Chapter Text
“How’s the team?” Maria asks over the phone.
“Everyone’s…” Tony doesn’t quite know what to answer. Almost the whole team got the uncomfortable experience of Wanda Maximoff being in your mind and are now sitting there staring off into space.
“We took a hit. We’ll shake it off.” He knows this isn’t something they can just shake off. His own anxiety is more through the roof than normal, which says something about the guy who has panic attacks on a regular basis.
The only thing the team can do right now is hope that Clint’s safe house is indeed safe and that they can get back on their feet eventually.
The plane lands on a field just beside a farm and they walk quietly to the main house.
“Honey, I’m home.” Clint announces and a pregnant woman walks round a corner with a smile. “I brought company, sorry for not giving you a heads up.” He excuses but the woman doesn’t seem to mind as she presses her lips against his.
“This is an agent of some kind.” Tony states and is almost cut off by Clint's voice.
“Gentlemen, this is Laura.” He explains with his arm around her back.
“I know all your names.” Laura chuckles, needing no introduction ceremony to recognize her husband's colleagues even if they never met before.
Two brunette kids come running into the room.
“Dad!” The young girl says and jumps into Clint’s arms while the older brother seems content hugging his side.
“Hey buddy!” Clint says, kissing his son’s head. “How are you guys doing?”
“These are smaller agents.” Tony says just as a teenager walks into the room scanning the guests. She shares no features with the rest of the family with her light blonde wavy hair reaching her shoulders. She doesn’t even glance in Clint’s direction but when she sees Natasha across the room her face lights up and she runs straight into the redhead's arms.
The four men stand in the middle of the room very confused by this whole situation. Clint clearly has a secret family and Natasha seems to have a teenage daughter.
Natasha, who had been dangerously pale until this moment, now gains her colour back in the warmth of the embrace.
“Did you miss me Misha?” She asks after almost a minute of just hugging.
“Always mom.”
“Does anyone else have secret children they want to tell us about or is it just these two?” Tony asked gesturing between Natasha and Clint while the other three shook their heads no.
“Come on, I'll show you around.” Clint says and the four men follow, while Natasha stays with the teen, her hands caressing her daughter's face.
“You coming Nat?” Banner asks looking back over his shoulder.
“I know my way around.” Natasha answers without looking away from her daughter, letting her hands stay on Misha’s cheeks.
“Hungry?” Misha asks, looking up at her mom.
“Starving.”
“Good thing we have some peanut butter in the refrigerator then.”
“Lucky me.” Natasha smiles. “I’ll go change and I expect the greatest peanut butter sandwich in history when I come back.”
“Coming right up.”
“See you in a minute Misha.” The redhead says while walking upstairs to the guestrooms.
Misha is spreading butter on a slice of bread, getting some on her finger which she is quick to lick off. When she turns to her right to reach for the peanut butter she stands face to face with Tony Stark.
“Mr. Stark.” She says and tries to reach past him but he stops her.
“So, you’re Natasha's daughter?”
“Not really.” Misha answers shortly and finally manages to grab the peanut butter jar behind him.
“You know what. I am confused and that is my least favorite feeling.” Tony says. “So if you would like to offer some clarity I would appreciate it.”
“It’s a long story.” She says and starts spreading the peanut butter.
“And also, who has butter on a peanut butter sandwich?”
“I do.” Natasha says walking into the kitchen and Misha hands her the sandwich.
“Well then you’re a psychopath and I am still confused.” Tony says and walks out of the room.
“Don’t mind him.” Natasha says and bites into her food.
“I don’t.” Misha answers and starts cleaning up the kitchen bench and licks up some peanut butter that got onto her finger.
“Never work in a restaurant.” Nat says with a chuckle.
“Why not?” Her mom just laughs and ruffles her daughter's hair before slumping down on the couch.
After eating her sandwich Natasha goes to take a shower, waiting outside of the closed bathroom door in her robe.
“I didn’t realise you were waiting.” Bruce says when he finally opens the door.
“I would’ve joined you, but it didn’t seem like the right time.” Natasha says with a weak smile.
“They used up all the hot water.” Bruce says, almost like an apology.
“I should have joined you.”
“Missed our window.” He chuckles.
“Did we?” Natasha says, clearly not talking about water temperatures anymore.
“The world just saw the Hulk.” Bruce says, looking down at his feet and walking past her. “The real Hulk, for the first time. You know I have to leave.”
“You assume that I have to stay?”
“You do. You have a daughter to take care of.”
“I had this, um, dream.” She starts. “The kind that seems normal at the time, but when you wake…”
“What did you dream?”
“That I was an avenger.” She pauses. “That I was anything more than the assassin they made me.”
“You’re being too hard on yourself.”
“No, that’s your job. I’m being realistic. And realistically she is better off with Laura.”
Natasha walks closer and puts her hands on Bruce’s cheeks.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m running with it.” She says looking deep into his eyes. “With you. If running is the plan, as far as you want.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Bruce says walking away. “You have a child, a family and you want to throw that out the window?” The redhead feels guilt pooling up in her belly, because even if she knows Misha is safer here, she also knows that running would be unforgivable.
“I want you to understand that-”
“Natasha, where can I go? Where in the world am I not a threat?”
“You’re not a threat to me.”
“Are you sure? Even if I didn’t just…” He thinks about what to say to convince her. “There’s no future with me. I can’t ever, I can’t have this.” Bruce says gesturing across the room. “Kids. Do the math. I physically can’t.”
“Neither can I.” He looks at her, confused by her statement.
“In the Red Room where I was trained, where I was raised, um…” She takes a deep breath. “They have a graduation ceremony. They sterilize you. It’s efficient.” She takes another deep breath to stop the tears from falling. “One less thing to worry about. The one thing that might matter more than a mission. Makes everything easier. Even killing.” Bruce now looks both horrified and confused.
“Misha was strapped to a bed, about to graduate even though she was just eight. They said she was going to be the youngest assassin ever. The greatest too. No one would expect a child to slit their throat. I was one door away from my freedom, but I knew I would never forgive myself if I left her on that bed, so I murdered the surgeon. The nurses. And then we escaped.”
“You saved her life Nat. Why would you leave her now?”
“To save it again. She can live a normal life here. She can get married. Have kids. Laura can offer that stability. I can’t.” She finally meets his gaze. “You still think you’re the only monster on the team?” While he doesn’t agree with her statement he has no energy to argue with the assassin when she has so clearly made up her mind, so he just says:
“So, we disappear?”
When Natasha finally crawls into her daughter’s bed and the teen snuggles up against her she realises that however selfless she tries to be, she will always be too selfish to let Misha go willingly.