Natasha could not remember ever being this angry. She stomped through the compound, as Peter trailed behind her. Her mind was racing, what in the world was her kid thinking? Why would she do it. She thought she was getting somewhere with the teenager, and this felt like a sucker punch, “Aunty Nat!” Yelled Peter, trying to get the older woman to slow down or at least calm down slightly.
Natasha furiously went storming into the lab. She located her target and shoved him hard in his seat.
“Ouch Romanoff what was that for?”
Tony turned to face the Black Widow and took in the expression on her face. He instantly abandoned the joke he had on the tip of his tongue. Tony glanced over at the stricken expression on Peter’s face. “Pete, can you go grab Pepper please and ask her to meet us here.”
“Get Steve as well please,” said Natasha her tone gentler than her face conveyed as she spoke to the kid. “Just grab them and go chill in your room. You did the right thing Peter.”
Peter hesitated but left the room once his mentor nodded that he was going to be ok. Natasha narrowed her eyes at Tony, “you going to explain to me why you are currently trying to eviscerate me with your eyes?” he asked.
“I am absolutely livid with you Tony; I want to know what in the hell you were thinking!”
Pepper rushed into the room followed by Steve, “What’s going on in here?”
Tony turned innocently to Pepper, “I have no idea, I just asked for you so there was a witness to Romanoff trying to kill me.”
“What did you do?” deadpanned Pepper, crossing her arms at her boyfriend. Natasha swallowed air in an attempt to calm her shaking arms. Steve approached her and gently put his arms around her waist, she leaned back into his arms, and visibly relaxed in his hold.
“Wanda got cocaine.”
Tony paled, and Pepper just looked at her in shock, “What? Why would she do that?”
Natasha glared at Tony, “Because someone told her that Cocaine was like happiness.”
Pepper turned on Tony in annoyance, “You told a teenage girl what?!”
“In my defence, I was just making a joke, I didn’t think she would take me literally.”
“You can’t joke like that Tony,” chided Pepper. “She is such an impressionable kid.”
Tony looked at the two women he had disappointed, “I am truly sorry Natasha. I didn’t think. I was just being well…me…”
Natasha sighed, Tony actually calling her Natasha rather than one of his stupid nicknames or her surname evidenced his sincerity. She ran a hand through her hair, “it’s not all on you Tony. Wanda made the decision to get some and do it. Peter told me she has apparently been researching it for a while…”
Steve spoke up from behind her, “what do we do now?”
“We go speak to our kid…”
………………………………………………………………….
Wanda lay on her bed, happily turning the pages of her book. A Sunday evening reading a book for her was the perfect end to her day. Today could not have gone better for her. She closed her eyes as she thought back to that feeling. The rush was exhilarating; she could see how people got addicted to that sensation. Tony was right if felt like happiness, or what Wanda thought happiness would be. Her thoughts were displaced by the sound of a knock at her door. She stood up, placing her book carefully on the side and opened the door.
Natasha and Steve were both stood on the other side. She glanced at the pair of them slightly confused by both of their presences. Usually only one of them came to get her. “Hey guys. Is it dinner already?”
Natasha brushed past her into the room, and started opening her drawers and rooting through them. Steve just closed the door behind them, and then stood blocking the exit.
“Mama what are you doing?” questioned Wanda in bemusement.
“Where is it?” asked Natasha calmly, but there was steely resolve to her tone.
“Where’s what?” asked Wanda in confusion.
“Don’t play dumb with me Wanda, you know what I’m talking about.”
“I really don’t Nat,” explained Wanda crossing her arms across her chest in annoyance, emphasised by the fact she used her given name.
“Where is the rest of the cocaine?”
Wanda’s jaw dropped, and her mouth opened as she struggled to form the words. “The what?” she stuttered.
Natasha turned back to the girl, she stopped her searching through the drawers to give the teenager her full attention. “Do not lie to me right now Wanda. You are in an absolute world of trouble it’s in your best interest to comply with everything I say right now.”
Wanda looked at her gingerly, as if considering her options. Handing over the drugs would be admitting she had them, though Natasha had named the drug, so she clearly already knew about it. After hesitating for about thirty seconds which seemed considerably longer to the people in the room. Wanda finally approached her underwear drawer and pulled out the remains of the drug she had and put it into Natasha’s hand, avoiding eye contact with the older woman.
“Wanda you want to explain this to me.”
She just shrugged petulantly at her, “I just wanted to try it, don’t make a big deal out of it.”
Natasha handed the bag to Steve, “Can you get rid of this?”
Steve nodded at the woman, before looking over to Wanda sadly, “I’m really disappointed.”
Those words felt like a hammer blow to Wanda’s chest. She gasped and sat down onto the bed. Natasha waited for Steve to leave the room, before sitting down next to the saddened teenager.
“What ever possessed you to do this Wanda?”
“I thought it would help,” explained Wanda weakly. “I thought it would help me understand my mind, my powers, my life.”
“All drugs are artificial Wanda; they just replicate they don’t create anything genuine. It’s all fake. Why didn’t you talk to me Wanda?”
“I couldn’t, you are so confident, so empowered. You always know what you are doing, saying, feeling.”
Natasha laughed out loud, “are you kidding me? I used to be a train wreck.”
Wanda looked at her startled, “What?”
“Wanda, I was a KGB assassin, trained to be a killer from a child. I needed a great support network to get where I am now. It didn’t happen over night.”
“It felt good though,” stated Wanda sadly. “I mean the drugs felt good. I felt free. Alive. I forgot about everything else.”
“It might have this time,” said Natasha calmly, “but it’s never the same the second, third, fourth or fifth time. You end up chasing that first time, and it takes more and more to get anywhere near that level. Tony would have explained this had he realised how seriously you had taken his words. It’s like putting a plaster on a gaping wound. Eventually you will bleed out.”
Natasha was trying desperately to make the teenage understand her words.
Wanda looked at the woman, “are you disappointed as well?”
Natasha looked at the sad heartbroken eyes in front of her and knew she couldn’t lie, “I am Wanda, you should have come and spoke to me about this. You knew buying drugs was wrong otherwise you wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to hide it.”
Wanda looked down at her feet. Steve walked back into the room and sat down on the other side of Wanda. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder in reassurance. “I’m sorry Steve. I’m sorry Mama.”
Natasha placed a kiss to her forehead. She steeled herself for what she knew she needed to do next, “Wanda go get your hairbrush.”
Steve released his grip on the girl at those words, she turned to face Natasha, “Mama no…. You can’t mean that.”
“I warned you months ago, I clearly made a mistake not punishing you after the stone incident. I’ve let you get away with things for too long, and it’s only going to end with you hurting yourself.”
Wanda shook her head in disagreement, “Mama, I said I’m sorry!”
“Saying sorry doesn’t fix it you still need to face the consequences of your actions. I think on some level you knew what would happen when I found out. I don’t know if this was just one big test. I want you to remember this moment the next time you even think about doing something like this.”
“Technically you never expressly told me to not buy cocaine,” she muttered under her breath. Natasha’s eyes narrowed in fury, “I would think very, very carefully about the next words you say Wanda Maximoff.” She heavily emphasised the very’s as she stared down her charge. “I am also putting parental controls on your internet access, you have proven you can’t be trusted with it.”
Wanda stood up in anger, “You can’t do that.”
“You had fair warning Wanda,” exclaimed Natasha firmly.
“But I need it,” said Wanda the desperation showing in her voice.
“Why do you need it?” asked Natasha curiously. “I’m not taking it away, Steve and I are just going to monitor and control the content.”
“You aren’t listening to me. I need it! I can’t cope without it,” she practically shouted the last few words. Natasha was shocked by the reaction; she had expected righteous indignation from the teenager but not this overly emotional reaction.
Steve broke the silence, “What do you mean you can’t cope without it? What are you doing online?”
Wanda shook her head furiously, “that’s not your business.”
Natasha reached out her hand, “get me your phone now please.”
Wanda glared at her, “No.”
“It wasn’t a request; I’m telling you to give me your phone.” Wanda reached into the pocket of her sweatpants and liberated the device from it’s confines. She slapped it aggressively into Natasha’s hand. Natasha unlocked the phone, and started sifting through the phone’s history. She raised an eyebrow at the teenager, “You clear the history every day?”
Wanda just smirked at her smugly.
Natasha sighed, her agitation getting the best of her, “You won’t be feeling so smug in a minute little girl.”
The threat made the smile drop from Wanda’s face instantly. “Wanda, why won’t you talk to us?” questioned Steve.
“What if you decide I’m just too damaged and fucked up,” she whimpered finally letting her vulnerability show through.
“We would never think that,” cajoled Natasha softly. “I don’t care, I told you already you are stuck with me for life. You are my kid.”
Wanda smiled weakly at the woman, and lowered herself into her lap, wrapping her arms around her neck. Natasha started rubbing her back, as Wanda relaxed into her grip. “You can tell me anything…”
Wanda nodded, “Steve would you mind if I talk to Mama alone.” She was so nervous asking the question, afraid to upset the super soldier she had grown incredibly found of.
“Of course not,” replied Steve warmly. He placed a kiss on Wanda’s head, before placing a single kiss on Natasha’s lips.
Once he had exited the room Wanda reluctantly pulled away from the hug, but allowed Natasha to continue rubbing her back. “It’s hard to explain,” she whispered.
Natasha nodded in understanding.
“I feel lost sometimes in my own head. The panic grows manic until I can’t breathe. It’s like I’m drowning in my own thoughts. I try to get out, but if I try to fight it, I just drown quicker. The people online help me they gave me solutions on how to escape.”
“Solutions like what?” asked Natasha nervously.
Wanda shrugged, “Like shots of vodka, trying drugs, pain. They all worked though mama. So it helps. They help me control it.”
Natasha heart was breaking hearing these words coming from her kid, “Oh Wanda…What do you mean by pain?”
“Don’t worry, I’m not doing anything silly….”
Natasha took a deep breath and moved the teenager slightly so she was looking her directly in the eyes. “Wanda are you hurting yourself?”
“No, well not really.”
“Ok so what does not really mean?” questioned Natasha her tone showing her nervousness.
Wanda sighed and stood up, she undid her sweatpants and pulled them down slightly to show the top of her thighs. Natasha delicately ran her fingers over the small welts that remained. There were only a few marks on the pale skin. She exhaled slightly in relief that none of them were cuts.
“How did you do these?” she asked.
Wanda shrugged awkwardly, “elastic band.”
Natasha nodded in understanding, “I’m so proud of you Wanda for telling me this. I know how hard it must be.”
“Does this mean you are not disappointed in me anymore?” asked Wanda weakly.
Natasha paused for a second, “I’m not ever disappointed in you. There are times where I am disappointed in your actions. But we will deal with that, you will be punished for your poor choices and we move on.”
Wanda nodded and cuddled back into the older woman. She allowed the girl to soak in the comfort for a few minutes before reluctantly pulling away.
“How do you always know all the answers?”
“I don’t, I just pretend I do so everyone believes me,” Natasha replied with a smirk. Wanda bumped into her shoulder giggling slightly.
Natasha knew it was time to grow sterner, “You need to apologise to Peter.”
Wanda scoffed, “Snitch’s get stitches.”
Natasha scowled at the girl, “I need to seriously start monitoring what you are watching…”
Wanda shrugged at him, “Blame uncle Clint, he gave me his Netflix log in.”
Natasha smiled before remembering she was supposed to be having a serious conversation. “Wanda, you put him in a really unfair position.”
“He still shouldn’t have gone running to you. He betrayed me.”
Natasha shook her head at the teenager, “he would have betrayed you had he not told me.”
Wanda toyed with the drawstring in her pants, “what happens now? You going to make me talk to some shrink.”
“No,” replied Natasha, “I want you to, but I won’t make you do it. I hope you feel you can come to me.”
Natasha was finally starting to realise she that she had just been pushing Wanda further away with her prying. She knew she needed to let the teenager come to her, as difficult as she was going to find that. Wanda sighed in relief as Natasha’s words. “Thank you.” Natasha in her haste to protect the kid had forgotten the golden rule. You can only help someone who wants to be helped.
“Now come on Wanda we have some things to take care of.”
“But we talked,” she stuttered back.
“We did, and I’m so proud of that,” Natasha stated, she stroked Wanda’s hair in reassurance. “But that doesn’t negate what you did. What did you expect to happen? Surely you knew that I would find out what you were up to at some point?”
“I didn’t think I would get caught,” Wanda replied honestly. Natasha reacted quickly to cover the smile that was threatening to show on her face.
“You will always get caught, if you ever think about doing something you shouldn’t be doing. I want you to think in your head what’s going to happen when Mama finds out.”
Wanda looked at her nervously, “so what happens now?”
“I think you know the answer to that,” Wanda slumped down in response.
“Can I plead temporary insanity?” She awkwardly joked.
Natasha shook her head, “Now come on let’s get this over with.” On a level Natasha didn’t want to do this but she knew that their occupation was dangerous. She feared for Wanda’s future especially if anything happened to her. Natasha needed Wanda to put her safety and health first and not just because she enforced it.
“Can’t I just be grounded?” pleaded Wanda, “I promise I won’t do anything like this again.”
“I’ve heard this all before Wanda. I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it. I need you to know I always keep my promises.”
Natasha knew the importance of those words to the teenager. She stood up with the teenager, and glanced around the room. “Now where’s your hairbrush?”
Wanda blushed at the question, “top drawer.”
Natasha moved over to the chest of drawers and retrieved the implement and laid it on the bedside table. She then went and sat on the bed, moving the pillows out of the way. Natasha positioned herself with her back against the headboard. Wanda just stood where she was not reacting to all the movements. Natasha patted her lap invitingly, ‘come on Wanda.”
“Mama…” she groaned.
“Don’t make me count to three,” came the response.
“Don’t say things like that!” exclaimed Wanda in embarrassment. She slowly approached the older woman. Once she got to the side of the bed Wanda placed her knees on the bed and crawled over to where Natasha was sitting. She went to hug Natasha, but she quickly reacted to manoeuvre the girl over her lap. Natasha explained her behaviour with a curt, “No more delaying it.”
“Do you understand why you are in this position?”
“Yes,” came the exasperated response. Natasha tried to hide her annoyance at the attitude, she laid a mighty swat on the backside in front of her. “I would watch your attitude little one. I just need to check you understand you are here because of your actions prior to our conversation today. Not because of anything you have told me. I will never punish you for being honest with me.”
“Yes Mama, I understand,” she replied gingerly surprised by how much that one swat had stung. Happy with the response Natasha grabbed the helm of her sweatpants and pulled them down to her knees, urging the girl to lift her hips to assist the action.
Natasha then went to pull down Wanda’s underwear to join the sweatpants.
“Mama no.”
“What did I warn you last time Wanda? You don’t need to be embarrassed. Unless you have a really good reason this is happening.”
Wanda’s mind raced to come up with an excuse, “I... It’s... don’t…” she finally settled on muttering, “please?”
Natasha shook her head, and the underwear joined the sweatpants by her knees. Wanda turned red in embarrassment and grabbed a nearby pillow that had been discarded from the head of the bed. She buried her face into it focusing on the fabric on her face rather than the fact she was currently over Natasha’s knee.
Natasha decided to not prolong the teenager’s embarrassment and started the punishment quickly. Wanda for all the posturing and whinging was trying to take it stoically. The room was quiet apart from the sound of Natasha’s hand connecting with skin. Sensing the fact that Wanda was bottling it up, she increased the pace and ferocity of the swats. Natasha noticed a slight change as the teenager started to fidget more in response, she tightened her grip and continue with the onslaught. After a few good minutes of blows, she halted her course and observed her handiwork.
“OK Wanda, I’m now going to use the brush. I want you to remember this the next time you think of doing anything this reckless again. This is how that will always end whether you be 16 or 36. I love you too much for you to risk your life in that way.”
Wanda nodded, before remembering that Natasha always insisted on verbal responses. “yes Mama.”
The difference between the hand and the brush was instantly recognised, as after the first swat Wanda bolted up. Her hands went flying back to block the implement.
…………………………………………………………………………….
“The hairbrush is evil,” moaned Wanda. Natasha snorted at the teenager who was wrapped up in her arms.
“It teaches a good lesson doesn’t it?”
“How would you know?” questioned Wanda. “you were just inflicting it.”
Natasha smiled at the teenager, “How do you think I got the idea to use it?”
Wanda looked at her in shock, “Who?? When?? Why??”
Natasha looked slightly sheepish, ‘Laura.”
Wanda was stunned, “Laura? As in Clint’s Laura?”
Natasha nodded, “I’m sure next time we visit she would be happy to share some stories. Though this is not public knowledge…”
Wanda nodded in understanding. “Can we visit soon? I miss them.”
“Yeah, we can once we have this mission out the way we have been chasing this arms dealer for so long we think we have him.”
Wanda looked up at Natasha, “Am I coming on this mission?”
Natasha smiled, “Yes, well if you behave yourself over the next two weeks anyway. Do you think you manage that little one?”
Wanda rolled her eyes, “I always behave myself.”
“I think your sore backside evidences otherwise,” replied Natasha.
“I don’t get in trouble often,” stated Wanda, as she wrapped her arm around Natasha’s waist, her hand went under her shirt in order to touch the skin on the stomach. Skin to skin contact always comforted her, she could never explain it. It seemed rather ironic when she avoided contact like the plague for many years, but when she was alone with someone she trusted it’s all she wanted to do. Wanda always hated the fact she liked it, when she always tried to put up such a front of not needing the basic comfort. Natasha replicated the action by rubbing Wanda’s back.
“No you don’t get in trouble often but when you do you go all out.”
“Perhaps it’s because your rules are too stringent and I’m actually pretty reasonable,” joked Wanda.
Natasha narrowed her eyes the playful banter had disappeared, “I don’t think so, if anything I think I need to be stricter with you.”
Wanda huffed slightly, “I’m not a little kid.”
“You are not an adult either,” explained Natasha. “You have made some poor choices today Wanda. It’s my job to help you make better ones.”
Wanda didn’t know what to really say to that, she remained pensive on the bed. Natasha laid a kiss on her head. “Now come on, it’s almost time for dinner.”