Translations (via Google translate):
Eto fignya = That's bullshit
Sledi za yazykom = Watch your language
Ty dal mne dostatochno sedykh volos na segodnya, milaya. = You've given me enough gray hairs for today, milaya.
/
"Hello Wanda." Vision stated mildly as he approached the teenager in the library.
Looking up from her work, Wanda flashed him a faint grin, "Hi Vizh."
"What are you doing?" He peered curiously down at the papers on her desk.
"Tasha is having me take a placement test for school. A practice placement test." She said looking back a bit glumly at the page filled with numbers that Natasha left her with while she went to do a training session with the recruits. Wanda actually had not minded most of the testing, finding it difficult but interesting and she wanted to learn, hating the feeling like she barely knew anything. So when her mother started having her do workbooks and watching education videos, the Sokovian soaked it all in- reading, languages, literature, sciences, history- with the exception of one subject mathematics. That was what she was working on now but the numbers on the page appeared practically indecipherable to her.
"Will you be attending a public school?" Vision asked with a worried tenor to his voice.
Wanda shook her head, "No, it's for homeschool."
When Natasha had asked if the teenager wanted to attend an actually high school, she was pretty sure the woman was a little relieved when Wanda had given a hard no, just as she was relieved when her mother did not push the issue but said if her feelings ever changed to come talk to her about it. Going to school, an American school, seemed so foreign to the girl. She had not been in a classroom since she was 8 years old and had no concept of what one would be like in the States. And the thought of being around kids her age still made her nervous from her time spent in the orphanage and then on the streets homeless in Sokovia; her and Pietro had been at odds with the other children fighting for scraps to survive.
So the little witch had no interest in putting herself in a situation involving her peers. But Mama told her that it was alright to change her mind, that something she did not want now she might want later. In the meantime, Natasha had said they would go forward with her education at the Compound, which suited them both for now.
"Agent Romanoff is highly intelligent. She will make a good teacher." Vision stated sounding approving.
"I don't doubt that. I'm not sure I will make a good student." Wanda sighed, thinking about erasing the answer she had just written down though honestly it had been a guess and if she changed it she would still be completely guessing.
"It is my understanding that in order to be good at something one must practice. It would appear to me that you are on the right path." The synthezoid told her sagely.
She gave him a more sincere smile, "Thanks, Vizh.. What are you doing in the library?"
"I actually came to see you." He admitted, "I have a proposal for you."
"What kind of proposal?"
"Since you have been assisting me navigate my new mind I wanted to do something for you in return." Vision said hopefully, "And I believe I could help you with flying lessons."
"Flying lessons?" Wanda tilted her head to the side and turned in her chair to better look at him, intrigued by his suggestion. She had started helping Vision understand all of the sensory input he experienced as he called it, helping him identify emotions and process them in his new physical form. He had approached her when she had first come to live with the Avengers, when she had still been in the worst of her grief over her brother's death. Wanda was not ready then to allow the telepathic connection that would enable her to do this with him, unable to consider letting anyone as close as Pietro had been to her. However she had come a long way since then.
"Yes, I have JARVIS's data, including the test flights for Mr. Stark's Iron Man suit, and I believe we could utilize your powers in a similar manner giving you the ability of flight." He said with barely there eagerness. Vision was an interesting amalgamation of many things. Vibranium, Dr. Cho's cell regeneration technology, JARVIS, the Mind Stone and even shadows of Ultron made him an entirely unique being. His mind was human in many ways, but also not quite. If Wanda had to describe the difference, she would say the regular human mind was like being in a vast library but if the books could all talk and did so all at once. The witch had to focus hard on the information she wanted in order to access it, unless the person let her in willingly. However Vision's mind was like being in a vast library and everything was blissfully silent; she could leisurely stroll the shelves and easily glean the information at will, which was an odd combination of data and memories.
Then he had this peacefully space in his mind that humans did not have from what she presumed was from the Mind Stone. It was the sound of silence, black and expanding, like when she went there and closed her eyes she could feel her edges bleeding into the universe. Needless to say she was fascinated by it, and she quickly found herself appreciating the bond forming between herself and Vision, finding it also helped her understand her own powers in a way. Wanda asked with piqued curiosity, "How would it work?"
"Theoretically, I think your powers could act in place of the Iron Man thrusters to propel you." He seemed to speak mildly but coming to know the man Wanda could hear the edge of excitement in his voice and she grinned.
"You don't owe me anything but yeah, I'd love to fly. Or at least to try." Wanda agreed catching his excitement.
"We could start now if you'd like." Vision offered.
The teenager looked down at the math test she had been taking in consideration. Natasha had only asked her to fill it out as far as she was capable, and that time had come several questions ago. Vision's proposition sounded like a much better way to spend her afternoon, "Yes, let's go."
The android returned her smile and the pair headed out to the lush, green lawn that was thriving in the warm spring weather. Wanda had forgone her shoes and relished in the feeling of the soft grass under her feet and the warm breeze catching in her hair. Vision stopped their progress in the middle of the field and Wanda looked to him expectantly, "How should we begin? How do you fly?"
"I am able to change my bodies density, therefore I become more buoyant than the air. It would be more apt to say I float as opposed to fly." He said, gently lifting off the ground in demonstration. "Since your powers come from the Mind Stone conceivably you could achieve this as well, but to start I believe we'd have more success with your traditional magic."
Wanda nodded in understanding as he went on went, "Perhaps begin with feeling your magic in your hands and feet."
"Okay." The witch closed her eyes and let her magic burn familiarly in her palms, the soles of her feet tingling more at the sensation as she did not often direct her magic from that part of her body. Vision continued to walk her through the next potential step they way Natasha may talk her through a morning yoga session, "Then visualize what you want your powers to do."
She thought about her powers in a concentrated blast from her hands and feet and imagined it pushing her up from the ground. Opening her eyes, Wanda looked to see her powers in glowing balls in her hands, almost more white than red, that pulsed in anticipation.
"Turn your hands down and try to push yourself up." Vision encouraged, "You'll want to keep your arms locked in position or it will just move your arms."
As he spoke, she followed his instructions and flipped her palms down, keeping her arms out to the side and her muscles tense to keep them in place against the on coming blast. Wanda revved her powers and suddenly found herself taking off into the air. However as quickly as it happened, the movement surprised her, and the girl lost her focus, and she dropped the couple of feet she had gone up. Landing a little unsteadily, Wanda still immediately looked to Vision with an amazed smile, "I did it."
"Yes, that was excellent. Shall you go again and see if you can stay up longer?" The man appraised and Wanda immediately put herself into position to attempt another liftoff. She replicated the action over and over, her little extended leaps into the sky going for longer and longer until finally she could sustain hovering about four feet in the air without wavering in front of Vision.
"Wow, I don't know if I would ever have thought to try this." Wanda looked around in her new perspective with wonder.
Vision contradicted her, "I think you would have. You have taken to it so quickly.. Try leaning forward to move, not too much. A little will go a long way."
With the utmost caution, the Sokovian tilted herself forward and pushed a little harder from her hands. Despite her carefulness she initially jolted forward from too much force, but she dialed it back and started smoothly moving forward. She made a circle around her friend as he offered advice about how to adjust her body to achieve certain movements. Wanda was soon found herself moving easily around, though not perfectly. Her powers felt fickle and uncoordinated at times with the new use, resulting in her jerking away in the wrong direction or unexpectedly falling back to the ground. Still the little witch's confidence grew with her ability as could maintain flight more consistently, "I think I can go higher."
"Sure." Vision nodded but added with a touch of wariness. "Please be careful."
"Uh-huh." She said distractedly, more interested in pushing more power into her feet to help her rise farther into the air. Then she was above just Vision's head, then several feet past his head. Flying felt, for lack of a better word, magical. Gliding up into the air felt a bit like floating through water but she felt even lighter. And the surrounding woodlands made for a beautiful view from this height as she neared being level with the tops of the trees. Abruptly her magic spasmed in her left hand and she dropped unevenly a bit, but it startled her enough that all her powers gave out entirely. Wanda felt herself falling wildly through the air with the ground fast approaching, a jolt of panic shot through her, but it was not her own. Vision swooped in wrapping his arms around her and twisting his body in the air so that when he gently landed them, he was lying on the grass with her lying on top of him. His eyes searched over her urgently, "Are you alright?"
He blinked in surprise when Wanda suddenly started laughing. Eventually he started grinning with her though it was a little uncertain. She began to speak through her giggles, "That was so exciting. I was so high up, maybe too high up until I've had more practice, but that was wonderful. Thank you, Vizh."
"You did almost fall and greatly injure yourself." Vision pointed out, still a little confused by her happy reaction to her near-miss.
"I knew you would catch me." The girl had calmed down and she smiled at him blithely.
"You seem to know much more than me." Vision said plainly.
Wanda scoffed, "You know way more than me.. Like what is the circumference of the earth?"
"40,075 kilometers." Vision recited automatically.
"See? I didn't know that. I can't even complete a simple math test."
"A meaningless number amongst many meaningless numbers." His voice gently dismissive, then more sincerely he continued, "You know about the things that matter, Wanda."
"What the hell is going on here?" They both turned to see Natasha marching up to them with a dark scowl on her face.
The little witch sat up at the sight of her mother, her forehead wrinkled with worry at her apparent anger, "Mama, we were just-"
"Wanda Natalia Maximoff, get over here now." Natasha ordered and alarmed at her biting tone the girl rushed to comply though the woman's irate gaze stayed trained on Vision for some reason.
She tried again to explain, "Vision came up with the idea that he could teach me to fly, and-"
"That did not look like flying to me." Natasha continued to glare.
"Well, I fell and Vizh caught me. That's all.." As she said the words though Wanda realized that she was probably getting herself into more trouble as the reality of the precarious situation she put herself came into focus.
Her mother finally turned to look at her, some of her anger being replaced with incredulity, "You came out here to use your powers in a dangerous way, unsupervised without permission, while you're supposed to be taking your practice exam."
"Vision was here." Wanda said weakly, her cheeks burning with guilt, "And you said to finish it as far as I could, and I did. I didn't know the rest of the answers."
"Agent Romanoff, I apologize. It was my idea-" Vision who had stood and was watching the mother and daughter from the side interjected, trying to absorb some of the blame. As he stepped forward though, Natasha cut him off with her fury back.
"You stay the hell away from my daughter." The Black Widow stepped in between the synthezoid and Wanda, nudging the girl back in the process and her posture dropping into a defensive stance. Her words were a harsh growl that startled both Wanda and Vision. The man blinked at her in confusion at her hostility. Wanda was confused as well until Natasha went on tearing into Vision, "If I ever catch you touching Wanda like that again, I'll have you melted down and make a shield of my own."
It clicked with her as to why Natasha was so angry at them, so angry at Vision. Her mama thought that their relationship went beyond platonic, and Wanda could mostly understand the conclusion given she had found them practically lounging in the grass together. However it was not like that. Vision did not think of Wanda in terms of romance; she knew since she had been in his mind. And Wanda did not think of him like that either. Resting against him like she had been doing felt the same to her as curling up underneath Steve's arm while they watched a movie or when she still had Pietro and the twins would huddle up together for warmth and comfort. When she thought about it, Vision did remind her more of her brother. They were the same in that he was a safe space for her to recede into; she simply needed her mother to understand. Unfortunately, Vision did not catch on to the spy's meaning though as he asked cautiously, "I'm sorry. Touch Wanda how?"
That had not been the right thing for him to say. The Sokovian could not see Natasha's face from where she stood behind her, but she could feel the hot, red wrath that she poured from the woman. Wanda quickly tried to intercede and clarify, "Mama, it's not like that. Vision is my friend."
"He looked more than friendly with you." Her mother remained firm as she once again turned to face the girl.
"But Mama-"
"Damnit Wanda, I'm trying to protect you. Stay away from that.. thing!" Natasha's voice echoed across the lawn before it was absorbed into silence, and everything stopped for a moment. The little witch felt her breath leave her lungs as she felt a slash of hurt strike across her chest that did not come her own emotions rather Vision's. Her eyes briefly met his eyes over Nat's shoulder, wide with shock at the sensation, then he looked away and shrunk back from them crestfallen. Now Wanda was mad, very mad. She furrowed her brow at her mother.
"Vision is a person. Don't call him a thing." She demanded indignantly.
"I don't care what he is." Natasha declared. "You aren't allowed to be around him anymore."
"You- you can't tell me who to be friends with." Wanda crossed her arms defiantly over her stomach.
"Yes, I can. I'm your mother."
"I don't care who you are." The teenager sassed back, "Vision is good, and he is my friend whether you like it or not."
The redhead's jaw dropped, a little stunned at Wanda's attitude, which satisfied the girl in a way. Her mother was being unreasonable and unnecessarily hostile towards Vision who had done nothing to deserve such vitriol. Taking advantage of the Widow's momentary faltering, Wanda turned on her heel and stormed away from her to head back towards the buildings, though it did not take long for the woman to recover as she started after the girl, "You don't speak to me like that, and we are not done discussing this young lady."
"No," Wanda glowered. "You're not listening so I'm not talking to you."
"I don't need you to talk. You just need to listen."
"How is that fair?" Wanda demanded as she continued to walk toward the Compound.
"I'm the adult, milaya. That's just the way it goes." The agent replied sounding entirely unsympathetic.
"Eto fignya." The teenager seethed.
Natasha snapped, "Sledi za yazykom!"
Their argument grew in volume as the continued to bicker in Russian as Natasha pursued Wanda into the residence.
/
Natasha was still a bit sweaty in her tank top and leggings after training with the recruits when found the library empty, though she was unbothered by that fact as she picked up Wanda's math test to look over. The teenager had done well enough on the first part but around the halfway point as the questions began to get harder she could see her ability quickly decline. At a certain point, the woman could tell that the answers were a shot in the dark. For 84 x 32 Wanda had written in 8432 and then eventually the answers stopped all together. Mathematics seemed to be the subject Wanda was most behind in and she knew the girl could get discouraged by it. Nat sighed. She would find her daughter and they would go over it together, "FRIDAY, where's Wanda?"
"Miss Maximoff is on the northeast lawn." The AI informed her briskly.
The redhead figured Wanda had slipped off for a walk or taken a book to read in the grass after she had gone as far as she could on her test. Heading out where FRIDAY had directed, Natasha hoped that the little witch was not too upset over the exam. Wanda was smart, though she did not always get answers right there was always logic and reasoning as to how she produced them. That did not seem to placate the Sokovian in particular no matter how many times Natasha tried to reassure her. These tests were only to help them figure out where to start in her education, not to determine the teenager's intelligence. Once she started actual lessons, Nat had a feeling the girl would catch on quickly. She stepped outside and scanned the open field, spying a figure lying down in the middle of it that she proceeded toward.
As she approached though, the Black Widow realized that Wanda was not alone, rather with Vision. Her stomach lurched at the proximity of the two of them, and her breathing became a little shallow in her chest. She tried to remain calm as she picked up her pace but as she came upon the scene her blood began to boil and a literal red haze throbbed over her vision. The pair were laying on the grass, or more accurately Vision was laying on the grass with Wanda laying on top of his chest, propped up on her elbows to look down at him, his hands on her back to keep her steady. It looked intimate and entirely inappropriate. The android said something softly to her that Nat could not make out over the blood rushing in her ears.
"What the hell is going on here?" She asked as she strode up to them and they both turned to her with a start. Wanda immediately sat up, falling off the man as her expression melted to one of worry and confusion at her mother's apparent ire.
"Mama, we were just-"
"Wanda Natalia Maximoff, get over here now." Natasha ordered. Her daughter scrambled up to her feet and went to her without protest much to her relief. The spy kept her eyes trained on Vision as he stood up too though stayed put as he peered back at her warily.
As Wanda reached her side, she started her explanation once again, "Vision came up with the idea that he could teach me to fly, and-"
"That did not look like flying to me." Natasha continued to stare down Vision, everything about her demeanor telegraphing for him to stay away.
Wanda was an affectionate kid, which the older woman relished in as she was most often on the receiving end of it. The girl's affections bled over to the rest of the team as well, except Rhodey who she avoided like the plague. War Machine trained with them when he could, but he was not around as much since he still ran missions for the US Defense Department, and Wanda never really got used to him. That and Nat suspected she considered the man as one of Tony Stark's allies since he was so close to him. She did not get as physically close with Sam, but it seemed to Natasha that was had more to do with Sam's boundaries than Wanda's.
Then with Vision, the Widow was aware that Wanda was friendly with the android. The teenager spent just as much time with him as anybody else and Natasha had not thought much of it. It had seemed natural at the time that Wanda and Vision may gravitate to each other as the two newest members on the team; they would find common ground there. So of course Natasha was aware but the closest she had seen them get was Wanda holding his hand a few times, which was not unusual for the Sokovian. And Vision was taking advantage of that. Underneath the roar of her anger, her stomach shivered sickly dread as she thought about this. She had talked to Wanda about whether or not she had been sexually active in the past, or more accurately assaulted since she was not of the age of consent, needing to know for her medical history. There were a lot of bad men at Hydra, however to her relief Wanda had assured her nothing like that had ever happened. The little witch had not been spared many abuses when she was younger, but at least that had been one of them.
Now under Natasha's care, when she thought she was safe from that, came a threaten she had not anticipated from within the fortified walls of their home. Fighting through a wave of nauseous, the woman registered the words Wanda said through her rapid thoughts, "Well, I fell and Vizh caught me. That's all.."
Her words slowed as she spoke, as if Wanda had a realization dawning on her. Natasha shifted her attention to her daughter who started to wring her hands nervously in front of her. Some of her anger was forgotten for the moment as she suddenly comprehended exactly what the girl was telling her, "You came out here to use your powers in a dangerous way, unsupervised without permission, while you're supposed to be taking your practice exam."
As she listed off the offenses, Wanda's cheeks flushed pink. Still, the girl offered her some timid reasoning, "Vision was here. And you said to finish it as far as I could, and I did. I didn't know the rest of the answers."
"Agent Romanoff, I apologize. It was my idea-" Vision suddenly and gently interjected.
He moved towards them as he spoke, and her fury came flooding back. The shift in her was immediate and seamless, from worried mom to master assassin in the blink of an eye as she swiveled around to the android and put her body in between his and Wanda's, "You stay the hell away from my daughter. If I ever catch you touching Wanda like that again, I'll have you melted down and make a shield of my own."
Vision halted and blinked at her with confusion. He hesitated for a few seconds before asking, ""I'm sorry. Touch Wanda how?"
The Black Widow saw red again. How dare he feign ignorance with her? She was going to tear him apart with her bare hands and throw the pieces into a trash compactor. Wanda's voice cut into her internal tirade before she could act on it. "Mama, it's not like that. Vision is my friend."
"He looked more than friendly with you." Her mother remained firm as she once again turned to face her daughter.
"But Mama-" She tried to object. Natasha did not want to hear it though.
"Damnit Wanda, I'm trying to protect you. Stay away from that.. thing!" Her voice echoed across the lawn before it was absorbed into silence. She registered the hurt that flashed across Wanda's face that was then quickly replaced with an irate expression.
Her voice was strong with indignance now as she demanded, "Vision is a person. Don't call him a thing."
"I don't care what he is." Natasha declared. "You aren't allowed to be around him anymore."
"You- you can't tell me who to be friends with." Wanda crossed her arms defiantly over her stomach.
The superspy quickly contradicted Wanda's statement without pausing to think whether it was the right thing to say or not, "Yes, I can. I'm your mother."
"I don't care who you are." The little witch shot back with as much viciousness as she could muster, "Vision is good, and he is my friend whether you like it or not."
Natasha gaped at Wanda's attitude toward her. She could count on one hand the number of times Wanda raised her voice or argued with her since coming to stay with them, so this was out of character for her. Then the teenager had the audacity to spin on her heel and stomped away from her mother. Snapping out of her shock, the agent charged after Wanda, "You don't speak to me like that, and we are not done discussing this young lady."
"No," Wanda glowered. "You're not listening so I'm not talking to you."
"I don't need you to talk. You just need to listen." She did not understand why Wanda defended Vision and defied her. This was about her safety; did she not understand that?
"How is that fair?" Wanda aske with a scowl.
In a no nonsense tone, Nat stated firmly, "I'm the adult, milaya. That's just the way it goes."
"Eto fignya." The teenager seethed.
"Sledi za yazykom!"
They started to argue over each other in Russian as they entered the building and ascended the stairs, their volume increasing with their climb. It was almost like what they were saying to each other did not matter since neither was really listening to the other. Wanda would claim Vision's innocence and Natasha would tell her that she was too young to understand the danger she was in. Which offended Wanda, making her roll her eyes and claim whatever in that scathing way teenagers did. By the time they were ripping through the kitchen Natasha had enough, "You are grounded. Go to your room!"
"I was going there anyways!" Wanda yelled in return before vanishing into the hall that led to the bedrooms. Stopping short, Natasha stared at the spot her daughter disappeared from and ran her hand through her fiery locks. The Widow needed a minute to calm down, realizing their communication had become unproductive and rather caustic. She took a few calming breathes that were interrupted by a voice from the kitchen, "Whoa, what brought on the totally teen drama?"
"Why are you in here Tony?" Annoyance dripping from voice as she turned to find Tony in the kitchen.
"You guys have better coffee than the labs." He held up a fresh, steaming cup that he had just brewed. Tony and Pepper had recently relocated to the East Coast once again after their time they spent reconnecting in Malibu. They were not living at the Compound, rather staying at the penthouse in the Tower. But since the quinjet ride was only 30 minutes to the city it meant Tony had been around with more frequency. She knew today he was there to run diagnostics on the War Machine suit. Natasha did not have the patience for the billionaire's glibness at present, but she was unable to voice this as Vision barged back into the conversation. Or at least it felt like he barged in when he approached from the staircase with the same mild tone that had once been JARVIS's expression, "Agent Romanoff, I fear there has been an unfortunate misunderstanding."
"And how did I misunderstand finding you with your hands on my daughter?" She asked bitingly.
"I promise, there is nothing untoward about my relationship with Wanda." The synthezoid maintained his infuriatingly calm manner, "She has been helping me as a friend and I only wanted to return the favor. I thought flight lessons would be most appropriate. I now see my conclusion has been incorrect."
"Wait, I'm sorry. How has she been helping you?" Natasha held up a halting hand as she asked suspiciously.
"Wanda has been helping me better understand interactions and responses to the world. You see, everything is new to me. It makes it difficult to understand without prior experience. Wanda goes into my mind and-"
Tony interrupted abruptly. "She goes into your mind?!"
"Yes, however-" Vision began but Tony cut him off again before he could say much else.
"We said if she was to be on the team there would be no more head mumbo jumbo. She agreed and knew there is a zero-tolerance policy." Iron Man said, directing his claim to Natasha with an agitated pointed finger as he referenced the conversation they had with Nick Fury so many months ago. The Black Widow's thoughts wildly reeled through her head as she tried to absorb the information she had been given. Wanda and Vision were doing this thing, whatever it was she did not fully understand, behind her back. She wondered how long it had been going on without her knowing and it burned painfully in her chest. Shoving down the shock, confusion, and hurt that her child had kept this from her, Natasha did what came naturally- defend Wanda.
She bristled, gearing up for a fight with Tony now, "Don't put this all on Wanda. Your robot had a hand in this too. Was this your plan to have him trick Wanda and get her kicked out?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I had nothing to do with this."
"Just keep your robot away from my kid." Natasha barked.
"You keep your kid away from my robot." Tony fired back.
"I am not his robot!" Vision's voice rose over theirs, strained with unaccustomed frustration and anger. Nat and Tony turned to him in surprise at his outburst. The synthezoid huffed a little and cleared his throat as he resumed his sentiment more quietly, sounding sad, "I'm not Mr. Stark's robot. If you'll excuse me, I require a moment."
Vision phased down through the floor leaving the two Avengers in the silent kitchen. It was Tony who spoke up first, "Sorry, I ah, I may still be a little sensitive about the little witch's powers."
"A little?" Nat asked dryly, raking her fingers through her curls again.
"Alright, a lot." He conceded. "I- I shouldn't have assumed the worst."
"She's a sweet kid, Tony. She's my kid." She said imploringly. They had not discussed Wanda much since her initial arrival with them in the aftermath of Ultron. Tony occasionally politely inquired about her but for the most part he gave her a wide berth, and in his defense Wanda not interested in pursuing a relationship with him at the moment. Despite this, Tony has seemed to support Nat in her adoption of Wanda, even surprising her by coming to the signing and helping them celebrate.
As if he could hear her thoughts, the man nodded, "I know. I was there when it happened. And I'm happy for you Nat. I really am. This is just.. a me thing, one of my hang ups. I'll work on it."
"Thank you." Natasha gave him a small smile.
"Yeah," Tony hooked his thumb over his shoulder, "I've got a little bit to wrap up with Rhodey's suit and then I'm going back to the city to meet Pep for dinner, so I'm going to go."
"Yeah, I'm going to check on Wanda." Suddenly they had much larger conversation to have. "Send Pepper my best."
"Will do." He awkwardly punched her shoulder in a playful manner then turned and headed out to returned to the labs. Natasha's smiled faded away as she took a minute to gather herself then left the kitchen in the opposite direction toward the bedrooms. She went up to Wanda's room and gently knocked on the door.
"Wanda? We need to talk."
No response.
"Wanda, milaya, I'm coming in." However when she tried to turned the knob she discovered it had been locked. The teenager had never locked her out before. Abruptly, loud jazz music blared from the other side of the door, one of Steve's records he leant to the girl. Clearly, her daughter was not ready to talk. She sighed and started back down the hallway to go down to the gym where she planned to spend some time at a punching bag.
/
"Agent Romanoff, I wanted to speak with you about the nature of my relationship with Wanda." Vision appeared in the gym as Natasha finished her session at the punching bag. She was tired from training with the recruits and now from overworking the bag, though maybe it was more psychosomatic. The heavy thoughts in her mind transferring to her sore muscles.
That did not mean she lacked the fire to glare at Vision as she gritted out, "I advise you proceed with caution."
"I understand your desire to protect Wanda as I myself have a similar feeling. I would never do anything to hurt her." He said earnestly. The spy had the talent to tell if someone were lying to her, she would be a terrible spy otherwise, and from what she could tell the synthezoid was being truthful.
She wiped at the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand, "…Go on."
"I've thought about it and concluded that I'm what you may consider young in some ways- I've only been conscious for a few months, my experiences in this world limited. Then in other ways I know I'm what you may consider old- the Mind Stone has been in existence for millennia; this is the body of a man." He looked down at his hands as if to confirm his statement. "Therefore I understand your reservations, but please know our relationship is purely platonic."
"You can see how the situation would imply otherwise?" The Black Widow could not keep the glower from her face as the picture of Wanda and Vision laying together in the field flashed in her mind.
"Yes, I see that now. And going forward I will be more cognizant about our proximity." He vowed. The android opened his mouth to speak again then faltered, breath passing over his lips without word, but he finally managed to go on, "For the sake of complete transparency, I must confess that I feel my relationship with Wanda does go beyond a usual friendship. We have a connection through the Mind Stone. It is difficult to describe in human terms as I understand them. Not quite a daughter, more closely a friend, but mostly I feel like her guardian, like Wanda is meant to come into greatness and power and I am to watch over her until then."
As he described his feelings, Natasha's ire faded away entirely and gave into curiosity. While she thought Wanda's powers were marvelous and filled her with awe, they were still a mystery. There was so much more for her to learn about them, and probably much more for Wanda to learn about them as she grew stronger. This worried her, not about the little witch becoming too powerful, but what it would mean for her future and the perils it could draw to her. Wondering if the man had any more insight for what lay ahead, Natasha asked, "Can you see into the future? Can you see her future?"
"No.. I can more accurately predict outcomes than humans but with no degree of certainty. That's not where the feeling in regard to Wanda comes from." Vision shook his head, "It is more elemental, from the Stone I believe. Akin to instinct, like the way a foal knows how to immediately stand at birth or whales know their migration patterns."
Natasha considered his words. It was undoubtedly strange, and it would take her some time to get used to it, but it also was comforting in a way that Wanda had someone to watch over her in the event she could not. She had to remember that she was not just raising a teenager, she was raising a very special, very magical teenager and she supposed she should get used to surprises like these popping up every now and then. "This is a lot to take in, but I appreciate your candor."
Wanda was right. She had not been ready to listen the older woman recognized with a wave of guilt and hoped that Wanda would be ready to talk when she went back up to the living quarters. Vision nodded with acceptance as he said contritely, "And I'm sorry if I've gotten Wanda into trouble with her helping me. I asked her to, and we did not see the harm in it."
If that were true, then Wanda would have talked to her about it, Natasha thought. The redhead did not mention this as Vision went on with more explanation, "In many ways Wanda is the embodiment of humanity, her own experiences amplified by being able to feel other emotions and even seeing their thoughts if she so wished. She has access to it all, the way I have access to unlimited information across the global. We complete each other in a way. Similar to how you and Wanda complete each other in a different way."
Vision realized Natasha's expression had morphed into a stunned one at his exceedingly perceptive observations. He dipped his head in embarrassment, "I apologize if I over stepped. I can really only speak for my experiences."
"No, it's okay. You're just a very interesting.. person." His eyes snapped up and met hers when she purposefully used the word person. It was her turn to make an apology, "I'm sorry about all the robot stuff. I don't really think that about you. I just wanted to hurt you."
"Because you thought I had nefarious motives toward Wanda." Vision deduced.
"Yes."
"And now that you know that is not true, it would be alright for myself and Wanda to continue our friendship?"
"We'll have to talk about boundaries, and I need to speak with Wanda, but yes."
"And you can go speak with Wanda about it now?" He pressed and Natasha raised her eyebrow at his insistence. There was a minor delay as Vision processed the expression before he continued, "I want to make sure I am not standing in between you and Wanda. You are most important to her, and I would hate for her to be deprived of that on my account."
"Vision don't make me like you now. I was planning on playing the hard-ass a little while longer."
"I apologize, Agent Romanoff. I behaved like a scoundrel and should be treated accordingly." In a slightly exaggerated version of his robotic voice.
"That's better." Natasha walked passed Vision to the exit, tossing her gloves into a hamper by the door, "Come on, let's go. I think I'll need you to come with me for Wanda to open the door."
For the second time that day, the Black Widow found herself in front of Wanda's locked bedroom, this time with Vision next to her. Wanda had turned off the blaring music she had put on to drown out her mother earlier. She knocked and called out evenly, "Milaya, it's me. Can I come in please?"
No response again.
"I have Vision with me.." Wanda most likely did not need her to tell her who was on the other side of the door. "If you're ready to talk, I'm ready to listen."
A pause, and then there was a click signifying the lock had been disengaged. Taking this as permission to enter, Natasha pushed open the door and walked in with Vision at her heel. The girl must have used her powers to unlock it because she was standing farther back in the room by her bed. Natasha wanted to pull her into a hug when she saw that Wanda's eyes and nose were a little red from crying but she managed to give her space. Now that she was in the room, Nat could not find the words to say, but Wanda had something to say, as she accused curtly, "You hurt Vision's feelings."
The Black Widow accepted responsibility with a remorseful tone, "I know, sweetheart, and I'm sorry. I apologized to Vision."
She glanced at the synthezoid who took his cue to agree with her, "Yes, Agent Romanoff and I came to an understanding and apologies were made."
"And he isn't hurting me." Wanda wrapped her arms around herself protectively.
"I know but can you understand why I was worried."
Wanda shook her head, "You wouldn't have thought that if I were with Steve or Clint."
That was not the same, Natasha wanted to tell her. Clint was as good as her uncle and Steve was.. well, she supposed it was not her place to dictate how Wanda felt about her relationships with the other team members, but Steve seemed to have taken the position of father figure in the teenager's life. That was for Wanda and Steve to figure out in their own time, though she may discuss it with her at a certain point. Not now as the older woman instead stated evenly, "The difference is I know Steve and Clint. I haven't gotten to know Vision yet, but it's something we'll work on."
The girl's arms dropped from around her and she seemed a little more open, so Natasha continued.
"And I'm sorry I wasn't listening to you. I just always want you to be safe, and I feel like it's my job to make sure that happens." Natasha took a couple steps forward, "I had a gut reaction and I let my fear get the better of me. I'm sorry."
After her last 'I'm sorry' Wanda practically fell into Natasha as she hurried over to her and slid her arms around her mother's torso. She easily wrapped the girl into her arms, her one hand cradling the back of Wanda's head while the little witch mumbled into her neck, "I'm alright, Mama."
"I don't want you to be hurt more than you already have been." The mother breathed in deeply against Wanda's floral scented hair.
"I understand." Her daughter seemed to fully accept the apology as she rested her cheek against the bare skin of Nat's shoulder. Natasha let a minute pass for them to soak up some comfort, before she reinitiated the conversation.
"We have more things to talk about though." She felt Wanda tense up but did not pull away. The Widow glanced towards Vision, "Do you mind giving us a moment?"
"Of course." Vision bowed slightly then address her daughter, "I'll see you later, Wanda."
"Bye Vizh." She told her friend as she disengaged from her mother to move over to him for a quick hug. Natasha watched carefully and this time their physical contact did not cause that violent pulse of anger. Vision offered her an encouraging smile then turned to walk out the door, shutting it behind him as he went.
"Come, sit." Natasha held out her hand while she sat on the edge of the bed. Wanda shuffled back over to her mother, sitting next to her, and taking her offered hand.
The girl looked down at their clasped hands as she said, "I'm sorry I didn't finish the math test."
"That's alright." Natasha glossed over and Wanda looked up at her, "You did what you could like I asked. I wasn't really mad about that, we'll go over it together after dinner.. We do need to talk about you going into Vision's head." She stated this as calmly as possible but panic still filled the teenager's big, green eyes at having been discovered.
Stutteringly, Wanda replied desperately, "I- I'm sorry. We w-won't do it again. I'm sorry."
"Easy, baby. It's okay." Natasha used her free hand to cup her cheek to keep her gaze. "I'm not upset, or maybe not upset for the reasons you're thinking. Just talk to me about it. I meant it when I said I'm ready to listen."
Wanda swallowed hard but nodded and attempted to describe it, "Vision asked me to, to help him understand his own feelings since he didn't know anything about them.. It's like talking to the horses, but with people it's stronger, more of a connection because there's no language barrier."
"Is it anything like the nightmares?"
"No." Wanda shook her head emphatically, "The nightmares are in the subconscious. The connection is a.. two-way street. Here."
When the little witch spoke she touch her head at the back of her skull when referring the subconscious and then the left side of her forehead when she referred to the telepathic connection. "The other person has willingly let me in for it to work.. Pietro and I were connected like this almost all of the time. But I'm sorry, I promise we'll never do it again."
"It's okay. It's okay." Natasha repeated as she gathered her thoughts about her daughter's explanation until she could formulate a more considered response. "I'm not asking you to stop necessarily. It doesn't sound like a bad thing.. but milaya, this is a big thing not to tell me about. I'm not saying you aren't entitled to your privacy just.. Why didn't you think you could talk to me about it?"
Wanda sniffed, trying to keep back how frightened she was but Nat could feel her quivering. She hated it, hated that meant her child was afraid of her in some way. The girl finally found her voice again, "I wanted to help Vision, and I like feeling of being connected. But the rules.. I wasn't sure if it broke the rules. Vizh said I wasn't messing with his mind, but I just couldn't say anything about it I was too scared. I wanted to.. Please don't send me away."
Her words cracked and gave way to tears as she finished her mostly coherent ramble, but Natasha would have cut her off if she were to continue as the woman pulled her daughter into a near savage hug, like now she was afraid Wanda would slip from her grasp, "Send you away? Milaya, I would never, ever do that. Nothing you could do would make me send you away, nothing. You hear me?"
"If Mr. Fury said I had to go-"
"If Fury said you had to go, I would go with you." Natasha said, putting every bit of herself behind the statement, "You're my daughter, Wanda. That's forever, all right? I love you, malyshka."
"I love you too, Mama." Wanda exhaled with a lilt of relief in her accent as she pressed into her mother.
"And if you're ever feeling like this again, you can come talk to me with no fear." Natasha insisted softly then sighed, "I want you to be able to talk to me about anything, even the things that I might not understand."
The little witch paused for a few seconds then said with an edge of hopeful caution, "I could show you how it is with Vision, how it was with.. Pietro. If you want, if that's okay?"
Red tendrils had snuck out of her hands and were swirling around Natasha's wrist searchingly. She was adoringly familiar with the sensation; it was an expression of closeness for Wanda and by extension Nat as well. The mother never wanted to discourage her child's magic, and definitely never wanted to discourage how Wanda sought to connect with her. Yet there was that brief hesitation, remembering what it was like having Wanda's powers tearing through her head, setting all of her bad memories free from their confines. It would not be like that though, she told herself as the purr of the ephemeral wisps soothed over her skin. Natasha shifted back to look her daughter in the eye while still tenderly holding her head in her hands, "Okay, show me."
Wanda nodded, an expression of eagerness in her features even as she waited a moment as if to see if Natasha would change her mind. The Black Widow remained steady though and then there was a glow of red around Wanda's irises. In her head, the older woman felt that familiar vibrations of magic but nothing more. She remembered her daughter saying that the person would have to willingly let her in, so she relaxed into it. Then suddenly the connection formed, and it nearly took her breath away. It was as if Wanda's heartbeat in Natasha's chest with her own, a little faster with her excitement. It felt like a parent staring at their baby and marveling at their delicate weight, their warmth, the life flowing through them a miracle. Wanda was her miracle.
After she adjusted to the new feeling, Nat heard in her head, "Mama?"
"Hi, milaya." Natasha managed to project back after a few awkward attempts. Her daughter grinned ecstatically at the simple thought, getting a little too excited at this and accidently bumping their heads together.
"Careful." She said aloud and kissed Wanda's forehead where it had been knocked but the little witch did not seem to mind the jolt as she nuzzled back into her mother's neck. The girl let the connection linger for a bit longer until she finally let it fade away completely. Still, more comfortable silence accumulated between them, and it felt like everything bad had passed. However reality came back in when Wanda asked timidly, "Am I in trouble?"
"Well," Natasha started thoughtfully as she stroked Wanda's hair. "I think not telling me about the telepathic connection is more of a miscommunication, so you aren't in trouble for that.. The flying on the other hand is a different story. That was very reckless, Wanda."
"Vision was-" The excuses were ready to spill from her lips, but Nat interrupted her.
"I know Vision was there and I'm sure he would do his best to make sure you weren't hurt, but Vision is not in charge of your safety. Not like I am. You should have come and talked to me about it first, both of you should have." She lectured. "So, you aren't allowed to hang out with Vision on your own."
"Mama, no!" Wanda objected and jerked away, remembering the threats Nat made in anger about the android.
"Let me finished. It's just temporary, until I can trust you knuckleheads to not make any rash decisions anymore. And it will give me a chance to get to know him better too." Natasha pacified, "Does that sound fair?"
"Yes, okay." She sounded glum even as she agreed. "And flying?"
Natasha squinted at her but said, "You can continue the flying lessons. Again under my supervision and only during training hours."
"But they're my powers." Wanda pouted and furrowed her brow in disagreement now.
"They are.. But your still learning about them. Like you wouldn't get in a car and drive it without me, would you?" She watched as the little witch slowly nodded, "You have to have an adult in the car with you to learn and get your license, then you can drive on your own."
"So I have to get a flying license?"
Nat chuckled, "Metaphorically speaking, yes."
"Alright." She acquiesced like a begrudging teenager a little bit to her mother's amusement and much to her relief. Seeing Wanda acting like a normal teenager, even the parts where she was defiant and yelling at her, filled her with joy. Maybe especially those parts because it meant that Wanda was growing up and slowly her gaining confidence and hopefully leaving some of the painful past behind her. However, that did not necessarily mean Nat could let her get away with everything.
"And you have dishes duty for the rest of the week for swearing at me."
"You swear." The indignance was raising back up in her.
"I don't care if you swear. You just can't swear at me, capiche?" Natasha playfully pinched her cheek. Wanda grumbled her understanding then, always keeping her mother on her toes, pivoted with a surprising question.
"When can I get a driver's license?"
"Ty dal mne dostatochno sedykh volos na segodnya, milaya." Natasha pulled Wanda back by her shoulders so they both flopped down onto the mattress. Wanda naturally snuggling into her side and giggling at her dramatic response. "We'll discuss that soon enough."
Too soon, Natasha thought, already taking back her thoughts from before about being glad she was growing up, because that meant her little girl was growing up. She did not let herself linger on the thought as she changed the subject for a good distraction, "Are you hungry? How about we get pizza for dinner?"
"The garlic mushroom one?"
"Mhm, sounds good.. And maybe tomorrow morning for yoga we can use the telepathic connection?"
"Really?" Wanda tapped her fingers against Nat's collarbone.
"Really." Natasha confirmed and smiled when she felt Wanda happily kiss her cheek.
"Thank you, Mama."
"Of course, my love. Of course."
/
Author's Note:
Wanda and Vision's relationship will only be platonic in this story :)
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Love seeing your thoughts in the comments!