Carmine Jewels ║ Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 80 - Put Aside Your Differences

Before Keira had the chance to react, she was embraced by a pair of strong arms again. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere. Surely you can survive one or two days without me?" She chuckled, talking so low that only Natasha would be able to hear her.

This time, Natasha broke the hug and rolled her eyes. She didn't even bother to answer, not wanting to feed the blonde's ego. But the silence was clear as day, and to not be met by Keira's proud smirk, she climbed into the passenger seat.

"Not a scratch, Stevie." Keira pointed at the supersoldier with narrowed eyes, who just smiled at her. "And Scott..."

The man was in a slightly awkward position where he was halfway into the car, ready to go, but not wanting to enter completely due to the fact that the rest of the group was still chatting. At the mention of his name, he perked up.

Keira's head immediately went to a puppy, and the resemblance wasn't too far off with Scott's messy hair and wide eyes. "Good luck being the guinea pig. Or is it lab ant in your case?"

Scott didn't get any words out, but rather just spluttered before being ordered into the car by Steve. He and Natasha would sure have a lovely ride with Scott questioning what Keira meant by that. Something that was clearly mirrored on the redhead's face as the car backed out of the driveway.

Keira formed her hands into a heart shape, only to get flipped off by Natasha. "Love you too."

Shaking her head in amusement, she steered her steps back to the cabin. Before walking up the small stairs, she stopped and put her hand up to her mouth, blowing a sharp whistle.

It took barely a second before Nikato came bounding over, like he had been shot out of a cannon. He was panting open-mouthed, his tongue hanging out. The lower part of his body was slightly darker than his normally dun-colored fur, water dripping off him.

"Hiya, boy. You doin' okay?" Keira crouched down in front of him and gave him a good scratch behind the ear. Nikato tilted his head curiously as she spoke to him, his only ear perking up. Chuckling at his expression, she gave him a final pat before rising to her feet again. "Still got energy or you wanna come inside?"

Nikato shook himself, soaking his owner in the process before pressing his head against her hip. But he didn't follow after her but rather trotted back to the lake.

Wiping her face with the sleeve of her hoodie, Keira shook her head in amusement. "Alright, I hear ya loud and clear, Kato."

❆

Lunch passed without trouble, but it was one of the funniest food preparations Keira had experienced. To try and design Jurassic Park out of mashed potatoes, gravy, and dino nuggets turned out to be quite an artistic challenge.

Morgan loved it so much that she barely wanted to eat it.

The afternoon had been spent outside playing. Nikato joined them the second he spotted the little girl, but he always took extra care in Morgan's presence to make sure that he didn't accidentally hurt her. Unlike playtime with Keira that could turn a bit rough. It wasn't unusual that the blonde suffered scratches or bruises when they were done.

The sun had slowly disappeared beyond the horizon, displaying a beautiful mix of orange and pink on its way down. But as of now, darkness had fallen.

Dinner was delicious, and Keira helped to clean the table. Balance had never been her forte, but even she could carry four plates in her hands without screwing up.

Pepper was standing by the sink, filling it up with water as they had used the good china. Those plates would not be happy after a tour in the dishwasher.