Chapter Ten

I could make you happy,
Make your dreams come true.
Nothing that I wouldn't do.
Go to the ends of the Earth for you,
To make you feel my love

For some odd reason Wanda was struggling to sleep, not because of anything bad just really because she felt like she needed Steve by her side.

The problem was that any time another man in a club approached her, she would be flattered and take his number, then Steve came to visit however, she would get distracted by the colour of his eyes, his size of his arms, and the length of his legs. Therefore, the numbers would be forgotten about.

Needing some water, she ventured into the kitchen, being greeted by Steve's bare back. Her eyes trailed along where his muscles disappeared under his pyjama bottoms, the small of his back up until the broad, muscled shoulders. She needed that glass of water more now.

"Are you okay Steve?" she asked, her throat extremely dry. He looked as though he had been sweating.

"It's nothing Wanda," he replied turning to her.

"Fuck me," Wanda thought looking over his chest and stomach. "The man is practically a god."

"You cannot sleep either?"

"No, just thirsty," she croaked. "You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

"Nothing I've not had before."

"You want to tell me?"

"It's nothing honestly." She put her hand on his arm, her intention being to be reassuring but some images flashed in her head of various people. "I can feel you digging around in there."

"Sorry, didn't mean to." She let go. "Those are people you've lost, aren't they?"

"Yeah," he replies looking down.

"You want to sit down and talk." It wasn't so much a question as much as it was a demand. Steve sat down at the table and she followed after making them both some tea – some camomile and vanilla stuff she picked up the other day.

"Sometimes I dream that I never lost the people I knew back in the forties. I know Peggy is still alive but on a good day she's still not all there. And Bucky, he's alive but he isn't the Bucky I know. HYDRA, they took away any piece of humanity he had and turned him into a killer."

"I suppose you must secretly hate me for volunteering for HYDRA's experiments."

"Did you know that they were HYDRA when you volunteered?"

"No."

"HYDRA is very manipulative. They use dirty tactics to recruit followers and get innocent people hurt. You, Wanda, are very much the latter. You were angry and they took advantage."

"How can you be so understanding?"

"Intuition and a knowledge of the enemy's tactics."

"You know your friend is out there, just lost and unsure of who he is."

"That's why I have to find him. I need to know there is a way back for him. He doesn't have any one you know Wanda. The wrong people found him and they destroyed his life." This was probably the closest Wanda had seen Steve cry and it was a little heart-breaking. "Sorry."

"Don't you apologise for crying."

"I don't like doing it."

"Hey no one here is going to beat the shit out of you. Besides I'm not exactly known for holding back on tears." He smiled. "Hug it out?"

When they finally went to their beds, Steve fell right asleep. Wanda got all new, pleasant dreams.

-o-

The next few months went by without Steve or Wanda doing anything about what was going on in their heads. Steve kept going on missions, and returning with scrapes, much to Wanda's annoyance. Natasha and Steve were still putting the new Avengers through their paces. Wanda had taken up baking, which given the amount of people attending Steve's birthday was somewhat of a challenge. Typical. Only Captain America would be born on the Fourth of July.

That barbecue had been interesting to watch from Pepper, Tony, Clint and Jane's perspective. Steve had watched as Laura introduced baby Nathaniel Pietro to his Auntie Wanda, how happy she looked when his middle name was told to her.

"Rogers, I'm right here?" Tony interrupted while Clint snorted.

Then Pepper and Jane could not resist a laugh at Wanda's face as Steve chased after Lila when she strayed too far from the play area. That man had legs.

"So are they?" Laura asked while getting a drink.

"No, but if they don't do anything about their moon-eyeing soon then I am going to lock them in a closet until they reach some common sense," Pepper replied.

"How long have they been doing it?"

"Since Wanda arrived."

"Ah… Yeah, I understand why you would just want them to get together already."

-o-

A week later Steve is late coming back from a mission. Wanda is unusually worried. He only ever comes back with the odd bump and bruise, but he was never hours behind the time he said he would return.

Tony and Pepper had been slowly introducing her to some Disney movies. So far, her personal favourites had been Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Tangled, Lilo and Stitch, Emperor's New Groove, Aladdin, Lion King and Frozen. She liked the music in Hunchback of Notre Dame but as a Romani she wasn't particularly comfortable with the racism being thrown around by the villain. Granted Frollo wasn't intended to be a nice person anyway. Yet when they got to watching Mary Poppins (which she was rather enjoying) Wanda would not sit still and kept checking her phone.

Steve then came through the elevator in pristine condition. Wanda was not please.

"Where the hell have you been?" she yelled.

Slightly taken aback by this sudden confrontation, Steve answered rather innocently, "I had to fill out paperwork."

"You could have called and not leave me worrying that you are going to come back in a casket."

"Okay, sorry. Look I'm fine. See. Don't worry. I'll call next time."

Over on the sofa, Tony cannot help but look at this exchange in some amusement.

Steve just looks so adorably befuddled by the whole situation.

Wanda looks really annoyed that he doesn't quite get how devastated she would feel if he was to die.

She forgets the other person in the room and grabs Steve by his collar, pulling him into a hard kiss. He has no time to react before she let's go of him, his eyes wide with confusion as he looks at an equally surprised Tony. Wanda leaves them muttering in Sokovian, "You know nothing Steve Rogers."

Steve sits down, trying to process what had just happened. He has no idea what to do. Tony just rolls his eyes.

-o-

"I don't get why she is angry. I mean I did apologise," Steve laments to Sam and Tony in a café.

"You really don't get it do you? Do you still not know a thing about women?" Tony asked sipping his coffee.

"Okay, on the one hand, she still is grieving over her brother and she has become attached to you," Sam tried to explain. "Wanda may just be scared of losing another person she cares about."

"Okay. That I understand. On the other hand…"

"She's in love with you dumbass," Tony exclaimed as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Steve stops dead on the spot and it is only when Sam flicks to water at him that he snaps out of his trace. "Why else would she have kissed you the other night?"

"Also you have feelings for her," Sam adds in a matter-of-fact tone. "I thought it was obvious."

"There are people in the outer reaches on Mongolia who can see it." Steve looks down at his food guilty. "We're not judging you if that is what you are thinking?"

"You're right," Steve finally says. "I do love her."

"And let there be hallelujah chorus," Sam exclaimed, gesturing his hand towards the ceiling.

"Go and tell her then. Ask her on a date before she gives up on you and turns to a dick named Geoffrey for comfort," Tony tells him.

"How many romantic comedies have you been watching recently?" Sam asked.

"Too many for my own liking."

-o-

Steve found Wanda in the kitchen baking what looked to be a batch of brownies. She glanced at him for a moment before returning to the task in hand.

"Wanda, I need to speak to you."

"Can it wait?"

"No. And I am going to get straight to the point, because you deserve to be told the truth because you are a woman who –"

"What happened to getting straight to the point?"

"I love you." This time it is Wanda's turn to widen her eyes in shock and be stunned into silence. "I think you have been so remarkably brave over the last few months. I know you are still hurting from Pietro's death and maybe you don't want a relationship in fear of betraying him. I just want you know that I am here if you-"

"Oh will you shut up for once," she says grabbing his collar again and pulled him down for a kiss. This one softer, more passionate than the last one. "I love you too you big idiot."

"Good because for a second there I thought Stark was pulling my chain."