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Perfect is just one word that could be used to describe Natasha Romanoff, alias the Black Widow, arguably the best spy and assassin in the world, highly trained seductress, intelligence officer, and any other requirement for SHIELD accomplished tenfold.
Flawless was another, despite her wicked reputation, Natasha Romanoff was one of the most breathtaking agents at SHIELD, literally and figuratively. She could stop you in your tracks with a small smile or even a glare, and sweep you off your feet on the training grounds, holding you until you tapped out.
You thoughts wandered once again to your longtime friend and rival. You never had the training to the same extent she had in the Black Widow program, you were just a scrappy kid off the streets that got picked up by SHIELD before Peggy "retired", saying something about a spark in your eye that reminded her of Steve before the serum. After that, one of the doctors injected you with the super soldier serum in a panic after the first attack on New York, and your limits were even further than before.
Was it fair for you to consider yourself an equal to her?
Some kid off the street that survived long enough, and with enough luck to get injected with something to bring you closer to her level.
Would it ever be fair?
She went through so much in her life and survived and fought so much to get to today, and you were just you...
However, in Natasha's eyes, you were the best person on the Earth, despite your past and the wrongdoings SHIELD did to you, you continued to work hard and protect the rest of society from the hidden dangers in the world. All while keeping a lopsided grin on your face, sarcasm always ready, and a warm heart to welcome weary faces, both SHIELD and Avengers alike.
She thought you were endearing, but she would never admit it aloud.
You two knew each other since the first meeting in Budapest; from then on, at every mission debrief, every coffee break, every training session, and even some missions, you would both try to outdo the other, pushing each other to the limits for even better results Fury could ask for.
A little friendly competition never hurt anyone before.
Right?
Denial.
Now that was a word that could describe both women. Scared of falling, and putting themselves before the fate of the world, they denied their true feelings and hoped it would fade away.
For the most brilliant agents in SHIELD, it was a stupid thing to think. Love? What an obscure thing for the two of them, and affection? You both knew of affection, a deep fondness for each of the Avengers and their friends in SHIELD, but love was something the two of you dared only to share with each other.
No one expected it, not even yourselves, people dreamed about it sure; fantasizing about the two powerhouses in SHIELD to become the power couple for the ages, but no one thought it could ever happen in real life. The glances during debriefings, sleepy smiles shared in early training sessions, the faces you made when Fury's back was turned, the way the two found some semblance of peace within each other in their hectic lives.
Isn't it regular for people to find someone to be their touchstone with such crazy lives?
But you both were never just, regular people or agents, you carried the burden of protecting the world on your shoulders and put your own lives in the back of your minds to focus on the mission.
No matter how much both of you pushed down your feelings to stop them from growing any bigger...
But it just felt so natural to worry and fawn over each other.
You groaned against the cool wall of the meeting room, exhausted from a six-month undercover mission in the Marshall Islands, but Fury ordered you to go straight to the room for a debriefing and regular meeting, and Maria watching you ensured you couldn't sneak off to take a nap in one of the unused rooms.
The undercover mission meant no contact from your friends (though Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper made an excuse to have a business meeting for Stark Industries at the hotel you were staying at), and you were missing the rest of the Avengers more than you would like to admit. When Tony sat down with you at the hotel, he told you Natasha was sent off on an undercover operation in Budapest for the next 4 months, but if she was able to wrap up early (she always did), she would arrive at the same time you were done.
You smiled at the memory and looked up to see her walking in (with the other Avengers), immediately locking eyes with her, holding back the urge to run up to her and get her in a bear hug, opting instead for a nod and a smile, noticing new agents filing in behind her as Fury dimmed the lights to start the meeting.
Abandoning your spot against the wall, you escaped to her side and let yourself lean into her, whispering just low enough for the two of you to hear, "Agent Romanoff would you care to make an escape from this godforsaken meeting with me?"
One look up at her and you knew she already had a plan ready in case you asked, with Maria in another part of the building, the two of you would only have to avoid Fury's sharp eyes, which was surprisingly easy, as he kept turning his back to scold a new agent that had too many questions for whatever the agenda was.
The next time he turned and began to scold the agent, you both snuck out of the meeting and ran to some far forgotten corner of the compound (one of your many nap spots when you had to come in to help with training recruits or other business), laughing and enjoying each others company, resting on each other's shoulders and discussing the things you saw on your missions away from each other.
After a few minutes in a comfortable silence, you decided to see how Natasha felt about a question that always floated in your head, "Hey Nat, you ever wonder how different our lives would be if we were just civilians? No secret agent training or serums, no SHIELD, no Avengers, just plain boring lives?"
"I do sometimes you know? I mean, this is all I've ever known, or, remember. I don't think I know how a life outside of this would work for me since I'm so used to our usual madness", she paused for a moment before sitting up and hugging her knees, "I think it would be nice to live a normal life for a bit, but I don't think I could survive like that anymore, I would miss all the excitement and how I can make fun of everyone's heroes all the time".
"That's how I feel, sometimes I wonder what it would be like to not have to worry about any of this, super juice out of my system and I'm only slightly intrigued", you grinned and leaned back against Natasha, "honestly, sometimes I drag myself out of bed just to see how I can make fun of the guys that day and see what other shenanigans we get up to".
Natasha punched your shoulder before laughing "only the guys? Am I nonexistent in this world of yours"?
"I was gonna get to you I swear!" you could only pout before turning away from her to hide your blush, "thank you for being so kind to such a faulty machine".
"First off, you're not faulty and secondly, if anyone's a faulty machine it's Bucky or Tony. I mean come on, for people who are basically part-machine, they can't even fix the toaster after "accidentally" breaking it."
You both shared another laugh before the door was kicked down by a fuming Maria Hill gripping a taser rod to subdue you, a sight arguably more terrifying than the two of you put together. "So I heard from the director the two of you decided to play hooky and leave your meeting".
Maria put up a good fight but against the Black Widow and another super soldier high on adrenaline, you escaped with some ease after getting hit by the weapon only twice, sprinting towards the door once there was an opening.
Even for the two of you, escaping was no easy feat, knowing it wouldn't be harder after escaping Maria, but what you didn't expect were the rest of the Avengers, who got an earful of Fury yelling at them after the meeting you both left, still dressed in full combat suits ready to get revenge on the two of you.
"Hey there, Nat, (Y/N)" Tony was the first one to talk, his headpiece popping open to show them a quick grin and waving before getting into a fighting stance. "Now, I'm sure you both had a dandy time skipping our meeting, I'm sure I would, but I usually get caught by Miss Hill or Pepper."
Even in a fighting stance, Bucky laughed, "Aw Stark, we all know that you only get caught because your old bones creak whenever you take a step in that quiet meeting room."
"I think what they're both trying to say" Steve smiled widely "is that the two of you need to take responsibility for your actions, and I'm not gonna lie I'm a bit peeved about getting an earful from Fury as well."
Neither of you said anything but by the shit-eating grin you felt on your face, Natasha crouching into a fighting position, and the quick flash of fear on some of your friends' faces, you knew the two of you were a sight to behold.
Despite being on the younger side of the Avengers, you were pretty terrifying, with your SHIELD training from the get-go, being a natural at combat and surviving from your time on the streets, cunning mind despite the stupid jokes you would crack from time to time, and the super soldier serum just topped it all off.
No one would admit it, but if you didn't crack so many jokes and slack as often as you did in training, you would give Natasha a run for her money as SHIELD's most terrifying agent.
"You guys have no idea how long I have been waiting for this standoff" you cracked your knuckles "I have some tricks I've been wanting to try on all of you".
Natasha laughed before giving you a look "Ease up tiger, can't give up all your tricks at once".
"I've got your six" you rolled your eyes at the ridiculous army term you picked up from Steve and Buck, signaling you knew what she had planned.
You knew that Natasha's look meant that you were both going to focus on the defensive and letting everyone wear themselves out so you could both escape, or get them fighting amongst themselves and then escaping.
Whichever came first.
Surprisingly, your friends only lasted a solid ten minutes against you and Natasha, still tired from their mission and the meeting, their movements were slowed and not as strong as usual. Compared to you and Natasha, still hyped up on adrenaline with the fight (and escape) from Maria, they didn't stand a chance.
They all rushed at once and with a quick sidestep, you and Natasha avoided their attacks and focused on gradually getting closer to the end of the hallway they were blocking, knowing they would give up once you were out of the hall (when the Avengers are tired, if it's out of sight, it's out of their hands, Tony made the rule when after a mission they ordered pizza and refused to get up and pick it up from the lobby, forcing whoever was closest to grab it, in a tired haze, everyone accepted it as a new rule).
After a few more rushes by your friends, you noticed they were breathing heavily and with a quick look to Natasha, you both decided one final move was needed and you were both free.
She passed you the other end of her Widow's Line, and you both quickly rushed your friends while they were grouped together, tying their legs together and throwing up a peace sign as you ran towards the exit with Natasha at your side, "maybe next time buds! Catch ya later!"
You both laughed at their groans as Steve tried to lunge for you but made the group fall over, making your escape so much sweeter seeing your friends all in a sweaty dogpile.
Feeling the cool breeze against your face, you slung your arm around Natasha and smiled, "Now that we've made a truly historic escape, what shall we do? Want to go for a walk around town? Go back to one of my safehouses and change out of our suits? Eat some junk food? Watch Netflix or Hulu? Play games?"
"I can't believe you actually suggested going for a walk after all that fighting and running, did you get a stronger dose of that stupid super serum?" Natasha laughed and wrapped her own free arm around your waist, "Which safehouse? Is it that one by that little Gelato spot? Or the one near your favorite taco spot?"
"One just outside the city, my favorite one if I say so myself" you hopped on the bike you called from the remote on your suit and handed her your helmet "safety first Agent Romanoff, I can zip us through city traffic and be there in 20 minutes, or we can do the scenic route".
"There's a scenic route? To get to some house outside the city?" Natasha already pulled on the helmet, but you could tell she rolled her eyes.
You could only laugh, and start the engine "I have my ways".
Truth be told there wasn't a real scenic route to the safehouse, driving just calmed you down and you knew Natasha liked coming along for rides, so you took the longer, less busy roads to draw out the ride and enjoy the touch of Natasha's arms around you.
After a calm hour of driving around, you pulled into your driveway and tapped on Natasha's arms to wake her up (ten minutes in you felt her arms slacken slightly around you so you drove slower).
Within a few seconds, she woke up and took off your helmet, smiling and still semi-groggy, her usually perfect hair sticking up in a few places, taking note of the now setting sun. "The scenic route? How long did that take?"
"Yeah, scenic route and about ten minutes in when you fell asleep" You laughed at her shock "Oh wait did you mean the drive? I had to slow down a bit after I realized you knocked out, but it still took us around an hour or so".
"You could've woken me up" She rolled her eyes and followed you to the door of the safehouse "So now I'm finally going to see your favorite safehouse after all these years of knowing you, I don't know if I should be nervous or happy".
"I think both would be good" You shrugged, unlocking the door and kicking your boots off "it's not that different than the other ones in my opinion".
Natasha leaned against the wall to take off her boots and set them beside yours before following you further into the home "If it means anything, I think this place is pretty cute, but my favorite of yours is still the one right by the small family cafe".
You rolled your eyes and led her to the master bedroom, aka the only bedroom that had spare clothes for both of you, holding the door open for her with a smile. "And here we have the one bedroom with all the spare clothes we need and closet space to put away our costumes".
After pulling on leggings and an oversized sweater you probably stole from Thor's closet, you returned to the closet to hang up your suit next to Natasha's, seeing her not waste any more time to strip off the suit and pull on shorts, one of your shirts, and a pair of your fluffy socks.
By the time you finished hanging up your suit and putting aside everything else you had on you when you left SHIELD, you went downstairs and found Natasha raiding your fridge with a popsicle already in her mouth, "(Y/N) how do you have such a well-stocked fridge here, how often do you come here?"
"You know I just came back from that six-month mission right?" You leaned against the counter and laughed, "but to answer your question, I get groceries delivered by a close friend of mine if I give them a heads up that I wanna hang out here for a while".
"And they just do it?"
"Yeah, I let them hang out here whenever I'm away since they got a job in the city and do not want to deal with the ridiculous New York rent" you shrugged and grabbed the boxes of ice cream, the cookies, and spoons Natasha had in her hands, leaving her with the cake she grabbed and made your way to the couch to browse Netflix.
After a few minutes of bickering and scrolling through the menus, you both agreed on watching the Office from the beginning, settling into the couch and stuffing your faces with the junk food you carried over. The two of you getting through ten episodes of the show and both boxes of ice cream before falling asleep in each other's arms.
It was undeniable that the two of you were always close.
When Natasha first joined the agency, she thought you were just another SHIELD agent too cocky for your own good, but there was something about you. She would argue that it was just your combat abilities and being able to match up with her when you both first sparred, but you would argue it was your charming smile, puns, and your offer to give her a tour of the facility and the city. You made it your own mission to make the newest member of the team smile, even if Clint warned you she could subdue you in seconds, and that she was a literal assassin.
Ever since Peggy picked you up and taught you all she knew, you wanted nothing more but to make sure your new family was safe and happy for as long as you lived. After a life on the streets, she gave you something worth protecting and living for. And something in Natasha just made you want to do that except a hundred thousand times more than the usual amount.
To be fair, you did give Natasha some special treatment, snuck her snacks and random gifts whenever you could sneak off from the compound they stuck all the Avengers in at first, but you did the same when Buck started to live in the compound and the twins, just not to the same extent. SHIELD might've paid the bills but to get two twins and a super soldier all fed and at home, like you did with Natasha broke the bank.
After that afternoon, fighting your friends and Maria Hill just to play hooky, and running off to one of the many safehouses you kept a secret from the others to cuddle on the couch eating junk food and watching the Office...
You couldn't deny your feelings anymore.
The two of you were like two halves of a whole as cheesy as it was to admit it.
The unspoken words you two shared, the glances, smirks, and goofy faces during meetings when you got bored of listening to Fury go off on a tangent...it was all the little things that kept piling up until you realized just how much she meant to you.
No matter what happened to the world or SHIELD, you were each other's touchstones amongst the nonsense that came with your lives.
And you wanted her to know that for a fact.
After everyone was moved into the new Avengers Compound (complete with stronger infrastructure, more rooms, and a durable training room), you racked your brain thinking of ways to try and ask Natasha to officially be your girlfriend.
As much as you wanted to get help and let at least some of your friends know, you know it would slip out on accident knowing them, so you decided to go through this mission solo.
Over the months following the grand escape to your safehouse, your plan slowly came to you, you overheard a few agents at SHIELD talking about a new show from the American Ballet Company opening soon and pulled some strings to get two tickets for the best seats in the house on opening day. After marking down the date on the calendar on your phone, you walked into Fury's office to ensure that you and Natasha were free from any duties and ran out once he gave you the clear to avoid any questions.
Happy that it was all coming together, you walked into the Avengers Compound with a huge grin on your face, excited to tell Natasha about the tickets.
Thor was the first one to notice you walk into the common area, having just flown in through the open balcony himself, "Ah, (Y/N)! I'm glad to see you've arrived just in time to meet my guests with everyone!" He beamed and quickly motioned behind him, his brother Loki and an unfamiliar woman beside him, "Everyone, you know my dear brother Loki and this is Brunnhilde! She's a Valkyrie!"
Everyone quickly introduced themselves to Valkyrie, who insisted on being called that rather than her actual name, and you rolled your eyes and laughed at how quickly everyone held back any jokes for fear of angering the warrior.
"Well, Loki, Val" you grinned as you settled against the couch arms next to Steve, "I hope you weren't looking for anything exciting here because it's pretty damn tame right now".
She quirked her eyebrow in response to the nickname, but didn't seem to care, mirroring your grin "Tame is maybe the best thing we could ask for right now".
"What calls for the visit?" Steve was still stiff at the sight of Loki standing beside Thor, ready to attack just in case Loki decided it was the perfect time for another trick.
"The Asgardians need a new home, my dear brother here thought Midgard would be the best place" Loki mumbled before snickering, "if you lot can deal with my brother, the rest of Asgard should be easy".
At that, you caught Loki's eyes and you both laughed at Thor's offended expression, "I just came from Headquarters, but I don't mind going back to help you three if you need it?"
"No need (Y/N)!" Thor slapped your shoulder and had a smile on his face again, "Lady Hill was able to connect to our communications on the ship and is already working to help our people settle into Earth! We also found Banner! He's helping the Asgardians with Miss Hill!"
You nodded along to his explanation with a smile, that probably explained why Fury was so fast to give you the day off with Natasha and let you escape so easily, he was saving his energy to deal with a whole horde of Asgardians, and a whole other set of paperwork now that Bruce was back.
"Then I guess we should celebrate?" Tony straightened up in his seat, excited for any excuse to dust off the Asgardian liquor to see all the super soldiers actually affected by alcohol.
"You took the words right out of my mouth" Valkyrie grinned and you looked to see her eyes still trained on you.
Soon after, Tony quickly enlisted your help to carry the boxes of liquor (Asgardian and Midgardian alike) from the basement back to the 10th floor where everyone was waiting, already getting Pietro to run to Little Caesar's and the local Chinese restaurant to grab all the takeout they ordered.
Once in the elevator (Pietro took the stairs because it's faster for him), Tony wiggled his eyebrows at you and laughed, "So Valkyrie huh?"
"Yeah that's the name of Thor and Loki's new friend" You rolled your eyes and waited for him to continue.
"I can't speak for everyone else, BUT I think I was seeing some sparks".
"Are you sure that's not just because you were up all night working on suit upgrades?" you laughed at his ridiculous comment, "besides, I'm not interested".
Before he could egg you on more, you reached the basement and quickly grabbed an empty crate and filled it with as much liquor of all kinds could fit, watching him quickly search for a specific bottle on the racks. "You remember what that Asgardian drink was that made Steve blackout and sing all those patriotic and bubblegum pop songs?"
"You mean the mead?"
"Yup, okay here it is", after hearing the name Tony quickly found the bottle and walked back to the elevator, leaving you to carry the crate by yourself, "hey what's the point of that super soldier serum if you're not gonna make the most out of it".
You tried to kick him, but he easily avoided it since the crate slowed your movements and you really didn't want to drop and accidentally break the bottles.
By the time you and Tony returned to the common area, everyone was spread out wherever there was a free seat, eating and talking. Setting down the alcohol on the counter, you and Tony both grabbed a piece of Hawaiian pizza (much to the disgust of most of your friends) and cheered with the slices, quickly pulling out your phone to send a message to Hill, 'Celebrating return of Asgard friends and Bruce, come back with him and join our nonsense?'
In seconds your phone buzzed in response, 'no doubt,, seeing Steve drunk on Asgard alcohol?? priceless, be there at 8 latest'
Satisfied that all your friends were together again, you put your phone away and settled into the couch, squished in between Natasha and Wanda, forcing them to watch you eat your "hellspawn pizza" as they called it.
Sure you came back to tell Natasha about the ballet show, but there was still enough time before the day, and for the first time in a long while you were all together. You couldn't be happier.
The night passed as peacefully as a building full of drunk superheroes could, luckily the only loss of the night were the two toasters Bucky and Tony broke doing who knows what (you take your eyes off of those two for one minute and all hell breaks loose). Thankfully, the rest of the furniture in the common area was reinforced to stand up to the force of all of you, after the first time the Asgardian drinks were taken out and every piece of furniture was in pieces within the first hour, leaving the room furniture-less for a week.
Rather than drinking the Asgardian drinks with the others with an inhuman alcohol tolerance, you opted for a regular cider from Earth so you could keep an eye on all your friends and make sure there wasn't a repeat incident of someone trying to use Clint's bow to shoot another, or Thor leaving his hammer on top of someone (trapping them until he picked it up to move it).
When it hit 2 in the morning, you made sure everyone fell asleep in their own beds and made your way to your own room for a few hours of shuteye before your body woke itself up at its usual 7 a.m. to get some light exercise in.
No matter how much you wanted to sleep in, you knew you couldn't stop your body from dragging itself out of bed to change into workout clothes and head to the training room. Peggy's work ethic was too deeply instilled in you for you to stop following it, even if she wasn't there to watch you train anymore.
After doing some yoga stretches, you laid on your back and took in the feeling of the morning sun on your skin, a surreal peace washing over you in the quiet, probably hungover tower, when the sound of the doors of the training room made you turn around, smiling at a groggy Natasha wearing sunglasses.
"I get that the training room gets a lot of natural light but is it really that bad? It's only 9 in the morning" You laughed as she settled into a spot beside you and groaned.
"I get that you're a super soldier and all but seriously? How are you not dying right now?" Natasha motioned for you to help her stretch and you did so.
"All I drank last night was a cider I nursed for most of the night, I had to make sure no one died or got fatally injured again" You both laughed at the memory of the first time Bucky had the Asgardian mead he accidentally shot Steve with one of Clint's arrows. "I also drove home Maria and gave her dogs' new food and water in case she didn't wake up in time to feed them".
"Our super soldier in shining kevlar" She groaned as she stretched her arms, "I swear one day the tides will be turned and you'll be doing something stupid, and no one will let you live it down".
"I guess, but I'm definitely enjoying my perfect streak right now", you stood up and helped Natasha stand, "I think I'm gonna make some breakfast, want anything?"
"If you make pancakes and eggs and all the other works with coffee, I'll owe you the world" her stomach growled thinking about the food, "I'll come up after I kick my ass into doing a small workout".
The tickets flashed into your head and you smiled, "Instead of the world, how about a date to the new show by the American Ballet Company? I got lucky and I now have two tickets, the best seats in the house according to my friend".
As hungover as she was, Natasha immediately brightened and she looked at you in shock, "You mean Swan Lake? I've been waiting for tickets to that since they first announced it, (Y/N) of course I would, there's no doubt about it".
You mirrored her smile and gave her a quick hug, before walking towards the elevator, "Guess I'll see you over breakfast and tell you the details later? Don't kill yourself training"
"I'll try" her laugh echoed through the room and followed you into the elevator, once the doors were closed you felt the heat of your cheeks and jumped in happiness, making sure to wipe any trace of the date from your face just in case someone was already up in the common area.
By the time you walked out of the elevator, you heard someone rummaging through the fridge for anything to eat, turning the corner, you found Brunnhilde, "Figured you would be the last person to wake up with everything you drank last night, how are you holding up?"
She would later deny that she flinched at voice (Valkyries don't get scared by little things like that obviously), but she settled on a slice of cake and sat at the dining table to watch you, "That's my usual, drink until I knock out and wake up at the crack of dawn, it's a curse".
"Don't worry same here, how about I make you some actual breakfast too?" You shot her a smile and quickly grabbed everything you need for your 'Hungover Avengers Special'.
"You?" She let out a small scoff, "From what I remember all you had was that small bottle of Midgard beer".
"I meant before" you quickly had bowls with scrambled eggs and pancake mixture ready to be made, with all sorts of meat, and fruit ready to be cut up, "when I was a teen, I uh...spent most of my nights drinking until I passed out and woke up the next morning 6 a.m. on the dot to head to training".
"And now?"
"Now I just don't really care for drinking, especially since the only thing that can get me buzzed is Asgardian stuff, and don't be mad, but it's way too sweet for me" you laughed as you got started on the first stack of pancakes, and coffee brewing.
"Respect I guess" you turned to see her nodding and making her way over to you to steal some of the fruit you already cut, "so what's your deal?"
"You gotta be more specific" after flipping the pancakes you started on the bacon and sausages in another pan, "deal about what?"
"Don't be mad" you shook your head and laughed when she copied your phrasing, "but what's your deal with you know, your whole deal".
"So you want my life story?" you turned and gave her a plate with a short stack of pancakes to get her started, "here, arguably one of Earth's best breakfast foods, cover it in that syrup and help yourself to any of the bacon and sausages".
Her stomach growled at the smell of pancakes and she took it happily before nodding, "That or all the important bits, I just need a better read on you".
You laughed again and decided to tell her about what you thought were important details about your life leading up to your position in the Avengers as you continued to cook and cover the counter with enough food to feed a small army.
"What about you and those agents, Hill and Romanoff? The intimidating ones?" Valkyrie stabbed more pancakes onto her plate before stuffing her face again.
You took a seat beside her at the counter and took a sip of your coffee, "Hill and Romanoff are some of my best friends? Hill is more like an older sister though, even though I'm the one usually taking care of her when we drink".
"And Romanoff?"
"An irreplaceable friend" You offered, but you looked over and saw she wasn't buying it.
"So that means you-" One more look, and you knew she already 'knew your deal' with Natasha, but you trusted her to not say anything when the elevator opened and you heard Natasha jog into the kitchen.
"If a hangover means I get to eat this every morning I would drink every night" Natasha slipped an arm around your waist and started to put food onto your empty plate for herself, "Valkyrie right? Surprised you're alive and kicking this early".
"Nat you know it's already like 10:30? What happened to a quick workout?" you felt a smile on your face and hoped Valkyrie wouldn't mention anything embarrassing this early in the morning.
"I rose from the dead thanks to all this food" Valkyrie raised her mug of coffee against your own and did a small cheer before giving you a knowing nod, "but now that I'm all fed and not so dead, I think I'm gonna go back and take a nap".
"If you're not up before 2 be prepared to have Tony or someone else waking you up for more food" you warned, "I don't think you want to have to deal with fighting anyone on your first week here after all".
She rolled her eyes and gave you both a quick two-finger salute before strolling back down the hall to the guest room she slept in after drinking last night, leaving you and Natasha in a comfortable silence as the latter slowly ate her way out of her hangover, one arm still around your waist as she ate.
After a few more minutes in silence, Natasha gave a once over at the counter and spoke, "I'm surprised there's no toast, what happened?"
"Last night Tony and Buck broke the toasters again"
"Those machines are so faulty do you think we can return them to SHIELD?" Natasha groaned and you both laughed.
"I think they're both well past their return period, we're stuck with them".
At that, everyone piled into the kitchen, the smell of the cooked food and fresh coffee finally pulling them from their slumber, Tony was the first one to cheer, "(Y/N/N)! My favorite Avenger, I love you!"
"Yeah, yeah Tony, keep it in your pants for Pepper", you shooed him away and as he tried to give you a forehead kiss in thanks, Natasha passed her empty plate for Steve to use and whisked you away to the couch to watch more Netflix. "Wow, my shining agent in workout clothes", you laughed at Tony's heartbroken expression and leaned into her side on the couch.
The rest of the day passed without much drama, everyone decided to take it easy and skip on training to recover from the night before, Tony and Thor tried to wake up Valkyrie right when the clock hit 2, but they were quickly thrown out of the room with matching black eyes, even though you warned them as well. After taking showers, everyone settled into the common area again, content with watching the Office (or too lazy to steal the remote from Natasha), as you whispered her the details of the tickets and night you had set aside for the two of you.
When the day finally came for your date, you spent most of the day getting ready and trying on different outfits, almost losing your mind until Valkyrie let themselves into your room to see what all the noise was about.
Valkyrie wasn't surprised to see you freaking out, after your morning conversation she assumed the only reason you would be freaking out as much as you were was that you had a date with Natasha, "if you're freaking out over what to wear for your date you look fine in what you're wearing now".
"Just fine?", you started pacing around your room, "I can't look "just fine" tonight, I gotta dress to impress".
"I don't see why you're acting like this? I mean you two already know each other and are close friends", she rolled her eyes before grabbing your arm to stop pacing, "just take a deep breath and relax, also because I walked in on her changing too and this outfit matches hers".
You took a seat on your bed beside Valkyrie and groaned, "do I even want to know why you walked in on her changing?"
"I thought she was dying or something okay" she laughed and slapped your shoulder, "now hurry up and get the girl before everyone comes back and sees the two of you leave together".
At the thought (or fear) of being caught by your friends leaving on a date, you quickly straightened yourself out and finished getting ready, sending a text to Natasha to meet you out front after you took one of Tony's cars.
"I owe you one Val" you flashed a smile at the girl still sitting on your bed when she scoffed at the nickname.
"You're lucky I'm even letting you call me that, now hurry up and get your girl", even though her tone was annoyed, Valkyrie had a smile on her face as she walked out of your room (she was definitely a fan of the nickname).
Spending time with Natasha, time always seems to fly by. Even though you had the best seats in the house for the show, your eyes were glued to her, her smile, her laugh when she caught you staring, her shining eyes watching the performance, it all left you breathless.
You swear you could spend the rest of your lives together if she let you.
After the show ended, she linked her arm with yours and you both walked around the city, taking in the lights and the nightlife that was now going full force, content at the moment with each other.
The two of you walked around for an hour talking and enjoying each others' company when your stomach grumbled (in all your nervousness you didn't realize you forgot to eat), at the noise, you hid your face in your hands when Natasha laughed and just pulled you closer, "since I know you're hungry too, want to walk to that shawarma place we went to with everyone? I think it's around the corner".
"The shawarma place you all went to after saving New York?", at that, you picked your head up and laughed, "what a perfect ending to this date huh? We've gone full circle".
You smiled as you remembered the first "official" date you had with Natasha, the unforgettable night was still clear as day in your mind as if it was just yesterday, even if it was two years ago. After that date, the two of you starting dating in secret to avoid teasing from your friends and from dealing with Fury and Maria, and the mountains of paperwork you would probably have to fill out. Thanks to both of your skills, you hid the fact that you were dating for a solid year and a half before everyone found out at once (you both praised the gods that there was surprisingly no paperwork).
Thinking about all the nonsense that followed your first date and keeping everything a secret made you laugh as an annoying stream of notifications on your phone signaled that the group chat you shared with your friends was active. You quickly skimmed over the messages and shot up at the latest text and turned to Natasha.
"Hey Nat, you wanna grab lunch with Clint and everyone else later?" You finally looked up from your phone and pecked the said girl on the cheek, holding your phone and the "✨Hooligans✨" group chat open for her, "Sam says it's a must, apparently your best friend is bringing a special someone".
(The ✨Hooligans✨ were made up of you, Sam, Clint, Tony, and Bucky to keep score of the never-ending prank war in the Tower. And occasionally to team up to prank all the other Avengers, or force others to help with the chores they were given as punishment.)
Natasha immediately dropped her book onto her chest and looked at the messages sent by Clint and Sam, "Oh my god?? Is our old man finally growing up?"
You could only laugh and push her off the couch with you so you could both get ready, "C'mon let's go get ready, it sounds like Tony bought out a whole diner for tonight".
After reaching your shared bedroom, you heard the soft thud of something hitting the bed and looked over to see Natasha laying down with her head in hands. Without skipping a beat, you straddled her and moved her hands so you could cover her face in soft kisses, "I know you're shocked and all, but we really gotta get going Nat, do you want help picking an outfit? Or will you start moving once I start undressing?"
You pulled away with a grin and got off her lap, returning to the closet to change into a nicer shirt and bomber jacket, laughing when you saw her pouting as she stripped from her shorts and the shirt she stole from you, "You're not fair you know that?"
"I don't know what you mean" you settled back onto the bed to watch her get ready, slipping into black jeans and a crop top to match.
"You're such a tease" She rolled her eyes and pulled you up from the bed.
Linking your arms, you laughed at the statement, "I'm not a tease just because you would rather stay home and make out like hormonal teens instead of meeting our friend's special someone".
After another quick "hormonal teen" makeout session, and an even faster bike ride to the diner, the couple arrived and was welcomed by a round of applause and random cheers and jokes from their friends, "The lovebirds have left their nest! We thought you both got lost for a bit! C'mon Buck I'm sure the only thing they got lost in were each others' paNTS!"
With another laugh, you flipped off Bucky and Sam before taking the empty seats by Wanda and Vision, "Wow I love my fans".
"And how are the two of you?" Steve smiled after taking a sip of his coffee, "Tony wasn't the best person to share the news by the way".
Natasha laughed, but you felt your cheeks burn with embarrassment, "Okay to be fair, I didn't plan on revealing it like that...how was I supposed to know that super soldier juice and the anesthesia used during wisdom teeth operations make me loopier than a normal person".
Tony took the chance to recall your bold speech after your surgery, "Screw the Civil War you guys had over the Accords, I would fight all of you in an instant for Natasha... and WIN!" His voice cracking as he remembered how you kept going on and on about how pretty she is, and how lucky you are to have her, and "Tony I have never loved anyone so much in my life oh my god, sometimes during training I let her pin me because she's so hot above me, all sweaty and out of breath after sparring".
"TONY" You threw some of Wanda's fries at him and made a mental note to make Tony the victim of all your pranks for as long as you lived.
Everyone laughed at the exchange and Tony gave a cheeky grin, "I only speak the truth".
Natasha shrugged and went back to Steve's original question, "No one asked, and we noticed how you were all trying to get the two of us together so we just waited to see how long it took for everyone to find out".
You nodded along, "honestly if it wasn't for that dumb wisdom tooth, I would've won the bet probably".
"You guys bet on us finding out about you?" Tony groaned, "We had a bet on when you would start dating".
You shared an amused look with Natasha before continuing, "And? Did anyone win?"
At that, everyone at the table seemed to groan and answer in unison, "Bruce".
"No one believed me when I said that you were already dating" Bruce smiled and took a sip of his coffee, "it's the way they acted with each other, I said, but nope, no one else joined my side".
"Was this before or after you caught us leaving the supply closet?" You quirked up an eyebrow and grinned when he choked on his drink.
"(Y/N) what? I would never..." Bruce scratched the back of his head, "okay yeah, it was after but hey, technically I'm not wrong, that's still the way you act".
The rest of the Avengers looked scandalized at the new information, Bruce, who already knew about you and Natasha, was now chore-free, food picker-upper free, and in charge of any movie selections for the next three months.
"Bruce is arguably the smartest one out of all of us I'm surprised not a single one of you joined his bet" You and Natasha laughed when the sound of the door opening showed Clint walking in with a woman following behind him.
"Everyone, this is Laura" Clint quickly motioned to her before holding her hand and sitting down beside you and Natasha, leaving no room for questions, so you all introduced yourselves to the newest addition to the ragtag group.
After the last introduction, Thor began recounting his latest adventures in Asgard for Laura, eager to teach another human about his beloved home, so you (and the other members of the ✨Hooligans✨ at least) zoned out, focusing on your food before you got caught up in another conversation and forgot to eat.
You were the first to come back to reality after Thor's story and urged Clint and Laura to come clean with their whole love story, totally not setting up a joke you hoped the rest of your group of pranksters would catch onto, “Clint, what’s the matter? You look a little red”
“Maybe he’s got that virus that’s been going around recently” Sam caught your eye and snickered.
Steve looked shocked “There’s a virus going around? In August? What is it?”
In unison, the rest of the Hooligans screamed “THE LOVEBUG! CLINT AND LAURA SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
The room was silent for a few seconds before Laura spoke up with a grin on her face, “I’m pretty sure we haven’t sat in a tree and kissed yet…but we did kiss”
The small comment from Laura was enough for everyone to burst into tears and laughter, but Clint would have none of it, immediately hitting you over the head, before returning to his own food.
“I work with literal grade schoolers” Clint huffed, but he had a small smile on his face, interlocking his fingers with Laura under the table.
After Clint hit you, the whole table was laughing at your luck and bad joke setup, everyone taking a few minutes to actually eat their food.
In between mouthfuls of his burger, Bucky started to bring up their last conversation, "What were we even talking about before Clint came in? Something embarrassing with (Y/N/N) right?"
"You mean how (Y/N) let us get scammed by Bruce and bet on us basically betting on them?" Sam rolled his eyes when he saw Bruce grin.
You quickly filled in Clint and Laura about the short conversation before they walked in before continuing, "the whole betting aside, I think the reason we didn't reach out to you all was that we were afraid of getting scolded by Fury and Maria, at least, that's what it was for me. I don't know about all of you, but I am NOT getting the shovel talk from those two, I get yelled at enough by them".
Wanda laughed (she was with you the most recent time you were scolded) and Vision began to explain, "You don't have to worry about those two, in fact, I'm sure they were in on the bet. They offered a week of vacation to the winner if it wasn't announced that you and Agent Romanoff were a couple by April".
"You're telling me Bruce basically got a free vacation because he saw us after making out" your uncharacteristically monotone voice made everyone spit out their food in laughter, "Where's Nat's and my vacation? I think we've made out enough to get our own vacation because of our own relationship??"
Rather than returning to the Compound with all your friends, you and Natasha returned to your safehouse by the family cafe Natasha loved, you hated to admit it, but with her here in your arms, this one had quickly become your second favorite. Soon after you started dating, the home was filled with random gifts from each other and small souvenirs from missions and dates, making it much more homely than your rooms in the Compound or your favorite safehouse.
You both kicked off your shoes and most of your clothes and jumped into bed, talking and joking about what happened with your friends and pulling each other closer until you heard a soft snore from Natasha. The sound made you smile, and you pressed a kiss to her forehead before closing your own eyes, falling asleep to the sounds of the city and the woman who holds your heart captive.
The warmth of the morning sun filtering in through the window was enough to pull you from your sleep, separating your own tangled limbs as quietly as you could to escape the extra heat, watching Natasha's peaceful expression unconsciously pout as you pulled away from her.
"You're so beautiful" you smiled at the sleeping figure beside you and gave her a soft kiss, "how could someone like you to fall in love with me?"
At your touch, Natasha woke up and gave a sleepy chuckle, "by not kissing me while I'm sleeping you creep".
You scoffed, "Oh please, you know you loved my kiss and the morning breath that came with it".
“I never said I didn’t like it.” Natasha smiled and returned the favor to you before slinking out of bed “want pancakes for breakfast?”
“Are you gonna cook?” You sat up and grinned "The deadly Black Widow being domestic? Cooking little 'ol me a meal?"
Natasha winked as she pulled on one of your shirts, "It's the least I could do for waking me up so nicely".
You followed Natasha out of the bedroom and settled on the couch to watch her cook, no matter how many times you can watch her cook, you don't think you'll ever get tired of the site.
She made you feel at home and safe.
And you did the same for her.
You continued to watch her move around the kitchen from your spot on the couch, fingering the ring in your pocket, when the question slipped, “Let’s get married”.
Natasha turned to face you with a smirk on her face “I thought you wanted to wait until our boys stopped trying to rip each others' throats out every couple of years”.
“Mmn...I guess I remember, but also, listen, wouldn’t it be so romantic if we just eloped and stuff?” You grinned and batted your eyes at her.
“I guess so…” Natasha took her eyes off of you to turn off the stove and stack the final pancake onto the plate.
“So it that a yes?”
“Try proposing to me first and I’ll give you your answer.”
With that, you jumped off the couch and knelt down in front of her, pulling out the ring you kept in your pockets just in case the perfect moment came up, “Would you, Natasha Romanoff, marry me and be my forever girl?”
“I thought I was already your forever girl?” Natasha leaned down and kissed your lips lightly, “How long did you have that ring on you?”
“I just wanted to doublecheck you felt the same Nat, and also a few months I'm not even going to try and lie to you” You laughed and carried Natasha to the bedroom, any hunger and pancakes forgotten in the proposal, “We can all go to California tomorrow night”
“I thought this wasn’t planned?” Natasha quirked up an eyebrow and grinned.
You put a hand over your heart and faked a grimace, "you give me too little credit Agent Romanoff, I'm hurt, I have been planning our wedding and this proposal for months. Now pack for two weeks? I'll tell everyone the news, though I'm sure they're dying in anticipation".
"Overkill much?" Her laugh echoed through your private apartment and you laid back in your bed to watch her pack (and bother her).
"I'd say underkill" you laughed as she turned around and threw some shirts on you "my first plan was to take you out for some fancy dinner and take you out to see some sights before I popped the question, but the moment just seemed perfect".
Natasha leaned against the wall, "well after we finish packing we can still do that later? And get free dessert?"
You mimicked the smirk she had on her face, "you sneaky girl! If that's the case, I'm going to need that ring back so we can sell it".
"Oh don't worry darling, you and me? There's gonna be no doubt in the whole block". Natasha pushed herself off the wall to pull you into a hug, straddling your hips and peppering your face in kisses.
A week after the proposal, your close friends and family gathered for the small wedding you had planned with the help of the other Avengers before you proposed. Whenever you asked Natasha, all the preparations would already be done, making sure to use all her favorites and the other details she used to drop when you both had helped plan Tony and Pepper's wedding.
And as much planning and preparation were already done before the wedding, nothing could stop the both of you from being nervous about the ceremony. Anyone that attended laughed at the irony of SHIELD's most fearless and intimidating duo being so nervous at their own wedding.
"Does this look okay? Should I have gone with the other color? How should I do my hair? What if she says n-" You were pacing around the hotel room, your (h/c) hair up in a towel
Tony sighed before putting his arms on your shoulders and grinned, "Relax tiger, I had you pegged as one of the best dressed outside of the SHIELD uniform what happened? Or is Natasha secretly the real reason why you look so nice?"
"Shut up Tony, I'm just-" You could barely get those words in when you were interrupted by Pietro.
"Stark give (Y/L/N) a break, I'm sure any of us would be nervous if we were getting married to THE Natasha Romanoff" the younger man laughed as he walked in with snacks.
On the other side of the hotel, a completely different scene was playing, Natasha was getting her final makeup and hair touchups from Wanda, everyone laughing and dancing to cheesy pop music when Natasha spoke up with a smile, "How am I looking ladies?"
Maria tipped her wine glass in admiration and laughed "I think we can all agree that you're looking smoking, though a little red in the face even though you haven't been drinking like the rest of us"
Everyone laughed and Natasha turned to face the rest of the room "Shut up Hill, even an assassin like me gets nervous sometimes".
After Tony helped you finish dressing and shooed Pietro to go to his seat, the older man gave you a small smile, "You look great, just take a breath, you're about to start another amazing chapter in your life".
"Thanks, Tony, I mean it, I couldn't have done all this without you and everyone else" You gave him a quick hug, after getting picked up by SHIELD, Tony took a liking to you like you were his own (maybe his godmother Peggy had a slight influence, but you didn't care, you loved him and all his antics).
When the two of you arrived at the altar everyone whistled at you and shouted compliments to try and ease some of your anxiety.
"I'll meet you guys back here, I'm gonna check on Natasha and the rest of the gals" Clint shot you a smile before jogging back to the hotel and knocking on their door.
Laura opened the door, "Hey hun, what's up? We're basically done getting ready".
"Just wanted to drop by, and see how everyone was doing, and to tell you that they're all ready now. How's Nat?" Clint asked, planting a kiss on his wife's cheek.
"Barton I've never felt this nervous in my life, how could you do this to me!" Natasha noticed Clint in the doorway and threw a pillow at him before he caught it.
He chuckled, "that's perfect because your spouse-to-be might just piss themselves. Who would've thought that the two of you, SHIELD's 'most dangerous duo' are freaking out at your own wedding".
The private section of the beach was calm with a low tide, the guests quietly talking amongst themselves while you were pacing more circles into the sand, surrounded by the Avengers laughing at your nervousness again.
You didn't notice Clint walk up to the altar until you overheard him laughing at his phone with new pictures and videos to blackmail you later on. You really wanted to delete the evidence of your nervousness, but you remembered he stopped by to check on Natasha and the others and began to bombard him with questions, “How is she? Does she look amazing? How long until they’re here?”
He held back the urge to ruffle your hair and huffed, “Just get into your position you dweeb, she’s coming right now, they’re all absolutely stunning, and you're the same kid, take a deep breath”.
As the music began to play, you closed your eyes and took deep breaths, the time was finally here, you were finally going to marry the woman of your dreams.
When you opened your eyes, they immediately fell onto the most important woman you've known, looking like a goddess in her white gown, her veil falling just short of her mouth so you could see her shy smile.
On your side, you heard at least Tony and Steve laughing at the sight of you, wearing the biggest grin anyone has ever seen on your face with tears threatening to fall.
Natasha grabbed your hands the moment she reached the small altar with an expression mirroring your own, nothing could tear you apart now, you were all stronger together, but with her, god you're invincible
"Natalia Alianovna Romanoff, I'd choose you in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any and all versions of reality, I swear I'd find you and choose you" you wrapped your arms around the smaller assassin and swung her around before peppering kisses on her face, "thank you for loving this faulty machine".
Natasha held your face in her hands and gave you a smile, "If you think you're faulty, then I'm the same, and that's okay because we live in this perfect, imperfect world full of strange and wonderful things. You're the most amazing person I know, I love you, so much. You make my heart full".