I have never been the type to try and grab the spotlight
The mug of hot cocoa did little to lift Wanda's spirits; her legs curled up on the couch in the corner as she watched people she didn't know celebrate a holiday she did not.
Stark sure knew how to throw a Christmas party; the room was full of people she didn't recognize. But, there were a few she did; the young woman able to catch a bit of red hair belonging to Natasha and a bicep she was near certain belonged to Thor.
Wanda chuckled softly as she watched her brother lay it on thick for a woman with unnaturally red hair; the woman's cheeks soon matching her curls. Even though she wished he would come and keep her company, she would never drag him away from an activity he enjoyed so much.
"Wanda?"
The young woman looked up to where Vision was standing awkwardly; Wanda smiling and pulling her feet in closer so he could join her on the couch.
"Yes, Viz?"
"Why aren't you with the others?"
"I don't know anyone other than the team… Besides, this isn't really my place," Wanda said with rueful smile.
"You feel as if you don't fit in?" Vision inquired, Wanda shrugging and looking down at her mug.
"This is not my religion, Viz, and this… This is not my crowd. I prefer a quieter setting with fewer thoughts."
"Perhaps we could leave, then; parties are not preferential for me as well."
Wanda smiled slightly; it was odd to be the first crush for someone who had the mind of a grown man. She liked Vision well enough, though, and she was content to sit back see what happened with this.
"That sounds-."
A sudden pick up in sound cut her off and had Wanda turning around to try to figure out was going on; everyone was crowding around the elevator.
"Hey, Munchkin."
"Jade, how'd your presentation go?"
"Guys, let them take off their coats."
The crowd began to disperse slightly at Steve's request; revealing the two newcomers.
One was a young woman with dark skin and attractively sharp features; her braids reaching all the way down past her ribs. She took off her heavy coat to reveal a cream colored skater dress with thick tights in a matching color; the young woman laughing at her friend who still had her hood up and was overdramatically shivering.
Then she removed her hood.
Then you walked in and my heart went "Boom!"
She was small; not big in any way with the exception of her presence.
She wasn't angular like her companion; her face had a softer quality to it while being framed by straight brown hair. Also unlike her companion, her skin was quiet pale, except for the ruddiness of her cold cheeks.
The removal of the coat revealed a dress of the same style as her friend's, but with a higher neckline and in a red plaid pattern. Her tights were black and weren't quite as thick as her friends; probably why she was shivering more.
The young woman passed her coat to a server, smiling in thanks, before her eyes looked over the entirety of the party. Her eyes landed on Wanda and the dark haired Sokovian looked away quickly; the young woman starting to feel a burning on her cheeks as she thought of her eyes. They were a soft brown and kind in nature, but they also had a fire behind them; the closest Wanda had ever seen to it would have been in Steve's eyes.
Who was this woman and why was she making her feel like she would collapse at any moment?
"Do you need a new coat, Munchkin? You're freezing."
And it occurred to Wanda who this girl was.
"Yeah, okay… Love you too, Munchkin."
Both of the Maximoffs' eyebrows rose as Tony hung up; love?
"Maria won't be here until the twenty-fourth."
"I'm sorry, Tony; why not?" Steve asked politely.
"Apparently Jade has some extra work to do up until the twenty-third and Maria doesn't want to leave her. Plus, they're driving and she doesn't want to leave late at night with the snow and everything."
"Well, at least she'll be back for the Christmas party," Natasha pointed out with a smile, Tony smiling in acknowledgment before leaving the room.
"Who's Maria?" Pietro asked, Wanda accompanying with a tilted head.
"Oh, right, you two…" Clint started, Natasha rolling her eyes before Steve spoke.
"Maria is Tony's daughter."
Daughter.
"I didn't know Stark had a child," Wanda said.
"He has two daughters, but the eldest has been missing for nine years now," Vision answered, Wanda's lower lip pouting out slightly as she considered the new information.
"You'll like her; she's a punk kid," Clint offered, Steve snorting "That's why Stevie asked her out last Christmas."
"I did not ask her out," Steve replied, sounding slightly annoyed "I offered to take her to a coffee place I liked in Brooklyn."
"That's not asking her out?" Pietro asked.
"No! She knew it wasn't a date and nothing happened!" Steve exclaimed.
"The Captain doth protest too much, methinks," Clint said, making the others snort while Steve just groaned.
"I hate all of you."
Wanda pouted as she watched Steve give the girl, Maria, a side hug; was he lying about their relationship being platonic?
"You need to meet all of the new Avengers," Steve said, Maria and her companion, who must be Jade, smiling and nodding in interest "Bucky!"
Wanda watched as the dark shadow in the corner slid off his seat and approached the group; both of the girls smiling without a hint of intimidation.
"Maria Stark," Maria said, shaking his hand firmly before he turned to her companion "This is Jade."
"Jade Moore," she expanded, also shaking Barnes's hand; Wanda picking up a ripple in the soldier's mind. Seems she wasn't the only one enraptured by one of these girls.
"Pietro!"
My sister made her way across the room to you
And I got nervous, thinking "What's she gonna do?"
Wanda watched as her brother all but abandoned the woman he'd been talking to and joined the group; feeling her stomach drop as she watched him put on his charming smile.
"When I heard that Stark had a daughter, I had very poor expectations."
What he said seemed to tickle the pair; both laughing in amusement and making Wanda's butterflies twist into an uncomfortable position. She wasn't charming the way her brother was; she couldn't make people laugh the way he could.
They spoke more, but Wanda couldn't quite make out what was being said as the party picked back up a little; Maria speaking quite a bit with Pietro as Jade became engrossed in a conversation with Bucky.
Wanda could feel herself turn green (whether from sickness or jealously) when Pietro slipped his arm through one of Maria's. Wanda feeling any chance slipping away as her brother winked at the much smaller girl.
"Where are you taking me?" She teased as Pietro began steering them closer to her.
"You need to meet someone," Pietro said, a funny smile playing on his lips; one Wanda had never seen before.
"Who?"
"My sister."
Helpless!
As they neared her, Wanda stood; smoothing down her red sweater dress as she tried to quell her nerves.
"Maria, this is my sister; Wanda."
Wanda forced herself to look her in the eyes; knowing that if she didn't, Maria would think she was even stranger than she probably already did.
Look into your eyes
And the sky's the limit
"Nice to meet you," Wanda managed to get out; her voice barely above a whisper.
"You too," Maria replied, reaching and shaking her hand; making Wanda turn red "Why're you sitting over here by yourself?"
"I'm not-." Wanda turned to point out Vision; hoping to get a slight reprieve from Maria's eyes. But, he was nowhere to be found "Oh, he must've left."
"Yes, he must've left," Pietro said quickly, both the girls frowning at his tone "Excuse me; I have to make sure that, ah, yeah-."
And he disappeared.
Maria turned back to Wanda; confusion clearly etched on her face.
"What was that about?"
Wanda's response was to shrug; knowing deep down why Vision had disappeared.
Down for the count
And I'm drownin' in em
"I'm sorry to say I'm not as good company as my brother; I understand you would rather be with your friends," Wanda said morosely, her eyes attached to her shoes.
"I'm not very good company either, you know, but if you want, I can leave you-."
"Oh, no," Wanda interrupted looking back up at Maria's piercing eyes "I just don't want to bore you."
"Don't worry; if I wasn't talking to you right now, I'd probably attach to Jade. But…" The young woman turned and looked at her friend; still talking to Bucky "She might actually kill me if I did that right now."
Wanda laughed at that; her lips pulling into her widest smile in a while. But, it quickly slipped away at the look Maria was giving her.
"I'm sorry," Maria said, realizing she was the reason she'd stopped "It's just… You have gorgeous smile."
Wanda felt her cheeks turn red; cursing that her body was betraying her fluster to Maria. The younger woman was smiling slightly, though, so Wanda considered that maybe she didn't mind.
"Why do you think you're bad company?" Maria asked, tilting her head as she sat down on the couch; Wanda sitting down beside her as close as she could without being weird.
"I have a bit of trouble with large crowds; so many thoughts at once. It makes it hard to focus on a conversation," Wanda explained, Maria nodding in understanding.
"I never really thought about the ramifications of that… But, it must help in one on one conversation."
"It can," Wanda allowed "But, I don't like to use it; it's a bit of an invasion of, um, ah… I'm sorry, I can't think of the English word."
Wanda was perfectly fluent in English; she couldn't remember the last time she'd forgotten a word. Damn this girl and her beautiful eyes.
"Privacy?" Maria supplied, Wanda smiling and nodding in thanks.
"Yes, an invasion of privacy."
"It could also be awkward if you answered a question nobody asked," Maria added, Wanda laughing again.
"I have done that; my brother was not amused."
Maria giggled; Wanda smiling wider at her companion's mirth.
"You seem like pretty good company to me," Maria said, Wanda's cheeks warming yet again.
"Why do you think you're poor company?" Wanda questioned, Maria seeming to become slightly sheepish.
"Um, well, I have a tendency to get a bit overexcited and… shoot off at the mouth, so to speak."
"I don't understand," Wanda said, tilting her head in confusion; Maria becoming a bit more embarrassed.
"Ah, well, one time, I got Jade and I kicked out of a sorority party over an argument about how all multilevel marketing companies are just pyramid schemes that prey on the poor. The girl who sold Herbalife did not take to that at all."
Wanda laughed awkwardly and nodded; trying to conceal that she only understood about half of that statement. But, Maria's sharp eyes saw through it immediately.
"You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?"
Wanda turned red again, this time due to shame; this girl was smart, she'd want someone who'd be able to keep up with her, not a foreign girl that sometimes couldn't even figure out how to say things in English.
"Hey, it's okay; you're new to all this. You'll pick it up quick," Maria said comfortingly, Wanda feeling the knot in her chest begin to unravel as she looked back up into Maria's compassionate eyes "In the meantime, could you tell me about Sokovia? I've only ever heard the bad stuff, but I bet there was plenty of good as well."
Helpless!