It had taken a lot of convincing from her family to get Natasha to agree to a romantic trip with May to the Finger Lakes. Not because she didn't want to spend a week exploring wineries and taking long scenic walks with her wife, but because she was hesitant to leave Wanda following the events of Westview. The last time Natasha left, Wanda had been forced to seal herself and an entire New Jersey town in a hex to keep everyone safe from minions of the king of demons, and then to make matters more complicated, a rogue S.W.O.R.D. agent after Vision had threatened Wanda's life to get to him. Natasha's apprehension to let her daughter out of her sight was understandable, but Wanda needed a break from her mother's protective hovering and Natasha needed to relax before she followed through on her threats to burn the Sanctum Sanctorum to the ground with Strange and his stupid cloak inside.
While Natasha and May were gone, Wanda and Peter were staying with Peggy and Angie in the faded red brick brownstone in Brooklyn. Peggy had promised her daughter that the kids wouldn't be sent on any missions while she was away, but their various lessons and training continued as normal. Peter was currently shadowing Pepper at Stark Industries, while Wanda had spent the day at the United Nations with Peggy. Although she had adapted well into her life as an American teenager, Wanda was still Sokovian, and continued to be concerned about what was happening with the Sokovian refugee project. Her concerns for her own people extended to other displaced people across the globe, and Peggy was mentoring her granddaughter in international relations. Peggy had never been the type of parent to push her children towards her daydreams for their futures, but she had to admit, at least to herself, that she liked the sound of Secretary-General of the United Nations Wanda Maximoff Carter.
When she wasn't on stage herself, Angie taught theater and drama through her theater company. Parking being what it was in the city, Peggy had shooed Wanda out of the car to fetch Angie from her makeshift classroom in the small community theater complex that was home to the Faded Red Brick theater company. Angie's class had been over for well over thirty minutes when Wanda burst into the room, so there shouldn't have been any students around as she called out, "Nonna! Gran said get a move on. Petrol is too bloody expensive to be circling the damn block waiting for your slow-poky arse." Wanda giggled. "Her words, not mine!"
Angie laughed softly, "Well, you and your bossy pants Gran will just have to hold your dang horses, sweetheart. I'm not quite finished."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Martinelli." A young man's voice says. "I didn't mean to keep you."
When Wanda realizes her grandmother isn't alone she's ready to apologize for barging in but as she makes her way towards Angie and the young man with short dark hair, Wanda gets a better look at his face. The moment she recognizes him she's lifting off the ground to quickly put herself between him and Angie, her hands raising up to chest level, her fingers posed to use her powers. "Get the hell away from my grandmother!"
"Wanda," Angie says the girl's name with concern but in a firm tone as she puts her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder. "Put your hands down. Simon is one of my students."
Simon Williams takes a step back and holds up his hands in the universal I mean no harm gesture. Wanda Carter does not lower her hands despite her Nonna's softly spoken order to do so, she is her mother's daughter after all and she will protect her family. She narrows her eyes at Simon and demands. "What are you doing here? What do you want with my grandmother?"
"I'm taking her class, Wanda, that's all, I swear." Simon replies, hands still up. "I didn't know she had a connection to you, I promise."
"Wanda Maximoff Carter put your hands down and explain." Angie's voice is firmer and just a touch louder then it had been a moment before. Wanda knew better than to use her powers around civilians, but since she seemed to know Simon, perhaps he wasn't so much a civilian. "Now."
"He was in Westview." Wanda tells Angie. She's reluctant to lower her hands but does so anyway because she knows better than to disregard something her grandmothers have told her to do. Her fingers however remain positioned to weave a hex if she has too to protect her nonna. "He's the boy who tried to manipulate me into using my power for his masters."
"I'm sorry." Simon says softly, earnestly. "I never wanted to cause you harm, Wanda. I really was just trying to help my brother." There was a genuine sadness in his eyes as he admitted. "Turns out Eric didn't want my help. I really am sorry for my part in what happened in Westview, Wanda."
Angie texted her wife to park and come inside because there was something that needed their attention. She had a pretty good sense about people and while Simon had seemed like a troubled young man, she hadn't thought of him as a danger. So when Peggy joined them, just as unhappy to see the boy as her granddaughter had been, Angie asked if he wanted to further explain himself. "Eric always seemed to find trouble. It was like he went out looking for it. He never showed any interest in the family company until we lost it, and the money that came with it. He came up with this plan that involved stealing from the company that bought out Williams Innovative…"
"Stark Industries." Peggy cuts in. "I'm still on the board. I recall hearing of that acquisition, and the arrangements made to secure the livelihood of Sanford Williams' sons."
"Eric got involved with some nasty people and lost everything but my trust which I can't touch until I'm twenty-five." Simon tells them. "Eric convinced me that we were getting back at Stark for stealing our company, but in reality he still owed those people. We got caught. I was underage, did some time in juvie, but Eric was an adult. He went to prison and got involved with an even worse group. He literally sold his soul to Nightmare to get out of prison. When Abigail showed up offering to help me get my brother's soul back, I took the chance."
"You said Eric didn't want your help?" Angie asks gently.
Simon nods. "When Wanda defeated Nightmare, Eric got his soul back, but he gave it up again to keep the power Nightmare had given him. He showed up at my apartment and told me to forget about him, to leave him alone, or he'd show me just what he could do by hurting my foster family."
"Did you tell Agent Woo this?" Peggy asks, knowing the boy's file and that Agent Woo had taken on his case personally. "And about you taking classes here?"
"He knows about Eric, yeah." Simon nods. "And about the classes, but not with who, I didn't know I needed to tell him. I had no idea Ms. Martinelli was connected to Wanda."
"Don't go gettin' any funny ideas, Peg." Angie says firmly. "Simon's welcome to stay. He's not going to be an issue, are you Simon?"
The boy shakes his head. "I don't want to hurt anyone, I never did, I swear to god, I don't want to hurt anyone else."
Wanda understood that feeling all too well. Hydra and Ultron had twisted her up, manipulated her into hurting people, people she now loved, who were now her family. While she sensed he was being honest about his past and his desire to not harm anyone, Wanda wasn't about to just blindly trust him. Whether he'd wanted to do it or not he did hurt her, he used her, tried to manipulate her. But she was at least willing to follow Nonna's example and show him some empathy.
This younger version of Vision, created in Wakanda following the removal of the Mind stone, and the fight against Thanos in which his original body had been destroyed, was still the Vision that had served with the Avengers since Ultron, and yet he was not. While the older version had been curious about humanity, he didn't crave it and seek it out the way this one did. He even created a human form and took on a human name, Jonas. Wanting to know how to act more human; Vision agreed to Wanda's request to attend the acting class with Simon in order to keep an eye on her Nonna. The last thing anyone expected was for 'Jonas' to become pals with Simon.
"Why are we doing this?" Loki moans from the sidelines as Wanda, Peter, and Vision in his Jonas form gather in the center of the asphalt basketball court in the park near the Carters' brownstone.
"Because it's fun!" Peter says with a huge smile while bouncing the ball to Loki.
Quick reflexes manage to catch the orange ball as Loki crinkles her nose. "Doubtfully."
"Me and Viz," Wanda says brightly. "Against Peter and Loki." She lowers her voice as Loki approaches. "Remember, no powers or abilities, we're in public"
The teens play for a while, though most of the game involves them laughing at each other because despite being superheroes none of them were particularly good at basketball. After deciding to give up the court to people who actually knew how to play, the four made their way over to a set of picnic tables to down water and sports drinks while they continued teasing one another. Wanda and Loki were perched on top of the table, with Peter sitting on the bench, and Vision standing close as they laughed.
"Jonas!" Simon's voice calls out as he approaches on his bike. "Hey Jonas!" He calls out again, smiling and waving at his friend.
"Hello Simon." Vision replies warmly. "I believe you know my friend Wanda, her grandmother is our teacher. This is her step brother Peter, and our friend Loki." Turning to his friends he continues, "Guys, this is Simon. He and I are in the same acting class with Mrs. Carter."
Of course they all knew this but for Simon's sake they needed to act like normal teenage friends, not a young teenage superhero team. Pleasantries are exchanged and Simon comments, "Loki huh? That's a cool name, though I thought Loki was a boy's name."
Loki raised her eyebrow. "It's unisex, since THE Loki's sex is fluid."
"Oh yeah," Simon replies. "Didn't he turn into a girl horse and have a freaky eight legged colt or something?"
Loki was about to protest, "I di…" But Wanda elbowed her in the ribs to stop her, a not so gentle reminder that no one was supposed to know she was THE Loki.
The teens chatted for a little while, and a couple of times Simon actually got a smile from Wanda. He was funny, charming in a dorky kind of way, and maybe he wasn't an evil demon serving bastard after all. After Simon went on his way and the four teens were heading back to the faded red brick brownstone for grilled burgers and a movie in the backyard, Loki felt the need to clarify, "That myth got taken out of context. I did not give birth to an eight legged colt. I did project the image of an eight legged beast, however, to scare off a craftsman who was hitting on my mother."
Wanda laughed, "Momma threatened to shoot Steve if he ever flirted with Gran again."
Just as the youngest members of the Avengers really began to click as a team Tony decided to shake things up. He'd long been jealous of Natasha's baby avengers, having brought in Wanda and then taking Peter from him. Then Thor showed up with Loki, and if Point Break got a baby avenger, then dammit he wanted one too. Vision didn't really count because even though Tony had a hand in his original creation, helping him understand humanity was a group project. After disappearing for a few days, Tony returned to the compound with a boisterous, "Alright everyone listen up," As he walked into the training room. "I got someone I want you to meet." A teenage boy with shaggy brown hair walked in behind Tony and stood beside him with a goofy grin as he shouldered a heavy looking backpack. "This here is Harley Keener. Say hello Harley."
"Hey." Harley said with a nod of his head and a little way.
"He's going to be interning with Stark Industries this summer." Tony announces proudly.
Natasha raises an eyebrow at that. "Tony, this isn't Stark Industries."
"Gold star for the Black Widow." Tony exclaims before explaining. "Harley has built some prototype armor pieces." Harley takes out some really rough looking homemade gauntlets and the shell of a helmet reminiscent of C3-PO in Phantom Menace from his backpack. "We're going to see what we can do with what he's been working on. I'm thinking of calling him Iron Lad." He points at Natasha and says very firmly, "Keep your mitts off this one, Nattie, he's mine."
After leaving the kids to get to know each other Natasha growls, "This is getting out of hand."
"Don't you think you should have talked to us first, Tony?" Steve asks. "Before bringing another kid into this for us to be responsible for?"
"You're just jealous." Tony replies with a flippant wave of his hand. "Besides, I didn't start this, Nattie did when she brought the little witch on board."
"I gave a child who'd lost everything a home, a family, and a place to safely explore her powers." Natasha argued. "We did the same for Peter, and now Loki, but this boy, Tony, he's just a boy and you want to put him in an iron suit and make him a superhero. That's reckless endangerment of a minor! You don't see Clint bringing his kids around to play Avenger! He's not even your kid! Does his parents know why he's here or did you feed them the same trash line you tried on May?"
"Lila's asked." Clint speaks up with a shrug of his shoulders. "She wants to be like her old man and her Auntie Nat. She's pretty convinced that she's going to be my replacement."
Natasha just groans and flops onto a couch, draping her arm over her eyes. "This is cosmic payback for me becoming a teenage shield agent."
"Why the hard line on this, Nat?" Steve asks. "They're nearly adults, and it's just training."
She glares at him. "Nearly adults, not full adults, and this isn't wartime where we need to train eighteen year old kids to fight and kill." She sighs heavily. "The Avengers aren't going to turn kids into weapons."
Walking over to the couch Tony sits at the end where Natasha's feet are, pulling her legs over his thighs so she can continue laying there dramatically. "First off, this isn't like the whole child assassin thing your birth mother and Yelena went through." He reassured her and then explained, "Harley is the kid I met in Tennessee after my PTSD breakdown. His dad took off when he was little, just after his sister was born. His mom was working three jobs just to make ends meet when I met him. I helped his mom get a better job, and made sure he and his sister were able to go to a good school. Set him up with a place to explore his talents. Things had been going well for the last few years, then a few months ago something changed, Harley started withdrawing and his mom got worried. She couldn't work out what was wrong until a few weeks ago. The kid got outed and things in small town Tennessee got hostile."
Natasha leaned up on her elbows to look at Tony. "Helping him was the right call, Tony, but beginning him here, training him and putting him in an iron suit. I don't know about that one."
"He's not a little kid, Nat." Tony replies. "I mean it's not like we're offering a spot to Casey Lang or anything. He's a kid who needs an outlet, friends, and some strong, positive role models. If some of those role models are LGBTQ too, all the better."
"Fine." Natasha gives in and throws herself back into the couch pillow she positioned for her head. "But you get to explain the new stray to Mum."
Tony smiles at his cousin and then turns towards the rest of his team. They all agree to let Harley stick around. There's an odd look on Steve's face but he's all for teaching Harley how to stand up to bullies.
At first Peter was a little jealous of Harley. He was used to being Tony's only intern, and he didn't like having to share his mentor's attention. Wanda was aloof with him on Peter's behalf. Vision liked just about everyone, always looking to learn from as many humans as he could. Surprisingly, it was Loki who took to Harley the quickest. They enjoyed throwing quips at each other, which evolved into a bit of flirting here and there. Loki knew full well what he was doing when he flirted with Harley. Wanda on the other hand seemed to be a bit clueless in the ways of teenage romance.
"Do you think she's playing hard to get or does she really not see what's happening?" Loki asks from where he's sitting on a bench watching Wanda, Vision in his Jonas form, and Simon who'd joined them on their outing. In an attempt to get the teens to bond, May had suggested a day at Coney Island. Wanda had invited Simon to join them after he'd overheard her, Vision, and Angie talking about it after their acting class. Currently they were exploring Luna Park, the amusement park, and were taking a break from rides to play some of the midway games and eat ice cream.
"What's happening?" Peter asks as he looks between Loki and Wanda who was standing between Vision and Simon as the two teens competed against each other to win Wanda a stuffed Pusheen eating a Nathan's hot dog.
Loki rolls his eyes. "Both Vision and Simon have feelings for Wanda."
Peter looks genuinely surprised. "You think they have a crush on Wanda?"
"I'd say it was far more than a crush." Loki answers after a soft hum as he considers what he was seeing.
"Can the robot even have feelings?" Harley asks as he walks up holding two ice cream cones from Coney's Cones. He holds one out to Loki with a shy smile that brightens when Loki accepts it.
"He isn't a robot." Peter corrects the newcomer. "He's a synthezoid, a synthetic human, and yes he has feelings. So stop calling him a robot, Dr. Pulaski."
"Who?" Harley replies.
Peter rolls his eyes as he gets up and walks towards Wanda while pulling out his phone to text M.J. who's out of town with her mom.
It's Simon who wins Wanda the plush, and it's Simon who asks Wanda out, and it's Simon she agrees to a date with before he leaves the group so he can get back to his foster home before his probation ordered curfew. Natasha isn't sure how she feels about Wanda dating Simon, she isn't sure she likes Wanda dating at all, but she allows it after making sure to scare the hell out of Simon. She reminds him who she is and just in case she weren't enough to scare him, because she's an Avenger and wouldn't hurt a civilian, she makes sure to introduce him to Wanda's aunt Yelena.
In another attempt to get the team to mesh, and by team the adults meant Peter and Harley, the teens were hanging out on the beach near the Parker-Carter home. They were all stretched out on beach towels or in chairs under umbrellas after having eaten and were just relaxing for a bit. Natasha was worried about Sharon who'd been out of contact for awhile and was focusing that concern into her training of the kids. They needed this break to recuperate after weeks of the Black Widow riding their asses hard every session. While Wanda sunbathed with Vision nearby under an umbrella, and Peter raided the cooler for a soda, Loki and Harley slipped away for a few stolen moments.
Loki had never known such happiness and contentment before. Upon their latest return to New Asgard Loki and Thor had been surprised by the reincarnated return of Frigga, who free of Odin's dominance as the All-Father and their king, was free to guide her sons as she saw fit. He had found purpose in learning to be a hero, mentors who believed in him, and he had friends who accepted him for who he was. And now, in this moment as he shared a kiss with Harley, he had found something more.
Several feet away from where Loki and Harley stood a strange orange glow appeared seconds before something resembling a door opened and battle armored troops poured out of nowhere. They wielded batons that glowed orange at the tip, and a couple of them held small phone-like devices in their hands. They focused on Loki, but before they could advance on him Wanda, Peter, and Vision dropped down between the soldiers and their friend.
"Step away from the Loki." One of the soldier's demanded in a threatening way.
"That's not going to happen." Wanda replies, her hands glowing red with her power as she takes up a fighting stance.
"Sir," One of the other's says in awe. "That's a Scarlet Witch!"
Wanda raises an eyebrow and in a tone that makes her sound a bit too much like Tony says, "A Scarlet Witch? I am THE Scarlet Witch."
Another of the soldier's speaks up then. "She's a varent too." He checks his device, a look of confusion and perhaps even fear on his face. "This whole timeline is varent. Commander, what do we do?"
Before the Commander could respond, all of the soldiers' devices began to sound an alarm. "We're under attack," The Commander says after checking her device. "Fall back!"
The group of teenage superheroes all stand there as the battle armored soldiers retreat back through the orange glowing doorway. After the doorway disappears they all continue standing there looking confused and ready for a fight. Finally Wanda breaks the silence as she asks, "What the hell was that?" as she turns to look at Loki as if he had the answer since they were apparently after him.
Loki shrugs. "I have no idea."
"Who were they?" Peter asks. "And why were they after you? What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!" Loki huffs. "I have no idea who those people were or why they wanted me."
"We'd better go tell Auntie Nat." Peter says.
Wanda nods. "Yeah." She glares at the space where the strange armored soldiers had been and then walks over to put her arm around Loki. "Whoever they were, they're not getting our Loki, not without one hell of a fight."