Sunset Secret (Peter Parker x Reader)

Chapter 2

NARRATOR'S POV:
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Sounds of concern fill the Avengers facility as Natasha walks in. The child in her arms is covered in scratches and is stick-thin, the figures of her bones visible. Her (y/h/c) hair is tangled and knotted, and it looks incredibly dry and unkempt. The Avengers immediately get up from their seats and make room for her to be laid on the couch, looking over her. "What happened to her?" "Poor kid hasn't even been fed properly." "Be quiet, guys, don't wake her up!" Nat exclaims, shooing them away to give the girl some space. Tony pulls her aside, continuously glancing back at the child.

"Where did you get her?" he asks, concern and worry filling his features. "She was just curled up on the ground, shaking and crying. From what it looked like, she was walking away from an orphanage. Please Tony, please let me take care of her. She's just a little girl!"

Tony looks back at the child, still sleeping and incredibly frail. How could he say no? He can't let a kid suffer. "Okay. When she wakes up, you can ask her if she wants to live here. If she wants to, she can stay. If she has somewhere else to go, we let her get to peak health and she goes on her way. Capiche?" "Caposh," Natasha replies, smiling gratefully. She walks back over to the couch, gently picking up the girl. She walks to her room, gently nudging the door open with her foot and laying the girl down on her bed and covering her with blankets. Pulling a chair to the corner of the room, she sits down, waiting through the entirety of the night for the girl to wake up.

NEXT MORNING/ YOUR POV:
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Light shines through my eyelids, causing me to regain awareness. There's some sort of weight on me, but it's comfortable. My surroundings aren't cold anymore, and the ground beneath me... isn't ground. My eyes flutter open, squinting at the brightness. "Oh, is the light too much? Just a second."

That voice. The woman who spoke to me... how long ago was that? My eyes adjust and I look around, my gaze fixating on the woman at the window, pulling the blinds closed. I take in the room, surprised at the simple luxuriousness of it. "Who are you? Where... where am I?" I ask, my voice slightly raspy and barely more than a whisper. The redhead turns around, smiling softly and walking to the bedside, picking up a glass of water and handing it to me. I look at her, skeptically, not taking the cup. "Hey, it's okay, I just want to help you." I hesitate before taking it, my hand brushing against hers. I flinch slightly, making her furrow her eyebrows in confusion. She brushes it off and smiles, reassuringly. I bring the glass to my lips and drink, enjoying the feel of the cool water soothing my throat. "Who are you and where am I?" I ask again, my voice stronger and more clear.

"My name is Natasha Romanoff. I'm one of the Avengers. Do you know who the Avengers are?" I shake my head. "Well, we're some of Earth's defenders, I guess you could say. Some of us have special powers or abilities, but right now we're just a team of six. As for where you are, you're at the Avengers facility. I found you outside last night on the ground and wanted to help you."

"Why do you want to help me?" I ask, confused. No one has ever wanted to... help me before. Why would she? "Because I used to be you. I was once a young girl who was scared and hurt and with no clear path of my own choosing. You didn't deserve that," she says, and I stare at her.

"Thank you," are the only words I manage to say. "Don't worry about it, sweetie. If you don't mind, can you tell me some things about you?" I inhale, shakily, and nod.

"(Y/n)."

"(Y/n)?" Natasha asks, and I nod again, my voice wavering as I continue. "That's my name. I'm nine years old and have been passed from orphanage to orphanage for as long as I can remember. Fosters can't keep me and I have no living family members, so I've just been on my own." Natasha looks at me with sympathy so genuine it warms my heart. "I'm so sorry about that, truly, I am," she starts. "But what if you stay here?"

What? Is she asking me to stay with her? Like, really asking it?

"Yeah," she says, nodding, "you can stay here and we'll take care of you. We can be your family, but only if you want that," she adds, hurriedly. I bite my lip, thinking for a minute before I nod, hesitantly.

Who knows?

Things might actually turn out better.