because the mentor-mentee relationship between Wanda and Natasha is just too good to ignore.
enjoy!
Wanda walks slowly toward the figure in front of the tree that had been planted in her mentor's honour. She can tell quickly who it is and feels a smile fighting to spread. She hadn't expected to see anyone and it's a welcome surprise to see a familiar face after what feels like years.
"You sure are a sight for sore eyes," he says as he turns to face her, a wide, toothy grin on his face. "Been awhile, Maximoff."
She nods slowly as she sighs. It had been quite some time since she'd seen anyone besides Clint. She'd needed time away to gather herself after...well, everything . "It's good to see you, Sam," she returns, stepping into his opened arms for a hug. They hold each other tightly for a moment and the familiarity of it is a somewhat painful reminder of just how different everything is now.
"You too," he replies quietly as they break apart. "I see you had the same idea I did," he adds with a quick nod toward the tree.
She follows his gaze to the tree which has grown significantly since she'd watched Steve pack down the dirt at its base with his bare hands. She'd been the one to suggest the tree, thinking a memorial hiding in plain sight and only significant to those who knew her was a fitting tribute to a woman who'd been so fiercely private for so much of her life and yet deserved to be honoured for the hero she had been. Wanda had figured she wouldn't have wanted something big and flashy, and she liked to think that Nat probably would have been amused by the subtlety of the tribute.
"Yeah," she answers, a bit absently because she doesn't know what else to say. She'd felt like that a lot over the last year. She'd returned home to Sokovia for a time to try and find some comfort, but the evidence of a world that had lived five years without her had been everywhere. Not to mention that the place held so many memories, from her parents and Pietro, to fighting alongside Vision, Natasha, and the rest of the Avengers. They too were reminders of what had once been but was no longer, and so she'd moved on, travelling through Europe instead.
"It's been a year and I still can't quite believe it," he says quietly.
She nods because she knows exactly what he means. They came back abruptly to a world in chaos and had been thrust into a battle for their lives, but what they hadn't known was that they had come back to a world without Natasha Romanoff in it anymore. But even as Clint had crumbled as he told her that she was gone, and even as Wanda could feel the guilt and grief rolling off him, she hadn't quite believed it. Nat had survived so much and had beaten overwhelming odds so many times before that it didn't seem possible for her to just be gone.
"Man, I miss her," Sam sighs as he shakes his head slowly.
Wanda can hear the grief in his words and isn't surprised by any means that even a year later he was still processing the loss. He'd been close with Nat too, after all. She feels her own emotions swell and only manages a quiet, "Me too." Losing Vision had been heart-wrenching. Coming back and finding out she'd lost Natasha too had wrecked her.
He glances over at her and wraps an arm around her comfortingly. They're quiet for a bit, each of them just watching the leaves and flowers of the tree rustle in the breeze as they remember their friend and teammate. Wisps of memories float to the surface of her mind, little snapshots of their too brief time together.
Wanda lifts her head from her arms at the sound of near silent shuffling of feet, finding a mug of tea being held out to her. She looks up and finds Natasha beside her, offering her a sympathetic smile.
"Can't sleep?"
Wanda shakes her head. She sees Pietro's face every time she closes her eyes, and the loss feels brand new all over again. Every time.
"It won't help with your grief," Natasha says softly as she nods to the mug, "but I find there's something inherently comforting about a warm cup of tea."
Wanda wraps her hands around the mug with a small smile. It's a beautiful gesture from someone who owes her nothing given what she'd made the woman endure. She inhales deeply and the scent of the tea wraps around her like a warm hug because it reminds her of visiting her grandmother.
"I left the jam on the counter, in case you want to add some more," she adds quietly before she turns and walks out of the room, her footsteps nearly silent.
Wanda blinks as she tries to process the fact that the woman known as the Black Widow, famed for her ice-cold demeanour, had just given her a mug of tea and offered some words of comfort. Perhaps the woman was not nearly as cold-hearted as she was made out to be.
Wanda feels her frustration swell again and can't help her magic from exploding out a little, sending the nearby water bottles flying. How she was unable to complete basic strength exercises effectively when she had so much power coursing through her veins was beyond her. Joining the Avengers had seemed like a great idea, but she was struggling where the others were excelling, and it had her somewhat reconsidering her choice.
"Whoa," Natasha says as she dodges the bottles flying toward her.
"Sorry," Wanda mumbles as she drops down abruptly to sit on the bench. She can feel the redhead's gaze on her, but she refuses to look up. She's embarrassed by her outburst and hasn't worked up the courage just yet to face the woman who's been so patient in supervising her training.
"Hey, Steve?" she hears Natasha call out.
"Yeah?"
"I forgot to mention, Wanda and I have some errands to run. We'll probably miss training this afternoon."
"What? How come she gets to-"
"Go ahead and finish that sentence, Wilson. I dare you," Natasha threatens, voice sickly sweet with a lilt of teasing, but dangerous all the same.
"Y'know what? I'm good. I don't need to be handed my ass by you. Again."
"Wow. Good looking andsmart."
Wanda sneaks a quick peek and sees Sam perk up and grin. "Ha! Take that, Cap. She thinks I'm good looking."
It's Rhodey who laughs this time. "Well you can look good doing your next set," he replies dryly, giving Sam a nudge toward the weights.
"C'mon, sestra," Natasha says, offering a hand to help Wanda get up. "We're getting away from all this testosterone," she adds quietly.
Wanda offers a small smile as she takes Natasha's hand and lets her help her to her feet. When they exit the training room, Wanda voices the question that's been sitting in her mind. "Errands?"
Natasha shrugs. "More like a mental health day."
Wanda's brow furrows. "Mental health day?"
"Clint used to break me out of my room in my early days at SHIELD for what he called mental health days. We'd watch movies, go grab a bite to eat, play board games, that sort of thing."
"Clint plays board games?"
Natasha nods. "Yeah, but he's a little shit about it. Tries to cheat all the time."
Wanda can't help the chuckle. "So, we're going to play board games?"
"Only if you want to," she says with a laugh. "Really we can do whatever you want. Just something to get your mind off...well, everything."
Wanda thinks for a moment. "Do you know somewhere I could get my hair cut?"
"Oh, good idea. I've been meaning to get mine touched up for weeks. I know someone," she answers with a nod.
"How's Vision?" Natasha asks quietly as she sits on the couch beside Wanda, curling her feet underneath her.
Wanda tries to keep her face neutral as she realizes Natasha has always known exactly where she'd been sneaking off to. She swallows to rid herself of the lump of anxiety that's appeared in her throat. She should have known she wouldn't be able to keep anything from her.
"Relax, I'm not here to bust you," Natasha says wryly, a smirk twisting on her lips. "I'm just curious."
"He's good," Wanda confirms with a nod. "We just-"
Natasha holds up a hand to stop her. "I don't need to know details. What's between you is not my business. But." She holds up a finger meaningfully. "If this is going to be a recurring thing, you're going to have to start following some rules."
"Rules?"
Natasha nods. "You don't go too far from where we are. We need to be able to reach you quickly if something happens."
Wanda nods in agreement.
"You check in with one of us so that we know you're safe."
"If it's alright, I'd like this to stay between us," Wanda says tentatively. She'd rather not have to tell Steve, who she suspects would probably be uncomfortable with it, or Sam, who'd probably tease her ceaselessly.
"Alright," Natasha agrees after a moment of thought, "but if something happens, I'm telling them because they'll need to know."
Wanda nods again. "That's fine. Anything else?"
"Yeah, the most important one. Don't take any chances."
Wanda nods again, readily accepting the terms.
"I mean it, sestra." Nat says it softly, but Wanda can hear the warning and worry in her tone. "Be careful."
"I will," Wanda promises.
"Scared?" Nat asks softly as she steps up to stand next to Wanda, both their gazes looking out over what will soon become a battlefield.
Wanda exhales heavily. "Terrified," she whispers.
Nat reaches over and gives her hand a squeeze. "Me too."
Wanda looks over at her mentor in surprise. Natasha? Scared?
"This...this is big. Bigger than Hydra thugs and spies or somewhat sentient robots," she offers in explanation before she pauses. "At least you've got your powers," she adds with a faint, teasing smile. "Could take down half of them with a temper tantrum, I bet. Certainly a few walls."
Wanda chuckles half-heartedly at the call back to her early days with the team where she'd been so frustrated with herself that the training room had often been the target of her anger. "I don't need the temper tantrum anymore."
"No, you don't," Natasha agrees, turning to face her and hold her gaze meaningfully. "You're way past that now," she adds, giving her hand another squeeze.
She's brought out of her memories when suddenly Sam chuckles. Wanda turns and frowns in a silent question as she meets his gaze.
"I'm sorry," he says, still grinning as he shakes his head. "It's just… She would've hated this." Wanda's frown deepens and he continues, gesturing toward them and then the tree. "Us, wasting time staring at a tree when we could be out doing so many other things...she would never have put up with it."
Wanda finds herself smiling along with him because he's right. Nat would've teased them endlessly for wasting their time staring at a tree. She would've told them not to spend their time mourning her like this, and to instead keep fighting. Or, even more likely, to live .
"Definitely not," she agrees.
"Hey, you wanna grab a coffee?" he offers. "Maybe catch up on things?"
Wanda smiles warmly because time with a good friend sounds like exactly what her soul could use right now. "I'd love to."
They'd opted to grab a couple teas from a café in the nearest town and return to the Compound to walk the grounds. The café hadn't been particularly busy, but there were more than a few things bound to come up in conversation that were not necessarily public knowledge, so it had seemed the safer option to grab their drinks to go and instead return to the grounds.
"Amazing how quickly they rebuild is going, huh?" Sam remarks as they make their way back toward Nat's memorial tree, winding through the outside grounds.
"I think everyone wanted some sense of normalcy after everything," Wanda says as her gaze drifts over the partially completed buildings idly.
Sam nods in agreement. "We represent a safety net for people."
Wanda hums in agreement. The return of loved ones had been cause for celebration, yes, but it also brought with it many challenges. People had been reaching for any semblance of normal they could grab a hold of, and Pepper, with more composure and elegance than anyone could ever have expected given Tony's death, had offered to fund the rebuild of the Avengers facility and continue to fund the team as needed.
"So, how've you been?"
"Okay," she answers vaguely. "I've been travelling mostly."
"I heard. That help you get your mind off things?"
His question isn't accusatory. In fact, she thinks that he's probably one of few people she knows who truly understand the depth of what she's lost. "Sometimes."
"But not often enough?" She nods. "Hard to outrun their memories when they're everywhere."
"Exactly."
"Well, I won't bother giving you the counsellor spiel. I know you've probably heard it before."
She smiles weakly. "I appreciate that. What about you? I hear you got a promotion?"
He lets out a breathy chuckle. "Something like that. Big shoes to fill though, you know?"
"Steve was a pretty big guy," she replies, a smile slyly spreading.
"Making jokes now, huh? Nat really did rub off on you," he says with a shake of his head and a smile. "Don't tell me you're learning to handle knives now too..."
Wanda smiles because the words feel like a compliment of the highest order. "You think she didn't teach me back then?" Sam's eyes widen at the thought and she grins. "How's working with Barnes?"
Sam blows out a breath quickly. "Infuriating. He's stubborn, obstinate, and difficult. All. The. Time."
Wanda tilts her head. "English isn't my first language, but I think those all mean the same thing."
Sam laughs. "Well then it maybe comes close to actually describing him."
"He can't be that bad, he was friends with Steve after all."
"Don't forget that Steve was stubborn as hell too. Like two peas in a pod, those two."
"So why work with him?"
Sam shrugs. "Just sort of happened."
"Well, like you used to tell me in training, just give it time."
"Can't say I'm a fan of this weird role reversal here. Kinda weirding me out, to be honest."
Wanda chuckles. "That's all the advice I have, I promise."
They chat for a bit longer, each catching the other up on what they'd missed in their time apart. But eventually they fall quiet again as they finally reach the tree and take a seat on the nearby bench.
Another memory pops into her head and the words are exiting her mouth before she can even think of stopping. "Do you remember when Nat took us out to that restaurant while we were on the run?" It's a vague question, but she figures he'll know what she's talking about. It's not as if they ate out often while they'd been staying under the radar.
Sam frowns for a second in thought and then a grin spreads as realization blooms. "Yeah. God, where were we then? Belgium?"
Wanda shakes her head. "The Netherlands. I remember because you'd said that you'd never had Dutch food before and were worried you wouldn't be able to find something on the menu."
Sam snaps his fingers and points to her. "You're right. Damn, that was some good food."
"We'd been living off sandwiches and protein bars for weeks. I'm pretty sure any cooked food would've been good."
"Nah," he dismissed with a wag of his finger. "We'd cooked a little, but that was actually good food."
The door opens suddenly, and Steve, Sam, and Wanda all look up abruptly from their tasks, all ready to jump into action immediately.
"Sorry," Nat apologizes as she navigates trying to close the door while still holding all the bags of groceries.
"I've got it," Wanda says, twisting her wrist to first shut the door and then engage the locks.
"Thanks," Nat says gratefully as she passes off some of the bags to Steve who'd hopped up from his chair quickly at her entrance.
"Everything go okay?" Steve asks as he heads to the kitchen.
Nat nods. "All good. I got hit on by the guy at the cash, but that's not really new for me," she answers with a grin.
Predictably, Steve's expression shifts just a little and Wanda swears she sees a hint of colour in his cheeks. She can't help her smile when Nat meets her eye and winks.
"I'll bet it isn't," Sam calls from the desk where he's scrolling through the news on a laptop. "Even as a blonde you look good, girl."
"Lay it on a little thicker, Sam. My ego could use it."
"Just say the word, Widow. I can turn on the Sam Wilson charm just for you."
"Anything of note in the news?" Steve asks, clearly aiming to try and get them back on topic.
"Pertaining to us? No. Elsewhere in the world? Depends on your definition."
Nat chuckles. "I do have some good news actually."
"Oh?" Wanda says, perking up.
"We're going out for dinner."
Steve, Sam, and Wanda all turn to look at her and stare dumbfounded. It's Steve who finds his voice first though. "Dinner? Out? In a restaurant?"
"Yes," Nat confirms as she begins to put away some of the groceries into the cupboards.
"Uh, we're gonna need more than that, Nat," Sam adds. "You're the one who's been drilling all these undercover procedures into our heads for months."
"I've checked it out and there's no red flags. Owner owes me a favour, actually."
"Owes you a favour?"
She shrugs casually. "A while back Clint and I helped him clear out some thugs that were giving him a hard time."
"I swear you told us to avoid running into people we know," Sam points out.
"I'd forgotten about it, to be honest. I ran into him at the market and he recognized me despite the hair."
Wanda's eyes widen. Being recognized usually meant they were moving on, but Natasha seems completely relaxed about the whole thing.
"Thankfully he isn't an idiot and didn't make a huge scene. He knows that we're trying to fly under the radar, is still very appreciative and supportive of what we do, and offered us a meal after they close."
"Are you sure that's safe?" Steve asks. "How well do you know him?"
"He's clean," she assures him. "He's a good man. Reminds me a bit of you. Painfully earnest and loyal to a fault."
Steve smiles a little at her words, but clearly isn't convinced. "I don't know, Nat…"
She leans over the counter and hands him a slip of paper. "That's the address of his place and his name. By all means, go ahead and run some surveillance if it'll make you feel better."
"It's fine," Steve says, pushing the paper back toward her. Wanda figures he doesn't want to offend her by questioning her assessment, but still can't quite bring himself to believe it's safe. "I'm just-"
"Worried, I know. That's why we're going out for dinner. I'm used to this life, but I know you three are getting a bit antsy with everything. I thought this might be a good way to have some time to relax."
"God, that was good food. I wonder if I could find that place again."
"I'm sure Steve remembers," Wanda points out.
"Good point. Wonder if the old man would be up to a trip across the pond for some Dutch food. For old time's sake."
Wanda smiles. "If he says yes, let me know when you're going. I'd like to join you."
He smiles but their gazes naturally drift back to the tree, a reminder of the person who wouldn't be with them. It wouldn't be quite like old times. Still, Wanda finds herself smiling as her memories of that dinner begin to rise to the surface.
"Uh, what exactly am I looking at?" Sam asks.
"Just try some," Nat insists.
"Tell me what it is first."
"I didn't realize you were such a child."
"Hey, I just like to know what I'm eating."
"Food," she answers simply, a maddening grin spreading across her face. "You're eating food."
so - did you enjoy them reminiscing about their time on the run? enjoy Wanda's brief flashes of her moments with Natasha?
if you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear 'em. always lovely to see what you all think about these. and of course, the feedback is a strong motivator to keep going, LOL.
apologies to you all - I know it's been a bit since I updated this one. I'm hoping to be a bit more consistent with this one, but things are busy at work and the muse has been a bit quiet lately.