Late February, 2024

Today was a special day for Katya. It was the first time she'd drive a car by herself again. Natasha had sat next to her since she came back, ready to intervene when necessary by gripping the steering wheel, for example. 

But after establishing that her panic attacks had subsided to an amount of max two a week, and never in the car, she felt safe to do so. And if she did get one, she could think clearly enough to safely stop the car and call Natasha for help.

To her own pride, nothing went wrong on the way to school to pick up her daughter. Natasha had been anxious to let her go, but was also the one to encourage her to do so. If Katya promised to text her as soon as she arrived. So that's what she did as soon as she leaned against the outside of the car in their usual waiting spot.

The text she got back was sweet and supportive as usual, and made Katya smile at her phone like an idiot, her heart warm.

''Great job, honey. I'm proud of you. Get home safe.'' 

Katya jumped when the school bell rang, and quickly put her phone away to look out for her little girl. Maya had no idea she would come to pick her up this afternoon, so when she came out the school, her face lit up while her feet picked up the pace. 

Her small body crashed against Katya's, pressing her face into her stomach. ''Mom, you came to get me by yourself,'' she said excitingly, noting that the passenger's seat was empty.

''I hope that's okay,'' Katya chuckled teasingly, stroking her tightly braided hair. Two braids, which Natasha did for her this morning. Her hair was just long enough to do that.

Maya peeled her face from her coat and stared up at her, nodding her head up and down rapidly. ''It's more than okay.'' She giggled when Katya stepped aside and opened the passenger door with a dramatic gesture, telling her to hop in.

Pulling her backpack onto her lap, she hugged it to her chest and sat down. Katya expected her to dive into her usual rambling, but her story about her day only lasted two minutes until it stopped. That's when she reached out and turned up the volume of the music, staring out the windshield quietly. She didn't even sing along, which was weird.

At first, Katya thought it had something to do with her. Maybe Maya felt uneasy now that she drove alone and Natasha wasn't here to intervene in case it went wrong. But that was ridiculous. Because then why was she so happy to see her earlier?

"You're unusually quiet. Did something happen at school?" Katya eventually asked, knowing Maya was a sensitive kid and mean comments got to her fast.

Immediately, she paled and shuffled uneasily in her seat. So whatever was going on, she hoped Katya wouldn't pick up on it. Too late. "No," she replied weakly, pulling her backpack closer.

"You can talk to me, if you want," Katya reminded her, turning the music down in case Maya's soft voice spoke up.

Once more, she shifted her weight around, dropping her gaze to her lap. Her hands toyed with the straps of her backpack. Eventually, she decided to speak up. ''We're having career day next week. And we're supposed to bring one of our parents.''

Katya's face fell. ''Oh. Yes, I see how that can be a problem.'' Having two assassins for moms made that a problem. Not acceptable to tell kids that murdering people is a job they can get. ''But I can talk about my time in the Avengers?'' She continued more hopeful. ''And there's more to being a spy than the obvious. Although some of it isn't really a good example for you kids. Hacking, breaking in, stealing... I'll shut up now." That managed to make Maya giggle quietly, which relieved Katya a lot. ''I can also make something up? If you want me to be a pilot, I can sell it.''

Again, Maya let out some giggles. ''Everyone knows you're an Avenger,'' she pointed out, wondering how Katya could ever suggest such a thing.

''Hm, okay,'' Katya feigned disappointment. It would have been funny to lie to a whole classroom of kids and parents and make them believe it. ''You should ask Nat though. She's much better with kids, and they probably know her better.''

"But I'm asking you. I want you to come with me."

Surprised, Katya turned to look at her. Apparently, it was still hard to believe that her daughter did not see her as a second choice. Despite weekly therapy and reassurances from her wife and friends. ''Really?'' She smiled happily when Maya nodded. ''Okay. But I am not wearing my suit. I can bring it with me, but not putting it on.''

"That's okay." Maya shrugged. Her unease and insecurity had faded away. Originally, she wasn't planning on telling them about this day, and let it pass quietly. She thought they'd feel bad, because they didn't do a normal job to tell about. But now, Maya realized that was stupid. They had done more than kill people in their lifetimes.

''So, what should I tell?'' Katya pulled her out of her head, excited about this day. ''What am I supposed to talk about?''

"I have a paper," Maya remembered, perking up slightly. Her hands unzipped the backpack and pulled out a paper immediately. Like she had remembered where she put it, in case she needed to hide it.

Katya side-eyed the paper while taking a left turn. It had a sign-up form at the bottom. Maya wanted to hand it to her, but she shook her head. ''Can you read it?''

Maya gripped the paper tightly and slowly started to read the example questions. ''Possible topics to talk about: Did you always want to have this job? How did you work towards getting this job? As a child-''

''Yep, so we're not gonna do that,'' Katya cut her off with an awkward chuckle. The answers were 'no', and 'I was forced into it', which she could not tell kids. ''Improvisation it is.'' Maya nodded and folded the paper neatly. ''What would you want to know about me, if you were one of your classmates?''

Maya hummed, turning her body towards the driver's seat. "What the best part was about being an Avenger. What it was like living in the compound with the other Avengers.'' Her eyes narrowed in thought. ''Maybe your favorite teammate or mission?"

''I can work with that.'' Katya nodded with a smile, happy to see Maya do the same. ''Why don't we draw up some questions when we get home? So I can prepare properly.'' Honestly, she was already so excited. Not only did she get to spend an entire afternoon with her daughter, but she also got to make her proud.

Thrilled, Maya nodded, though she gave Katya a stern look. ''After my biking lesson though.''

''Yes, yes, I have not forgotten about your lesson,'' she chuckled. How could she, when Maya reminded her every single day. If they hadn't stopped her a couple times, she would have taken her bike out in the snow. 

''Can't believe Mama made me wait until the roads aren't icy anymore,'' Maya complained pettily, rolling her eyes. Her dramatics drew a laugh from Katya, who reached over to pat her knee teasingly.

''You know how protective Nat is. She's just afraid you're gonna hurt yourself.'' She winked, which caused Maya to scowl lightly.

''She can't protect me forever.''

''Oh, trust me,'' Katya chuckled, her blue eyes shining with amusement, ''she's gonna try.''

Before she knew it, they were home. And although Natasha didn't greet them at the door, she instantly looked up from her laptop on the dinner table. Papers were scrambled all around it, one leg bent underneath her on the chair. She took her blue light glasses off while her long hair was in a messy bun, a big t-shirt threatening to swallow her whole. Katya's big t-shirt.

She wanted to grab her and drag her upstairs right away.

But the only thing she could get from Natasha right now was a quick smile before Maya drew her attention away. Guess she had no idea how sexy she looked.

''Hi, Mama.'' Maya tossed her backpack on the table and hung her coat on the rack. Then she joined Natasha's side, standing next to her chair to give her a quick side-hug.

''Hey, baby.'' Natasha smiled widely, rubbing her hand up and down her back lovingly. ''How was school?''

''Boring.''

A beautiful airy chuckle escaped her throat. ''Classic answer.''

Maya hummed dismissively, turning her gaze to the papers and laptop. ''What are you doing?''

Natasha pulled her gaze away from her daughter's face and scanned the tabletop. Slowly, she pushed the top of the laptop down to hide the screen. ''Just planning some things for the trip. Making a list of things we need to bring, et cetera.'' Her eyes flickered up to meet Katya's briefly, sharing a knowing look.

The mention of the trip caused Maya to instantly shoot up, turning to her mom. ''Can I see?''

''No,'' Natasha teased with a sly smirk, shutting the laptop completely. ''The planning is a secret.'' As expected, Maya's face fell.

''Please?'' She pleaded, bouncing on her feet impatiently while putting on her cutest pout.

''Your puppy eyes are not gonna work on me today,'' Natasha chuckled. Instantly, Maya's face fell again. Poor girl had no luck of getting what she wanted today. 

''Fine,'' she grumbled, looking back at the table to at least try to get some information from the paperwork. But it was all about hotels, and messy handwritten notes from Natasha on what to bring. They had never been on a holiday except the honeymoon last year right after everything Thanos.

Natasha gently squeezed her side, smiling softly. ''Trust me on this, it will be much more fun if we surprise you every day.'' They'd know the schedule from beginning to end though, because Katya needed stability and guidelines to stay sane. Literally.

Reluctantly, Maya gave in. ''Just promise me we will go see Melina.''

Instantly, Katya received an anxious stab to the stomach. Not so much because of her, but especially Alexei had cost her some restless sleep every now and then. Something she had been very vocal to Natasha about. Visiting them would not be easy.

''Promise.'' Her hand patted Maya's back. ''Now, I believe you have a lesson to prepare for. Go put on some old pants that can get dirty.''

The girl raised an eyebrow, slightly offended. ''You think I'm gonna fall?''

''I'd rather you not ruin your hundred-dollar jeans if you do,'' Natasha teased, giving her a shove towards the stairs. Maya's chuckles followed her all the way up, making Katya smile to herself. The light of their lives for sure.

Katya finally moved from the doorway and sat down next to her wife. Only briefly, because Maya would be down in no-time. But she wanted to peek at the planning Natasha had made. The basis, they had done together, but some small things had been left open.

With her elbows on the tabletop and her hands on her cheeks, she studied the laptop. But while she did that, Natasha studied her. Not subtle at all, her green eyes gazing at her with a small smile on her lips. It was cute for a while, but after that, Katya sighed and turned her head. ''What?''

''You look gorgeous today,'' Natasha replied, slipping her hand under Katya's sweater and rubbing circles on her back. Katya didn't realize how tense her back muscles were until then.

She shot her a skeptical look and turned back to the laptop. ''Stop. I look awful.'' That was true. She didn't look her best. But after a nightmare this past night, she had no energy to take a shower in the morning. So her greasy hair was tied into a ponytail.

''You do not,'' Natasha replied calmly but stern. ''Just take the compliment.'' She did not lie, ever, so Katya just rolled her eyes and concentrated on the planning. Honestly, it looked promising. Though seeing Melina and Alexei's names brought those anxious tumbles in her stomach back.

''Looks good,'' she said flatly, pushing her chair back. But Natasha stopped her from standing up by placing a hand on her leg. 

''We don't have to go there if you don't want to.'' Katya sighed and fell back into her seat. Of course, Natasha noticed that she tensed up as soon as her gaze landed on 'day 3'. ''I can always take Maya by myself if it's too much for you still.''

But Katya instantly shook her head. She didn't want Maya to meet them and not be there to see it. ''What I don't understand is why they make me so nervous. If anything, you should be the nervous one. It's not like I know them or they have done anything to me.''

''You don't need a reason to be anxious. You just are. Period. The question I'm asking you is if you think you can do it yet.''

''If you stay with me the whole time, I will, I can.'' As expected, Natasha nodded instantly. So Katya folded her arms on the table and buried her head in them. With a deep exhale and a muffled voice, she muttered, ''Never thought I'd let a man like that get to me.''

''''A man like that'','' Natasha quoted with a little laugh, finally drawing a smile from Katya as well. ''Nothing to add to that.''

''Think pig Alexei has more manners,'' Katya grumbled into her arms.

Natasha let out another laugh that lit up her whole face. ''You think that pig is still alive?''

A joyful smirk played on Katya's lips as she sat up, shrugging playfully. ''Maybe he slaughtered it and roasted it over a fire like a caveman.'' Natasha threw her head back, laughing. And Katya just stared at the sight with an adoring smile on her lips, her body shaking with silent chuckles.

''Sometimes you say shit that has me dying, and I have no idea where you get it from,'' Natasha lightly gasped for air, her cheeks red as she tried to get herself together.

''That's pure talent, ma darlin','' Katya replied with the worst Southern accent ever, smirking proudly at herself and the laughs she pulled from Natasha once more. The redhead lightly slapped her arm, silently begging her to shut up so she could catch her breath.

Still giggling, she grabbed Katya's face and pulled her lips to her own. Though after barely a second of kissing, she broke away laughing again. Her head dropped down, shoulders shaking adorably. And Katya chuckled along with her now, the sound and sight too contagious.

''You're an idiot.'' She shook her head slowly, looking up to find Katya still staring at her with sparkling eyes. It caught her off guard and a blush crept on her cheeks. She had forgotten all about laughing and brought their lips together again, whispering against Katya's lovingly. ''But you're my idiot.''

Katya chuckled before closing the gap swiftly, a surprised sound in the back of Natasha's throat, though their lips moved together slowly and sweetly. She leaned forward a bit and grabbed the seat of Natasha's chair to get closer, lost in each other.

''No,'' Maya's voice groaned out. They were too occupied to hear her feet on the stairs. And she found them in the middle of a make-out session, again. ''I was gone two minutes.'' She had reached that age where she started to get grossed out by it.

With a chuckle, Natasha pulled back and let Katya's cheeks go. ''Put it in the complaint box.'' She stood and pushed her chair in, gathering the papers into a neat stack. 

''We still don't have one,'' Maya deadpanned. She had stopped in the door opening, indeed some older pants on which were actually a tad too small, now that Katya got a good look at them.

Natasha hummed with a smirk, her back to her daughter. ''And whose fault is that?'' Her mind traveling back to Halloween. ''Let me change and we can go outside.''

Maya's shoulders slumped. ''Couldn't you have done that while I was changing?'' Good point, to be honest.

But Natasha's expression didn't change. And when she passed Maya on her way to the stairs, she whispered tauntingly, ''Complaint box.'' Maya scowled, but she was long gone to see it.

Ten minutes later, they were finally outside. It may have stopped freezing, but it was still around freezing point, so Katya was not too happy to be out. With her thick gloves and a hat on, she crouched in front of her daughter on the road. They had walked for a short bit to find an asphalt road so Maya didn't have to learn to bike on dirt and gravel. That would be mean.

Carefully, Katya clipped the bike helmet on Maya's head, tightening the strap under her chin so it sat perfectly. This was her only condition, that she'd wear a helmet the first couple months, until she could bike well enough.

''Mom, I look ridiculous'' she complained, wiping her hair out of her face.

Katya both didn't care and disagreed. She looked absolutely adorable, her cheeks already red because of the cold, and the black helmet a bit too big for her head. ''You wanna learn to ride a bike, you need to wear a helmet.''

Natasha chuckled when Maya's gaze landed on her, hopeful she could do something about the situation. ''Don't look at me. You're talking to the woman in charge.'' Maya's shoulders slumped, deciding she was right.

''Okay.'' Katya patted those slumped shoulders and stood. ''Ready?'' Maya forgot all about her nerves and nodded, a bit nervous. ''I'll hold you at first so you can get the hang of it, okay?''

''Okay.''

Katya helped her stand between the saddle and the handlebars while Natasha simply watched the scene with an adoring gleam in her eyes. ''Breaks?'' She nodded when Maya squeezed the handbrakes. ''Good. Don't squeeze too hard, a little bit goes a long way. Feet on the peddles, I'm gonna push you.''

It took a couple tries, because it felt really unnatural for Maya to take her feet off the ground and put them on a vehicle that wasn't gonna keep her upright if she didn't move. But after Katya got a good grip on her waist and the bike stayed in balance, she exhaled. Although all her muscles, especially the ones in her arms and back, were tense and uneasy. Learning new things was a pain.

Slowly, Katya started to walk down the street, pushing Maya forwards. She went really slowly, doing her best to keep balance herself. Instantly, Maya started to wobble, but she did remember to peddle. ''I'm gonna fall!''

"You're not gonna fall,'' Katya replied in a soothing tone. ''Keep peddling. The faster you go, the easier it is to balance and steer." To try and emphasize her point, she started to do some awkward run that fell between a jog and speed walking.

"Don't run! Mom! Mom, you're going too fast!" Maya panicked, clenching her fists around the handles tightly. Maybe biking wasn't as much fun as she thought it was going to be. But everyone needed to start somewhere.

''Peddle. Come on. Don't look down, look where you wanna go,'' Katya encouraged her. ''Eyes up, Maya. Trust it.'' The girl did as she said, focusing on a point in the distance as best she could, while her feet got a feel for the peddles and how hard she should push them down. For Katya, holding her became easier the more she started to bike by herself. ''There you go.''

''Don't let go.''

''I won't. I got you,'' Katya smiled happily, having to jog to keep up with her quick pace, still holding her waist tightly. At the end of the road, she called out, "Okay, turn?" Maya carefully squeezed her brakes and jumped down, turning the bike around to repeat the same thing, only now up the street to where Natasha stood. "Look at your mom. Go to her, straight line."

Halfway down the street, she got the hang of it and dared to smile. Her face lit up and she started to enjoy herself. ''Hi!'' she greeted Natasha happily once they reached her, jumping off the saddle.

"Hi, honey. That looked great already." She had a shimmer of pride and adoration in her eyes, though she appeared unaffected, with her hands in the pockets of her jacket, standing casually in the middle of the road.

Maya started to beam at her compliment, all the excitement coursing through her veins. ''You push me now. I think Mom is tired."

''True,'' Katya sighed dramatically, wiping non-existent sweat of her forehead. ''Mom could use a break.'' Truth is, she was far from tired. But she wanted Natasha to experience this as well. Maybe watching them was better than doing it herself.

"You talking about yourself in the third person now?" Natasha teased, raising an amused eyebrow.

Katya playfully rolled her eyes, pulling her hat over her ears again. "Leave me be, Romanoff." There were some chuckles, but Natasha quickly focused on Maya.

"Okay, speedy, let's go again. Remember what Kat told you." She helped her get on, but instead of grabbing her waist like Katya did, her hand wrapped around the back of the saddle.

Confused and a bit panicky, Maya looked over her shoulder. "You need to hold my waist."

"The saddle is better, trust me." With a reluctant nod, Maya let it be. Remembering everything she did previously, her feet started to move by themselves, taking off in a much faster fashion than before. Now, Natasha had to do that awkward run.

They went to the end of the street and back once, then to the end again. It was a very long road, so once they neared the end, Katya could barely see them anymore. Their voices did travel the distance though, hearing Natasha yell, ''You're doing great! Keep going!'' Maya was getting more stable by the second.

After the turn, to Katya biggest shock and surprise, Natasha let Maya go. The girl didn't notice at first. With her brows furrowed in concentration, she kept going, looking where she wanted to go, steering wobbly. 

It looked like she got it. But right before the halfway point, the inevitable happened. She started to steer too wildly, trying to correct it, and then crashed to the ground. Not hard or fast at all, since she went really slowly. But still, suddenly she sat on the ground, brushing the dirt off her hands. 

''Mama! You let me go!''

Katya wanted to bolt over there, afraid her baby got hurt. But Natasha already jogged over, concluding she was fine if she didn't burst out crying. Her figure crouched down in front of Maya's and cupped her cheeks, checking her for any signs of injury. ''I'm sorry, baby. You could do it, you just didn't believe it yet.''

''I couldn't do it.'' Maya replied sadly, rubbing her hands. ''I fell.''

''Yes, but I let you go right after the turn, so look how far you got on your own.'' Surprised, Maya looked around, seeing how far she had indeed gotten. She turned back to Natasha, wide-eyed, which made her smile. ''You gotta believe in yourself. That will get you as far as you wanna go.'' Slowly, Maya nodded, so Natasha let her face go. ''You hurt?''

"Just my hands," she muttered, showing her scraped-up palms. It burned a bit and some blood rose to the surface, but nothing too crazy.

Gently, Natasha took them in her own hands and kissed the damaged palms. "Remember, pain only makes you stronger." It had slipped out of her mouth before she realized it, and Maya saw her tense up slightly.

"Who told you that?"

"Melina did,'' Natasha admitted with a small smile, staring strictly at their hands. ''She knew I would need it in my life."

"Are you still hurting?" Maya asked quietly, to which she promptly shook her head.

"No. No, I haven't for a while. And you know why? Because of that gorgeous brown-haired woman at the end of the street.'' She smiled. They both turned their heads to Katya, who did her best to see what was going on from so far away. The sight softened Natasha's eyes visibly before they landed on her daughter's face again. ''Love is powerful, Maya. Never forget that.'' She nodded, so Natasha rose to her feet and tugged on her hands to do the same for her.

Maya bit her lip, watching her pick up the bike from the street. Luckily, it wasn't scratched. "I don't want to go again."

"Just to Kat and then we can stop," Natasha assured her.

"Why?"

"Because if you don't get on immediately after a fall, you're gonna get scared to ride it." Maya wasn't convinced, so Natasha sent her a soft smile. "I promise to hold you this time." That reassured her enough to climb on again, though warily. In a slow tempo, they made it to Katya, who had worry written all over her face.

"All good?"

"Yes.'' Maya showed her her hands, letting Natasha take the bike. ''They're just some scratches. Burns a bit though."

"Let's get that disinfected. The road is dirty," Katya decided, determined, gripping Maya's wrist and tugging her to the house while Natasha pushed the bike towards the garage.

Maya stumbled after her, not sure whether to laugh or protest. She decided on the latter. "Mom, I'm fine."

"You know how many times Nat said that to me after she came back from a mission, only to find a huge cut on her back?'' Katya answered playfully without looking back over her shoulder. ''Trust the person who has taken care of wounds her whole life."

"Okay, okay.'' Maya gave up on it. Besides, she really didn't want infected hands. Without warning, Katya lifted her by her armpits and put her on the countertop, noting how easy that suddenly went. Maya sighed and helped take off her coat. ''Now I feel even more like a baby."

Katya gave her a playful pointed look that shut her up and gathered the disinfectant and cotton pads, fully aware Natasha stood behind her, on the other side of the kitchen. "Okay, Miss Pout, breath in and out."

''Ow!'' Maya jerked her hands away when the cotton touched her skin. ''That stings.'' Katya didn't pull her hands back, allowing her her moment and waiting patiently, unmoving.

Maya caught Natasha's gaze and remembered what she told her before, right after the fall. Slowly, she placed her hands in Katya's again and let her finish cleaning up, wincing in silence every time it stung.

''All done,'' Katya smiled softly, patting her cheek. ''No plasters because it needs to air dry.''

''Thank you.'' Maya hopped off the counter and touched her arm. ''Will you come find me in a bit? So we can discuss what you're gonna say in school?''

Katya's eyes lit up when she realized Maya still wanted her to do this. Part of her believed she'd change her mind or forget about it.

''Yes, just let me clean this up and I'll be right there.'' With a nod, Maya was off.

Quickly, Katya tossed the cotton pads in the trash and put the disinfectant away, all the while sensing Natasha silently chuckled at her. The nerve in that woman... Especially after being the cause their daughter got hurt.

''Natalia Romanova, do not laugh. Do you know how many times I have had to deal with your hurt ass, fixing you up, only to have you whining when it stung?''

''I did not whine,'' Natasha chuckled, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the counter.

''You whined and you pouted like Maya just did," Katya argued, only sparing her a quick glance while she moved through the kitchen. "Only angrier and with loads of cuss words."

''It's just... You're such a mom, only now you actually are and you don't mother me around,'' Natasha kept teasing her with a smile. ''It's cute. You're always so careful.''

"Well, I need to keep my girls healthy and happy." Katya shrugged as she washed her hands, finally allowing the corners of her mouth to curl up. "And if that involves cashing in some pain-triggered glares, so it is."

Natasha shook her head with a chuckle, pulling her hair tie out of her curls and playing with it, wrapping it around her fingers, and around her wrist. ''What was Maya talking about with school?'' Her carefully picked words caused Katya's smile to fall, awkwardly drying her hands.

''Oh, they have a career day, where the parents come in to tell about their job. And apparently, she wants me to come with.'' She cringed when Natasha's head shot up. The only way to describe her expression was pure surprise, but not in a bad way.

''Really? What are you gonna talk about?'' 

Katya had wanted to do this differently. Let it sink in first and then tell her. She wasn't even sure why she was reluctant to tell her wife about this. It was silly. This wasn't a competition of who Maya liked more.

''Well, since murdering people for a living is not acceptable, I think,'' Katya joked awkwardly, tossing the towel on the counter, ''I'm just gonna keep it contained to my time at the Avengers and probably also some intelligence stuff I did while in SHIELD. Planning missions, research, everything we called boring.''

''Ah, yes, the boring stuff,'' Natasha chuckled. ''Well, if you want to brainstorm on what to say, let me know.'' She gave a genuine smile. 

Katya's brows furrowed deeply, watching her confused. ''Wait, that's it?'' She thought she'd bring up ideas, ask further, pry, but nope, nothing.

''Yes?'' Natasha replied unsure, brows furrowed, thinking she did something wrong. ''This is obviously something between you and Maya, so I won't force myself into it.'' 

In quick steps, Katya closed the distance between them and threw her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. Natasha was taken aback, but wrapped her arms around her torso, tugging her closer. She had no idea what was going on, simply accepting and loving this emotional hug, until Katya muttered into her neck.

''I thought maybe you'd be jealous or sad that she asked me, and wanted to get involved.''

Slightly, Natasha pushed her back, Katya's insecure eyes peering into hers. ''Baby, we don't have to do everything together.'' She smiled softly. ''You're allowed to have your things with her, and I'll have my things with her too.''

Katya's eyes softened, the guilty feeling in her chest dissolving. Thankful, she pushed her head into her neck again, whispering against her skin, ''You're the best.'' The arms around her tightened, squeezing her reassuringly.

''Go talk to her.''

Happily, Katya let her go and kissed her once before running out of the kitchen. She didn't look over her shoulder to see the amused but happy smile on Natasha's face. How could she ever be jealous of the bond those two had?

''Come in!'' Maya called out when she knocked. ''Come sit, I wrote some things down already.'' Katya did as asked, noticing Maya changed her clothes again while she climbed onto the bed. ''So, I thought maybe you could explain your suit, since Tony made it. And I'm sure they would love to hear about Wakanda, since nobody has seen it yet. Some stories about your friends, or any fun missions,'' she rambled, tapping the back of her pen on her notebook.

''Sounds good. Can I see that?'' Taking the notebook, Katya scanned it slowly before gently taking the pen from Maya's hand and writing at the very bottom: bragging about my wife.

Maya watched her write and started to giggle. ''To kids?''

''The other parents are watching, no?'' Katya rose an eyebrow, smiling slyly.

''That's true.'' She giggled again, glancing at the paper. ''What else?''

Katya hummed in thought, feeling Maya's expectant green eyes on the side of her face. They sat so close together that their shoulders touched. ''I'm thinking I should talk about why, right? Why I did this job?'' she tried, causing Maya's eyebrows to furrow.

''What do you mean?''

''Well, I could have quit with the spy work after I got to SHIELD. Retire. But something drove me to keep going. And that continued in the Avengers.''

''Yes. I'm sure they would like to hear that,'' Maya confirmed, watching her write it down. Katya's handwriting was messy, to say the least. ''Maybe we should also leave room for questions?''

''Good idea.'' She scanned the short list and nodded to herself. ''But I can work with these topics for now. I'll think of things to say and get back to you.'' She turned her head to lock eyes with her daughter and smile. ''Thank you for asking me to do this. I like doing things with you.'' 

''I like doing things with you, too,'' Maya shyly replied, oblivious to the fact that Katya's heart skipped a happy beat. Unsure what to do with herself, she jumped to another topic. Anything to get Katya to stop looking at her like that. ''Do you want to see my new drawings?''

Katya lit up. ''Of course.'' She watched as Maya scooted off the bed, retrieved her drawing notebook and flipped through the pages before handing it over red-cheeked. These drawings were as personal as a journal, so Katya fully knew how privileged she was to see them. ''These are pretty. I like them a lot.'' Carefully, she ran her fingertips over the lines. It was a page filled of tiny drawings of all kinds of things. She should get one of these as a tattoo.

''I want to try and draw people, but that's really hard,'' Maya sighed, falling on the bed next to her. 

Katya chewed on her lip, an idea forming in her head. ''How about I model for you? I can take a nap right here, and you can draw me.'' Win-win, really. She'd be lying still enough to draw, and her body got rest at the same time. Maya was enthusiastic immediately.

''I'd love that.''

Katya handed her the notebook back with a twinkle in her eyes. ''Let me get comfortable.'' Like Sleeping Beauty, she laid down on the bed, placing her hands on her stomach. With her eyes closed, her other senses heightened. So she heard Maya grab her pencils and flip the page. Then, the bed dipped by her knees.

At first, the faint sound of pencil on paper made her smile, but fairly quickly, she sunk away into a slumber. Not asleep, but deeply resting her body and mind. She had no idea how long she had been lying there like that, but eventually, there was a knock at the door which pulled her back up to the surface.

''Come in,'' Maya whispered thoughtfully. Carefully, Natasha opened the door and peeked in, melting at the sight in front of her. These two were the loves of her life.

With a teasing smile on her lips, she whispered, ''Is she asleep, again?'' Katya knew that she knew that she wasn't really asleep. When sleeping next to someone for years, a person learns their sleeping face. Oh, and it was also handy when that person is a spy.

''Okay, I heard that,'' Katya croaked out, slightly offended. An adorable chuckle reached her ears, and she peeled her eyes open to lightly glare at her wife.

''Dinner's ready,'' Natasha announced, though showing no signs to walk downstairs. The mood in this room was too soothing to abandon, and she could stare at the both of them with heart eyes for hours.

Lazily, Katya rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. ''I keep forgetting you can cook now.'' This time, she was on the receiving end of a light glare, though often enough, Natasha shared that feeling. She had never been forced to learn to cook in her life, always others around to do it for her and protect the building they were in. But when the chef of the house left said house for months, she finally had to learn.

Natasha pushed the door open further and leaned against the doorpost. ''What is going on here?'' she asked amused.

''Maya is drawing me.''

''And we made a list with things Mom is gonna talk about on career day. You want to know what she added?'' Maya's eyes twinkled, and Natasha hummed, knowing this was gonna be good. ''Bragging about my wife,'' she giggled.

Amused, Natasha's eyebrows shot up, redirecting her gaze to the woman on the bed. ''Bragging about my wife?''

''Have you seen how pretty you are?'' Katya replied in the middle of a groan, rolling off the bed until her body hit the floor with a thud. From there, she stuck her hand in the air, the only thing they saw from her. ''Can't wait to shove this ring into the other parents' faces.''

More giggles came from Maya, while a smirk pulled on Natasha's lips. ''I can be a trophy wife if you want me to be.''

Katya shot up, her shoulders and head sticking out above the bed. ''Really?''

'''Course. I'm proud to be your wife.'' Her shoulder raised in a shrug. ''So show me off if you feel like it.'' They stared at each other, caught in their own world. Katya wide-eyed, Natasha with joy dancing in her eyes.

''Disgusting,'' Maya muttered, dropping her book on the bed and taking off into the hallway before this got any more lovey-dovey. She shuddered when she walked past her mom, running down the stairs.

Her theatrics made Natasha laugh, pushing away from the doorframe. She winked to her wife before turning on her heels and walking out. ''Come on, beautiful!'' Her loud voice called over her shoulder. ''Dinner!''

After a very entertaining and fun dinner with loads of jokes and teasing, Katya retreated into her bedroom. Natasha had no idea what she was doing up there, but let her be. With Maya also upstairs to draw, she curled up on the couch and grabbed her book. She felt light, and so incredibly happy. Today was a good day. 

Half an hour after dinner ended, Natasha heard footsteps on the stairs. Slow ones, which made her believe that the person was multitasking. This proved to be right when Katya stepped into the living room with her eyes glued to the paper in her hand.

''Nat? Are you busy?'' She asked without looking up, rounding the couch.

With a smile, Natasha closed her book and sat up. ''Never too busy for you. What's up?''

Katya fell onto the couch, abruptly shoving the paper her way. ''I came up with a list of grabs and holds, but can you look it over and tell me if I missed anything?'' 

Ah, so she was busy compiling a list of things she wanted to cover in her defense classes. Her absence made sense now. She chewed her lip nervously, and Natasha resisted reaching over and pulling it from between her teeth with her thumb.

''Let's see,'' she trailed off, scanning the messy words. Katya grew more nervous as the seconds ticked away, even though there was no reason to. ''How about two hands behind your back?''

''Right.'' Katya rolled her eyes at herself. ''How could I forget that?'' She took the paper and scribbled it down before handing it back again.

''But besides that, I think you got it all.'' She counted on her fingers. ''Wrist, waist, throat, hair, both from the front and the back, against the wall and on the ground.'' Natasha gave the paper back with a reassuring smile. ''Looks good.''

Katya gave her a quick smile and jumped up. ''Okay. Thank you.'' She disappeared upstairs again, so Natasha settled back into her corner, enjoying the rest of her book. A while later, though, the same footsteps descended the stairs again, making her smile.

''Honey? Are you busy?''

Natasha smiled wider, closing her book and tossing it aside. Katya probably didn't even notice she asked the exact same question as before. ''Nope. What is it?''

''I do a lot of these escapes on instinct, so I don't really know what I'm actually doing. Do you have time to run some through?'' She looked so insecure, standing there and asking for it, that Natasha couldn't ever say no.

''Sure.'' She smiled, happily lighting up Katya's face. 

They pushed the coffee table all the way to the other side of the room and also shoved the couch as far as it could go. They both wore sweatpants and a sweater by now, so good enough to practice in. The floor wasn't ideal, not even with the soft rug, so they'd have to be careful with that. And with the TV. 

''Okay, which one first?'' Natasha asked. It would just be a relaxed, slow session where she played the assailant and trapped Katya - a random person on the street - by grabbing her. 

Katya stood opposite her, pulling her sleeves up so Natasha could grab her wrists easier. But she didn't care where they started, so she shrugged. ''Surprise me.''

To make it more real, Natasha decided to reach for her wrist abruptly. Quickly, she tugged on it to twist Katya around, and used her free arm to wrap it around her throat from behind. But doing it fast was a wrong decision, because before she knew it, she was on the ground, pain shooting through her back.

''Ow.''

Katya gasped quietly, guilt hitting her with full force. ''Oh my god. I'm sorry, baby. Are you okay?'' She helped her to her feet, extremely worried.

''For sure got your strength back,'' Natasha groaned jokingly, a hand on her lower back. Katya wanted to lead her to the couch, but she shook her head, wanting to continue. The pain would go away in a bit.

''I'm sorry,'' the brunette repeated, chewing her lip again. And this time, Natasha did reach out to pull it away between her teeth by running her thumb over it.

''I caught you off guard. It's my own fault,'' she smiled softly. Honestly, she cursed herself for such a stupid move. Katya was still jumpy and not one hundred percent better, though sometimes Natasha almost forgot that on happy days like these. ''Why don't we slow it down? So you don't slam me into furniture again?''

That finally managed to pull a smile from Katya again, who could chuckle at it. ''Let's switch the roles around. If you promise to not take revenge,'' she quickly added with a gleam in her eyes.

Natasha immediately caught on, a sly smile pulling on the corners of her lips. ''You scared I'm going to?''

''I have known you a lot longer than today.'' She narrowed squinted at her face. ''And I don't like that look in your eyes.''

''I thought you loved my eyes,'' Natasha feigned hurt, throwing all her acting skills in the mix.

''Oh, I do,'' Katya reassured, staring into them. ''It's just, right now, they scare me for what's to come.''

''Let's get a referee then. Maya will know when I'm playing dirty,'' Natasha decided, brushing past her to get to the stairs. 

But Katya quickly grabbed her wrist and spun her around, smashing their lips together before Natasha realized what was going on. She was too surprised to kiss back before Katya pulled back with a smirk. Startled, the redhead blinked a couple times, trying to compose herself.

''Is this move on the list of things you're gonna teach your students, too?'' She narrowed her eyes. ''Because then I'm worried.''

Katya shook her head slowly, mischief in her eyes. ''No, this one's especially for you.''

''Then, I like it. Do it again?'' Natasha asked hopefully, putting her cutest face on. But, like it didn't work on her with Maya before, it didn't work on Katya now.

The brunette smirked inwardly, purposely staring at Natasha's lips to tease her more, while her thumb ran up and down the skin on her wrist. ''A vital part of that move is the element of surprise. And that would be lost if I did it again.''

''You can't kiss me like that and not do it again,'' Natasha pouted angrily.

A chuckle escaped Katya's throat, and she dropped Natasha's wrist. ''Complaint box,'' she whispered in her ear while walking away. Getting Maya wasn't such a bad idea. She had some good insights sometimes.

''Get your sexy ass back here,'' Natasha grumbled, pissed that she used her own joke against her. And pissed that she was deprived of a proper kiss. 

Katya stopped and turned to look over her shoulder, smiling innocently. ''I'm getting the referee.''

''There's no need for the referee. I'll behave,'' she quickly said. Katya squinted, reading her face but coming up empty. So with a nod, she returned to her spot on the rug. But Natasha wouldn't be Natasha without a trick up her sleeve. ''If you promise to kiss me like that again.''

As an answer, Katya grabbed her face and smashed their lips together. Once more, she caught Natasha off guard. And also once more, Natasha was too late to return the kiss. It caused her to pout angrily, childishly glaring at her wife. So for good measure, Katya gave her one last kiss, which she finally returned.

But when Natasha thought Katya had let that blackmail go, she was so wrong. When their lips parted, she found herself in a harmless chokehold within seconds, her back pressed against Katya's front.

''Show me how you get out,'' Katya breathed in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. They should have known it would end like this. It always ended like this. They were too attracted to each other to focus on a serious task.

Natasha smirked, over the initial surprise. ''I'll show you everything.''

~~~~~~~~

A/N: my chapters keep getting longer and longer hahaha. I am currently writing the Russia trip and I think you are gonna love those chapters. Or at least, I hope so. I'm happy with them at least :)