angels like you (wandanat au)

chapter seven: meeting the friends

Not expecting the sudden inquiry, Wanda unconsciously raised her eyebrows. "Y-yeah, I'm fine." She gently kicked a lone rock out of her path, "Just nervous, I guess."

"How so?" Natasha inquired.

"I don't know," Wanda took a deep breath and released it in one blow. "I guess I'm just worried they won't like me." Within her own mind, the truth spoke: I'm worried they will think I don't deserve you. In reality, she knew it should not have been that serious. At most, she was just another friend of Natasha, just like them; at the very least, she was simply Natasha's roommate. There was truthfully not much to lose if they did not like her. Despite acknowledging this fact, her mind continuously failed to reduce its anxieties.

The accusation made Natasha frown. "Trust me, Wanda, they definitely will. And, even if they don't, who cares? I do not trust their opinions on most things anyway. Last month, for instance, Clint burnt the popcorn we were supposed to share for movie night not once, but twice."

The story made the two chuckle to themselves; while it only served to make a dent in the attempt to ease Wanda's concerns, she felt definitively more reassured knowing Natasha would supposedly remain her friend no matter what occurred that night.

After a few minutes of random conversation, the two girls arrived at the location of a nearby off-campus apartment building. Natasha looked down, grabbing the other girl's hand and weaving their fingers together. She gave the hand a noticeable squeeze, trying to provide a sense of calm to Wanda who stood a few steps behind, frozen in place and practically shaking from nerves. Natasha quickly flashed a final comforting smile at the Sokovian before pulling her inside the building. The gesture surprised Wanda, but she made no attempts to pull away. It felt intimate, perhaps even more so than the way they slept together in her tiny dorm bed most (every) nights.

In spite of having entered the building, each girl refused to let go of the other's hand — for Wanda, it was a lifeline; for Natasha, it was merely a bonus. Once they made it to the door of the apartment, the two girls finally dropped their hands, given that Natasha required her other hand to open the rundown door.

Natasha effortlessly walked inside the apartment as if it were her own; Wanda, on the other hand, stood outside for a second, taking another deep breath prior to entering. Cautiously, she entered with small, insecure steps. Her eyes quickly attempted to take in her surroundings, especially the different people who were looking at her. Her breathing started to pick up again until she felt a familiar hand on her arm. She turned her head with her eyes widened, only to find Natasha as the culprit. The redhead nodded, and Wanda returned it, letting her silently know she was okay.

Natasha finally acknowledged the other people in the room, "Guys, this is my roommate, Wanda. Wanda, this is... everybody."

The group simultaneously offered a form of greeting to the brunette as she remained in her spot and offered an awkward wave in return.

One of the boys stood up first, approaching her with his left hand out. "Hey, Wanda, I'm Clint," he greeted. He nodded his head to Natasha, who still stood next to her, "By the way, I apologize in advance that you have to live with her. I don't know how you do it." Not very pleased by the joke, the redhead swung her elbow into his side. The impact was not hard enough to injure him in any way, but it allowed the bottle of beer in his other hand to spill a bit. Wanda's hand rose to cover her mouth, quietly snickering at their sibling-like interaction. It reminded her a little of herself and Pietro — the way he would occasionally find a way to irritate with some 'jokes' out of friendly, sibling-like banter. Normally, this thought would have endlessly depressed her; yet, it miraculously did the opposite then. She found the notion comforting.

She tried her best to maintain eye contact and cautiously extended her hand, allowing him to take it with a firm shake. She spoke, "Hi, I– I have heard many things about you."

He chuckled, "All good things I hope."

Natasha cut into the conversation before she could respond to his playful comment, "Of course not, idiot. Would you like to discuss the 'good' qualities of last Tuesday, or should I–"

"No," he immediately interjected. "No, Natasha, I think it is perfectly fine."

She shook her head, a joyful smirk being displayed across her lips, "Yeah, that's what I thought, Clint."

Wanda felt the nerves begin to slowly dissipate as she remained silent for the remainder of their interaction.

Maybe hanging out with these people wouldn't be so bad after all.

Maybe she will be able to finally call this new place 'home.'

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Word Count: 1,440

☾Author's Note☽

I am finally back to post after two months! I tried to make it a bit longer to make up for it. Life has been crazy for me recently, as I have just graduated from university last month.

Also, just a heads up: I will probably go through the previous chapters and clean them up a bit — so, if you see a mass update spam, that's the reason why.

I hope you enjoy the new chapter, though!

Thank you for reading, and stay safe and hydrated!

x, B.