Don't Let Me Forget

IX - I'm With You

"Real love is knowing someone's weaknesses and not taking advantage of them. Knowing their flaws and accepting who they are." - Unknown

The sun has finally risen in the state of New York, and in the city of Brooklyn. Steve could lightly see the brightness through the curtain of his bedroom. Taking a look at the clock, it was only seven in the morning. He hadn't slept for a long time, but for some reason, he felt peaceful and rested.

Remembering the events of last night, Steve was now looking at the woman lying down on his chest. Natasha was still sleeping, half of her body still on top of him.

She looked peaceful it was beautiful. And it felt so good to have her sleeping on his chest. Her petite form was fitting perfectly inside his strong arms. It's like it was meant to be. Like two pieces of a puzzle meant to be together. It was natural.

He could see she still looked exhausted, and he wanted to let her rest. She had been really tired yesterday and last night had been really rough for her. He didn't know if what he had witnessed in the middle of the night was often happening, but he wanted to make sure she was okay, and make sure she knew she would always be safe with him.

Waiting for her to wake up, he was looking deeply at her. Her red hair was now spread on the pillow next to him, and he was so close to her that he could see little freckles on her cheeks. He couldn't wait to see those bright green eyes of hers. It was definitely one of his favorite parts of her.

He hoped she would not panic too much when she'll wake up. She probably will but he told himself that he would be able to calm her down. If what Maria had said in the middle of the night was true, about being the first one to be able to calm her down in the middle of a nightmare, then he should be able to calm her down when she'll wake up. Or at least, he'll try his best.

Right now, he just wanted to spend some quiet time, admiring the sleeping woman lying on his chest. She was beautiful, he couldn't wait for her to wake up. Especially knowing that they were supposed to spend the day together since today was Saturday. He hoped she would still want to spend the day with him.

He could definitely see himself being with her for a long time. He knew there weren't in a relationship yet, and they actually didn't talk about it either, but he could definitely get used to it. Sleeping close to her every night and waking up having her in his arms every morning, yes, he could definitely get used to it.

Now he just needed to wait for her to wake up, and hopefully, spend the day with his best girl.

-

When Natasha started to wake up, she immediately noticed that something was wrong. She felt rested and most importantly, she felt safe. Usually, waking up would always be with some painful memories on her mind, or being sweaty and panting from all the nightmares she could have.

For some reason, this morning was different. Her body felt good, there weren't any painful memories or images stuck in her mind, and she felt calm, she felt rested and she felt safe. Yes, something was definitely wrong.

Starting to feel her surroundings, she could feel warmth around her body, and weight around her shoulders. Her head was definitely not on her pillow either. Where am I ? She thought to herself, starting to slightly freaking out.

And that's where she realized she knew exactly what she was lying on. A body. What was happening ? Was she back in the Red Room ? Was she still in the middle of a nightmare ? She couldn't tell. She could feel herself losing it again.

She hadn't noticed it but silent tears were now falling down her cheeks. "Natasha ?" She was scared. Actually, she was terrified. She couldn't be back in the Red Room, she wasn't ready to get through another abuse. "Natasha ?"