20 months before Thanos
"Thanks, Hannah."
"Oh, no problem, dear."
Nadia untied her apron and hung it on a hook in the wall. With her leg in a boot, she had mostly cashier duty.
"Hi, Mrs. Coleman."
"Hello, sweetie. She's just fixing up."
On the other side of the counter stood none other than Peter Parker. Just like Tony had said, the teen had been doing this practically every day for the past three weeks- meeting her at the cafe at the end of her shift.
"All set?" He would ask her, and she would give an affirmative and he would make a motion for her small backpack, "I got it."
Nadia nodded in resignation. She'd given up trying to tell him she was perfectly capable of carrying her own bag since last week. She'd stumbled because her messenger bag had somehow swung, hit her crutch and almost made her trip up. She would have landed clumsily on her hands and knees, maybe even her face, if Peter hadn't made a grab for her arm.
The young woman had made the switch to a small backpack a few days ago when the same thing almost happened again. Even with the change, Peter didn't seem to want to take any chances and would continue offering his bag-carrying arm every few minutes if she didn't let him help her.
They'd walk a few blocks, Peter chatting about something that happened at school and asking her how her leg was that day, her giving a cursory "It's healing," before cutting into an alley. She'd open a portal, he'd hand her her bag, and he would make sure the magical gateway opened up to reveal Happy or Rhodey waiting at the living area of the Avengers facility.
Then a hand-off.
All her life, she'd learned to be independent. She'd only ever had her mother and grandmother to rely on and Outsider duties had her used to always watching out for someone else. The moments Peter or Tony did something for her were definitely sweet and heartwarming.
But that was just it. Those were moments.
Not this full on reversal.
Though it was kind of sweet and adorable the first week, by the time the second week came to a close…
Gosh…
She felt like a child having to be picked up from kindergarten. Or she assumed this is what it would feel like. Homeschool was all she knew. That and self-learning from libraries and sneaking into classes.
"You know you don't have to keep walking me from work." She told Peter, "Happy and Rhodey keep tabs on me and definitely report to Tony about me checking in at the facility."
Peter tugged at the straps of his backpack, "Well, yeah… maybe I don't need to, but I want to… to be sure you're okay."
Nadia huffed, "It's been almost three weeks of taking it easy. I am okay, Peter."
The teen sighed, "That's what you said before. You promised too."
Nadia chuckled, "Yeah. Alright, I get it." She shook her head and looked back at her companion, "Now do you understand how I feel when you hide things from me?"
"It sucks," he muttered in agreement.
"Really though," She ruffled his hair, "I promise I'm okay this time. And I promise I won't say 'I promise' unless I really mean it." The young woman gave a smile and even tapped at the boot on her leg. "The facility doctor said this'll be off soon and that I'm healing a little faster than they anticipated."
They cut into an empty alley and Peter checked to make sure no one was watching when Nadia was about to conjure a portal.
"Well then… I promise too." Peter said, voice filled with determination. "To mean it when I say it."
Rhodey waved from the other side.
"It's a deal, Spiderboy." She held out her pinky. The two locked fingers and shook. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you, Dia." Peter did a little wave while she stepped through the sparks. She threw one more smile and nod over her shoulder before the portal dissipated.
"Where's Peter?"
Need spoke up, "Sorry Mr. Harrington. He said he'll catch up-"
"Again?" Abe wondered.
"Every day. Like clockwork." Michelle muttered, shrugging.
"What's Penis Parker doing that's so important?" Flash scoffed.
"He's just making sure Nadia gets home after work. She fractured her leg and has to wear a boot for a few weeks." Ned explained simply.
"Wait, his babysitter?!" Flash gaped.
"She's not-"
Mr. Harrington clapped his hands together to catch the team's attention, "Alright, we're off topic here. Mister Parker will just have to join us when he gets back or just see me in the faculty. Moving to the next practice material…"
Michelle leaned in toward Ned and whispered, "I have to ask, not that boys and girls can't be just friends, but doesn't he have a thing for her?"
Ned shuffled in his seat, "Uhhh…"
17 months before Thanos
Peter huffed when he flopped on the lounge chair, tossing a bottle of water to the side.
Nadia caught it from where she lay on another chair a few feet away. "Thanks, Peter."
The two were on one of the roof gardens that topped different portions of the facility. This was the one closest to their assigned bedrooms.
It had been a few months, and spending weekends at the facility getting drilled with training or working with Tony became a regular thing.
"Who'd you spar with this time?" Nadia asked, taking a gulp of her water.
"Another batch of recruits." Peter paused, "Five of the senior ones. They got pretty close to getting me. Two of them were absolute ninjas." He declared, throwing his arms up.
Nadia laughed, "Glad that you enjoyed yourself. Gotta ask, what made them 'ninjas'?"
Peter launched into a bout of vigorous gesturing and reenacting the moves said recruits pulled on him, less description, more, "And he was like all hiya! And I had to jump, but then-"
The young woman smiled, amused by the teen's energy. His lively story was interrupted when a figure phased upward through the floor.
"Ah! Oh my God! Sorry, mister Vision!" Peter yelped when he almost kicked the android.
"It's alright." He nodded and turned his attention to Nadia.
"Hey, Vision. Is it time for another round in the ring?" The young woman stood and stretched.
"Not yet. Your father is looking for you in the lab." He informed.
"Is this about the suit he's been working on?"
Peter perked up and stared at Nadia, oblivious to the rest of the conversation as they started to walk to the doors. "Wait! Your dad?"
The teen was quite confused.
"Yeah," the young woman shrugged, " I wonder what he wants this time?"
Peter stumbled quickly forward so he could walk beside her through the corridors. Why was she acting so normal? "'This time'? What?" That meant her dad showed up often enough that there was a "this time."
Nadia tilted her head, "This is pretty standard, Spiderboy. What's up?" She wondered at his reaction, becoming a little confused herself. Tony always did things like this. He made time for his proteges, so this wasn't anything new.
"But-but... why've I never seen him? You've never mentioned your dad." Peter felt bewildered, rattled, and at the same time, somewhat nervous and excited too.
What did Nadia's dad look like?
Who was he?
Would he recognize him from somewhere?
What did he want?
Nadia had only ever mentioned her mom and grandmother when it came to her family. Sometimes her grandfather. Never her dad. Why was that?
He wasn't a supervillain was he? Something in him shuddered, remembering the moment he found out the Vulture's identity.
And why-
"Mr. Stark simply wants her to test out the suit he has been working on." Vision said simply.
Peter's frantic thoughts ground to an abrupt stop, "Wait. What?"
"What?" Nadia raised her brow, now concerned about Peter.
"Hey, Sabrina!" Tony grinned, standing beside a tall glass cylinder that contained what looked like a mannequin. The details were hidden behind tinted glass. "Hey there, kid. Wait. What's with the face?" He approached the two of his proteges, frowning slightly.
He stopped beside Nadia and raised a brow.
Peter blinked slowly, eyes switching from his mentor to his friend.
The times Mister Stark would act all worried or over the top for Nadia flashed through his head.
He didn't baby Nadia sometimes because he was just her protege…
Suddenly the similarity of the man and young woman's expressions hit him and his thoughts jump-started again.
"Mister Stark's your dad?" He managed to rasp out, air not properly filling his lungs.
Tony's brows furrowed even more and his frown deepened for a split second. Then he placed a hand on his chest, shock on his face, "You didn't tell the Spiderling? And I thought you tell each other everything." He tsked, before turning around and going to his lab table. "I think we should have pizza for lunch. I'm feeling meat lovers."
Nadia could sense it, even if Tony hid it well. The man was disappointed.
Now Nadia felt guilty, "Tony, I-"
The man raised a finger and pointed to the mannequin, "Take that for a spin while we wait for the food. I need to make a call."
How did she get into this situation? She huffed out a breath.
"Why didn't you say anything, Nadia?" Even Peter looked a bit hurt. They did tell each other everything. Why did she keep this from him?
"I wasn't hiding… it's not- It's just-" She groaned and sat heavily on a stool. She felt bad… it felt like she had let down two people she cared a lot about, even if she didn't really do anything. Yeah… she didn't tell, but…
"I've grown up my entire life without a father figure," she glanced at Peter.
"I… Well… How do I put this? When you lost your parents, and your uncle and aunt took you in," She squeezed the teen's arm when he seemed to withdraw at the mention of his lost family members. "Did you ever come to call them "mom" or "dad"?"
The teen shook his head.
Vision nodded slowly, "This would be… strange? Yes?"
"Yeah… Even if Tony's my actual biological dad, it's still a bit weird for me you know? I only got to know him a year ago and I'm 27." Nadia sighed.
"Which would make it even more difficult for you to accept," The android continued to analyze.
"That may be the case for some, but it's not that, Vision. I've known about Tony being my dad since I was a kid. He's great and everything. I just don't want him to feel like he's obligated to take responsibility for me. And…" Her eyebrows scrunched together, a thought coming to life in her head, "I guess it never occurred to me to tell anyone, because… Well, I guess as weird as it is having a dad, it felt natural enough not to need an announcement. It's just a simple truth for me, Peter. Tony's my dad." She said the last sentence a little breathlessly like she had a revelation.
She'd never really said it out loud before. "He's my dad." Her voice was soft but a bit stronger.
Peter smiled at her, his own hurt gone and realizing that he probably made Nadia feel a bit guilty. "Maybe you should tell Mister Stark that." He suggested, pushing her back gently. When the two looked at the man who was supposedly on his phone, they caught him looking back before he quickly turned to the ceiling to continue hashing out a request to FRIDAY.
"I-" Nadia hesitated.
Peter made a grab for her hand and took the first step, "Come on." He gave her an encouraging smile and tugged.
The young woman took a deep breath, nodding and letting the teen pull her to her dad.
A/N: The one-shots and flashbacks are much easier for me to write than actual Infinity war/ Endgame plot. Any suggestions? Thoughts? I'd love to hear from you. I need some fuel for my muse, because this story is not cooperating well with me.
'Til Next time~