Requested by Oppresso Steve's dark past.

Natasha and Steve had been secretly dating for some time now.

They had a routine. During the day, they would spend time together with the team, making their obvious friendship appear as just that...friendship.

Then at night, once all their teammates had gone to sleep, Natasha would climb out of her own bed and quietly run up the stairs to Steve's floor.

Most nights, the door would open before she could even knock, Steve would open his door and pull her inside, greeting her with a kiss.

"Hey there," Natasha said, when he pulled away.

Steve smiled down at Natasha but noticed that her smile seemed forced, "Hey. You alright?"

Natasha frowned, she hated how easily he could read her, "Just tired," She lied.

Steve took her hands in hers and frowned, "You sure?"

Natasha nodded and forced another smile, "Yeah. I'm fine Steve. Really...now are we gonna watch that movie or not?"

Steve wasn't sure he believed her, but he knew that Natasha didn't like to be pestered about things like this. When she was ready, she would tell him what was bothering her.

So he smiled and lifted Natasha up, earning a small gasp of surprise as Natasha slapped his chest gently, "Put me down Rogers."

Steve laughed, "Nope."

Natasha playfully glared at him but didn't fight back anymore until he placed her on his couch.

"Jerk," Natasha mumbled as he sat besides her and wrapped his arms around her.

Steve chuckled and pressed a kiss to Natasha's forehead as he grabbed the remote and found the movie they had decided upon for that night.

"What's this about again?" Steve asked.

Natasha shrugged, "A guy who falls in love with his computer's artificial intelligence."

Steve raised an eyebrow, "Okay."

Natasha laughed a little, "It's supposed to be good. Just shut up and watch it."

Steve laughed but did so.

They watched the movie and when it was finished, Natasha walked towards the door.

She didn't normally stay the night. She was worried that it would put them at risk of being found out.

Steve grabbed her wrist gently though, stopping her in her tracks.

She turned back to him and saw him staring at her solemnly, "Stay with me tonight?" He asked, though the words came out more of whisper then a question.

Natasha knew she shouldn't. One night would undoubtedly become more and soon she wouldn't be able to sleep if she wasn't with him, but the almost frightened look in his baby blue eyes was enough to make her ignore those thoughts.

She nodded and moved into Steve's arms, kissing him gently.

They walked into Steve's room and Natasha took her spot on the bed as he changed clothes.

Eventually, he laid down besides her and wrapped his arm over her small frame, pulling her to his chest and pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder.

"Goodnight Nat." He whispered.

Natasha hummed in contentment, "Night Steve."

She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep quicker then she ever had.

It wasn't until around four AM that Natasha woke up.

Besides her, Steve was shaking slightly, a thin layer of sweat lacing his forehead as he mumbled incoherent thoughts.

Natasha frowned, he was having a nightmare.

"Steve?" Natasha said softly, shaking his shoulder as gently as she could.

Steve's eyes closed tighter and he whimpered lightly, whispering something Natasha couldn't decipher.

She shook him lightly again, "Steve wake up. It's just a dream."

His eyebrows crinkled and he shook his head slightly, this time whispering something Natasha could understand.

Her name.

Her heart clenching at the sight of him, Natasha cupped his face in her hands, "Steve!" She said louder this time.

His eyes shot open and he jumped back, his eyes searching the room fearfully.

"Natasha?" He asked weakly.

Natasha nodded, tracing his skin with her fingers, "It's just me."

Steve's breath steadied and he placed his hand over hers, "I'm sorry I woke you." He mumbled.

Natasha shook her head, "Don't be."

Steve sighed and looked down at the bed. He wasn't even sure what to say.

Natasha frowned and gave his hand a light squeeze, "You wanna talk about it?"

Steve shrugged, "I get them most nights. They're never the same. Tonight was worse then normal though."

Natasha nodded and Steve continued, "When I was nine, my mom died. She was sick, but she refused to back off any motherly duties. So one night we were walking home from school and this man tried to follow us. My mom noticed and tried to speed up but eventually four other men showed up."

Steve's eyes were glossy as he continued, "They threw me out of the way and started beating her. I tried to stop them but I couldn't. We were both screaming for help but they wouldn't stop."

He shook his head, "Eventually, this soldier came out of nowhere and got rid of the guys. But it was too late. I got to her and she was barely breathing. They had broken her ribs and one of them had impaled her lungs. I watched her die."

Natasha frowned, "I'm so sorry Steve. I had no idea."

He shook his head, "You couldn't have known...but tonight...tonight I dreamt that when I got to her body, it was you. Suddenly I wasn't a nine year old kid anymore and you were laying in front of me with four gunshot wounds in your chest, coughing up blood."

Natasha moved so that she could wrap her arms around Steve, comforting him in the only way she knew how, "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon Steve."

Steve nodded weakly, "I know. I just have so much regret about losing her. That's why I wanted to be a soldier so badly. I always thought, if I was stronger, maybe she wouldn't have died. I just don't want to ever experience that with you."

Natasha leaned her head on Steve's chest and sighed, "I know. But we can't change the past...all we can do is make sure the future is better."

Steve nodded and pressed his forehead to Natasha's, "I love you."

"I love you too," Natasha whispered, pressing her lips to his slowly and savoring the taste of his lips.

Steve melted into her touch and sighed, his past was full of darkness and bad memories, but Natasha was his light. And as long as he had her, he could move on from it.

Hey guys! I took this in a different direction then I originally thought I would but I think it's more accurate to Steve's character this way.

Let me know what you thought and please comment and vote if you enjoyed!