Chapter Text
Wanda was in a pretty good mood. She had woken up before her alarm rang, gone through her morning ritual which involved meditation and journaling, changed, and was about to leave her room to begin training.
Some five months ago she had moved into the Avenger's facility, along with Vision, Rhodey, and Sam, joining Natasha and Steve who already spent a majority of the time there. At first, Wanda had been a mess. Everything had been her fault and if it weren’t for her Sokovia might still be standing and her brother still alive. At least, that’s the way Wanda saw it. On top of that, she was scared of what would be done to her. On the flight back she didn't speak a word to anyone, flashes of prison cells and brutal new tortures occupied her mind. She wondered if the Avengers would turn her over to the US government, if she would be made into a new weapon, or if she would be locked away for all time. She was surprised when Natasha and Clint helped guide her off the plane and into her new life.
It took time, but thanks to the team she started her healing. She missed her brother deeply, however, the crushing pain was dampened a little thanks to the group. The boys were super protective of the younger girl, seeing her as the little sister they didn’t know they needed. They made sure that she was included in all of the team bonding activities, including movie and game nights. The young witch suspected that they began those just for her. Even on those nights when Wanda wanted to retreat into her shell, Sam or Steve was sure to be there with a silly comment or a giant hug. They reminded her so much of Pietro, always willing to do anything to make the younger girl happy.
The vision was a great friend. She felt connected with him both because of the soul stone and because they were both equally new to the Avengers. Everyone else had a history and baggage, however, Vision and Wanda were blank slates. They could talk to each other about the outsider feeling that came with being the rookies. His point of view also helped her process her thoughts; whereas she was hyper-emotional, he was calm and objective.
There was also Natasha. Natasha was easily Wanda’s favorite. She was kind, and thoughtful and always made sure that Wanda had everything she needed. When she first moved to New York, Pepper took her and Vision on a shopping spree for all of her necessities but Natasha made sure she felt comfortable. During their movie nights, Natasha made sure to save a seat and popcorn bowl for her; when Steve would lecture the group about their focus, Natasha would catch Wanda's eyes and comically roll her eyes to mock him. On one particularly difficult day, Natasha made the long journey into the city and brought back traditional Sokovian desserts. She then sat with Wanda and ate an entire cake as they watched Pietro’s favorite movies. Wanda smiled at the memory and how she learned that day that the Black Widow had the biggest sweet tooth in the universe. Whenever the older woman went on a mission she brought Wanda back a thoughtful gift. Her shelves were now lined with various candles, perfumes, or snow globes from around the world. All of this left Wanda crushing hard on her friend and mentor.
Wanda looked herself over in the mirror to ensure she looked every bit her 24 years. Although she didn't have a problem with the male Avengers spoiling her like a kid, she did not want Nat to see her as any younger than she was. It was impossible to tell the Russian’s true age, but Wanda knew that the bombshell must be older than her. There was little chance the super-spy noticed her, likely just spending time with Wanda to be nice but, she could hope.
After all, Natasha had made it known that she did not choose her partners based on gender. Everyone knew that there were feelings between Natasha and Bruce, but there were also murmurings of the Black Widow’s relationship with Agent Hill. She had never seen the two interact but Sam swore that at one of their parties he saw the two exiting a bathroom looking…well satisfied. When he asked about it in the early hours of that same party Natasha simply raised one eyebrow at the crowd, curled her perfect lips into a smirk, and took another shot of vodka. This caused all of the boys to erupt into cheers and hollers. Wanda, on the other hand, felt as though she might vomit.
Lucky for her, Maria had not returned since that night.
Natasha, Steve, and Tony had returned early this morning from their latest mission. They had been gone four nights, which was an excruciating time for Wanda. She knew that the missions to hunt down Hydra were dangerous and that each one might be the last which is why she had been working extra hard to get cleared. If she could control her powers, she could be there herself to make sure no one hurt Natasha. Staying behind at the Avenger’s facility made her feel useless. Today, though, she was just excited to see what Nat had brought her from her latest adventures.
Bing, bing, bing.
“Ms. Maximoff, I have a message for you.”
She frowned, sure she would never get used to her new life in New York. Speaking to FRIDAY made Wanda feel silly.
“Ugh, yes hello. What is the message?” Wanda had to roll her eyes at herself as her accent slipped out. She had to get better control of that before she was allowed out on missions.
“Agent Romanov would like me to inform you that she will not be joining you on your morning training.”
Wanda frowned. No matter how late Natasha returned from her missions she was always up earlier than everyone else, routinely able to survive off of two hours of sleep.
“Did she say why FRIDAY?”
“No, she did not.”
Wanda sighed, no longer feeling excited about her run. She knew that Natasha was private and if she wanted Wanda to know why she was skipping the workout she would have told her. She had thought that the other woman might be hurt but she quickly shook that off. If anyone had been hurt, they would have been taken to the medical ward.
“FRIDAY, where is Agent Romanov?” There was no harm in making sure.
“Agent Romanov is in her quarters.”
That helped to settle her mind and her gut.
‘If she was hurt, they would have taken her to medical’.
With significantly less enthusiasm, the young witch made her way out the door to begin her training. She figured she would get Vision to go with her; he could serve to distract and challenge her, she just wouldn’t mention that he was her second choice.