Natasha awoke with a start, immediately becoming aware of a weight resting on her chest. She was lying flat on her back, her arms circled around a sleeping Wanda Maximoff who was currently curled on top of her. She remained completely still, watching Wanda's body rise and fall slowly and breathing in her sweet, earthy scent.
Natasha pondered her situation; she had known Wanda for little more than 2 weeks and yet the girl was now sleeping on top of her. 2 weeks, she acknowledged, was quite a long time period when a group of superheroes lived together and bonded over shared trauma. Natasha had been angry at Wanda since the attack on her mind and avoided her at every turn, yet here she was. She seemed to take Wanda's attack more personally than the others did, perhaps because it made her feel vulnerable in a way she never had and it now meant she had to share a living space with someone who knew her darkest secrets. She guessed after last night the scales had been balanced a little; she had not only experienced Wanda's nightmares but also the emotions she felt at the time. Being this open and exposed to someone was a foreign concept to Natasha and she wasn't comfortable with it at all. She didn't want to become Wanda's confidant, she didn't want to comfort her or even train her, she wanted to close herself off from the only person she felt could see her soul every time they made eye contact. What Natasha didn't realise, was that she feared Wanda's judgement and always felt a pang of panic every time she saw her, expecting to see disgust staring back at her. She also knew she was drawn to Wanda in a way she hadn't encountered before. She kept her distance yes, but also found her eyes would seek out Wanda whenever they were in the same room, she would observe her subtly and listen to her quiet conversations with the guys. Maybe it was because she was so on edge around the little witch; it was in her nature after all, to gather intelligence on potential threats. At least that's what she told herself.
She glanced at the clock as she felt Wanda begin to stir. 9am. Natasha couldn't believe she'd managed 6 dreamless hours sleep, particularly with the Sokovian invading her personal space. Natasha could feel Wanda's chest pressing up against her own, the curve of her hips noticeable under her hands, a tickle on her collar bone every time the girl exhaled.
Wanda's lashes fluttered as she revealed her rich, blue eyes, squinting slightly as they adjusted to the light. They were suddenly filled with panic as she realised she was lying on top of the Black Widow, cuddling her of all things.
"Hi" Wanda said quietly, embarrassed.
"Hi yourself, comfy?" Natasha teased. She felt more comfortable when Wanda was on edge; Wanda's reaction to their sleeping situation put her at ease immediately.
"I, erm, I'm sorry. I don't know how this happened" Wanda stammered, still on top of Natasha.
"Its fine, forget it, clearly I make a good pillow huh?" Natasha chuckled as Wanda began to blush.
"Come on, get changed, time for breakfast" She said, deciding to spare Wanda from any further embarrassment.
Wanda nodded, rolling off Natasha gently and standing up. She stretched her whole body out, her tank top lifting slightly, exposing a small flash of smooth abdomen.
"I'm gonna head back to my room to change. Then I'll make a start on breakfast. Any preference? Waffles? Pancakes? Cereal?"
"Anything is fine, thank you Natasha" Wanda replied, staring at her feet awkwardly.
"Back to Natasha now? It was Nat last night." Nat winked and rose, heading to her room and laughing to herself down corridor at the image of Wanda's ears turning bright red.
Natasha changed into Clint's shield hoodie and a pair of leggings after a quick shower. She entered the kitchen and Wanda was already there; sat at the island next to Vision. A spark of annoyance flashed in Natasha eyes. She ignored them and started preparing waffles.
"Honestly Vis, I'm fine. I just had a tough night and Agent Romanoff helped me." Vis? Back to Agent Romanoff are we?
"As long as you are well Wanda, that is my only concern" Vision stressed quietly.
"I am, so you can stop fussing" Wanda replied gently, smiling at the android and nudging him with her shoulder.
"Agent Romanoff, thank you for helping Wanda last night, it is truly appreciated."
"Sure, no worries." She said plainly.
"Breakfast is served" She plated Wanda some waffles and passed them across the table, sending Vision an apologetic look.
"Thank you Agent Romanoff" Natasha turned her head sharply at the formal greeting and rolled her eyes.
Natasha didn't eat the waffles, opting for a smoothie and strong black coffee.
"Oh my god! These are amazing!" Wanda exclaimed excitedly.
"What, you've never had waffles before?" Natasha asked quizzically.
"No, never. These are great" She said, giving Natasha the first full, genuine smile she had witnessed since the Little Witch had lost her brother.
"Well, I'll be sure to make them more often then." She replied, smiling back at the brunette.
Suddenly there was a loud crash from outside, the sky seemed to split and storm clouds began rolling towards the compound. Wanda almost fell off her chair and even Vision looked startled, looking between Wanda and the balcony. Natasha remained calm, not reacting and sipping her coffee.
"Looks like the God of Drama has decided to pay us a visit" She commented nonchalantly.
The door banged open, FRIDAY announcing the arrival of both Thor and Tony Stark.
Wanda started to rise from her stool, her eyes wide and panicked.
"Easy Little Witch, stand down" Natasha soothed as Wanda went to stand closer to the Russian Spy.
"Ahhh Lady Natasha!" Thor boomed cheerfully.
"Hey big guy" She said affectionately, giving him a quick hug.
"Hey Romanoff, miss me?" Stark greeted with a wink.
"It's only been 2 weeks Stark" she rolled her eyes at him.
She turned to see Wanda shrinking back, half apprehensive about Thor's reaction to her and half trying not to get too close to Tony.
Thor approached Wanda slowly.
"Lady Maximoff, please accept my sympathy and condolences on the loss of your Brother. He gave his life selflessly so others could live. He did not pass in vain" The sincerity in Thor's voice was unmistakable.
Wanda swallowed as her eyes shone with tears.
"Thank you Thor and please forgive me for my actions, I am truly sorry for any distress caused" she said quietly as he waved her off.
"Nonsense! That is all in the past now. Besides, being able to forgive is a prerequisite when you have a brother like Loki. Ohh waffles!"
Thor helped himself to the pile of waffles on the counter as Tony and Vision caught up.
"Maximoff"
"Stark" she replied somewhat coldly, her Sokovian accent almost drowning the word.
"Can I have a word? I have something for you"
"I do not require anything more from you, Stark" she stated bluntly.
"You'll want this" he assured, unfazed by Wanda's clear dislike of him.
Wanda sighed and nodded, making to follow Tony out to the balcony before turning back.
"Will you come with me please?" She asked pleadingly.
"Of course" Vision replied courteously, floating towards Wanda.
"Erm, Vis, I'm sorry, I meant Natasha" Wanda grasped his hand and gave him an apologetic smile.
"Of course Wanda, when you are done perhaps we can walk the grounds?" He began to leave the kitchen.
"Sure Vis, sounds good" she said, looking directly at Natasha to see if she had even been listening to the conversation.
"Nat?"
"Lead the way Maximoff. This should be interesting if nothing else" she said exasperatedly, although secretly Natasha was feeling quite pleased that the Sokovian had asked this of her.
Tony stood in the middle of the barrier, looking uncharacteristically awkward, clutching a brown paper envelope close to his chest. He eyed the two women as they came through the door.
"Was the Russian bodyguard really necessary?" He joked.
"Zip it Tony" Natasha said, stepping back and allowing Wanda to face the man responsible for her parent's death.
"I have no need for bodyguards Stark, as you know." Wanda stood confidently, although Natasha was sure she could feel undercurrents of apprehension radiating from the witch.
"Firstly, I want to clear the air and give you some admin stuff. I am truly sorry for what happened to your parents, and I take full responsibility. My bombs shaped yours and Pietro's life and I can never fix that. But, I haven't sold weapons in years and I never will again." Tony's voice was full of regret and sorrow.
Wanda bowed her head, saying nothing.
"This" he said, digging into his jacket pocket.
"Is your personal credit card. It can be used for anything you want, clothes, toiletries etc. Just don't use it for groceries; we have a team card for household expenditure."
"Mr Stark, I really do not feel comfortable taking your money. It is enough that I must reside in your compound."
"Kid, I get it, you don't want to owe the man you hate. But think of it as payment, a wage if you will. All of the avengers have the same luxuries as you. You are unable to work due to training and commitments here. It is not a hand out and it's not a bribe. Now, I take it you need to go shopping for clothes? I can have Happy take you or arrange something else. Maybe Agent Romanoff could be persuaded to accompany you if we ask her very nicely" He smirked at Nat as he was talking.
"I have everything I need Mr Stark. Pepper took me within my first few days of arriving"
"Of course she did" Tony said rolling his eyes.
"Thank you Mr Stark, if that will be all?" Wanda asked as politely as she could manage, desperate to leave.
"Kid, call me Tony for god sake."
"Only if you stop calling me Kid, Tony" She replied sweetly, her eyes glinting dangerously at the billionaire.
"Deal" he winked. "But no- that's not all. I can never bring your parents or Pietro back, or make up for my part in their deaths, I understand that. But I really hope this goes a little way to helping you grieve. It's the best I could do. See ya around kid, Romamoff" he said, handing Wanda the envelope and retreating back into the building.
"I'll let you open that in private Maximoff" Natasha stated, silently heading towards the door.
"Stay" It didn't seem to be a request this time; there was no pleading or desperation in her tone. The single word was spoken as if it was obvious that Natasha would stay regardless.
Natasha took a seat on one of the patio chairs, studying Wanda intently.
Wanda fiddled with the envelope, a slight tremble in her fingers betraying her calm exterior. She pulled the contents out and gazed at the multiple documents in her hand.
"I need to go" Wanda announced abruptly as she rose and headed for the door quickly, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
Natasha remained seated, understanding the need to be alone. If Wanda needed company, she would have stayed on the balcony.
Nat spent the afternoon exercising and reading. She managed a good 10 mile run at a brisk pace and even managed to relax with her book and a coffee in blissful silence. She had spotted Wanda and Vision strolling round the compound during her run, apparently deep in conversation, so she wasn't too concerned about the Little Witch.
It was Nat's turn to provide dinner tonight and she decided to make lasagne with it being one of her favourites. Thor, Clint, Steve, Sam and even Vision gathered around the table; the only absentee being Wanda.
"Thanks Nat, looks amazing" Clint said, already stuffing his face with garlic bread.
"Yes Lady Natasha, thank you for this fine spread of delectable nourishment" Thor joined in.
Natasha rolled her eyes and smiled at Steve who was grinning happily at Thor's declaration and Clint's lack of manners.
Natasha silently plated herself some food and then, on impulse, made up a second one. Grabbing two beers from the fridge, she headed to the lift.
"My floor please FRIDAY"
"Of course Agent Romanoff"
Natasha padded down the hallway and managed to knock on Wanda's door, the plates balancing precariously on her one arm.
"Who is it?" A strong Sokovian accent asked from inside the room.
"Open the door Maximoff!"
The door swung open, revealing Wanda in shorts that were, yet again, much too tight and small for Natasha's liking.
"Can I come in?" Natasha asked, tilting her head and indicating at the amount of items she was holding.
"Oh, I- of course"
Natasha placed the plates down on the dresser and sat herself down on the bed like she owned the place. Wanda frowned.
"Problem Maximoff?" Natasha goaded her.
Wanda rolled her eyes and Natasha almost choked on her beer. So the Little Witch does have some fire.
"Of course not, Agent" Wanda smirked facetiously and Natasha chuckled.
"I thought you could use some dinner."
"Thank you. It smells delicious, I guess I forgot to eat this afternoon" she commented as her stomach growled.
"No problem, enjoy" Natasha rose and grabbed her own food.
"Join me?" Wanda asked tentatively.
"I was going to"
A comfortable silence settled over the room, only being disturbed every now and then by the clinking of cutlery against their plates.
"I think we should lay off hand to hand training for a little while"
"Natasha, about yesterday, I'm sorry"
"It's not about that incident specifically, it's about the fact your magic needs to be controlled before you commit to physically fighting someone. That someone being me. If you're getting thrown to the mats every 30 seconds, your temper will flare resulting in another outburst. Your magic is your most powerful asset but only if you have full control over it"
Wanda nodded, contemplating Natasha's words and waiting for her to continue.
"I want you to improve your strength over the next few weeks. Daily runs, weights and body conditioning. You need to be supple, strong and flexible. I want you to learn to centre your mind too, this can be via meditation or another outlet but you must practice daily. Clint is going to get you some materials to improve your reading and writing skills in English. Sam and Vision are going to help you learn to fly properly. And I... am going to be giving you driving lessons and accent lessons. In addition to everything else, you are to practice manipulating your powers every day, but only do so in a safe environment."
Natasha was in her element and completely business like now. She had formulated this plan to make Wanda as formidable as possible and Steve was completely on board; delegating out tasks to each team member.
"Accent lessons?" Natasha sighed, was that really all the girl had taken from her speech?
"You must be able to disguise your accent effectively. Your Eastern European twang is far too noticeable and easily detected. It will help if you can switch between the two"
"And my grief?"
Natasha remained silent for a moment.
"What about it?"
"My Brother died barely over two weeks ago agent, I feel like this may have some influence on my fluctuating emotions" Wanda spat at her sharply.
"Do you expect me to forget him? Bottle up my pain and use it to fuel my training? Act as if I am ok? As if I am anything more than half a person?"
Natasha felt an eruption approaching and tried her best to prevent it.
"No, I expect you to grieve as you are doing. Cry, scream, get angry and talk it through. If you don't feel like training one day because you want to curl up in a ball and avoid the world then that's fine. This isn't Hydra. The team want you to be ok."
"And you Agent Romanoff? What do you want?"
Natasha was taken aback by this question.
"I want you to heal and come to terms with your loss" She replied calmly.
"You cannot heal half a soul Agent." She said coldly.
"I'm not going to tell you that things will get better with time or that the ache in your chest will disappear, because it won't. You will grieve him forever because that is the nature of love. But, you will learn to live with it. You will adapt and overcome."
Wanda remained silent.
"Tell me about him"
Wanda looked up and tilted her head at Natasha.
"Tell me about Pietro and your parents"
Wanda shuffled to the top of the bed and climbed under the duvet, looking extremely small and vulnerable.
"He- he was 12 minutes older than me and he never ever let me forget it. He always called me "baby sister". He was funny and confident and caring and protective. He would steal food for both of us when we lived on the streets but he would make me eat it all saying he had already ate." Wanda gave a small sad smile, her watery eyes staring off into the distance.
Natasha let Wanda's voice wash over her, listening to her words intently.
"When we were kids we would always fight and squabble, bickering over what TV show to watch or who got to play with the toys. My Papa would laugh and tell us that we would only ever have each other in the world and that one day the arguments would stop and be replaced by affection. He completed me and I him." She sniffed and reached over to pick up a brown envelope from the bedside table.
"This is what Stark gave me" Wanda said, handing the envelope to Natasha.
"Go ahead, look at them."
Natasha opened the envelope and carefully pulled out to contents.
She smiled gently as she gazed at old, battered photographs from Wanda's childhood. She saw a tiny Wanda and Pietro in their crib, gurgling at the camera, Wanda's tiny fist wrapped around Pietro's finger. They were slightly older in the next one, around two Natasha would guess, which appeared to be taken on Christmas Morning; both toddlers holding wooden toys tightly in their hands. The last one of the twins on their own couldn't have been long before a Stark missile changed their lives forever and Natasha could see that their opposing personalities were starting to shine through. Pietro smiled confidently at the camera, a playful glint in his eye and an arm casually thrown around Wanda's shoulder. Wanda stood slightly back from the camera and smiled shyly, leaning into her brother's side. The other photos were a mixture of the family. The love between the four of them was visible through in the memories and Natasha looked over at Wanda sadly.
"They are all I have left. But I am very grateful that I have them"
"Grief is like the ocean; it comes in waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim."
"That is very profound agent Romanoff"
"I read it somewhere once."
"Thank you. You have been a great help to me over the last two days, despite what I have done to you. I want-" Natasha tried to cut her off, preventing the apology.
"Nat please. Let me apologise, I need this. I am sorry for what I did to you. I am sorry for what I saw and most of all I am sorry for what you have endured. I will never willingly betray your trust again." Wanda bowed her head and glanced at Nat, trying to gauge her response.
"Apologies aren't necessary. But I will not be discussing anything you have witnessed in my mind. As long as we don't bring this up again, we can move past it. Forget it ok? It's not a big deal, I've moved on from the things in my past and you should too" Natasha lied, desperate for the focus to be away from her own trauma.
Wanda deflated, looking disappointed but nodded in agreement.
"Of course."
"Come on, let's go downstairs" Natasha said suddenly.
"Why?"
"It's movie night Little Witch"
Wanda smiled at the nickname this time and Natasha briefly wondered if the girl thought this was some kind of term of endearment. Was it? She shrugged to herself; she didn't have enough energy to care about it at the moment.
They entered the living area to woops and cheers from the boys who were already arguing about which film they were going to watch. Wanda stood awkwardly on side-lines as Natasha plonked herself next to Clint on the large, plush sofa, resting her legs on him and stealing his blanket.
"Gee, so glad you came Nat"
"Shut up moron" Nat replied, taking his beer off him and having a swig.
"Wanda, come sit" Nat said quietly, patting the sofa next to her. Wanda complied and Natasha covered her with some of Clint's blanket.
"So boys, what's on the box tonight?"
"Steve wants to watch Pearl Harbour and we want to watch Jurassic Park" Sam whined.
"Ladies, you get the deciding vote" Steve said courteously.
All eyes turned to Wanda and she blushed slightly.
"I don't mind, I've never seen either"
"Agent Romanoff, I believe that leaves the decision in your hands" Vision said from the chair.
"Thanks Vision. Sorry Steve, I can't watch Pearl Harbour again so it's got to be Jurassic Park for me" Loud cheers erupted from Thor, Clint and Sam once again.
Steve took the defeat gracefully and settled down under his star spangled blanket, his shield on the table being used as a popcorn bowl.
Natasha didn't remember much of the film, she was too distracted thinking about Wanda's hands reaching out for her every time the T-Rex appeared on the screen or the way she would lean her head into Natasha's shoulder to cover her eyes.
Natasha thought she must be losing her mind, because she soon realised she didn't mind it one bit.