girl ― saved by captain america

[twenty six] team meeting

"Notes schmotes," Tony dismisses, "you're way too fussy about these kinds of things, Banner. I wish you'd learn the art of 'winging it.'"

"Is that what you decided to do when you committed to raising a child?" Nat asks under her breath. I cough slightly, the sudden jab catching me off guard. The spy looks at the man next to her intensely, not a hint of humor showing on her face.

"Jesus," Tony breathes out, "tough crowd. I had a bad feeling about this, and you know what, if this is just going to be a writing session for Mr. Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist's diss track, then I would much rather be-"

"Enough," Bruce interjects once more. "You were the one who wanted to get started, so let's go," he presses, his voice slightly raised in anger. I glance over a little bit to my left to see Wanda's face looking unmistakably worried. Beyond her, Clint is rubbing his temples, clearly agitated by the genius billion-whatever. "The first thing I want to do is go around the room and let everybody say how they've felt the past few weeks have gone with Willa in our care. If you have any concerns or issues you want to bring up, now would be the time to do so. How about we start with Thor," Bruce suggests, his eyes landing over on the Asgardian.

"Oh, great. So now this is group therapy," Tony huffs, causing me to glare at him silently.

"Alright, as you wish," Thor agrees. "As you all know, I have been in and out over the span of the tiny human's stay. I fear I do not have much to contribute to this conversation, but I will say that I've noticed Captain carrying the majority of the burden in terms of caring for the child. In fact, I completely forgot that Tony had guardianship as well, until recently, when the man of spiders reminded me. I, for one, question the man of iron's ability to care for the girl- or really, to care for anyone other than himself. That is all," he finishes. Tony rolls his eyes.

"He's an alien; his opinion doesn't count," the dark-haired man interjects.

"Shut up, Stark," Clint groans, "I'll go next." The eyes in the room shift to the archer as he lets out a deep sigh before beginning. "I have a lot of concerns about the way Willa's currently being raised. I think Steve's doing a great job, as great as he can, but yeah; I agree with Thor. Tony's clearly not stepping up to the plate and doing his part. His terrible attitude doesn't help," he notes, nodding at Tony, who frowns in response. "I don't know if Willa's got any idea that Tony's supposed to be caring for her, too, but I do know that she's picking up on Tony's unfriendly nature. The other day, she asked me, 'Why does the scary guy with the glasses hate Willa?' And that isn't healthy for her. Whether or not she knows who Tony's supposed to be." I sigh, looking down at my lap. I wasn't aware that she had asked Clint that; it breaks my heart that she's able to pick up on Tony's cold disposition.

"I never said anything about hating her; of course I don't," the man tries to defend.

"That doesn't matter," Bruce shakes his head. "With kids, it's not so much about intention. The only thing that's important is how you make them feel."

"How am I supposed to control her feelings?" Tony whines.

"I'm next," Wanda speaks up, ignoring his comment as she sits up slightly in her seat from her previous slouched position. "I've loved having Willa here. Even though it's hard to witness what she's been through, I think that she really brightens our lives, all of us. Even if we don't notice it all the time. I personally have felt like I'm doing something greater, even greater than being an Avenger, by just being her friend. I know Peter feels the same," she says, a hopeful smile on her face. When her gaze connects with mine, I send a smile back at her, her eyes sparkling with affection. "I agree with Thor and Clint," the girl then continues. "Stark is having an adverse effect on Willa's recovery. I've sat with her several times and tapped into her dreams; they're all nightmares," she discloses, causing my heart to ache in my chest. "A good portion of them are back at Hydra. There's a jumble of other things and people she knows mixed in, too. But second to her time in captivity, her dreams are mostly about Stark. He rejects her, hurts her. Rips her out of Steve's loving arms. Throws her away. And I believe it's a direct result of how you've treated her," Wanda accuses, her gaze rising up to meet Tony's with a hint of crimson anger flickering in her eyes.