Avengers Cast Imagine - Blog Posts

Part of Me

Scarlett Johansson x Daughter!Reader

Word Count: 5Kish

A/N: Ngl, this is a fic I update sometimes on Wattpad and thought it’d be good to cross post maybe. It’s very much just one I plan to write for fun.

Chapter 1

You'd taken the DNA test to find out more about your ancestry. You didn't expect to find out more about your parentage.

There was a maternal match. It wasn't your mother. You stared at the account trying to guess who they could be. She was listed as only SJ, no other information was provided.

You hadn't known what to do, not for those first few days. You couldn't look the woman you'd thought was your mom in the eye. She'd lied to you. You were old enough to know, you should have been told. There'd always been this pressure for you to fit in better with the family. You stayed silent as the resentment filled you.

The words caught in your throat. At night you'd stare at the initials that hid your biological mother. You wondered why she was on the website.

It was three days until something happened.

You woke up to an email. An account related to you had reached out. It was your mother. You'd scrambled through the email, hitting the embedded link hurriedly.

'Hi.' The message opened. Your attention caught on the first word and your heart pounded. It was your mom's words.

'I've always hoped that I'd have the opportunity to write this. I want to say that I love you. That I always have. I''d like to get to know you better, if you want that too? - Scarlett'

You couldn't breathe, your eyes read the words over and over again. She loved you. You thought of the family around you that had never loved you quite right. You felt your heart fill with the hope that this was the reason why.

You mouthed her name silently to yourself, trying to decide if it sounded strange or familiar.

You went to school reluctantly, too distracted to focus on anything said during classes. You read the message over and over again, trying to believe it.

When the last school bell rung, you dawdled on the steps outside and sent a reply. You'd been trying to plan the best response all day, still you sounded awkward.

'Thank you. I want that more than anything - Y/N.'

You checked your phone again when you were back home. Scarlett's response was already sitting in your inbox.

'Would you like to call?' The message asked, along with a phone number.

Suddenly, everything felt very real.

You told her yes and arranged to call that evening. You were more withdrawn than ever that evening, no one in the house noticed. For once, you didn't care. All you could think about was the call.

At the agreed time, you typed in the phone number. The option to video call appeared. You pressed it. You wanted, more than anything to see what your mom looked like.

You felt your heart in your mouth as the phone dialled. The image cleared and your jaw dropped at the woman on the other end of the call.

You knew her. SJ flashed through your mind as you recognised Scarlett Johansson. She didn't look like you'd ever seen her.

Her hair was dirty blonde and tied back in a loose ponytail. She was wearing rounded glasses and seemed to be sitting in a home office. Her jumper was stripy.

The same strange and familiar feeling settled over you. Your Mom was one of the most famous people in the world and she looked so friendly.

Her smile was wide when she took in your face. You felt shy immediately, you'd been so excited to see your mom, you'd forgotten that she'd want to see you.

"Hi." She greeted you softly with a small wave.

You found yourself waving back, feeling so much younger than you had in years.

"I didn't expect a video call." She said casually. "But I always wanted to know what you look like." There was a pause and you watched Scarlett hesitantly through the screen.

"You're famous.' You mumbled unthinkingly. Even through the screen, you could feel Scarlett's discomfort.

"I am." She agreed carefully. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah." You rushed out, feeling suddenly very awkward. "It's just I've been watching you my whole life and I didn't realise."

Scarlett's smile was small and sad, but it was still there.

"I've wanted to meet you for so long." She said quietly, voice nearly lost in the crackling static.

"Why didn't you?" You asked, feeling suddenly defensive. You realised abruptly, that in all your excitement, you'd forgotten the truth of it. Scarlett hadn't wanted you. She'd given you up.

Scarlett told you that she'd followed legal advice during the adoption. She'd been advised to have an entirely closed adoption. The risk of the story being leaked to the press was too high. She'd felt pressured by her own management team, by people around her.

It had been a year after your birth that she'd been in a place to reconsider what had happened. She told you that all she could think about was how much she loved you. That she had missed you more than anything.

There had been no legal option for her to find you. No way to reverse the decision that had been made.

Maybe it was because she was your mom, but you trusted Scarlett already. You told her that you'd never been told that you were adopted. Scarlett's face flashed with frustration and pain.

"You were meant to know." She told you and her fingers played with her necklace as she spoke. "You were supposed to have the choice to contact me, if you ever wanted to."

"I would have." You admitted, feeling sudden tears in your eyes.

Scarlett closed her eyes for a second and she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I want to know you." She said directly. "I want to be as much a mom as you'll let me be."

You smiled. You realised that Scarlett already made you feel loved. You started crying properly, the feeling of happiness and warmth was sudden and overwhelming.

"I want that too." You repeated, and Scarlett's smile was brighter than anything you'd ever seen.

Scarlett's daughter called out from the other room, her head turned automatically. She looked back to you a second later. A look of guilt flashed over her face and you knew she needed to go.

"It's okay." You assured her, the happy feeling was unrelenting now. "Maybe we can talk more?"

'Are you on your summer break?" Scarlett asked suddenly and you realised just how much she meant what she'd said.

"This is my last week." You confirmed, not daring to believe what you thought she might ask.

"Visit?" Scarlett implored and her fingers played nervously with her necklace again. "Any time you want. I'll arrange the travel, everything."

You nodded, not sure what to say. It seemed like an impossible dream.

"I can't believe I found you." Scarlett mumbled to herself before the call ended.

--------------------

You slept well that night. You didn't quite feel like yourself. The call felt so unreal that you checked your call log just to see the number. You saved her as a contact, you left it under her initials as SJ.

Scarlett had sent you a kind text that you read the next morning. She wrote her messages like formal emails. She'd asked you to tell her about yourself. You told her that you didn't know what to say.

Her reply was fast and filled with suggestions. You spent the day answering the most mundane questions from your mom. She wanted to know your favourite everything. Colour, animal, school subject.

You asked about her day too. The reality that you were texting a famous actress was even more disorientating. She described her day with obvious disinterest. Meeting with a director, call with her agent, picking up her daughter from a playdate, meeting with Marvel executives.

She asked you cautiously about your family and you told her how things were. She didn't tell you that she was concerned, but you could feel it in the follow up questions that she asked.

You were back at home when Scarlett finally asked what you knew she'd been wanting to ask all day. When would you tell them that you'd found her? You explained that you knew how upset they'd be. That you didn't think you could stay here if you told them.

Your phone rang instantly. It was a voice call from Scarlett and you picked up. You hated answering calls as a rule and you found yourself mumbling a hello.

"Hi honey." Scarlett said softly, obviously thrown by your clear nerves. She asked more about your family, if there were reasons that you were scared. You found your voice grew stronger the more you told her. It felt good to finally tell someone how difficult it was to get along with your family.

Scarlett promised you that you would always have a home with her.

"What about school?" You asked, not believing that she'd thought this through. You didn't think she could really want a near stranger living in her house.

"It's nearly summer vacation." Scarlett reminded you. She told you that it might all be okay with your parents, but she was here if you needed. That everything would work out either way. You realised then, that she was talking like a real mom.

"Okay." You said. "I'm going to tell them now, before I chicken out." You hung up before you could think about it for too long.

You told your family. It was even worse than you'd expected. Voices were raised. You were given the ultimatum. To stop talking to Scarlett or leave. You remembered what Scarlett had said. You remembered that warm feeling of having a mom that you trusted so easily. You didn't have that here.

They were telling you to apologise when they were the ones in the wrong. They had hidden who you were. You told them that you had every right to speak to Scarlett. They stuck to the ultimatum. You were told to leave.

You went back to your room. You texted Scarlett. You told her what had happened. You were crying as you wrote it and you knew she could sense your tone.

"I can't stay here." You typed.

"Pack a bag." She replied immediately. "I'll book a flight."

You packed in a rush, unable to process the stinging abandonment of what had just happened. Scarlett called you ten minutes later. She told you that she was going to send you the flight information. She explained that there'd be a taxi at your front door in twenty minutes.

She checked if you were sure. You told her that you were, your voice sounded hoarse from the crying and shouting. Scarlett told you that she loved you. The words caught in your throat.

The taxi arrived exactly as expected. Your mother looked thrown as you headed for the door. She tried to block it, she told you the ultimatum wasn't real. You asked her if she loved you like you were her real daughter. She hesitated. You moved her arm out of the way and found the taxi.

You couldn't get her hesitation out of your head as you drove to the airport. You couldn't stop crying. You looked terrible as you went through security. You realised that Scarlett had called ahead. There was a member of staff guiding you through everything. They looked very sympathetic. You were young and couldn't stop crying. You realised that it must look like someone had died.

You sat in first class on the plane and it felt bizarre. You plugged in your earphones and tried to block out everything. You couldn't process what was happening. You should be sleeping. You should have school the next day. You realised how abrupt your absence would seem. You didn't care.

Even exhausted on the plane, you felt excitement start to build. You were going to meet your mom soon. You didn't know how that could be real.

The plane landed and you were guided again through the checks. Suddenly, you were standing alone with your small bag in an empty part of the airport. You'd been guided into a small room. It didn't feel like the official Arrivals area. Nerves and anticipation seized you as you realised why you'd been directed to a private room.

The door at the far end opened and Scarlett walked through. The silence in the room was unbearable. Scarlett hurried forward. Her eyes ran over you with a kind of desperation. She moved faster. You took a step forwards too.

Her arms opened and you fell into her embrace. Scarlett's arms tightened around you and you felt safe. Your breath hitched as you tried not to cry. You felt like she was family. Scarlett kissed the top of your head.

This time you didn't hesitate.

"I love you." You mumbled out against her top. Scarlett's arms tightened even more.

"I love you too." She answered, voice thick with emotion and happiness. "Everything is going to be okay."

When you broke apart, she picked up your bag and her other arm moved protectively around your shoulder.

"Let's go home." She said as she began to lead you out of the airport. You leaned against her side automatically.

Everything still felt like a dream, but as you slipped into the passenger seat of the car, you realised that this was your new life. You didn't know what was going to happen. Scarlett closed her eyes before she started driving and let out a long breath.

You realised that this felt like a dream for her too.

——-

Chapter 2

It was still dark when you arrived at Scarlett's house. She lived within a gated community and you shrank back automatically in your seat as she drove past houses larger than any you'd ever seen before.

Neither of you were talking and the atmosphere felt awkward. She pulled into her driveway and turned off the car's engine. Scarlett turned to you and there was a long moment of silence. Your breathing felt too loud and you looked away in embarrassment.

Scarlett cleared her throat nervously. "We should head inside.' She mumbled and you nodded. You couldn't help the discomfort that was rising inside you. You wanted to trust her. She was your Mom. 

Still, this was a woman who had abandoned you once. An alarm bell rang quietly in your head, reminding you to stay guarded. You followed Scarlett to her front door.

Before she could turn her key in the lock, the door opened from the inside. The man standing there seemed friendly, his smile was polite. He was clearly expecting you both.

'This is Colin.' Scarlett informed you awkwardly and you tried to meet his smile. The weirdness of meeting such a welcoming stranger washed over you. Suddenly, it felt hard to breathe. You tried not to let it show on your face.

'It's nice to meet you.' Colin told you simply and you nodded silently. His arm slipped around Scarlett's waist as you both entered the house. He took your bag from Scarlett and kissed her cheek.

The prickling strangeness of everything kept creeping over your skin. The orange glow from the hallway window told you that dawn had just broken. 

You tried not to let your disorientation overwhelm you. It was natural for you to feel like this, so much had happened.

The awkward silence fell between you again as you lingered in the entrance. Colin seemed most aware of it. When Scarlett didn't say anything, he spoke again.

'You must be tired?' He asked. 'We can show you your room.'

You nodded again, your voice was caught in your throat. Scarlett looked nervous or uncomfortable, you couldn't tell which. You wondered if she was regretting inviting you here. 

Tears burned suddenly in your eyes, you fought hard not to let them fall.

The house was obviously beautiful, your head swivelled around as you followed them up the large wooden staircase. 

You walked along the next hallway thinking that this was easily the biggest house that you'd ever been in. 

You paused curiously when you passed by a very pink bedroom with its door ajar.

Scarlett caught your hesitation.

'Rose is staying with her Dad for the week.' She informed you, scanning your expression clearly to read your reaction. 'He had some work in the US.'

You kept your face purposefully neutral and nodded again. A tight and tangling knot started to build in your stomach. You had a sister, a half sister technically, but still a sister. You were too scared to ask if you'd be allowed to meet her.

You weren't even sure if you were going to be kept a secret from everyone, or just the public. You tried to be logical. It was understandable if Scarlett didn't want to tell anyone, her privacy wasn't always in her control.

Every time that Scarlett looked at you, you felt the shooting awareness that she was famous. You'd seen her on-screen countless times. 

You kept your mouth tightly shut as Colin led you into the room two doors down from Rose's bedroom. It was clean and bright, the bedspread was blue. The wooden furniture fit well with the rest of the house. 

It was a perfectly designed guest room. You realised that was exactly what this felt like. Scarlett and Colin felt like perfectly polite hosts. This wasn't anything like family. Not yet.

'Thank you.' You forced yourself to say. Your voice was embarrassingly small. You felt just as small yourself.

When you were finally on your own, you sank down onto the bed. You stared blankly at your bag, where Colin had left it in the corner. It felt like you'd been picked out of your life and dropped into a new one.

You kicked off your shoes and lay back against the pillows. You stared up at the ceiling. You'd been left to get some sleep before lunch, but that felt impossible.

Feelings conflicted inside you. 

Unspeakable was the anger and resentment that lingered just below the surface. You thought about the pink bedroom you'd seen. You imagined Scarlett hanging up the fairy lights around the window herself. Scarlett had chosen to keep Rose, but not you.

You tried to remember that it wasn't that simple, but as tears clouded your vision, they also clouded your thoughts.

The other feeling was the strangest of all. Despite your unexpected arrival here, more than anything in the world, you just wanted Scarlett to like you. You wanted to stay. 

This house was beautiful. Colin's arm around Scarlett's waist seemed perfectly simple. Rose's mom clearly loved her. 

There was a working family here, you didn't want to be the ugly blot that ruined it.

You wanted Scarlett to want you too. It wasn't hard to guess why the feeling clawed at your chest. She'd chosen not to keep you once before.

Eventually, your eyes closed and you fell into a half-sleep, fuelled by your exhaustion from the night of travel. You weren't quite unconscious but you still bolted upright when you heard the quiet knock on your door.

You felt flushed as you hurried down the stairs a few minutes later.

You followed the smell of chicken through to the kitchen. Scarlett was alone, sending you a nervous smile as you entered. Her hair was tied up, but loose strands framed her face easily. She'd clearly been in charge of the cooking, the oven mitts were next to her on the kitchen counter.

'Hungry?' She breathed out in a rush.

'Sure.' You affirmed, trying to ease her nerves with a calmness of your own. You moved forward, sliding into the closest chair at the large oak kitchen table.

There was a large casserole dish set in the middle of the table. It looked like chicken parmesan.

Scarlett placed an empty plate in front of you as she sat in the seat opposite you. As she sat down, she anxiously tucked the loose strands behind her ears.

You caught her next moment of hesitation and realised she didn't know if she should serve for you. 

You moved forward to help yourself to the chicken, wordlessly answering her question.

It was understandable that Scarlett was confused, she was used to eating with a six year old.

'Where's Colin?' You asked quietly, still not sure if it was your place to ask. They were clearly together, but it hadn't been officially introduced to you.

'He went to work.' Scarlett replied and the answer was so obvious that you felt heat rush to your cheeks. You kept your eyes on your plate, feeling too shy to speak to your own mom.

Scarlett made an attempt after a few minutes of quiet eating.

'Did you sleep well?' She asked you. You swallowed a bite of chicken and gave a nod.

'Yes, thank you.' You answered politely. It felt so ridiculous. You had so many questions burning inside you. You just didn't know how to ask.

The silence fell again and this time it was nearly unbearable. Your mouth was dry and it became hard to finish the meal.

'I cook when I'm stressed.' Scarlett confessed randomly and your head snapped up to look at her. She looked vulnerable as she spoke and you couldn't look away.

'I was so nervous to meet you.' Scarlett paused. 'I still am.' She added with a small smile.

You matched her small smile and the tightness around your chest released.

'Me too.' You whispered shyly.

'Right.' Scarlett agreed with a nod. 'There's so much I want to say, but I don't know where to start.'

'Yes.' You agreed with a fervent nod. Strange spikes of happiness started to run through you. It felt relieving to be seen and understood, you hadn't been expecting it.

'Why don't we ask each other questions.' Scarlett suggested softly. 'Let's just get it in the open.'

You nodded as you chewed on another piece of chicken.

'You first.' Scarlett prompted immediately, putting her fork down.

You swallowed, feeling suddenly put on the spot. Without thinking, the words fell out of your mouth.

'Who's my dad?' You asked bluntly.

The words hung horribly in the room.

Scarlett's expression fell suddenly. Her careful smile morphed into a pained expression. She blinked twice. You watched her lips press together tightly. She looked like she was desperately trying to think of something to say.

Regret rushed through you.

'You don't have to answer that.' You hurried out, hating that you could cause that much pain without meaning to. You took a deep breath.

'Can I ask my question again?' You checked. Scarlett nodded, clearly trying hard to cover the abrupt pain that your question had caused.

'Is he someone I should know?' You asked instead, shifting another piece of food around your plate with your fork.

Scarlett shook her head immediately.

'No.' She whispered.

'Okay.' You affirmed determinedly. 'That's all I need to know.'

"Are you sure?' Scarlett checked, and you heard the underlying insecurity in her tone.

'Yes.' You said, smiling carefully at her. You couldn't help your small shrug.

"I trust you.' You explained simply.

It was as if your words shone sunlight onto Scarlett. She broke into a sudden, soft smile.

'You do?' She asked with barely concealed surprise. Her eyes scanned yours carefully.

'Yeah. I moved in with you, didn't I?' You replied with a silly grin. Your heart was beating out of your chest as you said the words out loud.

Scarlett's hand jerked out across the table on impulse. She took your free hand in hers. Her hand was warm, her thumb rubbed along the back of your hand. The same feeling of safety from the airport rushed through you.

'I'm so glad you did.' Scarlett assured you.

You squeezed her hand silently, feeling overwhelmed.

'Living room is through there.' Scarlett said after a moment and there was something much more sure in her tone. She sounded unquestionably like a mom. 'Go watch something on TV and we can keep talking in a bit.'

You found yourself shaking your head.

'Let me help clear up?' You asked instead, gesturing at the dishes.

'If you're sure?' Scarlett checked as she stood up.

Together, you brought the dishes over to the counter. You started filling up the dishwasher in a peaceful kind of silence.

It felt good to be useful. It felt good to work away that lingering feeling of being a burden.

'What's the plan for the rest of the day?' You asked as you walked together through to the living room, ten minutes later.

Scarlett moved to the large green sofa and sat down readily. Her feet slipped up onto the edge of the coffee table. She patted the space next to her and you sat down obediently. 

You kept your hands in your lap, still painfully aware that this wasn't really your house.

'There's no plan.' Scarlett answered with a small shrug. There was something about her gesture that made your heart jump. Even if she didn't quite feel like your mom yet, Scarlett was definitely feeling like a good friend already.

You took a breath and curled your feet up on the sofa. Even if you were just pretending that this was home, it still felt good to pretend.

'It's your turn to ask a question.' You prompted.

'Right.' Scarlett nodded as she leaned over to the iPod dock on the side table next to her. 

Folk music that you didn't recognise, filled the room.

You snorted with laughter and Scarlett turned immediately to face you.

'What?' She asked in confusion.

'Nothing.' You answered with a grin. 'iPods are just a bit retro.'

Scarlett rolled her eyes.

'It still works and it has all my music on it.' She protested and her defensiveness made you giggle.

Maybe it was from the hysteria of the day, but once you started laughing, it was nearly impossible to stop.

Scarlett stuck out her tongue as you held your side trying to repress the laughter.

'Your question.' You gasped out, ready to move on from the desperate urge to keep giggling. You definitely hadn't had enough sleep for the day you were having.

Scarlett looked thoughtfully at the blank TV and you gave her the silence to word her question. The mood of the room shifted to something more serious and you tried to prepare yourself for what she might ask.

'Do you understand that I always wanted you?' Scarlett asked hoarsely, her voice breaking as she spoke.

Her eyes met yours with an electric kind of intensity and you felt the world stop for a moment.

'It was just circumstance.' Scarlett whispered and you saw the ghosts of past things flicker across her eyes. 'It was never because of you.'

A lump caught in your throat and you felt a tear roll down your cheek. You didn't know what to say. You weren't even sure you did understand. 

Noone had ever wanted you that completely before.

Wordlessly, Scarlett shifted on the sofa. Her arms opened and you shuffled over into her offered hug. She held you close to her and you sank into the feeling.

All the worries and fears dissipated for a moment. 

It was all worth it. Everything was worth it if you were going to get a mom who wanted you like this.

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