Chapter Text
When you are woken up in the early hours of Saturday morning by a bright light flashing into your bedroom, you clamber out of your warm and cozy bed and stumble over to your window, mumbling a few swear words as you go. Still slightly dazed and half asleep, your eyes narrow against the light until you spot something landing in a field not too far away. And it can only mean one thing. You squeak and bolt for your door, all crankiness and slight sleep deprivation quickly forgotten.
Bare feet slamming against the carpet covered staircase as you hastily tie your (H/C) hair into a messy bun, you sprint down the stairs and skid into the lounge, rushing over to the window to double check that what you had seen upstairs wasn’t a trick of your exhausted eyes.
It wasn’t.
With a huge grin, you tear open the front door and charge outside and stop on the bottom step, hopping on the spot in anticipation. In the distance, you see a figure wave overhead and you quickly wave back, squealing happily again. You haven’t seen him in nearly five months and you're itching to run up to him. But the last time you did, you slipped before you even reached his arms and managed to completely cover the entire back portion of your body in mud and grass; your mom refused to let you anywhere near the house and hosed you down right there in the field.
So you stay put.
The figure walks closer and when you quickly spot another two just behind him, you know exactly who they are and decide to go for it. If your mom has to hose you down afterwards, so be it. You sprint, the muddy grass squelching beneath your feet and it causes you to slip a couple of times but you manage to stay up right this time. The figures get closer and soon you can see your dad with his arms wide open, bracing himself for your upcoming impact. You run a little closer before diving forward into his arms and hugging him tight.
"Hey kiddo!" He says as he squeezes you in his arms.
"You're home!" You reply as you nuzzle your face into his neck. Your dad smells different to what he normally does at home. But this is what you and your little sister like to call his ‘work smell’ and it sticks to him for days after he’s returned; no matter how much he showers. It was the times when he came home smelling of the hospital, that was when you and your sister tended to worry most. Smelling of the hospital sterilization meant serious injury and a blatant lie to your face. Smelling of sweat and blood meant minor injury and secrets kept from you.
Another odor hangs on him tonight as he twirls you around. The unmistakable smell of burnt flesh. And to save yourself from the possible nightmares, you don’t dare to ask if the burnt skin is an injury caused to him or one he (and more than likely, Natasha) caused.
No matter the outcome, you know your parents wait until you're all in bed to talk about what he has done. They want to keep the, now four, of you as far away from it all as possible. They keep you in the dark and all you really know, is that your dad just can’t seem to miss. And that his best friend is Natasha.
You were used to seeing Auntie Nat on a regular basis. She practically helped to raise you guys, teaching you and Lila ballet while Cooper was out with your mom and then when you were all together, she would teach you some useful self defense skills that you would all later use on your dad. Natasha was a really good babysitter and would sort out any issues when your parents were away. The last time she did, Lila came home from school, crying, and you and Cooper heard her telling Auntie Nat that she was being picked on by one of the older kids. The next day, Natasha drove you all to school (your college campus wasn’t far away) and after dropping the kids off, she went to talk to the principle while you sat on one of the chairs outside his office. You kept to yourself, tapping away on your phone until you saw the principle hastily leaving his office, a very smug Natasha not far behind.
You swear; you had never seen him cry like that before.
You were introduced to Maria first. Natasha practically forced her to visit the first time, saying that she really needed a break from work. And judging at how stressed she looked, Natasha was right. She was easily welcomed and after watching Maria pick on your dad, you knew you liked her. You could tell Natasha did too.
It was when he introduced the team to you, that you were a little wary. You just weren’t too sure about them. But they quickly grew on you, Lila declaring she had fallen in love with Thor and Cooper being obsessed with Bruce, you let your guards down and let them into your small family. If Natasha trusted them, so could you. That night, as you all sat in the front room, you learnt about the Twins. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.
The girl had done something to them but you can’t be sure what because it was a secret. She had managed to shake them all, even your incredibly strong Auntie Nat and someone who was capable of doing that, would never be allowed near your home.
Months after the incident, you found out the Twins were on the team and you tried to see their redemption arc because like you always said, if Natasha could trust them, then so could you. And she was a great judge of character. You just needed time to understand.
“Gonna let me get a hug or what?” Natasha asks next to him. He puts you down carefully and you quickly wrap your arms around the redhead who squeezes you tightly. “Missed you, kid.” Despite the obvious stressful mission, Natasha smells faintly of vanilla.
Besides Natasha, you see Maria and were quick to hug her. She holds you strong as your feet slip in the mud.
“Hey Y/N!”
You can't help but wonder if Natasha and Maria have gotten together yet. The sexual tension between them now is becoming more and more obvious and you are starting to worry that Lila or even Nathaniel are going to click on. Okay…maybe your baby brother clicking on that your Auntie Nat and Auntie Maria needed to fuck already was a bit of a far fetch but you knew what you meant!
Maria lets you go and frowns at your bare feet. “Shoes would have taken you two seconds, Y/N.”
You shrug a little sheepishly and walk back to your dad.
“I got too excited.” You reply. “Dad, you said you’d be gone 2 months.”
“I know, Y/N.” Your dad replies as he rubs the back of his head. He’s about to say something else when a voice shouts behind him.
“Hey! Old man, we are not your pack mules.” You don't recognize the accent and peering into the darkness, you see two other figures standing near the quinjet.
“Y/N, go back inside before your mom kills us both.” Your dad tells you. You ignore him and try to walk forwards but Natasha stops you. She shakes her head. When you try to move again, her grip around your waist tightens and you know you’re not going anywhere.
“Dad?” You ask. “Who else did you bring?”
The two figures have now walked closer and you’re able to see them more clearly. The girl is unfairly beautiful, just like Natasha and Maria, and she’s just that little bit taller than you. Her brown hair hangs loose around her face and her large eyes are on you, observing you curiously. You can’t help but look away and shift in Natasha’s arms. The boy has silvery blonde hair and, just like the girl, is extremely handsome. He’s looking at Clint with an irritated expression when they come to a stop before you, dropping bags onto the floor.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Y/N.” Natasha murmurs into your ear. You look at her and then at Maria.
“For twins I expected them to look more alike...” You mutter back. Natasha responds with a smirk.
“Right guys. Quick introduction. This is Y/N. My eldest kid. Y/N, this is Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. They’re gonna be staying with us for a while.”
You smile quickly at them and look back at your dad.
“Any particular reason or is it classified?” Your dad looks at you and you nod. “Classified, like always.”
“Can we not have this conversation right now, Y/N?” Your dad tells you. “You’re shivering.”
“Fine.”
You go to walk back but your dad stops you.
“Hop up.”
You can’t help but smile and eagerly jump onto his back, arms immediately wrapping around his neck, legs around his waist. You glance back at the others and notice Wanda is blushing faintly.
“Hey, kid, grab my bag for me?” Your dad says.
“I don’t think so.” Pietro says. “You can carry your own bags in.”
He goes to retaliate but Natasha is quick to move and picks Clint’s bag up from the floor.
“You two can bicker for hours. I don’t want Y/N to freeze to death while that happens. Move.”
Clint salutes and sets off walking, you bouncing on his back as he goes. You can’t help but laugh a little. You all silently get back into the house and your dad is quick to deposit you on the kitchen cabinet near the sink.
“Wash your feet off and get back to bed, kiddo. I’m gonna go surprise your mom.” He says. He turns to his teammates. “Then I’ll sort sleeping arrangements for you guys. Maximoff, you’re okay sleeping in the barn, yeah?”
Pietro grinds his teeth together but doesn’t say anything.
“Good.” With a quick peck to your cheek and a wink, your dad runs off, leaving you in the kitchen with four of his teammates. Placing your mud-clad feet into the sink, you smile sheepishly at them and turn the tap on.
You’re not going to get anymore sleep tonight.