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"I'm not gonna spend 20 days trapped on a giant ship with you all!" Natasha held her ground.
"Hey!" Clint said, clearly offended.
"Come on, it's gonna be fun!,“ argued Tony, „besides, we deserve a vacation.“
"Mission first Tony, then vacation." Steve chipped in.
"Yeah, yeah."
"I like a good party," Thor said after a moment of silence and Clint just nodded in agreement, not even daring to look at Natasha.
„Okay, we should vote,“ Steve decided, „who wants to do this mission and have a vacation in one go?“
Most of the Avengers raised their hands. Except for Natasha.
"Cruise around the Caribbean it is!" shouted Tony with excitement.
Natasha groaned and left the room. She really didn’t want to go on this particular cruise. It had nothing to do with her Avenger family or the mission, even though they didn’t have to arrest the guy on a ship per say, they could take him out anywhere else. It was the location she had a problem with. The ship sailed mostly around Cuba, stopping in one of the ports there midway through the cruise. Natasha wasn’t in Cuba since 1995. She didn’t exactly have the best memories of the place.
It was your second time bartending on a cruise ship. You took this job few months ago because you felt like you were standing still. Your life was basically just a „job-home-sleep-repeat“ situation and you needed a change. Your friend, an owner of the bar you worked at before, suggested a cruise ship, saying it could be a nice change of scenery and pace and if you didn't like it, you could always come back. You agreed. And that‘s how you ended up here, dressed in an usual bartender attire, serving in a loud bar full of people on their vacation.
You were serving a customer at a bar, when you noticed her. A short woman with fiery hair that stood out in the dimly lit bar. She was dressed in simple black jeans and white shirt, both items of clothing fitting her like a glove and making you wonder if she was shaped by the gods.
She sat down on the furthest bar stool from you and looked at the printed drink menu that was laying on the counter. You felt like she was the type of customer that already knew what to order, but looked at the menu anyway. Maybe out of habit.
"What can I get you?" you asked once you got closer to her.
"Vodka, please," the redhead said, without the usual cheer in her voice that most people on cruise ships had. She put the menu down, but didn’t make eye contact with you.
"A shot of vodka coming right up."
You moved around the bar, poured the drink and went to put the shot in front of her, but her slouched posture and her head still facing down stopped you. This woman looked like her day wasn’t the best.
You grabbed a pen and a post-it note you had nearby when you needed to note something or leave reminders for your colleagues and lazily drew a smiley face on the back of it. You then stuck the note to the bottom of her glass. ‚Hope this won‘t make her mad,‘ you thought to yourself and put the shot in front of her before you had a chance to change your mind. Then you were off to serve the next customer that just came in.
The woman uttered a thank you, not even noticing you were gone already.
You glanced at the redhead, while mixing up a drink for the other person, trying to see if she noticed the smiley face, hoping you didn’t make things worse.
The redhead was already looking at you with a tiny smile on her lips. The glass must have made the smiley face you drew a bit bigger and a lot wonkier, but it seemed like it still served its purpose. You smiled back with relief before a sense of familiarity washed over you. You’ve seen this woman before. But you shook the feeling away.
"Another one?" you asked loudly so she would hear you over the music, since you were still few meters away.
"Yeah."
You poured her a second shot and went back to the woman and slid the glass in front of her.
"No message this time?" the mysterious woman asked playfully, her raspy voice surprising you.
You blushed and tried to come up with a sufficient answer but all that came out was "Sorry, fresh out of smiley faces." You mentally facepalmed yourself once you finished the sentence, immediately feeling awkward.
The redhead just grinned back and the awkward feeling was gone.
"Do you want anything else?" you asked, trying to forget your previous statement and move the conversation further.
"Well," the redhead said before downing her vodka, "I could use another shot."
"Okay," you nodded and went to grab the vodka bottle, if she wanted to drink some more. It would certainly save you the steps.
You were back in front of the woman in no time, refilling her glass when she spoke.
"So, is there anything interesting on the cruise itinerary?“
Your confusion must have been written all over your face, since she continued almost immediately.
„My friends dragged me here and I didn’t really research much about what this ship offers.“
„I see, well…“
You told her there‘s an event in a casino two days from now, a famous singer having a show and then some usual ‚Las Vegas‘ type of fun, most of the events situated on the same deck. Next you told her about the library, gym, and other facilities the ship offered. Then you remembered the dance that was scheduled ten days from today.
"A Goodbye dance?" she asked, curious.
"It‘s called a Goodbye dance," you leaned on the countertop mid-speech, "because some people get off the ship in the port we stop in halfway through the cruise and continue their vacation there.“ you explained. "Oh and everybody dresses up fancy, a proper black tie event," you laughed out.
She thanked you, but when you wanted to ask something else, a customer called for you. You stood up and excused yourself.
She was gone the next time you looked in her direction, which left you feeling a bit disappointed. You went to clean the spot after her and found the post-it note from before. This time it was on top of the glass and had a brand new smiley face on it.
You smiled to yourself and continued your shift.
You saw her again the next day.
You were just starting your shift at the bar when you saw a familiar redhead coming your way. You couldn't help but smile at the sight of her, "Already back for more?"
"You know it," the redhead said, sitting on the same spot as the day before.
"Martini, shaken not stirred?" you joked, remembering how you used to say this line to the regulars at your friend’s bar.
You saw her hesitate for a moment, as if she was assessing a threat, before she replied.
"You know what, why not," she replied.
"Wow, okay, didn't expect that." you said honestly.
"Well, I can surprise people when I feel like it,“ she stated with a teasing tone in her voice.
"I can see that," you muttered to yourself, starting to prepare the Martini. You went to serve another customer once you made it.
When she called you for another drink, you came with a vodka bottle at the ready.
"So, Martini again or yesterday's special?"
"Depends," she quirked her eyebrow, "can you drink on the job?"
"I shouldn't," you answered, surprised by her question, "but I don't mind breaking some rules. If you don't tell my boss, that is."
"My lips are sealed," the other woman said with a smirk.
As soon as those words left her mouth your eyes drifted to her lips, her plump and very soft looking lips. You caught yourself staring and brought your gaze back to her eyes.
"In that case," you reached for two clean glasses, putting them on the counter top, and poured a shot for the both of you, „cheers.“
"Cheers." Natasha said, her hand slowly lifting her glass.
You gently stopped her before she could drink the shot, "Can I get a name at least? Before I break the rules for you?"
The redhead glanced at the hand that was now resting atop of hers, her eyes tracing the lines of the tattoos that covered your arm. She looked up at you after a moment and said, "Natasha."
"Nice to meet you, Natasha. I’m Y/N," you smiled, taking your hand back. You could’ve swore you saw a hint of blush on her face, but you were probably imagining it.
"Cheers then."
You two raised the glasses and looked each other in the eyes for a moment before drinking the vodka shot.
You heard a call from a customer a minute later, so you just uttered ‚Be right back.‘ when the vodka stopped burning in your throat and went to do your job.
You felt Natasha's eyes on you as you danced behind the counter, pouring shots and mixing drinks, while occasionally chatting with the customers.
"So," you said as you got back, everyone at the bar served, "are you enjoying the cruise so far?“ you asked, immediately regretting it when you saw the joyful look slowly disappear from her face. Even with a simple question like this you accidentally struck a chord you didn’t want.
„Yeah, it’s okay.“ she answered mindlessly.
You so wanted to change the subject, make the smile appear on her face again, but you didn’t know what to say. It seemed like any topic could be off-limits. You finally got an idea when she interrupted you.
"Nice tattoo sleeve."
"Oh, thanks," you looked at your arm instinctively. Honestly, you were surprised she still wanted to make conversation. You figured she clearly didn't want to talk about herself right now, especially with a random bartender, so instead you poured another round for you two.
Natasha took her glass and gave you a wry smile. It seemed like she was grateful that you didn't ask her further questions. She downed her shot and excused herself for the night.
You felt like you just messed something up.
„So is this becoming a regular thing, or?,“ you asked as Natasha strolled in again one night, already putting her usual drink in front of her.
„Maybe. Tired of me already?“ she teased back.
„Never,“ you chuckled. It seemed like Natasha chose to ignore what happened last time and you went along with it.
You turned to check if you need to re-stock any alcohol and wrote it down in a notepad you had on a shelf under the bar. Natasha surprised you with a question when you appeared again.
"Hey. You're not drinking with me tonight?" she pointed out the lack of a shot glass on your side of the bar top.
"Well, since my shift practically just started, I feel like I should wait a few hours at least before I start drowning myself in alcohol," you explained and switched into a mock-serious tone, "I'm a professional after all."
"Point taken." she chuckled.
She was silent after that and you didn't want to start asking questions and hit a sore spot again, so you busied your hands by cleaning used glasses instead.
"So you said there's this Goodbye dance, right?" she started.
„Yeah.“
„You serve that night?“
You squinted your eyes, not really sure where she’s going with this question. „Yeah.“
„Shame.“
„Why?“ you asked, hopeful for something, anything, that would suggest that the reason she asked was because she wanted to see you. You were developing quite a crush on the redhead and wanted to get to know her better. If she was interested that is.
„I’m going with my friends. Just thought I might see you there.“
„I see.“ You wanted to mention you will serve at the dance that night, but she cut you off before you had the chance to do that.
„But to be honest,“ Natasha leaned in as if she was about to share some big secret, so you leaned in too, „I feel like I’d have much more fun here, with you, than at the dance.“
„Oh.“
The redhead was looking at you, smile on her lips and sparkle in her eyes. Your heart started beating a bit faster as the meaning of her statement hit you. You kept your gaze, but your brain was running hundred thoughts per minute.
‚She wants to spend time with me. Does that mean she likes me? Wow, she‘s so beautiful.‘ you thought, your eyes now mapping her face. Then the weird feeling from few days before hit you again. ‚Why does she look so familiar.‘
A very loud shout of ‚Hey, bartender!‘ brought you back to reality.
„Be right back,“ your voice faltered.
You served the client in record time, still managing to keep your professional decorum and came back. Natasha was just putting down the vodka bottle that was definitely behind the bar top when you went away.
„That’s called stealing, you know.“
„My friend calls it borrowing.“ Natasha said with innocence.
„Some friends you have.“
„Mhmm.“
„So,“ you started, feeling a bit bolder, „you’d rather spend time with me than your friends, huh.“
„That’s not what I said.“
You stared at her, silent.
„Ok, maybe it is what I said.“
You laughed at that.
„Oh, shut up.“
You two kept chatting after that, small talk changing to more interesting topics. The conversation was disturbed by your work from time to time, only to be continued as if nothing interrupted you in the first place when you returned to the redhead. She was easy to talk to and you really enjoyed her company.
„You asked last time if I enjoy the cruise so far.“ Natasha said after the two of you stopped laughing at a joke you said.
„Yeah about that, I’m sorry if-“
„It’s okay,“ she jumped in, „It’s just... I don’t have the best memories of Cuba.“
You saw a frown on Natasha’s forhead and noticed how she started to fidget more in her spot. She clearly wasn’t comfortable.
„Hey,“ you took her hand into yours, „you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.“
Natasha looked at your hand first, then gently squeezed it before facing you. A ‚thank you‘ was written in her eyes and you gave her a sincere smile.
„I do enjoy the bar tho.“ she joked after a moment.
„Drunk,“ you said jokingly, gently moving your thumb over her knuckles.
Few days later you noticed her coming in through the door to the bar once again. She was dressed in a tight black dress that hugged all her curves just right and it left you breathless. She was so attractive. She was also very much glued to a very sketchy looking man dressed in jeans and a blazer. Your heart sank at seeing them together.
‚That's for having a crush on a customer, you idiot,‘ you scolded yourself.
They were walking right towards you and you felt awkward for staring, so you quickly busied yourself with work, thankful for the two customers already sitting at the bar.
The couple sat down, not in Natasha's usual spot, and the man immediately started shouting his order at you.
You nodded, preparing a glass of whiskey and a Blue Hawaiian. ‚Odd choice,‘ you thought to yourself. Even though you didn't know the redhead well, you knew for sure this wasn't her taste.
,Or maybe you’re just being jealous.‘ your mind went on as you were preparing the drinks.
You served them and went back to the other people.
"Thanks, doll," shouted the man.
You rolled your eyes, but shot him a smile, since this was still your job. You caught a glimpse of the redhead in the process and stopped in your tracks. She seemed weirdly vigilant.
"Anything else?" you asked, the question clearly meant for Natasha.
"No-," and "All good." was said at once.
„You sure?“ you could’ve swore that Natasha shot you a ‚Go away‘ look after the question. ‚Well, that’s that,‘ you nodded and went back to your job.
You served them throughout the night, hearing bits and pieces from their conversation during their stay. It was mostly just flirt banter, but you also caught some odd stuff about the man's job, words like ‚glowing‘ and ‚alien‘ flying around. He also stated he will be ‚rich soon‘ and then mainly talked about a stick of some kind? You really hoped it wasn’t a sick and twisted metaphor for the guy’s junk.
What annoyed you the most though, was the fact that Natasha didn’t even acknowledge you during their entire stay. Not that she had to, it’s not like you were friends, right. But not even ‚Hi‘? That hurt.
They left together after a couple of drinks. You were in a bad mood for the rest of your shift.
The Goodbye dance was being held today. You couldn’t believe you were officially midway through the cruise. Time flew way quicker in your second sail.
You were supposed to serve at the dance instead of your bar tonight and so you had to „dress the part“ too. You had a simple black tailored suit for the occasion. It wasn‘t that different from your usual bartender uniform, but you prefered comfort over being wrapped in a dress.
You were on your way to the ballroom when you saw bunch of security guys running around the deck. They were more visible today, which was very unusual.
Bunch of suspiciously active security guys wasn’t your main concern though. Certain redhead still occupied your mind, even though the thoughts of her were tainted with the man she was with the last time you saw her. You shook your head to clear it from the unpleasant image and went to talk about tonight’s plans with the rest of your colleagues as you got to the ballroom.
Two hours later and the room was already in full swing. People were dancing, chatting and getting drunk in the process. The usual.
You were swerving through the crowd on the dance floor, offering drinks to people before the band plays their next set of songs.
„Tony, watch were you go-“ you heard right before someone bumped into you.
„Sorry!“ the man said, while you were busy balancing the – thankfully - mostly empty glasses on the tray.
„It’s okay, not my first rodeo,“ you said when you finally managed to get your balance in control, mentally patting yourself on the back as all glasses were intact.
Your smugness disappeared when you turned around to actually face the man who stumbled into you.
„Tony Stark?“
„In the flesh.“ the Avenger stated, immediately taking the last full glass from the tray.
„Hi,“ you offered him a smile that swiftly disappeared when you saw Natasha coming up from behind him.
In that moment a lightbulb definitely appeared above your head as all the pieces came together. Natasha was THE Natasha Romanoff. You were literally talking with an Avenger all those nights and didn’t even notice. ‚That’s why she looked so familiar. I am such an idiot.‘
„Hey there,“ you pulled yourself from your thoughts and went back to your professional mode, „sorry, but I’m afraid I only have used glasses here. I’ll be right back.“
„That’s fine, I dont‘ ne-„ Natasha started, but was abruptly cut off by Tony.
„You know her?“ he asked her.
„We’ve met,“ you answered for the redhead. You then looked at the other Avengers with a ‚I’m sorry, but I have to go get a new set of drinks, nice to meet you all,‘ and walked away.
Natasha found you at a bar a while later, you were just filling up the last glass.
„Hey.“
„Hi,“ you greeted the redhead back, giving her a quick glance before picking up the tray with the intention to go back to the dance floor. She had a green dress on tonight, it was very similar to her tight black ones
„Can we talk?“ she gently touched your free arm, trying to get your full attention.
You stopped in your tracks and finally looked at her properly. The expression on her face was soft and genuine, so you agreed and took her to a storage area behind the bar where it was quiet enough to talk without shouting.
„So?“
„I’m sorry.“
„Ok? For what?“
„The last time we saw each other… I should’ve said hello at least.“
„I mean it’s not like you owe it to me, I’m a bartender you literally met a week ago, not your BFF.“
You softened when you saw the hurt in Natasha’s eyes, your words came out a bit too harsh. „I’m sorry.“ you started, “what did you want to talk about?“ You genuinely wanted to know what’s going on.
„You remember the guy I was with?“ Natasha started.
An annoying sigh left your mouth. „Yep.“
„He’s an arms dealer, he’s a part of a crew that sells weapons, enhanced with alien tech, to other criminals. We had a good lead on him and the guys decided to catch him on a cruise ship. Not exactly the best idea, but he’s not that dangerous since he’s here alone and we need the intel he might have.“
„Wow,“ you said, stunned. „So you were interrogating him the other night?“
„Something like that, yeah.“
„Cool. I almost ruined an Avengers mission because I was jealous. Go me.“ You shook your head.
When you looked at Natasha next, she was smiling.
„Jealous, huh?“
„Whaaat,“ you panicked, „I said nervous! I was nervous because he looked sketchy!“
„Mhmm, sure.“
„Okay, fine,“ you gave up, „I like talking to you and… seeing you with him and not even getting a hello from you… It hurt.“
„I’m sorry.“
„No, that’s not. You have nothing to apologize for. You were literally doing your job, potentially saving a lot of people.“ you sighed out.
„Was that the reason the security guys were running everywhere today?,“ you asked then, „ Did you get him?“
„Yeah, we got him. And now the boys,“ she pointed towards the storage room door with her hand, clearly meaning the Avengers behind them, „insist we celebrate properly, since the job is done and our vacation just started.“
„I see.“ you smiled.
„Also I trust you to not tell anyone about this, ok?“
„Of course.“ you nodded.
„Okay.“
„Okay,“ you repeated after her.
You two were quiet for a moment after the conversation and you could hear the beat of the music through the door. You started playing with the rings on your fingers, something you did when you were nervous, pondering if you should ask Natasha for a dance. Or a drink. Something.
„Do you wanna-„
„Would you-“
You both spoke at once and giggled right after you realized.
„You first,“ Natasha then said.
„I was gonna ask if you would like to grab a drink.“
„I’d like to.“
„What did you want to say?“
„Let’s grab the drink and I’ll tell you after.“ She said with a smirk.
Oh how you wanted to kiss it off of her face. But instead you nodded your head, went through the door back to the loud party and poured two shots of vodka. Natasha spoke first after you drank it.
„Dance with me?“
You didn’t expect that at all, so you just nodded, adding a soft ‚Yeah‘ before a giant smile appeared on your face.
Natasha’s smile matched yours as she offered you a hand.
„Wait a minute,“ you said and quickly turned around, looking for a nearest colleague of yours. You found Billy behind the bar and explained him your situation, asking if he could cover for you. He looked at Natasha, back at you and gave you a thumb up. You thanked him, already on your way back to the redhead.
Natasha grabbed your hand once you reached her and lead you to the dance floor. The band played a set of slow songs right now and your nerves were starting to set in. Once Natasha found a place on the dance floor that she was satisfied with, she pulled you close, placing her free hand on your hip. You instinctively put yours on her shoulder.
„I don’t bite.“ She said out of nowhere.
„W-what?“ you stared at her face, not understanding.
„You are too far away,“ Natasha stated as she gently pulled you close to her.
A breathy ‚Oh‘ was all you could say, you were so, so close to the redhead.
„Hi,“ she whispered, slowly starting to sway into the music.
„Hey.“
You were stiff in the hold, as you danced, mostly thinking where your feet are going because you didn’t want to accidentally step on Natasha‘s toes. She must have sensed how stiff you were because she shifted her hand from your hip to the small of your back and started drawing small circles there. Your heartbeat went up, but you finally relaxed and actually started to enjoy the dancing. Something about Natasha being so close to you just put you at ease. One slow song changed to another and you kept dancing, the both of you clearly enjoying each other‘s comapny.
You slightly pulled apart at the next song change and rested your head on Natasha’s forehead, your eyes closing.
Your mind was full of Natasha. How nice it was to feel her body pressed to yours, how nice she smelled, how relaxed she made you feel. How gorgeous she looked in her dress.
„You’re beautiful,“ you blurted out, pulling apart just enough to properly face the redhead.
„Thank you,“ Natasha’s lips formed a small smirk, „you look really good in that suit.“
„Thanks.“ you chuckled.
There were two things you wanted to do next. You wanted to ask Natasha out and you really wanted to kiss her. You took all the courage you had in you and asked, „Would you like to go on a date with me? A dinner maybe?“
„I’d love to.“
„Yeah?“
„Yeah.“
You were so close to Natasha’s face that you saw her eyes sparkling. You smiled to yourself, happy that she agreed and rested your forehead against hers again. The room fell silent, even though the band was still playing.
Natasha gently nudged your nose with hers a moment later and your breath hitched. She did it again, this time slowly leaning in, her lips stopping barely a millimeter from yours. Both of you were breathing heavily at this point. Few seconds passed. And then you just couldn’t hold it anymore and finally connected your lips with hers.
Natasha’s lips were soft and the kiss so tender that you immediately melted into it. Then Natasha pulled you closer to her and you were gone. You hummed your approval into the kiss, your hand finding its way into Natasha’s hair, keeping her close as you two continued to kiss.
You two pulled apart after a while, both smiling. Your lips were tingling and you instinctively touched them.
„I just broke another rule for you.“ you stated, still smiling. Natasha furrowed her brow, so you continued, „there’s a ‚No fraternizing with the passengers‘ rule.“
„Well, me and the guys aren‘t technically passengers.“
„Oh“ you let out, smirking, „good to know.“
Natasha grinned, took your hand and led you away from the dance floor, „Come on, I want you to properly meet the others.“
„So,“ Tony said, sitting on a couch in the living room of the Avengers compound, looking at untypically nervous Natasha “are you glad I suggested the cruise back then?“
Tony’s question made Natasha take a trip down the memory lane. She reminisced about your first date that you two went on once the cruise was over. How you slowly broke down her walls, one after one, once you started dating, learning all about her past. How you didn’t leave immediately, after she told you the terrible things she had to do. The time you two argued when you found out she ran a background check on you after the second time you saw eacch other and never told you. How you came back home the next day with a ‚I understand‘ coming from your lips. How you helped her share few things about her past with the team. How you cared not only about her, but also about the other Avengers, her family. The time when you were cuddled up together on the sofa during one of the movie nights and she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with you.
„Yeah,“ she said after few minutes.
„Yeah what?“
„I’m glad you were adamant about going on the cruise,“ Natasha explained, her once awful memories tied to Cuba replaced by better ones.
Tony smiled and got up from the couch. „Glad to hear I was right.“
Natasha shot him a look.
„Now stop throwing daggers at me with your eyes and go get your girl.“
„I already got my girl, Tony.“
„Oh you know what I mean.“
„Yeah,“ Natasha chuckled, „I do.“
She took a deep breath, checked the inside pocket of her jacket and went to meet you outside. She planned a picnic date for you two with one intention. She was going to ask you to marry her.