Tumgik
#post mob life
Text
Growing Pains Part 3
Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader
Word count: ~12k
Summary: Little Nat is almost 13 and school’s a bitch. Retired mob boss turned stay-at-home mom Wanda has to figure out how to deal with bullies at her daughter’s school. 
A/N: Credit to @rianncreates for this fic idea. Enjoy 😘
Warnings: Fluff, teen angst, injury, reference to previous injury/trauma, bullies, and mentions medicinal drug use
When Wanda wakes up in the morning, she can immediately tell that you’d left bed for a while at some point during the night. The faint smell of marijuana wasn’t one that she particularly liked, but she’d certainly gotten used to it over the years. She hated whenever you smoked because nowadays you only did it if you were in a lot of pain. She almost misses the days when you would just kickback, relax and smoke a little or too much with Yelena. The stress she’d felt then at seeing you high was less traumatizing than having to see you in pain.
You stir a little after she does and you sigh as you realize that you’re still very tired. Luckily you get to relax all day today and if you got your way, you wouldn’t have to leave the house at all. When you open your eyes, you smile at the sight of your wife with her beautifully mussed hair and sleepy eyes.
“Morning, Wands. Did you sleep well?”
Wanda smiles as she leans in to kiss you, and you hold her close as you try to force yourself awake. You’re still groggy when Wanda speaks up, and she runs a hand through your messy hair smiling as you grumble a bit.
“I did. What about you? Are you feeling better?”
You nod immediately because your cold trip outside to smoke for a bit had helped a lot. You’d taken Boone with you because you’d practically tripped over him on the way upstairs and he’d wanted to be near you. Wanda smiles at the fact that you had your dog outside with you at 2 in the morning. She sighs as she flops onto her back with a frown. You notice immediately and sneak a hand out to squeeze her side. You stifle a laugh as she jumps in surprise and shoots you a glare.
“What’s on your mind, love?”
You hadn’t realized that Wanda was thinking about last night too, and you quickly tune in to the conversation as you consider what is going on with your daughter.
“Did Pietro tell you what he and Natalya talked about last night?”
Wanda’s fidgeting and playing with the hem of her shirt as she thinks about what her brother had said. He was being a good uncle. What could that mean? Yelena had already said that Natalya had asked for advice but they’d been given no other hints. She frowns when you shake your head before relaying the very vague explanation that your brother-in-law had given you.
“He said that she had ‘girl trouble’ and that he gave her advice. Whatever that means."
Wanda frowns at all of the things this could entail and she forces herself to sit up with a sigh. She half-heartedly fixes her hair as she shakes her head. She shoots you a look that you can’t help but laugh at, and you push yourself up into a seated position before glancing at the clock.
“That’s terrifying to think about.”
You don’t really know what to say because even when you went upstairs to think about it you couldn’t figure out what was wrong. The only real hint you had was the question that Natalya had asked Wanda the other day. Maybe she was lonely and she wanted to figure out how to fix it. You really had nothing and you smile slightly as you lean against your wife with a shrug.
“At least she also went to Yelena.”
You think about your options and you realize that you’re just going to have to leave it be for now. You need to trust Yelena and Pietro, as well as your daughter to handle everything.
“I think we just need to see what happens. Asking her about it will only stress her out and keep her from going to them again.”
Wanda’s still frowning. She realizes that you’re right and that she’s going to have to leave this in the trio’s hands. She’s still trying to convince herself that she shouldn’t feel hurt by this. She was glad that Natalya was comfortable going to her uncles and aunts. She just wishes that she could be that person for her daughter.
“That’s also terrifying to me.”
Natalya is downstairs making a breakfast of heated leftovers when her parents emerge from their room. They all usually sleep in on Sundays, but Nat had woken up early and couldn’t go back to sleep. She’d hung out with Boone and Fletcher for a while before letting the former out and heading to the kitchen. There were plenty of leftovers to eat and since there was more than enough for lunch, dinner, and breakfast, Nat eats some cheesecake and some chicken before she hears her parents’ door open upstairs. She hurries to put the cheesecake back into the fridge, but her moms knew her too well.
“Don’t bother, Little Nat, I’m going to eat some of it too.”
“Please tell me you’re going to eat something else too.”
You’re not even sure who Wanda’s talking to, but you nod anyway before smiling as you greet your daughter in the kitchen. You hug the brunette and plant a kiss on the top of her head before you glance around the kitchen to see if any food was left out. You’re thinking of what you’ll eat for breakfast when Wanda comes up for her hug.
“How did you sleep, milaya?”
You release Nat as you walk to the coffee machine to get your wife caffeinated as quickly as possible. You’re more concerned about what you’ll eat, but you keep an ear open for what your daughter says. You’re grabbing some leftovers with a loaf of bread on top for your wife’s usual toast. Nat’s yawning as she hugs her redheaded mom before pulling away quickly. She shakes out her hand with a scowl as she berates herself for continuing to forget that she’s hurt.
“Ow, I slept well. I just woke up hungry.”
You laugh at this as Wanda rolls her eyes because of course her daughter is hungry. It’s hard to find a time when she’s not hungry, and it actually was a very good indicator when she was younger that something was wrong. It still applied most days.
After grabbing everything you’ll eat for breakfast you leave briefly to go walk the dogs. Rogue and Boone were sitting at your feet and begging with their sad eyes to eat. You let them out for a minute on their own as you fill their bowls and grab their meds. You hurry through your routine of hiding them in wet food before placing them in the designated bowls. Rogue comes in first as usual and he tries to stick his head in his brother’s bowl. You redirect his attention to the other one before looking over your shoulder as Boone comes running inside.
“It’s okay bud. I kept him from eating your breakfast. You’re welcome.”
Wanda can’t help but smile as you have a conversation with your dog before joining them for breakfast. Nat’s already sitting at the table when Wanda sets down her plate and glances at you curiously. She’d already made sure you took your meds this morning, and as she watches you pile food onto your plate, she can’t help but smile.
“All good over there, detka?”
You nod before running over to the table and setting your mostly milk coffee down. You kiss your wife’s cheek before rounding the table to kiss Nat’s too. You know that you both decided not to ask Natalya about what she told Piet and Yelena last night, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t encourage her to mention it.
“Did you have fun last night, kid?”
Natalya is already smiling as she takes a bite of her breakfast with an enthusiastic nod. She waits until she’s done chewing to offer a verbal response, but you’re patient as you run back to the kitchen for your food. Once you sit down beside your wife you are immediately flanked by both of your dogs who are looking for a second meal. You pat both of them on the head before turning your attention to Natalya.
“Yeah! It was great. I loved the food, and Bucky’s present is so cool!”
You stop short of taking another bite when you realize that you’d forgotten about Bucky’s unconventional gift. One glance at your wife tells you that she did too, and now you’re both wondering if she’d taken it upstairs with her. Wanda frowns as she sets down her coffee and tries to figure out where the very large knife that their friend had given Natalya was.
“Where is it, Natalya? I didn’t get a chance to look at it. “
Little Nat is up and running upstairs to grab it before you can even roll your eyes at your wife’s less-than-subtle question. You just watch your daughter disappear before you turn to Wanda with a smile. She shoots you a look that you just shake your head at before continuing to eat your breakfast.
“I didn’t say anything.”
Wanda doesn’t have time to respond before Nat is returning to the table. She luckily stops before running into the table, and she sets the large knife down carefully beside her mom’s plate. You watch as Wanda picks it up and looks it over carefully. She’s less interested in the design and she’s paying more attention to the fact that Bucky seemed to be right. She tugs on the handle and tries to free the knife, but with no success. Natalya’s gone back to her breakfast at this point, but she glances up to see her mom struggling and she shakes her head.
“I tried for a while, Mama it’s not coming out.”
Wanda frowns at this before handing it across the table to you. You sigh as you take the weapon and look it over with a frown. You still can’t believe that Bucky gave this to your daughter. You only try to get the knife out for a few seconds before you shake your head. You hand it back to Natalya but as she goes to blindly grab it you hold it back until you have your daughter’s attention. Nat looks up and you shoot her a serious look.
“You can keep this for now, but if you get it to open you have to give it back to Bucky.”
You turn to Wanda to make sure she’s okay with this plan, but when she just sighs you figure she has no objections. Nat takes the knife back with a smile before taking the last bite of her food.
“Thanks! Do we have any plans for today?”
Despite not sleeping well last night, you’d been on board for Natalya’s idea to spend some time outside. She wanted to walk the dogs up the mountain and regardless of the fact that exercise is not something you want to do today, you suck it up. You and Wanda get changed before heading outside to meet Natalya where she’s sitting outside on the deck waiting for them. Boone and Rogue were wandering around with their tails wagging excited to be going on a walk. Despite being older, they still loved hiking and could go for a few miles before getting too tired. They moved slower, but you did too so you didn’t mind at all. You smile as you greet your daughter and then dogs before turning to your wife.
“Alright, ready to set out?”
Natalya smiles before nodding happily and grabbing Boone and Rogue’s leashes. You don’t usually keep them on leashes when you go out, but you let Nat do what she wants. You figure she’ll let them go off leash a little later. You grab your walking stick from Wanda before you usher her off of the deck with a cheeky smile.
“After you, milady.”
Wanda rolls her eyes but she steps down from the deck before taking your free hand with a sigh. She hopes that Natalya doesn’t want to go too far because she has a date with you and the couch later and maybe her cat. She’d wanted to be lazy today, but she does enjoy seeing how Natalya happily leads her dogs up the path.
“Boone slow down!”
You consider taking one of the dogs from your daughter, but she seems to be having fun trying to keep the duo on the path and walking side by side. You hold Wanda’s hand as you two walk behind your children watching them carefully, but letting them get a ways ahead of you. You turn to your wife as you think about what tomorrow will bring.
“I should be able to leave work early tomorrow so I can drive with you to Nat’s game.”
Wanda smiles at the reminder that her daughter had her first game of the season tomorrow. The two of you had talked to Natalya about her interest in sports early on when she started middle school. Rather you’d had to encourage her to give them a try. She had been very against doing anything that involved other people. She wouldn’t join any clubs, and you and Wanda were worried that she wouldn’t have any friends. When she finally agreed to try and play basketball it only lasted for a week, but she made two friends in that time. Natalya was still friends with both of them, and they were the ones to convince her to try out for softball which went a lot better than basketball. She was a little too inattentive to play such a fast-paced game.
“Okay, just let me know if you’re running late.”
One perk of being an administrator/vet was getting to choose your own schedule to accommodate your daughter’s schedule. You usually worked longer days on Tuesdays and Thursdays so you were free for game nights. You and Wanda made it to every game, and depending on what your friends were up to they’d come along too. Natalya pretended to be embarrassed when her aunts and uncles all showed up and cheered for her along with her parents, but you knew that she secretly appreciated it. She also loved it when Boone and Rogue could come, even if most of the time they sat in the grass and were pet by small children. The last game of the previous season, everyone had come out and Pietro had been so into it that you’d filmed him to show Nat later.
“Pietro will be there, but I don’t know about anyone else. He’ll probably meet us there.”
You nod as you step over some rocks in your path with a huff. So much for staying on the path. You’re glad you brought your stick because it helps with your balance, but it can be a pain to carry. You make sure that Nat and the dogs aren’t too far ahead before you turn back to Wanda with a questioning look.
“Sooo… has she told you what she wants for her birthday yet?”
Nat forces herself to slow down a little bit and she lets Boone and Rogue walk ahead of her. She always forgets how much her dogs like being outside and in the woods. They stop briefly to sniff something and Nat takes a deep breath before looking around curiously. They’ve strayed from the path a bit, and she winces at the fact that she hadn’t even noticed. She’ll get them back on track once the dogs get their noses out of…what was that?
“Guys, come on, what’s so interesting?”
Nat pulls the shepherds back a bit and her nose scrunches up in disgust at the sight of a giant pile of shit. She mutters under her breath before leading the dogs back to the path with a smile. She stops to pet both of them for a bit until she hears her parents’ footsteps behind her.
“Is it okay to let them off leash?”
You smile as you nod and wave the two dogs to run ahead. They both look to you once they’re freed as if asking for permission and you just wave them off again with a sigh.
“Yes, you can go. Be free, but be good!”
The two dogs run off side by side and you smile at the sight of how adorable they look. They’re running so close to each other that they look like one large furry blob with too many legs. They’ve really come a long way from what they were when they first met each other. You’re so glad that they managed to grow close, and over the years you’ve seen them take care of each other in ways that bring you to tears. You don’t realize you’ve spaced out until you feel someone tug on your hand. You look up to see Natalya smiling at you, and you nod in response before letting her lead you.
“Ready, Mom?”
The next twenty minutes or so pass quickly as Natalya chats with you and Wanda about how school is going and her friends. She talks a little bit about softball and what she expects Monday to go like. You’re glad that Natalya has liked the sport more than you both thought she would. Honestly, she was just super competitive and liked the idea of being on a team with her friends more than the actual sport, but still. You were glad that she’d found something that she enjoyed.
“Moms can Taylor and Alyssa maybe come over after the game? For victory pizza?”
You smile widely at this while Wanda sighs in defeat. This was a tradition you’d started with your daughter when she first started playing sports. It was mostly to encourage her to put in effort, and just as it did for you, food was your daughter’s greatest motivator. You’re already nodding at this and you look to Wanda to see that she’s shooting you a look that just makes you laugh. You know that you’re a bad influence, but luckily this is just a seasonal thing, and your daughter eats healthily otherwise. If anything, she’ll get pizza with some sort of vegetable on it.
“That’s a great idea. Now you just have to make sure you win.”
Nat’s about to feign offense and insist that they will definitely beat the team they’re playing tomorrow, but the sight of the dogs running toward them stops her in her tracks. She’s frowning because they usually don’t run home, they usually drag their feet because they’re tired or they don’t want to leave. This is odd. You seem to think so too and you stop in your tracks with a frown before you look between your two dogs curiously.
“What is it you two? Tired already?”
Boone’s whining and Rogue is already trying to herd you back the way you came, and you’re not sure what to make of this. You look out to where they came from and don’t see anything suspicious, but you didn’t really expect to. Wanda is trying to push Rogue away from her, but he keeps rubbing his head on her legs trying to push her back down the path.
“Rogue, stop it.”
When he barks at her you realize that something is up. He only ever barks to get attention and you decide that it might be best to listen to him this time. You realize you don’t have to convince your wife because she’s on the same page as you. She’s shooting her dog a confused look, and when she reaches out to pet him, he mouths at her hand. She pulls her hand back quickly and shoots him a glare but he just whines as he starts to head back the way they came.
“Ow, fine we’ll go. Come on let’s go.”
Wanda turns back to wave you and Natalya with her, but she stops short when she sees that you’ve walked away from them up the path. She opens her mouth to shout for you, but she doesn’t get a chance before you’re turning around and walking back down the hill and reaching out for both her and Natalya. You look mostly calm, but Wanda can tell from your wide eyes that you’re worried.
“Okay, okay. You’re right let’s go. Quickly.”
Wanda frowns but doesn’t hesitate to follow you and Rogue as she grabs Natalya’s hand. She’s a little confused and she speaks up before Wanda gets a chance.
“Wait, why? What’s going on?”
You look behind you before reaching out to pet both of your dogs as they continue on the trail occasionally looking back to make sure you’re following. You then put an arm around your daughter’s shoulders and then one around your wife’s waist before whispering under your breath.
“The dogs wanted to let us know that there is a mama bear with her babies over that hill.”
Wanda’s eyes widen in surprise and she turns to make sure they’re not being followed. Luckily all she sees is green trees, dirt and rocks. No animals in sight. She picks up her pace a little though and you smile before looking to Natalya who’s smiling in awe.
“That’s so adorable!”
Despite thinking this, she knows what her mom is going to say. It’s a good thing that the dogs were with them because stumbling on a family of bears could be a dangerous situation. You’re not sure that your knife hidden in your walking stick would be enough to prevail.
“It is, but we stay very, very far away from them, right Little Nat?”
Your daughter is already nodding as she runs ahead toward her very good dogs with a wide smile. She scratches both of them and kisses their slightly sweaty heads as she praises them for their smarts.
“Yes! You two knew that too, huh? Such smart boys!”
You can’t help but smile proudly and Wanda links her arm with yours as you both watch your children walk ahead of you. Your mind wanders to the other fur child at home and you scoff before muttering under your breath.
“Fletcher would have led us right to them, I’m sure.”
You laugh when your wife turns to shoot you an offended look, but she really can’t argue with you. In her old age, Fletcher has gotten even less tolerable of disturbances in her daily routine. She napped, groomed herself, ate, and chased the balls of dog fur that she found on the floor. She had a pretty good system and the idea of her going outside at all made you laugh. You’re sure that she was too lazy to go far at all. One time Nat was young and accidentally left the door opened, and Fletcher had escaped and immediately run up a tree. You found out later when feathers floated down to the ground, that she’d just gone up there to catch a poor bird.
“Oh hush.”
You and your family arrive home without further incident and you quickly lie down on the couch in the living room with a dramatic sigh. You are going to stay here for a little bit and you ignore the hustle and bustle around you of the dogs getting resituated after a quick drink and a treat from Natalya. You feel someone jump on your stomach and you know without looking that it’s Fletcher saying hello. She digs her claws in you right as you open your eyes and you glare at her before promptly lifting her off of you.
“Ow! Fletcher you little –grrr.”
You shake Fletcher in the air for a bit until she starts to try and get away. You wonder if she’d still land on her feet if you threw her, not that you ever would, but that thought is quickly cut short by her being snatched from you.
“Y/n, don’t be mean to her! Poor baby.”
You aren’t surprised in the least to see your wife standing over you cuddling her cat in her arms. Fletcher’s such a ham and she stretches out all of her legs before rubbing her face on Wanda’s chin. You roll your eyes before sitting up and looking around to see where your daughter is. She’s unsurprisingly in the kitchen getting a snack so you speak in a hushed whisper that only Wanda and her cat can hear.
“She’s full of it. She clawed me that little shit.”
Wanda shoots you a look that you just wave off before you lie back down and reach for the remote. You let your wife fuss over her cat while you find something to watch on TV. You’re not really in the mood for anything dramatic, you just want white noise as you rest for a bit. You yawn as you drop the remote back on the table and get curled up on the couch with a groan.
“Tired?”
You shake your head despite snuggling further into the couch and hugging a pillow with your eyes closed.
“No, I’m good. I’m good. I was just going to stretch out here for a bit.”
Wanda just nods thoughtfully at you, not that you notice, before she sets Fletcher down and looks over to her daughter in the kitchen. It’s about lunch time and Nat’s gotten an early start, but Wanda’s not hungry yet and she’d like to lie down too. She eyes you where you’re sprawled out on the couch and instead of getting possibly elbowed or kicked off, Wanda decides not to surprise you.
“Can I join you?”
Your eyes open immediately and you’re smiling as you hold your arms out for her. Wanda grabs your hands before crawling on top of the couch carefully so she doesn’t squish you. Not that you seem to mind because you wrap your arms around her waist and pull her down so she falls on top of you. She yelps and you laugh as Natalya looks over her shoulder at you two and she just rolls her eyes before turning back to her food. You and Wanda finally get settled and neither of you bother with the TV as you lie on your back with your wife cuddled up beside you.
“Comfy?”
Natalya’s question is answered with a hum from you and a nod from Wanda who opens her eyes to confirm that her daughter is standing over her. She watches her put her food down on the coffee table before grabbing her phone, but she doesn’t realize she’s taking a picture until it’s too late to stop her.
“Natalya, don’t. No pictures.”
This makes you open your eyes and you see that Little Nat is indeed taking pictures of you, and you scowl before turning to hide your face in your pillow.
“Noo, Little Nat listen to your mom.”
“Aw come on! You look so cute! I won’t send it to Uncle Pietro.”
Wanda shoots her daughter a look that makes her laugh but she still nods in confirmation because she doesn’t want to get in trouble. She wouldn’t do something that dumb.
“Don’t you dare.”
Natalya just grabs the remote and sits at the end of the couch so she can still be nearby her mothers but not in their way. She grabs her food and starts to look for something to watch. She’s pretty sure her moms are going to sleep soon, and she might as well after lunch, but for now she’d like some background noise. Maybe she’ll watch a Disney movie.
An hour later, her parents are asleep as she suspected, and she’s still snacking as she watches a Disney movie she’s seen 70 times at least. She is watching her favorite song scene when her phone vibrates on the coffee table. She hurries to grab it so it doesn’t wake up her parents, but they are too relaxed to notice or care. You don’t even stir because you’re the heavier sleeper, but even her redhead mom barely moves at the sound. She smiles at the sight of you cuddling before she glances to the last bit of the song playing on the screen before turning her attention to her phone.
Got us this today.
1 attachment
Nat almost forgot that her friends had gone to the mall today. She had considered going, but she enjoyed the time she’d spent with her parents and dogs today. She’d see her friends tomorrow and then they had a game after school. If they won, when they won, she’d get to have them over for pizza.
Nat looks at the picture of a t-shirt that she’s definitely seen before, but never got around to buying. It was a shirt that had the words ‘two moms are better than one’ on it. She and Taylor had mentioned getting these, but the other brunette had joked about wearing them to school together. Now they actually could. Natalya considers how this would go. She would definitely feel better to have Taylor do it too despite the fact that Stacy hadn’t really bothered her about having two moms. She was a little surprised, but she didn’t seem to care about that detail. She mostly harassed her for being a loner.
Natalya feels the urge to open up to her friend. The transient feeling of courage at the idea of walking into school wearing the shirt makes her type out a text and send it without thinking.
T, I need you to teach me how to throw a punch.
To be honest her aunts had taught her when she was younger, maybe 8, but she hadn’t practiced at all and she’d since forgotten. She knows that her friend will have her back and if she really chooses to go after Stacy, or at least retaliate, she needs to be prepared. She sets her phone down and allows herself to panic for a few seconds about the commitment she’s made. She knows it the right one. Maybe not the violence part, but she has to stand up for herself, right?
Nat’s still freaking out a little when her phone vibrates a couple seconds later. She ignores her movie and texts her friends for a bit mostly to ask about how the rest of their time at the mall went. Taylor seemed to realize that beyond agreeing to do as Nat requested, any other conversation about it should be in person. She didn’t want to put her on the spot or make her change her mind because she wanted Nat to do this. After talking to her moms briefly, Taylor decided that she was going to do everything she could to get Stacy off Nat’s back. She’s glad that Nat seems to finally be on board with it. She’ll just have to see how things go.
Despite the fact that she loved games and would always look forward to them, Natalya couldn’t deny the nerves that always plagued her during her first at-bat or first time in the outfield. She had just finished warming up and the she glances to her friends as they take the field first since it’s a home game. She watches Taylor throw one more practice pitch before the game begins. Taylor gets the ball back from the shortstop before turning to the batter that now waits for her.
The stands were all full and most of them with their fans. Nat's family alone took a whole row, and she smiled at the sight of her moms talking to Taylor's and Alyssa's dad. Her aunts sat beside you and then her uncle Pietro is between Steve and Bucky. They all scattered their arrivals. Her parents arrived first together while Nat and Yelena carpooled with Steve and Bucky. Pietro was later than he'd said he'd be, but he was sliding into a seat beside you before the first pitch was thrown.
After a quick stop beside the bleachers to greet their families, Nat, Taylor, and Alyssa all had to get ready to start. Nat did her best to remind herself to focus today despite the excitement of the first game, and the promise of pizza afterwards. She assumed they'd win and maybe that's why her attention was so hard to win over today.
She doesn't truly realize that she's spaced out until she's hit in the face by a ball. She'd been waiting for Taylor to throw the first pitch, only to realize she had thrown two and this third one was now sailing toward her. Despite her distracted state she'd had her hands up already, so when she spots the ball out of the corner of her eye she can catch it. However it hits her cheek first before falling into her glove, and she curses in surprise as she looks down at the ball with a frown.
"Well that works."
Natalya mumbles under her breath before she throws the ball back to the player at second base who shoots her a concerned look that she's already waving off. She's fine. It just aches and burns. When Taylor gets the ball back, she calls a timeout much to Nat's embarrassment. When her friend waves her toward the infield she shakes her head, but Taylor doesn't accept this. She waves her over and mouths "come here" and Nat finally relents with a sigh. She studiously avoids looking toward the stands, but she already knows she has far too many eyes on her.
"What's up?"
Taylor shoots her a look before glancing at her reddened and patterned cheek. She frowns as she smacks Nat's shoulder with her glove, and shoots her a questioning look.
"Do you want to go ice that?"
As expected, Nat shakes her head and manages a smile that's not too mangled before shrugging. She'd rather not dwell on the fact that she got so distracted so quickly and get on with the game. Taylor gets this and resists looking to the stands as well as she nods and sends Nat back to her post.
"Alright, your funeral. If you can focus and get through the rest of the game without getting hurt, you can have some of my pizza."
Nat's face lights up and Taylor just laughs before turning back toward Alyssa who had to resist the urge to come over too. She knew Nat wouldn't want all of the attention, and she'd rather not have to stand up only to squat down again.
"Really?"
"Yes, get to it."
You cringe and you hear Wanda gasp as you both watch the ball head toward your daughter who you quickly realize wasn't paying attention. Instead of her just missing the ball and having to scoop it up off the ground, it meets her face with an audible smack.
"Oh shit."
You hear your brother-in-law mutter this under his breath and you just nod in agreement as Nat manages to hold onto the ball. Well that's something at least. You only have a moment to wonder if someone's going to address this before Taylor's calling a time out and waving Nat in from the outfield. Your stubborn daughter tries to resist, but Taylor is equally stubborn and you watch as Nat runs in to talk to the other brunette. They have a short conversation before Nat's smiling and heading back. You can see her face is red and looks a little splotchy, but you're mostly worried about her mouth. Specifically if she knocked any teeth loose.
"Of course, she's just going back."
You turn toward your exasperated wife with a small smile as you pat her hand with a sigh of your own. Wanda turns to you and you kiss her cheek before whispering something that makes her roll her eyes.
"So stubborn. She gets that from you, my love."
Instead of arguing uselessly, Wanda just squeezes your hand before leaning against you with a sigh. She's glad that you were able to get off of work early today. You hadn't been sure when your day started because a potential emergency had been called in and they couldn't be seen until the end of the day. You'd been willing to see them then or earlier, but they'd ended up making other arrangements leaving you free to leave right on time. You met Wanda at home and debated bringing your dogs but that was a lot of fur and higher maintenance than you wanted this to be. You figured your many family members and exuberant daughter would be enough to keep you busy.
"Are you thinking about your fur babies?"
You consider trying to lie, but as you watch your daughter's friend make a fairly difficult play look easy you just sigh. You're honestly a little worried about your boys. Rogue is having a lot of trouble walking on hardwood floors, and it takes him a little longer to get up in the mornings. Once he gets going he's better, but watching him slip and struggle to get his footing is hard. You feel bad for him, but he's still a happy, healthy dog otherwise so you just do what you can to help him. There are a lot of carpets and rugs around the house to help him out, but the moment he touches hardwood he slows down. You think about your other dog and how he's better at getting around since he's a little younger, but his hearing is spotty at times. You remember when he could hear you shift in bed upstairs, and he'd come up to try to wake you. Now you could sneak up on him and startle him despite calling out his name.
You forget about these concerns for now as you wait for the third out. Regardless Wanda knows where your mind went because you've already discussed your concerns with her. She knew how difficult it was for you to talk about your fur children aging, and bringing up the subject of them dying made you cry. Despite having Boone longer, you love both of them and hate to see them suffer. You'd already told Wanda that if Rogue gets worse or Boone starts to struggle similarly, you'll need to have this discussion again.
"You know me so well."
Wanda squeezes your hand, but any response she'd had is cut off by the crack of a bat against a ball, and you both look up at the sound. Wanda spots it first and once she realizes it's trajectory is past the infield you both sit up a little.
"Take 2."
You wait to see what happens, and you smile as Little Nat runs to get under it. You had never been particularly athletic when you were younger. You played softball at Nat's age too mostly for something to do, but otherwise neither you nor Wanda played any sports. When you realized that Nat had a talent for sports you didn't feel the need to make her play more than this one. She enjoyed being on a team and playing for the most part, but she never expressed interest in anything else.
Seeing her smile as she chases after the fly ball, you're grateful that she's found something that she enjoys. You're also grateful that when she catches it she doesn't fall on her face. Unfortunately this has happened before. When it's time to switch sides, you get a better look at Natalya's face to see how angry it is. You didn't even realize that Yelena had snuck off to the concession stand until she's placing a bag full of cold on your lap. You jump in surprise and turn to glare at your friend before you hear your wife's voice.
"Natalya!"
That tone coming from her mom makes her stop in her tracks and look around for the older Maximoff. She sees her mom holding something, and she hurries over to her with a smile.
"Food?!"
You and Little Nat's uncles laugh and Natasha rolls her eyes at the predictable question. Wanda just shakes her head before shaking the bag with a pointed look.
"No, ice."
Natalya frowns slightly but she takes it with a nod, and a thank you before darting away. You pat your friend on the back with a smile before sliding over to pull her up with a groan.
"Thanks, auntie Yelena.”
She nudges your shoulder, but when you nudge her back it starts to escalate to full-blown shoving. You grumble under your breath at the blonde who just responds in kind before you hear your wife speak up. She takes your arm to bring you back toward her side and away from Yelena before addressing you both. You’re the only one who looks chastised through, not that you’d expect any different.
“Kids, settle down. Natalya’s up soon.”
You nod obediently while Yelena just sighs dramatically before turning her attention to the field. Not so secretly, Yelena is super into these games and you’re often competing with her to see who can cheer loudest. When Yelena learned that Nat was going to be playing a sport she’d read up on it and bought everything she’d need to practice with her niece. You found it adorable but didn’t dare make fun of her out of fear that she’d stop. You loved seeing how much Nat loved spending time with her aunt, and you didn’t want to do anything to mess that up.
For this reason, you just smile widely as Yelena stands up in anticipation. Leading off is someone that she doesn’t recognize because she only really pays attention to Little Nat and her two friends. This girl is tall and she’s clearly first because she can get a hit and get on base. She sends the ball in between the left and centerfielders and the latter falls just short of catching it. It ends up being a double and Nat’s cheering along with her teammates as she steps up toward the plate. She smiles widely as she hears her family cheering behind her, and she resists the urge to turn around as she steps into the box and lays her bat across it.
“Let’s go, Natalya!!! Crush them!”
Yelena is practically shouting in your ear and you can’t shove her off of you because she has an arm wrapped around your neck. You’re about to ask her to let go because she’s leaning on you a lot, but as soon as Nat’s on base she turns to you with a sigh. She glances to the bleachers beside them that houses most of the away team’s family. She catches some of their gazes, but they turn away quickly so Yelena ignores them for now.
“So, I brought you something. A new strain to try.”
You turn to watch Yelena reach into her pocket and pull out a bag of marijuana. She pushes it into your hand and you mutter a curse under your breath. Despite being grateful, you quickly stuff it in your pocket so no one notices, but as usual your wife catches on quickly. You will have to remember that you have this on you so you don’t lose it because you’re very excited to try it. Your current prescription was okay, but you weren’t above trying new things. You wanted as much control over your symptoms as possible, and since Wanda was aware of this she didn’t give you too hard of a time. That said, your daughter’s game was not an ideal setting for a drug deal.
“Holy shit, Lena not right now. But thank you.”
“Really, Yelena?”
Yelena nods before watching the next person go to bat with a sigh. She reaches out blindly for Wanda who leans away from her with an unconvincing glare.
“It’ll help Y/n, don’t be mad.”
Wanda sighs in defeat before she focuses back on the game. Specifically, her daughter on first base. She’s bouncing impatiently ready to run, and Wanda wonders how the brunette has so much energy. She’s seen her run around the backyard chasing Yelena’s dog and Wanda’s convinced that she could go for hours before getting tired. She imagines that her daughter’s chasing one of her pets as she runs to second. Belatedly, Wanda realizes the ball was hit directly to her destination. Luckily the ball hits the base and bounces off toward the outfield, so Natalya gets there safely. She considers running to third but the outfielder snags it quickly leaving her stuck at second. When Taylor steps up to the plate, everyone but the pitcher and catcher take a step back. The brunette has a reputation of being a consistent hitter, and she often gets doubles, if not triples. She doesn’t disappoint and when the first pitch is a strike low on the outside, Taylor sends it to the fence.
Everyone's cheering and standing up as they watch the rest of the players on base run home. Natalya gets there in plenty of time and she gets out of the way but watches as Taylor rounds second and heads for third despite the outfielder having the ball.
“Run Taylor, run!”
She and everyone else watches as the ball’s thrown when Taylor’s only half way to third. She sees the other player ready for the catch, so she quickly gets down and tries to avoid the tag. She’s covered in dirt but her hand's on the bag before she feels someone smack her with their glove. Luckily the call is made quickly and she gets a time out so she can stand up and brush herself off. Her team and family are cheering for her, and she offers them a little smile and a nod of her helmeted head. Alyssa’s up next and she knows that the blonde will bring her home. She relaxes a little and waits for the wind up of the pitch to get ready to run. She’s a few feet off the bag when she sees Alyssa duck out of the way. Once she realizes the ball is behind the catcher she keeps running and hits home before the pitcher can run up to help with the tag.
“Nice!”
“Get us to 4 to 1? No pressure though.”
Alyssa shoots her a glare but Taylor just laughs before heading to the dugout. She’s covered in dirt and it’s only the first inning, but similar to how Nat’s always hurt, she always goes home covered in dirt stains. She shares some of them with Nat as she hugs the other brunette with a wide smile. She pulls away and is holding up some snacks that Taylor immediately grabs with a grateful look.
“Way to go! We’re one step closer to pizza!”
Taylor rolls her eyes but she can’t argue with what Nat’s saying. Instead she turns her attention to Alyssa who has only been thrown one strike out of 4 pitches. She briefly glances toward the bleachers with a frown. Despite being a lot better than this team, she hopes that the game has at least been entertaining.
Wanda is talking to her brother when you hear the first insult that the other team’s crowd throws. You hadn’t given the opposing team much thought, but hearing their variety of insults makes you wonder if it’s better not to. Your daughter and her friends run out of the dugout back onto the field when the woman speaks up. She’s dressed in a simple sundress, and she has heavy makeup on that’s noticeable even with her sunglasses. Her long red hair is clearly dyed  but you and Yelena are more concerned by her snide comment. You’re unaware that she’s loud enough to catch your brother-in-law’s attention until he responds almost immediately. Your brain is still trying to process what she said and how you could appropriately respond. Pietro beat you to it though.
“No wonder they’re doing so well. They’ve got a bunch of dykes on their team.”
Now your daughter has never explicitly told you anything related to her sexuality, and that’s fine with you and Wanda. You don’t care either way as long as she’s safe and kind to whoever she’s with, and they’re the same to her. The details are less important. You don't know how Taylor or Alyssa’s parents feel, but the looks on their faces is hint enough. They look as confused and pissed off as you feel.
“What did you just say?”
“Excuse me?”
You turn back to your wife when she speaks up. She looks furious and it only takes a few seconds for her to be standing up next to her brother who’s shooting the redhead a glare. She doesn’t seem fazed by it or the nearly half dozen set of eyes on her. She simply elaborates in a way that brings those she’s talking to into it, and specifically blames them.
“It makes sense after all. Dykes raise dykes.”
Pietro goes to get off the bleachers to most likely yell at this woman, but Wanda stills him with a hand on his chest and a stern look. She sizes up the other redhead with a scowl. She needs to be smart and not let her anger make her say something she’ll regret. She sees Taylor’s parents look equally mad but they seem to be waiting to see what she says. She’s not sure if she prefers this or not.
“Can you explain to me what you mean? I’m not sure I get how one relates to the other.”
You wince because you know where your wife is going with this. You aren’t sure if anyone else has caught on at this point, but you’re sure they’re suspicious since they know Wanda’s smart. Pietro is confused though while Nat and Yelena wait in silence to see how this plays out. Steve and Bucky were honestly the only ones paying attention to the game at this point.
When the woman speaks so matter of factly, Wanda has to resist the urge to smile at how well her trap worked. Wanda hates it when people are so blind and bigoted in general, but when that ignorance is directed toward anyone she loves she gets murderous.
“Simple. Growing up around those people makes them more susceptible to falling into similar unsavory ways.”
Nat has to grab her sister’s arm because she’s trying to jump off the bleachers to do who knows what. Steve’s picked up on the conversation at this point and he’s frowning as he turns away from watching Alyssa gets walked. You’re still tense with anticipation as Wanda moves from her seat and steps off the bleachers so she can speak without shouting.
“First of all, Natalya has grown up around many different people.”
She gestures to the annoyed people sitting behind her.
“Most of those people are her family, and yes one is my wife, but the idea of my daughter being influenced by anyone is laughable. She’s her own person, and no one is going to change that.”
She could say more but she holds back because cheering catches her attention. She turns toward the field to see that she’s missed Alyssa getting home, but another batter is tagged out in a double play leaving them with 2 outs. Wanda doesn’t hear a response or at least one worth taking note of, so she heads for the fence behind the batter’s box to watch for a while. She needs a moment to calm down, and she steals a glance at her daughter in the dugout. She’s a little surprised to see her already looking at her, and she offers a smile at her concerned look. She’s always so attuned to her parents feelings so she shakes her head so as not to worry her as she finishes up her game.
“Hey, that was badass.”
Wanda turns at the sound of her brother’s voice and at the same time she notices that you’re talking to Taylor’s parents with a small smile. She’s sure you’re making jokes or trying to make light of the situation, but she knows you’re not saying anything against what she’d done. You feel the exact same way about things as Wanda. You might be slightly more curious, but you would never ask outright. Wanda sighs before she shakes her head and looks back to the field.
“It’s just going to keep happening. Piet.”
Pietro frowns at the thought and the fact that he’s certain that his sister is correct. He’s honestly a little surprised that this is the first time that he knew of, or at least witnessed. Given how open Natalya was to her friends about everything, he doubted that his niece would hide the fact that she had two moms. In fact, he’s certain that she would defend them in any situation like this.
“I know, but all of us will do exactly what you just did. Natalya too. She would probably be less diplomatic about it though.”
Wanda laughs at this despite the fact that she doesn’t want her daughter cursing out anyone. She doesn’t need to get in trouble. She glances back toward the dugout to see that Natalya’s standing up and smiling as she cheers on her friends. She’s so proud of the younger Maximoff that she could cry just thinking about it too much. Her daughter’s become an intelligent, kind person who’s capable of taking care of herself. Wanda couldn’t be prouder.
“I know she will. I just hate that she has to deal with it.”
You shift so you’re turned toward Taylor's parents, and you prop your elbows on your knees with a sigh. You know that they’re still irritated at the redhead who’s looking at them as she whispers to the people beside her. You do your best to ignore it as you smile slightly.
“I’ve always disliked sore losers. Despite occasionally being one myself.”
Leah, Taylor’s brunette mom, laughs quietly as her wife relaxes slightly at your words. You know she’s the one who’s more prone to take offense at these types of things, and you don’t blame her. However, you don’t want the mood to be too ruined. It was the girls' first game of the season and they were winning so far and probably would in the end. You want to enjoy that. You want all of the parents present to enjoy that.
“I’m sure you’re much more gracious when you lose.”
You can’t help but laugh at this as you turn your attention to the blonde. She’s squeezing her wife’s hand in a way that reminds you to check on Wanda briefly before offering the couple a response. Wanda’s talking to her brother in hushed tones, and you can tell that they’re not speaking English based on how their lips are moving. You decide that Pietro has her covered for now and you focus on everyone else.
“I’m afraid Wanda would tell you differently if you asked.”
It’s not until the last inning where Nat’s team is up by 8 that you hear another insult worth noting. Taylor’s pitching and she just needs to hold them for another out before they win. She’s thrown two balls so far and she’s a little stressed because she can feel herself fading. She’d had a slightly violent tag at home, and despite getting the out the runner had slammed into her side in a spiteful yet somehow not ejection worthy play. Taylor had ended up on the ground and now being a little sore had become a lot sore as she continued to pitch. She threw another ball and she had to stop herself from cursing audibly as it hit the dirt.
“Shit!”
Taylor turns her back to the batter and tries to take a deep breath. She’s getting frustrated and whenever that happens she gets even worse at pitching. She looks out toward the outfield where she sees Nat looking at her with a small frown. When she sees she has the other brunette’s attention she gives her a wide smile and a thumbs up.
“Quit flirting and get on with it!”
Taylor tenses in surprise and anger at the words and she’s spinning around before she can stop herself. She looks to the stands opposite of her parents to try and figure out who spoke but she can’t figure out who it is. She decides to just throw the last pitch and get someone on first. She’s confident that if she tries to steal second Alyssa can catch her.
Wanda stiffens at the familiar voice and Taylor’s parents turn to glare at the redhead who they’d hoped had shut up. She ignores their looks and watches with another smile as Taylor throws the fourth pitch that’s a ball with a grimace. She curses again as she watches the girl walk to first and she turns back to Alyssa to catch the throw. The blonde hesitates as she shoots her friend a worried look that she just shakes her head at. She squeezes the ball tightly in her hand as she looks to her coach for guidance. She’s told to just do whatever which she loves and hates at the moment.
She tunes out the cheering from her friends on the field and her parents as she twists the ball in her hand. She can do this. One more out and she’s done. Then she gets pizza. This thought makes her smile slightly and she takes a deep breath as she winds up and throws a pitch right over the plate.
“Strike one!”
Taylor’s smile widens as she sees Alyssa smile before she turns to make sure the runner on base isn’t trying to steal. She watches her out of the corner of her eye as she catches the ball with a sigh. She glances at her coach and gets the same signal before winding up again. She feels her side spasm right before she releases the ball and she grimaces as she nearly doubles over.
She doesn’t throw a strike but the batter was anxious and she swings and makes contact sending the ball between first and second. She should have tried to get it but she can still feel her side throbbing so she just stands in the circle following the ball with her eyes. She watches it reach the outfield and she sighs in defeat when the first runner rounds second.
“Go three!”
Taylor breathes a sigh of relief as the ball is thrown to second and then third just in time for the lead runner to be tagged out. Once the game is called, she doubles over and rests her hands on her knees with a loud groan. She’s definitely getting a lot of pizza for this.
“How are you feeling, honey?”
Taylor offers a pained smile as she finishes chewing her victory pizza with her friends and all of their parents. They’d decided to go to the closest place and gotten the largest table to fit all 14 of them before ordering 5 pizzas. They were all glad the game was over for different reasons, but Taylor was probably the most relieved. Immediately after she’d come to the dugout her coach had been waiting with a bag of ice and Alyssa had promised to have her mom take a look at her side. She’d met them at the pizza place after her shift ended and she’d looked at Natalya and Taylor before they all sat down to eat. Other than being sore, she figured that the duo would be alright. They were young and resilient and she had no doubt that they would bounce back quickly.
“Tired, but good. I’m glad it’s over!”
Nat and Alyssa nod in agreement as they continue to eat their own pizza. Nat was sitting between her parents and Alyssa was next to her mom and Taylor who was leaning on her a little bit.
“Same! I was getting tired and angry.”
You’re surprised by this and you turn to your daughter to ask why she felt this way, but Alyssa beats you to it. You hadn’t realized that Nat could hear all of the insults that had been thrown out by the very sore losers.
“Me too. I forgot how annoying hecklers could be. And uncreative.”
Everyone nods in agreement as their minds go to one incident or another before Wanda decides to change the subject. She doesn’t want to dwell on the annoying woman who she hopefully wouldn’t see again. She takes out her phone and opens her dog cam app before handing it to her daughter. She knows that Nat loves to see what the dogs are up to and since she’d been about to check anyway she figures she’ll let Nat do it.
“Natalya, do you want to check on them?”
Nat immediately knows what her moms talking about, and so do her friends but most everyone else is confused. You understand of course and you smile before watching the brunette excitedly grab Wanda’s phone and quickly look to the screen.
“Yes! How are you doggos?”
Pietro just laughs before he smirks at his sister who’s about to take another bite of her pizza. Conversation continues as he eyes his niece curiously before speaking up.
“Are you sure you should give her free reign of your phone? Don’t you have nudes on there?”
Both you and Wanda shoot the older Maximoff an annoyed glare and Wanda considers slapping him. Instead, she’s surprised to hear her daughter speak up in only slightly choppy Sokovian.
“Ew, that’s gross Uncle Piet. I didn’t need to hear that.”
Wanda shoots her brother a smug look when he struggles to find a response for a few seconds. Although they’re not sure what is being said, Taylor speaks up with a curious look. She mutters mostly under her breath but everyone hears her.
“Do we even want to know?”
Taylor's well aware that despite loving him, Nat’s uncle can be trouble.  He mostly liked to bicker with his sister, but he also made sure to be a good and embarrassing uncle when at all possible. Natalya shakes her head as she continues to look through the many cameras in their house for her dogs. Fletcher was unsurprisingly just lounging on the couch.
“Definitely not. He’s being gross.”
You’re still smiling as your mind wanders to what could be on your wife’s phone. You don’t get very far because Wanda’s hand falls to your leg and she squeezes it as she mutters something that you only nod at.
“Get your mind out of the gutter.”
No promises. You smile and Wanda rolls her eyes while Nat shakes her head with a sigh. She’s spotted Boone who’s walking out of her parents’ room, and then Rogue who’s waiting on his bed downstairs for you all to come home. She shows the phone to her friends, and despite being less interested than her they still smile at the sight of Nat’s pets.
“Now mom’s being gross, but look at the good boys!”
Dinner ends and the trip home seems quick and Nat nearly falls asleep twice in the car. Once they arrive, she nearly runs out of the car to greet her dogs. You go to the backseat to grab her forgotten bag before reaching out for your wife’s arm with a smile.
“How is she still running around?”
Wanda just shakes her head as she follows you inside to find Nat greeting your dogs excitedly. After a round of scratches, both shepherds run toward you in greeting and you smile as you hold out your hand to them. Boone gets there faster as expected, but Rogue still makes good time as he runs into Wanda’s legs. Your wife laughs as she releases your arm and scratches her dog behind his ears.
“Hi good boy. We missed you.”
Both dogs bark in agreement and you decide then and there to take them to the next game. Maybe they’d scare away any hecklers. The dogs follow you around as you complete your nightly routines. Nat sits at her spot in the dining room with her book spread out over the table as she starts on her homework with a yawn. She’s always especially tired after a game, and she struggles to finish up as a couple hours go by and she's constantly yawning or distracted by Boone at her feet or Fletcher jumping on the table.
“How’s it going, Little Nat?”
You’d just finished up answering some emails for work, and after finally remembering to put up your pot, you decide to check on your daughter. Wanda’s cleaning up a mess Fletcher made, but you’re sure she’ll come downstairs soon to start busying herself in the kitchen. She usually makes Natalya’s lunch the night before and if she’s finished with homework, she’d help out. Since she’s finishing up work, Wanda might get started without her but cooking with her mom is one of her favorite activities. She loves spending time with her parents in any capacity, but if it involves food, dogs or movies she’s usually the most excited.
Nat looks up with a sigh before shaking her head and telling her mom the truth. She’s distracted as usual, but for the first time in a while it’s by something specific. She wonders if she should even bring it up given how quickly her other mom had changed the subject at dinner. Maybe she just hadn’t wanted to talk about it in front of other people. Or maybe she didn’t want to talk about it at all. That’s why she’s bringing it up to her vet mom first.
“Slow. I keep thinking about that mom at the game today.”
You had not been expecting this and you’re sure it shows as you frown and sit down across from your daughter with a curious look. You would like to see where Nat’s going with this.
“What about her?”
You’re not dense. You’re sure that your daughter’s thinking about her homophobic comments that she’d shared as the game went on. That said, you can’t say for certain what it is that’s specifically bothering her. Nat’s surprised you plenty of times in the past, and she really was a great reminder that assuming things was just a way to make a fool of yourself. You watch as scowls at the thought of what she’d heard and then been told by her friends earlier today.
She had faced very little backlash over having two moms. Maybe because she kept to herself mostly and no one paid that much attention to her. Or maybe she’d hoped that even young teens wouldn’t be so petty and close minded. The truth that she still didn’t know was that Taylor had played a large part in why no one bothered her. People made the mistake of coming after her first and unsurprisingly she fought back and warded them off from doing the same to her friend.
Nat finally looks over your shoulder as if checking to see of you’re alone before she finally admits what’s on her mind.
“I was just afraid that everyone would be like her, but I guess I wouldn’t know. I don’t remember people bothering you and mama when I was younger.”
You try not to react too much at what Nat says because this is a sensitive subject that you don’t want to mess up. You remember when Natalya was first born and Wanda was still very well-known despite being retired. No one dared to come after them or even look at them wrong after that first year with Nat. Whether this was Strucker’s doing or simply another example of your wife’s far-reaching influence you could only say that you were grateful. 
Occasionally when Nat was 2 or 3, and you and Wanda would venture out together, you’d get stared at some, but that only lasted so long. Steve and Bucky hung out around you three at first because Wanda didn’t want to risk anything happening, but fairly quickly she realized that no one seemed to care about her anymore. It was a strange feeling because Wanda had spent so much time being at the forefront of her business, and as a very public figure she always turned heads and warranted people’s attention and respect.
One day after work, you’d come home to find her in the bedroom with a napping Natalya. You’d been concerned when you realized she was crying, and you’d immediately dropped down beside her and tried to figure out what was wrong. You’d been a little thrown off when she’d told you that she felt invisible. You automatically wracked your brain for what you could have done to cause her to feel this way. When you’d asked, she’d simply shook her head and told you what she meant.
No one pays attention to me anymore when I go out. It’s like they’ve forgotten who I was.
The smile after Wanda had said this clued you in to the fact that your wife was actually happy instead of upset. She’d never thought that she’d be able to walk through life without being noticed, without being a target, but she was and she was thrilled.
Your mind wanders back to the present moment and you shake your head as you shoot your daughter a smile.
“We didn’t really have this problem when we first met. This is the first time in a while for sure. I can assure you that even though there will be more people like her, she’s not the majority, Natalya.”
Nat nods absentmindedly. She believes you but she also wonders how you dealt with something like this. She needs a little advice now that she’s committed to try to get Stacy to leave her the hell alone. She wants to know how her mom would handle this. That said, she didn’t ask this immediately because she’s side tracked by the idea of her parents first meeting. She smiles slightly before tilting her head in a way that reminds you of your wife.
“How did you and Mama first meet?”
You chuckle under your breath as you shoot Natalya a curious look. You reach out your free hand to pet Boone who’s come to sit beside you before tilting your head in response. You don’t notice that Wanda’s finished up cleaning and she’s on her way downstairs when you respond.
“You’ve heard this story many times, Nat.”
The brunette nods in agreement because she certainly has, but she never gets tired of hearing it. She can’t help but adore how her parents just happened to be in the same place at the same time. She also loved how the story changed a little bit each time, and depending on who told it.
“I know, but I wanted to hear it again.”
Wanda sneaks downstairs as you tell Nat about how you two met decades ago. Both of you still thank whatever higher power brought you two together. Wanda occasionally wonders what would have happened if she had given up trying to find you. Would she be married? Or more likely would she be working still? She’s honestly not sure that she’d still be alive, but she pushes this thought aside as she quietly comes up behind you while you’re speaking.
“I still think that she skulked around until she saw me again.”
Despite the truth of your words, Wanda still rolls her eyes in exasperation as she sets her hands on your shoulders with a sigh. She’s smiling when you turn around to face her, and a hand covers hers before you pull her down to sit beside you.
“I did not. I just happened to be in the area.”
You scoff at the ridiculousness of this statement. Something that Natalya may never truly understand. You shake your head before squeezing your wife’s hand with a knowing look.
“Sure, Wands.”
Nat just smiles at her parents’ interaction before she debates telling them what she’d really like to know. She’s felt like she had it handled, but since getting burnt she realizes that maybe she’s just become complacent. She glances down to her hand that was mostly healed at this point with a frown. It only bothered her because it was itchy but she knew better than to scratch at the newly forming skin. Nat mutters something under her breath that her parents don’t hear, and she’s not brave enough to say it again.
“I want to be happy like you two.”
Wanda looks up at the sound, but she can’t make out what her daughter said. You’d been lost in the memory of meeting a beautiful, mysterious brunette, so you’d missed it completely.
“What was that?”
Nat quickly shakes her head before she wipes the tears she didn’t realize were welling up in her eyes. She’s happy for her parents. She feels so grateful to have two moms who love each other and her so much. Even when they’re scarring her when she walks in on them making out or she overhears them talking about nudes. She sighs as her mom walks around the table to pull her into a hug. She sinks into the redhead’s side before hugging her tightly.
“I’m glad you two found each other.”
Masterlist
56 notes · View notes
linktoo-doodles · 10 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
I feel loved
Tumblr media
Happy Birthday, Ritsu.
3K notes · View notes
dittobooty · 1 year
Text
I made Mob Psycho 100 motivational posters based on all the important lessons I took away from the series using official art
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
They're free for anyone to use I hope they help people feel good and motivated
3K notes · View notes
pierogish · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
hey babe 1000th rain wawa content dropped
3K notes · View notes
rassebers · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
Pull yourself TOGETHER man
3K notes · View notes
mp100days · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
068 - words of encouragement
4K notes · View notes
eshithepetty · 1 year
Text
I feel like not enough people talk about how desensitized Mob is to horror. As in, there's literally an omake where he watches all through a horror movie with a straight face, only flinching because of the sounds, and also, his percentage never ticks up just because of a spirit, even if it's an objectively terrifying one. I mean, it's obviously because he grew up alongside spirits and so they are a perfectly normal part of his life, but like.. that's so fun i think?? And it has a lot of comedic potential methinks.
Like, imagine his school friends inviting him along to a horror movie night, expecting the seemingly timid and naive boy to get scared shitless, but instead they're the ones who end up clinging to each other, hiding behind their hands and crying, all the while mob is nonchalantly watching, and lowkey falling asleep even - and they're all just "???? How??? Are you so fucking calm??!?" And Mob just shrugs and points to a being missing a jaw in the corner of the screen and says "i like that one. It looks cute". They all stare at him like he's insane;
Or him helping Ritsu when he realizes the younger has been struggling with getting used to spirits now that he's an esper - seeing shadows in the corners of his vision, knowing there's things watching him as he goes about his day, decapitated bodies and strange creatures roaming the streets - and tries to help him see that they're not always harmful, and teach how to get them to go away if need be, and reassures him that they can't get in their house due to Mob's aura, so he's still safe there - which is to say, at least, now Ritsu knows for sure that there are no spirits in his room, still traumatized from a comment or two Mob made when they were kids and never bothered to elaborate on, lmao. Mob apologizes for not clarifying that they were long gone, it just never occured to him that that would probably be scary to any other normal kid;
Or imagine him entering the s&s office one day, and Reigen greets him as usual, until he looks up from his computer and there is a fucking eldritch abomination of some sort of misshapen child hanging off of Mob's shoulders, and, as one might expect, he Freaks, and Mob is just like "Shishou, stop screaming. This is Lily. I promised to help her with her homework so she can pass on on her own". Etc...
Like, it's just really funny to me. Let Mob be a bit strange and off putting, he deserves it <3
1K notes · View notes
russenoire · 1 year
Text
that scene in season 1 where teruki hanazawa exorcises ekubo mid-sentence... and shigeo's eyes widen in shock?
i really want to talk about it, specifically the explosion meter accompanying it.
normally, when the teenager's emotions aren't obvious to the audience, that meter relays to us a sense of what he is actually feeling. but we cannot trust the meter here. we see it jump up a few points at teru's 'psycho wave' sending the sleazy ghost to the shadow realms, and remain steady at 50% upon shigeo's recollections of the spirit's unsavory nature. the boy outright tells teru that he isn't bothered. and it's funny!
but shigeo isn't being honest with himself here either.
his face briefly gives his feelings away before resettling into its normal flat affect. (to be fair, what he's really feeling isn't teru's business. this kid is trying to provoke a fight out of him, after all.) after he's basically tortured into exploding, shigeo spends three hours in the pouring rain, searching everywhere for ekubo.
three. hours.
these are not the actions of someone who isn't bothered. letting himself get drenched to the point of sickness,
Tumblr media Tumblr media
even though he literally holds the power to shield himself from it,
Tumblr media
reads to me like unconscious self-punishment for allowing all this to happen.
after a large chunk of his short life spent denying and fearing them for good reason, shigeo's first impulse is often not to use his psychic powers -- even after his integration at the story's end. i wish this was discussed more, because many watchers cannot fathom why this boy with world-breaking psychic abilities would ever refuse to use them.
also: the explosion meter lying to us / representing shigeo's detachment from his own emotions alexithymia may occur elsewhere in the series as well, especially when he's not close to an explosion; i'm reminded of the tiny dent ritsu's provocation of him makes in it a few episodes later.
722 notes · View notes
tungle-squentacles · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media
[real canonical events that occured within the mob psycho 100 universe]
apparently these idiots' haircuts elicit extreme negative emotional reactions within the fanbase (myself included)
1K notes · View notes
shouritsoos · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Ritsu the resident 3ds hacker
Tumblr media
595 notes · View notes
acekindaneat · 10 months
Text
Tumblr media
some wawa art from twt :]
200 notes · View notes
dailyterumob · 1 year
Note
pride terumob <3
Tumblr media
sillies at pride 😋
443 notes · View notes
mob-choir · 1 year
Text
i’m having so many emotions about teru
that was such a fast-paced, high-stakes situation, and he was thrown so many curveballs he barely had any time to cope with, and he still managed to adjust at impressive speed and never lost his faith in mob.
specifically: that moment right before ???% grabs him by the throat, when he’s kneeling on the ground trying to catch his breath. in that split moment, that’s when the realisation dawns, that this version of mob has no qualms in hurting him even with his bare hands. mob being non-violent to the point of letting himself get choked to unconsciousness was literally how they met, it’s one of the foundations at his core, and teru was well aware of it. having that knowledge suddenly be proven wrong, and all that means for his own safety, must have been a lot to take in. i can’t quite tell if it’s fear that we see on his face for a second, but if it is, that really adds to the element of horror - that sudden realisation that you’re in so much more danger than you thought and your initial plan is not going to be enough.
and then of course: when ???% lets loose his power despite so many people still being around and unable to evacuate. the horror on teru’s face, man. i don’t think it’d really clicked for him what mob being in this state actually meant until then. sure, him attacking teru was unlike him, but teru’s still an esper. he’s in great danger but he can somewhat defend himself. but civilians are different, and you can really tell teru did NOT think mob would put them in danger like that. he’s completely shell-shocked. i think that was another huge moment where he had to very quickly reassess the situation and what to do about it, all while coping with the emotional side of it all, since this is one of his closest friends and someone he really admires. he has to very quickly reckon with the fact that despite the pedestal he put him on, mob is just as human as he is and is capable of making mistakes just like everybody else, mistakes that don't detract from his worth.
which brings me to the point of it all. that DESPITE ALL THAT, teru was still able to 1) understand that mob desperately wants someone to stop him and would never want to harm anyone like this (bc he remembered that mob cried after realising what he’d done to his school....... where he’d only really harmed one person, who had done much worse to him..... if he cried after that, how will he feel when he finds out what he’s causing now?), 2) save all the people caught up in the devastation and get them all out of harm’s way, while being in a lot of pain (his EYES were BLEEDING), and 3) never once lose faith in mob. he saw him go on a (unintentional and unwilling, but teru doesn’t know that) rampage, doing things he would never in a million years think mob would ever do, and still took all of that in in record time considering the situation, and came out on the other side still whole-heartedly believing in shigeo and his goodness, and almost dying trying to stop him. because he knew that being the reason hundreds of innocent people got injured (or worse) would completely and utterly break mob.
and while, knowing teru, he might think he failed since he couldn’t achieve his goal (stopping mob’s rampage), what he succeeded in doing was ultimately just as important. he saved all the people he could, and gave his best for the one person he couldn’t.
537 notes · View notes
ptihihi · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
I think I finally getting back to life
But while I was gone I get obsessed with some silly fandoms, so forgive me pls for posting not what you wanted to see
Though that doesn’t mean I’m not planning on drawing the others fandoms anymore…
1K notes · View notes
fuyuu-suru-uzuki · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
「フザケルナッ…」 'do. not. test me.'
TFW you play-ambush your friend from behind... and he just happens to be in an extremely foul mood...
(this scene is from a story in my post-canon AU, still life with breakfast. you can read it here.)
77 notes · View notes
enbetweeen · 2 years
Text
Tumblr media
@mobtober2022 day 8 - aliens/telepathy! Tome was having a conversation in her own head…wonder what it was lmao
414 notes · View notes