Steve woke up feeling calm for the first time in a very long time, and immediately started getting ready. He took a shower, put on a grey suit and a blue tie, grabbed a quick bite and got on his way.
It had been a couple weeks since the remaining Avengers had re-organised against Thanos and successfully retrieve the gauntlet and use it to bring everyone back, mainly with the help of Scott Lang and his knowledge of the quantum realm. Thanos was sent to Vormir, to share the burden of the guardian of the soul stone, never to come back again. The world was safe once more and everything was coming slowly back to normal.
So today was a very special event for the Avengers, the day that had been so eagerly expected: Tony and Pepper's wedding.
Steve arrived to the venue; it was not big or expensive, like anyone would've thought of Tony Stark, but in a small cottage in the countryside. It was very intimate, and it's beauty was on the simplicity; a few chairs had been arranged in an open field surrended by tall trees with white flowers falling from them, facing a tall wooden arch decorated in white veil, and a simple altar. The view was just beautiful.
Some of the guests were already there by the time Steve arrived.
"Hey man, looking good" Sam greeted him with a handshake.
"Hi Sam" he greeted back with a smile.
"Punk" Bucky came to him and pat his shoulder affectionately.
"What's up Buck?" he returned the gesture.
The three of them kept talking for a while, occasionaly waving at other Avengers that were arriving. When the ceremony was about to start, they took their sits. Tony took his place standing in the wooden arch, with Rhodey as his best man, by his side. Steve could tell he was nervous as hell, so he gave him a reassuring smile from afar.
"Weird right? To think that we used to picture ourselves having this." Bucky said to him, gesturing the whole place. "Getting married, even having kids." He pointed at Clint, who was handing baby Nate to Laura and placing his family in the chairs. Steve smiled.
"It's been a while since those days." Steve answered
"Before our lives got so fucked up." Bucky said, they both laughed. "Still, this is the prove that we might be able to have it."
Steve found himself reflecting on those thoughts.
He used to picture his own wedding day in his mind a lot, but it had been what seemed like ages ago. Before the war, before the serum, before Captain America. Steve had told Tony that the person who wanted that life never came out of the ice, not because he didn't want it anymore but probably cause he knew he couldn't have it. But if Bucky was right...would he still have that chance? Be more than a hero, maybe a husband, even a father.
Everytime he imagined himself getting married, he'd never really gave a face to his wife. Steve never cared about the looks, but about other things. It's hard to find someone with shared life experience. How much things had changed.
He raised his head to look at the front and found his eyes stuck on someone. It was Natasha. She had walked to Tony and was helping him with his bow tie, while trying to ease him with a warm smile.
She was in a creamy-white dress with a sweetheart neckline and golden designs in the skirt. Her wavy once again red hair, now longer, fell down her back and her shoulders, and her soft makeup highlighted her eyes and lips.
Natasha had always drawn attention, but in that moment Steve thought that she had never looked more beautiful.
She turned around and catched his eyes. They both smiled as their eyes were locked on each other, then she went to take her sit in the front row.
The music started; a single violinist played the wedding march in a low, peaceful melody, while a proud Happy Hogan walked Pepper down the aisle. She was wearing a simple white dress with a thin silver waistline.
Tony's eyes were teary as his soon to be wife walked to him. He took her hands and held them as the priest started his speech.
Steve's favorite part of the wedding were the vows; more than a promise of eternal love, it was a promise to face everything that was to come together. While they were speaking he eyed the other guests, and once more his eyes fell on Natasha. Anyone could think that in a wedding the Black Widow would be out of her element, but this wasn't the case, she had glowing eyes and a shy smile. Steve could tell she was enjoying it, even if she never was to admit it out loud.
When the finally said the I do, it was followed by a massive ovation and loud whistles as the couple shared their first kiss as newly weds.
They were all invited to the other side of the cottage to attend the reception, where Tony thanked all the guests for coming and Rhodey gave a hilarious best man speech full of the couple's best stories through the years.
Next there was their opening dance, so Tony led Pepper to the dance floor and started dancing "De Rodillas" by Reik.
Hey, mira, hoy el cielo entero baje para ti.
Mi vida, hay algo importante que intento decir.
Deja que me ponga de rodillas para ti.
Dime qué respondes a un siempre juntos...
(Hey, tonight I got the whole sky down for you,
My love, there's something important I'm trying to say,
let me get on my knees for you,
tell me, what do you say to a lifetime together?)
Steve stood at the back, slightly apart from everyone else, watching Tony and Pepper swinging with the rythm.
"So this day finally arrived" Natasha came from behind to stand next to Steve. "For a while I was worried you woul've got us out of the guest list." She joked.
"Hilarious Romanoff " He smiled at her teasing, and they stayed a moment in silence, watching their friends dance. "You look beautiful Nat."
"Well thank you." She looked at him. "You don't look so bad yourself Rogers."
He smiled.
"How are you holding up?" He asked.
"Still getting used to the idea that we won and we're not fugitives anymore." She answered. "You know, I've been having trouble sleeping." Nat looked at him a little embarassed. "It may sound weird but I can't sleep in a bed..."
"Without you in it." Steve finished. "I know. The same is happening to me."
Steve understood what she meant. The two years they'd been on the run, and then after the snap, they had got so used to each other's company that it had become a need, even for something so simple as sleeping.
Dame esta noche tu mano
Que ya no quiero estar un dia sin ti.
Quiero que sea en tus brazos
donde vea llegar mis dias al fin.
Quisieras casarte conmigo?
(Give me your hand tonight,
For I don't want to spend another day without you,
I want it to be in your arms,
where I could finally find myself waking up.
Would you marry me?)
Steve started wondering in what moment sharing a bed with Natasha became a daily habit. Nothing had ever happened, it was just them keeping each other company and support in those hard times.
"When did you become so important to my well-being Romanoff?" His tone was playful, but he truly meant it. Every word.
"You wouldn't last a day without me I know." She elbowed him playfuly. "Probably by the same time you became so important to mine."
After that they stood in comfortable silence next to each other, smiling.
Quisieras quedarte conmigo?
Pasar una vida conmigo?
(Would you marry me?
Spend a lifetime by my side?)
When the song ended, everyone else was invited to dance. By watching everybody heading to the dance floor Steve couldn't help it but thinking of Peggy.
'I figured I'd wait'
'For what?'
'The right partner.'
For a while he thought that was Peggy, and that he'd missed his chance. But now that he could have a break from the stress of being a hero, things were clearer. Sometimes you aren't able to see what's been in front of you for so long. The wait is not only for the right partner, but the right timing as well.
They weren't just friends, not anymore. Hadn't been for a long time, and both of them knew it. The had just needed their lives to become less complicated to finally realise it.
"You wanna dance?" He asked Natasha.
"I thought you didn't dance." She questioned. She didn't know it was just because of Peggy
"We just brought back half the universe from being wiped out of existance." He smiled. "I think I can handle dancing." He pulled out his hand to her. She took it.
Steve placed his hands on her waist, and Natasha put her arms around his neck. They started swaying around with the music, while they could finally have a normal conversation. Smiling, laughing and teasing each other.
Pulling her closer he could smell the scent of her perfume and feel her body pressed against his.
It was odd to him, because he knew her so intimately that he was used to her smell after a battle (blood, sweat and dirt combined) and recognised perfectly every scar on her body. And he liked her better like that, without need of perfume, an elegant dress or make-up. Because her imperfections reminded him how she had been the one who fought by his side every battle for the past four years, how in all that time she shared and eased his pain.
She'd been the only constant thing in his life. Right beside his bed when he woke up in the hospital after the fall of SHIELD, leading the new Avengers after defeating Ultron, in Peggy's funeral, when they had to stay in crappy motels, patching up his wounds after a battle, in the final battle against Thanos...like countless times before. That's what he called shared life experience.
So Steve was sure about two things: the first one; it was time for him to build a life away from the battlefield, the second thing; he was in love with Natasha Romanoff.
Like a river flows
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be
Take my hand
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you.
-Elvis Presley
"Now that the fighting is over, what are you going to do?" He asked her.
"I'm not sure, retirement perhaps" She answered, "I guess I'll have to learn to live as Natasha and not just the Black Widow. It's not gonna be easy."
"Well I was thinking, maybe we could figure it out... together?" Steve said. She pushed away just enough to look him in the eyes. She smiled.
"I'd like that." Her warm smiled turned into a teasing grin. "You got used to me sticking around didn't you?" He smiled and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah well, it's kind of a side effect of our years as partners and on the run after that." He said, "I can't say it hasn't been annoying but..." She playfully hit the back of his head at his attemp of being funny.
"You know what Rogers?" They both laughed. After that little exchange they went silent, just smiling at each other, and somehow the space between their lips started to get shorter until they were only inches apart. When they finally kissed it was sweet and gentle, but strong and passionate as well, because this time there was no government or war or alien genocide holding them back anymore. Every feeling they'd been keeping inside for years was now coming ashore for everyone to see. There were whistles and catcalls, but in that moment there were just Steve and Natasha, like it always had been.
When they broke the kiss, they pressed their temples together and stayed like that.
"Will you stay with me?" He asked.
"Always, Steve." She answered.
A while later, when it was time for Pepper to throw the bouquet, it was Wanda who dragged Nat to participate. Then, the flowers flying through the air came to land in Natasha's hands, who caught them with a shocked expression that seemed to be printed on her face. Steve just smiled at that; it looked like she was going to keep her promise.
Steve could never know what the future might throw at them, but he felt pity for the ones who meant them any harm. Cause no one could say that Captain America and the Black Widow were not a power couple.