Good morning SPN Family! How are you today?
During lockdown, I watched A LOT of Marvel, and this story was born out of that (of course I watched a lot of SPN as well, but that goes without saying ;) ). Also out of my insane need for all things fluffy right now. Don't worry, I'll get back to the gore eventually. My twisted brain is working on it...
Thank you for all the reads, follows, favorites, and especially the reviews- you all are wonderful and really know how to make a girl feel loved. Thank you from the bottom of my Supernatural heart. To all my guest reviews that I cannot reply directly to- thank you! Please know I read and appreciate every single one. I had one guest review that asked for the hardware story I've mentioned- I'm currently working on it, so it's definitely in the coming-soon queue. Thank you for your patience. Special thanks to the amazing, incomparable, talented, fantastic, bad-ass Jenmm31. You're kicking it in the ass, Sammy. The boys would be proud.
A/N- SPOILERS for Avengers Infinity War and Avengers Endgame (not a sentence I ever thought I'd have to write, but hey, the muse does what the muse wants). In this story, Natalie is sixteen. Please see profile page for disclaimers.
Natalie's footsteps echoed around the bunker as she made her way towards the weapons room. She was looking for Dean and was pretty sure he was in there. Sam would have been okay to find too, but he was out for the weekend on 'personal time'- or so he said. As far as Natalie could guess, that meant that Sam was dating someone on the down low and didn't want to tell her. No matter how many times she asked, pressured, begged, pleaded, and tried to manipulate an answer out of him, Sam wouldn't give up any information. Dean would just get a shit-eating grin on his face, and Natalie took that to mean that HE knew what was up. As the only one out of the loop, it was driving her bat shit crazy. And she needed comfort food to soothe her abused soul.
Dean was starting in on the second wave of salt rounds when Natalie came into the room. "Hey," she said casually. "I'm going to take Fireflight into town, if that's cool with you." Dean just pinched his lips together and didn't answer her. Her brow wrinkled in anxiety at his silence. "Is…that not cool with you?" she asked carefully, her voice going up a bit. Why wasn't it okay if she went into town? He'd always been fine with it before. "Dad?" she asked again, her anxiety growing as Dean kept silent. Something had to be up with him. Like she needed one more thing to get antsy about.
Dean sighed heavily and put the salt funnel down, finally turning to look at his sixteen year old daughter. "Okay, what do I have to do to get you to change the name of your car?" he asked, in an overly world-weary voice. "Please tell me before it's publicly known that I've failed you as a father by allowing you to call it that."
Natalie rolled her eyes and laughed as her tension and fear over his mood dissipated. "Oh my god, not this again," she groaned theatrically as the grin spread across her face, relieved that he was just messing with her.
"No, seriously," Dean said, his stoic 'Dad' look holding strong despite the obvious teasing. "I spent two years rebuilding that car for you right under your nose. You didn't have a freaking clue it was coming until your birthday. Did all the repainting and detailing myself, by hand. She's a classic beauty, 100% muscle. And then you went and named it…" He twisted his face grotesquely. "…Fireflight."
"You named yours Baby! I don't wanna hear it. At least mine's original."
"Did you pick such a chick-flick name as an act of teenage rebellion? Are you trying to tell me that you need help? Do you need an intervention? Are you on the drugs?"
"Look, she's candy apple red- which I love, I don't know how many times I have to tell you that- so she reminds me of a fire. Like a gorgeous fire, a passionate burning flame. And she's the smoothest ride ever. The engine is like new, you did such an amazing job on it. She practically flies over the road. Hence, Fireflight."
"Okay, it's clear that you've been coached to say this and someone is watching you. Just blink twice if you need help. You're obviously a teen in crisis. This is a safe space."
"You're the worst."
"Don't I know it. So what do you want to go into town for? More passionate fires to put out?"
"No. I'm craving fried chicken for dinner but I am in no mood to cook, so I was gonna get take out. I'll make sure to get the big bucket with extra biscuits, AND apple pie."
"Then go with my blessing, young one," he said, grinning as he turned back to his work. "And get the big mashed potatoes, too!" he threw over his shoulder.
*SPN SPN SPN*
About half an hour later, Natalie returned with two large plastic bags stuffed with southern fried goodness. She set them down in the kitchen, but made her way back to the weaponry room. "How are the salt rounds coming?" she asked as she entered, seeing Dean still hard at work. "Geez, what's taking you so long?" she teased, despite the huge pile of completed rounds in front of him.
Dean fixed her with the playful version of The Eye. "Just for that, you get to do the next thousand."
"I mean, I know getting old is a bitch, so I completely understand if your hand eye coordination is off. Or if you're just slower than you used to be in the good ol' days."
"You know that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, right?"
"Says the guy who not half an hour ago told me to blink twice if I needed help because he doesn't like the name of my car."
"That offer still stands, by the way."
"These are all great life lessons to be teaching a sixteen year old. I want you to know that."
"Well, thank you. I think so, too. I'll be expecting a present as thanks for how awesome I'm making you."
"I'm keeping you fed this weekend, aren't I?"
"I've kept you fed for sixteen years. It's your turn."
"So are you saying that you ARE getting old and have to have your child to support you in this time of need? How are you doing with solid foods? Should I break out the blender?"
"Only if you're making margaritas, smart ass. And you keep going on about how old I am, I'll show you that I can still kick that smart ass seven ways to Sunday."
"Fine. Playground. Three o'clock."
"You're on."
"So before you go full ape on me, you wanna eat?"
"Does a bear shit in the woods?"
"I was thinking that we could have a movie night, since Uncle Sam's out wherever he is and won't bitch about us eating in front of the TV." She let that sit for a moment, hoping Dean would cave and give her some tidbit of info.
"Sounds good to me," Dean said, pushing away from the table. "How about a western?"
Not to be deterred, Natalie made a face at him. "Oh, c'mon," she wheedled. "Tell me where Uncle Sam is!" she begged, throwing all caution to the wind.
"Not gonna happen."
"That is completely unfair to keep me out of the loop."
"Okay, fine. You wanna know something about your Uncle Sam that you don't already know?"
"Yes!"
"He chafes really easily."
"DAD!"
"Hey, you asked for it. So, western?"
"Nope, no way," Natalie said, turning on her heel and leading the way out of the room. "You know the rule. I got dinner, I get to pick the movie."
"That only applies when you cook."
"Then how do you justify all the times you've picked up take-out when we're on a case and say you get unilateral control over the television then?"
"That's different."
"No, it's not. You just don't wanna watch another Marvel movie with me."
"Aw, c'mon kid," Dean groaned as Natalie hit the nail on the head. "Not another one of those things."
"Maybe if you tell me where Uncle Sam is, then I could be persuaded to watch a western."
"No dice. Guess we're watching a stupid superhero movie."
"They are the BEST superhero movies ever, no matter what you say."
"Every Batman ever outranks them."
"Oh really? 'Batman and Robin'? Arguably the worst Batman movie ever made?"
"Schwarzenegger."
"Yeah, what about him?"
"He was in it. That makes it awesome."
"Yeah, he was in it. And he sucked donkey balls."
"You're grounded for eternity for defaming the Terminator like that."
"That's my point. Arnold is awesome as Terminator. Not so much as Mr. Freeze."
"That's it. Grounded for eternity PLUS one week."
"You can't honestly tell me you're still hanging your hat on DC after all of the amazing Marvel movies you've seen," Natalie said, grabbing the bags of food from the kitchen.
"First off, you forced me to watch those under duress," Dean said, pulling a beer for himself and a soft drink for her out of the fridge. "Second, Batman kicks everyone's ass and you know it. There's no contest," he finished with a triumphant smirk as he led the way to the Dean Cave.
"Okay, I seriously can't believe that you don't have the same affection for Iron Man that you have for Batman. You do realize he's essentially the same character?"
"You shut your dirty mouth, missy."
"Dad, c'mon. Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. Who am I talking about?"
"Bruce Wayne. Duh."
"It's literally how Tony Stark describes himself in the first Avengers movie. And he's not wrong. Guess we're going to have to watch it again so you can remember!"
"That was a trick question. You didn't say it right. Not my fault." Dean plopped himself down on the giant couch instead of his recliner. He loved sitting next to his daughter during movie nights, and so always chose the couch on the rare occasions they had one.
"Please. But seriously, what's not to love about Tony? He's sarcastic, he's a genius, he's always right, and he has impeccable taste in cars." Natalie wiggled her eyebrows at Dean as she placed the bags down on the coffee table, willing him to see the obvious comparison- obvious to her, at least. Dean just rolled his eyes, not taking her bait in comparing himself to Iron Man.
"What about Spiderman? Isn't he your favorite? I thought you had the hots for him."
"First off, I am not discussing who I may or may not have the hots for with my father. Second, he's freaking AWESOME! He made all this genius tech with dumpster diving and a freaking high school chemistry lab."
"Are you kidding me? You could do it with half that, and you ain't been bitten by no radioactive bugs."
"Ha, little do you know."
"So you identify with Spiderman, that it? You feel 'bonded' with him?"
"That is such an overworked word."
"I'll take that as a yes."
Natalie ignored his last playful jab and started pulling up Marvel movies on the screen. She was going so fast that Dean couldn't keep up, but he didn't dare say it lest that set off another round of 'you're old' jokes. She settled on a particular title and sat back with a smile.
"Alright, let's watch Endgame. I don't think you've seen that one yet."
"How can you tell? All the freakin' posters look exactly alike."
"They do not."
"They do so."
"Not to the discerning eye."
"Oh, well excuse me, you and your discerning eye. Of course."
"Maybe it's just hard for you to see."
"Don't say it."
"You know. Because you're old."
"Don't blame me if Sam finds you duct taped to the ceiling when he gets back."
"Okay, you remember what happened in the last Avengers? In Infinity War?"
"That's the one where everyone turned to dust, right?"
"Yes! See, I knew you liked those movies."
"Kid, me remembering something does not indicate that I like it. I remember what a prostate exam is, but that don't mean I'm anxious for another one."
"First off, ew. Second off, you're WELCOME for me making you do that."
"You seriously expect a thank you? For THAT?"
"We're getting off topic. The important thing is that you remember what happened at the end of Infinity War, because this picks up right from there."
"I remember you crying during Infinity War when spider boy died."
"I did not cry."
"You cried like a baby."
"I did n-! Just for that, I'm eating all the pie," she retaliated, reaching for the goods. In response, Dean suddenly shot sideways, tackling her and smashing her into the couch with his entire body. She let out a sudden burst of laughter, like she used to when she was three and he was tickling her. Keeping her pinned down, he stretched his arm out and snatched two of the cinnamon apple pies out of the bag, only then letting her back up.
"My pie," he growled territorially. Natalie chuckled as she righted herself and shook her head. She picked up the remote and pressed play.
They slowly plowed their way through the fried feast as the movie progressed. Dean found 'fat Thor' particularly hilarious, and commented that the only pet Natalie could ever get was if she found a talking raccoon. Natalie just grinned smugly to herself, knowing that Dean was actually really enjoying the movie from his running commentary.
When Peter Parker made his reappearance in the final battle, Dean chuckled. "Ah. I see why you like this movie so much now," he teased, looking over at his daughter. "Your screen crush is back." He expected her to make some smart-ass comment, or at least to punch his arm. He was surprised when she just pinched her lips together oddly and scooted a little closer to him. He raised an eyebrow at her, but she didn't even turn her head. Confused, he turned his attention back to the screen.
A few minutes later, Dean watched in surprise as Tony made his own Infinity Gauntlet and snap his fingers. He never thought that Iron Man would be the one to make the sacrifice play. "Whoa," he murmured to himself as he took in the sight of Tony barely clinging to life after his snap. When Peter reached out to Tony, saying that they won, Dean suddenly felt a small hand wrap around his bicep. He looked over just in time to see Natalie put her head on his shoulder. He heard her sniff, just enough to make him suspicious.
"Are you crying?" he asked quietly.
"No. Shut up. I'm not crying. You're crying," she answered back instantly, wiping her nose on her flannel sleeve. The puzzle pieces fell into place for him. She identified with Spiderman, who had seen Iron Man as a father figure. And she identified Iron Man with…
In the world the Winchesters lived in, this was a future the two of them might have to face.
As the light left Tony's eyes, Dean subtly leaned over and pressed his cheek to the top of Natalie's head. He could feel her fighting for control, but she didn't say anything. At the funeral, her grip on his arm became so tight it almost hurt. Without saying anything, he gently wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his heart near to bursting when she snuggled up against his chest like she used to do when she was a baby. He swallowed the massive lump in his throat as they continued watching. He was secretly thrilled to hear her giggle softly with delight when Cap passed the shield onto the Falcon, relieved that she was happy again.
After the credits began to roll, Natalie suddenly sat upright, looking away as she quickly swiped her sleeve across her face again. "So," she said in a cheery voice, the twinkle returning to her eye. "You still wanna argue that Marvel is not the best? 'Cause we just sat through three hours of proving that you're wrong." The feels moment dissapated in the room, letting them both breath a little easier as they came back to normal.
Dean's grin twisted to the side as he tugged on his chin, pretending like he was thinking. Just when she started squirming, getting fed up with his lack of commentary, he spoke. "Tony Stark isn't a genius," he said brashly, looking her in the eye in a challenging way.
Natalie's eyes about fell out of her head as her jaw hit the floor. "What the hell?!" she roared at him, suddenly furious. He kept his look maddeningly stoic as he shrugged.
"Seriously. His exchange with his kid is 'I love you three thousand'? Any idiot knows that number should be much higher. Especially when his kid is so incredibly awesome. He's supposed to be this genius, and the highest he can go to is three thousand? C'mon. I'm not buying it." He made eye contact with his daughter, who was slowly smiling and blinking rapidly as she realized what he was actually saying. He grinned. "I mean, you know…for example…you'd probably be somewhere in the neighborhood of…I don't know…infinity. Telling me a genius can't count that high? Please. Lame."
Natalie turned her head away, not able to stop the stupid smile from stretching ear to ear. "Fair point," she said after a moment, turning back to him, his own shit-eating grin on her face. She began tossing the empty containers and used plastic ware into the bags in an attempt to clean up. "You know," she said after another minute. "It's actually a really clever little joke. Earlier Tony says I love you a ton to Morgan, and she responds with a number that's actually larger than a ton." Natalie shrugged, still not able to wipe the smile from her face.
"You seriously telling me that you'd rather have three thousand than infinity?" Dean said in a mocking, stern voice, blatantly aware that that was not at all what she was saying. "Geez, you need more math, kid. I'm going to tell Sam he needs to up your numbers homework when he gets back from wherever he is that I know about and am still not telling you." Natalie responded by winging the empty mashed potatoes container at his head, which he easily caught and chucked right back at her. She knocked it out of the way with ease and laughed. She stood up, gathering one plastic bag.
"Just for that, you can clean up the other half," she said, teasing him right back. Dean groaned theatrically and started shoving empties into the remaining sack. As she crossed behind the sofa, she suddenly stopped. He leaned back, twisting his head towards her to show her he was listening. "Hey infinity," she said, leaning forward and kissing the top of his head.
"I know infinity," he said back, smiling.
