"Cereal or.... cereal?"
It was the next morning, and Natasha stood at the cupboard in the common room kitchen. Her hair was knotted in a messy bun, and she was still wearing pajamas; one of Steve's hoodies, and a pair of workout shorts.
The rest of the day yesterday went smoothly, that was until nighttime came along. Wanda and Nat stayed together, and they didn't see anyone else for the rest of the night, which was a good thing for Wanda, but it definitely wasn't on purpose. Everyone else was still tired from the huge battle and probably spent the day in their respective rooms catching up on sleep or work. The pair spent the rest of the day watching cartoons, eating dinner, and walking around the compound. At night, however, Wanda couldn't fall asleep. Natasha stayed with her the whole night and watched more tv until Wanda fell asleep at three am due to pure exhaustion. That morning, at around seven, Natasha woke up to feet padding on the hardwood floor, and the two of them made their way down to the kitchen for breakfast.
Wanda was sitting at the kitchen table, swinging her legs mindlessly as they didn't even touch the ground. She was sporting purple pajamas with small butterflies that Pepper had bought her the day before. When Nat noticed them, her heart broke. She kept forgetting how young of a child she really was.
Nat poured her and Wanda a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice each and sat down at the table.
Wanda had been quiet this morning. Natasha was sure she felt guilty for the lack of sleep last night, which she didn't need to be. Nat had a hard time falling asleep almost every night. She had enjoyed Wanda's company in her room with her.
Wanda ate her cereal slowly, and Nat studied her without it looking too obvious. Her hair was matted, despite the fact she had a medical shower yesterday to remove the blood and metal pieces from the battle. She was clean, but pale and thin, and her eyes glossy and far away.
Nat changed the subject.
"How do you like it?"
Wanda's head shot up from the cereal bowl.
"It's good. "
She picked out a marshmallow from the Lucky Charms.
"Is this candy?"
Nat laughed.
"Kids like sugar, and I don't just mean kids your age. It's Steve's favorite cereal, and he's 97."
Wanda smiled, but it never reached her eyes. The poor girl was bothered by something, and Nat was determined to get it out of her.
"He's 97? He doesn't look old."
Nat chuckled again. "He was frozen in ice for seventy years. So I guess he's technically only 27. Either way, he still acts like a child."
Nat put her spoon down and took Wanda's hand. She was jumpy, and tried to pull away, but Nat didn't let go.
"Is something bothering you this morning, milaya?"
Wanda shrugged, refusing to meet her eyes.
"You know you can tell me anything, right Wanda. I'm your family now honey."
Wanda looked up.
Family. That was new.
"Why aren't you mad at me for last night, Nat?"
Nat was confused. "Why would I be mad at you? Because you couldn't sleep?"
Wanda nodded. She was so innocent. "I'm sorry, you were probably so tired, and I kept you up all night."
Natasha smiled. "Sweetie, I can barely get to sleep on a regular night, much less the night after we saved the world. My door is always open. You can sleep with me any night. I promise I don't mind."
Wanda nodded, getting up and hugging Natasha.
"You're so nice to me," Wanda said into her shoulder. "Why?"
Nat pulled away, looking into her eyes. "Because I'm human, Wanda. Those people at Hydra, what they did to you and your brother. They are evil. They're monsters. Anyone who would treat you or any child with anything less than kindness isn't human."
"Thank you, Natasha."
"Anytime, kiddo." She brushed her hair out of her eyes, but her Nat's fingers got tangled in the ends of Wanda's hair."
"Why don't I do your hair for you? I could give you a nice braid or something if you'd like." Wanda nodded, standing at the table while Nat ran to the bathroom to grab a brush. She was gone for less than two minutes, but Wanda still found herself scared to be by herself. Her eyes darted around the room, scanning for potential danger.
"Here, come sit down."
Nat said, patting the stool.
She took her time, brushing Wanda's hair. It took a while to get all the knots out. The child probably hadn't brushed her hair in forever.
Eventually, after around twenty minutes or so, Wanda sported two long French braids. She padded into the nearest bathroom and took a look, smiling- one that actually reached her eyes this time.
"Sometimes," Wanda said quietly to Natasha, who was standing in the doorway. "I remember when my Mama used to do my hair like this. It was a long time ago and I don't really remember her or Papa that much but get a small memory once in a while I think."
Nat smiled sadly. She didn't really know what to say to the poor girl.
Nat opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by Steve and Clint entering the kitchen. They were sweaty and hyper, probably still on a post-workout high.
"Hey!" Steve said, staring at the empty cereal box. "Who ate the Lucky Charms?"
Nat grabbed Wanda's hand and gently pulled her out of the bathroom back to the kitchen.
Wanda kept hold of Natasha's hand, hiding behind her slightly. Her eyes somewhat glowed red, showing she was defensive.
"Steve, I can't remember if you've met Wanda, but here she is. She's going to be living with me from now on." Nat crouched to Wanda, who still held a death grip on her hand, however, any sign of red quickly diminished from her eyes. "It's okay, milaya. Steve is my friend."
Steve walked over. "Hi baby witch, it's nice to finally meet you." It was a nickname the whole crew had taken from Tony, even though most of them hadn't met Wanda yet. "And for the record, you can eat my Lucky Charms any day."
Wanda smiled shyly. Nat pulled a chair out from the table and she took it cautiously.
Clint snatched a banana from the fruit bowl.
"So, Wanda. Did Nat tell you about the little trip we are going on?"
Wanda nodded. She had forgotten all about the farm until now.
"Lila, my daughter, is going to be so excited to meet you. She will be ecstatic to have someone her age around, even if it's just for a little while."
Wanda was confused. "Ecstatic?" She asked. She didn't know what the word meant.
Nat internally smiled. She had thought that Wanda wouldn't even make a peep around the boys, especially Steve whom she just met. She was making so much progress despite the fact she had only gotten there a day ago.
"It means overly excited."
Wanda nodded.
Steve got up after finishing his bowl of cheerios.
"Well, I'm headed to do some more training," He said, putting his bowl in the sink. "It was nice to meet you, baby witch. Have fun at the farm, Nat."
He left with a smile and a wave, and Clint stood up too.
"I'll have fun too, Steve!"
Wanda and Nat laughed at Clint's comment.
"I should probably go pack and shower. Are you guys still okay with leaving at noon?"
Nat looked at the clock. It was almost nine.
"Yeah, that should be fine. We'll meet you on the Quinjet then."
"Alright then." Clint turned to Nat. "And I'm sure Steve would appreciate one last goodbye."
Nat rolled her eyes, her only response to Clint's comment. She got up, reaching for Wanda's hand.
"Come on, milaya. We'd better go pack too."
Wanda got up.
"If Steve will miss you so much when you're gone, why doesn't he just come with you?" Wanda asked innocently. Clint choked on his way to the elevator.
"Because he's not invited. The purpose of going to the farm is for some peace and quiet, not to bring as many people as possible."
Clint laughed again and whispered into Wanda's ear, loud enough so Nat could hear too.
"Nat secretly wishes he could come. She will miss him too."
Nat blushed, something she never did. She was pretty good at hiding her emotion. She smacked him playfully.
"Shut up, Barton. Come on, Wanda. This is our floor." They got off on the third floor.
"I thought you lived on the fourth floor?"
Wanda asked, looking back to the elevator.
"Coward!" Clint yelled, laughing as the doors to the elevator shut.