Sorry if it took me a little while to update. I've been so busy with school and it's driving me nuts.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this update! 

Thank you guys! Here's chapter 4! Please leave comments! I enjoy reading them :3

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( four. end of the line )

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Tony and the others simply sat in silence right after two of their teammates went out. A sigh escaped the billionaire's lips. He knew that it wasn't going to be easy convincing their captain about the accords.

He knew that Steve had long lost his trust in the government since the incident with SHIELD, unfortunately, being HYDRA all along. Yet he needed to try getting him to understand his side. He was over the table grateful of the fact that Natasha had agreed with him this one time.

Take note that this was the first time she agreed with him. Him. Tony Stark. That thought alone made him feel a huge accomplishment.

"You know," Rhodey spoke up, cutting the inventor from his thoughts. His eyebrows knitted in confusion. "I've just noticed now that most of the time, wherever Steve seems to go, Natasha would be right after him. The same thing with him. They're like a tail of the other."

Tony, Sam, and Wanda kept quiet, trying to keep their composure straight and not give away anything. They knew it wasn't their place to give away anything about the spy and the captain. Besides, friends don't go behind their backs. That was a golden rule, right?

"Is there something going on between those two?" Rhodey asked, arching a brow. He was particularly looking at Tony.

Tony managed out a scoff, shaking his head in what he tried to put off as disbelief. "Where on earth did you get that idea?" His laugh sounded way too forced, just hoping that Rhodey would buy it.

"I'm serious!" He exclaimed, turning to the others. "Come on, don't tell me you guys haven't noticed anything?"

Sam shrugged casually, lying as smooth as he expected it to be. Being a right man of Captain America required you to be a good one when he was a goddamn terrible at it. "Nothing out of the blue."

Vision chimed in this time, for a second, they almost forgot he was there. "If I may, last night, I caught Miss Romanoff walking up to Captain Rogers's floor. It also didn't pass my attention that they have been more... closer. More comfortable with one another."

"Friends could be that way, right?" Wanda defended.

Rhodey looked at them, his face holding an emotion that's torn of wanting to believe but not wanting to at the same time. "It's true, though. They've been particularly handsy during sparring matches and training sessions. I know it's hard to believe because this is Steve and Natasha. They're completely different."

Tony couldn't help but agree with that. He, for one, had also no idea how they ended up falling for one another. But life is full of surprises, perhaps? Who knew that the world's greatest spy would end up with America's golden boy?

Talk about a mismatched couple.

Nevertheless, they make it work more than most couples out there.

"You can ask them yourself if you want," Sam suggested. "But I doubt it."

Rhodey stared at them, observing the looks on their faces. Suddenly, as quick as a snap, recognition fell over him. The air went dead.  And Tony knew, from the way his eyes widened and his mouth going limp, that he had got it. He got it. 

"You know something." He concluded, tilting his head at them. "You guys know."

"No. We know nothing." Tony chastised, shaking his head apprehensively. 

Wanda sighed, not wanting to talk about this when the couple was just a door away from them. They might think of this the wrong way. "Whatever going's with Steve and Natasha is not our business." 

Sam nodded with that, trying their best to divert the topic away. "The accords, however, is ours."

Rhodey pondered for a moment. The three actually braced themselves for more questions he was going to throw next but was relieved when he let it go. Sighing, he gave a nod.

Just then the door behind them slammed shut. It echoed across the room with a loud thud that made Tony jump in surprise and almost lose his balance on armrest he was sitting on.

They heard the quick pace of heeled boots clicking against the floor. 

Seconds later, Natasha emerged. And oh boy, she was not looking good.

The first thing they noticed though that she looked completely out of the mood. Her eyes were dark and impassive. Her eyebrows could not be more furrowed together than it is. Everything in her face screamed 'Piss off'. And they all knew that Natasha—despite being violent, rarely mustered up that look. Usually, that look is reserved for facing their enemies during the fight. She was quiet, deadly, and terrifying, but she really was a nice person on the inside.

Everyone knew that.

So what angered the Black Widow this time?

"Hey Nat, what happened with—" Tony tried to talk to her but she acted as if she hadn't seen or heard him and walked out of the lounge. Not even sparing them a single glance. "—thanks for the answer." He finished, sarcastically.

Wanda glanced at him with worry and confusion. "Think it has something to do with this?" She gestured at the accords lying on the table.

Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't know. But judging from the way she slammed the door and went past me like I'm nothing but a lousy sack of shit, it's far from good."

"You think?" Rhodey deadpanned.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm going to check on her. Do continue whatever it is you do on your normal boring lives." He said, dismissing them.

He finished the drink in his hand before walking out the door that Natasha just left in and headed for her room. On his way up, he couldn't help but get the feeling that his chances of convincing Steve about the accords, even with Nat on his side, was going to be twice harder than before.

Especially when his gut told him that her not so pleasant reaction now probably had something to do with her relationship with the Cap.

Tony stopped in front of her door. His hand hovered for a few moments, hesitating whether o with it or not.

"Oh, what the hell," He muttered to himself, then knocked twice on the door. "Nat?"

"Not now, Stark." Her voice rang out.

He paused, contemplating what to say next. He settled by asking, "What happened?"

"Nothing." 

"Natalie, open this door."

"I said go away." 

Tony didn't want to drop the bomb on her, especially while in this state, but it was the quickest way to get her attention. "Is this about you and Steve?" he asked.

Silence.

He sighed, getting the answer he needed. She might probably kick him for nagging her to an extent but he would always feel the guilt if he left her be despite knowing she has a problem. Ever since the time machine incident, he always felt he had a debt to pay to her.

Or maybe because Tony Stark was just simply worried about Natasha Romanoff. As weird as it may seem, it certainly looks like it.

So, he tried again. "If you don't want me here I could go and get Wanda. Have you girl talk and sort this out." he offered.

Still no answer.

Dammit. "Okay, just... let me know if— wait, no, of course, you won't need anything from me. But I'm here if uh... you want to talk, I guess? Wait, that's stupid either why would you talk to me? I meant just talk to... uh... crap. Whatever, I mean. Sorry."

He shook his head, cringing at the words continuously spilling out of his mouth. Jesus. He sounded terrible. Why on earth would Natasha talk to him of all people? It's not like they became friends friends just because he saved her from disappearing from the fucking face of the planet. 

And he was also the reason why she was that close to dying in the first—

The lock clicked.

He waited patiently, with a shocked look, before the door finally opened to reveal Natasha. She wasn't crying (of course, the Black Widow doesn't cry that easily right?) but she looked deeply troubled.

"Hi?" he said lamely.

She rolled her eyes before opening the door wide enough for him to fit. "Get in," she ordered.

With a smile, he did.

As soon as he stepped inside, he felt oddly terrified and proud of himself at the same time. He was in Natasha's room. The Black Widow's room. He was damn as hell sure that there were only a few people allowed to step foot here because it was her territory. 

Being one of those people made him want to pump his fists in the air at the accomplishment.

But as he looked around, her room wasn't exactly as he envisioned it to be. It was lighter and less... deadlier looking. Her sheets held the color of Black Widow alright. Red and black. But other than that, everything looked normal. No framed daggers or knives on the walls. "This is your room?" 

She raised an eyebrow at his tone. "Got a problem?"

"I had imagined it more black widow-y." He pursed his lips, inspecting the walls.

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be offended or not." she chided.

"Figure it out then." He shoved both of his hands in his pockets before leaning against the table. Then he got down to business. "So, what happened?"

She went silent, biting her inside cheek. After a few moments, she shook her head, averting her gaze from him. "We had a fight," she admitted.

Tony was surprised he had heard it considering it was barely audible. "Is this about the accords?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but there are other things." 

He tried not to sound like he was prying into her personal space, and asked in a softer tone, "Like?"

She sighed, finally glancing up at him. "Peggy passed away."

A look of sympathy filled the billionaire's face. His face fell. He sure didn't know Peggy Carter that well, and he didn't get a chance to get to know her back in the 40's, but she knew how she and Natasha had become relatively close. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He tried his best to comfort her.

"She was a nice friend. I guess I got lucky enough to meet her." She said. And he wasn't exactly sure what was standing out among the spry of emotions clouding her eyes.

"She had you back too." He assured.

She forced a short smile.

Tony stared at her in confusion. "But how did Cap get dragged into the picture?" 

The smile dropped from her face, her face dimmed as she recalled the memory. "He asked me to accompany him to the funeral. And I said as much as I want to go and do that, it would be best if we take care of the accords first. Obviously, he didn't take it so well and spat in my face that unlike someone, he's nice enough to put a friend first before goddamn work." Her nostrils flared, feeling her blood boil to a temp. "He said I was selfish. Can you believe that? He's the one who's fucking selfish, Tony! He thinks I'm doing this for myself? I haven't even once thought of myself ever since I became a part of this team and this relationship!"

Tony flinched. As far as he observed, their relationship was fairly equal and healthy as a couple should be. Sure, they had their fights and arguments here and there but neither one was being degraded enough. Even if Steve's their captain, their leader, he still treats her no less than she sees him.

But she was right. He had never once seen Natasha do the things she used to do before she and Steve got together. As far as he knew, whenever those two were sent on undercover missions and she dealt with the job of seducing the bad guy, Natasha was hesitant to do it. It's because she knew Steve was there. With her. Watching. And for her to care about someone's opinions for her rather than her own, that says a lot coming from the Black Widow.

They were wrong to think that Natasha Romanoff was anything but a weapon. A murderer. A dark past.

She was just capable of loving as any other human being.

And she really loved Steve Rogers.

Tony didn't know what to say. He wasn't good at words, nor was he good at comforting people. But he tried his best for her. Then again, tried to. "Don't worry about it. He'll come around eventually, besides, the worst that could happen is you two splitting up right?" 

She stared at him blankly.

"Which still hasn't happened and shouldn't happen and gives you another reason to cheer up, right?" He added, forcing a wide smile.

Natasha kept her hard stare. "No."

"Come on! I'm trying my best here!" He rolled his eyes, frowning.

Thankfully, that let out a small smirk in her. "I know. And it's nice to see Tony Stark make an effort to cheer someone up."

"Are you playing with my feelings?" 

"Yup."

"Bad."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I know." 

"You." He pointed at her accusingly, and was slightly laughing, "I swear to God, you will one day be the fucking death of me."

The smirk stayed on her face. "If that's the case, then the feeling's completely fucking mutual, Stark."

He nodded, extending out a hand. "Here's to a fucking mutual friendship. Wait, that sounded wrong."

She laughed, nevertheless, accepting his hand. "To that. Whatever this hell of a weird friendship is."

Natasha was sure of one thing, no matter how much Tony annoyed the hell out of her, he would always be the one person whom she could lean onto whenever she had problems.

Maybe, in time, she could finally learn to trust him and had hoped that he learned to trust her too. 

Just like real friends do.

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She was on her way to Vienna. Tony was lazy enough to represent on the Avengers' behalf for the signing of the accords so he chose her to go do it instead.

It was supposed to be a direct flight to Vienna, but for some reason, and she had no idea, why she ended up making a stop by in London. She soon found herself standing in front of the cathedral where Peggy Carter's funeral was held.

People were already coming out the doors so she assumed the funeral was already done. She was reluctant to go inside because it just made her feel more guilty than she is now.

Then, she spotted Sam exiting the gates afterward. He was wearing a plain suit, and he was alone. "Sam!" she called, attempting to keep her voice just loud enough for him to hear.

Thankfully, he did. He turned his head in her direction. "Natasha?" He looked confused and surprised at the same time. "What are you doing here?"

"I..." She honestly doesn't know why either. Was it because of guilt? Or was it because she just wanted to make things better between her and Steve before she leaves? Probably both. "Where's Steve?" she asked instead, changing the subject.

Sam nodded his head towards the doors. "He's still inside. Said he needed a moment."

She tried to take a peek inside. The cathedral was huge, spacious even, but the blonde man standing on the middle aisle stood out among everything. 

"He told me what happened. With you two." Sam brought up, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'm not gonna lie, he was disappointed. He really wasn't expecting anyone else other than you to come with him."

Natasha sighed. "He misunderstood me. It's not that I don't want to go with him, he knows how much Peggy means to the both of us, it's just that I can't. Not now."

"Because of the accords?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm actually heading to Vienna right now. Tony told them I would be representing." She took another glance at Steve. "I couldn't leave without saying goodbye." And maybe trying one last chance to change his mind about this.

"Well, I'm glad you came at least. He's mad but the guy can't ignore you even if he wanted to." He smiled weakly. "Go talk to him."

Natasha took a deep breath, swallowing the slight lump in her throat and proceeded to walk inside. She hugged her coat closer, the familiar clicking of her heels echoed inside the cathedral, and it was enough to gain his attention.

He turned around, and as soon as his eyes met her, surprise dawned over him. She felt him tensed up. Nevertheless, she bit down every bit of her pride and strode over to where he was, stopping just in front of him.

Steve leaned back, trying his best to avoid her gaze.

"Hey," she greeted, hesitant and quiet.

Thankfully, he looked up at her. But the usual warm smile on his face was nowhere to be gound. "You're here."

She gave a nod. "I'm here."

"What changed your mind?" he asked, his voice still held a hint of hostility in it.

Natasha paused for a brief moment, carefully thinking over her words. The last thing she wanted was for Steve to misunderstand her again. "You."

His response was expected. "Me?" he asked, confused.

"Actually, I'm supposed to take a direct flight to Vienna but I made a stop here. I couldn't leave without letting you know," she informed.

"Stark made you do it?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't have to do that. A phone call would be fine." He said, not exactly sounding convincing enough.

They hadn't had a proper talk since their fight happened, which was a couple of hours ago. Because right after their argument, just what he said, Steve immediately left for London and took Sam with him instead.

And they hadn't been able to talk about their decisions regarding this particular situation. She still hadn't got the chance to let him understand; he still hadn't got the chance to let her understand.

He was still mad at her. But she couldn't leave right now with them being on these terms. "Steve, I know you're mad and I get it. I'm sorry if I made you think that way." She glanced at the photo of Peggy upfront. "And I know she deserves better than the way I treated her today."

Steve didn't even try to hide his obvious agreement. "You're not wrong about that."

"And that's why I'm here. I know from the way I said it, it almost sounded like I didn't care about the fact that she just died. And it's terrible." She admitted, remorse filling her features. "But you misunderstood. You can't blame me by thinking off the accords more than anything. I care about Peggy, but I also care about our team not falling apart."

He looked at her, understanding finally washing over him. Maybe it was just in the heat of the moment he chose to act on his emotions rather than his head. He was just too blinded by their friend's death that he chose to put the thing with the accords behind him.

Without realizing that Natasha was just going through the same thing that he is. After all, Peggy isn't just his friend, she was hers too. And she probably made the mature decision of taking responsibility of settling the accords when none of them wanted the business of doing it.

Now when he finally thought this through, he couldn't help but feel a shitty asshole because of the things he said earlier to her.

"You know, after everything that happened with S.H.I.E.L.D. during my little hiatus, I went back to Russia and tried to find my parents. Two little gravestones by a chain linked fence. I pulled some weeds and left some flowers." She swallowed thickly. Despite being together with him for about a year now, it was still a big thing for her whenever she chose to disclose something personal about her past life. She gave a sad smile. "We have what we have when we have it."

Steve seemed surprised that she was sharing something as personal as this with him. It was very rare for Natasha to open up to him. And even though it seemed pretty late considering the fact they were dating for a year now, this is Natasha we're talking about. It was enough to make him feel important. Special, somehow.

"You haven't mentioned that before," he muttered.

"It happened before we..." She trailed off, letting him pick up what she was trying to say on his own.

Steve nodded in understanding. "Right." But before the silence could become any more awkward, he steered the conversation toward a different direction. "Who else signed?" he asked, referring to the accords.

If she was surprised at the sudden change in topic, she didn't let it show. "Tony, Rhodey, and Vision." She ticked off the names.

"Clint?" he asked.

She smiled shortly, "Says he's retired."

"Wanda?" 

"TBD." She informed, walking closer, "I'll be leaving in about five minutes. And well, you know, there's still plenty of room on the jet." 

Natasha desperately hoped this one last time she'd be able to turn him around and see things her way. She knew that Steve had long lost his trust in the government ever since the incident of SHIELD being HYDRA all along, but this wasn't just about him or them anymore. No matter how much she loathed the government, she thought of the safety of the people first rather than herself. 

And she needed Steve to do the same thing.

Steve sighed, glancing up at her with a questioning gaze. "Why'd you agree to this?" He couldn't make sense of it. If there was one person who hated the government more than he does now, it would be Natasha. That's what's not clicking here at all. Why would she suddenly put her trust back in the government again after everything that happened? After everything they did to her? "You can't possibly risk putting your trust back in those people again?"

Her lips pressed into a thin line. "This isn't just about me anymore. I'm doing this not because I want to, but because I have to. It's for the majority of the people we dragged into this mess. You of all people should understand that." She said it in a less sharp tone. Just enough to make him believe the sincerity behind her words. 

"I can't trust them anymore." Steve declared, firmly. "I know you think we're doing this for the people but... I can't do my job when I don't trust the people we're working for. Blind trust doesn't work for me. What's a team when we can't even make our own decisions? When I know we can do better than them because it's us out there on the field, saving people. Not them."

"Just because it's the path of least resistance, doesn't mean it's the wrong path." She reminded, stopping until their bodies were inches away. She could see how blue his eyes were at a distance like this. "Staying together is more important than how we stay together."

"What are we giving up to do it?" He returned evenly.

Her face fell. 

Well, so much for convincing him. Any trace of hope that she'd be able to change his mind was completely flushed down the toilet. His stand was firmer than ever. Nothing can ever change his mind now.

Not even her.

But they both knew the consequences of not signing these accords. If Steve didn't want to sign this, then it would only lead to... "Steve, if you don't sign this then..."

He filled in for her. "I'll stop."

Disbelief struck her face. "And what would you do? You told me yourself that you don't know what you'd be doing if you got out." 

"I guess I'll just a find a way to deal with it then." He took notice of the way she responded, immediately, an apologetic expression settled on his face. He sighed, shaking his head, "I'm sorry, Nat. I can't sign it."

So much for luck. Somehow, she knew whenever Steve Rogers made his mind up about something, it was a plain miracle to turn him around. "Fine." her voice filled with nothing but disappointment. 

He grasped her shoulders gently, making her meet his eyes. "It's going to be alright, Nat. I'm still here. With you. Even if I'm not part of the team anymore, I'm always going to be a part of you." A small smile lingered on his lips. "I'll figure out a way to do with my life. It's mine to worry about, okay?"

Despite the smile stretched on his handsome face, she could see the pain behind his words. The sadness behind his smile. It was forced. Strained. Broken. Lost. He was lost, lost without knowing what to do anymore. And all she wanted was to tell him a thousand times over that she wasn't going to leave him. No matter what happens, she will stay with him.

"The thing is, you don't have to." She rested her hands on the sides of his cheeks, brushing her thumbs over the smooth skin. "Because you're not alone anymore. I'm right here. I'm always going to be here."

Steve couldn't explain the sudden burst of emotions he was feeling right now. He didn't know if it was guilt, or elation, or surprise. He was sure of one thing though, he was glad Natasha was here with him. Despite what happened, she was still here with him.

Natasha must've noticed his eyes slightly glistening up because she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him. "Come here."

He reciprocated the hug and buried his face in her shoulder. The faint smell of lavender from her hair reached his nose. It was enough to remind her that the girl he loved was in his arms. Comforting him. Staying with him. Being with him. It washed away all the anger and disappointment he felt earlier.

It was just he realized how lucky he was to have someone as understanding and caring as Natasha. Someone who'd be able to put up with his train wreck of emotions since he wears them on his sleeve so much often.

Natasha would always be there to ground him down. To wake him up for being the asshole he is.

It was the time to say something about this.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, hugging her tightly as he could without hurting her. "I'm so sorry, Nat."

She rubbed his back in a soothing motion. "It's okay, it's okay. I forgive you." she whispered, "I'm sorry too."

He pulled her closer, pressing a light kiss to the side of her throat and breathed out, "I love you." His breath almost made her shiver, and she felt her cheeks slightly warmed up. "I love you."

She smiled, couldn't help the elated cry escaping her lips. "I love you too," she whispered back.

Natasha knew that it would be a whole lot harder for them to keep their relationship like before but it wasn't going to be the reason to stop her from trying.

The accords were only another test for them. And she knew that with one another, they could go through anything.

She loves him. He loves her.

And that alone is enough of a reason for them to keep fighting.

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So.. comments pretty please? 

Let's just rejoice that Steve and Nat finally made up, yay! (for now :---( )