Of Dumplings and First Impressions
Nat watched with some amusement as the third child in as many minutes landed with a scream on the trampoline at the bottom of the ‘nest’ as her niece and nephew had dubbed it.
The child in question - an absolutely tiny brunet, lay there for a moment, panting, before standing up, and hopping back onto the rope.
Only to duck hurriedly out of the way as her nephew, and a second boy fell in sync, both screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Our land has been purged of the enemy scum,” called a voice Natasha recognised as her niece’s from above, “Do you concede defeat?”
“Never!” hollered back Cooper, “Freedom or death!”
“Then be free down there! The castle is ours!”
“Never!” called the first boy to fall, “You may have the high ground, but we have the force of good behind us!”
“Psst?” The two strangers jumped as Natasha made her presence known, leaning against the wall, Cooper only grinning and waving.
“You want a secret weapon?” she whispered, her heart melting a tiny bit at the way the boys’ mouths dropped, and their eyes widened, nodding frantically. She’d always held a soft spot for children - despite what she claimed.
She winked at them, and stepped onto the trampoline, “I’ll see you on the other side, soldiers.”
And then she sprung upwards, seven feet straight into the air, bypassing two levels straight away. And then she began to climb. The ascent took two minutes tops, dead-silent, and jiggling the ropes as little as possible.
Soon enough she was on the layer just below the nest, and there she hung, motionless, waiting.
A spider in its web.
A minute passed, and then another, muffled whispers and giggles coming from the two girls - who were apparently now best of friends, in the way children did.
She hung there, the epitome of patience, until the children above her lost theirs.
Ava gave in first, poking her head of curls through the hole, staring straight down, clearly expecting the boys to still be climbing.
Wrong direction, thought Nat slightly smugly, as she reached out and tapped the girl on the shoulder.
Ava froze, turning slowly to make eye contact.
“Let's talk about - ahhhhHHHHHH”
Nat chuckled as the girl fell, screaming only slighter quieter than Cooper had, readjusting herself.
The last girl inside the nest had frozen as well, having seen her friend pulled straight through the hole, no mercy shown.
“Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, what are the chances of you letting me go?”
Nat smiled to herself, “Two choices,” she said, “You jump, or I come in after you.”
“Fair enough.”
A deep breath. And then the whistle of air as the girl dropped through, silent enough to pass for a widow herself as she fell, slowing her descent with strategic bounces on the belts.
Nat let herself drop moments later, landing on her feet, knees bent as she crawled out from under the ropes, where five children stood, all giggling, sweaty and out of breath.
Almost immediately Ava launches herself at the red head, “Aunt Nat! How could you side with them!”
Nat chuckled, spinning herself slowly so they were almost dancing in a circle, “Third rule?”
“Expect the unexpected-”
“Even if the unexpected is expected. And I thought they could use some help. You two make a good team.”
“I used to do trampolining,” says the curly haired girl, shrugging, “My balance is pretty good.”
“It’s still impressive. You have good form for, what, eleven? Decent core strength as well, and a good sense of weight distribution. Do you take any classes?”
The girl’s lips tightened, “Classes are expensive. So no.”
Nat shrugged, unperturbed, “Well if you ever change your mind, I do training sessions with Ava after school Mondays and Thursday. I’m sure Ava wouldn’t mind some company?”
Ava grinned, “Of course MJ can! After all, you’ll need to keep it up if we want to hold our streak.”
The girl - MJ - squinted, “What’s the catch? Nothing in life’s free.”
Ava rolled her eyes, “The catch is you’ll end up with a sore ass because she keeps tripping you over.”
Nat grinned, “Since I do it so often, you should be better at ducking.”
The blonde scowled, “This is why I prefer Steve. Steve’s never mean to me.”
“It’s because he’s still somehow under the impression that you’re the innocent little angel who happens to be good at fighting. I, on the other hand, have known you your entire life.”
The Asian boy, who had been staring at her suddenly gasped, “Wait, you mean Steve as in Captain America? The Captain America?”
“Trust me, he’s not as great as everyone says. I mean, he makes a mean grilled cheese, but he also has a swear jar which he makes people use. If Tony wasn’t a billionaire he’d be broke.”
“But he’s Captain America!”
“And if you hurry, you’ll be able to eat Captain America’s homemade chicken dumplings,” cut in Nat.
Ava and Cooper gasped simultaneously,
“Steve made dumplings?!”
“YES! Come on!”
Nat laughed as the pair ran out of the room, grabbing the hands of their friends as they went, dragging them along, all five laughing and giggling, all the animosity Nat had heard about the last few days apparently resolved.
“Main kitchen!” she called down the hall, jogging to catch the lift before they set off without her.
Which when it came to dumplings, was a very real possibility.
All's fair in love and war, and dumplings covered both of those things.
In the lift, her niece and nephew were practically vibrating, looking far more excited than they should for a bowl of soup and carbs.
What even was in those things?
Steve would never share the recipe, and everyone else was slightly too scared to ask.
“Why- why are you guys so excited?” asked the tiny brunet quietly, standing close to Ava’s side, “I mean, it’s just… dumplings, right?”
Ava turned to him with bright eyes, “No,” she said in a serious voice, “It’s not just dumplings. It’s Steve’s ma’s secret chicken dumpling recipe. They are the best things in the universe. Uncle Clint once pushed Tony out a window because there was only one bowl left. That’s how good they are.”
The boy seemed baffled, and slightly concerned, but didn’t question it further. Clearly he was already at least semi-used to the whirlwind that was her niece.
At least Cooper and Lila had turned out relatively stable.
They didn’t need two Avas.
Eventually, the lift dinged, indicating they were on the top floor, which was where the main kitchen was.
The familiar godly scent of chicken dumplings was already floating down the corridor, acting as a summons for the children, who somehow moved even faster.
It was strange, mused Nat, to see Ava actually run in the apartment - the girl was far more likely to teleport when she was in the Tower, or at least the private floors.
Her magic was an open secret, especially given her chronic case of ‘foot-in-mouth’ disease.
And no, Nat wasn’t exaggerating - Ava had been known to spill state secrets on occasion, which was even more concerning considering she should in no way have access to those files.
She suspected that the various ICT technicians had just given up trying to block the girl.
“I dibs first!”
“Double dibs!”
Twin shouts came from around the corner as the five disappeared, still connected.
“Inside voices, please!” came the reply, the blonde man not turning away from the massive pot he was stirring, a line of bowls next to him.
“Hi Steve!”
“Capsicle!”
“Oh my god is that Captain America!”
“Uh, hi Mr Captain Rogers.”
“... I thought he’d be taller.”
Nat had to hold back a laugh at the differing reactions from the children, MJ seemingly unimpressed, Ned on the verge of collapsing and Ava giving a yelp as the super soldier gently tapped her hand with the spoon as it made its way sneakily into the pot.
“Ow!”
“Dumpling thieves get what they deserve.”
One by one, the children took a seat on the island in the centre of the room, Ava and Cooper completely relaxed, as one would in your own home, and the other three in varying stages of discomfort.
“Natasha, would you mind sending a message that food’s done?”
“Sure thing, Cap.” Natasha pulled out her Stark Pad, and had just typed out a message when a figure dropped into a vacant seat at the table.
Literally.
“Hey kiddo, you guys had fun?”
“Hi dad,” said Cooper, well used to his father’s unusual travel methods, “Yeah, it was good.”
“Started brainstorming your project yet?”
Cooper levelled his father a look. “Dad, I told you, we’re not doing a baking soda volcano.”
“But-”
“Who's making a volcano?”
There was a sudden gasp from the children, and Nat noticed Peter suddenly sitting bolt upright, eyes wide as Tony Stark entered the room, Elena following close behind him.
“Mom!” cheered Ava, running to tackle the blonde, who spun her around in a circle, both laughing.
Watching the two of them, Nat was suddenly struck, as she always was, how similar they were becoming. As Ava’s face changed, as it smoothed out, and the baby softness of her face gave way to the face she would one day wear, the face that resembled her mother so much.
Of course, there were hints of the man they didn’t speak of as well, in her eyes, in her jawline, in her steadily growing frame, which, now back on a steady diet and her usual training, was set to dwarf Elena and even Nat within a few years.
But they didn’t mention it.
“Hey!” protested the short man she’d barreled past, “Why does Uno Reverse get a hug?”
Ava gave him a dead stare, “When have I ever given you the impression I liked you?”
Tony spluttered as Nat chuckled, “You said last week I was your favourite person on earth!”
“And that was last week. This week you are nothing to me.”
As the two continued to bicker, Elena laughing fondly, playing with her daughter’s hair, and the various Avengers currently in the room chatting to the kids, who were slowly but surely relaxing, even if the tiny brunet boy’s voice was a full octave higher whenever he was talking to Stark.
“First dibs?”
Natasha smirked as the low voice of a certain super soldier appeared by her elbow, Steve handing her a bowl, complete with a chunk of fresh bread on the side.
“Thank you kindly, Mr Captain Rogers.”
The blonde winked, “Anything for you, Ms Romanoff.”
Natasha rolled her eyes as she picked up the bowl, “Save it lover boy, dumplings won’t bribe me.”
Steve pouted playfully, “I can take that bowl back, you know.”
Nat easily evaded the reaching arm, and made her way out of the room, laughing.
She was still laughing when the smell hit her.
The bitter tang of ozone, as if lightning had struck into the ground, and was wafting its way through the building.
Ozone, and the rich, cloying scent of something that could only be magic. A deep, ancient, eternal sort of magic, left mustering in a room too long.
Natasha stared mournfully at her bowl of dumplings as the voice boomed down the corridor.
“Lady Natasha! I am pleased to see you!”
“Hello Thor,” she said, the bowl of dumplings calling to her, “I don’t suppose whatever you need to do can wait ten minutes?”
The blonde frowned, confusion etched on his face, “I must speak to my brother! It is of great importance!”
Natasha sighed, “No then. I’ll call a meeting. Loki will be somewhere around here.”
“Thank you kindly my Lady!” Thor sniffed the air, “May I enquire about the delicacy you hold in your gourd? It could compare to the feasts of Asgard!”
Nat swiped the reaching hand out of instinct, causing Thor to leap back slightly.
“Don’t touch the dumplings,” she half-hissed.
“I apologise, Lady Natasha for breaking this taboo. I will remember from this point forward to never touch the dumplings.”
“You better not bitch.”
“What was that?”
Nat smiled brightly, “I said the others are on their way. Let's go.”
—-------------------------------
“Where is everybody going?”
Ava looked over to Peter, who was looking a little unnerved as all the adults in the room other than Elena left in synchronisation, Clint dropping a kiss on Cooper’s head, Steve ruffling Ava’s hair and Tony attempting the same only to be met with a snarl and a flash of teeth, to which he abruptly made the smart life decision to remove his hand.
Ava shrugged, “Probably a meeting or something. I’ll just check the files later - if it's anything important it’ll be updated later.”
“O-Okay. You were right, by the way. The dumplings are really good.”
“Of course I am. I’m always right.”
“She is, in fact, not always right.”
MJ snorted as Cooper spoke, the boy holding a dead expression on his face.
“Hey! I am always right!”
“You tried to steal an Ironman suit last week.”
“That was a lapse in judgement.”
“Dad burnt some toast last week, and when he asked how to get rid of the smell, you told him to microwave a lemon.”
“ That was funny.”
“You tried to steal an Ironman suit?”
Peter’s voice was awed.
“Don’t encourage her,” sighed Cooper, “She tries to steal a lot of stuff. Like weapons. And nuclear codes.”
“I only tried to steal nuclear codes. They’re annoyingly hard to get.”
“Octavia Raelyn Kingsley.”
Oh shit. She may have forgotten Elena’s presence in the room.
“You were trying to hack nuclear codes again?”
Ava sighed, “Mom, do we have to do this? We both know how this goes. You say ‘did you try and hack the codes?’, I say ‘no’, and we both know I’m lying.”
“Yes, we do.”
“Then no, I didn’t.”
“This is a regular occurence?” Peter’s whisper to Cooper sounded slightly nervous.
“Yeah pretty much. Ava is… not very good at self-restraint. Well, you’ve seen that. I go, ‘Hey Tav, why don’t you apologise to MJ?’ and she goes, ‘So, SHIELD was founded in 1945 by Peggy Carter’. It’s a vicious circle.”
“You’re a vicious circle.” muttered Ava, making Elena laugh, and the three newcomers look vaguely disturbed.
“Ignoring the fact that my daughter has once again gone directly against my instructions, are you guys done with lunch?”
A chorus of yes’s and one, “I can’t believe Captain America made me lunch!” later, Elena began to place dishes in the washing machine, helped willingly by Cooper and less willingly by Ava.
“Now, you guys have a science project to work on, right?”
“Yeah, we were gonna do it in our lab, if Tony let us borrow some bits.”
“I think Tony already dropped a few boxes of various scrap down there, so you guys should be good to go. Ready?”
As they began walking, MJ, in her usual fashion, began to question them once again,
“So, you guys have a lab? To yourselves? It doesn’t seem very safe, given your… inclinations.”
The comment was pointed, but Ava shrugged it off like water on a duck's back. As in she didn’t give a fuck, and while it might be annoying, it was much more funny just to quack very loudly until people got intimidated and walked away.
Cooper grinned, “Yup. That’s why we’re not allowed in it without adult supervision. It’s one of the places I mentioned with the badges. I made sure Jay programmed them to let you in, so don’t worry.”
Back at the elevator, Elena clicked the button for the very top floor, excluding the penthouse which could only be reached from that floor anyway.
“The private labs are on the second top floor, other than Tony and Pepper’s penthouse, which is where most of the magic happens. Tony and Bruce are up near the front, theres a few empty ones in the middle, for when we need them. On the other end is our lab, which we admittedly don’t use that often, and a few modified containment rooms.”
“Containment rooms? Like the blast rooms downstairs?”
“A bit yeah,” hedged Cooper, well aware that Ava had deliberately not mentioned her powers to the trio, no matter how comfortable she seemed, she still had enough self-preservation to not want to spill every secret she had.
The lift dinged, and they stepped out onto the landing, Peter noting with relief that the decor seemed normal this time, and not ‘hotel of your nightmares’ themed.
“So, this is our lab!”
There was an appropriate amount of awe-ing and ooh-ing and Cooper dragged out a stack of A3 paper.
“Alright” he said, “Any ideas?”
—---------------------------------------------------------
A few hours later
“Bye guys!”
“Bye Ava! Bye Cooper!”
“Bye losers.”
Ava blew a kiss to the curly haired girl as she left, MJ returning an eye-roll.
“See, that wasn’t too bad.”
She elbowed Cooper, “Hey! I never claimed it was gonna be.”
“Sure.” Cooper dragged out the vowel, his Minnesotan accent dripping even further into his speech than normal.
Ava rolled her eyes, “I’m gonna go find Loki,” she said, “We were working on portals last night, and I’m almost there - I just need a little more practise. Wanna come?”
“Why not? Oh hey Aunt Nat, have you seen Loki?”
Natasha, who was hurrying down through the lobby, had a harried look on her face that made ice shoot through the stomach’s of both children.
Nat was never panicked. Nat was cool, and calm and collected.
The redhead gave a slightly strained smile, “Loki is… indisposed for a bit. He’s gone on a trip.”
Ava’s mouth dropped, “But… But Loki never leaves without saying goodbye!”
Natasha sighed, reaching out to hold her niece’s hand, “I know привет малыш (little one), it’s… it’s complicated.”
“You coming Natasha?”
Both children whipped their heads round as Steve emerged from the lift, looking grim, with an unfamiliar man beside him.
“We need to tell them, Steve.”
“Tell us what? What happened?”
The adults spoke over their heads, as if the children weren’t there at all.
“It’ll upset them.”
“So will being lied to.”
Steve pursed his lips, then sighed, “You do what you have to. We’ll meet you downstairs. This way Sam.”
And then they were gone, leaving a still panicked Nat with two increasingly panicked children.
“I don't have much time,” said their Aunt, “Thor returned from Asgard, claiming that his father wanted to talk to Loki. Loki refused, and Thor essentially grabbed him, and used something they call the Bifrost to escape through. Tony now has a nice hole halfway through his tower, and we have a red alert for the various things Loki was meant to be keeping an eye on. You guys go find Elena, and don’t worry. We’ll sort this out.”
“Okay,” said Ava, “Come on Cooper,” before dragging the boy down the corridor.
“Ava, what are you doing?” hissed the boy.
“I’m doing what I have to. You haven’t seen Odin, Coop. I have. He’s… he’s worse than anything. He’s a terrible dad, and a terrible king and homophobic as well, which means that I double don’t like him. If he has Loki… he could do anything. And so I’m going to stop him.”
She was deceptively calm, but Cooper could feel her terror. And with good reason - the last time Loki had gone off grid, she’d ended up in a coma, and he’d ended up tortured and possessed.
“Can I stop you?”
“Nope.”
“Then we’ll do it.”
“You’ll come?”
Cooper shrugged, “Let’s face it, of the two of us, I’m definitely more responsible. You need me. Now, what’s out plan?”
“You remember I spoke about portals?”
—---------------------------------
Heimdall wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting when he felt a portal being pushed through to his realm.
Loki, perhaps, attempting an escape.
Or a rogue Vanaheim, crossing the border.
Two children, Midgardians at that, came as quite the surprise.
As did the full-grown adult, who latched onto the end of the stream, landing themselves in a completely different area that the children had landed in, was a slightly bigger surprise.
The fact, however, that they were the Midgardian’s that Loki of all people had adopted, was slightly less surprising.
They didn’t seem to be intent on harm, either way, and so Heimdall allowed them to be.
After all, he may be obligated to answer to the crown, but if the crown didn’t ask? Well, that seemed a conundrum for another day.
For now he was content to watch.
This would be interesting.