Wanda/Natasha

Natasha was tired of being tired. She was tired of wearing herself out looking for a man who didn't want to be found, tired of exhausting herself in a futile chase.

So she cut her losses and she went back just in time to break in the Avengers' new facility. She consoled herself with the thought that at least here she could be useful, around people who would actually want her around. She was tired of being rejected. She was sick of being hurt.

She did what she did best. She hardened her heart so she could function without.

She hadn't even gotten to know the new recruits yet. She'd met Rhodes while undercover as Tony's personal assistant, so she wasn't concerned about him at all. She had confidence in his abilities and dedication. She hadn't had the opportunity yet to look over Sam Wilson's file, but Steve had confidence in him, so that spoke well of the man. She would withhold judgement and expect good things.

Vision was a complete wild card to her. None of them could really know what to expect, as none of them really knew him. He was a newborn, basically, with a wealth of knowledge already available to him, and a desire to protect all life, apparently. Mjölnir had found him worthy, so she'd been told, so she had to believe that he was as good as he made himself out to be. You had to trust in something, right?

It was Wanda Maximoff that gave her the most pause. She knew the girl had fought well in Sokovia, and had lost her brother in an attack by Ultron, but she had yet to speak to her. Natasha had been too busy dealing with Bruce's desertion after the battle to worry over the Maximoff girl, and she had been too busy since to make time to get to know her. Clint had told her good things, as he'd sort of taken Wanda under his wing. Hawkeye, indeed. Time would tell whether or not Maximoff could be trusted. Natasha had her doubts. After her experience with Wanda's mental manipulation, she was reluctant to get anywhere near the girl.

She had a job to do, though, and she would never back down from a job, especially due to a silly thing like fear. She was in control of her emotions, not the other way around. At least, that's how she preferred it to be. She could train with the girl.

She had to admit, looking over the team as they gathered together in full uniform for the first time, they made an impressive sight. Training them would certainly be interesting considering they could all fly, too. She and Steve would make it work. They always did.

Steve knew how uncomfortable she was around Wanda, and took it upon himself to keep them apart during training. He worked with the girl himself, which Natasha was fine with for now. She would have to deal with it eventually, but she was glad for the reprieve.

So it was about a week before she had to interact with the girl.

Steve had finally decided that Wanda needed to learn some basic hand to hand combat before she could progress, and he delegated that to Natasha. It made sense. They were about the same size, and she was definitely the better fighter in that area. Steve was unbeatable with his shield, but less effective with just his fists.

The girl looked nervous as Natasha approached. She didn't blame her. Natasha was very aware of her own reputation, and did a lot to cultivate it. It was well deserved, anyway. Wanda was going up against the best, and she knew it, and she knew she was unprepared. That was good.

Natasha looked at her from across the mat and raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "A little fear is a healthy thing, but don't let it control you. Breathe," she said.

Wanda jerked as if stung, her eyes comically wide. "I refuse to fear you. How could I, now?"

Natasha was confused for a split second until she felt the swift and sudden pain of her soul mark Flaring, and remembered the words scrawled over her skin. The pain faded as quickly as it had come, but she was still painfully aware of the change, and from the look on her face, Wanda felt the same.

Steve was looking at them curiously from across the room, probably wondering why they hadn't begun sparring yet, and Natasha made a snap decision. She moved rapidly to take Wanda by the arm and lead her out, into the relative privacy of the locker room. The girl followed without struggle, letting Natasha pull her forward.

Finally, they were alone.

"What the hell?" Natasha said. "It can't be you."

"Apparently it is. You are my soulmate, Natasha. I am yours. We belong together." Wanda sounded completely sure of herself, totally accepting of the situation.

"That's not possible." Natasha refused to believe it. This girl had messed with her mind, had brought things to the forefront of her memories that she had really rather have forgotten. How could this have happened? Natasha knew she was starting to freak out, but she couldn't help herself.

"Does this really bother you that much?" Wanda asked, sounding suddenly unsure.

"What do you think?" Natasha said harshly, glaring at Wanda. "You basically raped my mind, and now I'm expected to just get over it because some stupid mark tells me to? No. I don't want it. I don't want this." Her voice sounded on the verge of hysteria to herself, but Wanda seemed to take her seriously.

The girl's eyes glistened with tears for a moment before she blinked them away and squared her shoulders. "I understand," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. Natasha was thankful for that. She didn't think she could've taken it if Wanda had broken down right then. "I will leave you alone," Wanda said. "Do not concern yourself. I require and expect nothing from you." Wanda gave her a brief nod and left Natasha there, trying to deal with her changed world.

Wanda was avoiding her. They were avoiding each other. It was working surprisingly well so far, except for the little fact that she couldn't rid herself of thoughts of the Sokovian girl. And the others had picked up on the tension. Steve let it go on for a while, but eventually pulled her aside, as she knew he would.

"Nat, what's going on? The tension between you and Wanda is starting to cause some problems in the team. Did something happen? Did she do something?" He was looking at her with such open concern that she had to smile. Nat wondered how much she should tell him.

Screw it. "She's my soulmate," she said, her eyes pleading with Steve to understand. He looked at her with soft, sympathetic eyes.

"Jeez, Nat. I don't know what to say. What are you gonna do?"

"What can I do? I'm bonded to a woman who screwed with my head in a way that I'm still not fully recovered from. How can I be with her? How can I let her in?" She hated how hopeless and forlorn she sounded.

"You should give her a chance, Nat. She's a good kid who made some bad choices. If she's your soulmate, then there's something about her that makes her perfect for you. That's gotta mean something."

She had to admit that he was making sense, and God, was she tired of fighting the ache in her gut that she felt every time she saw Wanda. The damn mark tingled every time she even thought about the woman. Part of her yearned for Wanda constantly, her other half fighting constantly against that need. She felt like she was losing her mind.

"I don't know, Steve. I don't know if I have it in me." It cost a lot for Natasha to admit that out loud.

"I have faith in you. You can work this out. You have to work this out, though, Nat. The team can't go on like this."

"Yeah, I know," she said.

She found Wanda holed up in her room.

"Can I come in?" Nat asked when Wanda answered the door. Wanda nodded and stepped back to allow her entrance.

Nat took the opportunity to look around. She had never seen Wanda's room before, and she was surprised to see it decorated not in dark, vivid colors, but in soft, neutral shades. It was feminine and calming, and definitely did not fit the image she had of the girl. She wondered what else she had wrong.

"What can I help you with?" Wanda asked, her voice polite, but distant. The tone set Natasha's teeth on edge, even though she knew she had caused it. Had wanted it, even.

"I'm here to talk," Natasha said simply.

"Alright. What would you like to discuss?" God, Natasha wanted to shake that dispassionate look right off the younger woman's face.

"You. And me. Us." She didn't really know what to say.

"There is no 'us'," Wanda said. "I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable."

"You haven't," Natasha replied. After a brief pause, she sighed. "Look, I reacted badly. I know you've turned over a new leaf, and I'm trying to accept what happened before when you gave me that vision. It's a work in progress. Give me time," she pleaded, needing Wanda to understand.

Wanda gave her a long, steady look, her face impassive "I understand," she said, her voice slightly less void of emotion this time. "I cannot change what I did, though I would take away your pain if I could. I have many regrets, and using my power on you in such a way is one of them." Her voice wasn't emotionless now. "I am sorry," Wanda said, sounding utterly miserable and resigned. The young woman took a shaky breath. "If I had not done that, perhaps we could be together. I did this to us. It seems I will never stop paying for my past."

There were tears in Wanda's eyes now, and the girl reached up to wipe them away before they could fall. A sharp pain lanced through Natasha's heart at the sight. She couldn't argue the point, though. Wanda was right. If she hadn't caused Nat so much pain, they probably wouldn't be where they were right now.

Was she punishing Wanda? She had never let fear rule her actions before, so why now? Why did she not let herself take what she so obviously wanted? Was she really trying to hurt the girl for hurting her? She had to admit, intellectually, the idea of making Wanda pay for her actions had always held appeal, but emotionally, is that what she really wanted?

Did she want Wanda to feel like this? This was not the girl she faced before. This was not the Wanda Maximoff she had expected to find. This woman wasn't who Natasha thought she was.

Screw it.

It took all of three quick steps to reach Wanda, and she wrapped the girl up in a tight embrace. Wanda hugged her back, her slim body shaking as she tried not to cry.

"I'm sorry," Natasha said softly. "I'm so sorry." She rocked the younger woman slightly as they stood there clinging to each other. "Maybe we can start as friends. Would that be okay? I need time, Wanda. Can you give me that?"

She felt Wanda nod against her shoulder. "I can. I will."

"Thank you," Natasha whispered, and buried her face in Wanda's hair, allowing herself this moment. It was enough, for now, to have this woman in her arms. It felt good and right.

And for the first time in Wanda's presence, she smiled.