You Didn't See That Coming? ~Hawksilver~ #Wattys2015

10

"Hey, Pietro," I said, bringing my son up to him. He looked up from his conversation with Lila and Cooper, Wanda at the other side smiling at the baby.

"This is my mini-me?" He asked, smiling like Wanda was. "Hey, little guy. May I hold him?" He asked me, and I handed my son over to his namesake. He held baby Nathaniel in his arms as if he were the most precious thing on earth. "Well, aren't you the most handsome baby in existence?"

"So he does have a heart," I muttered jokingly out loud.

"I can see why you named him after me," Pietro said.

"Actually, I named him after you. But Mom and Dad both liked the idea a lot," Cooper said.

"Well, I am honored, Cooper," he said, "thank you."

"Thank you for saving my dad," he said, and Pietro looked like his heart had melted from the adorableness of my children. I had seen this look on Wanda's face before, but this is my first time seeing Pietro like this.

"It was my pleasure to save your father, and to work alongside him and the Avengers," he said, and he looked surprised when Lila hugged him, then he hugged her back. Soon, Cooper and Wanda joined the hug, and they all looked at me. "Don't leave us hanging," he said, and I finished the group hug.

"Welcome to the family, Pietro, Wanda, and Nathaniel!" Lila said, and Laura and Nathaniel walked in.

"Does Auntie Nat get to join the hug?" Nat asked with a smile, and Lila giggled.

"Laura, come hug our children," I said, "You can come too, Nat." Laura pushed me out of the way and sat on Pietro's bed next to him and putting her hand on baby Nathaniel's cheek, smiling.

"Here, may I steal him back from you, Pietro?" she asked, and he handed over the baby. "Hey, Nathaniel," she cooed, and yawned. "Awe, baby's getting sleepy. Kids, why don't you leave Wanda, Pietro, me, Nathaniel, and your father alone for a minute?" Natasha took the kids downstairs.

"Laura?" I muttered, "Everything alright?"

"Fine," she muttered back, and she sat in front of us. "So I looked up your names," she said. "I wanted to learn a little more about you, because I knew some things you'd never answer to." Wanda bit her lip. "You two aren't twenty-one."

"We wanted to be Avengers," she said quietly, "We had to tell them we were older, and let's face it, we could pass for twenty-five."

"Are you mad that we lied?" Pietro asked, and Laura shook her head.

"Of course not," she said. "I just-I wish I would have known you aren't legal adults, especially because I let Wanda drink the other day..."

"...sorry?" She said, and she and Pietro laughed a little.

"It's okay in our country," Pietro said with a shrug.

"On the source I found online, it said you lost your parents years ago when you were Cooper's age. How?" Wanda and Pietro looked at each other.

"...in the Sokovia bombings," he muttered, and Laura looked at them sadly.

"That was nine years ago," she said. "Clint told me you were twenty-one. Why'd you lie about your age?" They didn't make eye contact with us. They couldn't. I looked at them, pitifully.

"Nineteen," I muttered, "Why did you lie? Why did it matter?"

"For the same reason you are freaking out," Pietro said simply, "Because nobody, and I mean nobody, not Ultron or HYDRA or SHIELD, wants to work with a couple of homeless kids from a sad little country. If you would have known we were actually younger than twenty-one, would you let us fight alongside you?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean-yes, I would. I definitely would," I told them, "But no way in hell would I allow one of you to risk their lives for me. No way in hell is a kid dying to save me, because honestly, it isn't worth that. Don't fight it, it's true. I would have spent my days wondering 'why? How could this happen?' I wouldn't be myself, alive or not alive." I took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, you aren't technically in need of legal guardians, you're old enough to be on your own. But you're also young enough to be kids. If you two are going to be Avengers...don't get yourselves killed. Appreciated, but don't. Oh, God, Steve is going to kill me when he finds out you're kids-"

"Again, why does it matter!" Pietro exclaimed frustratedly.

"Just the same as how the life of that little boy in Sokovia was precious, so are yours. And Lila's, Cooper's...Nathaniel's." Laura held Nathaniel close to her.

"Did you sign up to join HYDRA?" she whispered, and Wanda nodded. "You wanna talk about it?" She asked, and Wanda shook her head.

"I don't like to talk about it," she replied, biting her lip again, and I saw she was fighting tears.

"Hey, listen. I was just worried, is all. You've had rough lives, huh?" Pietro nodded."If you ever do need to talk about it...I'm here for you. We both are." and Wanda suddenly broke down in tears. She just buried her face into her hands and cried. Pietro opened his arms and she practically fell into them, crying into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her both comfortingly and for comfort. He whispered something to her in another language and she responded. I sat down next to Laura on the bed.

"Hey, shh, it's okay," I told them.

"Sokovia...every last trace of it is gone," Wanda said in a barely audible voice, "Home doesn't exist anymore. It's gone."

"Wanda-" Pietro started, but she cut him off.

"There's nothing that will make this better, Pietro. Our country is gone and we blew all our covers. How are we supposed to live in this world if we have no place here?" He looked up at me.

"You won't tell anyone?"

"Of course not! Well, maybe, with your permission, of course," I told him, and when he buried his face into Wanda's shoulder, I hesitantly reached out and stroked his hair back comfortingly. He didn't cry, I noticed, but the look on his face could have been the face of an innocent person sentenced to death.

"You'll always have a home here," I said gently, Wanda looking up, tears staining her cheeks. "And you'll always be Avengers."

"R-really?"

"As long as you live and until you die," I said, with a nod, and I couldn't help but smile. This was meant to happen. Pietro and Wanda were meant to be part of the family.

"So, do you name all your kids after Avengers?" Pietro asked challengingly.

"Shut up," I said with a grin, and we laughed.