When Spies Collide // WandaNat Spy AU

London

Wanda Maximoff had a crush. She'd come to the conclusion during the tour of The Oasis, listening to Natasha rave about her agency and coworkers with such admiration and valor that a light switch clicked in Wanda's head. In a way, an attraction to Natasha was easy, a no brainer; she was, capable, passionate, strong, not to mention gorgeous. But on the other hand, this crush was foolish. Wanda and Natasha had been at each other's throats, competing for the better part of three months. Even worse, they were now partners. An affair of the heart could jeopardize more important matters.

Wanda's crush was ironic, in a way. For so long, the flirtatious banter, the complements, the winks, had been for Wanda's enjoyment, just to rile up Natasha. But now, Wanda realized there was a grain of truth in there all along.

For Natasha, she wouldn't call it a crush, more like an constant itch nagging her that she ultimately ignored. A seed had been planted, yes, but she largely neglected it. Wanda, of course, was charming, and had been unbelievably kind. Wanda cleaning her wounds nearly took her out because of how tender, how soft the encounter was. She had held Natasha's cheek like it was porcelain, afraid to break it, afraid to damage it. So much for keeping distance. At this point, she was past full neutrality. Best to limit the damage.

Meanwhile, the mission was heating up, and in a hurry. Scooter remained silent during interrogations for a few days, but after Natasha was called in, ultimately let it slip that his boss was planning something involving Elvish tech. Tracking for any signature even remotely Elvish, the team concluded that the boss, or at the very least his newest project, was housed in London. So, after a few days of rest and planning in The Oasis, the foursome boarded a Quinjet in anticipation for their latest mission- find the underground workshop in London.

"Should we give the big guy a code name too? You know, like we did for Scooter?" Wanda mused, laying flat on her back on the floor of the Quinjet.

Natasha cracked a smile. "What, like Bicycle? Rollerblade, maybe?"

"You're on to something, Romanoff."

"That would just get confusing," Clint commented from the cockpit. "How about something menacing, like... Switchblade."

"No way," Wanda objected, "that's too cool."

"How about Jim?" Steve tried, a look of genuine concentration on his face.

"Your creativity amazes me, Rogers," Natasha consoled, patting Steve on the arm. "At least your biceps are huge."

The team laughed easily together, all past biases and grudges largely forgotten. A common enemy could unite rivals like nothing else. It was almost hard for Wanda to believe she perceived Natasha and Steve as anything other than coworkers, or at the very least, a neutral party. Steve was a lovable softy, and Natasha was, well, something else entirely...

As the Quinjet zoned in on, and eventually descended on London, laughter simmered down, banter slowed. The weight of the mission sank in. This, compared to the luxurious parties and galas of Monaco and Paris, and the simple one man apprehension in Glasgow, was complicated. The plan was to infiltrate a presumably guarded facility in underground London, looking for, well... they weren't exactly sure. All they knew was that a gigantic energy signal radiated from the area, and whatever created it was important and incredibly dangerous.

"Hey," Wanda called softly to Natasha before exiting the plane. "Be careful out there."

"Yeah." Natasha strapped on her bullet proof vest with a small nod. "You too."

Together, the team began their assault. The facility, at least the one above ground, was wholly unimpressive. It was disguised as a pizza shop, and the group prepared to search for a concealed door upon entry. Clint and Natasha took point to start, with the younger operatives flanking behind. All pistols were drawn, all fingers twitchy.