AN: I know this chapter is short and kind of a filler, but I plan on posting another one today so hopefully that makes up for it.

It was nice to be home, and that's what the Avengers facility had become to Wanda. She hadn't had a home since she was ten years old, living with her family in Sokovia, but here she had felt like she belonged. It was strange that Tony Stark had been the one to give it to her, but maybe that was only fair because he had destroyed the last one.

Steve had always been good to her, and Nat had taken her under her wing, taught her how to survive and thrive in a world where she was never going to pass as normal again.

Wanda leaned back a little, settling herself against Nat's body. They were relaxing in one of the common rooms, doing nothing but watching trash TV and being together. Technically, they shouldn't be in the US, but they trusted everyone here to keep the secret.

Since they'd come home, these quiet moments were the best ones. For a little while back there when she'd been locked up, Wanda had feared this might all be gone for good.

Nat's finger trailed lightly up Wanda's arm, her husky voice right by Wanda's ear.

"I can hear you thinking."

"Only good things," Wanda assured.

"Better be," Nat said, pressing a kiss to Wanda's cheek.

"I promise," Wanda smiled, rotating her hand so it was palm up, conjuring a small amount of psionics. The red mist floated just above her palm, swirling in a slow, twisting pattern. She concentrated harder, thought of the mist as an extension of herself and asked it to take shape. The particles obeyed, shifting and swirling, arranging themselves into the shape of a rose.

"Really?" Nat smirked, and Wanda shifted the mist again, eight legs growing until a spider danced over her hand. She felt a soft laugh ripple through Nat, a smile growing on her own face.

It was good to be able to use her powers in a non-threatening way, and she loved that Nat was so comfortable around them to just enjoy this.

"That's a neat trick," Nat appreciated. "Makes me think though. We should be training."

"No," Wanda complained. "Do we have to? I'm comfortable here." She emphasised her point by turning around and kneeling over Nat, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. She felt Nat's lips smile against her own, and Nat's hands sliding around her waist.

"Well," Nat smirked. "Maybe we could do a little light exercise here."

Wanda was very ready to commit to that, when they were interrupted.

"Oh shit. Sorry."

They looked up to see Steve's friend Bucky, the super soldier with one arm, except now he had two. A shiny new vibranium limb was attached to his left shoulder.

With him was Sam Wilson. Wanda liked Sam, and he and Natasha has always had a good relationship. He had helped Nat and Steve out a few years back, and ever since Wanda had known them, they'd behaved like siblings towards each other, lots of teasing, but they always had each other's backs when it really mattered.

"Natalia. I can come back..." Bucky offered, realising he was interrupting something. It was okay though, they'd have taken it somewhere more private if they didn't really want any interruptions. As it was though, with Steve being injured and Loki still on the loose, they both wanted to be available if anyone needed them, for whatever reason.

"Well you've already ruined the moment," Natasha said, climbing out from under Wanda. "So you might as well stay."

Bucky didn't look too sure about what to say next.

"Relax Barnes," Nat smirked. "Doesn't matter when you show up, you're always a pain in the ass."

That drew a smile out of Bucky. Nat was good at that, making people feel at ease without saying anything too mushy.

Wanda moved back so Nat could get up.

"Looking good, Barnes," Natasha said, appreciating the new arm.

"Feels better too," Bucky allowed, flexing his fingers.

"I have to say, you are in a much better mood than the last time I saw you."

"Apparently," Bucky said, throwing a wry look at Sam. "Optimism is catching."

Sam just smiled. They were behaving very differently towards each other compared to the last time Wanda had seen them. Back when they'd left Wakanda, she would've bet that one of them would've choked the other to death before the week was out.

"Well," Nat said. "We were just about to do some training, you in?"

"Sure," Bucky agreed, rotating his arm. "It'll give me a chance to test this thing out."

They all headed to the gym, Wanda and Sam standing aside while Nat and Bucky got ready to spar. Obviously, Bucky was a lot stronger than Nat, but Nat was well trained and Wanda was right here to stop the session should that become necessary. She trusted Nat's judgement and didn't think it would.

"He is doing much better?" said Wanda to Sam. She didn't know the Winter Soldier like Nat did. At HYDRA, she and Pietro had been kept in isolation, they had not even known of the Winter Soldier's existence despite them all belonging to the same organisation.

"Yeah, he's trying. At least he wants to get better now."

"That is good. And how are you, Sam Wilson? This is all very stressful, yes?"

"Being on the wrong side of the law isn't exactly ideal, but I can't say I'd change things either."

As they spoke, they both had their eyes turned towards the opponents, watching appreciatively. Those suits Natasha wore were tactical, and if distracting her opponent with those killer curves was the tactic, they worked. Wanda stole a glimpse at Sam, and she was pretty sure a similar thing was running through his own mind, except it wasn't Nat he was admiring.

xxx

The time had come for those apologies they'd talked about. Steve was still laid up, but at least he didn't feel like he was dying anymore. Tony had been more than gracious, and he deserved proper acknowledgement of the wrongs he'd suffered. He was in here every day, checking monitors and making adjustments, but never saying much. It wasn't hard to tell that he was still angry about everything that had happened between them, but Steve couldn't take the tension anymore.

"Tony, please let me say this now."

Tony turned to him, cautious but not unwilling to listen.

"I know you're still angry with me, and you've got every right to be. But I-."

Tony made a sound that was somewhere between a huff and a sigh.

"I'm angry at you for a whole other reason now."

Admittedly, Steve was clueless.

Tony swore and threw his hands in the air.

"You should have called! Phones work two ways. Almost getting yourself killed was just plain stupid."

Steve couldn't deny it.

"I didn't want to bother you."

"Bother me?" Tony repeated in disbelief. "It bothers me a lot more not knowing if you're ever gonna wake up again."

"Really?"

Tony fixed him with an incredulous look.

"Damn Rogers, how heartless do you think I am?"

"I didn't mean it like that." God, the last thing he wanted to do was put any of this back on Tony. "I just... I know what I did was unforgivable."

Tony sighed and dragged a hand through his hair, then he plonked down in the chair beside the bed, looking at Steve with those soulful brown eyes.

"Nothing is unforgivable. I'm a big boy, let me make my own decisions. Yeah?"

"Alright," Steve allowed. "You're right. It's not up to me to speak for other people."

"No, it's not. We're a team. That means we share things. Equally. Whatever they are, however bad they seem."

Tony still believed they were a team. That meant more to Steve than he could say.

"I'm sorry, Tony. So sorry. For all of it. For not trying harder to see things from your side and especially for lying to you."

Tony watched him for a moment, thinking, and then he nodded.

"Apology accepted. Don't make those mistakes again though."

"I won't," Steve assured. "I promise you I have well and truly learned my lesson."

"Good," Tony said, effectively drawing a line in the sand so they could move forward, then leaning in like he meant business. "Now about your buddy Barnes. Do any of those trigger words mean anything to you?"