(A/N: I'm using Google Translate so forgive any mistakes. I heard that Dick's native tongue was Romanian and I heard Tony and Peter are part Italian.)
Chapter 12
"Poți să ieși acum!" (You can come out now.)He said in Romanian. Jason, Damien, Cassandra, Duke, Stephanie, and Tim came out of the shadows. All giving Natasha their best Bat glare. She wanted to shrink away in fear but her pride wouldn't let her.
T'Challa and Thor were trying to stifle their laughter, but they were failing horribly. Rhodey was recording the whole thing on his phone as blackmail. The look on Natasha's face was priceless. The rest of the Avengers were just staring in shock. Everyone was quiet until Richard spoke again.
"We don't like it when people mess with our family." He said. His voice was cold as ice. It sent a shiver down the Avengers spines.
"We were nice enough to let you stay here." He said, stepping closer towards Natasha. She tried to keep her face neutral, but she found it hard. She felt very intimidated by the young man in front of her.
"How about a little sparring match?" He said. "You against Damien. If he wins. You apologize to Tony. If you win. You still apologize to Tony." There was no room for an argument.
She was going to have to fight the child no questions asked. Richard wasn't gonna back down and she knew it. Damien nu-i merge ușor.(Don't go easy on her.) The boy only nodded and stepped on the mat and got into a fighting stance.
Natasha also got into a fighting stance. They were about to begin when Steve interrupted. " This is ridiculous. She can't fight him. He's a child." He said. He couldn't believe that Nightwing was even suggesting that Natasha fight a literal child.
"Yeah, he's like what ten." Sam agreed with Steve. Richard was starting to get more and more irritated.
"Peter is only four years older than Damien and you both fought him. So what's the difference?" Dick said.
Sam and Steve instantly shut up after that remark. Thor and T'Challa let out a laugh that came from the core. "He's got you there." T'Challa said, wiping away tears because he was laughing so hard.
Nobody said anything else and let the sparring match begin and Damien didn't go easy on the Black Widow. Like Dick told him. She was amazed by the newest boy wonder.
His fighting skills were very impressive. She was giving her all and she was still losing to a Ten year old. She had finally had enough and surrendered to the boy. " I surrender. You win. I'll apologize to Tony." She said out of breath. Every muscle in her body hurt.
She fell to her knees because she was in so much pain. All she wanted to do now was take a long ice bath and go to sleep. Damien on the other hand didn't look like he even broke a sweat.
He wasn't out of breath and he took all her punches like it was nothing. He didn't even have a single mark on his body. He approached her and leaned his hand to help her up. It took everything in her to not flinch away from the ten year old boy.
She had never been so scared of anyone. But she could actually say she was scared of this boy and his family. She didn't know what their connection was to Tony and Peter but it must be something strong if they considered them a part of their family.
She took the boy's hand and got up. Her body felt like it was on fire. She bit her lip to not cry out in pain. Every step she took caused pain. "I guess this is payback for always taking Steve's side in the past?" She thought to herself.
Jason told Alfred to run an Ice bath for the Black Widow. Damien was nice enough to help her to the bathroom.
Once she was alone. She took the well deserved bath and for a moment the pain in her body subsided. After her relaxing bath. She went to apologize to Tony. With her body in great pain. It took her a while to get to his room. But she got there eventually.
She knocked on the door and Loki opened the door. He didn't look pleased to see her at all. "What do you want?" He said in the same tone she used with him earlier that day.
Natasha flinched at his words. She still wasn't very trusting of Loki after the whole New York thing. She didn't believe he was brainwashed. So she kept her distance from him. The only ones who truly forgave him were Thor, T'Challa, Tony, Peter, Rhodey, Wanda, Piedro, Scott, Hope, and surprisingly Clint and Fury
She had to admit Loki has been a great help to the Avengers. He's even saved their life's on multiple occasions. He's also risked his own life for them. "Even with all of that some of us Still don't believe or trust him?" She thought.
"You would think if Fury trusts him we all would? But sadly trust doesn't work that way?" She was getting lost in thought. That she didn't notice the door slowly closing. Once she realized what was happening. She blocked the door from closing completely with her foot.
"Please remove your foot from the door." Loki said irritated with the Black Widow. She didn't move.
"I need to talk to Tony." She said, "He doesn't want to talk to you." Loki said in an eerily calm voice. She wouldn't admit it but she was a little scared of him at the moment.
She's only heard him talking like that a couple of times when he was protecting Peter or his brother Thor. She's learned that he uses that tone as a way to protect himself and those he loves or cares deeply for.
" He's protecting Tony from me?" She was stunned. "Did I really hurt Tony's feelings so badly that Loki put him on his Protection list?"
Loki could see the change in the widow's demeanor. He opened the door just enough for him to step outside. "Follow me Miss Romanoff." He led her to a hallway with Two family portraits.
She looked at them and gasped in shock. To her surprise she saw young Bruce Wayne holding a baby. A very familiar baby. "Is that baby Tony?" Loki nods.
"Tony is Bruce's little brother." He explains to her. "They have the same mother and different fathers." Natasha was taken aback by the new information. She'd always thought Tony was an only child.
"Tony's relationship with his father wasn't a good one." He continued. Howard was a very difficult man and he was also very abusive towards Tony." Loki stopped talking to let the information sink in for the woman next to him.
"Physical, Verbal, Mental, or Emotional?" She asked.
"All of the above." He said.
Natasha flinched at that. "He never felt safe with his dad and step mother. He only felt safe with his butler Jarvis." Natasha listened intently.
"He didn't even know that the woman he thought was his mother wasn't his actual mother and from what Tony told me. She never acted like one either." He informed her.
Natasha was starting to feel more and more guilty about how she treated Tony. She'd always seen and thought of Tony as an arrogant playboy billionaire, who only cared about himself.
With this new information. She started to realize that it was just a mask so he wouldn't get hurt again. "He doesn't trust people easily. So when you get the Tony Stark, I trust you stamp of approval. You cherish it." He said.
Natasha gave him a questioning look. Loki noticed this and pulled out a badge that literally said Tony Stark's Stamp of Approval.
"Wow! nice badge. I want one." She said a little jealous that she didn't get one. Loki smirked and put the badge away.
"If you want one you have to earn it. He doesn't just give them away." He said and
Natasha nodded.
"You can also get your badge revoked." He said. "There's a lot more that you should know but I'm not allowed to tell you because you aren't a Secret Keeper." He said and once again Natasha gave him a look that said explain.
"The Secret Keeper is Tony and Peter's emotional support club. To help with trauma." He said. "This badge is your ticket in." He added.
Natasha nods and thinks about everything she was just told. "I want to apologize to Tony." She said Loki smiled and led her back to Tony's room.
