Steve took the takeout food and climbed up the stairs, thinking it would be best to leave her the food up there since they hadn't had a chance to talk about stuff and he didn't want them to get weird now.

He opened the door to find Natasha in a changed pair of shorts and bra, looking at her skin in the mirror.

" I had almost forgotten the sight of your marks... now I wish I had punched him in the face." He cursed under his breath as he turned his gaze away from her.

" It's ok Steve, it's just a mission. And besides, he didn't get anywhere serious" she giggled at her world causing a big frown on his face.

" what do you mean? Anything about you is serious." He shook his head as a sudden question appeared on his face " Nat, you're not going to..." his words drifted and he rubbed his hand on his face in frustration.

She didn't answer, she hesitated for a second, then looked at him and said" Steve, I hate my past, the things I had to do, the things I was forced to do or even forced to comply against my will, that's not a track I'm willing to fall back on."

Steve's body was tensing over her words.

" That's why if I ever felt he would try to force himself if I ever felt I was losing the power, I will call out to you."

A sad smile sat on his lips, he was happy to have her trust but the whole idea was ripping him inside-out.

She pulled a shirt from a drawer and put it on.

"I thought you wanted to take a shower."

She looked at him, with a coy smirk, he knew something was about to hit him hard but had no idea what it would be. " Are you disappointed, SIR?". Steve's eyes widened and she started to laugh

"Oh come on! Why do I even try?" He said while giving in the laughter. He put the takeout on the already made bed, pulled her to the side, and opened the bag, taking out a pack of what seemed to be Chinese and handing it over to her.

"Thanks" she took it with a smile. She had avoided answering him.

After the party, taking a shower was the first thing Natasha had done. And now, she didn't feel the need to shower which would mean she would hold on to his touches and kisses for longer. It was a comforting feeling.

They ate in an unfamiliar but somehow comfortable silence.

Natasha took a deep breath as she wanted to break the silence.

"Steve, why aren't we talking?" She asked him with a sound that seemed both thoughtful and hurt to him.

" Um... because we're eating?"

"No Steve, I- I meant about last night. Is it that negligible to you?!" She sounded hurt.

"No, of course not Nat. I've thought about this for a very long time now"

Here it comes, the "you're not worth it" talk. She thought.

"Natasha" he took a hold of her hand, caressing her knuckles with his thumb. " If you want everything to stay the same as it was, if you don't like the idea of us, then I'll be your friend just as I have been and nothing will change." He shook his head slowly as if he knew it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

"But, if you like the idea of us, then I feel like I should tell you, I'm not the type to share Natasha, I'd want you all to myself just as I'll be the same for you. And flirting counts as well" he chuckled hoping to have made it a bit less serious.

She stayed silent.

"Natasha, do you want us to forget about last night?" She shook her head in no.

Steve's eyes sparkled and his lips curled up at the mere idea of her agreeing to a relationship.

"Then you want us to be a couple?"

Again, same reaction.

His smile disappeared in a second. She not only rejected him but also didn't even want to stay friends?

"Uh... honestly I wasn't expecting this...." he looked down, " so you want to break contact after the mission?" He sounded hurt, broken, and serious.

"GOD NO!" Her head snapped up as she finally looked at him.

"what do you want then?"

"To come clean with you"

Steve felt lost. "what do you mean?"

"The red room, my past, things I've done"

"I don't care, Nat, I'm fine with that. I don't care about your-"

"I can't have a family " she blurted.

" What?... you Can't have a family?" She nodded as if yes

"Nat, you can't or you don't want to?"

She seemed to be lost in translation.

"I can't have kids Steve, in the red room, there was a ceremony-..." she trailed off, and a shiver past through her spine.

"It's okay Nat, you don't need to give me any details." He pulled her in a hug and started to play with her hair.

"Natasha "

"Hum?"

"do you want a family? Kids?"

"I wish I had a choice, I wish I could..."

" then you can" he smiled as he looked down to meet her gaze.

" Steve but-"

" No, listen to me first." He interrupted "there are always other ways, but I don't want to pressure you into thinking about any of that."

" You mean you don't wanna have a family with a monster, got it" her eyes filled with tears as she emphasized the word monster, remembering how she had been left behind before.

" No Nat, and stop jumping to assumptions. I mean, right now, I want to know if you would like to be my girlfriend?" He lowered his eyes and looked at her with deep blue eyes.

" Steve, I just told you I let someone sterilize me, and you're asking me to be your girlfriend?" she pulled out of his embrace to look at him, she couldn't believe this, she was ready to be rejected.

"Yes, and if you don't answer me, I'll propose just now." He said that without even knowing what he meant, it was a dumb thing to say but it was a desperate try to make her laugh, which he succeeded of course, not at what he had said but his goofiness.

"yes," she said and she was pulled back in his warm hug.

"Then I'm happy to have missed decades in ice because it got me to you."

She looked him straight in the eyes searching for a sign of joking, but he held a deep smile, as she pulled herself up to kiss his lips, he pressed his lips gently on her, and they shared a passionate kiss. When they stopped to gasp for air, he put his lips on her's and whispered" I want to taste every bit of you Natasha, but not now and maybe not today my dear."

Natasha looked at him with big sad puppy eyes, he almost leaned into the magic of her green emeralds.

" Natasha, we have guests."

And with that, Natasha was shocked and stared at him waiting for information.

"Who are they?"

" Friends, from work. You heard me talk with one of them this morning. No need to worry though, they're not targets, and they're not a part of any weird facility" he almost smirked at that one but held back. " and there's no need for hiding or playing roles. Their all normal" yeah if you're fine with Alien stuff, he thought.

" Um, okay, so what do we gotta do?"

" You need to rest, I'll get some snacks ready and we'll be fine."

She nodded and he helped her lay in the bed as if Karma had suddenly attacked her, she was getting the flu.

Steve sat next to her and whispered to her, admiring her beauty, then got up and head to the kitchen as she fell asleep.