My dad looked at us, annoyed by our stares. “What?”

My mum decided to answer for us. “For a guy who hates and doesn’t trust America, you sure do love their superhero.”

Dad looked at us as he shrugged. “He stopped the Nazi’s that is good enough for me. Besides which boy didn’t love him as a kid.”

He then looked at me before pointing at me. “Even I saw your posters off him in your orphanage when we came to pick you up.”

‘Man, that is so awkward.’ I looked at Nat to see her looking at me in interest. "You must have been fanboying when you saw him!"

She stated with a smile much to my embarrassment. “That was when I was 5.”

'And I transmigrated when I was 6.' I told myself as I told her, but I could see the playful smile on her face. “Besides…”

Turning towards dad I began pointing out. “…I don’t go around saying America is unsafe to live in, to everyone I see.”

Just as he was about to retort the front door opened to reveal Jack awkwardly coming in. “Jack? Why are you back?”

My dad looked at Jack with his serious face. “Dad can I not go to school today? Brother is here and I don’t know when he will go back.”

I gave him a sneaky thumbs up for growing some balls to stand up to dad to which he smiled.

My dad rejected the plea, just before I pulled my thumbs down as he turned to me. “No, go to school.”

I frowned as I looked at dad to see him being so strict. “Please, dad.”

He begged but dad kept rejecting him. I decided to step in before things got worse between them. “How about this Jack, we will all go for a movie once you are back from school?”

I suggested only to see his happy face as quickly nodded. “Thanks, bro.”

He didn’t wait for anyone’s reply as he ran out closing the door. I turned my attention back to both my parents. “You know I don’t remember you guys ever being this strict on me.”

My mum nodded sadly. “You didn’t have to be told as you were always way above everyone's expectations, unlike Jack who is always lazy. He is always just playing with his phone instead of doing something actually productive.”

I chuckled as I heard that. “He might not like studying unlike me. I was weird even amongst the nerds in my year. I think you might have set him too high of a standard.”

All of them nodded with a smile as dad replied. “Yeah, sometimes I think that too. Recently I have been a bit more lenient on him otherwise he wouldn’t have asked me to take a day off.”

We finished off our breakfast and decided to go out for a walk. As we were about to go out mum called out. “David wait! We will join you.”

I looked at my parents who were wearing their jackets in confusion. “Aren’t you both going to work?”

My parents laughed as they heard that before mum asked me. “Tell me why we should we when we get about £10,000 into our account every month from a certain someone?”

I was surprised to learn that they resigned. I asked them in curiosity as mum locked the door after we got out. “When did you quit?”

Mum replied as she turned around grabbing dad’s arm. “I resigned 2 months ago, and your dad resigned 3 weeks ago. We decided to just enjoy having an early retirement.”

I simply smiled and waited for them to start walking. Natasha and I, just walked behind as they walked ahead. We held hands as she leaned onto my shoulder. She whispered to me. “I like them.”

I nodded as I replied back. “They like you as well. A bit unexpected on the job revelation side other than that they like you.”

She smiled as she tightened her hold. We walked next to our parents and just kept talking with them making our walk lively.

Somehow we ended beside a lakeside before having lunch outside together. “It’s nearly 3, we better get home or Jack will be alone.”

Dad stood up from the bench we were sat on. Seeing this Nat asked my parents in a confused look. “Shall we just go pick him up and go to the cinemas from there?”

My mum nodded at that suggestion. “Yeah, that seems like a better idea than walking back and forth.”

Thus, having come to a decision we walked towards Jack’s school to collect him.

We waited out with the other parents as Nat watched everyone with a yearning smile. I leaned into her ears and whispered as we watched the parents waiting expectantly for their children. “One day that will be us.”

Nat looked up at me with longing happiness as I said that. “You promise?”

I smiled as I saw the joy on her face. "I promise."

Naturally, someone had to ruin at that exact moment. “David!”

We turned around to see Jack running towards us he saw us standing by the school gates. I smiled as I saw my brother. “Hey, Jack.”

Jack didn’t waste any time as he asked me as soon as he got near to us. “Can we go to the cinemas now?”

I turned towards dad who smiled with a nod. He jumped excitedly. “Yes!”

Mum took his bag from his back as we walked with Jack chattering endlessly about his day at school.

As per the plan, we went to the cinema. It’s just that I forgot one slight problem as we sat down for the movie. “Can you two shut up?”

Dad looked at Nat and me, after hearing us consistently talking, in annoyance along with several other people. I grew red in embarrassment while Nat chuckled. I apologized as I leaned onto Nat. “Sorry.”

Needless to say, after a few minutes both of us were kicked out of the movie screen much to the joy of my own family and the surrounding people. “I swear we were talking quietly.”

I told Nat as she laughed seeing my red face. “Yeah, but you kept laughing out loudly. Who told you to do that?”

I sighed in defeat as we waited inside the cinema. Bored we just sat down on the bench and just watched people walking by. “Remember the first time we met?”

I asked her remembering my fright and excitement at seeing one of the best Shield agents. Nat nodded as she replied. “Christmas Eve of 2006 I was doing some last-minute shopping. Tired I just sat down on a bench, only to sit next to a complete weirdo who was peeping on people in the name of meditation.”

I burst out laughing as I heard that. “Hahaha! True.”

She smiled as she leaned on my shoulders. “Did you know I was panicking when I saw you?”

Nat shook her head. “Really? Why?”

“I knew you were a Shield agent and thought Fury send you to capture me.”

She chuckled as she heard that. “So everything you said back then was to test me?”

I shook my head. “More like a part of me wanted some action after being bored and the paranoid part of me just wanted to leave you unsuspicious. Somehow everything I said, in the end, became very confusing even to me now that I think about it.”

Nat laughed as she shook her head. “Did you know I kind of lied about trying the meditation method you told me that day, in order to stop you from asking me about it in the future?”

I sighed in relief. “Thank god. I didn’t want you to end up being enlightened following some random bullshit I spewed from reading novels.”

We both ended up laughing. Just at that moment, my eyes caught the arcade area in the cinemas. I smiled as I looked at Natl. “Do you want to try the arcade games until the movie ends?”

Nat dug into her pocket. “I don’t have any 1 pound coins.”

She showed me the dollars in her hands. I grinned as I pulled her along to the arcade. “Who needs that when you got the best hacker in the world?”

Thus, we tried every game in the arcade for free until my family came out of the cinema. Needless to say, we ignored the jealous stare of several kids who walked by or watched us play.

"Can I try David?"

We turned around to see Jack looking eagerly at the arcade machine. "Sure."

I moved from the machine and allowed him to play along with Nat. We played for a while before my dad decided it was time to go. "Come on let's go Jack."

Jack sighed sadly as he departed from the arcade box.

Nat smiled as she got up from the 2 player racing game with Jack. "That was fun."

I blankly stared at her. "Yeah, I don't think it's fair that you took the high score in the shooting and racing game here. I mean most of the kids aren't..."

Nat placed a hand on my mouth before pointing towards Jack with her eyes as she whispered. "Jack."

I smiled in embarrassment as I nearly spilled everything in front of my brother. "Oh sorry."

My mum smiled seeing us as she stated. “You 2 really need to put a plug on that chatterbox machine of yours.”

My face turned red, while Natasha laughed as walked out to a restaurant.

Just as we sat down dad informed Jack. “Jack, David, and Natasha have some good news for you.”

Jack looked at me excitedly hearing that. “Really?”

I nodded with a smile. “Jack, me, and Natasha are getting married this year.”

I told him much to his shock and excitement. “When?”

I knew he asked it after probably hoping it was during the weekdays when he could skip school. “We haven’t decided yet.”

I told him much to his let-down. “You look more excited about our marriage than we are.”

Natasha stated which earned a chuckle from all of us. “He just wants to skip school.”

Mum announced his secret openly to which we all laughed again. “Don’t worry Jack I will make sure they hold their wedding on a day off or during your holidays.”

Dad told him to which he quickly shouted in aghast. “No!”

We all laughed at his expense till we finished our meal.

The days ahead were like a dream to me. All my loved ones together as we talked and hung out. There was no greater happiness to me than this.

Few days went by, and I decided to visit our grandparents and do an official proposal to Nat in front of them. I decided to bring along my parents and Jack as I wanted everyone there when I proposed to Nat. So we went on a Friday after school with Jack.

They were all too happy to see I had finally managed to date, someone. Obviously, my parents didn’t tell them everything about Natasha’s job or my job and had even prepared a lie beforehand to tell other family members including my grandparents.

I simply proposed to Natasha with a ring without much fanfare as Jack recorded the video of my proposal to her.

It didn’t need to be said that everyone drank to their fill the whole night as we decided to stay in my grandparents’ home, except for me and Jack. I simply didn’t drink as I really didn’t like the smell and taste of alcohol after not having drunk so long. While I stopped Jack from drinking at such a young age. Jack had tried sneaking off with a drink, but I kept a close on him at all times to stop him much to everyone’s amusement seeing his annoyed face.

As there weren’t enough rooms Natasha and I suggested sleeping on the sofa. Although met with some reluctance from my parents and grandparents they both agreed after Natasha, and I convinced them.

As we laid on the sofa I saw that Nat was awfully quiet. I looked at her to see Nat play with the ring on her finger with worry, which caused me to become worried. “You okay?”

She looked at me as she replaced her worry with a smile. “Yeah, it’s nothing.”

I shook my head at her as I caressed her head. “I am ready to listen.”

Nat looked around before she looked into my eyes. “Did you notice how awkward your parents were with your grandparents?”

I furrowed my eyebrow as I could smell the alcohol from her breath. Although I didn’t really like drinking, I don’t mind the smell of it from her as I had gotten used to it from the times she ended up drunk when we were together. “Really?”

She nodded slightly drunk. “I don’t know why but I feel something off with your grandparents.”

I became worried as I heard her concern. I wasn’t really bright on the emotional side unlike Nat even though she was drunk. “How sure are you?”

“Like 50 to 60%. But I feel it’s nothing too dangerous or serious, just some disharmony between them or something like that.”

I never noticed any disharmony between my grandparents and my parents. They were always happy and got along well. However, hearing this from Nat I became worried. Seeing this Nat smiled as she kissed my cheek before hugging me. “Never mind. It might be that I am still too stressed from the fight last week, and judging people quickly or too drunk or both.”

“I don’t think so, Nat…”

Nat interrupted me before I could finish. “What happened to your dad’s family?”

Even though she was a drunk like all my family, but still held onto her sound mind as she tried to distract my worried mind. “They died. But he doesn’t say that to anyone including Jack and me.”

I began telling her the full story.

Being curious about my parents I had dug out my dad’s past. I found out that both my dad’s parents died in a car crash in which he was driving 1 year before he met mum. Due to this everyone in his shitty family hated or accused him of killing them, when he was already blaming himself.

He met mum during the lowest point in his life just as he was about to jump off a bridge. This was why whenever I mentioned my dad’s family he always looked down or upset, while my mum tried to change the topic in my childhood.

Finished with the story we laid on the sofa in each other’s embrace quietly. “Everyone has a low point in their life huh?”

Nat asked me, to which I nodded. Natasha pulled up her left hand and kept touching the ring I slotted into her ring finger. She examined it as she rested on me. “Did you make it?”

I smiled seeing her correct deduction even though she was drunk. “Yeah, just for you.”

She smiled as I saw tears in her eyes. “I never imagined that a day like this would ever happen in my life.”

She grabbed my hands and pulled them to hug her tightly. “Thank you. I will treasure this forever.”

I kissed the top of her head. “And I will too.”

We fell asleep not long after. Of course, it doesn’t have to be said we were the first ones to wake up as it was routine normal for Natasha to get up from the slightest of noise, especially with the kids making noise outside due to being weekend.

Nat covered her ears. “Uhh… my head. It’s too noisy.”

She complained. I laughed seeing this as I opened a small portal out of which a nanobot in the form of an injection flew out and pierced her neck. “Ow!”

She was about to slap the nanobot when it escaped from her assault and back into the portal. I asked Nat as she stared into the portal with clear eyes. “How do you feel now?”

A smile came on her face as she looked at herself in amazement. “I really missed not having to have a hangover thanks to you.”

I boasted with a smile that earned a kiss on my cheek. “Well, only you get that privilege but I have to confess I used it on Dr. Erik Selvig once.”

We chuckled as we went to the kitchen.

We decided to prepare breakfast for everyone. Finished with breakfast we slowly started eating just as Jack woke up and came down, soon followed by everyone else with a lingering headache and aversion to noise.