Natasha was beyond stressed.
Ever since Pepper's announcement, her job had gotten a lot harder. The CEO wanted to keep her pregnancy out of the tabloids until after her wedding, which meant that Natasha had to deal with all the paparazzi coming in and out of the office.
Natasha's job as Pepper's best friend also had gotten incredibly more difficult. Pepper had moved up her wedding date so that she wouldn't be showing in the pictures. So Natasha was helping plan the wedding while also planning the bachelorette party.
Oh, and Pepper had asked her to be her Maid of Honor too.
At first, Natasha could deal with the press and the dress shopping and invitation making, but after two full weeks of it, Natasha was about to crack.
Steve had been as helpful as he could, always bringing her dinner or offering her massages. But Steve had recently been sent off on a mission, leaving her to deal with the abundance of stress alone.
Tony was one of the first ones to notice her situation, mostly because she almost shot him.
It was a Tuesday morning, around three or so. Natasha couldn't sleep, so she was in the shooting range, firing off her stress. Sadly, not even shooting things helped her feel better. She was about to put the gun away and head back upstairs when she heard a noise. She turned and fired two shots at the noise, thankfully, they missed their target.
"Damnit Tony! What did I say about sneaking up on me when I have my gun?!" Natasha cried, glaring at the millionaire.
Tony had his hands raised in surrender.
"I called your name like twice!" he argued, lowering his hands down slowly.
"Oh. Sorry," Natasha murmured, putting the gun up. "I didn't hear you."
"Yeah I can tell," Tony snarkily replied.
Natasha didn't respond back; she just kept her focus on the shooting range in front of her. In the dim light of the range, the bags under her eyes stood out.
"Hey Lil' Red? You okay?" Tony asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine," Natasha replied, running her hands shakily through her hair.
"Well you don't look fine," Tony remarked, crossing his arms.
Natasha gave him a halfhearted glare.
"Wow. Your death glares have lost their sting. Something must really be wrong," Tony commented.
Natasha just sighed almost pitifully.
Tony frowned and approached her, gently grasping her arm.
"I hear some Russian hot chocolate calling our names. Let's go get'cha a cup and you can tell me then, okay?"
Natasha smiled softly and nodded, allowing him to escort her upstairs.
Russian hot chocolate was Natasha's not-so-secret guilty pleasure. Clint had figured it out when they were on a mission in Moscow together, and she bought three bags of the stuff. So, every time she was stressed or unhappy, he'd know to make her a cup and it would calm her down. He later on taught it to Steve, who altered it, by adding a heart made out of whip cream. Steve gave it to her when she was sad, stressed, or angry. It was his little way of telling her that he was there and that everything was going to be all right.
Later on, Steve taught the rest of the team how to make the drink, just in case Natasha had a freak out and he wasn't there to calm her down. Tony used the drink mostly as a peace offering.
Natasha couldn't help but smile when Tony handed her the drink, complete with the whip cream heart that Steve always added. She took a tentative sip, reveling in the warmth that the drink provided.
After a few minutes, Tony finally broke the silence.
"Natasha. What's wrong? You look like hell, no offense."
Natasha smirked and took another sip.
"Have you not been sleeping well?" Tony asked.
Natasha nodded. "That, and a couple other things."
"What other things?"
"Just things."
"Yeah, sure," Tony replied sarcastically.
Natasha huffed and set down her drink.
"Fine. I'm stressed. That's all."
"That's all? Natasha you never get stressed."
"I do," Natasha argued. "But I conceal it."
"Well you sure as aren't now. What all are you doing?"
Natasha took a deep breath before explaining.
"Well, I'm helping plan your wedding, while fending off paparazzi at work, while planning Pepper's bachelorette party, while doing all my maid of honor duties, while doing my actual work."
Tony looked shocked.
"Oh and my fiancée is halfway across the world, so it's hard to sleep."
"Jesus, Nat. That would kill the average man."
"Well, I'm not the average man," Natasha retorted.
Tony chuckled. "No, no you're not."
Natasha sighed and picked back up her mug, finishing the rest of the drink.
"Take next week off," Tony mentioned.
"What?!"
"No I'm serious. Take next week off. I'll get Pepper to do the same."
"Why?"
"Well you're stressed, Pepper's probably stressed, so you guys could take a well needed vacation."
"Just the two of us?"
"Yeah."
"Nope, not gonna work."
"Why not?"
"Pepper will use all of it to plan for your wedding. Not really a vacation."
"Ah true," Tony mumbled. "Well, how about we all go?"
"All of us?"
"Yeah. It'll be fun. We can go to the beach. Rent a house and everything."
Natasha rolled her eyes at him. "There's no talking you out of it, is there?"
"Nope," Tony replied, pulling out his StarkPad.
Natasha chuckled. "Well I'm going to bed. Night."
"Night, Lil' Red."
Natasha got up and started heading to her room, she stopped at the door way and looked back at Tony.
"Hey Tony?"
"Yeah?" he asked, looking up.
"Thanks."
Tony smiled. "You're very welcome, Natasha."
Natasha smiled and headed back to her room.
Natasha woke to large arms wrapping around her waist. The smell of dirt and sweat filling her senses as a large form settled beside her.
"Steve?" she asked, turning to look up at him.
Steve smiled down at her, kissing her forehead lightly.
"Hey baby. Sorry I woke you."
"No, no. It's alright," Natasha murmured, pulling him closer.
"You're home early."
"Yeah, Fury sent me back, saying something about an Avenger's family vacation or something."
Natasha smiled and snuggled closer, resting her head on his chest as he shifted to lay on his back.
"I have no idea about the family vacation thing, but I didn't complain. I missed you," He murmured.
"I missed you more," Natasha replied.
Steve smiled and pulled his fiancée closer, the both of them falling into a peaceful slumber.
The nest morning the couple was awoken to Tony bearing down on their door.
"Hurry up! Get packed. The plane leaves in two hours!" Tony yelled through the door.
Natasha groaned and untangled herself from Steve.
"Got it Tony. Meet you at the parking garage in an hour." Natasha called back, stumbling to their closet.
Steve was back asleep when Natasha emerged from the closet wearing jean shorts and a white V-neck t-shirt.
"Steve," she cooed, shaking his broad shoulder. "Wake up. We've got to pack."
"Huh?" Steve asked, waking up slowly.
"We've got to pack. We're heading to the beach."
Steve grunted and rolled over.
"Five more minutes," he murmured, half asleep.
Natasha chuckled and shook her head. She headed back into the closet, pulling down their suitcase. She began packing for the two of them.
Thirty minutes later, she zipped up the suitcase, complete with her guns and his shield, and rolled it to their door. She then crawled in bed and lay on her fiancée's chest for a few minutes, gently tracing shapes on the planes of his chest. Slowly, the super soldier began to wake.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty," Natasha remarked, running her hand through his blond locks.
"Mmh. Morning," Steve replied, his voice gruff.
"Hurry up and get in the shower. We have to leave for the airport in thirty."
"Mmh. Got it," he murmured, rolling over and stumbling to his feet. He let out a large yawn and stretch his sore muscles.
"You gonna join me?" he asked, heading towards the shower.
"Nope. No time," Natasha replied, kissing his softly on the cheek.
"Besides, I'm already dressed."
Steve gave her a childish puppy dog pout.
Natasha laughed and threw his clothes at his face.
"Go get ready!" she ordered, laughing at her fiancée's antics.
Steve's laugh echoed throughout the bathroom as he headed to shower.
Fifteen minutes later, Steve emerged, fully dressed and shaved.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Waiting on you, slowpoke," Natasha replied, shouldering her camera bag.
"Well I'm sorry," Steve retorted. "It takes gramps a while to get up in the mornings."
Natasha laughed and gently slapped his shoulder.
"C'mon Gramps. If we're late, Tony'll kill us."
Steve chuckled and picked up both their bags.
The couple quickly headed to the parking garage where the rest of the team was meeting.
Surprisingly, they weren't the last to arrive.
Clint came stumbling in a few minutes after them, his outfit and hair all disheveled.
Before questions could be asked, Tony was ushering them into the car.
"Let's go. Let's go," Tony persisted. "We can talk later."
The team made it to the airstrip in record time.
They quickly loaded their luggage and boarded without complication, causing the plane to take off somewhat on schedule.
During the ride, Natasha tried to get answers out of Clint, but her attempts fell short when the archer put his headphones in, drowning her out. So instead, Natasha decided to pass the flight by snuggling up with her super soldier.
Natasha soon fell asleep on Steve shoulder as he softly chatted with Thor about the Midgardian game of baseball, which Thor had a huge fascination with. Bruce would occasionally join in due to the fact that he used to play before his accident. The conversation went from baseball to other sports, starting with basketball and ending with football. Thor was also fascinated with the prospect of football.
Tony had his hands full the whole flight, trying to prevent Pepper from planning out their wedding. The CEO was adamant about making it all perfect, stressing out everyone with her OCD tendencies. A few times the woman wanted to wake the sleeping Natasha in order to get her opinion on certain subjects, but Tony would shake his head and tell her it was a bad idea. Finally, Tony got fed up and slammed her laptop shut. The CEO was outraged.
"Tony!" she gasped, standing up.
Her outburst caught everyone's attention, even Clint's.
Steve shifted slightly, pressing Natasha's head closer to his chest in hope that Pepper's outburst wouldn't wake her.
"Pepper. Please lower your voice, you're going to wake Natasha," Tony pleaded.
"No!" Pepper argued. "What do you have against me planning the wedding? It's not going to plan itself!"
Steve winced at how loud Pepper's voice was. Natasha was shifting in his arms. He made quick eye contact with Clint, who nodded and handed over his sound canceling headphones. Steve, with the help of Bruce, expertly slid them over Natasha's ears. Natasha quickly stilled, falling back into a deeper sleep.
"I don't have a problem with you planning it, Pepper. It's just that this is vacation. No work," Tony argued. "And that includes the wedding."
Pepper pouted.
Tony sighed before continuing. "Look Pep. I know you're excited about the wedding, but its stressing all of us out, especially Natasha."
Pepper looked confused. "What do you mean? She hasn't said anything."
"You know Natasha. She thinks she can do everything. She won't admit weakness to anyone, except Steve," Tony explained. "And Steve's been gone all week. Not to mention that she's been taking all the press heat at work, trying to help keep our baby out of the papers. On top of that, she's been helping you with the wedding, whenever you call."
Pepper looked surprised. "I... I didn't know."
"No one is blaming you, Pepper," Steve clarified.
"Yeah Pep. We want you and Tony to have that fairytale wedding," Clint added.
"We just are all feeling stress," Bruce commented.
"So that is why the man of iron proclaimed this week to be one of joyous activities and relaxation," Thor finished.
Pepper looked at the team. "I'm sorry guys."
Steve shook his head. "Don't be. But do us all a favor and keep the planning to a minimum. We all want to enjoy this vacation together, with no distractions."
Pepper nodded. "I will. Thanks guys."
"No problem, Pep," Clint replied.
Pepper smiled and put her laptop in her bag.
A good three hours later, the plane touched down at the airport.
The team began to get their things together while Steve gently began to wake Natasha up.
"Tash?" Steve murmured, caressing her face. "It's time to get up. We've landed."
Natasha groaned and slowly woke up.
"There she is," Steve cooed jokingly. "Sleeping Beauty's finally up."
Natasha smiled and playfully pushed him. Steve laughed.
"How long was I out?" Natasha asked, yawning.
"About three hours."
Natasha stood up and stretched. "That's the best sleep I've had in a week."
"Missed your favorite pillow?" Steve asked, standing up.
Natasha looked up at him. "You know I did."
Steve smiled and pulled her into his arms. "I missed you too."
Natasha pulled back and smiled. "Now come on! I wanna see the beach!"
Steve chuckled and grabbed their carry-ons before exiting the plane.
Outside, the rest of the team was waiting along with all of their luggage. Three vehicles were parked on the airstrip near Tony's plane. One was a navy 2014 Audi Q5, another was a grey 2014 Audi A7, and the last one was a black Ducati 1098.
Tony tossed the keys to the Ducati to Clint, who looked like a kid at Christmas.
"Knock yourself out, Legolas," Tony said as Clint caught the keys.
"Sweet!" Clint exclaimed, approaching the bike.
Tony turned to Steve, tossing him a pair of keys.
"The Q5 is you and Red's. Thor'll be riding with you guys," Tony explained.
"Got it," Steve replied before turning to Thor. "Come on Thor, let's load up the car."
The Asgardian nodded and picked up his duffle, along with Nat and Steve's suitcase.
The team quickly loaded up and headed out, Tony taking Clint's bag in his car.
The ride was nice. Thor had passed out early on, allowing Steve and Natasha to have a little time together without the Asgardian's constant questioning.
Natasha had found a good oldies radio station and was humming along softly. Steve was holding her hand as he drove, a pair of aviators perched atop his nose. Natasha was wearing her favorite pair of Ray Bans.
After thirty minutes or so, the convoy pulled up to a private, luxurious beach house, located right next to the bright blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Steve let out a low, appreciative whistle as he parked the car underneath the house in the car port.
"This is stunning," Steve commented. Natasha nodded in response.
The team quickly unpacked the cars, taking the luggage upstairs to the main living room.
Pepper explained the sleeping arrangements. She and Tony would be sharing the Master bedroom on the top floor. Steve and Natasha would be sharing the guest bedroom up stairs. Bruce would have the first downstairs bedroom by himself, while Clint would be sharing the second downstairs guest bedroom with Thor.
The team decided to unpack, unwind, and get ready for dinner. Pepper had reservations at a nice ocean front restaurant, and the team was told to dress casual.
Steve and Natasha's room was nice. It had a king bed with a fluffy cream bedspread and distressed wooden headboard. There was a small balcony that over looked the beach, and the bathroom had a luxuriously large shower.
Upon entering the room, Natasha launched herself on the bed, giggling. Steve chuckled at her antics.
"This is great," Natasha spoke, her voice muffled by the pillows. "I've needed a vacation."
Steve hummed in agreement as he set the bag down and began to unpack their clothes and place them in the closet.
Natasha soon got up and helped him.
Dinner was at a beachside seafood restaurant called Vincent's. The ambiance was relaxed, which allowed the team to unwind and enjoy each other's company. They had dinner out on the deck, overlooking the water.
The food was marvelous. Natasha had gotten grilled shrimp and garden vegetables, while Steve had an entire fried flounder. Tony had managed to get Thor to try some of his oysters, which ended hilariously as the demi-god had never encountered them before and ate one, shell and all.
Clint had crab, while Bruce had grilled mahi-mahi. Pepper was dining on a grilled shrimp salad. The team also had a few frozen drinks as Tony introduced Steve to strawberry piña coladas.
After dinner, the team headed back to the house. They all grabbed flashlights and headed down to the beach to hunt for ghost crabs. Thor was way too enthusiastic with hunting down the crabs. The Asgardian looked like a large, lopsided puppy, running though the sand while attempting to chase down the crabs. Tony made sure he got it all on tape, especially when a crab got his revenge, locking onto the Asgardian's thumb with a vengeance.
As Thor chased the crabs, the rest of the team walked casually along the shore. Tony had his arm around Pepper's growing waist, the two of them walking slowly. The CEO had her head resting on Tony's shoulder, the surf splashing lazily over their feet as they walked.
Natasha and Steve were holding hands, walking a bit behind Pepper and Tony. Steve was looking up at the stars, pointing out the constellations as Natasha rested her head on his bicep. The wind was a bit biting, causing Natasha to shiver slightly. Steve noticed her chill, so he stopped their walk and pulled her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her from behind. The couple stood facing the ocean, looking up at the brilliant stars. Natasha had her hands holding onto Steve's bicep that resting over her chest, the other resting over her waist. She smiled as his warm body chased away the chill of the breeze.
"How do you know so much about the stars?" Natasha asked him.
Steve smiled, "Well when I was growing up, Bucky and I used to climb up on the roof of the apartment that my mom and I had. The stars were so much brighter back then and Buck and I would lay out and look up at them. We only knew a few constellations from school, but it didn't stop us… Later on during the war, we would do the same thing. We'd climb up on one to the tanks and look up at the stars. Between Bucky and I, we knew almost all of the constellations."
Natasha nodded as she leaned her head back against his chest to get a better look at the stars.
"Do you miss him?" she asked quietly.
"Every day," Steve replied, "he would've loved you."
Natasha smiled and let him hold her closer. "I would've loved to meet him."
After a few minutes the team headed inside. Bruce was tasked with patching up Thor from his battle with the ghost crabs while Pepper was scourging through the refrigerator for a late night snack. Clint had turned in early, which was odd. Natasha was worried, but Steve had convinced her not to press and that she could ask him in the morning.
One by one the team turned in for the night. After a wonderful shower, the spy and the super soldier crawled in their fluffy bed and quickly fell asleep in each other's arms.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the late update. Life's just gotten in the way, but I have a whole arsenal of stories coming your way. Note: This chapter is a two parter and I should have the next one up in about a week or so.
Till next time,
Flashette