Chapter 7: The conflict

2 months later

Steve awoke to an empty bed and sat up, his eyes darting around the room for any sign of Nat. Nothing. The sound of a toilet flushing came from the bathroom a few doors down, and then the opening of the door. Nat's footsteps made their way back to the bedroom, and she entered, her hands wrapped around her now visible bump. She went over to Steve and sat on the bed beside him. "Everything alright in there?" He asked as his hand moved magnetically towards her stomach."Yeah, no morning sickness today.""I'm glad to hear." He said, leaning his head on her shoulder. She stroked his golden hair, letting the soft waves melt through her fingers. His hand moved down her stomach to rest on hers, and Nat felt her heart flutter slightly. "Natasha? I think we need to talk about something, something important.""Yeah?" She asked, a note of concern on the tip of her tongue."What are we exactly?""I'm not sure I follow.""I think you do. Nat, what is this, this relationship? Are we just friends, teammates, colleagues, or something more?" Nat swallowed and took a deep breath."Well, how do you feel, Steve?" Their eyes met, and there was undoubtedly a spark that flitted between the pair. Steve began tracing her bump with the tips of his fingers, delicately stroking the soft material of her shirt."Natasha, I'm- I'm in love with you, and I have been for a while. Whenever I'm near you, all I want is to hold you, to make you mine. I have never felt this way for any woman for a long time. When I'm with you, I feel ecstatic, yet sad at the same time, because I watched you flirt with other SHIELD agents,with Banner, and it broke my heart, because I wasn't sure if you could ever return my feelings.""Oh Steve, you innocent, naïve man. I have always been drawn to you, and I flirted with those men and women to try and keep you off my mind, because you always seemed to haunt my soul, and my heart ached when you weren't around, and when you nearly died when we took down HYDRA, I nearly lost a piece of me with you." Steve sat up and kissed her passionately, words never being enough to express how happy he felt knowing that she was finally his Natasha.

"Eewww!" Nate cried as he walked past their room, causing the to burst out laughing. Steve lunged and grabbed him around the ribs and through him gently into the air, Nat ruffling his chestnut hair.

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Steve stood in front of a chopping block, axe in one hand, a fresh log in the other. Clint stood heaving slightly from the force of the momentum his axe brought down to the log. Steve, however, remained perfectly in breath, swinging the weapon in his right hand down onto the piece of dead wood in front of him. "How are you not tired?" Clint panted, clutching at a stitch in his side."Dunno. Maybe I'm not working hard enough." He said, glancing at his pile to the side of him, three times bigger than Clint's. "Yeh think?!" Clint exclaimed, jokingly. Steve just smiled back; his blue eyes hadn't stopped twinkling all day.

Suddenly, a figure of red streaked through the sky towards them, and plummeted towards the ground, just missing it: hovering upright in front of them. Tony had found them. "Barton. Captain." He said, his mask hiding his face. "You should be in a prison cell, Rogers.""For defending my friend? Yeah definitely.""You're a criminal. You stepped out of line after the Accords had been signed, and then you refused to back down.""My mother taught me to never back down from what is right. Surely you would understand that, Stark." Tony's metal fist collided with Steve's jaw, the other one with his stomach. Steve keeled over, winded. Clint made his move, throwing his axe towards the suit's chest plate and the arc reactor at the centre. It bounced off, barely leaving a scratch. Steve picked himself up again, and tackled Tony to the ground. Stark used his suit's hands to project Steve right up into the air before dealing with Clint, knocking him unconscious. Steve hurtled to earth, landing square on his back. Tony stood over him, arm raised, ready to blast him.

At that moment, Nat came racing over, gun in hand, pointing it directly at Tony's head. "Don't you fucking dare shoot him, Stark.""And why shouldn't I, agent Romanoff, after everything that he has done?" Natasha glared at him, finger to the trigger, arms dead still."Because, one, you wouldn't be able to live with yourself afterwards and you know it, and two..." She gestured towards her swelling stomach. Tony glanced down to where she was signalling, and took a double take."Wha-what? But you- that's no- there's no- You were sterilised, you can't be- ""Well I am, so step away from him, or I will force this bullet through that tin can armour you so cowardly hide in." He obeyed her, goggling at her stomach, nearly treading on Clint behind him. Nat helped Rogers up, supporting him with her weight, as Tony picked up the unconscious father and carried him inside.

"How far along are you, Romanoff?" Tony asked after 5 minutes of silence, as they sat on the couch, waiting for Clint to stir. Steve sat next to Natasha, a frozen back of peas being held firmly to his jaw."15 weeks, nearly 16." She answered, her hand firmly holding her stomach, as if protecting it from him. Steve shifted his position to be able to place a bloodied hand on hers, being careful as to not stain her shirt with his wounds. Tony nodded as he removed his helmet, unleashing a startling smile of kindness onto them. "May I?" He asked, as he took off his now unarmed glove, gesturing with his head towards their hands. Nat pauses for a moment, then nodded, unsure of what to do or what was happening. Tony reached out cautiously, and placed a calloused, scarred hand onto the cotton material of her shirt. "I originally came here to warn you guys that you are in danger, but I'm sorry, my anger overcame any of my more rational senses." Steve snorted out of suppressed laughter, Nat turned and looked at him, a look that could make any grown man wither into a scared child. "Ok, yeah, maybe not my best choice of wording. The Secretary of State is trying to hunt you down, Cap; I've lost all control of my new iron legion for now, and I don't think I will be able to regain it any time soon." Tony finished, slight notes of fury highlighting themselves through certain words. Panic ambushed Natasha's mind, as she clutched Steve's hand, causing him to wince slightly from her pressure on his gashes. "What would that mean for her?" Steve asked as he stroked Nat's shoulder, comforting her. "She has the option to stay here, come with me to SHIELD where Pepper and I can take care of her, or risk it and stay with you. I'm assuming that the kid is yours as well?" Steve nodded. "How would they know that they can trust you? After what you have done to them?" Clint interrogated, apparently fully conscious now. "I understand that, and though I can't stand you Rogers, you're...""Like a brother to me." Steve said, finishing his sentence for him. "Exactly. And I don't think that I could live with myself if I didn't give you a chance for survival." Nat placed a hand on his, rubbing it sympathetically with her thumb. "Uh, Nat are you ok? Why are you being nice to me? This isn't like you." Nat ignored him, looking directly at Steve, green eyes meeting blue. "I don't care what you say, I'm going with you."