Archive of Our Own

Natasha huffed a bit as she worked through the motions of clearing yet another coin jam. The kid standing a bit off to the side, watching her impatiently, had managed to somehow shove more than ten coins through the plugged-up gap of the token chute before deciding the machine was probably broken and calling for help. The tokens were crammed in so tight that she had to physically wrench them out with pliers, grunting a bit with the effort. She was honestly a bit impressed at the amount of damage done. Annoyed, but impressed. It took her a good few minutes to successfully clear out the blockage and get Down the Clown back up and running and another several agonizing ones waiting for the little boy to choose a prize that was actually in his ticket range. All the while, Steve was smirking at her from his spot by one of the Skee-Balls , having used the excuse of counting their revenue to avoid dealing with the little brat.

At the end of the day, however, Natasha did love her job. Sure, Rogers’ Retro Arcade was a bit run-down and the pay wasn’t great, but this was the most fun she had ever had in a work setting.  Her boss, Steve, had quickly become one of her closest friends. She got to make kids smile and fix up the games when needed. The arcade was 80s themed, which meant she got to play all the pinball and Pac-Man she wanted for free. Plus, the job was fairly easy. She did some mental math as the winners picked out their prizes, snuck a few Double Bubbles from the candy bin in between customers, and sometimes spent half the day crammed inside a game to fix a switchboard. Okay, that last part was admittedly less enjoyable, but overall, Natasha couldn’t ask for a better summer job in between semesters at Shield University. She was about to go into her senior year studying engineering, and this job gave her a lot of experience with the inner workings of the machines.

Usually, Steve would take on the nuts and bolts work when it got busy on the weekends so she and Clint could handle things at the prize counter uninterrupted. A few others worked, too, but the three of them  were the only full-time employees. Today was a Wednesday, however, and Steve was out running errands. That left Natasha and Clint to not burn the arcade down while he was gone. It was a fairly common occurrence, with the redhead working the floor while the blonde cashed out the people at the counter. Clint was better with the whole customer service talk, anyway. Most of the time, a rude customer wouldn’t last more then ten seconds with the woman. 

It was also a frequent event for the girl to be interrupted while clearly busy having her entire head inside of the Space Invaders cabinet. 

“Excuse me, do you work here? I’d like to buy some tokens with a debit card, but the machines only seem to take cash.”

Natasha rolled her eyes, still hidden by the game’s walls. No, I don’t work here. I’m just wearing the uniform and choking on ticket dust at three o’clock on a Wednesday afternoon because I feel like it. There were signs clearly set up all over directing people where to buy tokens with a card. The redhead began to pull herself from the opened mechanism door with the usual ‘All debit or credit sales are made with the guy at the counter’ before her eyes met a stunning blue and all coherent thoughts went out the window.

The woman in front of her had long, reddish-brown hair and a tiny smile on her lips. Dark makeup lined her eyes as those perfect lashes widened slightly when green met blue. The woman was wearing a simple black top and skirt with a bright red flannel over top, her neck and hands adorned with several chains and rings. She looked beautiful, and Natasha was suddenly a bit self-conscious about her loose, grease-stained uniform shirt and backwards cap. However, the redhead perked up a bit at the prospect of having someone around her age to talk to during her shift, especially if it was someone as attractive as this woman. They were almost painfully un-busy today, and usually having conversations with various customers while their kids played kept her entertained whenever she couldn’t sit by the counter with Clint. However, if she was going to do that, she would have to actually find her voice. Natasha nearly shot up to speak to this beautiful stranger, but was stopped by the thunk of her head hitting the inside of the game cabinet.

“Are you alright?” Natasha heard the amusement laced in that sweet, slightly accented voice.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” Natasha replied sheepishly. Why was she nervous? She never got nervous. Get it together, Romanoff! “So, uh, tokens?” She asked as nonchalantly as she could, abandoning her tools and guiding the brunette towards the register.

“Yes, please.” The woman smiled at her and followed, her eyes seeming to sparkle as they took in all the blinking lights and game noises. It was adorable.

“Hey, Welcome to Rogers’! I can take you right-” Came Clint’s voice from behind the counter, effectively cut off by Natasha practically shoving him off the stool and away from the register.

“Move it, birdbrain.” She whisper-yelled, quiet enough that the woman wouldn’t hear, but menacing enough that her best friend threw his arms up in defeat, throwing her a questioning glance. Natasha usually hated working register.

“How much were you thinking of spending today?” The redhead asked in a genuinely nice tone, a stark contrast from the fake customer service voice she normally used.

“Um, is twenty okay for about an hour of playing? Sorry, I don’t really know how this works.” The girl seemed nervous, playing with her rings as she spoke.

“Twenty would get you a hundred tokens. That would probably be enough for an hour, depending on what games you play.” Clint replied, looking between the two women with a growing smirk. He could work with this. Ever since Natasha had found out about his crush on one of the part-timers, Laura, she had never let him hear the end of it. The blonde looked around the store. They were completely empty, save for this woman and a little girl of about four or five playing by the candy crane. The girl kept glancing expectantly at the brunette by the counter every few seconds. Clint snickered a bit as he walked out to keep an eye on the game room floor, a plan forming.

“Great, I’ll do twenty, then.” The woman smiled at Natasha, and the redhead felt her heart skip a couple beats before she regained her composure.

“One hundred tokens for the lady, then.” She let out teasingly, winking as she rang up the purchase. This woman was cute, and she already made Natasha feel like her stomach was doing flips. She decided that some flirting couldn’t hurt while she pushed the cup of tokens across the counter. She was about to open her mouth again when the brunette turned to look behind her, scanning the store before calling out over the sounds of Billy Joel’s greatest hits.

“Morgan! Come get your tokens!”

The little girl wandering by the cranes looked up with a grin, running over and clinging to the brunette’s leg excitedly. Natasha had to admit, the sight was adorable. She looked between the two, a bit stunned to see that this woman was a mother. She looked so young (even younger than herself, and Natasha had only just turned twenty three). She hadn’t considered the possibility due to the woman’s age, though she would never judge. Natasha wasn’t complaining. She had always joked with Clint and Steve about this job being a pipeline to hot moms, but hadn’t been serious about it until she laid eyes on this woman. The redhead braved through her initial shock, though, and beamed down at the little girl while holding out the cup for her to take. She used the lower angle to sneak a glance at the woman’s hand. She didn’t see a wedding ring, and smirked a bit. The girl excitedly took the offered coins before turning to run off towards the games, but was stopped by the brunette woman.

“Hey, not so fast! What do you say?” Her tone was a failed attempt at being scolding, and Natasha couldn’t help but find it adorable.

“Thank you, ‘Talia.” The girl, Morgan, said shyly up at the redhead.

“You’re very welc- Wait, how do you know that name!?” Natasha’s eyes widened. They didn’t wear name tags, so no customers should even know to call her Natasha. On top of that: barely anyone knew her Russian name, and nobody was brave enough to actually refer to her as Natalia (nevermind ‘ Talia ) to her face, except for her family.

“The man with the funny hair told me.” Morgan smiled, gesturing towards none other than Clint Barton, mohawk flowing wild and lips pulled into a shit-eating grin. She sent him a glare that would’ve frozen hell over twice, before immediately softening her gaze as she turned back to the little girl.

“Of course he did. How about we keep that one between us, yeah? Our little secret?” She asked, smiling as Morgan nodded fervently. 

“Thanks, kid.” She chuckled a bit when the girl practically sprinted towards the Ring Toss .

“So, ‘Talia?” The woman, who hadn’t moved from her place at the counter, asked. Natasha could tell the comment was meant to be teasing, but it sounded almost shy.

“Only to cute little girls.” Natasha said with a smirk, and did not miss the way that the tips of the woman’s ears tinged pink. Before the brunette could reply, she stuck her hand out to shake. “Natasha. Most people just call me Nat.” She offered. The woman grasped her hand lightly, a look of faux-contemplation taking over her features.

“Hmm, I like ‘Talia better.” She said, smiling when Natasha groaned a bit, but ultimately chuckled as she circled the counter to get back out on the floor.

“Have it your way. Come find me if you need any help.” The redhead let out over her shoulder before making a beeline towards a soon-to-be-dead Clint Barton.

“Well hello, Romeo. Should I just get you one of those I Heart MILFS t-shirts to wear instead of the uniform?” He turned to her as she stalked up behind him, laughing when she simply slapped him upside the head.

“I’m telling Laura you sniff her hair.” She said as she walked back towards her previously abandoned tools, smirking when the blonde’s face froze.

“You wouldn’t.” He stated, growing more nervous when she didn’t reply. “Right?? You wouldn’t. Tasha!” He called after her retreating form. Damn that girl.

__________

Wanda felt like she was about to combust right there in the middle of this children’s arcade. She was going to explode into a thousand little Maximoff-shaped pieces that would probably have to be cleaned up by the hot redhead that was currently using a sleek, black folding knife to clear out Morgan’s token jam. And you know what? She could live with that.

This was the last thing she had expected when she agreed to babysit Morgan for Tony this afternoon. The brunette was going into her sophomore year of college, but was always a bit too shy to form a steady friend group. This meant she was usually free whenever the man needed a babysitter. Wanda was a foreign student, with the Starks being her host family. Morgan was basically her little sister, and she would watch her from time to time, though she never really found it very entertaining. It wasn’t that she didn’t like hanging out with the little girl, but usually Wanda didn’t find the same enjoyment from the things Morgan dragged her off to do. Which made sense, Wanda supposed. The kid was only five, so she liked five-year-old things. The brunette had to admit, though, that she had perked up at the idea of going to the arcade instead of the latest kiddie movie. Growing up poor, Wanda had never really gotten the experience of the flashy lights and all the prizes one could win. Plus, there had to be something there that she could find entertaining. 

In a way, she had been right. She did find something very entertaining. However it was no game or prize. 

Watching the way that Natasha worked was the only form of entertainment that Wanda thought she’d ever need. Her steady hands and the crease in her brow had Wanda staring a bit too blatantly as she expertly cleared the blockage. She seemed a bit older than herself, probably only by a year or two, but she already seemed to walk with an air of confidence and maturity that Wanda was sure she lacked. When the game was finally fixed and the compartment door shut, Wanda tried her best to school her features as the redhead stood up.

“Well, that’ll do it. Ring Toss should work just fine, now.” Natasha grinned, and Wanda couldn’t help but send a shy smile back. 

“Thank you!” Morgan piped up before Wanda could say anything. The redhead simply nodded and went back to her work.

“I like ‘Talia.” The little girl stated plainly as she turned back to Wanda, who smiled a bit. She couldn’t help the way her eyes flickered towards the worker. “You look like Daddy does when Mommy gets pretty. Do you think ‘Talia’s pretty?” Morgan asked after a beat, and Wanda nearly choked on her spit.

“Play your game, детка.” Was all the brunette said, pushing some coins through the slot to start up the machine and breathing a sigh of relief when Morgan was easily distracted. Wanda grabbed some rings and joined in, only half paying attention. She chanced a glance towards the redhead, who seemed to be talking with another customer across the store. As if she could sense Wanda’s gaze, Natasha looked at her, winking as she turned back to her conversation. Alright, make that more like a million little Maximoff-shaped pieces.

“You know you can get a higher score if you throw them in handfuls.” Came a voice from behind her. Wanda nearly dropped the bundles of tickets she had been holding.

“Woah, sorry!” The mohawked man from earlier quickly let out, holding up a plastic bag for her to take. I just saw you carrying all that around and thought you’d want a bag.” He looked at her kindly as she took the bag, stuffing the tickets into it.

“Thanks…” She trailed off, looking for a nametag. There wasn’t one.

“Clint.” He stuck his hand out to shake, and she accepted it readily.

“Wanda.” She supplied, thinking of something else to say. Natasha and this Clint guy seemed to be close. Maybe if she made a good impression with him, it could help her chances with the redhead. 

Clint, himself, inwardly cheered a bit at learning the name of Natasha’s obvious crush before she did. This is going to be easy.

“Hi Clint!” An excited voice came from below, and both adults looked down to see Morgan Stark grinning widely. Wanda had gathered from her conversation with Natasha earlier that the five-year-old had already confidently introduced herself to him (in the true Stark fashion) while Wanda was buying tokens.

“Hey there, kid. That’s a lot of tickets you’ve won!” He bent down a bit to give the girl a high-five, and Wanda smiled. He really was suited for this job.

“Wan-Wan helped!” The little girl beamed up at her, and she laughed a bit. Truthfully, Wanda had been absolutely terrible at the games. Barely any of the large ticket pile had been her doing. Clint smiled at her anyway, despite having seen her struggle.

“Did she?” The blonde man asked, turning his attention back towards Wanda. “I’d love to see what you guys get with those, but I’m afraid I’m stuck in the back room for the rest of my shift. Nat can help you when you guys are ready to check out.” He said, emphasizing the name a bit and noticing the light blush it brought to the brunette’s face.

“That sounds great, thank you.” Wanda managed to get out, waving slightly to Clint as he walked away.

Not even ten seconds later, Morgan was dragging her towards the air hockey tables. 

__________

Natasha glared at Clint when he told her that he was going to go do inventory for the prizes in the stockroom. They had just done inventory last night, and Clint absolutely hated getting stuck with that job. This was highly suspicious. Taking a glance at the brunette and her daughter, realization dawned upon her. The pair were pretty much done with their cup of tokens, and probably on their way to the prize counter soon.

“Have fun, Casanova.” The blonde gave her a mock salute as he disappeared into the employees only area. God, I’m a genius, he laughed to himself.

Natasha did one final lap of the gameroom floor before making her way behind the counter. She had just barely sat down on the stool when the little bundle of energy from earlier came bounding up to the register.

“Hey, kid! You ready?” The redhead put on her best grin for the little girl before reaching down to accept the ticket slip she was offering up. Morgan rapidly nodded her head.

“I believe the receipt said she got six-hundred-something tickets.” The brunette supplied, and Natasha nodded. The slip did say the little girl had six hundred fourty two tickets.

“Well, that gives you a lot to work with.” The redhead smiled down at Morgan, and the five-year-old immediately ran to examine all of the prizes. Natasha saw the way that Morgan’s eyes lit up and Wanda’s rolled when the girl noticed the dart gun on the back wall.

“Can I get that??” Morgan asked in an adorable voice. Natasha chuckled and nodded her head (it was within her ticket range after all), but looked towards the other woman for approval before she made any move to grab it off of the shelf.

“Not so fast, детка.” The brunette started, and Natasha felt her mouth go dry. She spoke Russian. She called the little girl ‘baby’. This woman spoke Russian. “You’re not getting a gun.” she finished as Natasha swiftly sorted out her mush-brain.

“Pleaseeee!” Morgan begged, pulling on the brunette’s shirt hem and causing both women to laugh a bit.

“Morgan, I love your daddy very much, but even I am not dealing with the lecture he’d throw at me if you came home with anything even resembling a weapon.” The woman said matter-of-factly, yet still light-heartedly, and Natasha felt her spirits sink a bit. This beautiful woman was still involved with Morgan’s father. There goes all her efforts.

“Fine.” The little girl frowned deeply- an expression that Natasha had to keep herself from mirroring. Her eyes turned back to scan the prizes.

“Her dad doesn’t like her playing with that stuff. Sorry.” The woman gave her an embarrassed look, and Natasha tried her best not to find it adorable. She couldn’t get herself in any deeper than she already was, considering that the brunette was off the table.

“Not a problem. We have plenty of other things.” Natasha smiled back at her, leaning against the counter and only slightly registering the way that the woman’s eyes flickered down to the swell of her arms.

“Oh! I want that one!” They suddenly heard from the other end of the prize counter.

“Morgan. Manners, please.” The woman chided, and Natasha chuckled a bit as Morgan sent her a sheepish smile.

“May I please have that one?” The little girl asked politely, pointing towards a stuffed dog that was almost a seventy tickets out of her price range.

“Детка, I’m sorry. That’s too much for-” The brunette started, frowning a bit at the notion of denying the girl twice in a row. Natasha quickly butted in.

“Hey, it’s alright.” The redhead interrupted, pulling the stuffed animal off of the shelf and holding it out for Morgan, who’s face absolutely lit up. “Not a big deal.” The woman gave her an unsure look.

“You really don’t have to, Natasha.” She tried. “Can’t you get in trouble for this?” Natasha only waved her off, shrugging as she made a mental note to take the remainder off of her personal ticket stash.

“Trust me, it’s really okay. How could I say no to that face?” The redhead asked rhetorically. She was definitely referencing the little girl. If her eyes happened to not leave the brunette’s features, it was merely coincidence. 

“If you’re sure…” The woman said, smiling shyly while Morgan hugged her new toy tightly. “What do you say, детка?” She nudged the girl, silently mouthing a ‘thank you’.

“Thank you, ‘Talia!” Morgan beamed and Natasha couldn’t help but match her grin despite the continued use of a certain name. Damnit Clint.

“Of course, kid.” She let out a laugh at Morgan’s eagerness, and sent a small smile and wave as the mother and daughter turned to leave. “Come back anytime!”

They had not been out the door for more than ten seconds before she was running to go kick Clint’s ass for leaving her alone with the woman. She didn’t have a crush. It’s not like she’ll ever see her again anyway.

“Ow! What was that for?” The blonde asked as he rubbed his now sore arm.

“I knew you weren’t doing inventory!” She gestured to the half-eaten ramen bowl on the desk and the latest Bachelor episode pulled up on Clint’s phone. The man did have the decency to be embarrassed by his television choice, quickly slamming his phone screen-down and slurping up the rest of the noodles. He soon recovered, though, as he was almost instantly bombarding her with questions.

“So what happened! Did you get her number? C’mon Nattieee I need the details!” He urged childishly as the pair made their way back towards the gameroom.

“Nothing happened, birdbrain.” The redhead insisted. “I don’t wanna get involved with someone who has a kid, anyway.” She lied. She absolutely would if it was that woman.

“Do you even know for sure if that’s her kid? She seems awfully young to have a child as old as that. She couldn’t have been more than twenty one. And how old was the kid? Five? What five-year-old calls their mother by her first name?” Natasha’s eyes shot up at that.

“You know her name? Tell me!” She took a step closer, but he backed her up with a tutting sound.

“Nuh-uh. You interrupted Rebecca and Mitchell’s first date and deprived me of my own real-life romance show, you useless lesbian.” He scoffed, leaning against the counter. “You can figure it out yourself. It’ll give you another reason to talk to her next time she comes in.” He smirked as Natasha rolled her eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. She’s still with the kid’s father. I heard her say it. Either way, I’ll probably never see her again.” She tried not to frown at the thought. She had interacted with the girl for probably a combined fifteen minutes. Why was she already so attached?

“I don’t know, Nat. She seemed to be staring at you a whole lot for someone who is supposedly taken…” He trailed off as he took his place at the register once more, still smiling. Natasha would see her again. Unbeknownst to the redhead, Clint had slipped the woman a gift voucher that she would eventually have to spend. Having seen the looks Wanda was sending his best friend, he could assume that said voucher would be used very soon.

“Clint, don’t get my hopes up. The last thing I need is to be stuck on someone I can’t have.” Natasha sighed, grabbing another ticket bundle. The Shoot2Win was flashing the refill sign.

__________

Wanda really shouldn’t be doing this. She probably looked like an absolute idiot, but she just really wanted to see that worker again. Currently, the brunette found herself ineffectively launching virtual peanuts towards an elephant’s mouth as the game tried to reassure her, despite her losses. She had figured out that Natasha worked alone on most Tuesdays and Thursdays, which meant she stuck mostly to the register, and that this particular game jammed quite often. This gave her a reason to call the redhead over for help. Not to mention that it was the closest game to the counter that gave out tickets. Tickets that could be used as an excuse to talk to Natasha once her tokens had run out. It was honestly a good plan in her opinion, disregarding the fact that this was the kiddie section of the arcade and she was a grown woman failing horribly at shooting nuts into some zoo animals’ mouths. After her eighth (or tenth? Wanda had lost count) Better Luck Next Time, Wanda registered a raspy chuckle emanating from behind the nearby counter.

“You know it’ll help if you actually aim for the screen. Or, you know, play a game meant for those over the age of six.” Natasha smirked from her place at the register.

“I’ll have you know that I happen to enjoy this game. Plus, I doubt you could do better.” Wanda huffed, her cheeks burning from embarrassment. The older woman had grown quite comfortable with teasing her, much to the brunette’s dismay. 

“Oh, I guarantee I could do better.” The redhead laughed before turning on her stool to grab a cup of extra tokens and making her way towards Wanda.

“Watch and learn, красный.” She let out as she inserted the required amount of coins into the game.

Wanda turned impossibly darker at the use of Russian. In the weeks she had been coming here, she hadn’t realized that the girl spoke the language she grew up with. She called me red, Wanda fought off the smile. For a moment, she meant to protest at being called out on her blush, but quickly realized that Natasha was referencing the scarlet flannel that she wore nearly every day.

“Sure, ‘Talia. It’s gotta be rigged, anyway.” Wanda rolled her eyes and pulled out the nickname that seemed to bother the redhead so much in order to distract her from Wanda's own flustered state. She looked on as Natasha squeezed one eye shut, holding the toy gun in an expert grip as she tilted her head ever so slightly. The brunette watched in awe as every single peanut made its way into a cartoon animal’s mouth with ease, Natasha turning to look at her smugly as a New High Score alert flashed across the screen.

“Are you sure about that?” She asked, placing the gun back into the game’s holster.

“Are you are you’re not some kind of secret assassin?” Wanda asked incredulously. “I don’t think any six year old is going to be holding a toy gun with perfect technique.”

“We have a lot of actual grown-up games here, you know?” Natasha just laughed at Wanda’s wide-eyed look before her face lit up as she grabbed the younger woman’s wrist. “We’re gonna play some.” She sent over her shoulder as she pulled Wanda with her. Wanda couldn’t help but laugh along as they came to a stop in front of the air hockey.

“I hate to break it to you, but I’m all out of coins.” The brunette let out sheepishly, showing her empty cup, to which the redhead just huffed.

“Perks of working here.” Natasha said, holding up her cup and rattling the coins inside as Wanda chuckled along with her.

There was no one else in the arcade, it being the middle of a weekday- a time when any stable-incomed adult had work. The pair spent the better part of half an hour playing various games (Natasha always winning) before Wanda really had to go.

“So, what’s a grown woman doing playing Zoofari for candy every Tuesday afternoon? Not that I mind the company at all, of course.” Natasha asked with a wink as she handed Wanda her usual small bag of sweets. She was never able to earn anything more than that with her horrendous gaming skills.

“Would you believe me if I told you I just really like Smarties?” The brunette asked hopefully, a smile on her face as she popped one of said candies into her mouth.

“Alright. Don’t tell me, then.” Natasha laughed. “Let me guess. Marriage on the rocks and this is your happy place for some reason. I don’t see a ring at the moment.” The redhead glanced down at her hand, looking almost hopeful.

“No, nothing like that.” Wanda grinned, before realizing that she probably sounded like she had a lame love life now. Say something, Wanda, you idiot. “My love life is perfectly fine.” Shit now she’s gonna think I’m unavailable. How do I fix this-

“Well, I’m glad.” Natasha smiled at her sweetly, though there was a hint of something else in her eyes. Something Wanda couldn’t quite read. Well, it’s far too late to correct her now. Dammit, Wanda, why do you have to be so awkward? “An escape from the little one, then? I haven’t seen Morgan around much these last few weeks. Little odd to come to a children’s arcade without, you know, a child.” 

“I think it is absolutely rational for a twenty one year old to come here and enjoy her hard-earned gummy burgers without the need for any other reasoning.” Wanda rolled her eyes at the mention of her host family’s daughter, though internally she was panicking. Of course it was strange to be doing this without a kid. Natasha definitely thought she was weird now. 

“Okay, then. You’re undercover. This is your intel mission.” The redhead offered seriously, leaning against the glass of the counter.

“I think if I were an undercover spy, I would be better at shooting games.” Wanda grinned, keeping up the conversation. She would take any excuse to stay and talk to this woman.

“Don’t worry, Agent. Your secret is safe with me.” Natasha grinned wolfishly, and Wanda couldn’t help the way her cheeks heated slightly at the sight of the woman’s smile.

“I think if either of us were to be some kind of secret agent, it would be you. You shot those peanuts a little too expertly.” The brunette laughed as Natasha only held her finger to her lips, shushing her dramatically. The younger girl opened her mouth to retort just as the phone by the register rang. Natasha sent Wanda a sympathetic look before going to answer it. The brunette sent her a small wave, deciding it was her cue to leave at the sound of ‘ You’ve got Roger’s Retro, this is Nat.’

__________

“Please!” Wanda whined desperately just a couple weeks later. “I’ll have her home by eight. I’ll buy her dinner and we can go for ice cream and everything!” She needed Morgan. Natasha was starting to think about how weird she was for going to the arcade without a kid so often. Which made perfect sense. It was weird.

“Jesus, kid. All I said was to let me think about it…” Tony laughed a bit. That particular phrase was basically just Tony-speak for ‘yes, but I’m not going to say it in front of Pepper because she’ll yell at me. ’

“What is it with you and that arcade, anyway? You only took Morgan a few times and now you’re practically begging us to let her get all hyped up on sugar and video games every week.” Pepper asked pointedly.

“I just saw how much she liked it the first time, that’s all.” She tried to lie, but the Starks just stared at her expectantly as her cheeks reddened a bit.

“Wait… I know that look…” Tony started with a growing smirk.

“No, you don’t-” Wanda started.

“This is about a girl!” He exclaimed, wagging his eyebrows at her exaggeratedly.

“It’s not!” She tried again.

“You’re using my kid as a chick magnet!” The man pointed at her, though his smile stayed intact.

“What!? No!” The brunette argued, but it fell on deaf ears as Tony whirled around to his wife.

“I told you kids were chick magnets!” He looked at Pepper victoriously, as if he had just won some long-standing argument.

“Anthony Stark, you did not win me over with your little cousin and some YouTube alpha male tutorial, I swear to-” The blonde protested, the couple turning towards each other.

“Oh God, forget I said anything.” Wanda finally relented over the sound of the two arguing good-naturedly. As she turned to leave, she heard Pepper sigh.

“Have her home by seven. And no ice cream.” The older woman let out with a small smile as Tony gave her a large thumbs-up from behind his wife, mouthing chick magnet .

Wanda’s face split into a grin as she quickly thanked them both, running to go get Morgan ready.

__________

“Hey, Nat! That girl you’re in love with is back!” Clint’s voice came from the game room as Steve perked up at the desk. Natasha sent him a death glare. She had managed to keep their boss out of the loop on her little crush up until this point. That man could be a horrible tease when he wanted to be, and she barely allowed even Clint’s taunts. 

“What girl?” Steve asked, sticking his head out of the opened office doorway.

“No one, old man. Clint’s just being a dick.” She yelled back quickly, though she immediately abandoned her work in the stockroom to go find the woman that’s quickly become her favorite customer. Restocking their light-up prize section could wait.

“Natasha’s got a crush on one of the moms.” Clint said matter-of-factly, blocking her exit as she rolled her eyes.

“Ooh, which one?? I can see on the cameras.” Steve’s excited voice came over the sound his his chair rolling back towards his desk. “Wait! Let me guess!”

“Ten bucks says you can’t.” Clint was grinning horribly wide for someone as close to being hit with a blinking light sword as he was. Natasha groaned. 

“Let’s see…” Steve trailed off, critically scanning every woman in the crowd that had children. “Redhead at the basketballs has way too many toddlers for you to tolerate, even if she is pretty.” Natasha couldn’t help herself from laughing a bit at that. “The black-haired woman in the corner is too broody for you.You’re the broody one” Natasha rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Blondes aren’t your thing, so it’s not the lady playing Galaga. …”

“Why can’t I ever just work a shift with Laura? You two are insufferable.” She complained, pinching her nose as Steve let out a sudden ah-ha sound.

“Got her! The brunette with a little girl up at the counter. Black skirt, band tee, red flannel. Real lost-puppy-meets-Hot-Topic vibe.” Steve’s face appeared once again in the door, looking at her expectantly. When she only huffed, embarrassed, and shoved her way past Clint, he smirked to himself.

“Damn, I’m good.” He said truimphantly as Clint begrudgingly slapped a ten dollar bill in his waiting hand.

Natasha couldn’t stay annoyed for long, however, as a smile quickly overtook her features at the sight of the brunette and her daughter waiting at the register. Natasha had to admit that she was a bit surprised. Morgan had not been in the arcade in a couple weeks, and the redhead had gotten a bit used to seeing the woman alone.

“Hi ‘Talia!” The little girl exclaimed with excitement when she saw Natasha approach. The woman, who had been scanning around the game room (for what, the redhead couldn’t tell) and facing away from her, jumped a bit at the mention of the redhead.

“Hello, Natasha.” The younger woman said, and Natasha couldn’t help but notice the slight pink tinge to her cheeks from her surprise.

“Hey, guys.” She smiled as nonchalantly as she possibly could. “Twenty again today?”

“Actually, we’ve been here for a bit. She’s all ready to cash out now. I didn’t see you earlier.” The brunette admitted almost sheepishly while she pushed Morgan’s ticket slip across the counter, as if she were embarrassed to have missed Natasha when they first came in. It made sense that she might’ve expected to see her. Natasha would usually have been working, but she came in late today and has been in the back room ever since she clocked in.

“That’s alright! What’ll it be, kid?” The redhead shifted her attention towards the child before the blue of the woman’s eyes could become too much for her. Morgan’s own expression lit up as she began to browse the wide selection of candy and toys.

The five-year-old ended up choosing a little cow toy and a bag of candy while her mother smiled and shook her head, presumably at the thought of the girl’s impending sugar high. Natasha smiled back at the woman, sharing a look she couldn’t quite decipher.

“Thanks again, Natasha.” She said, taking Morgan’s hand.

“Anytime, красный.” Natasha breathed out, heart fluttering at the way the woman flashed her a bright smile. “It’s good to see you again, kid.” She nodded towards Morgan.

“Bye!” The girl waved as she and the woman turned to leave, and Natasha slowly went to return to the stock room and give Clint his position back. She tried to ignore the pang of disappointment she felt at not being able to continue talking to her favorite customer.

“Hey ‘Talia?” Came a little voice that broke Natasha from her thoughts. She turned back and looked down at Morgan, tilting her head in acknowledgement. Apparently she had run back to the redhead, and a glance up revealed her mother quickly approaching to collect her again.

“What’s up, kid?” She asked, bending down to her eye level when the girl motioned for her to do so. Morgan looked around dramatically before cupping her hands to her mouth.

“Wan-Wan thinks you’re really really pretty. But shhh! It’s a secret!” It really did not come out quietly at all, despite the little girl’s best attempt at a whisper.

Natasha’s eyes shot up to the woman who had frozen in place a few feet away. She had turned bright red, stammering as she tried to salvage her composure. Natasha was sure she wasn’t faring much better, with the heat she could feel creeping up her neck. Maybe this girl wasn’t as unavailable as she thought? Maybe Clint was right. What five-year-old calls their mother by her first name? Well, assuming that Wan-Wan is some sort of shortening for her first name.

“OkayThat’sEnoughFromYouTimeToGoByeNat!” The brunette finally rushed out, grabbing Morgan’s hand and pulling her away quickly, not meeting Natasha’s eyes. The redhead tried to say something, but her breath was still effectively caught in her throat.

“But Wandaaaa!” Morgan whined, displeased at being interrupted from her gossip session.

“But nothing. Or I’ll tell your mom you got more candy.” The woman let out, clearly wanting to get as far away from the situation as possible, and the little girl relented at last. Natasha’s eyes widened at the confirmation that the brunette was, in fact, not this child’s mother. She watched the pair in a stunned daze as the brunette practically dragged Morgan out of the arcade, face the same shade as her signature flannel and glancing back nervously towards Natasha every few seconds. Say something, you idiot! Get it together! She’s leaving! Wanda’s-

Natasha’s internal berating paused at the thought that she now knew her favorite customer’s name.

Wanda.  

Natasha was still standing there, smiling goofily, by the time Clint came out himself to see why she wasn’t back in the stockroom yet.

__________

Wanda paused at the entrance to the arcade for the third time since arriving. She had been trying to build up the courage to face Natasha again for the last two and a half weeks. Surely the redhead thought she was weird or maybe even creepy, now. Dammit, Morgan.

She had been content with the fact that she would simply be doomed to admire the girl from afar. Natasha was out of her league, anyway. She had a steady job, cool personality, and probably plenty of friends. Not to mention how insanely beautiful she was. Besides, Wanda would be leaving for university again soon to start her junior year. Why would Natasha want to start anything with her if she was just going to leave in a month? The brunette sucked in a breath, finally placing her hand on the door. Before she could turn it, however, it was swinging outward and knocking Wanda off balance. She closed her eyes tightly, flailing her arms a bit in an effort to soften her impact with the ground. It never came, though. She felt herself being steadied by gentle hands, which remained at her waist until she had opened her eyes.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Natasha was there, looking at her with an intensity that Wanda was sure she would never get used to. The younger girl thought she could make out the hint of pink on her cheeks, but she was probably just hopefully projecting.

“Y-Yes! I’m alright.” The brunette stuttered a bit, internally screaming at herself to get it together.

“I didn’t know you were there. We’re actually closing up early today, sorry. Electrician’s gotta fit out a new section.” The redhead supplied, nodding towards the van that read out Odinson Electric on the side with a cheesy lightning-hammer logo. 

“Oh! I didn’t realize. I guess I’ll come back another time.” Wanda trailed off, but made no move to leave. It seemed that Natasha had no plans of ending the conversation, either, as the older girl stood still beside her. However, neither woman really knew what to say, and an awkward silence fell over them.

“Listen, about what Morgan said…” The brunette started, shuffling a bit on her feet. “She was just being Morgan , you know? I’m really sorry if it made you uncomfortable. She didn’t mean it.”

“Oh, so you don’t- how did she put it? Think I’m really really pretty? ” Natasha asked, an unmistakable smirk pulling at her lips. Wanda couldn’t help the way her face flushed.

“No! No, I-” She tried to reel in her nerves, taking a deep breath. “I wouldn’t say that …” The woman in front of her hummed in response.

“Then what would you say?” Natasha’s green eyes sparkled in amusement as she took a step closer. Wanda was starting to think that maybe she wasn’t just imagining that blush on the redhead’s face.

“Well, I’d have put it in less embarrassing terms, but…” She trailed off, unsure of how to express it. This is your chance, Wanda, don’t blow it!

“But?” The redhead repeated, taking yet another step closer. The two were practically inches apart at this point.

“You’re really really pretty.” Wanda breathed out, eyes widening almost immediately at the fact that she had just said it in the exact same way a five year old had. Before she could backtrack, though, Natasha was throwing her head back with a beautiful, full laugh. The sound made Wanda smile so wide she was sure her face would split.

“You’re not so bad yourself, красный.” Natasha said, tucking a strand of hair behind Wanda’s ear.

“Do you maybe wanna…” Wanda stopped, reminding herself that there were a hundred other things this girl could be doing. All of them were probably better than hanging out with Wanda after work. It was stupid. 

“Whatever you were about to say: yes.” The redhead smiled at her, grabbing her hand and unknowingly causing Wanda’s fiftieth heart attack since the start of this conversation as she stared down at their entwined fingers. “But only if I get your number.”

Wanda suddenly looked up, and couldn’t help the grin that overtook her face at the sight of Natasha looking almost nervous. She quickly took out her phone, handing it to the redhead and instructing her to text herself from it.

“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to ask that.” Natasha sighed out, handing the phone back. “Today was actually my last day, and I didn’t want to just disappear on my favorite customer and have no way to contact you. You kinda went MIA for a bit after last time.”

“Sorry, I was just embarrassed. I thought you’d be weirded out.” Wanda looked down again.

“Hey, I’ll never be weirded out over a beautiful woman thinking I’m pretty.” The redhead ducked down into her view, grinning in that infectious way once again. It was then that Natasha’s words caught up with Wanda.

“Wait, you’re leaving Roger’s Retro?” She asked.

“Just for the school year. I’ll be back once I graduate in May. I’m doing a summer program at Shield, so I have to be there a month early.” Natasha shrugged, finally pulling Wanda away from the door by their joined hands. Wanda froze after the third step.

“You’re at Shield?!” This was too good to be true.

“Yup.” The redhead nodded, popping the ‘p’ syllable. “Going for electrical engineering. It’s why Steve has me working on the machines half the time.” Wanda grinned like an idiot. Maybe she did have a shot.

“Me too!” She started excitedly. “Well, I’m starting my junior year. Art therapy.” Natasha turned to look at her with her eyebrows raised, her smile somehow growing bigger.

“How have I never noticed a girl like you around campus?” The redhead squeezed her hand, and Wanda didn’t even try to suppress the heat in her face as she tried to come up with a responding flirt.

“I could say the same for someone as beautiful as you.” Was the answer she settled on, and she was rewarded with the pink of Natasha’s cheeks turning slightly more into a red.

“You wanna get out of here?” The older woman finally spoke. “We closed before my lunch break, and I know a diner around the corner that makes the best apple pie. Well, obviously that’s dessert. We could get, you know, actual food first, but I just thought-”

“I’d love to.” Wanda cut her off her rambling with a smile, and (because she was feeling a little braver than usual) a peck to her still-colored cheek. Natasha’s face lit up in a way that the brunette found entirely too endearing before she was leading Wanda down the street on the first of many dates. 

__________

Clint grinned widely, having watched the entire interaction from his car. The pair had caught his attention right before he was about to leave, and the blonde had wanted to see how it all played out. He pulled out his phone to snap a picture just as the brunette leaned over to plant a kiss on his best friend’s cheek. Chuckling triumphantly to himself, he quickly sent the snapshot to Steve, firing off the message ‘you owe me twenty bucks’ before starting the ignition.

Yes, he was a genius, indeed.