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If someone had come along five years ago and told Natasha Romanoff that she’d be pacing her living room floor on a Saturday night, fiddling with the most expensive piece of jewelry she’d ever be able to touch, and wraking her brain for a proposal idea fit enough for the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen, she would have laughed in their face.
When Natasha met Wanda Maximoff, she had been wary of love. Every other weekend was spent with a different person, and that suited her. The men and women that she'd entertained every now and then had never expected more from her, nor did she expect anything from them. Love was for children, and she had been forced to grow up fast.
Everything had changed the moment she locked eyes with the beautiful brunette standing on the other side of the Rogers’ Floral Gifts front counter. Now, she and Wanda had been together for years, and Natasha wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with the younger woman. Wanda grounded her in a way no one else ever had- completed her. Her marble heart soared at every touch of their lips. Even after all this time, Natasha still got butterflies at the sight of the florist wearing her old jacket. The red leather had effectively been stolen by the younger woman.
Most of all, her stomach did flips every time Pietro brought up marriage.
Natasha wasn’t stupid. She knew that Wanda was thinking about it. Hell, she knew that her girlfriend had probably talked about it with all of their friends as well. It wasn’t hard to pick up the pointed looks the brunette shared with her brother whenever he let out a teasing ‘It’s been so long already! Where are my nieces and nephews?’ and the muttered Sokovian Wanda would retort with (likely so that the redhead wouldn’t understand). Steve had very pointedly aimed for Wanda when they did his and Bucky’s version of a bouquet toss at their wedding (a very drunk and freshly-christened Bucky Rogers had convinced his new husband to throw one of their floral table centerpieces into the crowd). The brunette had absolutely beamed at the victory, clutching the flowers close, and kissed Natasha like it was the last thing she’d ever do.
It was obvious. Wanda was waiting on a proposal. Surprisingly, the thought never brought an ounce of dread to the pit of the redhead’s stomach. In its place came a warmth in Natasha’s chest and a goofy smile on her lips.
Natasha Romanoff- queen of commitment issues- actually wanted to propose to her girlfriend of half a decade.
“Slow down, сестра. You’re gonna wear a hole in the floor.” Yelena’s voice interrupted her inner musings. Honestly, the older woman was turning into a blur of red hair and dark ink with her current back-and-forth pacing. Natasha froze and looked up at the sound.
“I can’t!” The redhead let out, exasperated. She twiddled with the ring in her hand nervously- a garnet stone with a silver band, size 7, polished to perfection, and meticulously picked out after hours of going through every single ring in their local jeweler’s store that morning. “This has to be perfect. She deserves perfect. She’s perfect, ‘Lena-”
“I know, ‘Tasha.” Yelena’s voice softened as she reached out to grab her sister’s arm and pull her down onto the couch beside her. “It will be perfect, I promise. What were you thinking?”
“I have to do something big. It has to be special. Wanda is just so… good.” Natasha started, feeling a rant coming on. Yelena nodded along, not interrupting this time. “I don’t even know how or why, but she’s put her faith in me for this long. God knows I don’t deserve it, but she did. So this needs to be everything she’s ever dreamed of. I can’t have it be anything less.” She stared down at the ring, her chest swelling with emotion. “Definitely something with flowers.”
“Anything specific in mind? You know she’s like a living plant encyclopedia, right?” The blonde asked as Natasha rolled her eyes a bit at the comparison. “Does she have a favorite?”
“Carnations.” The redhead answered almost instantly. Yelena faced her with a raised brow at her split-second recollection. Natasha only sighed and continued before her sister had the chance to tease her for it. “But only because they remind her of her parents- says they represent a mother’s love. I can’t use that to propose.” With that, the older woman was standing again, turning about nervously.
“How about roses?” Yelena offered, leaning forward to prop her chin up with an arm. When Natasha stopped her pacing to send her an unamused expression, the blonde frowned. “Что?” Yelena let out exasperatedly, throwing her palms up. “Everybody loves roses!”
“Exactly why I can’t use them!” Natasha let out frantically. “It’s too basic! There’s no personal connection!” She sighed, resuming her pacing. “Wanda remembers everything, Yel, she’s a romantic. Grand gestures are one thing, but it needs something to tie it all together. It’s gotta be a meaningful flower. Something for both of us. Something like-” The redhead stopped in her tracks, eyes widening as a smile spread across her face.
“I know that look.” Yelena chuckled, leaning back into the couch and crossing her arms in satisfaction.
“‘Lena, I need you to listen to me very carefully…”
__________
“Do you mind?” Bucky’s baritone voice broke through Natasha’s current internal worry. The brunette gestured with his chin towards the woman’s bouncing leg, barely looking up from the tattoo gun dragging across Clint’s left shoulder blade. “It’s a little distracting.”
“Sorry, Buck.” The redhead replied absentmindedly, turning back to her phone as she anxiously awaited Yelena’s promised call. She glanced down at her left wrist- a small flower she’d gotten done about three years ago for her and Wanda’s anniversary. She gulped a bit, staring at it as her leg resumed its movement.
The afternoon was all planned out, down the the minute. She’d given her sister the day off work and instructed her to drive downtown to their second-nearest florist. She couldn’t place the order with Steve’s shop, given the risk of Wanda seeing it. Yelena was to pick up Natasha’s (admittedly, massive) order of lilies of the valley and drive them to the couple’s shared apartment. Natasha would have gone herself, but Wanda would surely notice her bike driving away from work a few hours early through the flower shop’s front window. Usually, Wanda would be home a good while before Natasha. That was too risky.
Pietro was more than happy to distract Wanda with the offer of grabbing coffee when the pair finished their shifts, giving Natasha time to sneak away from Romanoff’s Ink and get to their florally-decorated apartment. She’d be there, waiting on bended knee, when Wanda opened the front door.
It had to be perfect.
“Lay off, Barnes. It’s a nervous thing.” Clint rolled his eyes, gesturing towards Natasha’s once-again thumping leg.
“‘Talia? Nervous? Good one.” Bucky huffed in amusement before turning back to his art. A few more strokes and the line work for the large, purple and black bullseye shoulder cap would be finished. Clint shook his head.
“You would be too if you were asking your girl to marry you.” The blonde let out smugly, holding in his laugh when both Bucky’s and Nat’s heads shot up in an instant.
“You’re proposing!” The brunette’s shocked expression quickly turned into exaggerated, feigned hurt. “And you told him first?”
“I didn’t.” Natasha insisted. The redhead whipped around to Clint, leaning forward on her desk. “You knew?!”
“Yel’s got the day off and you’re actually not grumbling about it. Every time there’s any significant movement in Roger’s Floral you’re whipping around to see if it’s Wanda. You’ve been distracted all morning- and you never get distracted. Plus you’ve been subconsciously checking on a small, box-shaped bulge in your right jacket pocket every twenty minutes.” The blonde listed off bluntly, smirking when Natasha’s jaw went slack. Her best friend really did know how to read her like no one else.
“I hate when you do that.” She breathed out with an eye roll, standing to move towards the two men.
“Oh, the ring!” Bucky’s excited call effectively cut off Clint’s victory laugh. “Let me see it! Пожалуйста Наталья??”
“Yeah, yeah. Alr-” Natasha’s response was cut off by a loud ringtone as the redhead whipped around to retrieve her phone off the desk, Yelena’s face flashed across the screen. Natasha immediately answered, sending an apologetic look towards Bucky and Clint before making her way into the office for privacy.
“Everything alright? Tell me everything’s alright, ‘Lena.” She nearly begged, her nerves getting the better of her.
“It’s all perfect, Сестра! No need to worry.” Yelena’s voice echoed through the receiver, and Natasha let out a breath she hadn’t been aware she was even holding.
“О слава богу.” The redhead relaxed slightly, leaning back against the door.
“It’s beautiful, Tasha. She’s gonna love it.” Natasha smiled at that, feeling for the ring box in her pocket on reflex. “You know, I’ve never been a fan of orange but I can warm up to these flowers. Очень хорошенькая.”
Natasha’s back shot up straight.
“I’m sorry, did you just say orange?” The redhead asked, her stomach dropping.
“Yes, the lilies. I like the color.”
“FaceTime me.” Natasha hissed out, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Now.” When the video came through, the older woman nearly fainted at the sight of Yelena standing in her living room- surrounded by orange lilies. The literal symbol of hatred.
Karma was finally catching up to her for Bucky’s bouquet, she supposed.
“What, do you not like the layout? I thought I did a good job!” Yelena huffed, frowning at the redhead’s look of horror. Natasha glanced at the time.
“Блядь!” She exclaimed. Their apartment was only five minutes away and Pietro was supposed to finish their coffee run in fifteen, which meant that Natasha only had about twenty minutes before Wanda was supposed to be getting home from work. “Dammit, there’s a reason Steve is the only reliable florist in this town! Those aren’t my flowers.” She groaned in frustration, wracking her brain for a way to salvage the situation. “Wanda can not see this. I need you to get those things out of my apartment!”
“Nat, they’re just flowers! I drove halfway across the city for-”
“Now, Yelena!” Natasha nearly hissed out, hanging up and bursting out of the office in a near panic. Bucky and Clint only looked at her with confusion as she made a beeline for the cafe next to the flower shop.
“Hey, Nat!” Came a cheery voice from behind the counter as she did her best to calm her racing heart. Normally, she’d be more personable, but in her haste to find her girlfriend, Natasha only sent Bruce a small nod in greeting.
“Nattie?” Wanda asked, turning from her brother to see the newest arrival. The redhead smiled as best she could and sidled up to the woman, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“Hey, красивый.” Natasha replied with a small kiss, smiling despite herself.
“I thought you were working.” The brunette asked, and Pietro tensed rather obviously.
“Yes, Natasha… ” He said, tilting his head a bit accusingly. “Shouldn’t you be working?”
“My client got some design stuff messed up, so we had a change of plans.” Natasha replied, doing her best to explain the situation to the blonde without giving too much away to Wanda. Pietro frowned a bit in confusion, but nodded. Satisfied, the redhead turned to Wanda once again. “I was thinking you and I could go for a walk, hm? How about that little park?” Really, she just needed to buy Yelena some time to clean, as well as figure out how else to do this. It needed to be today. There was no chance in hell she’d be able to keep it a secret much longer.
“I think that sounds lovely, miláčik. We were just finishing here anyway” Wanda smiled, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’ll see you later?” The brunette asked, looking to Pietro.
“Yeah, have fun!” The blonde let out with a bit of a forced smile, though Wanda didn’t seem to notice. When the younger woman turned for the door, he and Natasha both shared panicked looks before the redhead scurried off after her oblivious girlfriend.
“Any particular reason why you’ve decided to suddenly replay our first date?” Wanda asked, lacing their fingers together as the pair walked down the flourishing trail. She chuckled slightly as Natasha stepped in irregular patterns, doing her best not to disturb a single flower. It was all so reminiscent of the first time they’d walked this trail together.
“Do I need a reason to spend time with my favorite person?” Natasha replied easily, tugging the brunette a bit closer to bump their sides together. The action effectively made her even more aware of the box in her pocket, and she did her best to bury her nerves.
“No, I suppose not.” Wanda laughed, squeezing their entwined palms fondly. In all honesty, she was glad to be back here. They used to spend their summer afternoons on the trail quite often before Natasha’s tattoo parlor became more popular and they stopped having the time. The brunette had missed it. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.” Natasha replied immediately, turning a bit to face Wanda properly as they continued on. The brunette looked down at her with a gentle smile.
“Was I what you expected?” She asked, averting her eyes a bit when Natasha’s brows raised in confusion.
“What do you mean?” The older woman asked, tilting her head. Wanda blushed lightly in embarrassment.
“When you thought about falling in love. Finding someone to share yourself with. Was I what you expected?” The brunette explained, meeting Natasha’s eyes a bit hesitantly. It wasn’t that she was insecure about their differences, so to say, but the redhead had lived a completely different life before meeting her. Natasha’s shared apartment with Yelena had been dark and covered in band posters and MMA or tattoo trophies. Now, their home was decorated with succulents and brighter colors (though Natasha’s personality still definitely came through).
The older woman had even bought a car to accommodate Wanda’s fear of motorcycles, for Christ’s sake. Sure, she still used her bike, but the brunette couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty. Especially since it’s already been five years of simply dating with no sign of progression from Natasha, despite Wanda’s best efforts at dropping hints. The younger woman looked down when Natasha’s expression knitted with understanding. The redhead pulled them to a stop, taking both of Wanda’s hands in her own.
“I’ll be honest, Wanda. No.” Natasha breathed out, wincing a bit at the realization of how that sounded. She quickly tucked a finger under Wanda’s chin to raise her eyes back up to her own. “You are better than anything I could have hoped for, моя любовь.” Wanda smiled softly.
“I know. I’m sorry.” The brunette shook her head, slightly annoyed at her own self-consciousness for getting the better of her. She leaned down for a small kiss before speaking against Natasha’s lips. “I love you.”
“Don’t be. I know we’ve been dating for a long time, and I’m sorry if I’ve let it become a bit too routine.” The redhead assured, running a hand through Wanda’s hair for a moment before pulling her into another kiss. “I love you more than you know, принцесса.” Wanda let out a small laugh at the familiar nickname, nostalgia filling her once again at the reminder of their very first kiss. Natasha smiled at the sound. Pulling back, the older woman happened to glance down just as Wanda’s gaze flitted up at some chirping birds. They were surrounded by little stems covered in white, drooping bells.
“Aw, Nat, look! They’ve got a nest.” Wanda cooed out, stepping towards the tree a little to try and make out the baby birds clearly. Natasha hummed a bit in response, not looking up from the small patch of lilies of the valley. She wasn’t sure exactly how, but everything seemed to click together. Natasha dropped on a knee while the brunette remained distracted, gathering a small bundle of the flowers in her hands.
“Miláčik, what are you doing?”
Natasha froze, her heart pounding for a moment as she stared at the tiny bouquet. She looked up slowly, doing her best to calm her nerves.
“Well, uhm, I-” Natasha began to stutter out. However, as soon as her eyes met Wanda’s, she felt her shaking hands relax under the gaze of the woman she loved. The brunette chuckled lightly at the sight.
“Don’t you remember what I told you about those flowers?” Wanda asked, tilting her head in amusement. She had to admit, it made her heart race at the thought.
Natasha was never one for memorizing flowers and their meanings, though. It was probably just a coincidence. The redhead would probably drop the flowers and stutter away an apology- an adorable redo of last time. However, Natasha only nodded slowly. She took one of Wanda’s hands, wrapping it around the stems alongside her own fingers, and watched as the brunette’s joking smile slowly dropped into a look of shock.
“Like it was yesterday.” Natasha let out airily, feeling slightly lightheaded from the breath she’d been holding. She let go of the flowers, allowing Wanda to take them in her own hands to examine them. The younger woman did her best to contain her soaring hopes as she stared down at the tiny bouquet, taking in the pretty petals and sweet smell. Wait-
Wanda froze at a small glint of metal in the sunlight.
“Natasha…” Wanda gasped out, a hand coming to cover her mouth at the sight of a deep red stone set in a sterling silver band, holding the little bundle of stems together. Green eyes focused on the brunette’s face anxiously, trying to make out any slight chance of a rejection. When she found none, Natasha allowed a slow grin to form on her lips. “Baby, is this…?”
“May I?” The redhead asked, confidence filling her chest once again at Wanda’s clear look of elation. When she was met with an eager nod, she gently slid the ring from the flower stems, allowing Wanda to continue to hold the lilies in her right hand. Natasha took her left within her own, holding the ring up with her free hand. She looked up at the younger woman for confirmation, letting out a bit of a watery laugh at the sight of Wanda nearly vibrating with excitement.
“Bucky should’ve known better than to trust me with his flower order all those years ago, but I’m glad he’s an idiot. Because if I hadn’t gotten that bouquet for him, I wouldn’t have ever been able to give you this one right now.” She said, her grin splitting her face when Wanda laughed along brightly. “I spent my whole life alone, wondering what possible purpose I could have in this world. But you? You make everything worth it, моя любовь. I never knew how much I could truly love a person until you walked into my shop, insisting on getting yourself tattooed just so you could spend a little time with me.”
“Well, how else was I supposed to talk to you?” Wanda rolled her eyes, though she was smiling from ear to ear. She huffed a bit when Natasha merely shushed her playfully.
“Hey, no interrupting! I’m trying to be romantic.” The redhead pouted, and Wanda giggled lightly at the sight, still unable to believe that this was really happening. “And, I don’t know… Maybe by calling the number on my card like a normal person?”
“Fine, fine.” Wanda conceded, leaning down to give the older woman a placating peck on the lips (that may have lasted just a few seconds too long). “Keep going…” Natasha took a moment to compose herself before looking down at their joined hands.
“What I’m trying to say is that I love you- and I know that you deserve more than this, but I hope it’s enough. I hope the fact that I love you more than I could have ever imagined is enough for the both of us. Because I do.” Natasha assured, meeting Wanda’s eyes once again when the brunette squeezed their connected hands in agreement. “So, Wanda Maximoff… Will you marry me?”
Wanda bit her lip around her smile, her cheeks burning and heart pounding against her ribcage. She looked at the ring, sparkling in the sunlight, before locking her gaze onto Natasha’s and nodding rapidly.
“Yes!” She nearly yelled, falling down to Natasha’s level on her knees and connecting their lips in a searing kiss. “Yes, moja láska, I’ll marry you.” She spoke against kiss-swollen lips, tasting the salt from both of their happy tears.
When they finally pulled away, Natasha gently glided the ring onto Wanda’s finger as they both grinned widely. Before she could say anything else, Natasha was surging up, lifting her now-fiancé by the waist and spinning them as Wanda laughed brightly. This laugh was cut off with a soft kiss just as the brunette’s feet touched the ground again.
“You’re gonna be my wife.” Wanda let out, almost in disbelief. Her stomach fluttered at the thought as she tightened her grip around the older woman’s shoulders.
“And you’re gonna be mine.” Natasha replied, placing small kisses all over the brunette’s forehead and cheeks.
“I can’t wait.” Wanda said, burying her face against the cool leather of Natasha’s jacketed shoulder.
__________
Lena: how’d it go??? 🫣🫣
Red: Are you done yet?
Lena: impatient much🤨
Red: Yelena…
Lena: 💍⁉️
Red: Fine. She said yes!
Red: Can I go back to my apartment now?
Lena: all clear 🫡
Lena: ✨mrs✨ romanoff
Red: Your constant need for emoji use is annoying.
Lena: 🖕🏼
Lena: i like your wife better
Natasha shook her head at Yelena’s final reply as she made her way to the apartment door, having been given the go-ahead about twenty minutes ago. Wanda’s smile was nearly blinding as she tugged the redhead along, her hand in the crook of the older woman’s elbow.
“How about I cook you dinner tonight?” Natasha asked, pulling Wanda in by the waist with one arm for a slow kiss. “This being a special occasion and all…” She finished, running her tattooed thumb gently over the silver band now adorning the brunette’s left ring finger. Wanda used the movement to tangle their fingers together, swaying them between the pair.
“Well, I don’t seem to be in the mood to be saying no to you today, do I?” She teased, grinning when Natasha laughed along.
“I’m glad you aren’t.” The redhead replied, supplying a quick kiss and stepping away. She didn’t make it more than a couple feet towards the kitchen, however, before her feet were nearly sliding out from under her. Thankfully ever-graceful, Natasha caught herself instantly as Wanda rushed to her side.
“Are you okay? What was that?” The younger woman asked, looking over the redhead for a moment before her gaze drifted down to the floor, towards whatever her fiancé had slipped on. Wanda’s brows knitted in confusion as she picked the object up, and Natasha’s heart froze.
“Orange lilies?” Wanda asked, tilting her head as she examined the singular petal. Natasha internally cursed Yelena’s poor cleaning skills as she snatched it between ink-stained knuckles, hiding it behind her back.
“Probably left a window open or something.” Natasha shrugged, throwing it in the kitchen trash as nonchalantly as she could. Wanda followed her, stopping the redhead from retreating as she began gathering ingredients as a distraction.
“Romanoff…” She insisted, holding in her laugh as Natasha’s brows raised in slight alarm at the use of her last name.
“Hey, pretty soon I’ll be able to call you that, you know?” The redhead smiled, pressing a kiss to Wanda’s lips in an attempt to placate her curiosity. The brunette would never refuse such affection, giving in almost immediately, but was back onto her questioning the second Natasha pulled away.
“What are you hiding?” Wanda asked, stepping back and crossing her arms faux-sternly. Really, she wasn’t upset, but the situation was the strange and Natasha’s dodgy behavior was undoubtedly out of character for the normally straightforward redhead. Natasha stared at her for a second before sighing, her shoulders slumping.
“I messed up.” She admitted, frowning. When she was met with only a confused hum from Wanda, she continued. “I was gonna give you the proposal you deserved. It was going to be perfect- with those marriage lilies all over the apartment, dinner and candles already on the table, waiting on one knee when you opened that door. But I messed up something with the order and they gave us the wrong flowers. Which normally wouldn't be horrible, but it just had to be those flowers. So, I had to improvise.” Natasha explained, looking away under Wanda’s wide and softening gaze. “I’m sorry, моя любовь.”
“Srdiečko…” Wanda started, her eyes watering at just how much care Natasha had put into her plans. The proposal she had gotten was perfect. The brunette wouldn’t have changed it for the world. Her heart ached at the idea that the redhead thought she should’ve done better. “I don’t need any expensive flowers or grand gestures.” She tugged under Natasha’s chin, meeting those perfect emeralds and looking into them as deeply as she could. “I just want you.”
“But-”
“But nothing, Nattie.” Wanda kissed her lips softly, smiling when she felt the redhead reciprocate immediately. “It was perfect. You’re perfect.”
“God, I love you.” Natasha breathed out, connecting their lips again as she stepped forward to press Wanda’s back into the counter.
“I love you, too.” The brunette chuckled a bit at the action, playing with the baby hairs at the back of Natasha’s neck. Natasha smirked, trailing kisses along her jaw.
“Now, where were we? Before the flower-that-shall-not-be-named?” She asked, nipping a bit at Wanda’s earlobe. The brunette suppressed her shiver, rolling her eyes.
“Someone was about to cook me a homemade engagement dinner.” She supplied, pushing Natasha back as she nodded towards the small pile of ingredients the older woman had managed to gather.
“I knew I was gonna regret offering that.” The redhead pouted, but relented as Wanda laughed.
“You love me.” She insisted, pecking Natasha’s cheek.
“That I do.” Natasha replied with a chuckle, tuning her head to catch the brunette’s lips. “I’m gonna marry you.”
“You better.” Wanda answered, practically beaming into the kiss before the smell of spices filled the kitchen.