A/N: What is up Quarantined people! I hope you are all staying well and practicing safe social distancing. Turns out that being stuck inside for a prolonged period of time has a tendency to promote creativity. This is a story that I've been toying with for a few weeks now and I decided to try it out on you guys. It's my first foray into writing for the Marvel universe, so please be aware that it will have rough edges. However, these two characters have kind of taken life of their own so the ooc that will be present is slightly intentional. There will be mentions of child abuse throughout the story and a few instances where things will get a bit dark. Suicide will also be discussed as well as a few other heavy topics.
Updates will, of course, be sporadic. Yes, I am stuck in isolation for the foreseeable future but we are also about to have our first child, so there's that. I'm trying to stay a chapter ahead though, so for now let's say - optimistically - once a week.
Hope you guys enjoy!
If one were to look at a list of the smallest towns in the continental United States, Marvel would be somewhere near the top of that list. If such things were listed with the smallest and most boring being considered the top and larger and slightly less boring being the bottom. For most teenagers moving to Marvel would spell absolute disaster. Most teenagers would require feats such as dragging them across the town line, threats of grounding, loss of privileges and phones if said teenager didn't comply, etc. Thankfully for her parents, Natasha Romanoff did not fall under the heading of "most teenagers."
While she certainly didn't mind living in a large city where everything she could want waited within walking distance of her home, she couldn't deny her love for the quiet simplicity of towns such as Marvel. With her father in the military, Natasha's home had been subject to constant changes. Settled down only during the long summers she spent with her mother in Marvel. As such, she'd come to view the small town as the only real home she'd ever known. It had been the one fixture, a single constant in her ever malleable life. An anchor in an ever raging storm if one wanted to get poetic about such things.
Yet now that anchor would become a far more permanent part of her life. Her father's decision to leave her with her mother held many logical reasons, she was certain. She just had trouble understanding many of those in this particular moment. Her mother hadn't exactly been a role model in...well anything for the entirety of Natasha's life. Yet now, Natasha would be stuck with her, permanently, for the foreseeable future. She wasn't entirely certain how to feel about that.
"Nat," her father's voice pulled her out of her morose thoughts. "We're almost there kid."
"I can see that," she sighed as she watched the Welcome to Marvel grow larger in the distance.
Her father must have picked up on her despairing mood because he gave her a gentle nudge with his elbow. "Come on kid, it's not going to be that bad." At Natasha's raised eyebrow he tried again. "You already have friends here. And she get Clint's beyond excited that you'll be going to school with him. I'm almost certain he's already planned out your entire social schedule for the next two years."
"Clint and the new school aren't the problems," Natasha said, unmoved by her father's attempts at lightening the mood.
He sighed in return. "I know kid. But… she's better these days."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"You know she is or I wouldn't be leaving you with her."
"I trust you, that's not the problem. But we've been through this before."
"This time is different," he father protested weakly.
"It's never different Dad. You know that's true."
Her father remained silent for several long moments waging an internal war with himself. His indecision battled his hope for something better, leaving furrows in his brow and lines across his face. Finally, it seemed, he came to a firm decision.
"No, this time really is different. You'll see, Nat. She's better than I can ever remember her being before. Reminds me of when we first got together. Plus I think she's seeing someone."
"Well that changes everything," Natasha scoffed.
"Watch yourself kid. And it does. Love can make a person the best version of themselves."
"Why didn't we help her change herself then?"
Unmistakable sadness flashed through her father's eyes. "With us… she's never been ready to let it change her. Now she is. For this new person...and for you. This is going to be good for both of you. I know it will be."
Natasha couldn't bring herself to further degrade his quiet confidence. She didn't agree with him, but she couldn't help but hold on to that same hope as well.
The quaint streets of Marvel passed by them as Natasha watched from the car window. A few familiar faces waved at them from the sidewalks and storefronts and one lively occupant shot a rather rude hand gesture as the car passed a crosswalk. At least some things remained the same no matter where you went.
They passed through the upscale neighborhood where the mayor and affluent denizens lived and then by the trailer park which bordered that neighborhood. The contrast between the two had always fascinated Natasha when she'd been younger. One of Clint's friends, Bruce Banner had lived in the trailer park while Clint lived in one of the smaller houses near the mayor. As kids, they'd ventured through both areas with a reckless abandon that could only be found in youth.
Where the wealthier area had manicured lawns and higher end toys, the trailer park had always been full of other kids ready to play any game their imaginations could supply. Clint and Natasha had spent many long summer days running between the two neighborhoods, gathering their friends and trading between expensive toys and imaginative fun.
From what Clint told her, most of those same kids still lived here. And many were excited to know she was coming to stay.
Another fifteen minutes of driving to the outskirts of town and they finally pulled into the rundown apartment complex her mother had lived in for the past 14 years of Natasha's life. True to form, her mother stood outside waiting for them, a large smile that seemed a little too excited plastered across her face.
And yet now that she thought about it her mother did seem happier, more content, than Natasha could ever remember. Her mother's ever youthful face held a glow to it these days. Her smile seemed a bit more genuine and her laughs a bit more natural. It was odd to realize that the past summer hadn't been quite as miserable as they normally were. In the two months that Natasha had been gone, she'd begun to think that maybe this time her father could be right. That small spark of hope hadn't fully convinced her nor had it fully pulled her from her more firm beliefs.
But staring at her now, Natasha felt that hopegrow. Her mother, a petite dark haired woman who'd been born in Hong Kong and raised in Queens, wore bright clothing for the first time in years. Her smile showed off teeth that hadn't previously been so white and, if Natasha wasn't mistaken, the woman even wore a small amount of makeup. Something that hadn't happened in recent memory. All in all her mother looked good.
Her short stature in direct comparison to her father's height had often made her mother look even smaller. But now, her mother stood taller with a hint of pride straightening her spine. Next to her father's dark skin and broad shoulders, her mother finally looked to be a woman who could measure up to him. A woman whose smile could match his kind heart. If she'd shaped up sooner, perhaps their odd little family would never have fallen apart in the first place.
"Hey Drew," her mother called as her father pulled her into a hug.
"Long time no see, Melinda," he chuckled in return.
Following her father out of the car, Natasha took in one last deep breath. "Here we go," she muttered, as she took her first steps into her new life.
Objectively, Loki Silver knew that there were people in the world who had it far worse than him. Objectively, he knew that he shouldn't allow the constant harassment from the piss ants he called peers bother him. Objectively, he even understood that if he could keep it together for two more years he'd be out of this hell hole. And objectively, all of those things sounded nice. But in reality, Loki knew that if he had to listen to one more man in his mid-forties to fifties tell him how to change the oil on their car, he was going to lose it and do something he'd regret.
Working at Thanos's body shop had given him purpose and a drive to get as far away from the poor excuse of a town that he lived in as possible. Over the two years he'd worked for the man, Thanos had provided Loki with enough under the table projects to allow him to squirrel away a decent stash of cash. Once he finished school, he'd have enough to go anywhere else. And anywhere had to be better than here.
The garage had begun in Thanos's back yard and now extended to a neat and tidy shop in the center of town. The man had created a name for himself and his employees among both the wealthy and the middle class of their small town. Even the poorest individuals stopped by occasionally. Thanos's main clientele however came in the form of the few rich individuals in town who knew that no one understood foreign engines better than Thanos and his employees.
As much as Loki appreciated the job and the opportunities it provided, there were several setbacks to working for the upscale community of Marvel.
One of those setbacks happened to currently be sitting in his bay, telling him once again how to change the oil on a car Loki had worked on more times than he'd like to count.
"Alright Mr. Strange you can start her up," Loki said, wiping his hands off a rag that had clearly seen better days.
The doctor's engine purred to life as Loki ran one final check over his work. When he felt certain that the doctor wouldn't be able to return with complaints for at least a week, he slammed the hood shut and walked around to the man's window.
"Looks solid this time Mr. Strange. Everything checks out and I'm fairly certain that the transmission won't cause you any problems for the next five years."
The doctor rolled his eyes as per usual. "Of course it won't," he sneered. "I'll believe it when I see it. I swear I spend more time in this useless dump than I do out on the road."
Loki plastered on the most charming smile he could manage. "Yes, well we do so love seeing you doctor. It's always such a pleasure."
"What's the damage this time?" Strange asked, ignoring Loki's comments.
"Since all I really had to do was change the oil and run a few tests on the transmission, I'm not going to charge you for anything but the oil."
"That's well and good, considering that you lot and your inadequacy are the reasons I'm forced to keep returning."
Loki forced his smile to remain friendly. Your inability to listen to another human being and ridiculous paranoia are why you keep returning, Loki thought but had the presence of mind to not say out loud. Instead he thanked the man for his business and sent him on his way.
Tossing his rag aside and pulling his jacket on, Loki decided he'd had enough fun for the evening. With it being a Sunday night, he desperately needed to find a quiet spot to finish up some homework and he'd promised Mrs. Frigga that he'd stop by for dinner. If he cancelled again, she'd start baying for his blood and attempting to force feed him while at school. That and he wouldn't be able to stomach her disappointed glances for another day this week.
"That's the last one Ebony," Loki called out to the office manger, who also happened to be Thanos's oldest son. Nepotism certainly had its advantages in some situations. "I'm calling it a night."
The tall and skinny worm stuck his balding head out of the office door. "Did you clean up the stations Silver?"
"'Course I did," Loki lied with ease. "Tell your dad I said good night and your sister that I spent the entire day hoping she'd stop by." He said the last with a wink, knowing it would get under Ebony's skin.
Truly he shouldn't push that topic as much as he did, Gamora could kill him without breaking a sweat, but he really disliked Ebony and Gamora never seemed to mind his comments that much. Most likely, she enjoyed annoying Ebony as much as Loki did.
Loki grabbed his helmet out of the back office and dashed out of the tidy garage before Ebony could catch him in his lie or call him out for the comments about his sister. The teen made it to his bike before Ebony seemed to catch on, allowing Loki to start up the engine and drown out the other man's screeching.
Objectively, he probably should be a bit more careful about not pissing people off. But reality had long ago taught him that it wouldn't matter one way or the other. Life had a way of keeping him down and Loki had long since made it his mission to circumvent fate. To make his own way instead. To look out for himself and only himself and screw everyone else. When the world believed you couldn't fall any lower, then up was the only place to go.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! But I'll never know for sure unless you let me know what you think in the comments/reviews below. I will shamelessly beg for your commentary, definitely not above it. But for now, thanks for reading and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!