Natasha woke up to the mattress beneath her moving. She turned to see Steve sitting on the edge of her bed, with only his boxers. She smiled at the sight and reached her hand to stroke his back. Steve turned and a sudden smile appeared on his face "Morning." She looked around the room to see the poor rays of sun crawl over the room. The look of disappointment took over her face "Aren't we on vacation? Why are you up so early?" She groaned.

"You're always up early." He grinned.

"I only get a good night's sleep with you and you're ruining it." She nagged as she pulled herself closer to him, wrapping the sheets around her body.

"I'm sorry Nat, but I think you should get washed up and dressed." He told her while turning around and pulling her to his lap.

"Why?" She whined.

"Clint's bringing the kids to you." He whispered to her ear.

Natasha grunted at the reminder "You know taking care of those two is just as hard as fighting aliens!" She mused.

"Really?" He chuckled with surprise.

Natasha nodded softly, resting her head on his shoulder. "Steve?" She murmured.

"Nat?" He responded with a smile.

"Do you really not want kids?" She asked, feeling a lump grow in her throat.

"Nat, believe me, there was a time when I dreamed about having a family. A house in a farm, a wife, kids, stability. But that all went in the ice." He sighed. Natasha curled herself on his laps.

"Never?".

Steve could feel the hurt in her voice. He slightly pulled back to face her "I never said never." He gave her a smile.

"Then you do want kids." Her voice was broken as she shifted in his embrace, trying to move away. "Hey, hey!"

Steve tightened his hold on her "What's wrong?" He asked her.

"You want kids, you don't need me." She mumbled as she struggled to get of his laps.

Steve could feel her heartbreak as she wasn't using her strength at whole or she would have been out of his arms the minute she wished to do so.

"Natasha, don't!" He held her arms in one of his and curled the other around her waist "I meant if you want!" Natasha calmed as he went on "I mean if you ever want that, then we'll think of something." She relaxed in his embrace.

"Nat, I need to ask you something." She didn't move, just stayed where she was. "Do you want it?" He asked her with a gentle tone. Natasha tilted her head to face him. "Do you want a future with me?" He asked as kindly as he could.

Natasha's expression didn't change, she looked blankly ahead. "Nat" he called her with a soft stroke on her cheek. She looked him in the eyes, a spark shining her eyes "I think I do." She watched Steve's lips curl up to a wide smile, his eyes laughing like a little boy's. He leaned down and kissed her fiercely, catching her breath with his movements. He gave her a final peck before parting his lips from hers.

"Close your eyes." He whispered to her. Natasha gave him a confused look but did as told. She felt Steve's body fidgeting and his hands moving, then she felt something cold touch her skin, first her neck and then her chest. She slowly opened her eyes and looked down to see Steve's dog tag resting on her bare skin. She looked up at him.

"I want you to wear it." He gave her a soft smile as Natasha's eyes started to shine. She smiled and leaned in his embrace, her head resting on his chest. She inhaled his scent deeply and he wrapped his hands around her delicate figure, his chin resting on her head. He held her for a while before he gently pulled his body away.

"You should take that shower now." He murmured in her ear. Natasha smiled as she stood up and walked to the bathroom, the bed sheets wrapped around her.

••✦❤️🕷❤️✦••

Steve had woken up to a nightmare, his eyes snapped open as he crashed in the never ending blue of the ocean. He laid in silent as he watched the redhead curled up next to him, her back facing the ceiling, one arm spread over his chest, the other on her side of the bed and head buried in his side. He smiled at her delicate figure hid under the bedsheets covering her up to neckline. He watched the darkness through the window get violated by the first rays of sunshine and decided it was better for him to leave. He gently took her hand and slid off the bed to sit on the edge, thinking about his shared bliss with Natasha, their talk. He wasn't the type to do one nightstands. He wasn't the type for a fling. He wanted something meaningful and for so long, he'd wanted that with Natasha. He knew she was in an inner struggle and at some point was bound to run from all of it, but the fact that she was giving the idea of having a future some thought was incredible. He was pulled out of his thoughts as he felt a hand stroke his back and turned to face her, a sudden smile spreading over his face.

"Morning" He watched her as her eyes searched around the room, a look of disappointment dancing in her eyes, "Aren't we in vacation? Why are you up so early?" She groaned. This was new, she was always up around sunrise.

"You're always up early" He grinned.

"I only get a goodnight's sleep with you and you're ruining it." She nagged while moving to his side, the bedsheets tangled with her body.

He pivoted his body to pull her on his laps "I'm sorry Nat, but I think you should get washed up and dressed."

She whined "Why?"

He leaned in her ear and whispered "Clint's bringing the kids to you." Natasha grunted at the realization "You know taking care of those two is just as hard as fighting aliens!" She mused, a hint of admiration and joy in her tone.

He chuckled in surprise "Really?" And she nodded softly, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Steve" She murmured in his shoulder.

"Nat?" He questioned more than answering, encouraging her to go on.

"Do you really not want kids?" She asked with either uncertainty or pain, which Steve couldn't recognize which.

"Nat, believe me, there was a time when I dreamed about having a family. A house in a farm, a wife, kids, stability. But that all went in the ice." He sighed.

Natasha curled herself on his lap.

"Never?"

Now he could feel the hurt in her voice, he wasn't going to take the chance of having a family away from her, if they'd ever get serious and she wanted adoption or any other way of starting a family, he wasn't about to deny her. He slightly pulled back, flashing her a smile "I never said never." He heard her voice break as she shifted in his embrace "Then you do want kids" and pulled away , living Steve in shock.

"Hey, hey!" He tightened his hold around her "What's wrong?" He asked pleading for an answer.

"You want kids, you don't need me." She mumbled, still struggling in his grasp. Steve felt her heartbreak as she wasn't using all her strength or she would've been out of his grasp the minute she wished. "Nat, don't!" He held her arms in one hand with the other wrapped around her waist "I meant if you want!"

He felt her struggles calm "I mean if you ever want that, then we'll think of something." She relaxed in his embrace but now his mind was racing to ask a question he desperately need answered "Natasha, I need to ask you something." She didn't move, just stayed where she was.

"Do you want it?" There it was, the question that would define every bit of whatever he had with her. He was worried, his body tensed, but he kept his tone gentle, not wanting to dump his stress on her. Her unfazed expression as she tilted her head told him she needed clarification "Do you want a future with me?"

She looked blankly ahead, causing his brows to lean in to each other. She looked him in the eyes, her own green orbs shining "I think I do."

Steve's lips curled up to a boyish grin, feeling his eyes brighten up with happiness as he leaned down to imprison her lips in his, kissing her fiercely. He gave her a final peck before parting their lips.

"Close your eyes." He whispered to her. She gave him a confused look but did as he'd told her. He moved his hands to his dog tag, pulling it over his head, then his hand made it's way over her head, down her neck, letting it sit around her neck and on her chest. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked down to see the silver medal resting on her skin "I want you to wear it." He smiled at her shining eyes, watching her lean in his embrace, her head resting on his chest and inhaling his scent while his hands curling around her figure. He held on to her for a while before parting their bodies.

"You should take that shower now." He murmured in her ear. She smiled as she stood up and walked to the bathroom, the bed sheets wrapped around her.

Steve stood up and started getting dressed as he heard the bathroom door close. He walked over to were Natasha had dropped the bedsheets and picked them up, turning back to the bed with a smile planted on his lips. He made the bed as quickly as he could and then picked Natasha's clothes from the floor and folded them neatly, leaving them on the bed. He held his hoodie in his hand, the one Natasha had wore the previous night. He thought of taking it back, it would make her angry and he wondered if it was worth having her storm in his room to take it back, but decided not to and left it there with the rest of her clothes.

Now all was left for him to do was walk back to his room, take a shower get changed and wait for the time to get breakfast.

••✦❤️🕷❤️✦••

She let the bedsheets fall at the bathroom door, feeling Steve's glare on her. She was feeling too emotional to tease him and could only push the door close with one foot while she stared at her image in the mirror. Steve had been careful not to leave hickeys on her neck, there was only one red mark that she knew she could hide it with a light makeup. But her body hadn't been met with the same mercy. There were red and blue marks on her breasts, her stomach and her waist. She smiled at the sight, being able to feel his touch on every mark. She could hear movements it the room, possibly Steve getting dressed.

Natasha walked in the shower box and let the warm water run down her skin. She let her body soak and her hands covered her body with the foam. She felt washing Steve's scent of her body and it made her pout. Then she washed her hair, gently tousling the red locks. She rinsed before stepping out the shower box to wrap a towel around her body. She opened the bathroom door to find her room absolutely neat. The bed was already made and her clothes from their night were on the bed. Well, not just her clothes but Steve's hoodie she had wore. She smiled and walked to her closet, taking a t-shirt and yoga pants to dress. Her red hair still wet.

The clock on the nightstand told her it was almost eight and it meant Clint would bring her the kids any minute. She started to blow dry her hair, her mind floating away, to the tall blonde who's dog tag was resting on her chest, under the fabric of her t-shirt. She had to find ways to constantly hide it, not wishing to let the team find something suspicious.

Natasha wasn't the touchy type, the type to hold hands or always find a way for physical contact; but she'd already learned that Steve was the exact opposite. He liked to hold her in his arms as much as he could, or have the least physical contact if necessary, and for some reason she was enjoying every bit of it, his touch was calming and boosted her shattered self confidence. Her trail of thoughts fell apart as she heard a knock on her door. "Coming"

She turned of the drier and walked to the door, swinging it open to meet Lila and Cooper holding Clint's hands, a wide smile plastered on each of their faces. "Hello!" She greeted them happily as she stepped aside to let them run inside while screaming their hello and good mornings. "So, how's Laura?" She asked Clint "Happy to have some alone time with her lovely husband" He grinned as she rolled her eyes "Yeah, I'm sure!"

She threw a glance back at the room where the kids had dropped their bags on the ground before jumping on her bed "Wanna come in?" She asked him. "Nah, better get going" He turned around to walk away, whistling playfully. Natasha smirked "Enjoy your time".

She closed the door and walked to the bed that was being used as a trampoline by the two siblings. "Careful not to break any bones or the bed" she smiled at them as she took a seat on the sofa, pulling her phone and scrolling through it. The first thing that caught her attention was a text from Steve, around the time she'd just got out of the shower.

S: Will you join everyone else at breakfast?

S: It's around 9

She smiled and typed her reply, telling him she'd be there with the kids.

"Auntie Nat, will we go to the beach? We brought everything." Laura asked her with pleading eyes. Natasha gave her a thoughtful look "We can go after breakfast, if you want". Both of them cheered while Natasha walked to the closet, grabbing a black swimsuit and white sundress that she put on in the bathroom.

Walking out the bathroom, she grabbed a beach bag and slipped her sunglasses and sun cream in it and gave herself one last look in the mirror. Her swimsuit was visible through her dress and she knew it was going to pull some unfamiliar eyes to her, even at breakfast, but being surrounded by some of the strongest of the Avengers gave her the confidence she lacked in the past. While in red room or KGB, she was used as a tool, a pleasantry either for her targets, trainers or even partners in mission; now she was surrounded by men who would get in a fight if someone made an inappropriate move on her. Even Tony who would make occasional dirty jokes had once got in a fight at one of his own parties just because some douche as he described later had slapped Natasha's ass while passing her seat at the bar.

She smiled and turned to the kids "Come one kiddos, let's get breakfast."