Chapter Text
“You two are the best.”
Natasha smiled down at Kamala as they stepped out of the high school and into the afternoon sun. The girl was beaming up at both her and Bruce, her dark eyes just the slightest bit misty, and Natasha draped an arm over her shoulders and offered her a small squeeze.
“It’s the least we could do, kid,” Natasha replied. “You’ve done a heck of a lot more for us.”
“If anybody gives you any more trouble about your work, or your grades,” Bruce said, “Tell us. Right away. We’ll make sure it gets taken care of.”
“That’s right.” Natasha nodded firmly. “We wanna see you succeed, Kam. And if that means knocking some sense into some idiot teachers, we’ll do it.”
Kamala dipped her head to hide the tears quickly welling up in her eyes, and Bruce patted the top of her head affectionately as they reached the car. Letting Kamala go to walk around the car and unlock the doors, Natasha looked up when Bruce didn’t move to open his door, instead rocking back and forth on his heels.
“You know…” Bruce began slowly, not meeting anyone’s gaze. “It’s still kind of early, and we don’t have anything… pressing to attend to. Why don’t we, uh… grab something to eat? You know. Before we take Kamala home.”
He finally looked up at Natasha, his gaze childishly hopeful behind his glasses. Natasha smiled softly. “Sounds like a plan, doc.”
Kamala’s choice was McDonald’s. Greasy, quick, and low-quality — but to Bruce, as they sat at a table and laughed and talked about everything and nothing at all, he had never tasted anything better.
Happiness had escaped him for so long. Before A-Day, he had thought he was finally happy. Monica, his friends, a purpose… he had finally had all the right ingredients — or so he thought. The formula had been right, but one errant variable had squashed it all, and without warning, he had been alone. And he had never in his life known such pain.
Even before joining the Avengers, his life had been little more than a grey, solemn trek for acceptance and peace. Childhood had been chaotic, painful. Yes, he was smart, but he never received praise from the people that mattered. Science — physics, engineering, chemistry, all his PhDs were just tiny bandaids on a gaping wound that needed time and effort to heal. But there had never been anyone in his life to help him do so. He had thought it was Monica, but all she had done was sloppily stitched it up, then ripped it open wider than it had been in the first place before leaving it to fester.
And then Kamala had come.
It was… unfair, probably, for him to hinge so much of his being on her. She was a child, one who had willingly thrown herself headfirst into a life that would forever be rife with danger and peril. Did she even realize how much she meant to Bruce, how much her arrival on the Chimera that day had altered his path? She had saved him, and for that, he would be eternally grateful.
As he and Natasha drove away from Kamala’s apartment that evening after finally dropping her off at home, the ride was quiet except for the quiet whine of the electric car. He could feel Natasha’s short, quick glances on the side of his face; he pretended not to notice until she spoke.
“What’s on your mind, doc?” she asked finally, and Bruce took a breath.
“Ah… just.” Bruce shook his head, watching Jersey City fly by outside his window. “That kid, Nat… I’d- I just… I’d take a bullet for that kid, Natasha.”
“I know, Bruce.”
“I wish I could tell her how much she means to me, and how grateful I am, without… y’know. Making it awkward, as I’m so, unfortunately, apt to do.”
Natasha shrugged. “Just you being there for her is enough, Bruce. There’s no need for any grand gestures. Having her back, just like you did today, is the best way to show her that you care.”
“I know. And I’m here, but when I’m not— there, all I do is worry. When I can’t see her, I’m worried if she’s in danger, and when I can see her, I’m worried that we’re putting her in danger, and if-if-if…. I’m just constantly worried about her, Nat.”
Natasha smiled. “That’s just what being a mom is about.”
Bruce froze. “I-I’m sorry, a mom?”
“Yes, a mom. Sorry, Bruce, but you have such extreme mom energy,” Natasha replied, biting back a laugh. “I mean, you definitely have some strong dad moments. Like today, for example. But when you’re like this, I definitely see your inner mother coming out.”
“Ugh, what?” Bruce was stupefied. “W-Well, what about Steve? Tony?”
“Tony’s more like a… weird uncle who brings you dangerous gifts that neither of your parents would allow you to have,” Natasha replied. “And then when you inevitably get hurt, he takes you out for ice cream. As a bribe, of course, so that you won’t tell your parents. And Steve? He’s got dad energy down pat.” She mocked his voice, taking on a deeper, stern tone. “‘Kamala, I’m benching you until that room is spotless. Kamala, no phones during supper. Kamala…’”
Bruce couldn’t help but snort a laugh. “Okay, okay, I’ll give you that. And Thor?”
“Thor kind of… swings wildly between big brother and lumberjack father. Like, when he’s showing Kamala how to properly swing an axe to take an enemy’s head off their shoulders as cleanly as possible, his dad energy is off the charts. But when he and Kamala are stealing Tony’s limited edition ice cream or dumping a gallon of glitter into his suit, they’re like siblings. You know?”
“Okay…” Bruce nodded. “And yourself?”
“Oh, I’m cool dad all the way.”
“No way.”
“Yes way, one hundred percent. I’m such a cool dad.”
“Yeah, a cool dad who nearly maxed out a credit card buying clothes for Kamala.”
“What, dads can’t shop? Hey, I gave Kamala the Talk, you know.”
“Please, anybody could do that,” Bruce scoffed.
“Yeah, like you would’ve been able to do it,” Natasha shot back playfully. “Tony and Thor would’ve been so weird about it, and I don’t even think Steve knows what sex is.”
“Come on, give the man a little credit.”
“Ew, no.”
Natasha whipped the car into a seemingly empty parking lot. No passerby could see it, but she and Bruce both knew that the quinjet was there, hidden by Tony’s cloaking technology. Natasha lifted the fob to uncloak it, then stopped and turned in her seat to face Bruce.
“I guess what I’m really trying to say is…” Natasha looked briefly uncomfortable, and uncharacteristically vulnerable. “That kid means a lot to all of us. You’re not the only one who worries about her, and wants to be there for her, or even the only one who would take a bullet for her. She’s the best thing that’s happened to the five of us since… since we all came together.”
Bruce smiled warmly. “Thanks, Nat.”
“No problem, doc.” Nat lifted the fob and the quinjet materialized before them. “Now, let’s get back to the Chimera and see if Tony actually still has any connections with a good lawyer. I feel like we’re gonna need one.”