Hi Avengers fans!
So, this is my first story with the Avengers as the focus...and I've been on a serious Captasha/Romanrogers/CapWidow kick. They have such amazing chemistry.
And I hope I'm able to capture that in this little story.
And thank you to my sis, Renee, who edited all my spelling and grammar mistakes. You the best, girly!
This story was inspired by Michael Ray's Run Away With You. Check it out on Youtube. It's a pretty sweet song!
Alright. Enough rambling.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Warning: Some spoilers for Captain America: Civil War. Also, my own speculations about Infinity War, but I'm pretty sure I'm wrong.
Run Away (with you)
Steve hated seeing Natasha like this.
Everything about her was so different from the fiery Super Spy he had grown used to. The one who had gone on dozens of missions with him after the battle in New York. The one who had been his companion as he was on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D and was right beside him as they took down HYDRA.
So different from even a few months ago when they had met up with the rest of the Avengers to officially become a team again in S.H.I.E.L.D's place.
He could place the blame at Wanda's feet, if he really wanted to.
But that wouldn't be fair. Wanda had only been doing what she thought was right, after all.
The blame could also be placed at Bruce Banner's feet. And if Steve was really honest with himself, which he usually is, this was where he wanted to place the blame for Natasha's behavior. For abandoning the team, but most importantly, for abandoning her.
But that wasn't entirely fair, either.
Banner had his own issues to work out and even though Steve didn't agree with the way that he left, he understood the need to deal with one's inner demons.
All he could do was be here, with his friend, his colleague, his fellow Avenger, and help her the best way he knew how.
Which meant helping her kick their newly acquired team mates into shape.
He stepped out of the shadows, his steps more confident than he actually felt.
When she looks up at him, he can see the walls starting to rise around her heart and her little quip about him and Tony and gazing into each other's eyes was the lock on the door. A door that he knew he wouldn't breach any time soon.
And he was…okay with that. He wouldn't storm those walls. Not unless she let him. She deserved whatever privacy she could get her hands on.
But deep down in his heart, he wished that he could have another moment with her like the one they shared in Sam's apartment a year before. Where she let him in and he saw the woman that lay under the mask.
The woman he had asked to be his friend.
Back when they were running away.
"You aren't going to stop, are you?"
How had it gotten to this point? Avenger fighting Avenger. Over what?
Handcuffs.
Government sized handcuffs.
Well…and a madman trying to frame his best friend for something he didn't do.
It tore Steve apart as he looked Natasha in the eyes. Her voice was resigned, like she had done her damnedest to not let it get to this point, where it was her physically against him.
As if she was afraid.
He didn't blame her. Not in the slightest. He was, too. Absolutely terrified as he watched her, dreading the moment when he would be forced to lift his shield against her rather than to shield her.
"You know I can't." He said, honestly not sure if it was just to answer her question. His voice sounded hollow in his ears, the dread that drenched his heart crawling up his throat as she raised her Widow's bite.
He couldn't raise his shield against her. He couldn't fight her. He couldn't, wouldn't do this!
His arms were like lead. He couldn't move.
He didn't want to move.
Not against her. Never against her.
"I'm gonna regret this…" She said and Steve closed his eyes.
Only to hear a buzz go past his head. He turned to look, and saw T'Challa fall to the ground, incapacitated by the launched Widow's bite.
"Go." She said, her voice even, but her green eyes chaotic with the implications of what she had just done.
Label herself a traitor.
For him. For him and Bucky.
And he couldn't help but hate himself even more for it.
He didn't know what Tony would do to her. He didn't know what Secretary Ross would do.
He didn't know what T'Challa would do!
And all of that terrified Steve.
It was one thing for him to be on the run. One thing for his team as well.
But Natasha….Natasha who had worked so hard for so long to do the right thing, to wipe the red from her Ledger.
And now…
"I'll hold them off. Go!" Her voice was urgent now.
Come with us… was on the tip of his tongue, but Bucky pulled him towards the jet. They needed to move. Fast.
Leaving Natasha to face the backlash.
Alone.
While he was running away. Again.
Steve Roger's limbs shook from the stress as the smoke cleared over the battlefield around him. His chest heaved as he struggled to control his breathing, his blue eyes blinking rapidly.
He didn't know how long he stood there, ears ringing from the previous concussive blasts of battle, smoke crawling through his nose.
It felt like an eternity.
Until a soft hand touched his shoulder.
He turned sharply, raising an arm to punch away the assailant…
And came face to face with Natasha.
"Steve." Her soft voice cut through the ringing in his ears. "It's done."
His arm shook as he lowered the fist that had been intended for her, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word as his eyes blurred.
"It's all okay now, Steve." Her melodious voice continued. She took another step towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "It's over. It's finally over."
The smell of her hair wafted through the smoke clogging his nose, snapping him out of the post-battle daze that clouded his mind. His arms that once hung at his side like lead wrapped firmly around her, holding her solidly, yet gently, to his chest, pulling her as close to him as he possibly could.
She was here.
"Yo-You are o-okay, right?" He asked, voice stuttering as his Brooklyn accent coming out thick and heavy on his tongue. "He d-didn't h-h-"
"I'm fine." She said, her voice gentle, cutting his stutter off. "Just a couple of bumps and bruises." She turned her head slightly, her lips barely brushing his ear. "We did it. We defeated Thanos."
Steve lowered his head and buried his nose in her hair, taking a full and deep breath of the scent that was unique to her. "I….I just wanna…run away from this…all of this…I…I can't…"
"I know. I know." She rubbed his back in soothing circles. "Me too."
His heart was hammering in his chest so loud he was pretty sure she could hear it. "Are-Are you going with him?" He wasn't sure if he could handle that.
Well, he might, as long as he knew she would be happy and safe.
But that could have been a lie.
He had told so many in the time since the Accords were enacted that he had started to believe some of them.
"With Bruce?" He clarified when she didn't answer for a moment.
She chuckled weakly into his neck, sending shivers down his spine.
Natasha shifted suddenly, pulling away from him just enough to look him in the eye, but not escape his arms. He loosened his hold on her and met her green eyes, hoping and dreading what he would find. Her green eyes were smiling, almost laughing.
She shook her head, slowly and deliberately. "No." Her voice was so gentle, like the sweetest of breezes on the hottest day of the year. But her face briefly contorted into a questioning look, as if she was mulling over a particular question before voicing it.
Or debating if she should say it.
"Didn't you ask Sharon?"
Now it was Steve's turn to shake his head, chuckling as he did. "It was weird…N-Not that she's not a great woman!" He said, quickly, as if he had to defend his opinion of the former S.H.E.I.L.D agent. "Just…she's…" He trailed off, as if finding the right words.
"Peggy's niece?" Natasha offered, lifting an eyebrow.
"That too! But…she's just…not my right partner." He admitted, lowering his face and hoping that the dirt and grime of battle would hide the blush that threatened to overtake his face.
Natasha's eyes slowly widened. "Oh?" Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper. If he hadn't been mere centimeters from her face, he probably would have missed it. "Who is?"
His lips twitched into a smile, something he hadn't done in so long that it almost felt weird. "You may know her," He began, his voice trembling a bit with anxiety. "She goes by many names, is an amazing assassin and spy, can kill someone in fifty different ways with a single sheet of paper-"
"Only fifty?" Natasha's eyebrow worked its way up her forehead in jest.
"Definitely more." He recovered, swallowing thickly. "She has had a pretty rough life, but went straight and has been a remarkable sign of what someone can become when given a second chance. And I've gotten to see it up close." Now he was pretty sure that the blush was consuming his face. "Also, she's beautiful, with fiery red hair and green eyes that can draw your attention from across a room. I couldn't lose her if I wanted to."
The super spy bit her lip. "She sounds like trouble. Are you sure you wanna run away with her?"
"I was thinking of walking." He quipped, eyes shining with laughter that never quite made it to his mouth. "I mean, that is the best way to go on the run, right?
She chuckled, and Steve was pretty sure it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard. "You still haven't told me her name."
"Well…" He pulled an arm away from her waist and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what to call her. I don't know who she wants to be."
She didn't speak for a long moment. So long that he could feel his heart moving further and further towards his feet.
Had she been toying with him all this time? Was any of this real?
Finally she spoke. "Who do you want me to be?"
Steve blinked, it was like déjà vu all over again. A scene rose in his eyes, back when they were on the run. Back when things were a bit simpler.
But he had a different answer this time.
"Whoever you want to be." He said, gently.
Her green eyes widened, as if he had surprised her, and soon flooded with tears. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep them from falling down her cheeks. A smile crawled up her lips. "Natalia. I-I'm Natalia Alianovna Romanova."
Steve smile grew, his body language relaxing with relief. She wanted to be herself! The woman he had fallen in love with over all these years.
And that was all he could hope for.
"Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."
A/N: And that's all folks! I really enjoy this pairing and want to write a companion piece to this. Please let me know what you think in a review. All constructive criticism is welcome!
Thanks for reading my story!
~Rachel
Edit: Found some mistakes and fixed Thanks for your kind reviews!