Set after civil war. Natasha and Steve are on the run together all around the country. Most of their relationship milestones happened at cheap motels.

Motels had become a key part of the operation that Steve, Natasha, and Sam had been running for the past few months.

With the government constantly tracking the three, cheap and crappy motels were the easiest shelter.

Natasha and Steve had gotten quite good at pretending to be a couple on their honeymoon whose hotel reservation had fallen through that night, leaving them without shelter for the night.

It was a trick that often got them cheaper rooms and occasionally a free dinner.

When they did that, they would go up to the room, open the window, and Sam would sneak in when the coast was clear.

It had become their normal in a world full of crazy.

Along the way, some of these motels had become landmarks of a sort for the pair.

In the time that they had been on the run together, not only had their relationship begun, but they were now engaged and expecting a child.

Steve often looked back at the motels that had been stepping stones in their relationship fondly.

1. Their first 'real' kiss

Their first real kiss had occurred in a motel in Virginia that had only cost them seventeen dollars a night.

It had been a dump. That much was clear the moment they walked inside, but it was cheap and had rooms available for that night.

So like always, Steve and Natasha had gone up to the front desk, pretending to be Mr. and Mrs. Evans, a newly wed couple whose hotel had been overbooked, causing them to be without shelter for the night.

"Well isn't that just awful," The kind woman at the desk had said, completely buying into their story, "Let me go talk to my manager and see if I can offer you two a discount of sorts."

Natasha had given the women an exaggerated smile and placed a hand on Steve's chest, beaming up at him, "Oh that would be wonderful."

Steve smiled as well and they waited until the woman came back, "We can offer you a seventeen dollars a night fee in one of our larger rooms."

Natasha smiled and nodded, "That sounds perfect. Thank you."

The woman handed them a key and directed them on where to go.

They followed her directions up to their room and settled in.

Sam had made a run to a nearby thrift store so it would be at least another thirty minutes or so before he snuck into the room.

As Steve and Natasha walked in, Natasha couldn't help but laugh sarcastically, "If this is a large room, I would hate to see a small one."

Steve nodded but couldn't help but wonder where everyone would sleep.

There was one queen sized bed and a small love seat. Other then that, the only furniture was an old television and a dusty dresser.

The room itself was dirty, smelled of smoke, and didn't even have a phone.

Steve sighed, "At least it was cheap."

Natasha slipped her boots off and jumped onto the bed, wincing when it was much harder then she anticipated, "Well we definitely aren't paying for comfort because this bed is awful."

Steve sat down besides her and smiled, "Really? I think it's nice."

Natasha rolled her eyes with a smirk, "That's because you're an old man who likes to sleep on a rock solid bed so your back doesn't hurt."

Steve laughed, "You've got a point there."

Natasha grinned and looked over at Steve, "When do I not?"

Steve laughed again and turned his face towards her again, "Anther fair point."

Natasha smirked and stared at Steve's face, finding herself lost in his blue eyes as he watched her quietly.

"Has anyone ever told you you have beautiful eyes?" Steve asked quietly, blushing a bit as he did so.

Natasha's heart fluttered a bit at his compliment and she shrugged, "Not that I can recall. Normally the compliments I receive are more along the lines of 'nice ass'."

Steve frowned a bit but covered it up with a small smile, "Well someone should have. They're my favorite thing about you."

Natasha smirked, "You saying I don't have a nice ass Rogers?"

Steve blushed and he shook his head quickly, "No, no. That's not what I meant at all. You have a very nice ass...not that I look. I don't, I just-"

Thankfully Natasha inturrupted Steve's nervous rambling with a small kiss on his lips.

She wasn't sure why she did it, but it had just happened, though she certainly wasn't complaining.

She kissed him slowly and softly for a moment before backing away slowly and gazing into his eyes, blushing slightly when she saw how wide his pupils were as he stared at her.

The tingling sensation that was left on Natasha's lips after she pulled away was enough for her to know she wanted to kiss him again.

And if his heavy breathing and lustful gaze were anything to go by, so did he.

As if the line they had both been trying so desperately not to cross had suddenly snapped in two, Steve and Natasha both moved towards each other again, their lips crashing in a passionate battle for dominance.

Natasha pushed Steve down onto the bed and crawled over him, kissing him like it was her last moment on Earth.

Natasha began kissing along Steve's jaw and neck while he breathed heavily, running his hand through her hair, "Nat...what are we doing?"

Natasha didn't know how to answer that. She kissed his lips gently and pulled away, "What we should have done years ago."

Steve's heart soared a bit at her answer but he had to be sure they were in the same page, "What do you mean?"

Natasha sighed, "I mean I've wanted to kiss you for years now. And the reason I wanted to was because you make me feel like maybe I could love again one day."

Steve smiled, "I'm glad we're on the same page then."

Natasha smiled and bent down to kiss him again, this time taking it slowly.

They might have gone on like that all night but there was a knock on the door and the two jumped apart quickly.

Natasha moved off of Steve and he stood up to let Sam in while she quickly wiped her face.

Sam walked in and looked between the two suspiciously but brushed it off quickly, "I brought new clothes. Also, I'm gonna go ahead and call sleeping on the chair by myself."

Steve rolled his eyes but let out a relieved laugh. He and Natasha hadn't even talked about what was going on between them, they certainly didn't need Sam to get in the middle of it.

Natasha rolled her eyes, "Whatever, just try not to snore tonight."

Sam frowned, "I don't snore."

Steve raised his eyebrows and Natasha laughed, "You absolutely do."

Sam shook his head, "Do not."

Steve sighed, "Alright it doesn't matter, let's just get some rest."

Sam nodded and grabbed a pillow from the bed and a blanket before taking his place on the chair.

Steve crawled back into the bed with Natasha and laid awkwardly besides her, wanting to pull her into his embrace but not knowing if she would be okay with it.

Luckily, once Sam's soft snores filled the room, Natasha curled up against him at her own accord.

"Nat?" Steve whispered.

Natasha hummed in response, looking up at him with tired eyes.

Steve smiled nervously down at her, "I don't want what happened tonight to be a one time thing."

Natasha sighed and wrapped her arms around Steve's neck, pulling herself up to kiss him lightly, "I don't either. We can talk about it tomorrow okay? Right now we both need our rest."

Steve nodded and held her small body closer to his own.

"Night Nat." He whispered.

"Goodnight Steve."

2. The first time he asked her out

Weeks had passed since Natasha and Steve had kissed and since then, it had happened a few more times but they hadn't talked about what it meant.

They had just arrived at a small motel in Tennessee when Steve finally got the chance to ask Natasha out on a date.

Sam had gone to visit an old army friend who lived in the area, which left the other two alone for the next night or two.

"This place is pretty nice," Natasha commented, walking into the room they would be staying in.

Steve nodded, throwing their bags onto one of the two small beds in the room, "Better then the last few places."

Sitting down on one of the beds, Steve expected for Natasha to sit on the other one but she slid off her shoes and plopped herself down besides Steve.

He looked down at her with a smile and she cupped his face in her hands gently, craning her neck so that she could kiss him.

Steve gently kissed her back and placed his hands on her waist.

He pulled apart for a moment and stared into Natasha's eyes, searching for answers to the questions that had been swarming in his head for weeks.

"What?" Natasha asked quietly.

Steve brushed a piece of hair out of Natasha's face and he sighed, "What are we doing?"

Natasha bit her lip and shook her head, "What do you want us to be doing?"

Steve didn't quite know the answer to that. He wanted to be able to kiss Natasha whenever he wanted and without reason, but he also didn't want them to just be fuck buddies. He wanted to be able to make her as happy as she made him.

"I want us to go on a date."

Natasha gave him a small smile, "That your way of asking Rogers?"

Steve laughed, "If it was would you say yes?"

Natasha grinned and pressed another short kiss on Steve's lips, "Yes."

Steve smiled and reached down to hold Natasha's hand, giving it a light squeeze and looking over at the clock, "You busy tonight?" He teased.

Natasha smirked, "Not sure yet. Why? You thinking of taking me someplace special?"

Steve shrugged and stood up, pulling her up with him.

She slipped her boots back on and the two left the room quickly, running down the hallway hand in hand and laughing like two love struck teenagers.

Steve led her outside and to the back of the motel where there was a small fire pit. He gestured for her to sit down and disappeared before coming back with a bag of marshmallows, some graham crackers, and a few bars of chocolate.

He picked up one of the tongs resting by the fireplace and held it out to Natasha, "I know this isn't much, but I figured we won't get another chance just the two of us for a while."

Natasha smiled and began roasting a marshmallow, "Are you kidding? This is great. I haven't had s'mores in years."

Steve grinned and sat down besides her, putting one arm around her shoulders, "I've actually never tried them."

Natasha's eyes widened, "You call yourself Captain America and you've never had a s'more?"

Steve laughed, "I just never got around to it."

Natasha shook her head and pulled he marshmellow back, pulling it off and making a s'more.

She held it out to him and Steve took it, examining it teasingly before taking a bite.

Natasha watched him carefully, as if to make sure he was reacting properly.

"Its good," Steve said, laughing a bit and wiping his mouth before taking another bite.

Natasha smirked, "Hold on, you've got a little something right here..."

Before Steve could go to wipe the marshmellow from his lips, Natasha leaned up and kissing him, running her tongue over the sticky residue.

She pulled away with a smirk, "Your right, that is good."

Steve blushed and the two continued to mess around by the fireplace until it was late and they started to get cold, despite the heat coming from the fireplace.

They went back to their room and despite there being two seperate beds, they fell asleep in each other's arms, charishing the way they could make each other feel.

3. The first time she said I love you

Steve had accidentally let it slip a few weeks ago. It had been a mistake, but he didn't take it back because he knew it was the truth.

Natasha's eyes had widened but it was more of shock then it was fear. Rather then say it back however, she had kissed him, trying to convey the same emotion without words.

She had wanted to say it back, she definitely loved Steve...that wasn't the issue.

The issue was that Natasha didn't know what would happen if she said it back.

They were on the run from the government and they didn't stay in one place for more then three days unless it was absolutely necessary.

How could you have a stable relationship in that situation?

It had been working fine. Sam knew know, so he tried to give the two as much time to themselves as he could, but even so, they struggled to find the small moments where they could just be together.

When the next moment came up, it was early one morning in a motel in Florida.

Sam had gone to get breakfast and Natasha had woken up to find Steve standing on the small balcony they had, watching the sunset quietly.

She slipped out of the bed and walked quietly towards him.

Natasha snuck her hands around him and covered his eyes, "You ought to be more attentive to your surroundings Captain," she teased.

Steve laughed a little and turned around, kissing Natasha gently.

"Good morning to you too," He joked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Natasha grinned, "What are you doing out here?"

Steve shrugged, "Woke up early and thought I would watch the sunrise."

"This is a pretty nice view," Natasha said, looking around at the area.

Steve smirked down at Natasha, "Not as good as the one I have right here."

Natasha shook her head, blushing a little bit, "When did you become such a flirt?"

Steve laughed and shrugged a bit, "I guess you're rubbing off on me."

Natasha grinned and kissed Steve again, smiling into the kiss and wondering how she got so lucky.

She didn't make a conscious decision to say it, it had just slipped out, more of a whisper then it was a statement.

"I love you." She had said, her lips barely centimeters away from his own.

Steve's smile grew and he pulled away, slightly surprised, "What?"

This time, Natasha was more sure of her words, "I love you."

Steve smiled and kissed Natasha again, pulling her closer to him.

Natasha's hands flew up to his shoulders to steady herself and moaned into the kiss.

When they parted, they both smiled and Steve rested his forehead on Natasha's, "I love you too."

Natasha smiled and kissed Steve again, pulling him inside the motel room so she could show him just how much she loved him.

4. Their first big fight

Steve and Natasha had certainly had their arguments. They were by no means a perfect couple and they had differing opinions on several things.

But one night after checking into a motel in the middle of North Dakota, they had been cornered and attacked in a dark alley.

Being found by a group of people after them wasn't a rare occurrence. It happened at least once every few months and if they weren't careful, several times in a month.

Like always, they had managed to fight their way out of it, but Steve had taken a beating to do so.

He had jumped in front of Natasha and taken the majority of the hits that were meant for her, giving him a broken rib, a black eye, and a busted lip.

Meanwhile Natasha and Sam had escaped the fight nearly injury free.

She was pissed about it too, when she had finished fighting off the last man, she had looked over and found him laying on the ground, clutching at his side.

It scared her to her very core and for that, she had a hard time forgiving him.

"Nat, would you please look at me?" Steve begged as Natasha held ice against his fractured rib.

Natasha's eyes remained locked on his bruised skin and Steve sighed, "Nat please. Can you at least tell me what's going on?"

"Why'd you jump in front of me Steve? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need you taking care of me," She said bitterly.

Sam cleared his throat from across the room and pointed at the door, "I'm gonna go get some dinner. I'll be back in a few."

Steve frowned, "I know you can take care of yourself Natasha. But that doesn't mean you can fight six men alone. Your back was turned and I didn't want to risk you getting hurt."

Natasha rolled her eyes, "So instead you thought it would be better if you got hurt?"

Steve shrugged, "I'd rather me hurt then you."

Natasha scoffed and shook her head, "Don't be foolish Steve. What if that had been a knife instead of just his fist? What if he killed you? The world needs Captain America much more then they need the Black Widow."

Steve frowned, "That's not true."

"You and I both know that it is," Natasha said, locking eyes with Steve.

"Right now the world is against both of us. They don't need me anymore then they need you."

Natasha rolled her eyes, her voice raising a little bit, "Why do you have to be so goddamn selfless Steve. Just once, can't you be a little selfish and not throw yourself in front of a punch to protect me?"

Steve frowned, "I am being selfish by taking the punches for you Nat! Because my reason for doing it is so that I don't lose you. Because all I need in life is to have you by my side. So when I throw myself in front of a bullet or a punch, it's not because I don't think you can handle it. It's because I'm afraid that if I stop doing it, one of the things that I could've prevented will kill you. And I can't live without Natasha. I can't."

"That's not your choice to make. What about how I would feel if you died taking a bullet for me? Did you think about that? There's already too much blood in my ledger. I don't need to add yours to it because you couldn't stop being a suicidal asshole!" She yelled, setting down the ice bag and standing up, running her hands through her hair in frustration.

Steve forced himself to stand up as well, despite the pain. He felt like an asshole for not seeing the real reason she was upset, "Natasha if I die trying to save you, no one will blame you."

Natasha's eyes softened as Steve limped towards her, "I will."

Steve reached out for her hand and squeezed it lightly, "You shouldn't. Because you could shoot me yourself and I would still not blame you."

Natasha attempted a light smile, "Don't tempt me."

Steve laughed and pulled her into his arms gently, "I'm sorry I'm a suicidal asshole, but I really just think it's a part of who I am. Can you forgive me?"

Natasha wrapped her arms around Steve's neck and sighed, giving into her warmth and forgetting why she had been mad at him, "Of course. Just please don't get yourself killed. If you die, I'll never forgive you."

Steve laughed and pressed a lazy kiss to Natasha's forehead, "Understood."

5. The day he proposed

Steve had never intended to propose in a two star motel.

He liked to consider himself somewhat a bit of a romantic, and popping the life-changing question in a dimly lit room that they were paying thirty dollars a night to stay in was not his idea of romantic.

But the question had slipped out of his mouth the second the thought entered his mind.

They had been laying in the small bed they we're sharing, tangled in one another's arms just as the sun was setting.

Natasha had been telling Steve about a mission she had gone on with Clint where he had been forced to dress as a woman to get into a club.

"He wore this tiny red dress that look so stupid on him. Then he had to shave his legs, which was extremely entertaining to watch. Then he wore these sparkly six inch heels that he could barely walk in-" Natasha laughed at the memory, "-and the wig. It was so ridiculous. He looked like a bad prostitute."

Steve laughed, "Did the disguise work?"

Natasha shrugged with another laugh, "It did until his fake boobs deflated. Then we had to jump into action a little earlier then planned."

Steve laughed and squeezed Natasha's hand, "Remind me to bring this up the next time we see Clint."

Natasha grinned, "Don't worry I will."

Their laughter finally died down and Steve couldn't help but watch Natasha with admiration.

The light from the sunset was shining perfectly onto her face, lighting up her eyes and making her already bright red hair even brighter.

She looked beautiful, and in that moment he was overwhelmed with the amount of love he held for her.

"What?" Natasha said, smirking at him with a small laugh.

Steve smiled, "Will you marry me?"

Natasha's eyes had widened and the smirk on her face faded, "What?"

Steve propped himself up on his elbow, looking down at Natasha and grabbing her hand, "It doesn't have to be anytime soon of course, but I love you Nat. And there's nothing that sounds better to me then spending the rest of my life with you. So will you marry me?"

Natasha laughed, her eyes becoming glossy with tears of joy, "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Hold on, I have my mom's old ring..." Steve rushed to his bag and pulled out a small diamond ring that he already kept with him.

He came back to the bed and kneeled down in front of Natasha with the ring, "Better?" He asked.

Natasha laughed and pulled Steve up to her again, kissing him senseless, "Yes. I'll marry you."

Steve laughed in relief and slipped the ring onto her finger, "I love you."

Natasha kissed him again and rested her forehead against his, "I love you too."

Luckily, they didn't have to get married in a motel because before long they were back to fighting aliens alongside the other avengers.

It had been a bit of a shock for them to all see how far their teammates relationship had come in just a few years, but they were all happy about it.

Especially Natasha and Steve....

Who knew motels could be so romantic?

Hey guys. This was much longer then I originally meant for it to be lol (it's almost 4000 words), but I think it's a pretty good one so hopefully you all enjoyed.

Please comment and vote if you enjoyed!