We'll Make It Wonderful

Playing Pretend

Wanda and Bucky were sitting on the floor in the living room watching Moana play across the screen for the 100th time. The little witch was sitting between Bucky's legs and resting against him as she drank her after-nap juice wrapped in her blankie and hugging Zaya under her one arm. Bucky mindlessly chewed a section of his hair that had gotten into his mouth and swayed a little to the song about liking shiny things was being sung. Natasha would normally enjoy their cuteness but right now she just worried as she and Steve observed them from the kitchen were they were having a quiet, tense conversation.

"I think they'll be okay." Steve drew her attention back to him.

The Widow sighed, "Wanda won't be happy."

"Big or little?"

"Both." Natasha shook her head, imaging how little Wanda would respond to the Avengers, Nat included, leaving on a mission and how big Wanda would respond to not being invited along said mission.

"Yeah." Steve conceded, "I don't think Bucky is going to be particularly happy either."

While both Wanda and Bucky had been training with the Avengers, they were not quite ready to join the team in the field. They heavily relied on teamwork in the field and the newest recruits weren't fully integrated yet. And for Nat personally she didn't want Wanda anywhere near a mission. The thought of someone attacking her little or big made her sick to her stomach. Though leaving her for a few days was proving to be almost as difficult to bear.

"Well no point in putting it off any longer." Steve muttered and Nat nodded, following him into the living room.

Wanda's eyes snapped over to her from were she was lazily watching the screen, "Mama, dedka? Baby Moa?"

Wanda pointed to the television and Nat knew what she was asking. Sometimes the little just liked watching the part of the very young Moana over and over again and she wanted her to rewind the movie to that part. Bucky rarely seemed to mind, at least for the first rewatch. The Widow shook her head, "In a minute, sweetheart. We have to talk to you and Bucky first."

She tried to soften the statement with a smile but the little witch was up and worried in an instant as she came over to her caregiver, "Mama, nah bad? Me an' Bubby nah bad?"

"You aren't bad, babies." Nat soothed them. Bucky, having scrambled up to join them, grabbed Steve's hand to hold with an uncertain expression. "Let's sit down on the couch."

Wanda sat across Nat's lap and Bucky cuddled up to his Papa's side, fitting snuggly under his arm. Steve looked at, took a deep breath and began, "In a few days the Avengers have a mission-"

Wanda tensed in her lap and Bucky looked over at Steve with shock as he interrupted, already figuring out their caregivers were telling them they couldn't come along, "I can go, Papa. I can do a- a mission. I'm a big boy."

"You are a big boy, bubs, but you'll have to stay here this time." Steve said patiently.

"Mama, I go wif you. Mama I go?" Wanda was tugging on her shirt, asking to go along as if refusing to accept what Steve said applied to the both of them.

"I'm sorry, baby. Not this time. You and Bucky will go stay with Aunt Sharon and Maria while we're gone." Natasha gently pried Wanda's fingers out of the fabric of her shirt to stop her from stretching it out further, "You have lots of fun with them, yeah?"

"Nooooo.." The little witch sobbed and Bucky started crying too. Steve realized they were feeding off each others' distraught emotions and excused himself and his little boy, picking up Bucky to help him calm down on their floor.