Marvel One-Shots

A Day Off

For once, the Avengers could enjoy a peaceful day off at the Tower. Tony, ever the master of planning, had declared it a “mandatory fun day” for the team.

The team was scattered around the living room. Tony and Steve were having a heated debate over the finer points of ‘Star Wars’ versus ‘Star Trek,’ with Steve surprisingly holding his own despite Tony’s overwhelming knowledge.

Natasha was curled up on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, flipping through a magazine, occasionally rolling her eyes at the boys’ banter.

She was the picture of relaxation, until Peter Parker, who was bouncing around like an excited puppy, appeared beside her.

“Nat, can we do training later? You promised!” Peter’s energy seemed endless, and his puppy eyes were almost too much for anyone to handle. Natasha, being Natasha, barely blinked.

“You’ve trained enough for one week, kid. Besides, I’m enjoying my day off,” she replied, glancing at him from the corner of her eye. But Peter wasn’t giving up.

“Come on, just a little sparring! Steve, back me up here!” Peter called out, making Steve pause his debate with Tony.

“You’re not getting me involved in this one, Peter,” Steve chuckled, “Natasha’s made her decision.”

Tony, always ready to stir the pot, chimed in. “Nat, I think you should train the kid. You don’t want him getting rusty now, do you?”

Natasha gave Tony a look that could have melted vibranium. “If you want to volunteer for training, Stark, I’ll happily oblige.”

“Nope. I’m good. Perfectly content here,” Tony said quickly, sinking back into his seat.

Meanwhile, Clint was perched on the back of the couch, munching on popcorn. “Nat, you’re getting soft. You used to enjoy a good sparring session. How about you take Peter on and show him what a real assassin can do?”

Natasha’s eyebrow quirked. “Are you volunteering as his next sparring partner after I’m done with him?”

Clint immediately shoved another handful of popcorn into his mouth. “Nah, I’m just the audience. I’m here for the entertainment.”

Bruce, who was sitting quietly reading a book, glanced up at the chaos around him. “How about we all take a break from trying to fight each other today?” he suggested calmly.

At that moment, the door opened, and Thor strode in, his booming voice filling the room. “Ah, my friends! I have brought Asgardian mead to celebrate our day of rest!”

“Oh, great,” Tony said with mock enthusiasm. “This is going to end well.”

Natasha glanced at Thor, then at the mead he was holding. “I’m going to need some of that after today.”

Peter, still persistent, tried one more time. “Please, Nat? Just a little sparring?”

Natasha sighed, standing up slowly. “Alright, fine. But if you end up on the floor begging for mercy, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Peter grinned, bouncing on his feet. “Deal!”

As the team moved to clear space in the middle of the room, Steve leaned over to Tony and whispered, “You think he’ll last more than five minutes?”

Tony shook his head. “Not a chance.”

Natasha cracked her knuckles and stepped into position. “Alright, Spiderling. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The next few minutes were a blur of acrobatics, punches, and dodges. Peter gave it his all, flipping through the air, trying to land hits on Natasha.

But she was too quick, too experienced. With minimal effort, she dodged his every move, countering just enough to keep him on his toes.

Finally, with a smooth move, Natasha swept Peter’s legs out from under him, and he landed on the floor with a thud. She stood over him, barely out of breath. “Told you.”

Peter groaned but grinned up at her. “Okay, yeah. You’re awesome.”

Natasha reached down and helped him up. “Good effort, though. You’re getting better.”

Thor handed Natasha a mug of mead, and she took a sip, glancing around at the rest of the team, who were watching with amusement.

“Anyone else want to spar?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope, we’re good,” Steve said quickly, speaking for everyone.

Clint snickered. “Yeah, no one’s crazy enough to go up against you, Nat.”

Natasha smirked, settling back onto the couch with her mead. “Smart choice.”

As the day wound down, the Avengers found themselves scattered again, but this time in comfortable silence.

Peter was nursing his bruised ego, Thor was regaling Bruce with tales of Asgard, and Tony was still trying to convince Steve that ‘Star Trek’ was superior.

In the middle of the chaos, Natasha glanced around at her dysfunctional, but oddly lovable, family. For all their quirks and differences, these were her people.

And as far as days off went, this one wasn’t half bad.