"told you they were special."
Natasha stood with her arms crossed, watching as Peter and Wanda stretched on the training mats. When Tony had asked her to keep an eye on the "mini Avengers" while he was away on business, she hadn't been thrilled with the idea of babysitting a couple of teenagers. But orders were orders, and now here she was, about to put the two through their paces.
"Alright, let's see what you've got," she said crisply. "I want you both to come at me with everything you've got. Don't hold back."
Peter and Wanda exchanged a hesitant glance. "Um, are you sure Ms. Romanoff?" Peter asked nervously. "I don't want to actually hurt you or anything."
Natasha suppressed an eye roll. The kid was powerful, but he was also soft. "You won't hurt me," she said flatly. "Now, no more talking. Go!"
The two rushed her simultaneously, Peter shooting out webs while Wanda flung bursts of scarlet energy. Natasha dodged and deflected their attacks with ease, sweeping Peter's feet out from under him while grabbing Wanda's wrist and using her momentum to flip the girl onto her back. They both let out startled yelps as they hit the mat.
"C'mon, get up," Natasha ordered. "Again."
Over and over she put them through their paces, growing more relentless with each round. A hard glint came into her eyes as she drove them past their limits, their chests heaving with exertion. Finally, she had Peter pinned beneath her foot while Wanda lay collapsed on the ground a few feet away.
"Pathetic," Natasha snapped. "If this had been a real fight, you'd both be dead."
Peter's face crumpled. "I'm sorry," he whimpered. "We're trying as hard as we can."
Wanda pushed herself to her hands and knees, tears sparkling in her eyes. "Please, I can't...I need a break..." she gasped.
Natasha frowned down at them, before realizing that she had completely forgotten they were just children. The red haze of combat cleared from her mind, guilt replacing it. She stepped back from Peter and extended a hand to help him up.
"You're right, that's enough for now," she said in a gentler tone. "I think we could all use a break."
She gave them each a bottle of water and had them sit against the wall, legs stretched out. Kneeling in front of them, she checked them over for any serious injuries, inwardly berating herself for being so careless. A few scrapes and bruises, but nothing more. Still, she felt protective stirrings arise within her as she looked at their exhausted, defeated faces.
"I'm sorry," she found herself saying. "I shouldn't have been so hard on you. It wasn't fair of me to treat you like seasoned warriors."
Peter gave her a weak smile. "S'okay, Ms. Romanoff. We know you were just trying to train us."
"Call me Natasha," she told him. Looking over at Wanda, who was wiping her eyes, Natasha put a hand on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you cry. That was my fault, not yours."
Wanda sniffled but gave her a tiny smile. "I will get better, Natasha. I want to make you and Mr. Stark proud."
Natasha's heart clenched. She wasn't used to feeling so...protective. But she found herself putting an arm around each of them and giving a gentle squeeze.
"Tell you what. How about I make us some dinner, and after we eat you can get some rest. We'll take it easier tomorrow."
Both kids perked up at that, smiling and nodding. Natasha hid her own smile as she stood. Maybe this wouldn't be such terrible babysitting duty after all.
In the kitchen, Natasha assembled ingredients for some homemade chicken tenders and fries. Comfort food would go a long way right now for the kids.
As she breaded the chicken, she found herself growing curious about her two charges. "So...how did you both become Avengers, anyway?" she asked.
Peter perched on a stool, launching into the story of how he got bitten by a radioactive spider and gained powers. Natasha listened with interest as he described learning to use his abilities and create webs, trying to balance school and superheroics.
"It's crazy sometimes," he said, snagging a fry. "But I want to help people, you know? With great power comes great responsibility."
Natasha nodded thoughtfully. The kid had a good heart. Her gaze shifted to Wanda, who was shyly stirring a pot of roasted vegetables. "What about you?"
Wanda's eyes clouded. "HYDRA experimented on me and my brother Pietro. The scepter unlocked our...abilities." She waved a hand, red wisps trailing from her fingertips. "When Ultron tried to destroy the world, we realized we should use our powers to help."
Anger stirred in Natasha's gut. To go through what she had, yet still be so kind...Wanda was stronger than Natasha had realized. Reaching out, she gave the girl's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"I'm glad you're both here now," she said firmly. And strangely, she meant it.
Over dinner, Natasha listened to them chat and joke with amusement, their earlier tears forgotten. There was an easy intimacy between them, a close sibling-like bond.
Peter was in the middle of enthusiastically recounting a mission against some creature called a Rhino when Wanda suddenly yawned.
"Oh man, I'm beat," she said, leaning her head on Peter's shoulder. "Training really wiped me out."
"Me too," he said with a sleepy smile, resting his head atop hers. "That was the hardest workout ever. But we'll get better at it."
Something in Natasha's chest constricted at the sight. Without thinking, she reached out and ruffled both their hair. "Why don't you both get some sleep? You earned it today."
They smiled up at her, and her heart clenched even more when they both spontaneously moved to hug her.
"Thanks, Mom," Peter mumbled.
"Night, Mom," Wanda whispered.
Natasha froze, shock rippling through her. Had...had they just called her Mom? She knew it was just because they were exhausted. But the wave of emotion that crashed over her took her breath away. She had never imagined she would get to be someone's mother.
Schooling her features, she arched an eyebrow at them as they pulled away. "Mom, huh?" she teased. "You two are completely delirious."
They blinked at her sleepily before their eyes widened in embarrassment. "Oh man, sorry Natasha," Peter said, rubbing his neck. "Guess we're more tired than we realized."
"We didn't mean it like that," Wanda added quickly, blushing.
Natasha chuckled, playfully ruffling their hair again. "No worries. Now get some sleep, both of you."
Still red-faced, they mumbled goodnights and shuffled off down the hall to their rooms. Natasha watched them go, warmth blooming in her chest.
Hours later, when Tony returned from his trip, he was surprised to find Natasha still awake in the living room, two sleeping teens cuddled up to her.
"Well what do we have here?" he asked with a smirk, taking in the scene.
Natasha held a finger to her lips before carefully shifting Peter and Wanda so she could lay them down on the couch. She pulled a blanket over them, the pair unconsciously snuggling closer beneath it. Gazing down at them, Natasha was unable to keep the fondness off her face.
She stepped quietly over to Tony. "Training wore them out earlier. They fell asleep after dinner."
He nodded knowingly. "Cute kids, right? Even when they make mistakes, you can't stay mad at them."
Natasha thought back to the tears in their eyes after she'd been too harsh today. "No, you can't," she murmured.
Tony glanced between her and the sleeping teens in surprise. "Don't tell me the infamous Black Widow has gone soft?"
She shot him a warning look, but there was no heat behind it. "This stays between us, got it? Don't go spreading it around to Barton and the others."
He mimed zipping his mouth shut. "My lips are sealed." Curiosity sparkled in his eyes. "Soooo, how was your day with the mini-Avengers?"
Natasha couldn't stop the smirk that formed on her lips. "Went pretty well. They even called me Mom by accident."
Tony's eyes bugged out. "No way! That's priceless." He peered over at the kids as if seeing them in a new light. "Wow. Well done, Romanoff. Didn't think you had such magic motherly charms."
She punched his arm lightly. "Oh shut up, Stark." Looking back at Peter and Wanda's sleeping faces, her expression softened once more. "They're good kids. You've got something special with them."
Tony smiled. "With all of us, really. We're a team now." He tilted his head, regarding her thoughtfully. "And you're part of it too, you know. Whether you like it or not."
Natasha huffed out a breath, but couldn't deny the warmth that filled her at his words. This team thing...it was growing on her.
Her gaze returned to the two sleeping teens, looking so peaceful there together. A fierce swell of protectiveness rose up in her chest, her inner voice whispering mine. She supposed that was what being a parent felt like.
She smirked back at Tony. "Part of the team, huh? Does that make me their superhero mom?" She nodded her head towards Peter and Wanda.
Tony blinked in surprise before a wide grin spread over his face. "You know what, I think it does." His smile softened. "And I know you'll be amazing at it."
Looking at the two sleeping kids, Natasha felt that unfamiliar bloom of warmth in her chest again. She surprised Tony by pulling him into a quick, fierce hug.
"Thank you," she whispered.
He hugged her back just as tightly. As they pulled apart, he gave her a knowing look. "Told you they were special."
She glanced back at Peter and Wanda, a rush of affection sweeping over her once more. "Yeah," she agreed quietly. "They really are."
Special in a way she never could have expected. But she wouldn't have it any other way.