Love and Battles

Chapter 1

Vivamus moriendum est

CHAPTER ONE: LOVE IN TIME OF WAR

Denmark, 2017

"Nat, when I'm making a promise to you, I'm dead serious." He had told her. "When all of this... madness is over; I'll be there for you, I'll keep you safe and sound. Because I care about you."

She looked up at him and grabbed his neck as she crashed her lips on his.

"Nat-" He said after returning her kiss, but she interrupted him.

"Shh, don't say anything." She whispered him against his lips. Let us be for one night."

Wakanda, 2018

Steve and Natasha looked at each other with despair and hope; Despair for their lives, having to fight a new unknown threat coming from outer space. Hope, oh, how much they hoped to win this one more battle. They were tired of fighting and running. They wished they could settle down and live their lives the way they desperately wanted to.

They were both standing in the room T'challa had provided for them. Having changed their clothes for the upcoming battle against this alien Bruce had warned them about.

"Natasha," Steve spoke up, his eyes locked on her face. "If anything was to happen today... I want you to keep going. Promise me you will."

Natasha looked at him as if he had said something dumb, which he actually had. He always was the positive guy who cheered up everybody, he never was talking about the worst thing that could happen."Don't- Don't say that." She shook her head in disagreement. "We are going to be okay, you hear me?"

"I know, I know." He assured her calmly and stroked her cheek lovingly. "It's just that.. Our lives are pretty crazy and I don't know how to stop this madness or- or even how to slow it down. I never knew I was signing up for this."

"You tired of running, too, huh?" She asked him while looking straight into his eyes.

"Of course." He nodded. "It feels like it's all for nothing. I never got into this life expecting to receive something in return... Sometimes I wish I never did. I don't know if I can do this any more."

"Do what?"

"Everything."

"Everything?" Her eyes softened into a vulnerability he had never seen in her eyes. She looked so hurt. "What about us?"

"There's no-" He stopped mid-sentence, refusing to say something he wasn't sure about. "Look, I know there are some things we need to talk about and I can't stay a-and neither can you." He lifted his head to watch her. "Just please, let me hold you for a little longer now, before we go and risk our lives again."

Natasha nodded and wrapped both of her arms around Steve who returned the embrace before burying his head in her hair. They stopped talking and held each other for what felt like the last time. For all they knew they could be dead in an hour.

"No matter what happens, you'll never be alone, Natasha." Steve whispered in her ear after a few minutes of silence. He knew she hated loneliness. "My heart is with yours, so even if we're apart, you'll never be alone."

Denmark, 2017

Steve played with Natasha's freshly bleached hair as he passed his hand through them. She looked at him with such fondness and such emotions. Natasha was pretty sure she never looked at anyone else the way she looked at Steve. At least, never this genuinely.