Pint Sized Fun

When Natasha warned it was going to be messy, she hadn’t been kidding. Kate had been adamant about at least attempting to eat by herself, alternating between maneuvering the fork and using her hand. Clint just accepted being a human napkin, small pieces of food falling on his pants and sauce getting on his arm when Kate would tap him to get his attention. He hadn’t seen her so lively since she was an adult, happily babbling about their dinosaur game between bites.

“I gets to be a Rexie, ‘ena can be a tree born, and you can… umm…. You can be the ank…akon…..anktylosaur!” she told him with a grin.

“Whoo, big word kid. And sure, not quite sure what I’m supposed to do while being an ankylosaur. Would you mind teaching me?” he asked as he fed her a piece of his green beans when he saw hers were gone.

“Mmk,” Kate nodded, humming happily as she chewed.

“Kate, do you need to chase me? Cause if you need to to be a happy T Rex I won’t mind!” Yelena told her as she stabbed another bite of chicken.

“Yay!” Kate cheered, throwing her arms in the air and narrowly missing Clint’s face.

“Whoa Katie girl, we gotta finish dinner first and then we can play,” Clint laughed, ruffling her hair while situating her a bit away from him in case she got excited again.

“Fiiiiiiiiine,” Kate whined, poking at her chicken and slowly eating them.

“Come on Kate, you gotta hurry and finish or we won’t have any play time,” Yelena told her as she finished her food.

“No want it,” Kate grumbled, moving the last few bites around.

“Do you not like it?” Natasha asked, looking over her plate. She had eaten all of the green beans and carrots but not a lot of the chicken.

“Taste funny,” Kate told her as she pouted.

“Are you still hungry? Do you want some more veggies or maybe a sandwich?” Wanda asked.

“Geen beans, please?” Kate asked, face lighting up as she realized she would be able to get some more food. She was still hungry, it had been a big day.

“Sure, here you go. When you said the chicken tasted funny can you say why it tasted funny?” Natasha asked as she put another scoop of green beans on her plate, smiling at the little happy dance Kate did.

“Too spicy,” she said, voice muffled from her mouth full of green beans.

“We put some lemon pepper on it, I’m thinking that’s what she doesn’t like,” Wanda mused as she watched Clint help Kate finish her food.

“Done!” Kate chirped, “Play dino’s now?”

“Do you girls not want dessert?” Clint asked as he set Kate on the floor.

“Can we play first and then dessert?” Yelena asked, moving to hold Kate’s hand.

“I wanna play!” Kate said, giving a pout up to the adults.

“That should be fine, we don’t have dessert ready quite yet so you guys play for a bit and then after dessert we can get ready for bath time,” Natasha told them, laughing when Yelena whooped as Kate crouched to start chasing her.

“Oh no, the killer T Rex is coming! Everyone better run!” Clint called dramatically as Kate let out a roar and started to chase Yelena, making the blonde scream before bolting away, keeping her pace a bit slow so she wasn’t too far ahead.

“I’s gonna eat you!” Kate said with another roar as they ran around the living room.

All of the adults watched for a moment before moving back into the kitchen.

“What happened to being the big bad ankylosaur?” Natasha teased as she went to pull the ice cream from the freezer.

“Well, I’ll wait until I’m remembered,” Clint laughed as he got some toppings from the cabinet.

“Clint! I need back up!” Yelena called as she raced by, Kate hot on her heels.

“And I have been paged. Time to be a bodyguard!” Clint said, jumping over the counter and joining into the fray.

“Why does he have to jump the counter? There’s a giant clear space right there,” Natasha grumbled as she gave her best friend a glare.

“C’int, you ain’t doing it right!” Kate complained, arms crossed as she pouted.

“I’m sorry, how am I supposed to do it?” Clint asked as he knelt by them.

“You gots to stand there and be the tank!” Kate informed him huffily. “The peoples said that their living tanks that don’t really move cause their too heavy.”

“What people?” Clint asked curiously as he let Yelena put him in his spot to stand.

“The smart people,” Kate told him.

“Ok, can I at least sit? My legs get tired,” he asked.

“You can sits,” Kate said with a nod before turning back to Yelena. “I gonna gets you!”

“Oh no!” Yelena shrieked before shooting off.

“Good job being a tank,” Natasha called teasingly as she scooped out the ice cream into small bowls.

“Do you girls want chocolate on your ice cream? We also have sprinkles and some strawberries,” Wanda asked.

“I want some nuts, please,” Yelena called, stopping by the counter to look over everything.

“Sorry baby, we only have almonds and Kate is allergic to those. We don’t want any to accidentally get into her food since it could make her really sick,” Natasha told her.

“Oh, ok. Can she have the other stuff? Cause she may wanna try some of mine,” Yelena asked as she grinned up at Natasha.

“The rest should be fine. Are you girls ready for some ice cream? Or do you want to play a bit more?” Natasha asked as she smoothed Yelena’s hair back.

“I want ice cream!” Yelena yelled, bouncing excitedly.

“Inside voice darling, go sit at the table and I’ll bring it over. Kate, do you want ice cream?” Natasha asked, laughing at the eager nod before Kate bolted to the table, waiting eagerly by her high chair.

Clint scooped her up, giving her a little toss before securing her into the seat. “Alright girls, who’s ready for ice cream?”

“Me!” they both cheered.

Wanda decided to use her magic to send the bowls over, making both girls laugh before they dug in. She put a quick barrier on Kate’s cast before they joined them at the table, noticing how half of the ice cream seemed to miss her mouth and fall on the tray. Yelena also had more on her mouth than in it, but both were just happy to have their treat. The adults made small talk as they ate, noticing the time going by. Wanda was about to call the girls for their bath when the phone rang with a video request. Natasha glanced at it only to groan when she saw who it was.

“It’s Melina,” she told them, debating on just not answering but knowing her mother would call until she did.

“Do you think she knows?” Clint asked as she wiped off Kate’s face and hand before moving over to do the same to Yelena.

“Doubt it, she calls every week or so. Guess it’s now or never for her to find out though,” Natasha sighed before answering the call.

“Natasha, hello darling. How are you?” Melina asked one the video focused.

“Good, Mama, how are you?” Natasha asked, seeing Yelena perk up.

“Is that Mama? I wants to talk to her!” she demanded, running over to Natasha’s side. Melina sat frozen a moment, eyes wide as she spotted Yelena’s face.

“Natasha, is that… is that Yelena?” she breathed faintly, shock keeping her stuck to her seat.

“Hi Mama! Are we going back to Ohio? I miss you!” Yelena said, waving while trying to climb into Natasha’s lap.

“Yelena, hello my darling,” Melina said faintly, tears filling her eyes slightly. It had been so long since she had seen her baby like this…

“How come you and Daddy are all the way over there? Natasha and I are here in New York!” Yelena asked with a small pout.

“Our work kept us here darling, but we will be there soon,” Melina said with a smile as she watched Yelena give a whoop while Natasha stared at her in mild horror.

“You will… both of you?” Natasha asked.

“Yes, WE will. Until then, perhaps later on you can tell me what has happened here,” Melina hinted pointedly as she stared her oldest down.

“Umm, I’ll tell you when you get here,” Natasha avoided as she glanced away.

“Lena, who that?” Kate asked quietly as she tugged on the edge of the blonde’s shirt.

“That’s my Mama, come here and meet her!” Yelena ordered with a grin as she tried to pull Kate up, only stopping once Natasha had scooped her up to share her lap.

“Nice mama?” Kate asked quietly, not looking at the screen as she fidgeted with Natasha’s sleeve.

“Yeah, the BEST nice mama! Mama, this is Kate. She’s tiny but so much fun. Say hi Kate!” Yelena chirped as she watched the tiny brunette peek at the screen.

“Hi,” Kate mumbled, missing Melina’s eyes softening.

Melina felt her heart break slightly as she watched her. This was not the girl Yelena had gone on and on about before, nor the woman she had met a couple of times since. This was a child, a baby who had been treated so horribly by the ones meant to keep her safe. Even the Red Room didn’t start their training until at least four. Taking a deep breath to stay calm, she gave a small smile to them.

“Hello Kate, I am Yelena’s Mama. It’s so nice to meet you,” she said softly.

“Do you want to show Melina your puppy?” Wanda asked from the side, Buddy in her hand.

Kate reached out, squeezing the toy close before lifting it slightly so Melina could see.

“This Buddy, he’s mine,” Kate told her before looking back to Wanda. “Passy?”

Wanda handed it over, slightly saddened that she felt the need for it. She had been doing well the last few hours without it, not even noticing that she didn’t need the soother. Melina frowned a bit as she watched Kate suck away as she leaned on Natasha.

“How old is she, Natasha?” she asked carefully, not wanting to upset them.

“A very young three, we know she may be a bit old but given the circumstances it was this or her thumb so there we go,” Natasha told her, her stern gaze telling Melina to drop it.

“Well, your father and I will be there tomorrow. Goodbye my darlings, Kate it was lovely to meet you,” Melina said in farewell, letting the others say goodbye before logging off. Natasha sat back with a sigh, knowing tomorrow was going to be insane with her parents coming in. Hopefully it would be later after the girls had gone to bed, but she had no doubt they would get in first thing in the morning.

“Alright girls, bath time and then bed. I think we can even have some bubbles tonight,” Wanda bribed, knowing her lover was going to need extra sleep before the experience of her parents coming into town.

“Bubbles?” Yelena asked, throwing out her puppy dog eyes.

“Yeah, sestra, bubbles. Blue or pink?” Natasha asked as she let Yelena lead them, Kate toddling after her tiredly.

“Blue, like your eyes Katie!” Yelena said happily, earning a sleepy smile for her friend.

“I never had bubbles afore,” Kate mumbled around a yawn.

“Their so fun! You can make funny hair and beards and mountains!” Yelena told her, skipping a little bit with excitement.

“Mound pens?” Kate repeated slowly, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“I’ll show you,” Yelena assured, pulling her into the bathroom and starting to pull her shirt off, getting stuck halfway through.

“Tasha, help!” she called, struggling against her cotton captor.

“Ok ok, slow down kid let me help,” Natasha laughed as she freed her sister, ruffling her now frizzy hair as she helped her get the rest of her clothes off before lifting her into the tub.

“Arms up, sweet girl, time for a bath!” Wanda ordered, quickly stripping Kate down and lifting her to join Yelena, her magic covering Kate’s cast as the toddler poked at the bubble foam.

“Here, you can make your hair look funny, see!” Yelena told her, using the foam to put her hair into little spikes. Kate watched in awe before breaking out into giggles, letting Yelena style her own hair as she had trouble with her single hand. Instead she used her arms to make bubble piles that she could slap her hands down on, making bubbles fly everywhere.

“Safe to enter, ladies?” Clint called, hand over his eyes while his free hand held some plastic dinosaurs.

“Yeah, come in. Not sure you’ll be able to find them in all of this though,” Wanda mused as they watched the girls play.

“Well, if I can’t find them I guess I’ll have to wait to let them have a dino bath party,” Clint teased, chuckling when Kate’s head shot up, her hair in a single point at the top.

“Dino bath ‘arty?” she asked, eyes shining with excitement.

“Yup, these guys LOVE to play in the bath. Here you go,” Clint told her as he set the toys on the side of the tub. Kate instantly grabbed the T Rex, making growling noises as she hit the foam mountain with it.

“It gonna eats you!” she growled, plunging the toy into the water and having it fly threw the bubbles.

“Can I help you eats the people?” Yelena asked, a small velociraptor in hand.

“Yeah!” Kate beamed, tapping their toys together before they started ‘hunting’ through the water.

Clint propped himself up on the counter, laughing at the battle the two started having. Natasha and Wanda stood by him, letting the girls play for the moment before they’d have to get ready for bed.

“So, how much am I going to be murdering Eleanor?” Clint asked quietly, making sure the kids couldn’t hear him. He could the edges of the bruising on Kate, even though she was mostly covered in foam. As a father, it made him want to bring out Ronin and go give Eleanor a visit.

“No one is murdering anyone, although I would not say no to a possible visit with a bit of psychological manipulation,” Wanda hinted, her fingers letting out small red whisps.

“Let’s not talk about that here, after the girls are in bed if we must,” Natasha told them softly as she watched Yelena drop underwater and pop back up, helping Kate dunk her own head under.

“Very well. Are you looking forward to Melina and Alexei coming in tomorrow?” Clint asked, a teasing smirk on his lips.

Natasha glared at him and flashed him to finger behind Wanda’s back. “Shut up, arrow head. We’ll just have to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

“The worst? We going to war with your parents now?” Clint snorted.

“I’m more curious on how Melina will react to this, as a scientist or mother first. I guess both would appeal to her,” Wanda mused.

“We’ll have to watch Kate with Alexei. He doesn’t have a quiet bone in his body. He’s been like that even when we were kids,” Natasha sighed.

“Well maybe this will be good for her, show her a giant teddy bear. Don’t give me that face, you know he’s an enormous softie for all three of you,” Wanda teased with a grin as she stuck her tongue out.

Natasha pouted but couldn’t deny it. Alexei loved her and Yelena, and after he had met Kate they had bonded as the giant reckless adrenaline junkies they were. While she was a bit worried on how the initial meeting would go, she had no doubt that they would hit off quickly. They let the girls play a little longer before moving to wash their hair and get them clean before bed. Kate grinned up at her as she held out her toy.

“Look, Tash, it’s double T!” she told her.

“Double T?”

“Tiny T Rex,” Kate said with a giggle. Natasha laughed as well as she scrubbed Yelena down, trying to avoid getting soaked by the overactive child. She wondered if tomorrow Wanda would switch, Kate was content to swish her dinosaur in the water as she was cleaned.

“Oh, I see, great name Katie girl,” Natasha told her with a smile as she managed to get Yelena’s hair rinsed. While they wouldn’t normally wash their hair every day, their time in the park had let grass and dirt in it so it had to be cleaned again.

Both girls pouted when the bath ended, having enjoyed playing in the bubbles. Clint went to wait outside as they were dried and dress, Wanda making sure she had a good layer of cream before getting Kate’s diaper on. Her rash was already looking a little bit better, not quite as raw as yesterday. Kate was drooping sleepily against her shoulder, pacifier firmly in her mouth. Yelena was starting to flag too, mighty yawns coming from her as she was dressed.

“Alright girls, let’s go see your new beds!” Clint called cheerfully when they came into the hallway.

Yelena bolted forward, a happy squeal sounding as she saw their room.

“I gots a princess bed!” she cried happily, hoisting herself up and dropping onto the pillows. Natasha flashed Clint a knowing smile, the man must have set the bedding and toys up when they were finishing their bath.

“My bed?” Kate asked, pointing at the railing.

“Yup, want a boost?” Clint asked, lifting her up after she nodded to him. She looked around curiously poking at the comforter before her eyes went wide.

“Rexie?” she asked, pointing at the dinosaur plush next to Buddy on the pillow.

“Yes, that’s for you sweetheart. And Yelena, there may be a little surprise for you too,” Wanda hinted, laughing when the tiny blonde shrieked happily.

“It’s a puppy!” she told them, holding it up for them to see.

“That it is. Now my darlings, I think we have time for a story or two but then it’s bedtime,” Wanda told them, moving to grab the books on the shelf and holding them up for the girls to choose. She mildly regretted it in when they picked Cat in the Hat, he seemed like a horrible influence. At least The Lorax was picked also, he had a decent message. The adults settled on the floor between the beds, each taking turns to read the books so all the characters had different voices. Kate was out before they were halfway through The Lorax, but Yelena held on through the end of both books before falling asleep. They all pressed a kiss to the girls head, tiptoeing out after making sure the night light was on and leaving the door open a crack.

All three dropped onto the couch, the women exhausted from the full day.

“I forgot what it was like having such young kids. And it was just for a few hours! How are you two holding up?” he asked.

“Exhausted. I’m kicking you out. We need to sleep before the parentals get here tomorrow,” Natasha told him.

Clint laughed as he got up, heading for the door. “Rude but true. Get some sleep ladies, good night.”

They called good night to him before relaxing against each other on the couch. Just a few more minutes, then they would head for bed. They were asleep in no time, only getting up an hour later when FRIDAY woke them so they wouldn’t get a head ache. Stumbling into bed, Natasha barely remembered to set an alarm before they were both out. They need to be well rested for the chaos that was coming.