Learning to Love

Chapter 29

-Natasha's POV-
We walk hand in hand back to the house. He pushes into me again, and I push back. I laugh and we continue to walk. I notice my mother sitting on the front steps. Steve lets go of my hand, after kissing my head and walks ahead. He goes inside quickly, leaving me alone with my mom. She gets up without a word, she walks around the other side of the house and I follow her. She stops at a wooden picnic table. She brushes off the snow on the table and the seats. I sit across from her.

"You guys seem happy," She speaks first, her accent heavy.

"Ya we are," I answer shortly.

"Do you love him?" She asks.

"Yes. He's good for me,"

"That's good. He seems like a good guy,"

"He is, he's a really good guy,"

I play with my hands on my lap. My mom looks around at the surrounding woods. I read her quickly, it seems that she is trying to gather words. I stay silent, in hope she says something before I can't physically take the silence.

"I found this, I though you might like to have it," She finally speaks. She pulls an old photograph out of her pocket, it's a picture of the three of us. My mom, dad and me. Though I couldn't be older than two at the time. I study the picture closely, as tears threaten to spill from my face; I don't let them though.

"I would like to know what happened to you. If you wouldn't mind telling me," She states. I look up from the photo and give her a sad smile.

"You deserve to know,"

-Steve's POV-
When I'm back inside, I spot Yelena on the couch with a bottle of Vodka. I sit next to her and grab it from her hands. I take a long sip and feel it burn down my throat.

"You should come with us. Be a hero," I say boldly.

"Oh no I'm not the Avenger type," She answers quickly.

"You could be. We are quite the bunch of misfits anyway, you'd fit right in,"

"Thanks I'll think about it," She replies. I give her sincere smile. I hand her back the bottle.

"Hey Steve,"

"Ya?"

"If you hurt her, you will die a slow death,"

"Good thing I'm not planning on hurting her,"

"Keep it that way," She ends. She gets up and leaves to go into the kitchen. I get up also and go back to our room. I sit on the bed and pull out my notebook. I begin a sketch. It dipects Natasha and Yelena laughing over something one of them said. Natasha has a bright smile and is laughing ethusiastically. Yelena smirks and shakes her head. I leave the drawing unfinished, I look out the only window in the room. It is still snowing lightly, I see Natasha and her mother sitting at a picnic table. My redhead looks drained; completely exhausted. Her mother, with tears in her eyes, as she listens patiently to whatever Natasha is saying.

I feel uncomfortable watching them so I head out to the kitchen. Yelena and Nikolai are sitting there talking. I sit at the table and play with my hands on my lap. They both pause to look at me and then they continue the conversation. I eventually join and we have a few good laughs. Maybe he isn't such a bad guy. After talking and learning more about him, I see his true values, which are similar to my own. I appreciate all he has to say about his wife and Natasha. Saying "they are too alike for his own good." Or "I can no longer argue I'd lose everytime, between the three girls." I laugh and so does Yelena. Natasha and Katya are still outside.

-Natasha's POV-
I begin to explain to mom what I can muster. Though it may not be alot. I'm sure to get my point across. I tell her of Yelena and Anya when we were kids. I talk about ballet. I tell her about James and Ivan and Alexi.

"Then after that, my now bestfriend Clint was sent to kill me, he made a different call. He took me in and helped me become a better person," I finish.
She doesn't say anything after that. It scares me becasue she hasn't said anything in the past twenty minutes I've been talking. Just a nod or a tear.

"You can ask questions," I state breaking the silence.

"So when you left, you went to end the Red Room?"

"Ya. They had taken two close friends of mine. It was hard going back there, harder than I'd like to admit actually," She reaches across the table and holds my hand.

"How did you and Steve meet?"

"New York before aliens destroyed Manhatten. He was pretty shaken up after waking up in a new century. Helped him get adjusted," I reply.

"I'm sorry for Nikolai. Really he isn't usually like this,"

"It's ok. I've had men look down at me for my entire life he's no different,"

"I'm sorry,"

"You don't need to apologze. All you have done is help me. So thank you," I smile. She smiles back.

"What did you look like when you were younger?" She asks. I pull a Polaroid from my back pocket of me and Yelena. One of the ones I found in the box. She grins.

"We were fourteen when that was taken," I add.

"You are very beautiful,"

"Well it's good to know where it comes from," Her smile goes from ear to ear at my remark. Eventually, after talking for a while. We stand up and she pulls me into hug. I sigh into her shoulder and wrap my arms around her. She pulls away after while. I follow her back inside. They are all sitting at the kitchen table. I sit down next to Steve.

"How about I cook an early dinner?" We all agree. I grab the bottle from Yelena and take a long sip. I place it down; only to pick it up and take another sip. They all watch me until the bottle is almost empty. Steve takes it and takes a sip too.

"You can't get drunk solider,"

"Apparently you can't either,"

"Touche," I laugh.

My dad strikes up conversation and we all join in. My mom sits down after leaving the food to cook.

"This one time 'Talia, locked this girl in the bathroom for two days just becasue she pulled Anya's hair during ballet," Yelena adds to the conversation.

"What was her name?"

"Svetlana,"

"That's right. We hated her with a passion. No one even realized she was missing until someone told on us,"

"Ya crazy bitch,"

"Mhm," I agree. The witty banter continues well into dinner. Eventually, we are all sitting around drinking. Time passes by and before we know it, it is almost midnight.

"I'm exhausted, I'm off to bed good night," My mom says.

"Me too," My dad agrees. Steve and I head to our bedroom. I change in the bathroom before laying next to him on the bed. I straddle him and lay my head on his chest. I listen to his heart beat. He pulls us under the sheets, and he wraps his arms around my frame like a seatbelt.

He kisses my forehead, before whispering words into my ear, to softly to understand. This is perfect. And for as long as I have this, it will always perfect.

Thank you for reading!
I can't believe this story has over 100 votes and almost 3k reads.

I have a few questions... More Fluff or Angst?
And do you want me to write smut? Cause I'll try but it might be bad...

Stay safe!