Chapter Text
"I'm not taking a bath."
"You have to take a bath."
"I'm not taking a bath," Wanda said again
Natasha was standing in front of Wanda, the girl was still was in the dirty clothes from the day before and much longer than a day, her hair was falling out of the braid and many cuts and bruises littered her body and they still needed to be attended to but Wanda had been to upset and had fallen asleep after she ate the soup Natasha made for her. Natasha had taken care of her feet afraid glass was still embedded in them and would cause an infection but Natasha had done that on the plane. Natasha had let her sleep she had given in but she wouldn't give in now.
Wanda had slept well and now things needed to be taken care of. She needed to be told that Natasha was now her guardian but the bath was the most important thing right now. There was a lot of time to talk of their both changing reality.
"Wanda this is not up for discussion. You will take a bath and then I will clean all your cuts and make sure you're okay physically." Natasha said she had showered before talking to Tony and Pepper the night before. Natasha had no idea it would take this long to convince a child to take a shower, she well past needed one, and Natasha wasn't backing down from this discussion. Wanda needed a shower and she was going to take a shower. "You can't make me." Wanda snapped. She crossed her arms and was glaring at Natasha but it wasn't a deathly glare or one that made you look away from it, but it was a cute glare and it fit Wanda as much as she wanted to look intimidating. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way маленькая ведьма." (little witch) Natasha didn't know what Wanda had against the bath but it was a much-needed bath and she was going to take that bath whether Natasha had to wrestle her in to take the bath. But Wanda wasn't going to back down; she saw no reason or need for her to take a bath and she didn't care what Natasha did. She wasn't going to take the bath so she continued glaring at the redhead and standing her ground, not willing to give in. "Hard way it is then," Natasha said
"Friday please fill the tube halfway, please, and make sure it's hot but not too hot," Natasha said to the AI as she picked Wanda up and took her into the bathroom
"Yes of course Miss Romanoff."
Wanda started squirming under Natasha hold but Natasha wasn't letting go in fact this only made her hold on tighter not willing to let the girl go as much as she struggled Natasha wouldn't let Wanda go but stopped once Natasha placed her on the closed lid toilet but she began once more when Natasha started taking off her clothes.
"I don't want a bath!!!" Wanda screamed her face turning red and Natasha saw that as a win she wasn't using her powers on her so it meant she wasn't too mad
"You're dirty and since you won't do it willingly I'll help."
Natasha contained taking off the little girl's clothes the more she took off the more she saw how skinny and malnourished Wanda was and it didn't surprise her she had grown up with little to eat and she knew at one point she looked like Wanda. People were able to count her ribs as she could now as she looked at Wanda, nothing fit Wanda at all, Natasha carefully placed the pile of clothes beside her careful not to tussle them as they were all only nearly hanging on.
"Okay, Wanda are you going to bath yourself I'm giving you a chance," Natasha said as the girl was only left in shorts and a tank top
"Fuck you!!" Wanda screamed she tried to kick Natasha
But Natasha saw the hit coming and as she remembers at times what Laura would do when the kids just wouldn't listen she swatted Wanda's bottom and raised her eyebrows challenging Wanda to see what she would do next.
"This is going too far маленькая ведьма" (Little witch)
Wanda stopped struggling and was rubbing the spot Natasha swatted. She didn't know why but that swat hurt more than any beating she had received and it sting and it made Wanda feel small and sorry for making Natasha's task of bathing her even more challenging.
"Are you ready for a bath now?" Natasha asked once she saw that Wanda had claimed down and was no longer at war with her to take a bath and she was happy that she didn't get a no as an answer.
"I don't think I've ever had a bath before," Wanda said looking down at her feet and it was true she had never had a bath before or shower Hydra would always hose them down. Natasha understood if Hydra was anything like the Red room she knew to cleanse oneself was something that was never typical and didn't happen so often a shower was and it was a privilege.
"Then will you let me help you bathe and wash your hair without any more tantrums? I will be gentle. But you are very dirty and it has to be done. I'd prefer it be done without more of the tantrum you are throwing."
"Okay, out of your shorts and into the bathtub. Friday will shut the water off if I am not back by the time it is half full. I'm going to find you something to wear until I can get you some clothes of your own. You can soak in the water while I find something."
Wanda was confused she already had clothes she didn't need anymore,"But I have clothes."
"I know you have clothes but they're dirty and have holes in them and you're going to need clean clothes and other things like panties and socks and undershirts. Shorts, shirts, and pants. You need pajamas."
Natasha left the room to go and find Wanda something to wear and once she was finished with her bath they would go shopping, she found Wanda a white t-shirt and some jean overalls she didn't know she had that would fit Wanda perfectly. When she entered the bathroom she found Wanda in the bath, knees hugged to her chest and staring at the water but Natasha knew her mind was elsewhere since Wanda didn't turn around when she entered the room.
"You ready to get this show on the road?" Natasha asked entering more in the room
Wanda nodded her head she didn't know what to expect but the bath wasn't starting so bad she may even enjoy it in the future but she was just sitting in the tub now so it was only the beginning she would give her final approval or disapproval later when she was done.
Natasha knelt beside the bathtub washing Wanda's hair she was still the same way she found her, although Wanda was relaxed she hadn't said anything since Natasha had started bathing her she was quite in her own thoughts not really in the world and Natasha wanted to know what she was thinking because she was relatively clammed for someone who had lost her brother.
"Wanda you know you can talk to me, right? Tell me what you're thinking." Natasha said quietly as she expertly used her fingers to loosen the dirt from the girl's long hair.
"This is wrong. He should be here with me enjoying a bath but he's dead and it's all my fault." Natasha saw tears spilling from the girl's eyes as she thought about her brother.
"Wanda it isn't your fault. It is 't your fault so stop telling yourself that. Your right he should be here but he isn't. He's in a better place and he would want you to be happy so be happy because he would want you to be and you get to start over being a kid and live the experiences that were stolen from you."
"I miss him," Wanda said in a cracked whisper
"I know and you're going to keep missing him and I know it hurts like hell but it'll get better over time you will find yourself not missing him so much and other times you'll miss him so much that you'll want him there to be with you but he won't be there but the memories of him will," Natasha said picking up Wanda's chin for her to look at her and to be honest Natasha didn't know where the motivational speech came from but it made Wanda smile and that was better than having frowning all day.
"Why are you doing this? I hurt you and you're being nice to me and I don't deserve it." Wanda asked tears no longer spilling from her eyes
"Because you remind me of me and I want to help you because you didn't do the things you did to hut=rt people but because you were lost and didn't know what was right and what was wrong and that's not your fault. You do deserve this after everything you've been through you deserve this more than anything."
"There's no point in this, they're going to come to take me back and I'll just cause you trouble."
"No, they won't. Last night Tony and Pepper helped me with some papers. To the world you are mine. I have all the legal documentation I need to prove it."
"Why? Why would you do that? You don't want me, no one wants me. Why would you?" Wanda said she was angry she didn't want to be happy and feel wanted and then at any moment it could be ripped away and Natasha wouldn't want her and would give her back to Hydra and she didn't want to go back she couldn't go back, she hated Hydra, she hated everything about her life expect Pietro he mad life bearable and without him, she didn't think she would be alive right now.
"Why wouldn't I want you?"
"I've killed people."
Natasha smiled but it wasn't out of happiness no it was out of sadness and understanding
"So have I. You and I are very much alike. But I'd like to change what your history will be. In order to do that, I had to make sure no one could take you away. You deserve better because you are a child. Your past deeds are not you, they didn't define you because you were forced to do things you didn't want to and you need to stop blaming yourself for things you had no control over."
"I'm going to be twelve you won't want me then."
Natasha knew Wanda's game she wanted her to give up on her just because she would be older soon and would think that she wouldn't want to deal with an older kid but that just motivated Natasha more because she knew Wanda had barley turned eleven a month ago and now she was alone and Wanda felt like she should be alone and should stay alone because no one wanted her but it wasn't true and Natasha planned to prove her wrong.
"You are worth it, even if you don’t know it. One day, I hope to help you understand just how much you are worth everything.”
Soon, Natasha sat Wanda in front of her on the bed and towel-dried her hair. It was no longer reddish-brown, it was much closer to Natasha's red hair now that it was clean. They would have absolutely no issue passing Wanda off as her child now.
"So once you get dressed you think you're up to go shopping. I wanted you to pick out things you like."
"I don't know what I like. Can we get books?" Wanda asked but once she did she put her head down expecting Natasha to say no but Natasha wasn't
"That's okay that's what we're going to go to the store and see what you do like and yes we can get books." Natasha pressured the girl
"Let's get you dressed, so we could leave faster."