The Heart Thaws In Its Own Time (Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff)

Chapter 6 - Progress And Doubt

-September-

Steve paced around slowly on a large concrete pad surrounded by walls that were not yet drywalled, he was holding his phone to his ear. He still had a beard, though it was neat and trimmed, his hair was very shaggy by Steve Rogers standards though... America's former golden boy. It wasn't his style but it was necessary.

"No... no, I still haven't gotten any response," he said into the phone. "Wanda, I don't think she's ever going to talk to me again."

"Steve, I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have encouraged you," Wanda sighed into the phone.

"Not your fault at all. If anything, it's mine. I'm the one who got distracted and let my guard down." He felt a lump in his throat. "Besides, hours before that, she and I were having... a moment. And I..." he trailed off.

"I still have faith," she said.

"I must have called her twenty times and I probably texted her more than that. She's done with me." Steve sat down on the wood frame that was to become a window.

Wanda frowned and made a little heart wrenching noise into the phone.

"Enough about me though. You tell me about you for a while," he said.

"Well, you would be proud, I'm still working out," she laughed. "Things are good. I'm kind of... seeing Vision."

"Tell me something I don't know, Wanda."

"How do you know about this?" she asked.

"I saw you two disappear when we were in the hotel in Washington D.C.," Steve laughed. "I kind of saw this coming."

"You're not mad?" she asked.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Well..."

"I'm putting that all in the past. I can't live with that hanging over me," he assured her. "I'm happy for you. We're all moving on."

"Speaking of moving on, did everything go okay buying the property?" she asked.

"Fury's contact came through for me, it's all finished now. I'm actually there now," he smiled as he spoke.

"Maybe I can come visit you at the farm sometime? I would really like to see it." Wanda sounded enthused.

"That would be great, you would love it here," he said.

When Steve got off the phone with Wanda a few minutes later, he looked around and took a deep breath. Whatever his future was now, he had to let the past be the past.

Just because he'd fallen head over heels for Natasha didn't mean she felt the same way or that she'd let herself feel the same way even if she did.

You're not supposed to have a normal life, Rogers, he thought to himself.