Natasha opened her eyes and squinted at the clock. She had slept for at least 6 hours, straight through the morning and into the early afternoon. She smiled softly to herself when she looked down at the woman in her arms and pulled her closer, snuggling her head into her long brown hair and inhaling her sleepy scent. Wanda didn't stir, completely relaxed and peaceful in her deep slumber.
Her stomach grumbled and she gently removed Wanda from her person, slipping out from under the sheets quietly. She looked around for something to wear and settled on the robe that Wanda had discarded on the floor.
Grabbing a piece of scrap paper and a pen from the draw she scribbled a note for Wanda and left it on the bedside table.
Closing the door softly, she padded down the hallway and headed to the elevator.
"FRIDAY? Is anyone in the kitchen?" She asked.
"Good Afternoon Agent Romanoff, I can confirm that the Kitchen area is currently empty. Captain Rogers is in the gym, as is Agent Barton, Mr Stark is off the premises, Mr Wilson and Vision are in the grounds, Captain Danvers is in the meeting room and Ms Maximoff appears to be in your room Agent Romanoff." The AI reeled off.
Natasha could have sworn she heard a smirk in FRIDAY'S voice when she revealed she knew where Wanda was but shrugged it off and pressed the button for the first floor.
20 minutes later, Natasha returned to her room, balancing two plates of waffles, one coffee and one tea very carefully, all without managing to bump into any of her team. Mission complete.
Wanda was already awake, still wrapped up in the duvet, staring at Natasha with tired eyes.
"I thought you'd left" Wanda said, her voice thick with sleep.
Natasha knew the Sokovian had wanted to add the word "again" to the end of her sentence.
"I did... to make us waffles. Did you not see my note?" Natasha asked, placing their breakfast down carefully.
"Waffles?" Wanda repeated excitedly, fully awake now.
Natasha rolled her eyes.
"You have a one track mind Maximoff" she joked.
"I do not have a one track mind!" Wanda argued, laughing.
"Hmmm OK, I'll take your word for it Little Witch"
"I can prove it"
Natasha arched an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue.
"You see, I can't actually decide whether I'd rather eat waffles... or you." Wanda said, looking Natasha straight in the eyes.
Nat almost choked on her coffee. She loved exploring this confident, blunt side of Wanda; it always surprised her.
Natasha realised at that moment that this was one of the reasons she had always left after they'd slept together; because it would be so easy to fall into something neither of them were ready for. They needed to talk at some point, but they'd had such a perception shifting experience in the last week that maybe that could wait. Wanda made Natasha feel human and that's what she needed right now.
"In that case, perhaps the waffles can wait." She responded suggestively, slipping the robe off and sliding back under the sheets.
"They can definitely wait" Wanda murmured as she straddled her.
Natasha's hands roamed over Wanda's back, pulling her down so her breasts were directly above her mouth. She nipped at the creamy, tender flesh and lapped at her hardening nipples with her tongue, eventually taking one into her mouth, sucking as if she was starved and swirling her tongue around the sensitive skin.
"Mmmm" Wanda moaned.
"You like that huh. Sit up princess, let me see you" Natasha breathed.
Wanda rose up, still straddling Natasha and pushed her hair behind her shoulders, leaving her body on full display. A blush travelled all the way from her cheeks down over her chest as Natasha eyed her hungrily, a predatory look on her face.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?" Natasha sighed.
"Once or twice" Wanda responded shyly.
"Now, I think you mentioned something about being hungry?" Natasha smirked.
"Very hungry" Wanda grinned and leant down, giving the redhead a searing kiss.
"Show me" Natasha instructed as Wanda moved down her body, placing small kisses on every available inch of skin.
Every tender kiss, every lick, every caress was like a lightning bolt straight to Natasha's clit. Wanda took Natasha's nipple into her mouth and she threaded her hands through her soft brown hair, grasping her lightly.
"Mmm yes baby girl. Don't stop" she encouraged, tightening her grip.
Wanda's hands explored her body thoroughly, her tongue sliding over sensitive skin softly, taking her time to familiarise herself with every inch.
Natasha knew Wanda was listening to her responses and adjusting what she was doing accordingly.
She tried to stay quiet, to keep still and not lose control, but she was engulfed by the younger woman's painfully delicate touch, setting her body ablaze. She was already so close and Wanda hadn't even travelled past her hips yet, but she wasn't going to beg. She squirmed and dug her nails into Wanda's shoulders, trying to mask her desperation.
"Wanda" she gasped, breathless.
"Help me Tasha, show me what you want"
"Fuck me. Now."
Wanda complied instantly and reached between Natasha's legs and dragged her finger through her folds. Natasha thrust her hips and moaned wantonly, her hands in a bruising grip on Wanda's hips.
"Wanda- fuck. I need. Ah fuck" Natasha didn't dwell on the fact she was too far gone to articulate her wants, she was too preoccupied with Wanda's fingers rolling her clit between them.
"Tell me Tasha" she whispered.
"Your mouth. Please, now." She begged and felt Wanda pause in surprise.
When Wanda's inexperienced and hesitant tongue delved between her legs and lapped at her core she was sure she blacked out momentarily. Wanda was applying a good amount of pressure to her aching clit but her tongue was moving agonisingly slowly. Luckily, Natasha didn't have the cognitive ability at that moment to realise she was being intentionally tortured by the Sokovian.
She thrust her hips again and tried to grind herself down on Wanda's face chasing her release.
"Tasha you taste so good" Wanda groaned.
"Your fingers Little Witch, I need them"
Want obeyed and carefully inserted two fingers into her tight, dripping entrance.
"Ahh fuck. Baby please. You feel so fucking good. I need you so bad."
Natasha began to moan loudly, her hips wildly bucking up and down, chanting Wanda's name like a prayer as she sucked on her clit.
"Wanda! Fuck! Ahh I can't. I'm coming I'm coming. Oh baby you're so good. Jesus fucking Christ"
Natasha couldn't hear the words that were tumbling from her mouth, she was completely lost in the most intense, pleasurable bliss she had ever experienced.
She felt something give inside her, like a dam breaking and felt arousal gush from her pussy as it contracted and throbbed.
"Fuck fuck fuck. Oh princess." she breathed.
She lifted her head and watched as Wanda rose, kissing her strong thighs lovingly. She reached down, pulled Wanda upwards onto her chest and wrapped her arms around her, feeling her heart hammer against her own.
"That was worth letting the waffles go cold for, don't you think sweetheart?" Natasha whispered as Wanda tucked her head under her chin.
"I think that's my new favourite thing to do" Wanda said.
"Mine too" she agreed, letting her eyes close as Wanda's weight settled on top of her.
"Nat?" A male voice came from the other side of the door as it was hammered on.
"For fuck sake" She cursed as Wanda stirred from her nap.
"Nat? What shall we do?" The Little Witch whispered.
Both women were still completely naked, Wanda lying on top of Natasha.
"Shhh. It’s fine." She soothed.
"Nat??" Clint shouted again.
"What is it Clint?" She responded loudly, her exasperation easy to hear.
"Are you ok? Have you seen Wanda? Can I come in?"
"Yes I'm fine. Yes I've seen Wanda and no you can't come in. Is there something you need?"
"Erm no, I guess not. We just wondered where Wanda was, I wanted to make sure she was OK. Is she with you?"
Natasha felt Wanda tense and rubbed her back reassuringly.
"Yeah she's here, we're having lunch"
Technically it wasn't a lie but Natasha could picture the smug grin Clint would be sporting right about now.
"Yeah ok. Are you coming downstairs at any point today?" He said, humour in his voice.
"Yeah we'll be down in ten" she agreed as Wanda groaned in protest.
She listened to the sound of his footsteps travelling back down the corridor towards the lift and huffed.
"I didn't realise I'd fallen asleep. Did you sleep too?" Wanda asked.
"No, you've only been asleep for about 40 minutes. Time to get up little lady."
"I don't want to" Wanda pouted.
Natasha chuckled and rolled Wanda off her.
"Come on, up." She demanded, standing at the side of the bed, completely comfortable with her nudity.
Wanda was unabashedly staring at her body, completely oblivious to the fact she was sexily biting her lip and the affect it was having on Natasha.
"I suggest you stop biting your lip and get dressed." Natasha said authoritatively.
"You can't tell me what to do Natasha, we're not in training now"
"You like it when I tell you what to do"
She smirked and leaned down, capturing Wanda's lips between her teeth and biting, hard. Natasha sucked the mark gently, soothing the sting, noting she had broken the skin.
"Now will you go and get dressed?" She asked sweetly.
Wanda nodded and stood up shakily, slightly dazed, her eyes liquid with desire.
Natasha softened and wrapped her arms around the taller woman, kissing her on the cheek.
"You like it when I'm rough with you, don't you Little Witch?"
"I like everything you do to me Tasha." Wanda replied dreamily.
Natasha laughed and covered Wanda in her robe.
"Go shower and I'll see you downstairs."
"Natasha, last night it was.... everything. I really needed that closure. Thank you." Wanda said, suddenly serious.
Natasha turned to face Wanda as she was leaving the room and couldn’t find the words to respond, so she didn’t. Closure?
"Finally! What time do you two call this?" Sam shouted as Natasha and Wanda entered the kitchen within minutes of each other.
The kitchen was full; Carol, Vision, Sam, Clint and Steve were all sat around the common area, eating and chatting. They all looked up as Sam spoke and Natasha locked eyes with Clint, the archer giving her a knowing look.
"Want a drink Maximoff?" Natasha asked, slipping back into character with ease.
"I'll just take a water please" she responded, heading towards the group and perching on the edge of the sofa.
Natasha grabbed two waters and two bananas and joined the team.
"Here, you should eat something" she said, handing the goods to Wanda as she took a seat next to Clint.
"I thought you'd just had lunch?" He whispered into Natasha's ear so no one else would hear.
"We did" Natasha responded lightly, not looking at him.
"Wanda, your lip appears to be bleeding" Vision observed.
"Oh! Is it? I must have bitten it!" Wanda said, quickly covering her lip and going to get some kitchen towel.
"Ahh, I get what you mean now" Clint muttered to her.
"Hmmm?" Natasha responded, watching Wanda as she dabbed at her lip, thinking about her closure comment earlier on.
"Yeah, you had Wanda for lunch" He said quietly, laughing loudly as Nat turned and punched him in the ribs and they began to wrestle.
"Did we miss something?" Steve asked.
"No Rogers, just reminding Barton I can kick his ass" She replied slightly breathlessly as Steve laughed.
"Have are you feeling Maximoff?" Sam asked kindly.
"I'm good thank you, just a little tired" she responded as Clint broke out into a coughing fit.
"That's it, outside now Clint" Natasha said, giving him a death glare.
As the two avengers stepped out onto the balcony Nat could hear Steve asking what was going on.
"What are you doing?" She demanded.
"I was coughing" He shrugged innocently.
"Well I suggest you stop"
"OK, OK I'll stop" he laughed, holding his arms up in surrender.
"Thank you."
"But seriously, you and Maximoff huh?" He grinned, nudging her shoulder with his own.
Natasha allowed herself a small smirk and walked back towards the door.
"I guess you'll never know birdbrain" she said, winking at him.
"Well, I'm glad you haven't killed each other" Sam said as they took their seats.
"We just needed a little chat didn't we Clint?"
"Yes ma'am" he said, taking a swig of his soda.
Natasha felt Wanda's eyes on her and gave her a quick glance, raising her eyebrow as the Sokovian looked away.
"So, what are we doing for dinner tonight?" Sam asked.
"I'll cook, any requests?" Nat said.
"Spaghetti?" Sam responded hopefully.
"That ok with everyone else?" Everyone nodded and Sam grinned.
The group sat around, chatting and catching up, for another hour or so before dispersing and Natasha headed to the kitchen to prepare for dinner.
She chopped and diced her onions, garlic and fresh herbs, then added them to the pan to simmer in olive oil on a low heat while she prepared the meat. She added a generous amount of salt and black pepper to the ground beef and pushed it to the side, allowing it to come up to room temperature before she cooked it.
Searching for a bottle of wine to add to the sauce, her eyes landed on a lovely bottle of Italian red and she plucked it from the wine rack and poured herself a small glass. Her hips swayed gently to the classic score playing on the radio and she added her beef into the pan to brown.
"Hey" a voice came from the kitchen door.
Natasha turned to see Carol stood against the frame, watching her with a tilted head.
"Danvers" She nodded, then turned to stir the pan, adding some oregano.
"Something smells good" Carol commented politely.
"It should be ready in a couple of hours" she said, uncomfortable being alone with the most irritating person in her life, especially considering the last time they were at the compound together Natasha had punched her in the face.
She sighed and grasped her wine glass, holding it to her chest and turned to give Carol her full attention.
"Listen, Danvers, about punching you..." she started, knowing she was terrible at apologies.
Carol waved her off.
"Don't worry about it Romanoff, I suspect there were some strong feelings that provoked that kind of reaction in you." She said nonchalantly.
"Strong feelings? No. I just like a fair fight and we both know Maximoff didn't stand a chance against you physically." She said calmly.
"She's tougher than you give her credit for Romanoff, that woman could stand up to anyone. Anyway, I just wanted to catch you on your own so we could clear the air. By the way, it wasn't intentional when I punched her, I didn't mean to bust her nose up. I care about her too you know."
"Consider the air cleared" Natasha said civilly, hoping she'd leave and stop talking to her about Wanda.
Why did people only ever seem to talk to her about Wanda?
"See you around Romanoff" Carol replied politely, backing out of the kitchen.
Natasha breathed a sigh of relief as Carol left and added her tomatoes and herbs to the pan, stirring it gently. She would leave the food to simmer for an hour or two to ensure sauce was infused with flavour.
Natasha looked up and smiled to herself as the guys trailed into kitchen, one by one, as she began to plate up the garlic bread; they always had a knack of appearing right as she was ready to serve.
"Did you guys follow your noses down here?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am. Is it ready?" Sam said excitedly, standing on his tip toes and leaning over the kitchen island to see into the pan.
"It is indeed. Let me grab Maximoff a plate and it's all yours guys" she said as they responded with a chorus of thank yous.
"Wanda's eating upstairs again?" Steve asked.
"Obviously."
"Why? Is she ok?"
"She's fine. It's just been a really tough week and I think she's tired. Give her a little time Steve." Natasha said, trying not to think about how much energy Wanda seemed to have last night and again this afternoon.
"OK Nat, as long as you're looking after her." He said kindly.
"Oh she definitely is" Clint interrupted as Natasha fixed him with a piercing glare.
She played it off with ease.
"I wouldn't go that far boys. But I'm making sure she eats if that's what you mean" she said, shrugging and lifting the two plates onto her one arm.
Steve raised an eyebrow when he saw she was also taking a bottle of wine.
"What? I've gotta keep myself hydrated if I’m going to babysit Rogers" she smirked as Clint laughed and she made her way towards Wanda's room.
"Wanda let me in" she shouted, unable to knock as her hands were full.
Wanda opened the door and immediately took the plates from Natasha, setting them down on the side.
"Wine?" Natasha asked, her casual tone not betraying the tense feelings she was experiencing.
"Erm, yes, thanks" Wanda said, watching her movements with her big doe eyes.
"I wasn’t expecting you for dinner." Wanda commented, fiddling with her rings.
"Your body is still recovering, you need to eat. I also thought that maybe we could have that talk now." Natasha said, watching the younger woman take a seat on the edge of her bed, still fidgeting.
"Here." She said, handing her the glass and taking a seat.
They ate and drank in comfortable silence, Natasha smirking to herself when she heard Wanda's mummers of appreciation for the food.
"That was delicious. Thank you Natasha"
A thrill ran through her body when Wanda spoke her name with a slight Sokovian undertone. For a second she considered seducing Wanda and putting their talk off for another night, but decided that may not be the best course of action.
"You are very welcome Maximoff" she said, still using Wanda's surname to maintain her invisible barrier.
She cleared the plates and poured them each another glass of wine.
"Dutch courage?" Wanda asked, eyebrow raised.
Yes.
"Not quite, this is just a very nice bottle and I get quite a buzz from drinking Tony's overpriced alcohol without him knowing." She winked.
"So" Wanda said, crossing her legs on the bed and turning to face Natasha fully.
"So?" Natasha replied.
Natasha was being evasive already and could feel every single instinct she had telling her to run from the kind of vulnerability she was about to place herself in.
Wanda huffed.
"You wanted to talk, so talk." Wanda said with finality, crossing her arms over her chest.
Natasha knew from that small, defensive gesture that Wanda was apprehensive too and it eased her nerves slightly.
Natasha took a deep breath.
"Listen Maximoff, I just wanted to apologise...for the way I treated you before Hydra. It wasn't fair and I didn't realise the hurt I was causing you" Natasha said, her voice void of all emotion.
Wanda stared at her.
"I think you need to actually apologise for it to count Natasha" she said, slightly sharply.
Fucking hell.
"Wanda, I'm truly sorry." Natasha replied sincerely, looking into her ocean blue eyes.
Wanda grasped her hands and stroked her skin gently with her thumb.
Natasha was always surprised by the tenderness Wanda showed her and fought the urge to pull away. She was comfortable with always being the aggressor sexually, but Wanda seemed so much more confident and at ease in these vulnerable, intimate moments they shared.
"I know you are Nat." She said softly.
A lump formed in Natasha's throat as she realised how lucky she was that Wanda was still willing to hear her out after what she had put her through.
How could she have allowed herself to push this resilient, loving woman away?
"I was in such a bad place after what happened in Poland and I couldn't be around anyone. It’s not an excuse and I know I owed you an explanation a long time ago but I couldn't find the right words. I care about you a lot and I didn't trust myself not to hurt you. I- I'm sorry"
Natasha still felt uncomfortable, but was gaining confidence as she went; trying to psych herself up to share her feelings with Wanda. So far, so good.
“Thank you, I needed to hear that. Listen, I don’t want to be rude but I’m pretty tired and ready for bed.” Wanda said, ending the conversation abruptly.
Natasha was momentarily stunned but recovered quickly, standing and grabbing the empty plates from the side.
“Yeah, no worries. I’ll see you tomorrow Maximoff.”
“Goodnight Natasha, thanks for dinner.” Wanda said politely as Nat left the room.
Natasha took the plates to the kitchen, thankful it was empty, and started to wash them up. Her head was spinning; she didn’t understand what had occurred in Wanda’s room and she felt completely off balance. She assumed Wanda would want to know how she felt about her and that they would at least discuss their relationship going forward. In the last week they had both suffered traumatic injuries and had almost died; they had both risked their lives for each other and that had to count for something, right? In addition to that, they had spent the previous night together and for Natasha it wasn’t just sex, it was a turning point for her; they had cuddled and explored each other and it had carried on into the next day. Natasha still didn’t think she could give Wanda a relationship, not a conventional one at least, but now she was finally ready to explore their attraction it seemed Wanda was past it. Wanda had made it clear she had the closure she needed. Natasha wondered whether the Little Witch would even want to continue their friendship now and felt an iciness wash over her; since almost losing Wanda she couldn’t imagine her life without her in it.
Natasha sighed and climbed into bed after her shower, her limbs aching and tired. She knew that although Wanda had managed to expertly prevent the gunshot wound from killing or gravely injuring her, her body was still recovering and she needed to make sure she allowed herself proper rest.
As she drifted off to sleep Natasha made an agreement with herself that she wouldn’t start pushing Wanda away again in an attempt at self-preservation or to avoid rejection; she would just try to be her friend and mentor like they had been before she had acted like an idiot.
The days and weeks that followed went by quickly and Natasha and Wanda fell into their usual pattern of spending time together; both with and without the team. Natasha knew that Wanda was holding back in their friendship; something just wasn’t the same and it bothered her to the point of distraction. She had made no further attempts to talk to Wanda about the feelings she was having and it was becoming harder and harder for her to contain it. She felt that Wanda was distancing herself from her; she would always opt to sit by someone else on movie nights and never initiate any casual physical contact unless it was necessary for training. Natasha had had quite enough and found herself thinking about the situation far too much; she knew she would have to drop it eventually.
It was early afternoon when Nat had finally returned to the compound after a long meeting with Fury and she was irritated to say least.
She made herself a coffee and decided to relax for the remainder of the afternoon until dinner was ready. She walked into the living room and went to take a seat in the armchair, only pausing when she saw Wanda curled up in a ball on the large sofa adjacent to her.
Wanda was clearly asleep and Natasha studied her face intently; the freckles on her nose, her long dark eyelashes, her relaxed and unguarded expression. She felt an intense desire to protect this infuriating woman from the world and she couldn’t for the life of her understand how the Little Witch had inspired this in her.
She grabbed a blanket from the nearby basket and carefully covered the sleeping girl with it and then made to leave the room.
"Nat?" Wanda sighed sleepily.
Natasha smiled to herself, glad that Wanda's subconscious stilled referred to her as Nat rather than Natasha.
"Hey" she said quietly, coming back and perching on the end of the sofa.
"What are you doing?" Wanda asked, confused.
"Well initially I came in here to relax and drink my coffee. But it seemed you decided to take an afternoon nap so I chucked the blanket on you and was on my way to the kitchen." She replied lightly.
"Oh. Thank you. I didn't realise I'd fallen asleep."
"Anytime kiddo" Nat responded, knowing the nickname would irritate the Sokovian.
Wanda threw her a glare but could only maintain it for a second or two before her face broke out into a smile.
"What are you doing with the rest of your day now you're awake?" Natasha inquired.
"Nothing really I don't think."
"Do you want to go out to eat later?" Nat asked casually.
She didn't know why she was trying to force her presence on the girl, but they had eaten out together numerous times and this is what friends did; spent time together. Natasha wasn't sure why she felt apprehensive about the answer.
"Yeah sure. What do you fancy?" Wanda replied happily.
You.
As much as Natasha enjoyed Wanda's company and mind platonically, she couldn't deny that she wanted her back in her bed.
"Chinese?"
"Ooo yes, I love Chinese food!" Wanda exclaimed excitedly.
"I know you do idiot." Natasha replied laughing.
"I'll book a table then. Meet you at the front door at 6? I'll drive"
"Yeah that sounds great Nat."
Natasha checked herself in the mirror before grabbing her purse and heading for the door. This was a causal dinner but the restaurant they were going to was nice so she had opted not to wear jeans. Instead she had chosen black stilettos, high waisted leather trousers, a white lace camisole and an oversized blazer to keep her warm. She looked good but still relaxed enough to show this was just two friends going out for dinner; she hadn't made any more effort than she usually would have.
When she reached the front door she found herself slightly surprised as she was greeted by Steve, Sam, Vision, Carol and Wanda.
"Hi guys" she said to the group.
"Hey, I let them know dinner plans as I wasn't sure if you'd told them." Wanda explained.
Natasha was annoyed but knew she had no right to cause a scene and was likely being a bit irrational.
"Thanks Maximoff, you're right, I completely forgot to let everyone know."
She couldn't bring herself to make eye contact with Wanda but did briefly glance at her outfit; she was wearing tight, dark trousers, suede knee high boots and a white sheer blouse. Natasha thought she looked stunning.
The boys and Carol were all dressed similarly; smart enough to eat at the restaurant but not so over the top that it looked like they were going to a black tie event.
Natasha stepped away from the group and quickly called the restaurant to amend the party size she had initially told them.
"Right, who's driving?" She asked, re-joining the group.
"Shall we just get two cabs? Saves trying to find parking." Steve suggested.
"Sure" she said as she watched him make the call.
The taxis arrived 10 minutes later and Natasha piled into the first car with Steve and Sam.
"I think it will be nice to go out as a group. We should probably do this more often to bond and relax a little." Steve commented.
"Yeah probably." Natasha replied, still irritated.
Of course, when they were seated at their table Natasha ended up sitting opposite Wanda and Carol which exasperated her already bad mood.
Carol had kind of been adopted into the Avengers as an honoury member and could be found at the compound a lot of the time recently. However they all knew if there was an issue on another planet she would have to go and wouldn't be contactable unless it was an emergency. She also regularly visited other places to ensure all was in order but enjoyed spending time with the team on earth; much like Thor did when he was able to.
"What can I get you all to drink?" A waiter asked as soon as they were all seated.
"I'll take a Vodka thanks." Natasha said immediately as Steve looked at her quizzically.
The rest of the table ordered beers and chatted over their menus, deciding what to eat.
"What are you having Romanoff?" Steve asked from his seat next to her.
"Huh?"
"I said, what are you having? Are you ok? You seem a little distracted." He said, looking puzzled as he watched Natasha swirl her drink around the glass.
"Sorry Steve, I was in a world of my own. I'm going to have the shredded duck I think, it's good here." She responded, looking up and Wanda who was giggling with Carol and Vision.
"Good call, I think I'll have the same."
The food appeared quickly and the team passed their dishes around for the others to try. Natasha didn't have much of an appetite but still ate most of her duck; it was delicious as usual.
"How is your duck Natasha?" Wanda asked from across the table.
"Its good thanks. Try some if you want, I'm finished." She said, her tone slightly clipped.
Wanda reached across the table and made herself a pancake; imitating the way Natasha had done by adding cucumber, spring onion and hoisin sauce before the duck.
"Wow this is so good. I'll have this next time!" She said after taking the first bite, breaking out into a smile.
"Carol you have to try this duck!" Wanda said, giving Carol the other half of her pancake.
Carol laughed as she took it.
"You know I've had duck before right? It's quite common in Chinese restaurants." She responded, looking at Wanda as if she was a cute little puppy.
"But I bet this is even better! Right Nat?" Wanda said looking between the two of them.
Natasha sighed and played along.
"Try it Danvers, it's good duck." She said, forcing a smile and trying to sound enthusiastic.
Natasha's first real laugh of the evening came when she watched Vision, who had ordered food like the rest of them, slowly spooning his meal onto Sam's plate who ate it with gusto and grinned at the android.
"You two are adorable" she chuckled as Sam gave her a thumbs up and Vision looked slightly confused.
"Right, does anyone need anything else before I get the bill?" Steve asked, taking on his role as Dad of the group.
The team all responded negatively and he managed to get the attention of the wait staff to request the bill.
"Mr Rogers your bill has been paid in full." The waiter explained to the table.
They all looked at each other, confused, then back at the man.
"Erm, by who?"
"Mr Tony Stark? He said he's very sorry he couldn't be here and he's sure this gathering was extremely dull without his presence." The waiter explained, his face serious.
The group started to laugh and Steve shook his head.
"I called him earlier to see if him and Pepper wanted to join us but he said he wasn't in the city." Steve told the group.
"Flash bastard. Is there ever a time when he's not the centre of attention?" Nat said fondly, laughing.
"I don't think so, but hey at least he paid the bill. I'll text him later and thank him." Steve said, slightly proudly.
"Wow look at you Grandad, so down with the kids." Nat said quietly into his ear as he threw his head back and laughed.
"Right, let's head home." He said, standing up.
They arrived back at the compound shortly after and most of the team went to their rooms or even for a late training session. Natasha returned to the common room with a beer and decided to relax a little and let her food digest properly.
She'd had a nice evening tonight in the end, but still couldn't shake the frustration bubbling beneath the surface caused by Wanda clearly not wanting to be alone with her. Sure, it wasn't a date and Natasha didn't think it was but she had just wanted to spend some time with her like they used to. Natasha laughed to herself when she realised she was getting a little taste of her own medicine; the only difference was that Wanda wasn’t quite as brutal in dishing it out as Nat was.
Natasha held her beer bottle loosely and tilted her head back against the cushion, listening to the sudden downpour of rain crash against the windows.
"I wondered where you'd gotten to."
Natasha opened her eyes when Wanda's voice rang out but remained in the same position she was in.
"Well here I am, clearly." She replied, a little bit harsher than she'd intended.
Wanda stepped further in the room and perched on the opposite end of the sofa.
"Erm, is everything ok?" She asked tentatively.
"Yeah great, why wouldn't it be?" Natasha replied, trying her best to sound neutral and like a rational human being.
"I don't know, I feel like we've hardly spoken tonight."
"Yeah, I guess it's a little difficult to hold a conversation with all those people at the table." Natasha snapped, draining the last of her beer and standing up.
"What?"
"Never mind" she replied, starting to leave.
"Natasha is that why you're mad? Because I invited the team out for dinner? Are you being serious right now?" Wanda asked.
Natasha snapped her head around to face her.
"No Wanda, I'm mad because clearly you're doing everything you can not to spend any fucking time alone with me! If you don't want to spend time with me, just fucking say so!"
Wanda's face began to turn red and she seemed to be speechless, for a second at least.
"Are you actually for real? Maybe you should have taken some of your own advice when you decided to remove me from your life without telling me why!" Wanda said, her voice raised.
"Is that what this is about? Fucking revenge? I thought we'd moved past that, I've apologised!" Natasha responded, trying to rein her temper under control and keep her voice at an acceptable volume.
"Do you really think I'm that petty? I would never do that to you Natasha."
"Then what's going on? It's like you never want to be near me."
"I don't understand what you are expecting from me? We've trained together, spent time together, chatted and cooked. What's the problem?"
"You're just different! I- I can't explain it. Like tonight, why did you invite the whole team? You've never done that before when we've gone to eat."
"Why wouldn't I invite the team? We are all friends, it wasn't a date Nat."
Natasha was pacing like a caged animal now, trying to arrange her thoughts into some kind of order.
"I know it wasn't a fucking date Wanda. I just- oh I don't fucking know." She said, exasperatedly throwing her hands into the air.
"I can't fix the situation if you can't tell me, specifically, what the issue is." Wanda said, her voice calming.
"I don't have specifics for you Maximoff. You know what, fuck it, I don't even care." She said, storming out of the room.
"Natasha don't you dare do this to me again. Get back here and finish the conversation that you fucking started!" Wanda shouted, following her out of the room into the kitchen.
"There's no conversation to be had! We're friends, work colleagues, team mates, acquaintances, whatever the fuck you want to call us, ok? You're fine, I'm fine, so let's just go back to doing what we've been doing."
"Why do you always have to talk to me in riddles Natasha! You're not just a spy, you are a human so fucking talk to me like one. I'm not trying to double bluff you or trick you, I just want to talk about what is going on with us!" Wanda shouted.
"You didn't seem to want to fucking talk last time!" Natasha shouted back, all of her facades slipping.
"What? When?"
"When I apologised! As soon as I had you basically told me that was all you needed and kicked me out of your room!"
"What else was there to talk about?!" Wanda yelled.
"Us!"
"Us?! Natasha you were the one who put an end to 'us' as soon as you acted like I didn't exist!"
"So why the fuck did you come to my room and sleep with me then?!" She asked, astounded.
"Because I needed closure and for once I needed to feel like you cared about me and weren't just playing games or using me!"
"I do fucking care about you Wanda!" Natasha screamed at her, uncharacteristically out of control and not caring.
"And I care about you too you absolute idiot." Wanda replied.
"So why have you being pushing me away?" Nat asked quietly, her voice cracking slightly.
"Because how on earth am I supposed to know you care about me Nat? From the very beginning of our relationship you have blown hot and cold, giving me mixed signals all the time. Sometimes you are so loving and tender I really believe you could have feelings for me, other times you are so abrupt and closed off I feel like you only ever used me for sex. You never ever say what you're truly feeling and thinking and you are so guarded and closed off I don't know if I'm coming or going."
Natasha watched Wanda's passionate display of emotion without responding. She could see the pain and hurt in her glassy blue eyes and felt shame spiral through her.
"The reason I've maintained distance from you is because I have to protect myself. I can't have my heart broken again because I've misread your signals or convinced myself you feel something for me other than friendship." Wanda said sadly, suddenly looking exhausted.
Natasha's shoulders sagged and she ran a hand through her hair.
"Wanda I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything- not just when I started ignoring you. But the stuff with Carol, the sex, the mixed signals. I'm so used to using people and being used that I didn't ever really stop to consider the impact my actions would have on you. When we finally got over the stuff that happened at the shipyard, all I ever wanted to do was to be a good mentor and friend to you. I wanted to help you with your grief and be someone you could always rely on. I'm sorry I let you down."
Natasha took being a good, reliable mentor and teammate extremely seriously and for the first time recognised that she had failed in being that for Wanda; the person who needed it most.
Wanda sighed.
"You didn't let me down Natasha, you got me through the darkest times of my life. My nightmares, Pietro, training. I wouldn't have survived without you. And when it came to it, you were always there. You took a bullet for me for God's sake."
"I know, but I should have been better." She said quietly.
"Listen, you have always known where I stand Nat. I love you. I loved you before you took a bullet for me and I love you now. But it's not for me to pressure you into something that you don't want. I have always said to you that I would never ask you to be anyone other than who you are and that still stands. I want you in my life in any capacity Tasha, whether that is as a friend or something different."
Natasha gulped and sat down at the kitchen island, head in her hands.
"Wanda, I'm not good at this. At talking, at communicating my feelings, at wanting something or someone. You have to understand, I've never had a relationship in my life, my line of work has never allowed for it and to be honest I've never wanted one. Believe it or not, you are the only person I've ever pursued sexually because I genuinely wanted to. Anyone else has been for a purpose, usually work related, but not you."
Natasha saw Wanda's eyes widen in surprise at her confession but she stayed silent.
"This is all so new to me and I am really trying. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I have never ever wanted to hurt you. Most of the bad things I've done have been some warped way of trying to protect you from the person I really am. You are so young and have your whole life ahead of you; I didn't want you to get attached to someone like me. The selfish side of my actions were because I was trying to protect myself. I've never willingly allowed myself to be open and exposed or vulnerable to anyone or anything, not even the team. But as soon as you arrived here I felt like you could see into the depths of my soul and it terrified me. It still does actually. When I look into your eyes I always feel a stab of panic that I'm going to find disgust or fear there and it scares the hell out of me. I know you've seen some of my memories but you don't know the half of what I've done Little Witch."
"So tell me Nat" she whispered.
"Maybe we should get another drink." Nat suggested, her voice hoarse.
Wanda nodded and moved quietly to the liquor cabinet, returning quickly with two iced filled glasses and a bottle of vodka.
"Cheers" Natasha said, raising her glass to Wanda and knocking it back in one.
"There are some things that I'll never be able to talk about Wanda. I can't relive those things again."
She took and deep breath and continued.
"My real name is Natalia Alianovna Romanova. I was taken into the red room by the KGB when I was 7. I completed my first assignment at 8. They trained me to conceal my emotions, to kill ruthlessly and to never form any kind of emotional attachments. My 'graduation ceremony', as you know, involved sterilising me to ensure nothing could ever be more important to me than my job. I became one of the world’s best assassins rather quickly and managed to get on shields radar. Luckily, they sent Clint to kill me, who decided to make a different call. Fury took me under his wing and recruited me and that eventually led to me being here." She explained, eyes cast downwards.
"Thank you Nat, for trusting me enough to tell me that. I know that must have taken a lot." Wanda said gently.
"So now, Little Witch, you see why I'm not exactly the best choice." Natasha laughed.
"I didn't choose to fall in love with you Natasha, but I will always accept you as you are, including your past." Wanda replied earnestly.
"I'm not capable of love Wanda. I don't know if I can be in a relationship. I care about you very much and it goes past the point of friendship but I don't know if I can offer you anything else."
"I have never asked you for anything else. All I want is to know where I stand and not be treated like an object. If you want to see where things go then we can, but I will not tolerate being mistreated or a repeat of last time." She replied firmly.
"So you don't need us to be a couple?" Natasha asked, confused.
"Not if it’s something you are not able to do. I know how I feel about you but I still have a lot of things to work through myself. What do you want Natasha?"
“I don’t want to promise you something I cannot give you.”
“Ok, so what do you want?” Wanda replied, starting to get frustrated.
“I want to spend time with you, get to know you, have you back in my bed.”
“So you want to date me?” Wanda asked, smirking at how uncomfortable Natasha was.
“Erm”
“Or were you thinking more of a friends with benefits type situation?”
“What? No! Where did you even… never mind, Sam.” Natasha answered her own question as Wanda nodded and giggled.
“I want to go back to how we were before, but better. So yes, I guess I want to date you.” Natasha winced when she said the last part of her sentence, knowing it wouldn’t come across very enthusiastically.
Wanda’s eyes softened.
“That sounds fine to be Natasha. As long as we communicate a little better, then I’m happy to take it easy and see where things go. You can relax now.” She laughed.
"How are you more mature than me?" Natasha said seriously.
"I don't know, but I definitely am. If you want to try this, then let's just take it slow Ok? No pressure."
Natasha's brain was working overtime to try and compute all of the information Wanda was giving her.
"I want to try this." She admitted genuinely.
Natasha knew she had spoken without weighing out her options for the first time she could ever remember but she couldn't fathom how she could say no.
She felt calm for the first time in weeks but also a little vulnerable from her outpouring of honesty and emotion. The conversation had drained her. To restore balance, Natasha did what she did best; took control of the situation.
She stood up and walked over to where Wanda was standing, pinning her against the counter and staring into her eyes. She kissed her lips gently.
"Fancy sharing my bed tonight? Just to sleep, I'm very tired." Natasha said, yawning exaggeratedly.
"Can we have waffles in the morning?" Wanda said, her eyes soft and affectionate.
"After training we can." She replied sternly.
"You're always so serious about training." Wanda said, rolling her eyes.
"And that, Little Witch, is why I'll always be able to kick your ass." She smirked, sauntering toward the door.
She turned her head back to see Wanda still smiling against the counter.
"So was that a yes to bed or would you rather stay here?" Natasha raised her trademark brows at Wanda awaiting a response.
"It was definitely a yes."