All the forms had been filled out, officially making Natasha the legal guardian of the twins. Thank god for Pepper, who always took care of stuff like this.

To celebrate, the russian spy had decided that herself and the twins would go out for dinner, figuring that it was a good idea to slowly introduce them, but especially Wanda, to the world outside of the tower.

So she made reservations for four at a Chinese place, hoping that Steve would join them.

Yes, the spy was confident in her skills when it came to taking care of the twins, but it would be a more open and also new environment for them. Backup would be nice.

Besides, Pietro could then talk to Steve about his newfound obsession with football, a sport which Natasha, truth be told, did not understand at all.

"I'm taking the twins out for dinner tonight.", the redhead revealed while sparring with the super soldier.

"Really? Where are you taking them?", Steve puffed while taking a step back, avoiding a kick in the face from his sparring partner.

"To that chinese place where we celebrated Hill's birthday.", the russian spy answered, blocking a punch which the soldier was aiming at her right side.

"Sounds like a good idea. You know, they'll finally get out of the tower.", Steve said, finally getting a grip on Natasha's arms, fixing them on her back.

She blew a stray curl of red hair out of her face, turning her head as far as she could to look at the super soldier. "I was hoping that you would join us.", she revealed, feeling Steve loosen his grip a bit.

"What?", he asked confused and slightly in shock. The redhead used this to free herself from his grip, quickly kicking at his feet and effectively making him fall on his back with a huff.

"I made reservations for four, Rogers. Are you joining us or not?", she asked, suppressing the urge to laugh in his face because of how easily she brought him down.

"Uh... Yeah, sure. Of course I will join you. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all.", he finally answered, standing back up.

"Like you weren't expecting my kick?", Natasha smirked, making him roll his eyes.

"Ha ha, very funny, Romanoff."

-

After sparring Natasha headed straight for the shower in her room. Usually the spy would soak in a hot bath after training to relax her sore muscles but Wanda had been alone in her room for long enough already.

After a quick shower she changed into some shorts and a hoodie, which both might have belonged to Clint at one point, before leaving her room once again to go check up on the twins.

On instinct she skipped Pietro's door and instead knocked on Wanda's, figuring that the twins would both be in there. They usually only used one of the rooms, mostly the younger girl's, since her brother could only be described as the messiest person on planet earth.

Of course, Wanda could be messy at times, but mostly she liked to keep her things clean and organized.

When she heard a muffled "Come in." from inside the room, she opened the door and was met with the sight of Pietro doing a headstand on his sister's bed.

Without being able to hide her confused frown, Nat slowly closed the door and walked over to him.

"You okay there, buddy?", she asked, concerned at how red the boys face already was.

"Yeah, I was just bored. Wanda's taking forever in the shower.", he answered panting. Nat suspected that his undiagnosed ADHD must have kicked in.

"Pietro, honey, would you please return to a normal seating position before your head explodes?", the russian spy requested, noticing the boy's eyes grow wide.

"Wait can that actually happen?", he asked more excited than horrified.

"No, but standing on your head for too long is not good so please just-", she started but before she could finish her sentence, Pietro had already dropped on his back and sat up straight.

"Thank you.", she smiled, sitting down next to him. He smiled at her somewhat awkwardly, his eyes darting around the room.

He usually didn't spend much time alone with the redhead. Normally, he would hang out with Steve or his sister, who was always present when Nat was in the room as well.

"Are you okay?", the spy asked softly, running a hand through the boy's hair. Though he didn't want to admit it, he felt incredibly touch-starved since their parents had died, though he had troubles with expressing his needs.

"Yeah, I'm okay.", Pietro answered hesitantly, unconsciously leaning into the woman's touch.

Natasha, obviously having noticed that, started smiling slightly.

"Pietro, would it be alright if I hugged you? I really could use a hug right now.", the russian stated, making sure that she gave the boy the opportunity to do something that would bring her comfort.

Soon after Nat had gotten to know the twins better, she had figured out that neither of them liked doing things for themselves, always searching for a way to bring comfort to the ones they love. At the time it had only been the other twin, but slowly they had added Natasha to that list as well.

"Yeah sure.", the boy answered, instantly reaching out and wrapping his arms around the older woman, who returned the hug with a small smile.

They stayed like this for a while, all the awkward tension gone and Pietro relaxing for the first time since what felt like forever.

"Did I ever tell you that I'm really proud of you, Pietro?", the spy asked when they finally pulled away, watching as a confused frown appeared on the boys features.

"No... Why?", he asked hesitantly, not knowing where the redhead was going with this.

"I know that you and your sister were on your own for a long time.", Natasha started, looking at the boy. "You took care of her the whole time. You protected her. And I am really proud of you for doing that.", she went on.

Pietro smiled slightly, scratching the back of his head. "Thank you.", he responded, not knowing what else to say.

Natasha smiled as well, but she wasn't finished yet. There was something that she had wanted to tell the boy for a long time already.

"I know it's hard to let go of your habits, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't be there for her anymore, but you're both safe here.", the russian said.

"We are all here for you. We are all going to protect you and take care of you.", she continued, watching Pietro's eyes fill with tears.

"You're not alone anymore, Pietro.", she whispered softly, taking the boys hand in hopes that it would provide some sort of comfort for him.

She could see that he was thinking hard, trying to process what Nat had just told him and for a long moment the room was completely silent.

"Už ma nepotrebuje? (She doesn't need me anymore?)", he suddenly choked out, his emotions making him slip back into his mother tongue.

"No, no of course not!", Natasha said quickly, using her thumb to wipe away the tears that were rolling down the boys pale cheeks.

"You're her twin brother, Pietro. She will always need you. You're a part of her, nobody will ever be able to replace you.", she reassured, noticing how relieved he was by that revelation.

"I'm just saying that you don't have to protect her by yourself anymore. You can do things on your own, for yourself.", the russian explained.

Pietro's face lit up with understanding. "Like my morning runs with Steve?", he asked, making the spy chuckle.

She couldn't resist the urge to pull Pietro back into her arms anymore and he didn't seem to mind as she did, relaxing into her embrace.

"Yes, buddy, just like your morning runs with Steve."