door frame. She hugged him back, hiding her smile in the seams of his blue flannel shirt.

"This is quite the surprise," Steve breathed as he let go, standing with his massive hands on his hips. "So, how'd you find me?"

"Sam told me," Natasha said bluntly.

Steve looked past her, eyeing the trees in the distance. "Well, that doesn't surprise me." He took a pause, his eyes landing back on her. "So, why come here?" His tone wasn't aggressive, just curious.

"Well, after you freed Barton from his cell, he headed back home. He wanted me to come with him, to stay with him and Laura."

"Why didn't you? Family, kids, Barton's new baby... I figured you'd want to help them raise little Nathaniel."

Natasha looked up at him. Upon searching his blue eyes, she found little specks of green. The specks reminded her of islands at sea and suddenly the idea of being stranded on one of them didn't seem so terrible. She quickly snapped out of her trance. What was she thinking? "I did for awhile. A couple months, actually. But, being around family made me realize that you don't have one right now." She averted her glance, looking around at the empty forest before making eye contact again. "I didn't want you to be alone."

Steve breathed out a slight chuckle. "The Avengers are my family."

Natasha looked around the forest once more. "And where are they now?" She wasn't waiting for his answer because she knew he wouldn't have one. Still, she let her words hang in the silence before speaking again. "We're scattered, Steve, and I bet it'll be awhile until Tony forgives 'Team Cap.'"

"Are you saying you're on my team now, Romanoff?" Steve seemed to take a step towards her, though in truth, he hadn't moved at all.

Natasha gave him that cocky smile of hers, a flirtatious tone on her lips. "What makes you think I left, Rogers?"

Steve shown a shy-looking smile before kicking at a fallen leaf on the porch. He was about to say something else, but Natasha went stiff. Looking up at the sky, she caught Steve's attention. "Steve... what's that?"

He diverted his gaze, following the finger that Natasha had extended. Against the curtain of blue sky, Steve saw a ball of flames. Upon inspection, he realized that that ball of flames was actually a plane, tumbling out of the sky like a runaway ballerina. He watched it for a moment, trying to calculate where it would land. However, his focus was blurred the moment he saw a person stumble out the plane and into the open air. His eyes widening, he quickly turned towards Natasha, whose expression matched his own. "Let's roll out," he asserted, not even awaiting her response before taking a wild sprint into the dense forest.

............

They didn't even have to guess where the plane's victim had landed; the crash that resulted from their collision with the ground was loud enough to disturb the birds within almost a half a mile's radius. The two heroes didn't stop sprinting until they reached the edge of a small crater. In the crater, to their distress, was a teenager.

Well, Steve thought to himself. The simple life was fun while it lasted.