Basically, Steve keeps trying to propose to Natasha but he's struggling. 

Steve had kept the ring in his pockets for weeks now. 

It was simple. Just a small silver band with a single small diamond. It wasn't flashy or excessive, but it was perfect for Natasha. 

Now that he had the ring, all he needed to do was build up the courage to ask her. 

It wasn't like he hadn't had opportunities.

He and Natasha lived together, worked together, and trained together. 

There was countless moments in which he could have easily pulled out the ring and asked her to marry him. It would have probably been easier to just ask her during one of their movie nights or while they were laying in bed together.

It'd be easy and simple. Natasha liked simple. 

But it didn't feel like enough. 

As much as Natasha had gone through, he wanted his proposal to be important...to be more then just a question. 

At first, he tried to set up the moment. 

"Why are we going out tonight? I didn't forget any sort of important date did I?" Natasha asked, smiling slightly at Steve as he finished zipping up her dress. 

Steve laughed, "No. I just figured we've had a long week and we could use a nice night out." 

Natasha shrugged, turning around and wrapping her arms around Steve's neck, "Fine by me...as long as that night out ends right back here." 

"You're impossible sometimes," Steve whispered as Natasha pressed a kiss to his jaw. 

Natasha smirked, "You love me for it." 

Steve nodded and gently kissed her, "I do." 

He wondered briefly if he should do it now, but ultimately decided that he didn't want to ruin his plan for that night. 

"C'mon. We gotta go or we'll be late," Steve said, grabbing Natasha's hand and absent-mindedly running his thumb over her ring finger. 

Natasha smiled, "Lead the way soldier." 

Steve chuckled and walked out of their apartment, his hand locked with hers. 

He drove them down to the lake, where he had set up a picnic for the two of them. 

"You know, you said we were going out for a nice night out. This is a lake,"  Natasha said, smirking slightly as she looked at Steve. 

"It will be a nice night out, and I never said where." 

Natasha rolled her eyes slightly with a laugh. Steve parked the car and looked over at Natasha with a small smile again, "Come on."

They got out of the car and Steve grabbed her hand, leading her down a path and towards the dock where he had set up the picnic. 

"A picnic?" Natasha asked with a small laugh. 

Steve nodded, "I figured it would be something new. I haven't been on one since I was a kid." 

Natasha grinned, resting her head on Steve's shoulder as they walked the rest of the way down to the dock, "I've never been on one."

Steve grinned, "Well I'm glad to be your first." 

Natasha smirked, "If I remember correctly, I was your  first." 

Steve's cheeks reddened and he shook his head with a small chuckle, "That's not what I meant." 

"I know, but it's fun to see you get all red," Natasha said with a wide grin. 

Shaking his head with a slight eye roll, Steve sat down besides Natasha on the blanket he had laid out earlier that day. 

"Did you make all this?" Natasha asked, smiling softly at Steve as he poured them both a glass of wine. 

Steve nodded, "I figured you deserved something nice. Normally all we eat is cheap takeout." 

Natasha grinned, "I like cheap takeout...but I also like this. Thank you for doing all this. Are you sure I'm not forgetting some special occasion? It's not Valentines day is it?" 

Steve laughed, "Nat it's June. And no you're not forgetting any dates. I just wanted to do this for you." 

Her eyes narrowed slightly and Steve wondered if she suspected what was going on. If she did, she didn't say anything. 

They didn't talk much as they ate, Steve was too nervous and Natasha was simply admiring the sunset over the lake. 

"Nice view," She said, leaning her head on Steve's shoulder as she looked at the pink and yellow sky. 

Steve looked down at her and nodded, "Yeah it is. Not as good as the one I've got though." 

Natasha laughed, "Oh shut up. Since when are you such a flirt?" 

"I'm serious," Steve said, laughing slightly, "You're more gorgeous then any view I'd find in nature." 

Natasha's cheeks reddened ever-so-slightly as she pushed Steve's shoulder lightly, "Sometimes I wonder what I ever did to deserve you." 

Steve smiled, reaching into the pocket of his jacket, "You don't have to do anything to deserve me. You've got me." 

"I love you," Natasha whispered, reaching up to cup Steve's jaw and pull him down to her for a soft kiss.

Before Steve could respond, there was a loud sound from behind them and Natasha jumped into  a defensive stance as Steve stood protectively in front of her. 

When they saw it was just Tony in the Iron Man suit, they both relaxed slightly. 

"Tony? What the hell are you doing here?" Natasha asked. 

Tony stepped out of the suit, "You two weren't answering your phones and Fury needs us all for a mission ASAP." 

Natasha frowned, "It's our day off."

"Not anymore." 

Steve frowned as well but reluctantly nodded, "Alright. We'll be back in ten minutes." 

Tony nodded and flew back away. 

"Do we really have to go? I think they can handle a mission without us for once," Natasha said, frowning as they walked back to the car. 

Steve raised an eyebrow, "You want Tony, Bruce, and Clint to handle a mission? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Maybe if Thor was here we could go awol but I don't think we've got a choice tonight."

"One of these days, we'll get a real day off without any interruptions," Natasha mumbled. 

Steve nodded, gently kissing Natasha again with a laugh before speeding back off towards the compound. 

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When Steve's attempts at proposing weren't ruined by an outside source, it was normally his courage that failed him. 

He had tried several times to ask her only for something to change his mind before he could do so. 

One time in particular he had been so ready to do it. He'd been trying to ask her for two weeks and people had kept interrupting. So he decided to ask her to go on a walk in a nearby park and ask her when they were in a secluded area.

It had gone well at first, but then some bitch had tried to hit on Steve and her mood had soured slightly when Steve wouldn't let her retaliate. 

"So you're just going to ignore the woman who tried to slap your ass?" Natasha argued. 

Steve shook his head, "Natasha I don't care about her. I care about you. You know I don't have eyes for anyone else. Why bother retaliating? Fury would be pissed." 

Natasha frowned, "I could make it look like an accident." 

Steve shook his head with a sigh, "Natasha no."

"Why not?" She asked, glaring at the man, who was still not far from them. 

"Because it's not worth it. We both know I'm taken. At the end of tonight, I'm going home with you. Not her." 

Natasha rolled her eyes, "I could just break her arm." 

"Nat," Steve said, his voice slightly pleading. 

She sighed, "Alright fine. I'll let it go. But I'll remember this the next time some guy tries to get handsy with me and you go all Captain America on him."

Steve shook his head with a slight laugh, deciding that maybe now wasn't the best time to propose. 

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"I don't get it," Natasha had said during one of his many failed attempts to propose. 

"What?" Steve asked.

She pointed at a wedding party that was walking by as some type of celebration parade for the bride and groom, "That. Why would anyone want to do that?" 

Steve frowned, "Get married?" 

Natasha shook her head, "No, no, the parade down a crowded street. What's the point?" 

Steve shrugged with a slight laugh, "I guess to celebrate?" 

"Celebrating can be done in a hotel room with a bottle of wine. That's overkill." 

Steve rolled his eyes and pushed the ring further down into his pocket. She may not have been talking about marriage but his confidence was shaken enough to where he decided to move his plans back a few more days. 

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It was at one of Tony's parties that Steve was finally successful in his attempts to propose...well sort of. 

Steve had found Natasha out on one of the balconies early on in the party. The wind was blowing through her hair slightly and she was looking down at the view of the city. 

"You gonna join me or are you going to stand there and watch me like a stalker?" Natasha teased, her eyes never leaving the skyline. 

Steve blushed slightly and walked up besides her, "What are you doing out here?" 

Natasha leaned against the railing and looked up at Steve with a smile, "Thinking?" 

Steve tilted his head, "What about?" 

She nodded down to his pocket, "When you're finally going to buck up the courage to give me that." 

Steve's face paled and he frowned, "What?" 

Natasha just laughed, "You didn't think I would notice that you've been trying to propose for almost a month now? Steve honey, I knew the first night you took me out to that picnic. I figured that time was reasonable considering Tony cut the date early, but now I'm starting to wonder if you're changing your mind." 

Steve shook his head, "I'm not. I'm definitely not. I'm just an idiot apparently." 

Natasha shrugged, "Yeah but nothings stopping you right now Soldier." 

"Oh, right!" Steve said quietly, sticking his hand in his pocket and fishing out the small ring. 

"I'm not really sure what to say Nat, you kind of caught me off guard," Steve said, kneeling down in front of her with the ring, "I think the reason I've been so afraid to do this is because I wanted it to be the perfect moment, which I realize now was stupid, because in our line of work perfect moments don't come often and they don't last long...and as long as I'm with you, I don't care what's happening because you make a boring moment perfect Natasha. I'm helplessly in love with you and I want to spend my life with you. So will you marry me?" 

Natasha smiled, her eyes gleaming with happiness and love, "I'm gonna need a minute to think it over."

"Nat," Steve pleaded.

She laughed and bent down to kiss Steve passionately, sliding the ring onto her finger, "Yes Steve. I'll marry you." 

Steve grinned ear to ear and pulled Natasha back to him for another kiss, "I love you." 

She smiled into the kiss, "I love you too." 

That night, Natasha proved that parades were a stupid way to celebrate when the alternative was spending a night in a hotel room with wine and each other.

Hey guys. I hope you all enjoyed this fluff filled chapter! If you did, please comment and vote!

Also, the first chapter of my AU book is up now so if you haven't already checked it out I would love if you could! It's called, "In Another World". 

I hope you guys have a great day!