(MCU) A Moment's Breath
April 28th, 2015 15:04![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
salmon_pinkTitle: A Moment's Breath
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Pairing: Natasha/Wanda
Rating: G
Words: 499
Timeline: Post-Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Notes: Spoilers for Avengers: Age Of Ultron. References to the Red Room. For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fc_smorgasbord, prompt "emotional".
She doesn’t avoid Wanda. They’re part of the same team now, and Natasha’s well-practiced at putting on a convincing mask of nonchalance when it comes to working with people she’s wary of.
She just makes a point of never being alone with Wanda.
Hell, she’s rarely alone with anyone these days, except Steve and maybe Sam. Easier to be with the whole team, to keep moving, focusing on training and riling up the newbies, instead of lost in her own head.
But Wanda finds her anyway.
Natasha doesn’t know how; she’s good at finding all the quietest corners of the base. Maybe it’s just another part of Wanda’s frankly disturbing power-set.
Wanda sits beside her like she’s been invited, and Natasha’s brain is racing for a safe topic of conversation, an opening line, but for once she’s coming up empty.
“About what I showed you,” Wanda says quietly, her accent making the words sound heavier.
“Forget it,” Natasha shrugs, the tone of her voice carefully casual, even if she wants to scream. “You were doing your job.”
She’s not going to condemn Wanda over working for Ultron. Natasha’s done far worse.
“My brother and I,” Wanda begins, and Natasha sees her fists clench out the corner of her eye. “We volunteered for the experiments. We wanted to be stronger, able to save our people.”
Natasha nods, staring ahead at the wall. “I know.”
“We volunteered.”
“I know,” Natasha repeats, frowning a little. There’s a twitch in her leg that she has to concentrate on suppressing, her whole body wanting to get up, to get away.
“I have been called a monster,” Wanda says, and her hand settles over Natasha’s, between them on the bench, light trace of fingertips over Natasha’s knuckles. “I volunteered.”
And just like that, Natasha’s pissed. Her head whips around, but Wanda’s looking at her without judgement or pity.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Natasha snaps. The words sound like a sign of weakness the moment they leave her lips. The last time her mask cracked like this, it was with Clint, years ago. Few people get to see her really angry. It’s easier that way.
“I volunteered, and I never lost my humanity.” Wanda’s fingers squeeze her hand. “But your ‘graduation ceremony’? You did not choose what was done to you.”
Natasha’s heart is beating too fast.
“You are not less of a person. You are not less of a woman,” Wanda insists. “You are not a monster, Natasha.”
And somehow her anger just shatters, ebbing away on her next breath.
Natasha feels hollowed out, but lighter.
She’s heard the words before. But there’s something in the simple sincerity of Wanda’s voice that makes her realise just how jumbled her mind’s been lately.
Memories left exposed, and maybe now she can start pushing them back in her subconscious where they belong.
Natasha looks at the wall again, silent. But she turns her hand over beneath Wanda’s, lacing their fingers together, and squeezes back.
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Pairing: Natasha/Wanda
Rating: G
Words: 499
Timeline: Post-Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Notes: Spoilers for Avengers: Age Of Ultron. References to the Red Room. For
fc_smorgasbord, prompt "emotional".She doesn’t avoid Wanda. They’re part of the same team now, and Natasha’s well-practiced at putting on a convincing mask of nonchalance when it comes to working with people she’s wary of.
She just makes a point of never being alone with Wanda.
Hell, she’s rarely alone with anyone these days, except Steve and maybe Sam. Easier to be with the whole team, to keep moving, focusing on training and riling up the newbies, instead of lost in her own head.
But Wanda finds her anyway.
Natasha doesn’t know how; she’s good at finding all the quietest corners of the base. Maybe it’s just another part of Wanda’s frankly disturbing power-set.
Wanda sits beside her like she’s been invited, and Natasha’s brain is racing for a safe topic of conversation, an opening line, but for once she’s coming up empty.
“About what I showed you,” Wanda says quietly, her accent making the words sound heavier.
“Forget it,” Natasha shrugs, the tone of her voice carefully casual, even if she wants to scream. “You were doing your job.”
She’s not going to condemn Wanda over working for Ultron. Natasha’s done far worse.
“My brother and I,” Wanda begins, and Natasha sees her fists clench out the corner of her eye. “We volunteered for the experiments. We wanted to be stronger, able to save our people.”
Natasha nods, staring ahead at the wall. “I know.”
“We volunteered.”
“I know,” Natasha repeats, frowning a little. There’s a twitch in her leg that she has to concentrate on suppressing, her whole body wanting to get up, to get away.
“I have been called a monster,” Wanda says, and her hand settles over Natasha’s, between them on the bench, light trace of fingertips over Natasha’s knuckles. “I volunteered.”
And just like that, Natasha’s pissed. Her head whips around, but Wanda’s looking at her without judgement or pity.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Natasha snaps. The words sound like a sign of weakness the moment they leave her lips. The last time her mask cracked like this, it was with Clint, years ago. Few people get to see her really angry. It’s easier that way.
“I volunteered, and I never lost my humanity.” Wanda’s fingers squeeze her hand. “But your ‘graduation ceremony’? You did not choose what was done to you.”
Natasha’s heart is beating too fast.
“You are not less of a person. You are not less of a woman,” Wanda insists. “You are not a monster, Natasha.”
And somehow her anger just shatters, ebbing away on her next breath.
Natasha feels hollowed out, but lighter.
She’s heard the words before. But there’s something in the simple sincerity of Wanda’s voice that makes her realise just how jumbled her mind’s been lately.
Memories left exposed, and maybe now she can start pushing them back in her subconscious where they belong.
Natasha looks at the wall again, silent. But she turns her hand over beneath Wanda’s, lacing their fingers together, and squeezes back.
