A/N at the bottom
Second POV
To your luck, almost everyone was busy in the compound today. Your mum was busy rushing her paperwork after coming back from her mission last week and this week, it was Wanda and Sam's turn to head on a mission. Usually, Wanda would be kind enough to be your buddy and fill up your weekend other than your homework, teaching you how to bake and cook while your mum trains. Without them, things are normally boring.
But not this time. Both of them were oblivious to you still laying in bed even when the sun was hanging high up in the sky. You haven't moved from your bed since morning and made no attempts to get up.
After a successful mission, Wanda and Sam made it back to the compound. For once, it was actually a smooth-going mission with everything heading the way it intended to be with no hiccups. Happily, they walked back into the cool building with little to no blood to clean up. After shedding their suits and having a comfortable bath for their aching muscles, they went towards their respective interests wanting to relax before writing their mission reports. For Sam, it was heading straight to bed. For Wanda, it was reading a few chapters of her book she was reading before she got called for a mission.
Hearing her stomach grumble, she closed her book. "Time to make some snacks." She went to look for Natasha who has been cooped up in her office since morning, inviting her senior for a break.
"Yeah sure. Just give me a sec. I should find Y/N. I haven't seen or heard from her the entire day." Natasha said as she prepared to leave her table.
Knocking on your door, she tried calling for you but she didn't hear a response. "Y/N? It's already past 12 pm, you can't possibly still be in bed!" Natasha remarked. No movement was heard from the room and Nat opened the door and went in.
The room was dark, the curtain blocking most of the sunlight entering as it stayed in the same place it was the night before. "Baby?" Natasha called out as she saw the lump underneath the duvet. As she walked closer, she could see you were still sleeping. Not understanding how she produced a child like this, she shook her head and pulled back the curtain, bringing light to the room.
"Y/N, you won't be able to sleep tonight and I don't want to hear you complaining about it." She pulled the duvet off and her face instantly turned into worry. Your sweat was soaking into the bed sheet and your slumped form made no attempt to move even in the change in temperature.
"Baby!" Natasha panicked and tried waking you up. She felt how hot you were and retracted her hand before feeling your forehead. All the worrying thoughts clouded her mind especially with how long she left you alone for. "Baby, can you hear me?"
Your mother's voice sounded really far away even though she was speaking next to your ears. You tried so hard to reply to her but your muscles refused to move. Nat immediately carried you in her arms, bringing you down to the medbay while asking FRIDAY to inform Bruce of your arrival.
Hearing of Natasha's distress, Bruce stopped his other projects and went to medbay just as Natasha was setting you down on one of the spare beds. From the door, he could see how pale you were. In an instant, he went next to you and checked your vitals, hooking you up to the basic machine. "The first thing we need to do is to bring her temperature down, without the thermometer, I can tell it is dangerously high. If we don't bring it down quickly, I'm afraid it would pose some damage to her brain." Bruce informed Natasha as his hands were quickly moving. He called for more help starting hooking you to more fluids and one of them was even preparing a cold bath to bring your temperature down.
"Help bring her to the tub." Things were of such urgency that taking off your clothes was not in their minds. Bruce gave Natasha a towel to wipe your face and neck while they get other things ready.
"Oh baby..." Natasha breathed as she wet the towel and wiped it across your forehead. The cold water felt very nice against your body. Normally you would have shivered and been against entering in the tub because you could literally see ice cubes floating, it was more of a forfeit than anything.
Bruce came in and took your blood for a lab test as he was certain this was a virus and not a normal case of a bad influenza. Natasha's hands were freezing but she made no attempt at stopping.
"Mum..." You were slightly more conscious and aware of your surroundings.
"Baby, why didn't you tell anyone your fever was running so high? You could have told FRIDAY to get me." Natasha ranted worryingly. Her words seemed so fuzzy to you even though she was speaking right next to your ears.
With how high your body temperature was, the ice water quickly reaches room temperature. Bruce, thinking it was time to bring you back to bed, gave your mum a gown to change you out of the wet clothes.
Wanda heard of your situation and came to visit, making a snack long forgotten. She could only stand by the side and provide moral support for both Natasha and you. You were looking so frail on the bed as Bruce hooked you with something that counters the virus. "Nat, drink something at least." She handed her senior a bottle of water. "You wouldn't want to land in the same position as Y/N." The assassin sent a glare in her direction before accepting the bottle.
"How are you doing?" Wanda asked Nat. Nat shook her head while her gaze remained on you, looking over your facial features that were so much like hers. "Yeah, no parent would like to see their child sick."
Things were getting better after the regular check-ins from Bruce. Your temperature was reducing, not back to the optimal place where they would like but it was an improvement. Finally, you regained enough consciousness and were able to stay awake to have a conversation with your mother and aunt.
There was something that was nagging in your brain, your ears actually. "Mama, can you speak louder? I can't really hear you clearly." She nodded and raised her voice slightly so you could hear better.
"Is it okay if I asked Bruce to come in? I don't think that not being able to hear clearly is not right." You nodded along with your mother's words. She left quickly leaving you alone with Wanda.
"I hope you get better soon. The day is boring without you." To your surprise, you were able to hear her clearly, but then again, her mouth didn't move so you knew she used her powers to communicate with you.
"Thank you..."
As it turns out, after several checks, you have a hearing impairment in your left ear. Due to your high fever, it damaged your eardrums and sadly cannot be repaired other than wearing a hearing aid. You could hear people speaking since your right ear was fully functioning, you just couldn't figure out where they were speaking from.
But you weren't the cheerful kid you once were.
Wearing a hearing aid was not fun for you. You had to adapt to many things going on in your ear. Your glasses, earrings and now you couldn't wear your headphones with ease. Majority of the time, you didn't wear them since it didn't really impact your life that much. You just needed people to speak louder and weren't able to tell where they were coming from. You didn't wear them even in school, you didn't want people to know about it.
"Hi baby..." Nat came and sat next to you, on your right, the side where your ear is fully functioning. You looked up from your work to her. "Come here." She patted the area next to her and you slowly got up from your chair. "I haven't seen you smile for a long time, baby." Nat said as she wrapped an arm around your body.
You played with your fingers as you tried to come up with an answer. "I don't like wearing hearing aids." You sighed as you said. There was no other way around it.
"But that helps you."
"I don't like it." You curled up against my mother's chest, unable to control the tears that were at bay.
"Do you want to get a cochlear implant? I don't like the idea of your ears deteriorating because you're not wearing your hearing aids." You shrugged your shoulders. "Or should I get Stark to make something for you? What do you think, baby?"
"I guess Stark Tech..."
"Alright baby, I'll get Stark to make it."
The rest of the day was spent with you on your mother's lap. She was helping you with your homework and occasionally encouraging you that everything was going to be alright. You may be a little old for such a cuddle time but you would always be a baby to your mother.
Written on 14 Sept 2022
Posted on 5 Nov 2022
I never thought I would have to say this but... this is likely to be the beginning of a long hiatus as I no longer have any drafts saved up. Surprise surprise ✨✨
We are pausing this at 100 chapters, totally didn't for this to be such a nice number.
I would really like to have a regular uploading schedule, therefore I want to save a couple fic in advance before I start posting again.
Hopefully, I'll be seeing you by New Year or before that.
With that being said, I have a list of ideas I have been wanting to do but I would like to know of your opinion of which fics you would like to have continuation part of. This is so that I can refer to this chapter in the future to refer.
Thanks a lot for reading and hope to see you soon again.