Newfound Family

Breakfast & Braids

"Cereal or.... cereal?"

It was the next morning, and Natasha stood at the cupboard in the common room kitchen. Her hair was knotted in a messy bun, and she was still wearing pajamas; one of Steve's hoodies, and a pair of workout shorts.

The rest of the day yesterday went smoothly, that was until nighttime came along. Wanda and Nat stayed together, and they didn't see anyone else for the rest of the night, which was a good thing for Wanda, but it definitely wasn't on purpose. Everyone else was still tired from the huge battle and probably spent the day in their respective rooms catching up on sleep or work. The pair spent the rest of the day watching cartoons, eating dinner, and walking around the compound. At night, however, Wanda couldn't fall asleep. Natasha stayed with her the whole night and watched more tv until Wanda fell asleep at three am due to pure exhaustion. That morning, at around seven, Natasha woke up to feet padding on the hardwood floor, and the two of them made their way down to the kitchen for breakfast.

Wanda was sitting at the kitchen table, swinging her legs mindlessly as they didn't even touch the ground. She was sporting purple pajamas with small butterflies that Pepper had bought her the day before. When Nat noticed them, her heart broke. She kept forgetting how young of a child she really was.

Nat poured her and Wanda a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice each and sat down at the table.

Wanda had been quiet this morning. Natasha was sure she felt guilty for the lack of sleep last night, which she didn't need to be. Nat had a hard time falling asleep almost every night. She had enjoyed Wanda's company in her room with her.

Wanda ate her cereal slowly, and Nat studied her without it looking too obvious. Her hair was matted, despite the fact she had a medical shower yesterday to remove the blood and metal pieces from the battle. She was clean, but pale and thin, and her eyes glossy and far away.

Nat changed the subject.

"How do you like it?"

Wanda's head shot up from the cereal bowl.

"It's good. "

She picked out a marshmallow from the Lucky Charms.

"Is this candy?"

Nat laughed.

"Kids like sugar, and I don't just mean kids your age. It's Steve's favorite cereal, and he's 97."

Wanda smiled, but it never reached her eyes. The poor girl was bothered by something, and Nat was determined to get it out of her.

"He's 97? He doesn't look old."

Nat chuckled again. "He was frozen in ice for seventy years. So I guess he's technically only 27. Either way, he still acts like a child."

Nat put her spoon down and took Wanda's hand. She was jumpy, and tried to pull away, but Nat didn't let go.

"Is something bothering you this morning, milaya?"

Wanda shrugged, refusing to meet her eyes.

"You know you can tell me anything, right Wanda. I'm your family now honey."

Wanda looked up.

Family. That was new.

"Why aren't you mad at me for last night, Nat?"

Nat was confused. "Why would I be mad at you? Because you couldn't sleep?"

Wanda nodded. She was so innocent. "I'm sorry, you were probably so tired, and I kept you up all night."

Natasha smiled. "Sweetie, I can barely get to sleep on a regular night, much less the night after we saved the world. My door is always open. You can sleep with me any night. I promise I don't mind."