#mostly neutral

It had been amusing to see Steve try and figure out how to use a phone. It had been near pitiful watching him learn how to text. But he got the hang of phone calls quicker than anticipated.

And then the two of you spent more time together. Between missions, he was always coming around. It was nice to spend time with him; he was more than just the man out of time, the man behind the shield. You found that most people forgot that he was as human as anyone else.

But when you two first shared a kiss, it had been … unbelievable.

And then Ultron happened. That had been close. You and Clint had nearly died, and found that the quick little shit had sacrificed himself for you both. That was hard to deal with. Steve was often there trying to help you through it. He was usually there, helping you sleep, there when you woke from a nightmare.

The years still went on.

You and Steve went on missions together, you helped him try and track down his friend. And then the spat between the Avengers happened. You found that it was far more dramatic than it needed to be. But Steve had Bucky back. He looked far better than what he had ever looked. Steve needed Bucky; they had been inseparable, and you knew just how much they meant to each other.

It hurt you when Bucky went into the ice in Wakanda. But you trusted the child genius, Shuri. If anyone could help the broken boy, it would be her.

“We’re fugitives,” Steve said one night. It was the second night after Bucky had been put under. “We can’t be in the US, can’t be seen publicly. We need to stay low. But we can’t stay in Wakanda, we could be putting T’Challa and his people at risk.”

You doubted that. If T’Challa wanted to keep you all hidden, then the US government wouldn't be able to find you. But you nodded along, knowing that if Steve was going to do something stupid, he needed supervision.

“Steve, wherever you go, I’m gonna go,” you promised. You smiled over at him and leaned over to kiss him. Even though it was a simple one, you could feel the guilt and stress weighing on him. You took the turn to be there to help him sleep and pass through his nightmares.

A few days later, you two alongside Natasha Romanov and Sam Wilson, were on the run, hiding from the governments of the world, doing justice wherever possible.

It didn’t last long. Although you and Steve were able to spend brief moments of intimacy together, it wasn’t quite enough. There were always Nat and Sam nearby, the walls too old and thin to properly talk and comfort each other. It was only fitting that the war against Thanos would end up tearing you both apart.

The first one to go was Bucky. You had been standing right beside him, shocked that Thanos had done what he had set out to. Vision was dead and Wanda was sobbing. And then Bucky was disintegrating.

“Steve?”

You looked up at him, shocked. Steve’s expression was easy to read. He moved forwards, in the direction of where Bucky’s ashes were, before he turned and looked at you, horror seeping into his face.

“Oh no, Stevie?”