Second Chances - Book 1

Chapter 12: Worthy

"3..2..1... Go!"

With Bruce's help, Vinny launched onto the bed where his mother lay sleeping. They had hatched a master plan of waking up Natasha after she had slept in unusually longer. The clock beside their bed read 10:34 am. The redhead would usually be awake 3 hours before then at the least. Bruce was sure some nights she barely slept at all.

"Wake up, momma!" Vinny giggled, landing on the heap of sheets atop his mother. Natasha jolted slightly beneath her son's playful antics. Her green eyes snapped open, though the homely setting they had adopted had begun to make her soft. Threats were no longer a part of her everyday life. However, the attack... James - no - The Winter Soldier.. it had been a reality check.

"Oh no! Not the Vinnysaurus Rex." Natasha whined playfully, grabbing the smaller redhead and pulling him down into her arms during his dramatic, upmost terrifying demonstration of a roar. Mother and son were a heap of giggles, Vinny squirming amongst the sheets while Natasha tickled his sides.

"We maded cakepans!" Vinny shrieked with his giggles. "Papa, help!" The little boy called for his father between his mother's tickles. Bruce had caved over in laughter of his own, taking a more hands-on approach by crawling onto the bed and attempting to catch Natasha's hands.

"I don't know, this one's wriggly!" Bruce spoke through laughter, eventually grabbing a hold of Natasha's wrists and pinning them above her head.

"Yeah! You did it, papa!" Vinny exclaimed the moment he was able to get to his feet, red-cheeked from his laughter. The high-energy boy bounced on the mattress, while his parents locked eyes. The slowly growing smirk on Natasha's lips, followed by the mischievous glint in her eye alerted Bruce almost immediately.

"No... Don't-"

Before he could utter the rest of his plea, Natasha had thrust her weight forward while using her legs to manoeuvre Bruce. To avoid them squashing Vinny, she turned them to the right. Running out of mattress, they landed heavily on the floor. Vinny released a gasp, though Natasha was lucky enough Bruce more or less broke her fall. "You'll have to do better than that next time." She uttered, a smirk remaining on her lips. Pecking his softly, she picked herself up from the floor to hop back onto the bed. "Where are these cakepans, then?" She asked, tugging Vinny into a bear hug.

"Pancakes," Bruce spoke, sitting himself up. "I'm not like the two of you, I can't bounce back from all this rough-housing." The doctor spoke with a light chuckle, getting to his feet where he would obtain the tray of three plates of pancakes. "These are Vinny specials." He spoke.

"You made them, did you?" Natasha asked, sitting Vinny between her crossed legs.

"Papa letted me crack the eggs!" Vinny grinned proudly. "And I mixed it all together like a potion." He added. "I can flip them really high when I'm older."

"Good job! I bet they taste amazing." Natasha smiled. The trio remained calm for long enough to eat their breakfast in a relatively civil manner. Aside from Nat dabbing some whipped cream on the tip of Vinny's nose at the end of their meal.

When their first meal of the day was finished, Bruce opted to take on the dishes while Natasha helped Vinny get changed into his clothes. A simple pair of black pants and a green t-shirt. "Can we play in the garden, momma?" Vinny asked while Natasha brushed through his hair. His curls bounced right back into their ringlets.

"All done," Natasha spoke. "We sure can. Why don't you head down to papa and I'll get ready." She smiled, ruffling his red curls. The little boy headed off quickly, taking the stairs carefully. When Natasha did join them, Bruce was already outside with Vinny. Having been unable to keep him stationary for very long in the wait for his mother. At the current moment, he was running around the grass, through the bushes and shrubs and around the blossom tree nearer the centre. A Captain America shield strapped to his left arm, holding a Mjolnir replica in his right hand and an Iron Man mask covering his face. Gifts from his uncles.