Wanda opened her eyes slowly in the infirmary at Avengers' HQ, a situation that had become all too familiar over the past few days. She waited for a moment to absorb the legless feeling she had experienced every time she woke up before looking down to make sure it was still an effect of the painkillers and not a surprise amputation. There were two lumps under the sheet in the exact places her legs were supposed to be. The spinal anesthesia had provided a welcome relief from the pain of her wounded leg, even if she sometimes missed the ability to wiggle her toes.
The shrapnel that had torn up her left calf had proven more damaging than initially diagnosed, requiring multiple debridement sessions as additional specks of brick, metal and glass worked their way to the surface. Dr. Cho had been reluctant to use any of her more advanced healing techniques with so much debris still in the wound. She had repeatedly bemoaned the loss of her 'cradle,' which she thought would be especially beneficial in this situation. In spite of her lengthened healing time, Wanda wasn't about to disagree with the UN's confiscation of that particular piece of equipment and all associated research; Vision may have turned out wonderfully, but it was hard to forget he had started out as a potentially super-powered Ultron.
Wanting a distraction from that disturbing train of thought, she pushed herself up in the hospital bed she'd begun to consider hers after several stays and picked up her tablet from the nearby table. There was nothing really new on the situation in Gdansk. She skimmed a story that summarized the details released to the public thus far: a mercenary force hired by Glazistani dictator Andrei Nuchenko, about to be indicted on charges of crimes against humanity in The Hague, had unsuccessfully attacked the international conference on war crimes and turned the failure into a short siege of the city. UN Peacekeepers, with the assistance of the Avengers and local forces, had quelled the uprising and arrested the remaining mercenaries while Allied forces had captured Nuchenko and his inner circle at the presidential palace in Vitrum, the capital of Glazistan.
Wanda flicked past pictures of the damage in Gdansk and celebrating Glazistanis in the streets of Vitrum until she found what she had been looking for. A particularly adventurous AP photographer had ventured from the UN conference and captured several shots of the Avengers, including Vision and Rhodey rescuing a small child from a ruined building, Sam handing a prisoner over to Polish police and Natasha standing on a pile of rubble with a pistol in one hand and Captain America's shield in the other.
The last picture had proven very interesting to the tabloids and gossip shows, as a tap demonstrated a long list of related headlines. She was about to click on a particularly salacious one when she heard the curtain to her right being pulled back.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Steve." She tried to look merely amused as she held up her tablet to display the picture she had been viewing. "You and Natasha are in the news again."
"Yeah. No one told me that shields are the new engagement rings."
From the way he smiled, Wanda had the feeling that he and Natasha had already discussed the media's interpretation of her carrying his shield in the aftermath of the attack. "You could always give her both."
"Nat and I have talked about it and…"
"What have we talked about?"
Wanda turned toward the door, but the sound of nails clicking against the tile distracted her. Freckles was already trying to jump up on Steve's hospital bed. He briefly backed off with a startled growl as Steve lowered the bed, but was in his lap a moment later. "Hey, boy. Yeah, you're a good boy. I'm happy to see you, too."
"Like he didn't see you last night," Natasha muttered with a smile. She leaned in to kiss Steve between Freckles' repeated licks. "Why don't you go say hi to Wanda?"
Freckles hesitated for a moment, but soon turned in the direction both Steve and Natasha were pointing. Wanda had to lower her own bed to allow him to jump up. As she stroked the dog's soft fur, she noted that Natasha had taken up the free space in Steve's bed. "So, is Dr. Cho letting you out today?"
"Hope so. I'm still a little sore, but I don't see why I need to stay in the infirmary."
"She probably doesn't trust you to keep your activity to a minimum while you heal."
"She's obviously not keeping an eye on Freckles' social media."
Wanda had to grin as she scratched behind the dog's ears. To counter early reports from their visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center that Captain America had been mortally wounded, Hill had arranged to have Steve photographed meeting Freckles just off the quinjet at HQ. Steve had muscled through the quick photo-op with his arm in a sling, allowing a press release saying he had been hit in the arm by a stray bullet. In reality, he had taken a through-and-though to the right side of his chest, resulting in a collapsed lung. He was recovering quickly, thanks to his serum, but he had still been confined to the infirmary for the better part of a week. If his dreams were any indication, he was desperate to get back to his normal sleeping arrangements.
Natasha seemed equally eager, whispering, "Think we can encourage her a little?"
"Mmm, Nat…"
Wanda let them go on for a few moments before clearing her throat. "I'm still here."
"Sorry, Gummi Bear." Natasha smoothly slipped out of Steve's bed and walked over to join the doggy love-fest. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
To Wanda's surprise, Natasha leaned in and whispered, "Do you have thing for Bucky or for Vision?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I understand the appeal of the bad boy," Natasha continued confidentially, "but I have to say you're probably better off with the nice guy in the long run. Granted the nice guy doesn't have some essential parts, but they make very realistic strap-ons these days…"
"I am not…" Wanda caught herself from lying just in time. She had been mulling over the question of Vision or Bucky since she had been injured and gotten nowhere. "Why do you think I am interested in either of them?"
She got a sarcastically raised eyebrow. "Look, I'm not great with relationship advice, but…" The conversation was cut off as Dr. Cho entered the room. "Morning, Helen!"
"Natasha," Dr. Cho replied cautiously. There had been a pretty impressive argument when she had refused to discharge Steve the previous day after hearing some suspicious sounds in his breathing. "I believe I've mentioned my displeasure with a dog in the infirmary?"
"Freckles is up to date on all his shots and flea treatments and everything. I gave him his last heartworm pill myself."
"Yes, well, forgive me if I prefer a hygienic environment." Dr. Cho walked toward Steve. "If we could address your number one concern?"
"Of course." Natasha immediately moved to Steve's bed, followed by Freckles, who sat at her side. "You're letting him out today, right?"
Dr. Cho had Steve sit up so she could listen to his lungs. After a long minute, she removed her stethoscope. "Provided he agrees to eliminate his workouts until our orthopedist and I declare him fit, I see no reason to keep him in the infirmary."
"Great!" Steve exclaimed, jumping out of bed and provoking Freckles into ecstatic leaps around him. He was moving somewhat stiffly and minimizing the action of his right arm, but seemed fine otherwise. His hospital johnnie did nothing to hide his… Wanda blushed and turned back to her tablet and the gallery of Steve and Natasha's previous public foray. Her earlier psychic misadventures had provided her with plenty of visuals of Steve's rear assets. Still…
She had no idea why digital cameras on tablets had to include a shutter sound. She just felt lucky that Natasha smirked rather than ordering her to immediately delete the picture she'd taken.
Wanda flexed her foot to its maximum current range and sighed. She had been able to walk for the past few days, but she was far from fully recovered. At least she had finally been released from the infirmary – her leg was currently propped up on a pillow on a couch in the lounge, the cane she didn't particularly like using within easy reach. It seemed silly to have to limp around when she could just float, but she couldn't rebuild muscular strength if she didn't use her leg. She had compromised by walking until it became too uncomfortable; telekinesis had some unexpected benefits, alongside all the obvious ones.
Bucky suddenly plopped down beside her foot. "How's tricks?"
"All right, I guess." It really was a guess. She wasn't entirely sure what the expression meant, but she assumed it was outdated slang. "How are you?"
"Can't complain. 'Course, I wasn't in the hospital. How long until you can go back out?"
"No idea. It will be several weeks, at the very least."
"Too bad. With fewer pretty girls to distract them, someone's gonna notice me and slap my picture all over the news."
"I thought there was an announcement that you had joined the team."
"I think it got lost in the shuffle with you and Steve getting hurt, then Natasha with the shield. Honestly, it's better. I'm used to flying under the radar."
She cocked her head as she looked at him carefully. Was he actually jealous of the attention? Or hurt because no one had noticed him working with the good guys? Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she decided on the latter and said, "I thought you did very well on the mission. You saved me."
"Well, I found you. I didn't exactly save you. Besides, Vision was there a few seconds after me so…" He had a slight flush in his cheeks. "When's this demonstration getting started?"
"Mr. Stark has just indicated that we should turn on the television." Vision carefully set a full bowl on the table beside Wanda. "He also suggested popcorn. I took the liberty of bringing Coca-Cola as well."
"Thank you," Wanda replied, accepting a soda can with a smile. He nodded and moved to the chair beside the sofa.
"Yeah, thanks." Bucky snatched the other can off the table and opened it with a hissing pop. "I miss the old glass bottles. It just doesn't taste the same coming in a tin can."
"Aluminum," Vision corrected, finding the appropriate channel, which was currently a static view from the roof of the building. "I believe glass bottles are still available."
"Good to know." Bucky grabbed a handful of popcorn and flicked a few pieces into his mouth. "If they don't hurry up the sun's gonna set."
Tony Stark's voice suddenly came from the TV, "We can hear you guys."
"Then let's see what your tiny airplane can do!"
"For the last time, it's a remote-controlled drone," Stark replied in exasperation. "Did they by any chance substitute a metal brain too when they did your arm?"
Wanda felt herself tense as Bucky's face went blank for a moment, but it passed quickly. He gave a forced laugh instead. "Jealous your suit isn't a part of you?"
"Hey do you ever worry you're gonna crush your dick when you take piss left-handed?"
"Least I got somethin' I don't need tweezers to handle."
Rhodey interrupted the rapidly escalating argument, "Knock it off. I think we're ready to launch."
"Hell yeah!" Sam sounded almost giddy. The drone had been designed to fit into his wingpack as an additional surveillance tool that wouldn't attract the attention of one of the Avengers flying overhead. He had already named it Redwing, in spite of Stark's insistence that it was the Iron Bird. The three men had been on the roof of HQ all day getting ready its maiden flight.
Wanda glanced around the lounge and realized they were missing a few teammates. "Are Natasha and Steve upstairs?"
"Nah. They took the dog for a walk," Bucky answered around a mouthful of popcorn. "They can see it once it crashes on the lawn right after takeoff."
Stark muttered, just loud enough to be heard, "How do you guys stand that jerk-off?"
Any response was overshadowed by a sudden rush of movement on the screen. Sam whooped. "And Redwing has left the nest!"
"Don't get crazy with it the first time out. Just go slow and get used to the controls."
Sam ignored Stark's instructions, though the inventor was excitedly watching the footage and commenting on flying-related metrics with Rhodey. Redwing climbed quickly before turning to dive toward the ground, then executing a series of sharp turns as it approached the woods. Sam slowed it down to navigate the trees, whipping off leaves and small branches as he went.
"Hey, watch it, Birdie. That's a precision piece of equipment," Stark admonished.
"If he can't handle some little twigs, how good is it gonna be when people are shooting at him?" Sam replied, accelerating as he came to a clearing near the small brook that ran through the compound.
A flash of red near the shore caught Wanda's eye. "Sam, what was that? By the water?"
"Let's take a look-see." Redwing's slowed to a stop and hovered into position. The camera automatically focused on Steve and Natasha, tossing a tennis ball for Freckles. "Aw, does this thing record?"
"It's been recording the whole time," Stark replied with a tinge of annoyance.
"I just meant Freckles could post this on his Facebook or something. Let me get in closer."
"The microphone should be good to around five hundred feet."
"Why are you whispering, Tony?" Rhodey asked, also in a whisper.
"I don't know. We're spying on Natalie the super spider. It just seems appropriate."
"Shh," Sam hissed. "The mic's picking them up."
Wanda frowned as Bucky turned up the volume with the remote. Steve held the ball over his head as Freckles jumped around him, then tossed the ball unusually far. As the dog bounded away, he wrapped and arm around Natasha's waist and pulled her in for a kiss. There was a chorus of 'oohs' and 'Way to go Cap!' from the guys on the roof and Bucky. Wanda wanted to turn away, but found her eyes glued to the screen.
Steve grinned as he and Natasha separated. She was smiling too as she said, "You didn't have to send the dog on a 5k just to kiss me."
"Yeah, but I have other plans."
"Freckles isn't going to be gone that long."
"That's later. Besides, the only reason I wanted him gone for a minute was so he wasn't jumping all over me while I'm kneeling."
"Steve…"
"Sam, turn it off!" Wanda shouted, suddenly realizing what the team was intruding on.
"Why…?" Sam gasped and the picture jerked, but he soon had it steadily focused on Steve on one knee in front of Natasha. "Holy…!"
"Shhh!" seemed to come from everyone simultaneously.
Steve was completely oblivious to anyone but Natasha. "I hope this is better than a shield. I've had it for a couple months and I just…I should have asked sooner because…I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Marry me, Natasha."
Natasha was speechless, but managed to nod and hold out her left hand so Steve could slip the ring on her finger. He jumped to his feet and picked her up swinging her around with a laugh of pure joy. They were kissing a moment later, not even stopping when Freckles reappeared with his ball.
His demands for attention eventually got their notice and Steve gave the ball another long throw. While keeping her arms around his neck, Natasha was looking at her hand, where the sparkling diamond was visible even on the camera. Wanda was sure the light outside would be brighter than anything she had seen thus far if she looked out a window right now.
Steve dipped his head for another kiss, slow and passionate. Natasha pulled back first. "I can't believe you arranged this whole thing."
"Um…yeah." He nodded, looking slightly confused.
"I mean, waiting for sunset to launch the drone so it could record the moment? So sneaky. Guess I've rubbed off on you even more than I thought." She turned and looked directly at the camera. She waved, then held up her left hand and pointed to the ring. "I'm not even mad you're all watching!"
Steve still looked slightly bewildered, but the image tipped forward and back, which could only mean Sam was having the drone take a bow. He wisely turned and piloted it back toward the roof. Everyone was quiet until Redwing landed and the video feed dissolved into blackness.
Vision was the first to stand. "I believe we should greet the happy couple and offer congratulations." He held out his hand. "Wanda, would you like some assistance?"
As she limped out of the room on Vision's arm, she heard Bucky mutter, "I coulda done that."
She didn't recall that both she and Vision could have flown until they were outside on the lawn, hugging Steve and Natasha. Wanda did most of the hugging until the rest of the guys showed up, followed closely by Hill. She had been absolutely right about the intensity of the light. Freckles just seemed happy that everyone was outside and happy.
