Chapter Text
Natasha hung quietly over the banister, taking in the scene before her. It was a beautiful day out, the sun beat down warm on her face and a cool breezed followed in its wake, bringing with it the fresh and crisp summer air. She wished these days could stretch forever, but being in upstate New York, the summers were short and the winters that followed, long. Her expression darkened as she watched what unraveled bellowed. Wanda Maximoff was standing in the training yard, several dummy solders in front of her. Steve Rogers stood beside her, decked out in his ridicules uniform.
“Just relax and clear your head.” He instructed the young girl.
Natasha watched as Wanda’s fingers began to move in a robotic yet somehow smooth dance. Red mist swirled around them and into the air. ‘Finally’, she thought to herself. Ever since Sokovia the red-head seemed to have lost her touch with her magic, as if it was just outside the reach of her fingertips. Natasha knew the young girl was struggling to process the terrible events and the death of her twin and it clearly had a detrimental effect on her abilities. Now at least, it seemed like she was making some progress. Well almost. The air around Wanda suddenly seemed to shutter and in the blink of an eye the red mist was gone. Wanda let out a huff of pure frustration.
“This is useless!” she yelled in frustration.
Steve hung his head for a moment, trying to find the right words to calm the girl. “Its just going to take some time…”
“We don’t have time.” Wanda interrupted him, her thick accent coating the words with malice. “Hyrda still has bases all over the globe and while your all out there risking your lives I’m stuck here, useless.”
“That’s not true…” Steve tried to reason with her but she was already storming off, heading back towards the dorm.
Steve couldn’t see if from behind her, but from where Natasha was standing from above, she caught a clear look at the young girls face, and the tears threating to spill there. Natasha felt a pang in her stomach. She knew the dark place Wanda was in all too well. The spiraling thoughts of hopelessness and dread. She would have been lost to them forever if it hadn’t been for Clint. He had saved her, pulled her out of an unreachable place and she owed him a debt she could never repay. Wanda had no one to pull her out. Everyone she loved, her friends and her family, were dead. And Vision was to polite to upset her further. Natasha let out a groan as she realized her feet were already carrying her towards the dorms. What was she doing? What could she say? Words had never been her strong suit and emotions even less. She realized though she was determined to try. No one deserved to live in a world of darkness. She found the young women leaning against a pillar in the dorms hallway, hidden in the shadows. She gathered herself for a moment and then spoke.
“Steve’s right you know.” Her voice echoed down the hallway.
Wanda startled for a moment and then stepped out of the shadows, blinking quickly to hide the tears in her eyes. Natasha saw the pain that swirled in them, deep and all consuming. Her heart skipped a beat and she moved closer so that she was standing just in front of the red-head. For one insane moment she had the urge to reach out and hug the women and the thought alone threw her off guard. She managed to keep her arms crossed in front of her as she spoke.
“You’ll get a grasp on it. You just need time to process.”
“Don’t pretend to know what I need”. The steeliness in Wanda’s response bit at Natasha.
“You don’t know me. I don’t even know myself anymore.”
“I know you better then you think.” Natasha said firmly.
Wanda just shook her head and looked down, her gaze seeming to go straight though the Widows frame.
“You can’t see it” Wanda whispered hoarsely. “The imagines, the thoughts inside my mind.” Her face filled with a mixture of horror and sorrow, taking Natasha’s breath away. This girl had been though so much in her short life. It seemed cruel and unfair the suffering it now continued to bestow on her. “Its chaos.”
On its own accord, Natasha’s hand reached out, caressing Wanda’s temple.
“The problem isn’t up here.” She replied softly, letting her fingers trail down soft skin, stopping in the middle of the other womans chest. “Its here.”
Wanda’s eyes had snapped up at the touch and locked onto her gaze. Natasha once again had a window into the pain and fear this beautiful woman held trapped inside.
“You will find the answers your looking for here.”
At that Wanda seemed to snap back into focus and her words were like ice as she spat, “I’ll find the answers in hell.” And with that she was gone.
Natasha was left frozen in the hallway, listing to footsteps fade around the corner, followed shortly by the thudding of a door, signaling Wanda had entered her room. What in the world had come over her? What had possessed her body in that moment? Natasha shuddered and hurried quickly to here own room, trying to forget the entire encounter. She knew she should have stayed out of it. Wanda was a determined and stubborn individual. Who was she to think she could break through to her? Natasha decided a shower would be best to help her forget the incident and refocus on the tasks at hand; brining down Hydra. And yet as the cold water washed down her face her only though was of how soft and warm that pale skin had been.
It was later in the evening when Natasha found herself wondering into the dinning hall for dinner. She was either running late or everyone else was early because the boys club was almost done eating. Rhodey and Sam were exchanging some sort of war related tale and Steve sat at the end of the table, seemingly lost in thought. Vision was absent but that was normal as he didn’t eat food. Tony was also there surprisingly as he rarely ate siting down, always caught up in the next gadget or big idea.
“And here I thought it was guys night!” Tony exclaimed dramatically as Natasha began plateing herself the delicious smelling casserole set out on the table. Definitely Steve’s cooking tonight.
“Don’t let me intrude.” She sent back lightly. “I know I’m not missing anything good.”
Tony huffed. “Define your definition of good.” He joked back.
Before she could reply Steve interrupted their banter. “Has anyone seen Wanda since this morning?”
Everyone only shook their head or shrugged in response.
“She’s probably sulking somewhere about how terrible she has it.” Tony air quoted terrible and said the word sarcastically.
Natasha felt a surge of anger.
“She just lost her brother Tony the least you could do is show some compassion.”
Tony stood up and gestured widely. “We’ve all lost people ok, you don’t see me crying about.”
“You should it would do you some good.” She spat back.
“Guys come on.” Steve exclaimed, exasperated. “Natasha’s right. She’s having a hard time and I’m worried about her. Someone should check on her."
“Hey don’t look at me.” Tony held his hands up in the air. “I’m not here to play babysitter.”
“And we should probably get back to training.” Sam chimed in.
Steve’s eyes settled on her.
“Oh come on guys no way.” The LAST place she wanted to be was anywhere near the fiery red-head. She wasn’t about to have a repeat of whatever had occurred this morning happen again. She needed to stay focused and apparently she had a hard time doing it around the girl.
“Seems only fair to me, since your so concerned with her.” Tony’s voice was flat and practical, only stroking the flames to Natasha’s anger.
“Fine whatever.” There was no point in arguing. Besides their careless attitude would do Wanda no good. She signed and resigned herself to the task at hand. Honestly why should she be so worried about encountering the woman anyway. Earlier had been only a fluke and she could rely on her composure and training to keep a level and clear head. Natasha made her way to the dorms and stopped outside of Wanda’s room. She took a deep breath and knocked. There was no reply. She called out Wanda’s name but was met with eerie silence. Quietly she pushed opened the door to find the room empty and nearly untouched, as the bed was made. Natasha’s brows furrowed in confusion. Wanda must have left her room shortly after entering it this morning. She continued to canvassed the compound for some time without success. She knew Wanda hadn’t wondered off campus as security would have let them know but as it were Wanda had seemed to vanish into thin air. She paused for a moment. What did she use to do when she needed to get away. The answer came to her in seconds. She climbed. Natasha made her way to the third floor of the complex and found a maintenance exit onto the roof. It didn’t take her long to locate her target, who was sitting propped up in between two AC units, gazing off into the stars. Natasha studied her for moment, trying to get a read on her. She was mostly still but every so often her fingers would twirl on their own accord, sending red mist and electricity dancing through her hands. Natasha smiled to herself. This was Wanda’s equivalent of fidgeting as she was lost in thought.
“Its awfully quiet up here.” She spoke.
Wanda didn’t move her gaze from the stars but her hands quieted.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
Natasha walked towards her and took a seat across opposite Wanda, her back pressing up against the cold metal of the unit.
“I did tell you I know you better then you think.” She let a hint of smile touch her words, hoping it would show the other women she came in peace.
Wanda finally broke her trance from the stars and her eyes settled on Natasha, a piercing blue green gaze that bore into her own. Natasha felt her heart quicken at the intensity of the look. She felt as though Wanda was peering into her soul and she shuddered. She remembered when Wanda had peered inside her mind and the secrets she had seen. She was suddenly confronted with an image of the white room. Her face must have darkened because Wanda shifted suddenly and broke the silence.
“What do you want?” she inquired.
Natasha was surprised to find the words weren’t harsh, only thick with a tiredness of someone far beyond her years.
“You weren’t at dinner. Steve was worried.”
“Ah I understand.” Now Wanda’s voice had the familiar harsh tone. “You can tell him you completed your mission. I’m fine.”
Natasha cursed herself inwardly. She hadn’t met to come across so coldly. She wasn’t use to having to measure her words before she said them. Emotions were really not her thing. She decided the best course of action was not say anything in return and instead just sit with the girl. After several long moments she could feel Wanda begin to shift uncomfortably at her unexpected but persistent present. Finally, she let out a huff of irritation and stood to leave.
“I came up here to be alone.” She hissed.
Natasha stood as well, challenging the red-head. “I don’t think being alone is what you need right now.”
“Stop pretending to know me!” Wanda’s eyes flashed red as she spat her words. “I will always be alone.” Her voice suddenly wavered and Natasha watched in fascination as tears filled Wanda’s eyes. “Everyone I’ve ever loved, my friends, my family…” She emphasized this word, as if trying to make Natasha understand, “Everyone around me dies.”
The last was said so matter of factley it shook Natasha to the core. Wanda truly believed this. She couldn’t blame her either, given the hand she was dealt, and Natasha was struck with the sudden realization that Wanda felt better off this way. If she didn’t let anyone else in she wouldn’t have to suffer through losing them. What Wanda failed to realize is that she did understand. She had lost too many people herself, and each one she lost took a piece of her with them.
“And now I don’t even have my powers.” Wanda interrupted her train of thought and lifted her hand.
Red electricity danced around it before fizzling out and disappearing into the night air. Wanda’s shoulders drooped and Natasha could feel the weight of despair hanging in the air. For a moment she was sent spiraling back to that dark place, with no light or hope to be seen. The white room, the slumped bodies, red on her ledger…and then she remembered Clints smiling face. His easy demeanor and the crooked grin that had breathed new life to her. The family he allowed her to join, the childrens innocent faces as they scampered to give her a hug. And suddenly she saw a solution, a possible light at the end of the tunnel for this broken woman standing in front of her.
“Well there’s one thing you still have.” She let the words float in the air.
Wanda looked up her curiously.
“As long as you have two hands you can do anything.”
Wanda processed this careful and Natasha could see her turning the words over in her head. She watched as an odd expression of pondering crossed the girls face.
“Hand-to-Hand combat?” She deduced.
“Why not? I mean its not nearly as cool looking as all that..” Natasha faked rapid hand movements and caught a hint of a smile on Wanda’s lips. “But it suits me just fine.” Wanda thought carefully for a moment.
“Will you teach me then.”
Wanda’s words surprised her but her own words surprised her even more as she quickly replied involuntarily “Why not.”
Wait, surely there were much better teachers then herself. She was used to working, and frankly being, alone. She wasn’t sure she could teach anyone, let alone a fiery red-head that held more power in her one finger then she possessed in her entire body. Wanda did allow herself a small smile at this and the sight of it sent a flash of heat rushing through Natasha body. She found herself wanting to see that smile again and swore on finding ways to bring it out.
“I have nothing to lose.” Wanda stated flatly.
“And no where to go.” Natasha replied with faked dramaticness.
And there it was again. The flash of a smile. Natasha hearts raced. What was happening to her steadfast composer? It seemed to up and vanish around this stunning woman.
“Tomorrow then?” Wanda asked. Natasha could only mange a nod. Wanda turned to leave and then stopped when she realized Natasha was not following.
“Are you coming in?” she asked. Natasha shook her head.
“In a minute.”
Wanda’s brows furrowed as she tried to read the odd expression on Natasha’s face but she didn’t argue, only leaving Natasha standing on the roof top alone to contemplate why her heart was beating so fast, and why despite ever instinct in her body fighting it, she wanted to touch that soft skin again.
Wanda’s Point of View
It had been nearly a week since Wanda had taken up training with Natasha. She had been surprised when the older women had agreed to train her and at first she had even been a little nervous. She was going hand to hand with the worlds best spy after all. She quickly found however, that Natasha was a brilliant trainer. She pushed Wanda hard and in those moments her worries and fears were no where to be found. She was finding the training a welcome distraction to the thoughts that often cluttered her mind. And for the first time since she could remember, Wanda had woken this morning actually looking forward to the day ahead. She quickly threw herself together in her bathroom and pulled on her last pair of sports bra and yoga pants. She made a mental note to do her laundry later and then headed to the dorms kitchen, searching for a early morning breakfast. The room was empty and the early morning sun shined though the large bay windows, creating a soft atmosphere. She hummed to herself in delight when she found a perfectly ripped banana in the fruit basket on the counter. She finished it quickly and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before making her way to the compounds gym. Natasha was already there throwing light punches to a punching bag. Her face already had a sheen of sweat on it. How long had she been there? Natasha was normally there first but Wanda was beginning to wonder if the woman ever slept.
“You gonna stand there looking pretty or are you going to join me?” Natasha’s remark was met as a light joke but Wanda’s heart jumped in her chest.
What should have been a passing comment stuck in her head as she quickly wrapped her hands in protective tap and moved next to Natasha. The Widow held the bag as Wanda landed a few quick punches, warming up her muscles. She had been sore the first couple of days but she could already feel her muscles hardening and she felt a surge pride at the thought. She landed a hard blow that rocked Natasha backwards.
“Whoa easy there Tiger we just started.” Wanda allowed herself a smile.
“Just crushing a spider.” She replied.
Natasha’s face widen in surprised and she let out a small laugh. “So she jokes now?”
Wanda felt a blush rise in her cheeks and that sound of the other woman’s laughter. Its was raspy and deep and not often heard. Wanda tried to shoo the thoughts out of her head. This was suppose to be training, a distraction from the real world and the horrors it held. Yet she was finding herself drawn more and more to the person in the room with her now and the thought terrified her. Natashia let the bag swing freely and hopped up into the boxing ring, motioning for Wanda to join her. Wanda ducked the ropes and stood in front of her trainer.
“You’ve learned a lot of offensive moves but I want to teach you defensive ones as well. Sometimes the best offensive is a good defensive.” Natasha then crouched a bit and put one leg behind her, giving herself a strong stance. “Now I want you to hit me.”
Wanda was not hesitant. She knew her skills were nothing compared to Natasha’s and she knew she would not hurt her. She flung out a strong fist with her right hand but it collided with empty air and she felt a jab in her side. She turned around and found her trainer behind her, dancing on her feet. Wanda stuck out again and this time her fists were deflected upward by a skilled swing of Natasha’s wrist.
“You must make yourself a wall.” Natasha instructed. “Nothing is to get past your elbows. Whenever able, you want to create space between yourself and an opponent.”
Wanda nodded, taking in the instructive words. She threw another punch, this time anticipating what Natasha’s next move would be. Her fist found empty air again as Natasha performed the deflective move again and this time Wanda picked up on the upward jab her trainers arm had made.
“Now you try.”
Wanda nodded that she was ready and braced herself for the coming strike. She missed her first block but Natasha had excellent control of her own moments and the blow that landed stung, but didn’t hurt. She did better the next couple of times until she felt confident she had it down.
“Good! Now sometimes the same move can be used to get in close, if that’s what needed. Hit me again.”
Wanda gathered herself and threw out into the air. She knew the move to come, but what she didn’t anticipate was that as the jab through her hands upward, Natasha stepped forward into the punch, using Wanda’s own momentum to though her off balance. She had Wanda’s arm pinned at an awkward angle to side before she could process what had happened.
“Clever” She puffed out.
She expected the Widow to release her then but suddenly she found herself being spun around, her right arm trapped behind her and her back pressed against Natasha’s front. Two cold fingers pressed into her bare skin just underneath her ribcage. She felt Natasha’s breath on her ear as she whispered to her softly.
“Right here is where you go to enter the ribcage with a knife. It will kill someone instantly.”
Wanda’s breath had caught in her throat. Her heart pounded so hard she was sure Natasha could hear it. Electricity ran though her ribcage, coming directly from the fingers pressed into her side. The sensation was shocking and Wanda’s thoughts were completely scrambled. She had a sudden inclination of just how deadly this woman truly was. She tired to process if she was terrified or electrified. The answer was likely a combination of both.
“You like surprising me, don’t you” Wanda knew she was poking a bear when she made that statement.
She wasn’t sure what had come over her but she wanted to see how far she could push the older woman before she put her defensive walls up. She felt Natasha’s grip on her arm tighten and her body stiffened.
“Sorry to interrupt ladies but we have work to do.” Tony’s voice blasted them both back to reality.
He stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and knowing smile on his face. Wanda was suddenly free as Natasha released her and she met Wanda’s eyes with an expression of wonder on her face. She quickly composed herself and walked passed Wanda and ducked out from under the ring.
“Is there news?”
“We think we’ve located another Hydra base. Cap wants to brief everyone in the conference room.”
“When do we leave?” Wanda asked.
“Hahaha funny. Your funny. You, my dear, are still grounded.” Came Tonys sarcastic reply.
Wanda opened her mouth to argue but Natasha flung her a glance over her shoulder and she knew instantly it would be pointless to argue. “Ill be back soon.”
Then both her and Tony had walked out of the room, leaving Wanda pouting in the ring. She hated feeling so utterly useless as her friends went out and put their lives in danger. She was more then anger at herself for losing her grip on her powers. She was by far stronger then all of them, maybe even combined, and they could use her help now more then ever. Wanda groaned and hoped out of the ring, feeling more then defeated. She decided to distract herself with the laundry that needed doing. As she started this task she found herself not contemplating what a terrible team member she was. Instead all that filled her mind were visions of two emerald eyes, and the sensation of two fingers against her bare skin.