"you'll always be my kid."
Peter dragged his feet as he walked down the hallway of the Avengers compound, shoulders slumped. He had just come back from school and was on his way to the gym for his usual after-school training session with Natasha.
Only lately, their sessions had become fewer and farther between. Ever since Wanda Maximoff had joined the Avengers, Natasha spent more and more of her time training the newest recruit. Peter understood, he really did. Wanda was powerful but inexperienced. She needed guidance to control her abilities.
But that didn't stop the bitter sting of jealousy he felt whenever he saw Natasha and Wanda training together, heads bent close as Natasha explained something, or laughing about a shared joke. It reminded Peter of how things used to be between him and Natasha, before Wanda came along. Now Natasha barely had any time for him anymore.
Peter knew he was being unfair. Wanda seemed nice enough, if a little shy and standoffish. And Natasha was just trying to help her adjust to the team. But he missed having Natasha all to himself. She had become like a mentor and mother figure to him since he joined the Avengers. They used to spend hours training together, Natasha patiently teaching him new moves and techniques. It was some of Peter's favorite time.
But now he barely saw Natasha outside of missions. The jealousy and loneliness kept building up inside of him, but he didn't know how to voice it without sounding petty and childish. So Peter stuffed down his feelings and plastered on a smile, trying not to let his hurt show.
Peter reached the gym and stopped short. There was Natasha and Wanda, working through a series of combat drills. Wanda's movements were hesitant and clumsy compared to Natasha's smooth, flawless technique, but Natasha smiled encouragingly.
"Good, just like that Wanda. Remember to keep your core engaged..."
Peter bit his lip, watching them wistfully. Then he turned and left before Natasha noticed him, not wanting to interrupt. His heart ached.
Over the next few weeks, Peter grew more and more withdrawn as Natasha continued to focus her attention on training Wanda. His hurt festered, transforming into resentment towards the Scarlet Witch.
During missions and team training, Peter started showing off, performing more and more reckless stunts and maneuvers in an attempt to prove himself better than Wanda. Natasha noticed his change in behavior and tried talking to him, but Peter just brushed her off, claiming he was fine. In truth, he was desperate to impress Natasha and win back her attention and praise.
It all came to a head during a difficult fight against a group of armed mercenaries. Peter was fired up, swinging and flipping around the battlefield with aggressive force. He spotted Natasha and Wanda fighting together across the way. Gritting his teeth, Peter shot a web to swing over to them.
"Hey! Check this out!" he yelled, aiming right for the cluster of mercenaries surrounding Natasha and Wanda. He shot multiple webs in rapid succession, grabbing onto two mercenaries. With a fierce yell, he swung them around and released, sending them crashing into three other men.
"Haha! Top that, Witchy!" Peter crowed, chest heaving from adrenaline. Just then, warning tingles shot up his spine. Whipping around, Peter came face to face with a mercenary taking aim at him.
But before the man could fire, Natasha was there. With lethal speed and grace, she dispatched the mercenary with her widow's bite. Then she turned on Peter, eyes blazing.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded angrily. "You trying to get yourself killed showing off like that?"
Peter shrank back from her fury. "N-no, I just-"
"Save it," Natasha snapped. "We'll talk about this later."
She whirled away to rejoin the fight, leaving Peter stinging with shame. He had just been trying to impress her, but instead he'd made her angry and disappointed.
Swallowing back the lump in his throat, Peter threw himself recklessly back into battle, desperate to prove himself. He was so focused on taking down enemies that he didn't notice one sneaking up behind him until it was too late.
Blinding pain exploded across Peter's back as something hard and heavy slammed into him. He hit the ground hard, the breath rushing from his lungs. Dazed, he tried to push himself up, but his arms gave out.
"Pete!" Natasha's panicked yell cut through the ringing in his ears. Then she was there, hauling him up and practically dragging him behind a barricade. Peter sagged against her, spots dancing across his vision.
"Shit, you're hurt," Natasha muttered, quickly examining the back of his suit. Peter hissed as her fingers probed at what was definitely a few broken ribs.
Natasha's face was tight with worry and anger as she looked him over. "What were you thinking, pulling crap like that?" she demanded. "You know better than to showboat and lose focus during a fight."
Peter hung his head. Now that the adrenaline was fading, shame flooded through him. "I just...I wanted to..." he trailed off miserably.
Natasha's expression softened slightly. She cupped Peter's cheek. "Hey, look at me," she said gently. When Peter finally met her eyes, she asked "What's going on with you lately? And don't say it's nothing, because I know it's not. Talk to me, Peter."
Looking into her concerned green eyes, Peter felt the last of his defenses crumble. The words spilled out of him in a rush.
"I just...I miss you, Mom," he confessed softly. Natasha's eyes widened at the name but Peter forged on. "Ever since you started training Wanda, we never hang out anymore. And I know it's stupid, but I was jealous. I wanted to prove I was better than her. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad. I just miss spending time with you."
He dropped his gaze again, ashamed. But then Natasha's hand was cupping his chin, tilting his face back up gently. Her expression radiated compassion.
"Oh Peter," she murmured. "I had no idea you felt that way. I'm so sorry I made you feel replaced or unimportant. That was never my intention."
She brushed his curls back tenderly. "I care about you so much, baby. You'll always be my kid. But you have to talk to me about this stuff, okay? Don't keep it bottled up inside and put yourself at risk trying to prove something you don't need to. You're already perfect just the way you are."
Peter's eyes welled up. "Really?" he whispered.
"Really," Natasha confirmed. She carefully wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug. Peter clung to her, sniffling.
"I'm sorry I worried you, Mom," he mumbled into her shoulder.
Natasha pressed a kiss to his temple. "I know, baby. Just promise me you'll come to me next time you're feeling lonely or left out. We'll make more time for your training, I promise."
Peter nodded, relief washing over him. "I promise."
Natasha gave him one more squeeze before gently pulling back. "Alright, let's get you patched up now."
She helped Peter to his feet and supported him as they made their way back to the quinjet, the fight won. Peter leaned exhaustedly against Natasha's side, all the tension and bitterness flowing out of him. He had his mom back. Everything was going to be okay now.
Peter drifted in and out of consciousness, catching snippets of hushed voices and beeping machines around him. He was in the medbay at Avengers Tower, that much he could grasp through the fog in his brain. The rest was a blur of pain and exhaustion.
Slowly, Peter became aware of a small hand holding his. He forced his bleary eyes open to find Wanda Maximoff sitting at his bedside, watching him with quiet concern.
"Hey," Peter croaked.
Wanda gave him a small smile. "Hi. How are you feeling?"
Peter considered. Now that the pain meds were wearing off, there was a deep ache in his chest and back. But it was manageable.
"Sore. Tired. What happened?"
Wanda's smile faded. "You took a bad hit during the fight. Three broken ribs, concussion, some internal bleeding. You've been asleep for almost two days."
Peter winced. No wonder he felt like he'd been run over by a bus. Flashes of memory came back to him—the fight, showing off for Natasha, getting pummeled from behind. Humiliation flushed through him.
Wanda seemed to sense his discomfort. Her thumb rubbed over the back of his hand soothingly. "Everyone has hard missions sometimes," she said gently. "Don't be too hard on yourself. You're still recovering."
Peter gave her a grateful look. He didn't know Wanda very well, but he appreciated her comfort. It made him regret how coldly he'd treated her because of his own jealousy. She didn't deserve that.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, Peter enjoying the simple companionship. But there was something he needed to get off his chest.
"I'm really sorry," he said abruptly.
Wanda blinked. "For what?"
"For being a jerk to you these past few weeks," Peter admitted. "I was...I don't know, jealous. Of you and my Mom- sorry, Nat, training together so much. It was stupid and immature but I took it out on you and I'm sorry."
Wanda studied him for a moment before shaking her head with a wry smile. "Don't worry about it," she assured him. "This job comes with a lot of ego and competition. I understand." Her expression turned more serious. "But you really scared your mom, you know. She cares about you a lot."
Peter's stomach twisted with guilt. "I know," he said quietly. "I was being reckless and selfish. I'll make it up to her, I promise."
Wanda patted his hand. "Good. She'll appreciate that." She hesitated, then added softly, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry too. I never meant to come between you two. Natasha...she spoke very highly of you. I could tell you were special to her."
Warmth bloomed in Peter's chest. He met Wanda's earnest gaze. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "And I know Natasha cares about you too. She's been really excited to train you."
He offered her a tentative smile. "No reason we both can't be her protégés, right?"
Wanda returned the smile. "I'd like that." She gave his hand a final squeeze before standing. "I should let you rest now. Feel better, Peter."
"See you around, Wanda," he said through a yawn. As she left, Peter felt the last remnants of jealousy fade away. He had a good feeling he and Wanda were going to get along just fine from now on.
Over the next couple of days, Peter's enhanced healing kicked in and he started to recover. Natasha came to check on him frequently, fussing over him one minute and then scolding him gently the next for scaring her. Peter soaked up every minute of her attention.
Wanda visited often too, sometimes with Natasha and sometimes by herself. She told Peter about her home country Sokovia, about her brother Pietro who had died in the Battle of Sokovia against Ultron. In turn, Peter opened up to her about losing his parents as a child, and his uncle Ben more recently. Their shared grief for lost loved ones bonded them.
When Peter was finally discharged from the medbay, he entered the common room to find Wanda waiting for him with a small smile.
"I thought maybe we could watch a movie, if you're feeling up to it?" she suggested tentatively.
"That sounds great," Peter said, touched that she had thought of him. They settled on an action comedy and soon were laughing together on the couch.
As the credits rolled, Wanda turned to Peter with a mischievous grin. "Want me to show you a cool trick?" At Peter's eager nod, she held out a hand, red wisps of energy swirling around her fingers. The bowl of popcorn on the coffee table rose into the air.
Peter watched, enraptured, as Wanda made the bowl somersault and twirl just by gesturing with her hand.
"That's awesome!" he exclaimed.
Wanda laughed. "Wait till you see this." She furrowed her brow in concentration. Peter yelped as he suddenly found himself floating several feet off the couch.
"Wanda!" he complained, even as he grinned at the novel sensation. She merely smirked and twirled her hand, sending Peter spinning lazily through the air.
"Alright, I'm convinced," Peter laughed after a minute. "Now put me down!"
Still snickering, Wanda gently returned him to the couch. Peter shot a mock glare at her, unable to keep a straight face.
"Just for that, we're watching Star Wars next," he declared. "I have to educate you on the ways of the Force."
Wanda held up her hands innocently. "Okay, okay!"
Peter queued up the movie, settling back on the couch next to Wanda. As the opening credits rolled, Wanda snuck a glance at Peter. With his playful smile and the way he already felt like family, Peter reminded her a lot of her late younger twin brother Pietro Maximoff, also known as Quicksilver. The realization sent a pang through her heart, but also filled her with warmth. She had really missed having a younger sibling.
Over the following weeks, Peter and Wanda became inseparable around the compound. During training, they happily sparred together under Natasha's guidance, though they still dissolved into giggles more often than not. They pranked the others, watched movies, and swapped stories late into the night in each other's rooms. Peter felt happier than he had in a long time.
One night after a mission, Peter trudged exhaustedly down the hall to his bedroom, ready to collapse for the night. But as he passed Wanda's room, a noise made him pause. Pressing his ear to the door, he could make out the sounds of soft crying.
Peter knocked gently. "Wanda? You okay?" When she didn't respond, he pushed the door open.
Wanda sat on her bed, knees pulled to her chest. She looked up at Peter with red-rimmed eyes before dropping her gaze.
"I'm fine," she said thickly. "Just a nightmare."
Peter's heart ached for her. He crossed the room and sat beside her on the bed, putting a tentative arm around her shoulders. To his relief, Wanda leaned into him, sniffling.
"Want to talk about it?" Peter asked.
Wanda shook her head, pressing her face into his shoulder. Peter just held her, rubbing her back comfortingly as she cried.
"It's okay," he murmured. "I got you."
After a few minutes, Wanda's tears slowed. She sat up, wiping her eyes. "Sorry," she mumbled.
"Don't apologize." Peter bumped her shoulder. "What are little brothers for?"
Wanda gave him a watery smile. She rested her head on his shoulder with a content sigh. They sat in comfortable silence until Wanda's eyes drifted shut. Peter carefully maneuvered them to lay down. Wanda immediately curled into his side. Peter wrapped a protective arm around her, heart swelling.
"Love you, sis," he whispered.
"Love you too," Wanda mumbled sleepily.
Peter smiled and closed his eyes. He knew then for certain—he would do anything to keep his new big sister safe.