Okay, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME FOR TAKING SO LONG.

I REALLY TRIED WRITING AN UPDATE WHEN I HAVE MY FREE TIME!! Lately, I just haven't had the inspiration to write another chapter no matter how much I force myself to do it. Anyway, I hope this makes up for the long time I'm gone (if not, the next chapter's going to be a lot better I promise).

Now, let's see what happens, shall we?

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"So, are we going to talk about the kiss you gave me or not?"

Natasha spat out her water, which was gross by the way. Steve simply stared at her in shock, not expecting to gauge that kind of reaction from her.

"What?" She dumbly asked. 

Silence filled the elevator.

Steve shifted awkwardly.

Natasha waited for him to say something else. And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse... the elevator lurched to a stop.

It fucking stopped goddammit.

"Oh, you've got to be shitting me," she muttered under her breath.

—————————————————————————————   

"Come on, press it! Press it!"

"Let me do it!"

"No, get your hands away."

"Quit it, Allie!"

"Would you guys calm down—"

"Do it now!"

"Why are we shouting!?"

"Just press the damn button!"

James slammed his fist down on the emergency button.

As expected, the elevator shaft that Natasha and Steve were both in had stopped to a halt. For a second, nobody moved an inch. 

Cue the cricket sounds.

"Oh boy," Allie broke the silence, "we're going to be in so much trouble after this," Ironically, she couldn't the grin off her face.

"And they're going to love us for it," Tony smirked.

They turned their attention to the screen right in front of them. Just as they planned it to be, Steve was occupied to finding a way out while Natasha was busy pressing the emergency buttons, well, more like, pounding the emergency buttons.

James couldn't hold in his snicker.

Allie turned sideways and eyed him weirdly. "What?"

He grinned cheekily. "She's panicking."

Allie rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Captain Obvious." She turned to Tony. "So, now what?"

Tony leaned back on his chair. "Then we wait."

"We wait for dad to pry the doors open?"

Tony shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Let's see what happens."

A buzz sounded from the door. The three were startled.

"FRIDAY who is that?" Tony asked.

"Sir, Dr. Banner is asking for your assistance," FRIDAY informed.

Allie messed up her hair, groaning in frustration. "Dear Lord, what now?"

Footsteps can be heard from the far corner of the room. Seconds later, it was indeed Bruce who came into view. He immediately noticed the siblings with a look of surprise, obviously not expecting to see them here. "Oh, hi."

"Hi," Allie grumbled.

James nudged her with his elbow, shooting her a look.

"Bruce," Tony acknowledged, "What are you doing here?"

He adjusted his glasses. "I could ask you the same question. I've been trying to find you for the last minute. The power's down in the sectioning unit and we better get it back up. I heard someone got stuck in the elevator."

Oops.

Allie and James tried their best not to let their amusement show.

Tony came up with an excuse, quickly standing up and trying to block the screen. "Uh, yeah, I'm working on that now actually. That's why I, you know, am here. I was giving them a quick run-through."

Bruce narrowed his brows. "Okay," he said awkwardly. "I guess I better be on my way then. Get the power back up asap."

"Duly noted, doc."

Before he could exit the room, he asked, "Oh, and have you guys seen Natasha anywhere?"

Allie felt her breath hitched in her throat while James tapped his finger in anticipation when he just saw Bruce's eyes hovered to the camera footages just behind Tony. His eyes squinted, noticing the two figures in an enclosed space.

All three were looking at each other wide-eyed, reading the signals that each was giving. 

Do something!

Bruce faintly recognized the red hair. "Wait, is that..."

James heard some rustling beside him and was alarmed to see Allie holding a metal tray in her hands. "Allie!"

Whack!

Bruce fell unconscious to the ground.

"That would keep him out for a while."

James took the tray out of her hands. "What the hell? Why did you do that?" 

Allie furrowed her brows. "Because he'll ruin the plan again! Come on, don't tell me you weren't planning that too."

"I don't." He deadpanned.

She scoffed. "I didn't hit him hard enough to kill him if that's what you're worried about. When he wakes up he'll think it was just some nasty dream."

James sighed instead, knowing that he can't do anything about it anymore. Besides, Allie wasn't wrong when she said that their plan will be ruined once more. He just couldn't afford to lose it this time. They were running out of chances.

Tony crossed his arms, giving both of them a look. "Hitting Bruce wasn't part of the plan, was it?"

"I told you," James mumbled.

Allie shushed him.

"But it's great improvisation." Tony appraised. "But I'm not the one explaining things to him once he wakes up."

Oh boy.

—————————————————————————————

She was panicking. But it wasn't because of the fact that she was trapped in an elevator for God knows how long. 

"Natasha,"

She was panicking because of the fact that she was trapped in an elevator for God knows how long with Steve.

The odds were really not in her favor now. This was the exact thing that she was trying to avoid ever since she stupidly crossed the line and—

"Natasha!" Steve shook her shoulders to stop her from doing anything else. "Calm down, would you? The last thing we need is for you to break that. It's not gonna help us get out of here sooner."

She lowered her hands to her sides and stayed silent. Her chest rose heavily, only the sound of their breathing filled the elevator.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked in concern.

Unlike before, she couldn't find it in herself to look at him. She kept her eyes glued to the floor instead. "I'm fine," she mumbled, stepping away from his hold.

She turned her back to him and pressed her forehead against the wall. She needed time to think. She wasn't ready for this. 

Steve didn't do anything. He didn't touch her nor comfort her. He just stood there, waiting for her response. He just wanted to let her know he was here. "Are you sure?" 

Natasha couldn't answer.

This wasn't the time for her to confront her feelings, or to try thinking with her heart rather than her head. She wasn't going to lie, she knew the reason why she was able to do that. After a couple of days, she decided that she wasn't stupid enough to be naive. Though it couldn't be. It just couldn't.

He sighed deeply, asking softly, "What's going on, Nat?"

Natasha shook her head, swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "I don't know." She could hear the strain in her own voice, her heart almost beating out of her chest, "I'm sorry. I..."

Steve took a deep breath, unsure as well if he was saying the right words. But he needed to know. Anything would help. He was just so confused at the moment. His heart sped up at the thought of them being alone. He knew that they were both walking a dangerous line but he had a right to know.

He would be lying if he said that kiss didn't mean anything to him.

It did. That's why he was here, trying to get some answers.

"I just need to know why, Nat."

Steve watched carefully as she turned around, her emerald green eyes that he had missed looking at met his blue ones for the first time today. Despite the lack of light, he could see that her eyes glimmered lightly. 

"So would I." She admitted, sighing. "I... I'm not sure of the answer myself, Steve."

Steve was silent for a moment, thinking of the right thing to say. Just as he was about to, she beat him to the chase. 

"It's a mistake."

He felt his heart sank. And blinked a few times, trying to process what he had just heart. She gulped, shaking her head to confirm what she had just said. "It just... it can't."

Steve struggled to speak, "R-right." He cleared his throat, "You're right, it can't."

Natasha didn't know why but she felt a pang of disappointment as soon as he agreed to it. He had closed the deal and she could no longer take it back. Maybe she was right to think that she was kidding herself to even hope that Steve would ever feel the things she felt. No matter how easy he was to read most of the time, she couldn't do it this time.

Awkward silence filled them again.

"But... we're still okay, right?" Steve asked.

That put a small smile on her lips. "Of course, Cap."

His face lit up even in just the slightest bit. "Friends?"

Natasha nodded. "Friends."

Then the elevator came to life again. 

Leaving any unvoiced thoughts unheard, and silent words remain unspoken. 

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Who among you wants to smack Nat and Steve for being in denial for so long?

*raises both hands and feet*

Yeah, me too. But then again, it's what makes their romance really worth reading. I'm really sorry for the short chapter! I had to cut it here to keep the suspense going. The next chapter's going to be longer that's for sure.

Please bear with me and my slow updates :< I really missed you all! Thank you for your support and constant comments and messages! <3