Chapter Text
There was nothing, absolutely nothing good about being a teenager. Whenever adults talked about how much they wished they could go back, they obviously had no idea what they were talking about and clearly had some gaps in their memory. You’re under constant stress, your hormones are all over the place, you’re always having to think about your future, you're expected to act like an adult but no one takes you seriously and you’re in a constant state of ‘no one understands me’. Now, this would be seen as dramatic to most people, but when you’re a teenager with telekinetic powers and were forced to stay inside for your own protection, the phrase ‘no one understands me’ can be pretty accurate.
Wanda liked her room, she really did and she appreciated Tony letting her decorate. Growing up, she had always shared a room with her brother and she would always daydream about what it would be like to have her own space. This wasn’t how she imagined she would get it, but there you go. Wanda had a lot of time on her hands now. She read she cooked, she watched some American TV and trained with the others. Her days were pretty routine and she liked it. Routine was predictable and predictable was calm, but there is always the calm before the storm and this storm came in the shape of Peter Parker.
Wanda had seen the videos and heard all about him on the internet. Someone was flying all over Queens and using webs to take down bad guys. It didn’t seem real and for someone like Wanda who had just about seen everything, it really was hard to believe. The blogs she read described him as a flash of blue and red, zipping past their camera phones. He had become famous for his quick comebacks and stopping moving vehicles with his bare hands. People had mixed feeling towards him, some said he was a godsend, looking out for the little guy. Others said that his powers made him dangerous and that he needed to be stopped. Wanda was with the former, he was helping people, who cared how he did it? People were always afraid of what they didn’t understand.
Wanda and Peter met one afternoon when Tony was showing him some new tech he had made. She was sitting in the kitchen trying to decide what to cook that evening when they came in. He was cute, very cute in fact, she might have even said he was handsome, but cute seemed to suit him better. He was holding something, probably the new tech, and talking really fast with exaggerated hand gestures while Tony listened. The two were so caught up in their discussion that they didn’t notice Wanda at first. Then Peter turned and saw her. He stopped mid-sentence and his mouth fell open. Wanda blushed under his gaze and looked back at her cookbook. Tony, who noticed the exchange between the two teenagers smiled and gently pushed Peter in Wanda’s direction.
“Underoo, this is Wanda, one of my favorite tenants. Wanda, this is Underoo a.k.a Spider-Man. I have to do... something in the lab and you two should be close in age, so have at it.” Tony patter Peter on the shoulder and headed out. “Don’t do anything I would do or anything I wouldn’t do.” He called from the hall. Peter and Wanda blushed at Tony’s words and smiled nervously at each other.
“There’s a little grey area.” Peter explained.
“I see.” She shook her head, she was too used to Tony by now.
“Um...I’m Peter, Peter Parker.” He put his hand out for her to shake and she happily took it.
“Wanda Maximoff. So you’re the Spider-Man I’ve heard so much about.”
“That’s me.” He said sheepishly. “Did you see the videos?” That seemed to be how most people outside of Queens heard about him.
“Yeah and I’ve read some blogs about you. I want you to know that I think what you're doing is good.” She said with a small smile. This made Peter’s smile grow.
“Thanks, not everyone seems to agree with you.” He said thinking about the reporters and police who thought what he was doing was wrong and that he was no better than the criminals he took down. He thought the last part was a bit of an exaggeration. A sad smile crept onto her face, she looked at her hand and let the red energy dance between her fingers. She glanced at Peter, his expression was familiar, it was the same look that Tony had when he was solving an equation or when he was trying to get the pieces of one of his new toys to fit together; fascination... intrigue... wonder. The scientists who gave her powers would look at her in a similar way, as they filled out their results, but this was different. It was softer, warmer.
“How did you get them?” She asked.
“Spider bite, there was a school trip to the labs at Oscorp.” He explained.
“I volunteered.” She explained. “My brother and I.” She waited, expecting him to ask questions. She expected that look of wonder to shift into something else, but it didn’t. He continued to look at her with fascination.
“What are you making?” He asked, perhaps noticing her discomfort.
“I haven’t decided yet.” She said, pushing the book towards him. “You cook?”
“Not really, my Aunt May is a really good cook, she burns it sometimes but apart from that.” They looked through the book together, talking about what kind of food they liked and what recipes Wanda had tried. She told him how much she loved all the American candy and how much she loved having such a big kitchen to practice in. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but somehow Peter ended up helping her cook (they decided on a stir-fry). Somehow chopping the vegetables had turned into a food fight, their giggles filling the kitchen as they dodged peppers and onions. They had just started eating when Tony came back in carrying some blueprints.
“Looks like you two are getting along.” He observed, stealing a noddle from Peter’s bowl.
“He’s alright.” Wanda shrugged. Peter turned to her with a look of mock offense.
“So nice to hear.” He sat next to Peter and moved some things around to make room for the blueprints. Wanda sat and ate her food while the two of them talked shop. She couldn’t understand half of it, but she found their excited expressions and gestures entertaining. In between explaining his ideas, Peter would take a bite of food, forgetting to swallow and spitting it across the table. Wanda should have found this unattractive, but she didn’t. Perhaps he was too cute for his own good. When their bowls were empty, Wanda got up to start cleaning, but Peter beat her to it. He kept talking with Tony while he cleaned up.
“What are you two talking about anyway?” She asked.
“Some upgrades for my web-shooters.” Peter replied. He then went on to explain how he developed the formula for the webs.
“Boss, Mrs. Parker has been calling, it would seem that she had been trying to call Peter for a while now.” F.R.I.D.A.Y said. Peter cursed and looked at his watch to see that it was later than he realized.
“I’ll call a driver to take you home,” Tony said.
“It was nice to meet you.” Wanda said with a smile. Peter looked up and smiled back at her. Tony noticed the exchange between the two teenagers and smirked. A plan forming.
“You know what.” He said, snapping the two of them out of their trance. “I’ll drive you, I have to meet someone in Queens anyway.” Without waiting for a response, Tony dragged Peter out of the kitchen by the collar of his shirt, ignoring Peter’s cries of protest and Wanda’s giggles.
“So.” Tony began as he drove Peter home. “You like Wanda?”
“She’s pretty cool.” He said, a boyish grin growing on his face. “I don’t see why people are scared of her.”
“It’s not her, it’s what she can do.” Tony explained sadly. He had gotten to know Wanda in the time she had been living with him and he found her to be a very pleasant girl who didn’t deserve what she got. She was smart, creative and her cooking wasn’t too bad either. He liked having her around and didn’t want anything else to happen to her.
“It looks like you two get along pretty well. Maybe you should come around more to hang out with her.” He suggested. Peter looked at him in surprise.
“You’d let me come over more?”
“Wanda can’t go out too much because of her powers and what the public thinks of her. She could use a friend.” He said as he pulled up in front of Peter’s building. “Don’t tell her I said you should come over, act like it was your idea, okay?”
“I can do that.” Peter assured him, as he climbed out of the car. He turned to talk to Tony through the window. “To be honest I was hoping you’d let me anyway.” Tony smiled at him, glad to see they were on the same page.
“Good, I’ve already put her number in your phone, not many people have it so don’t abuse it.”
“I won’t.” Peter promised him. Tony nodded and gave him a two-finger salute before driving off. Peter watched the car turn the corner and couldn’t help the big grin appear on his face. He pulled out his phone and sure enough, there was a new number.