A/N: I guess I can't stop this Romanogers vibe right now. I got the inspiration from this from Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" and then it became a plot bunny I couldn't handle. Oh well. I hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel or NERF
Good Luck Comes to Those Who Wait
Natasha smiled as she woke, vaguely remembering the blonde man in her dreams. He was kind and adorably soft spoken when he approached her. She rolled over and groaned as sunlight came through her curtains.
Right, he was only a dream.
She pulled the covers off and blinked wearily at the red numbers on her clock.
They were flashing 12:00.
Shit, her alarm didn't go off.
Natasha rushed to the bathroom, turning on the shower as she pulled her pajamas off. Hopping into the shower she was blasted with freezing cold water. She gasped and clamored back out, giving up it. She ran a towel over herself and raced to the room and pulled out the first things that she found. She was tugging her shirt on as she entered her kitchen and grabbed yogurt from the fridge. Natasha dug around her silverware and all she kept finding was knives. "Spoon, spoon, spoon, dammit!"
She gave up, grabbing her phone and car keys as she slipped into her flip flops and ran down the stairs of her apartment and out the main doors.
The sunlight that had crept through her window this morning was now replaced with tired grey clouds. She ran to her car and stepped inside. She put her key in and turned it, but all it did was let out a groan and stop. "No, no, no. Ugh!"
Natasha angrily reopened the car door and slammed it before taking off down the street. After her morning she wasn't going to trust public transport. She ran passed morning commuters with briefcases, coffees or texting on their smart phones. She slowed down as she approached the gun store she worked at with Bucky. "Bucky, I'm sorry I'm late."
He looked up from the counter and sat down the gun he was handling. "Are you okay Nat? You're only five minutes late."
She sighed as she slipped behind the counter. "I guess the electricity blinked or something at the apartment last night and my alarm didn't go off."
"What about your phone?"
She pulled her phone from her pocket and clicked the power button, only to reveal a flashing red power bar. "Dead."
"Here, I got a charger in the back," said Bucky holding his hand out. Natasha handed it over. "I'll be right back."
He walked through an 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' door and Natasha leaned against the counter. She saw herself in the reflection of the glass and cringed. Her hair was a mess, not a trace of makeup on and she happened to grab the shirt covered in paint from when she helped Bucky paint his living room. She looked down and at least let out a sigh of relief that she was wearing her favorite black skinny jeans.
Bucky came back through the door carrying a bottle of water and a blueberry muffin. "I figured you didn't get to eat breakfast this morning."
She grabbed it from his hands and grinned. "Thank you, I'm starving."
"So my best friend is going to be coming by sometime later today. I haven't gotten to see him since I opened the store and he left for college. I miss the little punk."
"What'd he go to college for," asked Natasha as she ate her muffin.
"Art, he's the best artist I've ever seen. I figured the store could use some sprucing up."
"Bucky, you run a gun store, how are you going to 'spruce' it up? Especially with artwork."
Bucky winked. "Wait and see."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say boss. What's his name by the way?"
"Steve."
"Cool." Natasha finished her muffin and threw the wrapper in the trash. "Thanks for saving me, Bucky. I thought my morning was going to be ruined."
"Glad to be of help," said Bucky as he placed the gun back in the cabinet, locking it in place. He looked out the window and sighed. "And it looks like it's about to rain. Can you go in the back and see if there's a bucket? They just fixed the roof by the window, you know the one that was leaking? Just in case."
"Sure thing," replied Natasha. She opened the door to the back and flicked the light switch, nothing happened, no flickering of lights as they came on. She flipped it again and nothing happened. She sighed as she remembered the light burnt out the previous week, obviously no one had replaced it. She searched her pockets for her phone only to remember it was charging. She ventured forth, hoping her eyes would adjust to the semi darkness.
"Need any help," shouted Bucky from the front.
Natasha waved his help away. "I got it." She took small steps and kicked the bucket forward. "Found it." She reached down and picked it up, gripping it sturdily by the handle. Natasha turned around and smacked her forehead on something. "Son of a bitch!"
"Nat, are you all right," yelled Bucky.
She sat the bucket down and leaned one hand against the wall and the other against her forehead. "Gah, God damn it. Buck, we need to replace the light back here. It's going to become a liability, especially if I decide to take manners into my own hands."
Bucky came to the back holding his phone out to use as a light and Natasha was able to see she ran into a heavy gun cabinet. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
She rapidly blinked her eyes. "Yeah, I've never been this clumsy. What the hell is wrong?"
"You normally don't wear flip flops to work. I didn't even know you owned any. Maybe that's it?"
Natasha picked the bucket back up. "I don't know if that's it. I just feel off."
Bucky took the bucket from her. "Just take it easy this morning. Work is always slow on Mondays."
"Thanks Bucky." Natasha went to his small office space and couldn't resist spinning in his chair when she sat down. Her phone was charging on the desk, only a quarter of the way charged. She wiggled the mouse on Bucky's computer and pulled up inventory and order sheets. If she wasn't working out front she was at least going to get some work done.
The morning dragged, normally involving her clicking boxes, running to the back where merchandise that wasn't on display was kept, and ordering more ammunition, clips or magazines when she realized they were low. When noon rolled around her phone was charged and as she was standing up to stretch she realized she was hungry.
She walked out to the front and saw Bucky ringing up a purchase. As the woman walked out Natasha leaned across the counter. "I did some paperwork in the back so I would at least be doing something. Do you want me to go get some lunch?"
"That sounds great."
"Food trucks or deli?"
Bucky grinned. "Let's go food trucks this time."
"Okay boss," Natasha said with a mock salute. Bucky laughed and she walked out the door heading only four blocks down where three food trucks were parked. One was Indian, another Korean barbecue, but the one Natasha and Bucky had fallen in love with was a Russian one.
The line was fairly short and before long Natasha placed two orders of pelmeni and stepped back to where some tables had been set out. As she waited she observed the other patrons and her eyes landed on a couple only two tables away and for good reason: the man from her dream was there.
His hair looked blonder under the bright sun and his smile was contagious, causing his companion to smile back at him. She watched as the woman placed a hand on his forearm in a knowing and natural way, the man not even blinking at the gesture. With a sigh she fiddled with her phone, all of the good ones were taken.
Her order was called up and she hurried back to the store. She felt a drop fall on her head and the wiped it away with her forearm. Another fell, followed by three more and then the heavens opened up and rain poured down on Natasha. She sprinted the last block to the store and shut the door forcefully when she made her way inside.
Bucky walked over from behind the counter and grabbed the bag from her. "You all right Nat? I've got some towels in the back if you want to dry off."
She sighed. "Yeah, thanks. Is your friend here yet?"
"He should be here soon. He texted me he was catching up with one of the friends he made in college. She moved down here two months ago and he wanted to see how she was doing."
"Well maybe by then I won't look like shit," she replied as she headed to the back room.
"Lunch will make you feel better. Just dry off and I'll have everything ready," said Bucky.
She found a blue towel sitting alone on a shelf and quickly rubbed it over her body to get the worst of it off. She draped it over her shoulders and headed back out to the front where Bucky had lunch set out in the counter. "You are a lifesaver."
Bucky chuckled and pointed at a plate in front of him. "Sit down and enjoy Romanoff."
A contented sigh escaped her lips as the spicy smell hit her nose and she smiled with pleasure as the first bite hit her tongue. "This is what I needed."
"I'm glad you're feeling better. I was starting to think you were cursed."
"I'm not. I guess it's just not my day."
"If you want you can take the rest of the day off."
"That's not fair to you."
Bucky shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't bother me. You never take any time off."
"I'll be fine. I'll just finish organizing the back. That okay with you?"
"Yeah, if you want to go home after that I won't mind."
She smirked. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, Barnes."
"Hey, I am just watching out for you. And I changed the light bulb."
Natasha smiled. "Of course. And thanks." She strolled to the back and opened the door, the smell of gun powder bringing her to relaxation. she flicked on the light switch and it bathed the back room in a soft fluorescent glow. She pulled boxes out and sorted through odds in ends, twisting her back she flipped on the radio Bucky kept back there to a classic rock station, rain still pouring outside. The work seemed to go by quickly and soon Natasha was feeling better. As she put one on of the last boxes on the shelf she found two NERF guns and smiled; six months ago an impromptu NERF war broke out between the two and ended when Sam was mercilessly ambushed by Bucky when he entered the store. Sam had hidden them and now that Natasha found them she planned to reinstate the competition.
She put the revolver like one in her pocket, but armed herself with the rapid fire one. She checked its clip to see if it was packed with foam darts and with a wicked grin headed out the door. She crept through to the front and hid behind a display, armed and ready. A shadow fell across her vision and she leapt out and pelted the intruder with foam.
"Ow, ow, what the hell is going on?"
Natasha lowered her NERF gun, the accusatory voice not belonging to Bucky. She looked at him and froze, it was the blonde man. "Where those NERF darts? I never knew they could hurt so badly."
He was wearing a blue tee shirt, causal jeans and most of him had some kind of paint on him. His hands were speckled with different shades and he had a streak of orange across his forehead. "Sorry," she managed, "I thought you were Bucky."
The man's neck turned red and he grinned. "Buck, uh? You must be Natasha. He's told me a lot about you."
He stuck out his hand and she politely shook it. "Are you the Steve he was talking about this morning?"
"Yeah, Steve Rogers. I didn't know Bucky said anything about me."
"He only said you were an artist and you were coming by to do something to 'spruce up' the store," she looked around him, "where are you painting at?"
"He's having me do a piece on the wall. Um...do you want to see?"
Natasha was baffled by his shy nature; he seemed more outgoing when she saw him at lunch. He walked around the display and she followed him. She looked at the wall and nearly lost it.
It was her.
More specifically it was based off of a picture of her Bucky had sworn he had deleted.
It was the Fourth of July, she had been slightly buzzed and it didn't help she had found the cutest American flag high waisted bikini two days previous.
In all her painted glory Natasha was in the bikini, a coy smile on her face and a smoldering look in her eyes, posed much like a forties pinup, but Steve had managed to rework it so she had a gun across her lap and a helmet on her head.
"James Buchan Barnes," she said through gritted teeth. No wonder poor Steve looked nervous. And a bit embarrassed, she had as an afterthought. She looked back at the half finished painting and groaned. She didn't want to admit it, but Steve had made her look amazing.
Steve rubbed the back of his neck. "He, uh, didn't tell me he knew the model. Or that you worked here."
She crossed her arms. "He can be a jerk like that."
Steve smiled. "I tell him that all the time."
"Besides it's not like anything can be done. I'm not going to make you paint over your hard work."
He looked at the wall, then at Natasha, and then back at the wall. "Since you didn't know about this, when was that picture taken."
"Last Fourth of July. I told him to delete it, but apparently he had other plans. We had passed some reproduction World War Two posters and he joked about pin ups. I mockingly posed and he took the picture."
Steve looked down at the floor in front of the wall and Natasha noticed the paint cans. "I can always tweak it. Change the hair color, eye color, body shape-"
"No it's fine," interrupted Natasha. "I'm more against the fact he's having you paint it on the freaking wall than the art itself. I look pretty damn hot."
Steve's neck turned red again. "Uh, yeah..."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you normally flustered around women? How did you ever get with your girlfriend?"
He scrunched his eyebrows together. "What girlfriend?"
Shit, she pretty much admitted to spying on him at lunch.
"I saw you at those food trucks when I got lunch for Bucky and I."
Steve eyes widened. "No, no, no. That was not my girlfriend. That was Maria; she's just a friend from college."
Natasha's gazed dropped as she looked through her lashes. "So, no girlfriend?"
"Nope."
She looked back at the wall. "That's good. I wouldn't want to suffer from the wrath of a jealous girlfriend."
Steve laughed. "Yeah, it's been awhile; I just haven't found the right person."
The bell connected to the shop door dinged as someone came in breaking the moment. "Hey Steve, I see you met Nat," Bucky said with a grin and two coffees.
Natasha smirked and pulled the revolver gun from her pocket and pelted Bucky with foam vengeance.
"What the hell, Nat?"
"That's for not telling me about the wall," she said as she pointed towards it.
Bucky sat the coffee on the counter. "I figured you would be against it."
"It's not terrible," she grumbled.
Bucky beamed. "Cool, 'cos I was thinking about making it the new logo."
"No, this is it."
"Fair enough. I've got a few things I need to take care of. I'll be in the office." Bucky left for his office leaving Steve and Natasha to their own devices.
She sat down by the wall and watched as Steve picked his paint brush back up. "So, New York any fun?"
"It has its days," he replied as he focused on applying another shade of orange to her paint doppelgänger. He put it back down and looked at her. "I know this may sound weird, but ever since Buck sent me that picture I've been wondering what kind of person you would be. Would you tell jokes? Sing karaoke? Know how to defend herself? Volunteer? Cat lover or dog lover? Were your eyes always such a vibrant color or was it just the lighting? I wanted to know. About you."
She looked up at him and smiled. "What do you think?"
"You're more than I ever could have imagined." He bashfully leaned in and kissed her lightly, happiness filling her down to her toes.
"You sure know how to make a girl's bad day better," she replied.
"It's getting pretty late. Maybe later we can have dinner. You'll have to go unarmed," he joked.
She chuckled and pushed the NERF gun to the side with her feet. "Done." Natasha kissed him back and couldn't help but smile. It seemed like she hadn't run out of good luck quite yet.