Seven Wishes

Common Colds

Natasha is in a soft bathrobe, a warm cup of hot tea in her hands. She wrinkles her nose over the taste.

Why she chose today to try his herbal mix is still a mystery, maybe she sleep-walked down to the living room.

With her heels pulled in she stares out of the window and watches some rabbit traipse through their backyard.

Natasha lays her head against the pillow in contentment over watching the rabbit and her baby.

She bites her nail and tries to guess it's age by size alone. She stands to step closer to the window and watch their small noses wiggle in unison.

"Morning, Natasha" Banner wanders down the stairs, walking a bit sideways into their small kitchen to start a pot of coffee...

... today, they're reversed.

She steps over cautiously, "Coffee, huh?"

He rubs his cheek, "I've been up since 3, couldn't sleep."

"I noticed," she steps into the kitchen, studying his frazzled state, 'is everything alright?"

"Just...quadruple checked the school, emailed the principal and uh,' he physically reaches to hold his eyelids open, 'Yeah..."

Natasha pulls her lips into her mouth, "I see..."

"They, don't require a physical exam or proof of one so...we're clear on that front."

Natasha's head immediately falls, her molars grinding when she spews coldly, "Great."

He tugs his cheeks, "Oh, don't. Please don't."

"The tabloids are going to eat her alive. You know what they say about us...about you."

"And you're going to let her read the paper?"

Her head tilts sarcastically, "Bruce, she gets into everything whether I want her to or not. Including but not limited to my emails. She's been unscrewing light bulbs, trying to take apart and I quote, 'the guts' to 'see how they work'. She likes blood, she laughs over injuries. She only wants to watch Judge Judy- I have no idea if that's her aunt talking or what. You know she got into the green food dye last month and started painting her face."

He groans, still slowly tugging his cheeks downward.

Natasha rambles on, "-The day she answers the phone and hands it to me with that squeaky voice going, 'Uncle Clint is on the phone and wants to know how many people you murdered on your last assignment, can I see photos of the carnage' I won't even give it a second thought."

His breathing hitches, "You're the one who said we should be upfront and honest with a four year old..."

She squints, "What were we supposed to do? Keep the fact that I'm an assassin and your green from a genius child until she turned 16? Spring it all on her the same way I learned I wasn't an actual ballet dancer?"

"Well. Telling her who we are isn't helping our sanity."

"It was never for us, it was for her."

"I'm not sure it's helping her."

"Which is why, she got the abbreviated kid-proof version. Her parents are heroes. Did the school accept our application?"

"They did...I got up early and did more background checks to make sure it wasn't, you know. I had a nightmare and I wanted make sure it wasn't- it wasn't. They weren't- What are words..."

Natasha watches him bury his head in his forearms, plopping into a chair and frozen at the kitchen table.

She rounds it, shoving her mug in his direction and moves to pour a cup of coffee for herself;