Wanda spent the rest of the plane ride sat on Natasha’s lap, no-one openly commented on it, for which she was glad. As she felt quite embarrassed by her need for such childlike intimacy. Wanda curled up more into the older woman, avoiding eye contact with everyone else on the plane. It was slightly awkward when they were dropped off. She stood up to leave the plane, but Natasha grabbed her arm to still her.
“Do you have anything to say to everyone?”
Wanda flushed red in embarrassment, “I’m sorry…” she said looking at an interesting spot on the floor. Steve approached her gently, “You scared us Wanda, please don’t do anything like that again.”
Wanda just nodded. Tony approached and just awkwardly patted an open hand on her shoulder, “what he said.”
Natasha rolled her eyes playfully at Stark. Sam gave her an awkward fist bump, “stay safe little witch.”
Vision just nodded at her from his seat.
“Come on sweetheart,” said Natasha gently.
‘I know we are close Nat, but I don’t think Laura would appreciate you calling me sweetheart,” joked Clint.
Natasha went to open her mouth, but was surprised when everyone chorused “Shut up Barton.” She had the grace to look to slightly embarrassed, “I guess I do say that quite a lot.”
Natasha placed a kiss on Steve’s cheek, and gave a one-armed hug to Tony, “we will see you guys again in a few weeks.”
They walked off the jet into the morning air, “Clint would you mind taking the family out for breakfast, Wanda and I need some alone time.”
“Not a problem,” replied Clint simply, “there are some waffle houses I’ve been meaning to try.”
Wanda slowly entered the house, and wasn’t surprised to see Laura glaring at her from the kitchen table. “I’m Sor…” Wanda was interrupted in her words by Laura standing up and gripping her tightly in a hug. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? I mean once your little hocus pocus ran out.”
Natasha raised her eyebrows, “Hocus Pocus?”
“I’ll let Wanda explain,” she replied with a wink, “I hope you didn’t think you were going to get away with that one.”
Wanda deflated slightly she looked at Nat earnestly, “I’m feeling a bit tired, can I go to sleep?”
Natasha looked at the girl closely she didn’t look particularly tired, but they had been up all night. “Go upstairs, get your PJ’s on and then I want you to go to my room and stand in the corner.”
Wanda looked at her slightly puzzled, “Stand in the corner?”
“Yes you heard me. I want you to go stand in the corner, and think about all the things you could have done differently last night.”
Wanda seemed slightly perturbed but nodded in understanding before taking off up the stairs. Natasha turned to Clint and Laura, obviously looking for reassurance.
“You need to do this Nat,” said Laura, reading her mind.
“I know you don’t want to, but she needs this,” echoed Clint.
Natasha shook her head slightly, “What If she has been abused? What if I’m adding to her trauma?”
Laura smiled at her, “it worked for you, and you if anything were more traumatised and abused than she has been.”
Natasha blushed slightly, while Clint laughed.
“you know Laura; you are the only person I know who can make the deadly Black Widow blush.”
“Shu… Give it a rest Barton,” she changed her words at the last minute. Clint smiled at her, “right we will go coral the kids and give you some space, we will be out for a few hours.”
“Thanks Clint,” replied Nat softly.
Natasha slowly walked up the stairs and gently pushed open her bedroom door, feeling relief when she saw Wanda standing there as requested. Though she hadn’t changed as she had asked she was still wearing her clothes from earlier. She closed the door behind her, and went and pulled out the chair from behind the desk so it was in the middle of the room. Natasha then went over to the bed and sat down on it.
“Wanda come over here please.” She patted the space beside her on the bed.
Wanda quickly left her corner and took up the space Natasha had indicated.
“So do you want to talk me through the events of last night?” asked Natasha sternly.
Wanda soon started rapidly explaining everything that happened, from using her powers on Laura to sneaking on the jet, to infiltrating the base, the alarm. “It was all going fine until that alarm was triggered. We didn’t even trigger it, one of you did.”
Natasha raised her eyebrows at the girl, “We didn’t know you were in there, so we weren’t particularly worried about tripping alarms.”
Wanda nodded at the chastisement, knowing Natasha had a point. She sighed heavily, “I just wanted to help. I didn’t want to be the weak little girl sat at home.”
“You are not a weak little girl Wanda, and one day in the near future you will be carrying out missions with us. I told you no today that didn’t mean no forever. You decided to do it anyway. Hydra are dangerous, you know that better than most.”
Wanda looked away from the woman not wanting to acknowledge that last statement.
“Do you remember what I said would happen if you put yourself in danger?”
Wanda looked at her quizzically, as her brain raced to think of the answer, as she thought back her face paled in realisation. She couldn’t be serious; she had surely only been posturing before. She looked at Natasha’s faces searching, seeking, scanning for any doubt about her intentions. Any sign of hesitation or indecision she could jump on to convince her it was not required. She only saw unwavering commitment to her, she swallowed the lump forming in her throat, at the thought that there was a person that cared about her so deeply. She hadn’t felt that affection in so long, not since Pietro had died anyway, or before her parents had been cruelly taken away from her as a child.
“I don’t need that, I won’t ever do it again I promise, give me a chance,” she pleaded innocently in slight desperation.
Wanda changed tact, “Nat I’m too old…”
“You behaved like a child Wanda, I also think it will help deter you in the future from reckless actions.” As well as help you with this guilt you are still carrying around she thought to herself. “Even if I wasn’t acting as a parent, as an Avenger you need to work as part of a team part of that means following orders and instructions.”
“What exactly will happen?” questioned Wanda nervously. Natasha pulled the girl back towards her, “I will pull you across my knee, I will lift up your skirt and pull down your underwear, I will then spank you with my hand and my hand only. Then afterwards I will hold you for as long as you need…”
“No belts...” said Wanda though it was said more like a question rather than statement.
“Never any belts Wanda, it’s not abuse it’s just a punishment. I need you to understand that you can’t do this ever again. Do you know how terrified I was? You could have been killed Wanda.” Natasha took a deep breath to calm herself even saying the words had upset her.
“When?” questioned Wanda in almost a whisper. Natasha’s words had overwhelmed her slightly.
“Well I was thinking now Wanda,” replied Natasha quickly, she held out her hand to the girl. Wanda hesitated for the moment before reaching out and grabbing the older woman’s hand. Wanda then surprised the older woman and threw herself into Nat’s arms. Natasha had to adjust to keep her balance on the bed at the sudden weight that had pushed into her.
“I’m sorry Nat…” she whimpered. That’s when Natasha knew she was doing the right thing. Wanda needed this, it was more than just a punishment, it was a chance to clean the slate. It was something Wanda desperately required, and Natasha just hoped she had the strength to do it. She wrapped her arms tightly around the girl, Wanda rested her head on the older woman’s shoulder nuzzling into Natasha’s neck. She sat down on the bed still holding the younger girl tightly to her. Natasha manoeuvred herself so that her back was against the headboard of the bed, Wanda still wrapped up in her arms. She gently pulled the girl away from her body.
“Come on,” she cajoled. Natasha tapped her lap gently indicating where the teenager should go. Wanda shook her head, and went to bury herself back into Natasha’s body. Nat realised she had no hope of getting her to the chair she had placed in the room. The bed would have to do.
“Wanda, come on this is happening.”
Wanda shook her head slightly, “can’t you just hit me?”
Natasha looked at the girl oddly, “What do you mean?”
Wanda looked back at her, “like whip my back or something.” It seemed more dignified in Wanda’s head, less juvenile. Natasha shook her head, “You don’t punish a child like that.”
“I’m not a child,” whined Wanda with an annoyed shake of her head.
“I’m getting tired of this conversation Wanda,” replied Natasha rather strictly. “You are not an adult. You are a child, my child. If you misbehave I decide the punishment. I told you what the consequences would be. You chose this punishment yourself when you did what you did.”
Wanda opened her mouth to object, but found that she didn’t really know what to say. She found herself focusing on one part of the statement, “I’m your child?”
Natasha smiled and tucked some Wanda’s brown hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. “Yes, now come on let’s get this over with ok.”
…………………………………………………………….
She navigated Wanda over her lap, and lifted the girl’s skirt out of the way, smoothing it against her back in a comforting fashion. “Do you understand why we are here?”
Wanda nodded sadly her body was shaking slightly with nerves. Natasha responded by rubbing circles into her back, watching the signs as the Wanda finally starting to relax into her touch.
“I expect a verbal response when you are in this position…” Natasha continued.
“Yes Nat,” she replied reticently, hiding her face into the comforter on the bed in embarrassment.
“Ok I’m going to bare you now,” Natasha explained, wanting to make sure Wanda knew everything that was going on. “Nat, please don’t,” pleaded the girl weakly.
“I have to Wanda, I need to be able to see what I’m doing.”
Wanda craned her neck back, “please Nat,” she barely whispered. Natasha thought carefully about the request and considered this may have something to do with her past, information that she was not currently privy to. She nodded, “This time I will leave them up, but if you ever in this position again they will be by your knees.”
Wanda nodded weakly in agreement. Natasha grabbed a firm grip of the girl’s underwear and pulled them up slightly exposing the cheeks to her sight. Natasha started applying hard spanks. Wanda cringed at the pain, as she felt the swats start to spread across her bottom. She had not expected it to hurt this much. It was embarrassing to be in this position. This whole experience was humiliating she was the Scarlett witch she had been experimented on, tortured, she had even watched her birth parents die, yet she barely shed a tear. But in this moment she found herself choking on the emotion of it all. The fact that this woman cared enough about her to do this. The tempo increased again, “Nat, that’s enough.” She squirmed over her knee slightly, cringing at the blows.
“You know why we are in this position; you are never to behave so recklessly again. You will do as you are told. You will listen to the adults in your life.” She finished every statement with an extra hard swat. She knew the teenager needed to accept she was still a child it was the only way she could let go of all this guilt and blame she held.
Wanda threw her hand back to protect herself from the blows, Nat just caught her hand with hers and pinned it gently to her back. “It’s over when I say it is Little one. You are not the one in control here. You are being punished.” Wanda realised she was crying; the tears were cascading down her cheeks onto the comforter she had buried her face into.
Wanda sobbed lightly lifting her head up, “I’ve learnt my lesson.”
Natasha felt her chest ache at the statement but knew she had to finish what she started. She lifted one of her legs up raising Wanda, so she could assault the tender spit spots. “Mama stop,” Nat’s breath caught in her throat and she stopped mid swat. That word affected her in a way Wanda jokingly calling her mum did not. Her stomach knotted she had never expected to hear that word. Wanda twisted to get up, “I’m sorry Nat, it slipped out.” Natasha kept the girl pinned to her lap as she got her own emotions back under control. Wanda felt the guilt spiralling in her head, she felt like a thief, she had stolen that term. It was not her place to call Nat that. That title was reserved for her real future kids not some pathetic under age team mate. She kept trying to get up from her lap, which was proving difficult, with one of her hands already incapacitated by Natasha. She tried to scoot down so her knees would be on the bed so she could get some purchase in order to get up. Natasha placed a particularly hard swat to the top of her legs in order to snap her back to reality.
“It’s ok Wanda, you can call me that if you want,” she choked out. Wanda kept struggling in her hold, she placed her free hand onto the bed and tried to push herself up from the position.
“Wanda stop this, we aren’t finished,” explained Natasha gently. Wanda kept trying to fight to sit up, and Natasha was struggling to keep her calm. Keeping the girl firmly in her grip she managed to get her to the edge of the bed. She then lifted the girl into her arms. Wanda tried to pull away from her, “Stop it Nat! Let me go.”
Natasha just gripped the girl tighter until she eventually gave in to the hold and wrapped her arms around her neck. She carried her across the room, and eventually sat in the chair she had pulled out earlier. Wanda had stopped struggling against her at this point, “Ok Wanda, can we finish this now?”
Wanda groaned slightly, “I promise to never be reckless again.”
Natasha smiled at that softly, “I’m not sure that is a promise a teenager can keep.”
She released the girl from her grip, and then tugged her back over her knee. Wanda was unsure of this new position; she wasn’t sure what to do with her arms. She held her hands out in front and placed her fingertips onto the floor. She felt Natasha lift her skirt back up and she rubbed her back soothingly, “we are nearly done ok sweetheart.” She gave a final volley of hard swats, she felt relief when the girl cried out and sobbed earnestly over her lap. Wanda kicked her legs out in frustration. Natasha glanced at the red backside, and the equally teary girl. She started to rub the sore skin lightly. “Ok Wanda, I want you to explain what lead you to your current position?”
Wanda looked back at her in shock, Now?! Now she wanted to play question time. “I used my powers on Aunt Laura,” she stated. Natasha couldn’t help but smile at the moniker she had applied to Laura, but she still sent her hand crashing down. “What else?” asked Natasha.
“I disobeyed you and put my self in danger,” she rushed out. Wanda felt the two hard swats connect as she finished the statement.
‘And what will happen if you do any of those things in the future,” asked Natasha.
Wanda shook her head, “I don’t know.”
Natasha took the reigns on this one, “You will be punished, if you ever put yourself in danger like that again, I will be taking a hairbrush to your bare ass, do you understand me Wanda Maximoff?”
“Yes,” yelped Wanda, as she felt another hard swat connect. Time for the final 10, Natasha steeled herself.
“Last ten Wanda I’m not joking when I say you are getting off lucky this time.”
“I don’t feel very lucky,” she whimpered back. Natasha schooled her expression to try and keep the smile of her face, Wanda was so cute even when she wasn’t trying to be. Natasha knew she had to make these last swats count. She brought her hand down hard, and Wanda’s reaction was instantaneous as she tried to throw both her hands back despite how precariously she was balanced. Natasha pinned the uncoordinated hands to her back, and brought her hand down again. Wanda cried out audibly but maintained the struggle, kicking and squirming against the woman, by the 7th Swat, she had stopped fighting and was laying rather limply across her knee. When Natasha noticed that, she quickly finished up the last 3 swats. She glanced down at the backside in front of her it was cherry red the bits she could see, but no bruising, she knew she had not been excessive. Wanda’s reaction was more emotional than a reaction to actual pain.
She replaced Wanda’s skirt, and lifted the girl of her lap. Wanda’s reaction was to throw herself into Nat’s arms. “I’m sorry Nat, so sorry.” She rubbed her back consoling the sobbing teenager in her arms. “Shh it’s ok little one, you are ok. I’ve got you now. You are safe, you are forgiven and you are loved. You are loved so much my little mouse.” Natasha kept muttering endearments into Wanda’s ears. She wiped away her tears and kept calming her until the sobs turned to the occasional sniffle, however Natasha made no attempt to move, knowing this part had to be all on Wanda’s terms. Wanda snuggled closer into the woman, she was basking in the comfort being offered, even wiping her nose on her shirt. “If I fall asleep will you still be here when I wake up?” questioned Wanda tiredly.
“I’m not going anywhere.…Come on let’s get you changed.”
Natasha delicately undressed her before pulling a night dress over her head. She started removing the copious amounts of jewellery the young teenager seemed to always be wearing. She went to remove the black sweat band, “Can I leave that on please?”
Natasha looked at her curiously, it looked like a male article of clothing. She thought it must have belonged to Pietro so nodded in agreement.
…………………………….
Wanda woke up with a start half expecting to be alone, she felt reassured when she turned her head and saw Nat asleep next to her. She turned over in the bed, but then gasped when her backside made contact with the bed. She rubbed the sting away. The motion woke up Natasha who couldn’t hide her smile at the cute site in front of her. It made Wanda look younger than her 16 years. “you ok little one?”
“I’m sore,” she pouted. “and not a little one…”
“You are right, you are not a little one, you are my little one,” replied Nat kissing her forehead.
Wanda sat up on her hand, “by the way never got to ask earlier, how come you kissed Rogers but just hugged the rest?”
“We are old friends,” replied Nat with a roll of her eyes.
Wanda smirked at the women, “whatever you say…”
“It’s none of your business,” joked Natasha playfully.
“It is definitely my business,” replied Wanda with a cheesy smile, “Who ever you date may be my new daddy.”
Natasha paled slightly at the inference, and then took in Wanda’s smiling face. “Cut it out you!”
Wanda stepped out of the bed, stretching slightly. Natasha couldn’t help but notice she seemed younger in her gait. She didn’t seem as world weary or beaten down, there was a lightness to her movement and wonderment she had not really seen much of before. Natasha felt relief that the girl held no resentment towards her.
Wanda turned back to Natasha playfully, “You coming? You need to feed me?”
“I need to feed you?” she questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Wanda just smirked at her, “Hey you wanted to look after me, it’s all part of the package.”
Natasha was just so relieved she was worried how Wanda was going to react to the previous events. It seemed Laura and Clint were right as much as that pained her to admit. Laura especially was always right.
Wanda didn’t even bother to get dressed before heading down the stairs, she wasn’t surprised to see Laura already sat down there nursing Nathaniel. She glanced around the room, “where’s Uncle Clint?” asked Wanda curiously.
“He’s just taking a nap,” replied Laura seemingly unfazed by the title Wanda had used. Wanda looked out of the window and could see Lila and Cooper tearing around the garden, playing some sort of game.
Wanda gingerly approached the woman, “I am sorry Aunt Laura, for using how did you put it? My hocus pocus on you?”
Laura smiled at the teenager, “that’s ok Wanda, I’m sure Nat dealt with it.”
Wanda swallowed at the phrase, and unconsciously rubbed her behind, “yeah she did.”
“Just so we are clear Wanda, you ever do that again, it won’t just be Nat seeing to you…”
Wanda nodded in understanding, “Yeah, got it.”
Natasha came up behind Wanda, having caught the tail end of the conversation. “You threatening my kid Laura?”
Laura laughed, and then gently cradled the baby placing him over her shoulder and started tapping his back. “Always,” joked Laura.
After successfully completing her task, she laid the baby down in the bassinet. “I’m guessing you two are hungry?” Wanda nodded.
“I’ll go rustle something up,” stated Laura.
Natasha looked at them, “I’ll leave you to it then, as I desperately need a shower.”
Wanda looked at her, “can’t you stay and help Mama.”
Natasha felt her heart melt at the word. Wanda calling her that may be her new kryptonite. “Of course I can Malyshka.”
Laura smiled at the pair of them, before beckoning them both towards the kitchen.