Natasha drove down the street carefully so she could brake easily if kids were playing nearby. She had been gone for a week on an assignment for Fury.
When she pulls into the driveway, she opened the garage door and pulled in. She shuts off her car then closes the giant door and gets out of the vehicle. She sees her husband's car on the other side and smiled at the thought of him being home.
She enters the house carefully to avoid disturbing Bruce in case he was asleep. They had moved to Ohio after the snap that destroyed Thanos' army. Bruce had found a way to stay in his human form in the following months afterward, but at the cost of what he called World War Hulk.
Natasha reunited with Yelena, who lived with them when she wasn't traveling with the Thunderbolts. Their parents moved back to Russia.
None of the three planned on moving into Natasha and Yelena's former family home, but when Natasha saw it was on sale a year ago, Bruce took the liberty of buying it, knowing it was the one place that she and Yelena had ever felt normal and safe as kids.
The swings and small playground were still there. Perfect if Bruce and Natasha ever felt ready to adopt one day. Both women got their rooms back and their parent's bedroom had been turned into a guest room, usually reserved for Bruce's cousin, Jennifer.
Tony, who was still healing from the physical damage from the snap, helped Bruce build a lab in the basement. Sometimes he would bring Morgan over to give Pepper a break. He and Yelena got along annoyingly well, and it was more chaotic when Jennifer was there.
Bruce had grown up in Ohio and was surprised to find out that Natasha used to live within walking distance of his Aunt Susan's old house, before she moved to L.A. to be closer to her sister, Elaine.
Natasha's thoughts are interrupted when she rounded the corner and saw Bruce eating a fruit salad. He was wearing his usual plaid shirt and a pair of jeans with black shoes. When he turned his head to face her, he abandoned his food and hugged her.
Natasha couldn't help but smile as she greeted him.
"I didn't know you were going to be home early, or I would have at least made you something," Bruce said when he parted from the hug.
"Mission was easier than we thought," Natasha replied. "Kate's getting better."
"Think she's ready to take over for Clint?"
"Not quite there yet, but she's earning the title of 'Hawkeye.'"
Clint met Kate in New York while he was recovering his suit from when his family was gone. The two found out that they made a good team, so he took her under his wing and made her a part of his family.
While Natasha was officially retired from the team and lived in a neighborhood where no one seemed to care about who she and Bruce are, and the press wouldn't find them, she still went on the occasional mission when Fury asked.
"What about you," Bruce asked. "Think you'll find another Widow to take the mantel?"
"Only when Jennifer takes Tony's offer to become an Avenger."
Bruce and Jennifer had gotten into a car accident and Bruce's blood got into one of her cuts, turning her into She-Hulk. Bruce was with her the entire time while she got used to it. Natasha was there to offer emotional support and how to handle the press.
"It'd be nice if she would," Bruce said. "Not saying that saving the world is a bad thing, I'm just ready for someone else to take the reins."
"I know," she said while playing with the chain that held her wedding ring under her shirt. She didn't wear it on her finger while she was on a mission, but she liked to know it was safe. Bruce kept his ring on at home, but around his neck in public. No one outside of their family and the Avengers knew they were married.
She and Bruce had decided to get married a couple of months ago, so they eloped by having Fury marry them. Both sides of the family were happy, but all of them meeting was chaotic.
While they both wanted a quieter life, they knew it was unlikely. Someone would always call them needing backup.
He must have known where her thoughts were headed because he spoke up. "You know I'm fine with whatever happens. You'll always be an Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D. will always be a part of your job description."
She smiled at him. He's always understood her job and how much it meant to her.
"I adore you," she said.
"I adore you too."
Their lips met and Natasha allowed herself to not think about the future or the team. In that moment, she was a wife. The one thing she'd never thought she'd be.
