4 MONTHS LATER (HBT)...

RAEVANNA'S SHOULDERS SAGGED AS SHE AND STEVE ENTERED THE HOTEL ROOM, HAND IN HAND. This was only one of the many hotels that they had been staying at for the past four months, considering that they had no place else to go - and no one else to turn to. Secretary Ross wanted them arrested for violating the Accords, Tony hated them for defending Bucky, and everyone else in law enforcement was looking for them. Natasha had gone to Russia for awhile to "settle family matters", and Blake was in Wakanda with Bucky, trying to help him heal. Raevanna and Steve were truly alone.

"Hey," Steve said, noticing her expression. "You okay?"

Raevanna looked up at him, giving him a soft smile. "Yeah, just... tired."

Steve turned to her, cupping her cheek. "I know. I am too. So how about we just get some rest, alright?"

Taking her hands, he led her over to the couch by the television and sat down on it, leading Raevanna to kick up her feet and curl up into his side. Steve then put his arm around her, holding her close to him as they sat there in silence.

"You know," Steve said softly. "I never did apologize to you."

Raevanna frowned. "For what?"

"For not believing you about Aphrodite." He sighed. "I was just... I was hurt. I couldn't believe that you'd done that, and I didn't know how to process it. Even though I knew that you'd never intentionally hurt me, my anger blinded me to the truth. And for that, I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Raevanna said, then put her arm around his chest and snuggled closer to him. "Besides, it's behind us now."

They continued to sit there, not saying a word to each other. Silence had become a common thing between them, but not because the flame was lost, but because they had grown to be satisfied with each other's presence alone. They could sit like this for hours and not say a word, and never once did it feel awkward or tense.

"I have a question," Raevanna said after a few minutes.

Steve looked at her. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Would you ever want to get married and have kids?"

Steve nearly choked on air, completely caught off guard by the question. After clearing his throat, he saw Raevanna was looking at him expectantly, so he nodded. "I do want to," he said.

"But?" Raevanna asked, knowing that there was more to his answer.

"I don't know if it would ever work out for us," Steve admitted. "I mean, how could we settle down and raise a family when we're on the run? And we are - we were - Avengers. The hero life is no place for a kid."

"Who says we're always gonna be on the run?" Raevanna asked. "We could find some place off the grid, settle there. And I could always stay home, while you could go out and-"

"No, no, no," Steve said, shaking his head as he cut her off. "I could never let that happen. You're an explorer and a fighter, Raevanna. You'd be too restless if you stayed in a house all day."

Raevanna nodded slowly. "That's true." She paused for a moment, then looked up at him. "So, hypothetically, what would you want?"

Steve frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you hadn't been asleep for almost seventy years," Raevanna said. "If we weren't Avengers and were on the run. If we lived a normal life... what would you want?"

Steve shook his head, see that Raevanna had scooted closer to him, and her eyes were locked on him. "I-I don't know."

"I think you do know." Raevanna moved even closer. "What would you want?"

Steve closed his eyes. "I really don't-" He then stopped, his eyes opening and a soft gasp leaving his lips when Raevanna straddled his waist and took his head in her hands.

"What do you want, Steve?" Raevanna asked him, her voice soft and quiet.

Steve exhaled sharply, closing his eyes for a moment before looking up at her.

"You."

And that was all it took. Their lips collided, meeting urgently and passionately. Steve gripped Raevanna's hips in his hands, and she rose up on her knees, her head moving backwards slightly as the kiss deepened. Their eyes closed and their tongues met, quick gasps escaping from their lips, before Raevanna hooked her fingers under the hem of her shirt and pulled it off her body. Steve's lips instantly moved down, leaving open-mouthed kisses all over her neck and collarbone and subsequently driving her to remove his shirt as well.

They both stood up, with Steve still holding Raevanna's hips as her arms looped around his neck. He stepped forward, causing her to move backwards until her back slammed into the wall, and Raevanna gasped as he pressed his body against hers and continued to kiss her neck. Then she spun him around, hooking her fingers in the waistband of his pants and pulling him across the room until she fell onto the bed, her back flattening against the mattress as Steve crawled on top of her.

It wasn't long before all of their clothing was on the floor. Steve moved his head down, leaving kisses all over her chest before lowering even further and kissing right above her waist. Raevanna shuddered, every part of her screaming for him to do it, but her lips didn't move. Then, Steve made his way up her body again before kissing her lips - while simultaneously dragging his fingertips down her stomach. Raevanna's head went back, a soft moan leaving her lips as he pushed one finger inside her, then began rubbing her clit with his thumb while curling his finger. Her body was trembling within seconds, her chest heaving as her back began to slowly lift off the bed. Then, Steve added another finger, and she snapped, moaning loudly as her back arched and her eyes rolled back.

Steve pulled out his fingers, then began gently rubbing her hips as he waited for her to calm down. Once Raevanna's back was flat against the bed, he swiftly pressed his lips to hers, squeezing her thighs in a signal to move. She wrapped her legs around Steve's waist, and he broke the kiss for a moment, looking at her for approval. Raevanna smiled and nodded softly as a sign for him to continue.

Consent had always been important to them, not just during sex. It was one of the main tenets of their relationship, especially when they had first moved in together. Even though they did know each other, they hadn't been able to fully develop their relationship before Steve had went into the ice, and so much of the time following his return was spent testing the waters. "Is this okay?" and "Do you want to do this?" became questions that were asked frequently, but now a simple nod and a smile spoke volumes.

Steve leaned closer, kissing Raevanna again. As he moved, he slowly pushed himself into her, and Raevanna's head snapped back, her shoulders rising at the feeling and a loud moan leaving her mouth. Then, Steve began to slowly and gently thrust, in and out. Raevanna groaned each time he went into her, her nails digging into his back, and the louder she grew, the faster and more erratic Steve's thrusts became. Their hips grinded against each other as Steve pounded into her, then switched it up, squeezing her hips as he drew out slowly before ramming himself all the way into her. Raevanna's moans turned into screams as he did so, and she knew her body couldn't handle much more.

Soon Raevanna started to feel a knot forming in her stomach. Taking a deep breath, she said breathlessly, "Steve-"

Then he thrust again, and she snapped, her back curving off the bed as Steve's name mixed with curse words spilled from her lips, waves of pleasure washing over her and causing her body to roll from the feeling. This orgasm was longer than the first, and stars swam over Raevanna's eyes as Steve slowed down his movements to give her time to come down from her high.

Steve slipped out of her, then watched Raevanna's face for a moment as her chest rose up and down in an attempt to catch her breath. Then, once she could breathe properly, she began to laugh, her eyes closing as a smile graced her face. Steve was unable to keep the smile off his face at her reaction; he really did love this woman.

After a moment, Raevanna lifted her head, pressing her lips to Steve's in a kiss. However, this one wasn't fiery and passionate as the ones before; rather, it was tender and sweet, containing all the love they had for each other in a way that words couldn't express. Then, Raevanna put her hand on Steve's cheek, smiling softly as she pressed her forehead and nose to his and closed her eyes.

"I love you," she whispered, her eyes still closed.

"I love you too," Steve replied, his voice soft.

He then fell away from her, landing on his side beside her and pulling the blankets up over them. Then, he smiled, reaching out and brushing his thumb over her cheek as she scooted closer to him and tangled their legs together.

"Why are you so perfect?" Steve asked quietly.

Raevanna shook her head, letting out a soft laugh. "C'mon, Steve. I'm... I'm not perfect. I have a lot of baggage. My parents were killed when I was nine, which led to some grade-A level trauma, I have a dark power inside me that could lead me to kill you, I'm the only faery in all of Elyon that has ever slept with a human, which, to my people is the worst thing you could do-"

Raevanna was abruptly cut off as Steve pressed his lips to hers, giving her a long yet soft kiss. Then he pulled away, smiling at her. "You're perfect to me," he said. "And it's your flaws that make you that way. If I dated someone who had the perfect life, it wouldn't be a good relationship, because I'd get tired of it. So imperfection is perfection to me, which means you're flawless in my eyes."

Raevanna's heart seemed to swell to twice his size at his words, and she smiled, putting her hand over Steve's as he cupped her cheek. She loved this man more than anything else in the world, and this was one of the many reasons why. Even when she didn't feel like she deserved it, he always found a way to make her feel special - absolutely beautiful, inside and out.

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The next morning, Raevanna woke up to sunlight peeking in through the curtains. Her eyes opened, a soft smile spreading across her face as the events of the night before came back to her, and she rolled over onto to look at Steve. He was sleeping peacefully, one hand tucked under his head and the other wrapped around her waist, holding her close to him as if he didn't want her to leave.

Raevanna's smile widened. She rarely ever saw him like this - so calm and relaxed, as if he didn't have a care in the world - but it made her happy whenever she did. His peace brought her peace, and she wanted nothing more than to see her boyfriend in a good, serene mindset.

Raevanna reached down, slowly unwrapping his arm from her waist, before she got out of bed, shivering slightly as the cold air brushed across her exposed skin. Then, she got up and bent down, picking up a shirt and shorts before slipping them on and walking over to the curtains and opening them, allowing the sunlight to stream into the room.

Raevanna turned around, smiling when Steve groaned softly and covered his eyes. "Good morning," she said, walking over to him.

"Good morning," Steve mumbled, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

Raevanna shook her head, her smile never leaving her face as she sat beside him. "How'd you sleep?"

Steve shrugged. "Good. And you?"

"I don't remember, honestly," Raevanna admitted, giving him a playful wink.

Steve smiled back, kissing her temple. "We should get ready," Steve said softly. "We gotta get moving today." When Raevanna sighed, nodding faintly, Steve stood up, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. "It'll be okay," he assured her. "I promise." He squeezed her hand, then added, "I'm gonna go get ready. Be out in a few minutes."

Raevanna nodded again, and Steve walked off, heading into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. She watched him go, thinking to herself for a moment, before she followed him, entering the bathroom as well. As she stepped inside, she saw Steve get into the shower, closing the sliding glass door, and Raevanna shook her head, taking off her clothes before opening the shower door and joining him inside.

Steve turned around, shocked to see her there. "R-Raevanna?" he stammered out. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Raevanna shrugged. "I didn't want to be by myself."

Steve shook his head softly, nodding at her. Then, he grabbed a bottle of shampoo before squeezing some into his hand and working it into Raevanna's hair.

"I've been thinking," Raevanna said after a minute.

Steve leaned his head forward so he could look at her. "About what?"

"I dunno... How far we've come, I guess." Raevanna shrugged. "I mean, when I first met you, you were this thin, small, scared man that barely knew how to talk to a woman. And now look at you. Look at us. We've both come so far since then, and we've learned and done so much."

"And is that a good thing?" Steve asked.

Raevanna nodded, still thinking as Steve turned her around and backed her up so her hair was under the steady stream of water. "I think so," she said. "And I also think that, even though it was painful for me, you had to go into the ice all those years ago. I think that everything needed to happen exactly the way it did, or else we wouldn't be here today."

Steve nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I think so, too." Then, he noticed a shift in her mood; she suddenly went from thoughtful to regretful, and he was instantly concerned. "Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?"

Raevanna nodded. "I'm... I'm fine." She sighed. "It's just... the Avengers were like my family. But now they're gone. Those stupid Accords tore us apart. And now, I can't go home, Sam and the others are stuck in this life..." She shook her head, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. "I should've done more. I should've tried harder to keep the team from falling apart. Cause now my family's gone. And there's... there's nothing I can do to bring them back."

"Hey, hey, shh." Steve wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly and stroking her hair. "It's gonna be fine. Everyone made their choices, and so did we. But no matter what, we're gonna figure this out together, alright?"

Raevanna looked up at him, smiling through her tears before kissing him. Then, she leaned back to look at him. "You promise?"

Steve nodded. "I made the mistake of leaving you once, and I almost lost you because of it. So I'm not making that mistake again." He smiled at her. "From now on, wherever you go, I go. Whenever you fight, I'll fight. And if you die..." He shook his head. "Then I'll die too." Steve took her hands. "I promise you, right here, right now. I will never leave you again."

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A/N: famous last words

lol i'm joking, nothing's gonna happen to him or raevanna (at least not for the rest of act 6 oops)

also if you're wondering how i was able to update again in only 3 hours it's because i prewrote most of this chapter right after i finished chapter 54, and it's been sitting in my drafts for all this time. i have most of the beginning of act 6 written out too, so updates after this will be frequent till chapter 64, then it'll slow down again sns

anyway, love y'all, and i hope you enjoyed this chapter. (but seriously, like i said before y'all better love me for writing this, i initially wasn't planning to do any smut at all)