˗ˏˋ romanogers oneshots ˎˊ˗

✧˖*°࿐ shock and horror

Natasha never thought she would see Steve again after they had left each other in France that night and was shocked to see him turn up at Tony's masquerade ball. She knew that he didn't recognize her when they danced but had made sure to catch his attention when he was standing over her at the bar. In a perfect world, that would have been a perfect reunion and a happy ending. Natasha and Steve, however, were far from perfect and their tragic love story just went from tragic to hopeless. She regrets not kissing him then when they were confronting each other before she turned to leave. But she knew about his promise about kissing her one last time and maybe, just maybe a small part of her didn't want that to be the last time. Because no matter what evil had gotten into him, she knew it was because he had been hurt and had no choice, and she secretly hoped that she might see him again one day, clinging on to the very last promise he had given her.

She never heard from him after that for 5 months. During that time, she spent it on the run, moving across the globe every week, until after 3 months, she found herself back in Brooklyn, staring at the building of Steve's apartment. She had let herself in with the spare key he had given her, only to find it in a mess with pages of something strewn all over the ground. She spent 2 months there, hoping that he would appear some day, but he never did. She feared that the worst had happened to him. She often contemplated walking into the Avenger's facility and using Stark's tracking equipment to track Steve. But she had stopped herself on multiple occasions, for in her condition, it was hard to go unnoticed and harder to sneak in and out of places and squeeze herself into the tightest places.

She looks down at her protruding stomach and smiles, placing one of her hands on top of it as she feels a kick. "I still love your Dad. He's not a horrible person. He's quite the gentlemen really. I just haven't seen him in a while. We had a misunderstanding with our friends and had to leave each other and all our friends. I don't think he even knows you exist. And now I don't know where he is. I don't know if he's okay. And I'm terrified of you growing up without a Dad. I really love him, and I fear the worst has happened to him." Tears start rolling down her cheek and she bites her lip to prevent herself from sobbing.

The call on her burner phone surprises her. Steve had given her the phone when they parted ways in France, meaning that the only one who had access to the number was him. But that was 9 moths ago, who was to say what had changed? She is conflicted between answering it and having some hope at the possibility of seeing him again or picking it up and receiving tragic news would would confirm her worst fears. After all, between them, there was almost always tragedy and never hope or happy endings. She picks it up and her face falls.

10 minutes later, she's out the door and in her car, pushing the accelerator way past the speed limit, going as fast as her car can tolerate. A duel. Of all things he could have done, a duel. Thank God Bucky had the decency to call her. After months and months of fires after fires, Steve had finally decided to take it out on Tony himself, lest more innocent lives be lost. And now, the two men were against each other, guns drawn. And it wasn't even dawn.

Natasha arrived at the scene, rushing out just in time as Steve and Tony were about to fire, diving in front of the both. A bullet hits her right in the shoulder, lodging between her bone. She cries out, from the pain of her shoulder and the rest of her body. Not here, not now. But her body and mind aren't one.

Steve looks up in shock and horror, and one can only guess why. Was it the shock from seeing Natasha in person again, or that she was heavily pregnant? Or was it the horror that one of their bullets had shot her. He looks between his gun and Tony's , unsure who had fired that ill-fated bullet that had hit her. He feels a sinking feeling in his chest, his legs go numb and he sinks to the floor. A pool of blood forms and he presses a hand to his abdomen, pulling away to see it stained red. Tony had shot him and that meant only one thing, the bullet that hit her was fired from his very own gun.

He rushes to her, ignoring the throbbing pain coursing through his body. She's lying unconscious on the ground, bloody from the gun shot wound on her shoulder, a pool of water around her legs. He checks her pulse, it's still there.

A duel being illegal, they can't call a doctor, and they didn't have one on site either. Except... Tony. Steve looks up at him and he seems dazed for a moment.

"Steve," Bucky whispers, tapping him gently on the shoulder. "Her water broke. The baby's coming. There isn't time. We have to find some place for her to deliver it. The nearest hospital is too far away. And they'll never help us."

Steve swallows hard, running his fingers through Natasha's hair. One last time, he tells himself. He bends over her body, pushing her hair away from her sweaty forehead, planting a kiss on her lips as tears form in his eyes.

Her eyes flutter open and she groans in pain.

"Steve," she whispers, his face a blurry mess in her messed up vision. 

He smiles. "I told you I'd do that one last time."

She looks up at him, "You're a good man who has done wicked things," she adds with a sigh, "You've hurt people."

He bites his lip "But people hurt me."

She looks up at him, and sees his teary eyes. "Come here," she whispers, pulling him close to her so that their lips touch. 

"Natasha," he groans, in both pain and pleasure. 

She sees his gunshot wound and presses her hand to it. "You're hurt."

He winces in pain, but keeps a smile. "I've been hurt worse." She squeezes his hand hard as a wave of contraction passes through her. "You okay?"

She bites her tongue to hide her pain but her face gives her away. "Ow," she whines. 

He strokes her hair, holding her closer, his breath slowing down. "The night has a thousand eyes and the day but one, yet the light of a bright world dies with the dying sun," he recites her favorite poem to distract her from the pain and she smiles. 

"The mind has a thousand eyes and the heart but one," she manages before another contraction comes and she continues, but in pain. "yet the light of a whole life dies when love is done."

He sighs. "I love you. always have, always will. Now and forevermore."

Natasha smiles, her eyes watering up. They know that their time together is soon up. "The baby..." she whispers, still managing a smile. "is yours," she finishes as his breath stops. 

And in that moment, her world collapses. It's a blur as Bucky pulls her away and Tony rushes to Steve before her world goes blank. She phrases between consciousness, squeezing the hand closest to hers, Bucky. 

"You have to push Natasha. Baby's coming," Bucky whispers as Natasha stirs. 

She sobs. "I can't" she cries out, her voice weak. "It hurts," Bucky looks at her with a sad smile. "He's gone," Bucky nods. Natasha looks between Bucky and her swollen belly, now throbbing with pain, tearing her from the inside. "If anything happens, save the baby. And promise me,"

Bucky interrupts her rambling, shushing her softly. 

"You have to promise," Natasha whispers, her voice hoarse and weak. "You will take care of the baby when I'm gone."

"I promise."

_

James Clinton Romanoff-Rogers was born on 13 September 2016, at 7.34 p.m.

Natasha Alianovna Romanoff died 7 minutes later, at 7.41 p.m.

A/N: yep this is sad again hehe. i tried to make it happy. anyways you can imagine that they're together in any sort of afterlife you believe in so yeah.