Chapter Text
Nat POV
Working at the zoo has been the second best thing to happen to me in my life. The first being Anya. I never really thought that a drunken mistake with a best friend could result in the best thing to ever happen to me but it did. Sleeping with Steve six years ago was probably the biggest mistake I could’ve made, especially knowing that I was gay the entire time. Thankfully, he’s a forgiving and understanding man, and we were able to move past that. Probably for the best, considering the fact that we work together. I met Steve when we were both fifteen and started working at the zoo together. At that age, they never really let us do anything fun, you had to work up to that and prove that you were trustworthy. Steve ended up working with the tigers and I chose to learn more about the penguins. But now our daughter gets the best of all worlds at the zoo. Not to mention that everyone knows her, so it allows her to run throughout the zoo and learn about each of the animals as she pleases. It probably isn’t the best idea to normally let a six-year-old run around a zoo unsupervised, but in her case, I was always tracking her and everyone knew her and knew to keep an eye on her. Usually, they would walk her back and forth to whatever exhibit she wanted to go to next. It was one of the best parts about working in a place for so long, they really felt like a family. Steve and I chose to homeschool Anya so she could also grow up in the zoo, which was another one of our brilliant ideas. She was truly a human sponge, soaking up all of the animal knowledge that we gave her and she loved all of the animals so much that it warmed both of our hearts.
“Mama when are the babies gonna hatch?” Anya asked as I set down her breakfast.
“Any day now bug, are you excited?” I asked with a smile.
“Yeah! But I want to go visit Uncle Wade, he promised to bring me in the shark tunnel and let me meet Jeff.” She said with a soft sigh.
“Jeff is a shark?” I asked, wondering if I’d heard her correctly.
“Mhm! He’s a baby. Uncle Wade’s favorite!” She said proudly.
“And you want to meet him? Like outside of the tank, correct?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
“Nope! Uncle Wade says we can go right in the water!” She said, smiling brightly.
“Okay, bug, you know I love you more than anything in this whole world, but I’m going to have to talk to your Uncle Wade about this, okay? He’s lost his damn mind. For now, no deep diving with the sharks. I want to learn more about Jeff.” I said, knowing that Wade was one of the more chaotic found family members.
“Okay mama. Do you think the eggs will hatch today?” She asked, her big eyes shining at me.
“Baby I’m not sure. How about we give you a radio today and if I see them starting to move around and hatch, I’ll radio and tell you. How does that sound?” I asked.
“Really? I can have one?” She asked, her eyes growing wide.
“You sure can. We’ll put it on our very own, special channel, okay?” I said with a smile, grabbing my extra radio.
“Okay!” She said, nodding.
“Okay, you eat your breakfast up and I’ll get this all ready to go.” I said, programing the radios so she would be on a channel that we don’t use for the zoo.
She ate her eggs and toast faster than I would’ve liked her to but I knew she was eager about the day. That was one thing she loved the most, finally getting to go to the zoo in the morning. I had never really met a six-year-old that was so eager to get up as early as we do, just to go to the zoo. Granted, she doesn’t really work there, she gets to have fun, but it is still weird to see. There was part of me that wondered if we were depriving her of building the common social skills that came with going to school, but she does see and talk to people all day long, they just mostly aren’t her age. At least not physically. Some of them mentally are her age, and that might be more frightening than a bunch of six-year-olds. Once her breakfast was finished, I got her dressed for the day and we headed out the door. We had to go see Steve before he started his day so that he could say his good mornings to Anya. We got to the zoo quickly and went into the locker room where we found Steve waiting for us, a coffee in hand for me. I let out a happy sigh as Anya raced towards him happily and he set down the coffee.
“You are a lifesaver.” I said softly.
“Well, I know you’re less of a person without your coffee, I couldn’t contribute to the unhappiness of our favorite tuxedoed friends!” He teased, scooping Anya up in his arms.
“Daddy! The eggs are hatching soon!” Anya squealed as she hugged him.
“They are? When are they hatching?” He asked her softly as I picked up the coffee he’d brought me.
“Mama doesn’t know.” Anya said with a sigh.
“Maybe mama needs to get better at her job, hmmm? We need to know when the babies are coming.” He teased.
“Steven Grant Rogers… Watch it.” I warned him.
“Mama gave me a radio!” Anya announced happily.
“Woah! Look at our little zookeeper! Speaking of, where do you want to be dropped off today?” He asked, looking at her with a smile.
I couldn’t help but smile. Though things could never work romantically with Steve, he was an amazing father to Anya and an even better partner to parent with. He wanted to be a dad, but he also wanted her to have as much time with me as possible, something that I loved. When he had her, he was on, he was focused and the best dad in the world, and when she wasn’t with him, he was himself and that was perfectly fine with me. I watched Anya tap her finger against her chin, clearly deep in thought on where she wanted to start her day before a smile spread across her face.
“Elephants please!” She requested with a smile.
“You got it kiddo. Are we good, Nat?” He asked, checking with me before they head out for the day.
“Yeah, she does have ballet tonight if you want to come though.” I said with a smile.
“Of course. Same place you used to take classes?” He asked with a tilt of his head.
“That’s the place.” I said with a nod.
“Well then, I will be there.” He said, sending me his best smile before letting Anya jump on his back.
“Perfect. Have a good day my love! You too, Steven.” I said with a smirk.
“Tell your mama you love her.” He said, looking at Anya over his shoulder.
“Love you whole bunches!” She said, blowing me a kiss.
“To the moon and back, bug.” I said, catching her kiss and pressing it against my heart.
“See ya Nat!” Steve said with a wave.
“Bye you two.” I said, waving back as they walked out of the locker room.
Wanda POV
My son, Oliver loved going to the zoo. He would spend all day there, mostly sitting at the penguins and watching them zoom around their enclosure. He also loved feeding time, something that I loved as well, but not for the penguins. The zookeeper with the penguins was ridiculously attractive. The kind of attractive that made me actually angry to see. Because there was no reason for her to look the way she does, especially feeding some flightless birds their cold, dead fish. We had gone to the zoo every Saturday since we moved here. We left home after Oliver’s father and my brother died in a car crash. My parents told me I could stay with them, but I knew that I needed to get away from the reminders of them. Everywhere I went, I would see a spot where we’d done something together and it was all just too much to deal with. So we moved to a new city to get a fresh start. I was eighteen when I got pregnant. They always warn you about safe sex, to the point where they’re pounding it into your head, and yet the one time I had unprotected sex, I ended up pregnant. Not that I could ever regret Oliver, it was just something that made life harder than it needed to be. I had to give up my scholarship to Juilliard to raise a baby. Thankfully, I ended up with the sweetest little baby in the world. Regardless of how things ended between his father and I, the one thing we did right was making him. So when we moved I asked him what he wanted to do first and the first thing he wanted to do when we got here was go to the zoo. He loved it so much and had such a good time that we decided to make it a weekly thing. That’s when we saw the zookeeper that works with the penguins. My God, she was breathtaking. Which, as I said, was pretty unfair for someone who was feeding dead fish to some flightless birds. We’d seen her every Saturday, and every Saturday, she’d smile at me and wave and like a dumb school girl, I would blush and think about it for the rest of the day… Hell, the rest of the week. Today was thankfully a Saturday, which meant that we were going to the zoo and I’d get to see the beautiful woman that worked with the penguins.
We made it to the zoo with little traffic and it was something I was entirely thankful for, usually there was a lot of traffic going to the zoo and it took forever. Something that gave me a very unhappy boy to deal with, so I was more than thankful that I didn’t have to put up with that now. I got Ollie out of the car and we made our way into the zoo, showing our tickets before heading to the elephant exhibit. As we got closer, I noticed a little girl standing at the fence, happily talking to the elephants and far closer than you were supposed to be. I had no idea how she’d gotten there but it made me more than nervous to see her standing there where an elephant could just grab her and hurt her. I decided to try and talk to her to get her away from any immediate danger.
“Hi sweetheart, are you lost?” I asked, looking around for anyone who was looking for their child.
“Nope! Just visiting Auntie Maria and Casper! Casper is our baby Asian elephant!” She announced with a proud smile.
“Are you the world’s youngest zookeeper?” I asked with a smile.
“Mama works here! We’re waiting for the penguin babies to hatch. I have a radio. See!” She said, pointing to the radio on her hip.
“She just lets you run around the zoo?” I asked with a frown.
“She allows it because we’re a family and we all look after her. You look familiar. Aren’t you… Maximoff? We went to school together in middle school before I moved.” I woman with brown hair said, squinting at me.
“And you are?” I asked, trying to place her.
“Maria Hill. Your brother’s best friend from pre-school to eighth grade.” She said with a laugh.
“Oh my God! Wow! You’ve grown up! How’d you know it was me?” I asked in disbelief.
“Thank you, puberty has been kind to me. But you still have the same bright smile you’ve always had. And I see you have a son.” She said, looking at Ollie.
“Yeah! Oliver. And this is…?” I asked, looking at the young girl.
“This is Anya. My best friend’s daughter. Normally, we walk her between exhibits, but if you want the best zoo tour, she’s your guide. I can radio Nat and everyone to let them know she’ll be with you if you guys want?” She asked.
“Me? Lead the tour?” Anya asked with big eyes.
“You got it sweetheart. As long as Mrs. Wanda approves.” Maria said, her eyes flashing to mine.
“Oh, I’m not married. But sure. I know Ollie would love a tour.” I said with a smile.
“Yay!” Anya cheered.
“I’ll radio your mama. Have fun guys! And Anya? Make sure you stop at the penguins last so your mama can bring you home, okay?” Maria asked.
“Okay! Unless the eggs hatch!” Anya said happily.
“Alright, Princess Anya. They’re the last stop unless the eggs start to hatch. Don’t forget to say hello to your father.” She said with a smile.
“Okay! Love you!” Anya said, hugging Maria.
“I love you too. Wanda, Anya eats free here and today, so will you guys. Ask anyone to radio if you run into trouble. And don’t forget to have fun!” Maria said, letting go of Anya.
I bent down to her level with a smile and took in her outfit. She had a zoo t-shirt on and some shorts, tied together with her light-up shoes. I waved Oliver over to us and he slowly made his way over to us. I smiled at him as he shyly tried to hide behind me.
“Bud, this is Anya. Anya this is Oliver or Ollie. Ollie, we’re going to get a special tour with Anya today. Would you like that?” I asked.
“Yeah.” He said softly with a nod.
“Perfect. Okay sweetheart, show us your favorite parts of the zoo.” I said, looking at Anya.
“Okay!” She said happily.
She grabbed my hand and started walking us towards the tigers. I made sure to grab Ollie’s hand as she pulled me along and we listened to the stories she had to tell us on the way. The way she spoke about the zoo was rather infectious, especially for a child as young as she was. She clearly had a deep love for the place and it made my heart feel warm to know that.
“My daddy works with the tigers!” She happily announced.
“That’s so cool!” Ollie said, easily perking up.
“Mhm! What does your daddy do?” She asked and I cringed immediately.
“My daddy died…” He said quietly and Anya immediately stopped.
“You can share mine.” She said softly.
“Really? But my mommy likes girls…” He said and I had to fight off the blush that having my son out me to a little girl caused.
“Hmmm, that’s okay.” Anya said with a shrug and started pulling us along again.
It warmed my heart that this little girl that had only just met us, offered my son her father to share. It showed me that her parents were raising her right. Though I was curious about her mother because Maria mentioned the penguins. I wasn’t sure if she meant she works with the penguins or that her mother just always met her at the penguins after every day. I was trying to think of a way that I could ask Anya about her mother, wondering if the mysterious Nat was the same woman that smiled at me and waved every time she saw me.
“Hey munchkin, what does your mama do?” I asked, deciding to bite the bullet and ask.
“She works with penguins! Feeding them and playing with them. All kinds of stuff!” She said happily.
“Does she do the penguin feeding?” Ollie asked excitedly.
“Mhm! Sometimes she even lets me do it!” She announced happily.
“Woah!” Ollie said, clearly way less devastated by this news than I was.
“I can ask mama if you can meet Rusty!” She said happily.
“Really?” He asked, his excited eyes flashing to me.
“Mhm! He’s the bestest!” She said with a smile.
“Awesome!” Ollie said with a smile.
I wanted to share in his excitement and happiness but I really couldn’t. It felt weird to say but I couldn’t believe that I was chasing this high that could only be found in a stranger’s eyes. A stranger that was married to another animal lover that worked at the zoo. Of course, someone like that would be married already, not wanting to date a single mom who works in a bakery decorating cakes. No one wants to date that person. I sighed, deciding not to dwell on it and ruin the day for everyone else and put a smile on my face as we got to the tigers.
“Daddy!” Anya called out.
After a few minutes of waiting, we heard a door open, and out walked a man that was, by most standards, handsome. I felt my stomach drop because of course that beautiful woman would find a man that matched her beauty. I would expect nothing less from her but I still had hope that maybe he wouldn’t be attractive and maybe she’d see me and forget all about her husband and run away with me. Obviously, that would never happen. She has a daughter and she loves her husband and I could never break up a family like that. I was broken out of my thoughts when he finally spoke.
“Hey, Squirt! Didn’t I just drop you off with your aunt?” The man asked with a confused smile.
“Mhm! But Ms. Wanda is Auntie Maria’s friend from a long time ago and I’m giving her a tour!” She announced happily.
“Wow! You got promoted to tour guide! How are those eggs doing?” He asked.
“Mama still hasn’t called.” She mumbled.
“Chin up Squirt, I’m sure she will. Now, who are your new friends?” He asked, sending me a kind smile.
“Wanda Maximoff and this is my son, Oliver. I used to go to school with Maria and she said that your daughter gave the best tours in the zoo.” I said gently.
“Well, she was right about that. Our little Anya knows all of the best secrets in the zoo. Don’t you?” He asked her.
“Mhm! Daddy works with a Sam…. Ummmm a tiger! He’s blind and he makes funny noises. You have to make them back so he knows that you’re friendly. What are they called again?” She asked, an adorable thinking face cast in his direction.
“They’re called chuffs. Why do they chuff, Anya?” He asked, smiling at me as he waited for her answer.
“Because… Because big cats don’t meow like little cats. They use body language, hisses, and chuffs to communicate.” She said, sounding as if she was reciting something she’d been told before.
“That’s right! Look at you, coming after my job!” He said with a laugh.
“You’re silly.” Anya said with a giggle.
“Oliver, how would you and your mom like to meet our baby tigers?” He asked.
“Really?” He asked, his excited eyes flashing to me.
“If that’s what Mr… I’m sorry, I never got your name.” I said, realizing that I didn’t know who I was speaking to.
“Steve. Steve Rogers.” He said with a chuckle.
“Wonderful to meet you. If Mr. Rogers says we can, of course, we can bud.” I said with a smile.
“Can we, Mr. Rogers?” Ollie asked softly.
“Now, Mr. Rogers is my father. You can call me Steve. But of course, we can! Come on.” He said, holding out a hand for Ollie to take.
Ollie happily took his hand, letting him lead him through a door labeled only for staff. I slowly followed them, Anya at my side, holding my hand to make sure that I didn’t get left behind. She squeezed my hand gently and I looked down to find her giving me a reassuring smile. I had no idea why she felt that I needed it but the simple action was almost too cute to handle. We approached a door and Steve looked down at Ollie with an excited look and shook his hand slightly. When Ollie laughed, I could feel my heart-melting. I could see why the woman that I had come to develop a crush on, married this man. He was sweet and his kindness was incredibly endearing, not to mention his sweet smile. I could understand why the two of them could work. He also treated my son the same way he treated his own daughter and that made me like him even more. He pulled open the door and we saw three rambunctious tiger cubs chasing each other around. They froze when they noticed the door was open and came bounding over to us. Ollie clutched onto Steve’s leg and he just laughed. Steve pulled him off of his leg and lead him into the room and Anya and I followed the both of them.
“Okay buddy, you wanna play with them?” Steve asked softly.
“Can I?” Oliver asked.
“Yup! See that soccer ball over there? If you roll that around, they really like to chase it and roll around with it.” He said, pointing to the ball.
Oliver gave him a determined nod and walked over to the ball, picking it up and rolling it. The ball caught the attention of two of the cubs and they raced after it, tackling each other to try and get to the ball. The third cub was by Steve, rubbing against his leg. He smiled and bent down to pick it up, walking over to me while he pet the little baby.
“You wanna hold her?” He asked, looking up at me.
“Seriously?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, of course. She’s a lot less rowdy than her brothers. She would much rather cuddle than roughhouse.” He said with a laugh.
“Well, who am I to deny her of that?” I asked, smiling softly.
“Exactly. Squirt, why don’t you go play with Oliver and the boys?” He said as he put the tiger in my arms.
“Okay!” She said before taking off.
“So, you know Maria?” He asked gently.
“Yeah, she was best friends with my brother in middle school. We were twins, so by proxy, I was friends with her.” I said with a small laugh.
“What do you mean that you were twins? Did you two have a falling out?” He asked, a small frown on his face.
“No, nothing like that. He and Ollie’s dad were in a car accident. They swerved off the road to avoid a drunk driver and that was that. They wrapped around a tree and I got the phone call from the hospital to come in and identify the bodies.” I said quietly.
“Holy shit. I am so sorry. So that’s why you moved here?” He asked, moving closer to me.
“Yeah, my parents wanted us to stay around, but everywhere I went all I could see was something we’d done together and that never got easier.” I said with a sad sigh.
“I can see how that would be tough. So do you guys come to the zoo often?” He asked, trying to change the subject.
“Every Saturday. Little man loves the penguins.” I said with a soft laugh.
“Seriously? That’s where Nat works! She’s Anya’s mom. I think you two would get along.” He said with a bright smile.
“Right, right. I’ve seen her feeding the penguins before. She seems nice.” I said, nodding my head.
“She’s really nice. She could use some friends over the age of six though.” He teased lightly.
“Maybe someday we’ll meet then.” I said with a soft laugh.
“I’ll do you one better.” He said with a smirk.
Before I could ask what he was doing, he was stepping away from me and pulling his radio up. I watched in confusion as he flipped through the channels and hit a button on the radio. I had no idea what he was doing but it looked weird enough. Finally, a noise came back through his radio and he laughed and smiled in what seemed like a triumph.
“Nat? You busy?” He asked and I felt my eyes grow wide.
“Roy is just trying to bully Cinnamon, but I can talk.” She said, and I could feel myself melting at the sound of her voice.
“You know how Anya is leading Maria’s friend and her son on a tour of the zoo today?” He asked, sending me a look.
“Yup. What about it? Did something happen?” She asked, and I could hear the panic in her voice.
“No, nothing happened, God, always jumping to the worst scenario. She just seems nice. I bet you two would get along. Maybe go get one of those fruity drinks that you love so much.” He said, sounding like he was selling her a car.
“Steve? Did you hit your head? You know I only drink vodka, straight. That’s how we ended up with our daughter.” She said, sounding unamused.
“Well…. I think that Maria’s friend would love to get a fruity drink with you. She’s gonna be dropping Anya off at the penguins today, her son loves the penguins. Maybe give them some kind of experience? They’re really nice, and pretty adorable.” He said with a sigh.
“Okay weirdo. I’ll be nice to Maria’s friend. Now stop being so weird.” She said before the line went dead.
He rubbed his forehead and sighed before turning his attention to me. He forced a smile on his face and took a deep breath. I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he’d just tried to set up a playdate with me and his wife. He walked back over to me, putting the radio on his hip again.
“Sorry about that. She’s a little… Blunt.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“No, it’s okay. She probably wasn't expecting you to try setting her up on a playdate with a stranger.” I said with a laugh.
“She’ll get over it. I promise. But, I’m sure you have more of the zoo to see, so I’ll go wrangle up the rugrats and let you continue on your tour.” He said, sensing that the mood had shifted.
I nodded, setting the tiger cub on the ground while the two kids came bouncing up to me, Steve following closely behind them. I bent down to meet Ollie at eye level and he giggled as he ran forward and hugged me tightly. Anya was giggling next to him, a bright smile on her face.
“Did you two have fun with the tiger?” I asked softly.
“Mhm! They chuffed momma!” Ollie announced happily.
“Wow! Look at you, my little jungle adventurer!” I said, smiling at him.
“Mhm! Anya said we can go to see the bears next!” He happily announced.
“Okay buddy, that sounds like an awesome idea. Why don’t you thank Steve for letting us meet the tigers?” I said, standing up again.
“Thank you Steve!” He said with his best smile.
“Of course bud, I hope to see you two around again. And Anya? Don’t forget to tell Uncle Tony that bears aren’t meant for little girls to play with, hmm?” He said, raising an eyebrow her way.
“Okay…” She said, somewhat reluctantly.
After we left the tigers, Anya lead us all across the zoo, introducing us to the different people in her life and getting us experiences with animals that I could only ever dream of making happen for Ollie. I watched his smile get brighter and brighter with each animal we saw and experience he had. As his mother, it made me happy to see that he was making a friend and having a good time. We explored through the zoo before Anya announced that we were going to go see her Uncle Wade. For some reason, the thought of doing that made me feel slightly uneasy. I tried to shove the feeling down as we walked up to a man that looked like he was going to give me a reason for feeling uneasy. He turned to us with a bright smile and Anya giggled as she ran up to him. He picked her up, spinning her around before resting her on his hip.
“Tiny Dynamite! What did The Scary One say?” He asked, looking excited.
“Mama wants to talk to you. Something about you losing your damn mind. Where did it go, Uncle Wade?” She asked with an adorable frown.
“She said that? You think you know someone, you know? And who are you?” He asked, looking at me.
“Oh? Me? I’m just on a tour with the best tour guide, didn’t you know?” I asked, smiling at Anya.
“Well then, let’s give you the best damn tour. Who wants to meet Jeff?” He asked with a wide smile.
“And Jeff is?” I asked nervously.
“Our new baby shark! He’s very friendly! Never bitten anyone who didn’t deserve it!” He said happily.
“And we are meeting him through the glass, yes?” I asked.
“God, you really do sound like Nat.” He grumbled.
“So, through the glass then?” I asked again.
“Fine. Through the glass.” He said, rolling his eyes.
He reluctantly lead us to the tank where they were keeping the small shark. We peers into the tank and watched as he swam in fast circles. I watched as Ollie’s eyes grew wide, the smile on his face infectious. Anya was pointing to him and listing off facts about sharks. I smiled and walked back over to where Wade was standing, risking my chances of having a weird and uncomfortable conversation with him. I rested against the wall next to him and crossed my arms, trying to cover anything that he could make a comment about.
“Are you Nat’s new girlfriend? God, you know, I’ve been saying she needs to get laid. I didn’t think she’d find another MILF. But leave it to her. Am I right?” He asked with a laugh.
“What do you mean? She’s married.” I said with a frown.
“Please. I would know if she was married. Anya would’ve told me. Tiny Dynamite, is your mama married?” He asked her.
“Nuh-uh.” Anya said, shaking her head as they watched the shark.
“But the man that works with tigers…” I said softly.
“Oh! Steve? No. That was a one-time thing. A drunk mistake when they were both feeling sad and lonely. But that mistake gave them Anya so we’re all thankful for it.” He said with a smile.
“So she’s single then?” I asked, feeling like I was in high school again.
“I’m pretty sure. She’s just as grumpy as ever. Which means she’s not getting laid.” He grumbled.
“Okay, but do we even know that she’s gay?” I asked.
“Well, that’s what she told Steve. And she never accepts any of my advances. So I’d say she’s gay.” He said with a shrug.
I just hummed and nodded my head, choosing not to further dive into this with a stranger. My head was swirling at the idea of her being single though. I had just pushed myself to get over the fact that the beautiful woman I didn’t know, was married, and now I was finding out that she was in fact, single. I needed to gain my composure, knowing that we were going to the penguins after this.
Nat POV
I was interested to see who was hanging out with Anya all day. If Maria was someone to trust, which was always up for debate, the woman was attractive. Then we add in Steve’s weird radio call earlier. Truth be told, I was waiting for a woman and her son to come to the penguin feeding today. I’d noticed them a couple of months ago, her son was always pressing himself against the glass. It was impossible to miss him but more than that, it was impossible to miss his mother. She had beautiful flowing brown hair, it was always slightly curled and wavy and it made me wonder if it was naturally like that or if she did that every day. Her eyes were some of the most piercing green eyes that I’d ever seen. I looked forward to seeing the both of them every Saturday. I loved the blush that would make its way to her face each time I sent her a smile or a small wave. It brightened her smile each time and there was nothing I wanted more than to do that. So, regardless of how beautiful this woman with Anya was, I doubted that she would make me give up on the zero progress I’ve made with the other woman. Most of my day had been spent keeping the penguins from bullying each other like they normally do and checking in on our eggs to see if they were close to hatching. I felt slightly sad that they hadn’t started hatching today especially knowing how much Anya wanted to see them hatching. Now I’d just have to hope that they didn’t hatch tonight while we were at home. After a few more hours, Anya radioed to tell me that she was on her way. As tiring as the day was, it was one of my favorite things to have Anya coming to me at the end of the day. I sat down in front of the penguin's exhibit, most people already being gone for the day meant that I was able to sit down on the bench and just watch the penguins zooming around in their enclosure. I heard a beautiful laugh that could only come from my daughter and I stood up, excited to see my little love again. I watched them round the corner before Anya ran up to me, throwing her arms around my neck. I smiled, hugging her tightly as my eyes registered the other two people in the room. I felt my eyes widen in surprise and my breath got caught in my throat.
“Wait, you and your son come to the feeding show every Saturday.” I said with a smile.
“You recognize us?” She asked softly.
“Pretty hard to forget a pretty face like yours.” I said with a wink.
I immediately wanted to smack myself in the face. She didn’t know me and here I was, flirting with her like this. What are the odds of her being the one that Anya would find? I wasn’t amazing at math in high school but I knew that the odds were slim. The woman’s eyes were even brighter up close, as was her smile. She looked at me with such a softness that I felt myself melting under her gaze. Clearly, the flirting hadn’t fucked things up with her and she actually enjoyed it. I stood up and smiled softly at her, holding out my hand.
“Natasha Romanoff, you obviously know what I do for a living.” I said, looking behind me nervously.
“I do. Wanda Maximoff, I work in a bakery.” She said with a slight smile.
“Wanda the baker. And who is this young man?” I asked, looking at her son.
“This is Ollie.” She said, dropping a hand to his head.
“Ollie? Well, what a cute name for the sweetest boy. Would you like to meet a penguin?” I asked, smiling softly.
“Really?!” He asked, his eyes instantly brightening up.
“Of course buddy. I’ll bring Rusty out for you to meet.” I said, slipping away into the enclosure.
Rusty was the easiest penguin for meeting people and he most often loved to be let out of the enclosure. I whistled and he eagerly waddled over to me. I smiled and opened the door for him to follow me out. Ollie let out a gasp when he saw Rusty and I could see him grab onto Wanda’s arm firmly. He was jumping in place and I smiled as Rusty slowly made his way over to them. Ollie’s face was bright and full of wonder, the same face that I loved to see in kids when they saw the animals. I figured that I should start listing off some facts for them about penguins and give them the full experience.
“Hey, bud, did you know that penguins are among the most social of all birds? All of the species live in colonies. That means that they have big, big families that they live in!” I said with a smile.
“Really?” He asked brightly.
“Yeah! They’re big families and they love to be with each other.” I said with a smile.
“Big families mean lots of warm snuggles.” Wanda said with a smile.
“Emperor penguins will actually huddle for warmth, but the huddle is constantly moving so everyone gets a chance in the middle to warm up!” I said, smiling back at her.
“Woah! Mommy and I cuddle when I’m cold.” He supplied easily.
“I bet you do! She’s gotta keep her little man all warm and snuggly, huh?” I asked, my eyes flashing to Wanda to see a faint blush on her face.
“Mhm! How do you teach them to do things?” Ollie asked in awe.
“A lot of penguin training is reading their behavior and knowing when o stay put and put some distance between yourself and them.” I said softly.
“Bud, slow down with the questions.” Wanda said with a laugh.
“No, no, it’s perfectly fine. What else do you want to know?” I asked him.
“How can you tell if they’re boys or girls?” He asked.
“Did you guys know that gender means very little to penguins? They just want a good hunter that they can trust with their egg, so they just want a good partner, just like people do. Sometimes that partner is the same gender and that’s okay. Rusty here is a boy penguin and he likes other boy penguins.” I said softly.
“Mommy! Rusty is like you! But you like girls.” Ollie said with a smile.
“Thanks for that bud…” She mumbled, the blush on her face growing.
“That’s okay Ollie, I’m just like your mom.” I said, sending her a wink.
“How come there are piles of rocks in there?” Ollie asked, deciding to move on.
“When one penguin likes another, they find the smoothest pebble to give to the penguin they like as a gift. If the other penguin likes it, they’ll place it in their nest and the two will continue to build their pebble mound to prepare for eggs.” I explained.
“Does Rusty have someone to build a nest with?” Ollie asked, looking sad.
“Not yet bud, but hopefully someday!” I said softly.
He finished shooting off his questions and I made sure to answer each of them. I brought Rusty back into the enclosure and Anya lead Ollie up to the glass to talk to him about the different penguins she knew and what ones were going to have babies soon. I could hear her promising to tell him about the babies and let him meet them, something that I was absolutely okay with, especially since I’d get to see his mother again. Wanda slid up next to me and I had to remind myself to breathe.
“Is Anya in school?” She asked with a small frown.
“She’s not. We homeschool her. But why don’t we set up a playdate for the two of them? I can give you my number. You know, for the uh playdate.” I stuttered out.
“Right, for the playdate. Is it just them having a playdate? Or are we having one as well?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.
“We can discuss that. You’ll have my number for playdate reasons.” I said, trying my best to keep my composure.
“Maybe I’ll even bring you a smooth pebble.” She said with a smile.
“I’d give you a pebble.” I said softly.
She giggled and nodded her head, silently giving me her approval. I felt a fluttering in my stomach that I hadn’t felt in a long time and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. I found myself looking forward to whatever playdate we set up. Whether it was for the kids or us, I couldn’t tell.