natasha romanoff one-shots (gxg)

𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬

a/n: roughly based on the movie; sort of a slow burn, but it still contains a fair amount of fluff

You're not really sure what you were thinking when you accepted Mrs. X's job offer. You, just having graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance, taking care of a little boy. It's not even like you're experienced in any of this — you're an only child, for god's sake, and you don't recall ever finding pleasure in something like running around an hyperactive little human and constantly cleaning up messes.

But what's done is done, and you know it's too late to back out when you see the look in Grayer's eyes. It's pretty obvious the poor thing barely gets any attention from his parents, so he seems pretty thrilled to finally have someone who seems to care about him. And you do — care about him, that is —, but you're just not sure whether you did the right thing.

You're not made for this kind of life, after all. A wealthy family on the Upper East Side, living in a fancy apartment in a just as fancy building. You grew up with a single mother, a nurse who did multiple shifts in order to be able to provide for the two of you. Luxury wasn't some you ever experienced firsthand — but now that you know what it can be like, you're pretty sure you don't miss it.

The first days are tough. Grayer is rebelling against basically everything you tell him; food ends on the floor, he won't cooperate when you try to study French with him (why a little kid would need French is beyond you, but oh well), he takes his room apart instead of sleeping. It's only been a few days — and yet, you're exhausted. But you also can't deny you already have a soft spot for the kid.

Picking him up from preschool can go one of two ways — either he's so tired he'll fall asleep in his stroller the moment he sits down, or he's energetic enough to run to the other side of New York and back. Today, it's the latter.

You've been chasing him for a few blocks now, and you feel like you're about to pass out. Luckily, he knows the way home, so you could technically just let him run for his life and meet him at the building, but you're afraid to let him out of your sight. What if he gets kidnapped, or run over, or simply doesn't stop where he's supposed to stop?

No. You can't risk that. So you keep running, your lungs on the brink of collapse as you — very slowly — start to catch up to him. Grayer almost runs into a passerby, but he jumps aside at the last second and then, just when you thought he'd finally stop, keeps bolting. It's like the late summer heat doesn't even bother him.

"Grayer, stop!", you yell again, frustrated. He won't listen, obviously, but it's still worth a try. The boy keeps running, laughing at you as he looks over his shoulder once — and suddenly, he gets stopped by a woman. She wraps her arm around him, catching him mid run and causing him to squeal. He starts squirming, kicking his legs, and then he looks at her and realizes who she is.

"Natasha", he says happily, moving to hug her leg once she's put him down.

You walk up to them, still out of breath, and warily eye the woman who decided to just grab the boy you're nannying. Red hair, leather jacket, green eyes. Fair, smooth skin, and full lips that curve into a small smirk as she looks at you. You tear your eyes away from her, afraid you'll start to grow nervous under her intense gaze if you don't. You opt for scolding Grayer, which seems like the safest option right now.

"Do that one more time and we're never having Goober again", you mutter, firmly taking his hand into yours. He gives you a sheepish expression and finally allows you to keep him close. Apparently, all it took to get him to listen was the presence of a mysterious woman — Natasha, you remember. Grayer called her Natasha, so that must be her name.

"Goober?", she asks, her arms crossing over her chest. "Is that the dog?"

"No. It's this peanut butter and jelly spread." You tug at Grayer's hand as he starts to pull at your grip again. "Quit that."