Warnings: mentions of parents fighting and people throwing things
Welcome to another vent one shot. This is based off my own experiences with my parents fighting when I was kid.
Can you tell I have a thing for mama bear Natasha?
Age: 16
Y/n sat in the back of the Quinjet, holding a thick piece of cloth to her arm as she watched a fuming Natasha pilot the jet. She hadn't said a word since the mission ended, and y/n knew that she was in deep trouble.
Yelena plopped down in the seat next to y/n, holding a first aid kit in hand. She took the cloth away from y/n's arm, revealing the angry, bleeding flesh beneath it. It was just a graze from a bullet, but Natasha had made it seem like the end of the world.
See, Fury had assigned Natasha and y/n a mission to go after a Hydra base that had recently been discovered. The two of them were severely outnumbered for this kind of task since all the other Avengers were away on other missions. So Natasha called in a favor in the form of her little sister. Yelena joined the two of them, sneaking into the base while y/n stayed behind as a lookout. This was normal because Natasha never liked it when a 16 year old was assigned to dangerous missions like this. Plus there was the added layer of Natasha being extremely protective over the teenager, always going into full mama bear mode whenever y/n was either in danger or in trouble.
It was toward the end of the mission when it happened. Natasha and Yelena had successfully infiltrated the Hydra base and set charges. They now just had to get out. They were fighting their way through dozens of Hydra soldiers when y/n spotted a group of soldiers sneaking up on the widows, hiding in their blind spots. So naturally, y/n jumped into the action, taking care of the Hydra agents and only receiving a graze to the arm in return. Y/n was feeling quite proud of herself for jumping in and possibly saving the two trained assassins. But when she saw Natasha's face, she knew she was in trouble. However, the red-head never exploded at the girl, and didn't even mention why she was upset. She just gave y/n a silent, motherly glare, the kind every kid dreads seeing.
The three of them continued fighting their way to the Quinjest and flew off, watching the Hydra base explode in a fireworks display in the distance. So now, here the three of them were, Natasha angrily flying the Quinjet back to the Avengers Compound with Yelena patching up y/n in the back.
The blonde quickly dressed and bandaged the wound, sending y/n a sympathetic and grateful smile.
Eventually, the superjet touched down on the landing pad and the three of them silently got off and entered the Avengers Compound.
"Hey, you're back!" Wanda smiled, getting up from her spot in the living room. She must have gotten back from her solo mission a few minutes ago because her face was covered in grime.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!" Natasha finally spoke, ignoring Wanda and turning to y/n.
"I saw an opportunity to help and I took it. Those agents were hiding in your blind spot." Y/n shot back, ignoring the questioning look she was getting from Wanda.
"First off, I'm a black widow assassin. I don't have any blind spots. Second, when that happens, you're supposed to radio us and tell us! Then we can figure out how to handle it from there." Natasha half yelled, gesturing between herself and her sister.
"Natasha, cut her some slack. She did help and she's still alive." Yelena cut in, trying to defend y/n.
"She could have died!" Natasha yelled, now staring at her little sister.
"Be grateful she didn't and move on!" Yelena countered, now almost matching her sister's tone of voice.
The two of them started arguing, and it quickly got off the topic of y/n's actions during the mission. Soon, the two of them were yelling at each other and getting in the other's face. No one with common sense would get in between an argument that was with two trained assassins, so Wanda and y/n just stood back and watched the whole thing unfold.
Y/n never liked it when people argued like this. It always reminded her of her parents before they died in the battle of New York. She could still remember their arguments like it was yesterday. Their disagreements would always end up getting heated with one usually yelling at the other. Then towards the end, one would get angry to the point of throwing things at the other. It was always just whatever was laying around, like a ceramic mug, TV remote, or a lamp. Sometimes, one would slam the door into the wall out of anger and then storm off, leaving a dent in the drywall. Y/n could still remember whenever her parents tried to cover up the dents when people would come over.
She quickly glanced around the room, barely listening to two argue as she took note of objects near her that could easily be thrown. There were coffee mugs, a standing lamp, and chairs, which sounds extreme, but not to y/n's over attentive brain.
Suddenly, she felt a gentle hand land on her forearm and y/n instinctively flinched away. She looked up and was met with the concerned gaze of Wanda.
"Are you alright?" the witch asked, bringing Natasha and Yelena's attention to y/n, who just nervously glanced around at all the eyes which had landed on her.
"I...I need some air." y/n croaked out. She darted away from the three of them and wandered into the elevator. She spammed the button that led to the roof and jogged out once the doors parted. Stumbling slightly, she sank to the ground, looking out at the late afternoon sky.
Y/n didn't exactly cry. She just gasped for air as she calmed herself down. She hadn't noticed her anxiety spike until it felt like she couldn't breath. Eventually, after a few minutes, she got herself under control and just stared at the view before her. The sun was just now touching the tops of the trees that were everywhere on the compound property, casting long shadows across the grassy fields.
She heard the doors behind her open and close as the light footfalls of Wanda came nearer. The witch sat down next to y/n and looked at her, taking in the hard expression that she now wore.
"You alright?" Wanda asked.
Y/n didn't answer. She just moved her gaze from the trees to her hands that were now fidgeting with each other.
"If it's about what Nat said, she was just worried about your safety." Wanda started, trying to figure out why y/n seemed so upset. She could have just read her mind to satisfy her concerned curiosity, but decided against it, wanting to respect y/n's privacy.
"It's not that." y/n whispered.
"Then what is it? You know you can tell me anything." Wanda said reassuringly.
"I know but I'd rather not talk about it. I think I just want some time alone." y/n mumbled, hoping Wanda would take the obvious hint.
"Okay...can I give you a hug?" Wanda asked, not wanting to make the other flinch like earlier.
Y/n nodded and quickly engulfed Wanda into a tight hug, the physical contact easing her mind.
As they parted, Wanda smiled at y/n and got up and left, honoring the girl's request for some alone time. Y/n was grateful, not exactly in the mood to talk about her parents to anyone. It wasn't that she didn't trust Wanda or any of the other people she could talk to, it's just that she didn't want to be reminded of her past and her parents.
So y/n just sat there, watching the sun set behind the trees, welcoming the darkness of nighttime. She couldn't keep her mind from going back to her parents. She lingered on the images that usually played on her mind whenever she was around an argument or loud bang. During those times, she was always watching, waiting for someone to snap and end up hurling things at the other person. It never happened here at the compound, but that didn't stop y/n from worrying that it would happen.
Eventually, the hours dragged by and it was now past midnight. Y/n was shivering from the cold at this point and decided to take the risk of going back inside.
Taking the elevator to her floor, she crept into her room and changed out of her combat suit that she was still wearing from the mission. Throwing on a baggy shirt and sweatpants, she wandered back to the elevator. She knew sleep would be near impossible with all the memories that kept playing on her mind, so she went to the kitchen for some food.
She was only a few steps into the kitchen when she noticed the red-head sitting at the counter.
"Hi, y/n." Natasha smiled weakly, staring at the girl.
Y/n didn't return the smile. She just stared at the woman.
"Listen, I understand that you're upset and I want to apologize for blowing up at you. I know you were trying to be helpful to us and the mission. I am very grateful for your help." Natasha started, trying to defuse the tension that was growing.
"Thank you, but you're right. I should have radioed and told you about the agents. That's not what's bothering me." y/n moved closer to Natasha and sank down into the seat next to her at the counter.
"Then what is it?" Natasha asked in her caring voice.
Y/n guessed it was the red-head's parental instincts kicking in. The two of them had always shared a mother-daughter type of bond, and y/n really saw Natasha as a mother. She of course was embarrassed to admit it, but it was still nice to have nonetheless. She considered talking to Natasha about what was bugging her, but she didn't want it to end in another argument. Y/n was a part of the Avengers for goodness sakes. Would she come across as weak if she couldn't stand hearing people argue?
Eventually she couldn't take it anymore.
"The argument between you and Yelena...it reminded me of my parents when they would argue. It would always start off with something small, then escalate into yelling and eventually one throwing things at the other." y/n let out a shaky breath that she didn't realize she was holding in. "I was afraid that was going to happen between you two." She could feel tears begin to fall down her face as she spoke the last part.
"Oh, baby come here." Natasha whispered as she pulled y/n into a hug. "Is that why you flinched when Wanda tried to put her hand on your arm?" She asked, rubbing the crying girl's back. Y/n just nodded in response. "It's normal for people to disagree, but it should never get to the point where you try to hurt the other person."
"I've always seen you as a mom to me but I was just afraid that it was gonna end like my parents' arguments always did." y/n said as she buried her face in Natasha's shoulder.
Y/n's admission that she saw Natasha like a mother melted the assassin's heart.
"I've seen you as a daughter since you first came here when you were 12. Just remember that no matter how much we argue, we would never hurt one another. We would never hurt you." Natasha reassured y/n, pulling her into a tighter hug. "How about you go get some sleep?"
"I don't think I can." y/n mumbled, not wanting to let go of her mother-figure.
"How about we watch a movie instead?" Natasha suggested, glancing down at y/n who just nodded at the idea.
The two of them shifted into the connected living room and settled onto the couch. Natasha let y/n pick, who put on How to Train Your Dragon. Y/n then snuggled into Natasha as the movie played. After a half hour, Natasha felt y/n's head growing heavier on her chest. She looked down to see y/n fast asleep, still holding on tightly to Natasha.
"Sleep well. Mama's got you." Natasha whispered, placing a small kiss on the top of y/n's head.