Flufftober 2022

Bedtime Stories- Wanda

You had been tired all day, but now that you were finally in bed and ready for sleep your mind just wouldn't be quiet for you. You sigh as you toss and turn, attempting to get more comfortable but give up after a few shuffles so as to not disturb your sleeping girlfriend.

"Malysh(baby)?" she grumbles, accent quite apparent in her sleepy state, "Are you alright?"

Well, so much for not disturbing her. "Sorry I woke you, love. I'm alright. Just go back to sleep, ok?"

She knows you're lying so as to not worry her. It's past three in the morning, if everything was ok then you'd be asleep with your arms curled around her, not huffing in irritation as you tug on the blanket for the hundredth time. Her brows furrow and she focuses her eyes intently on your face, trying to make out your features in the darkness of the bedroom.

Once her eyes adjust she can see the bags under your eyes and the slight frown you wear as frustrations gets the better of you. She instinctively moves closer to you, resting her head against your shoulder before letting one of her hands come to rest on your chest.

"Nightmare?"

You shake your head, "No. I just can't seem to turn my brain off long enough to fall asleep."

She hums in acknowledgement. She used to have nights like that all the time back when she first got her powers, then again when she had lost Pietro. You've had nights like that before too, but normally you'd be able to settle yourself down after a short while. Tonight however was not one of those nights.

She lets her fingers trace gentle patterns across your chest as she looks up at you, "Is there a forest around here? Not like Central Park, but like an actual vast forest full of trees."

Despite finding her question random you decide to humor her, "Yeah, a bit out of the city in other areas of the state there's lots of forests."

"I miss the forest." she admits, "Sokovia was surrounded by them. When Pietro and I were young, we would go in to explore them. We'd play and wander around four hours, just getting lost in our daydreams and imagination. It was wonderful."

You wrap your arm around her, "I bet that was a lot of fun"

"It was. Being so deep in the wilderness was like we were the only ones that existed, other than the animals of course." she replies, "Once we were older mama talked papa into taking us camping."

"Did you enjoy it?" you ask, stifling a yawn

She nods, "It was a lot of fun. The four of us were jammed into one small tent, it was all we could afford at the time, and the nights did get terribly cold but we were together. We would cook our meals over the fire, eggs and meats for breakfast, grilled sandwiches or made soups for lunch, then we'd have some game papa caught for dinner. It was usually rabbit served with potatoes."

You snuggle deeper into her, humming in acknowledgement to get her to continue. She smiles, quickly kissing your cheek to show her appreciation, and of course her love for you.

"We would tell stories around the fire before bed, Pietro liked the scary ones the best. Sometimes he would go fishing with dad and my mom would take me around the forest, helping me to identify the different mushrooms, berries and flowers. It was always so interesting to know which ones were actually edible." she tells you, pausing briefly to inspect your sleepy face

You smile groggily at her, so she continues, "In the winter time it was far too cold to go camping, but we were still allowed to go out and play for a bit, so long as we bundled up appropriately. Pietro and I would build snowmen, make snow angels and have snowball fights before we would go back inside for a cup of mamas hot cocoa. After that we'd go back out, just to enjoy a short walk through the woods. It was so beautiful to see everything covered in snow. The small animal tracks here and there, the few bushes that produce red berries that stood out so brightly against the white."

When she doesn't receive a response she looks back at you, and finds your eyes tight shut. You're fast asleep, soft snores leaving you as your breathing remains steady. She carefully cups your face

"I'm glad my story helped you." she tells you, kissing your cheek, "Goodnight malysh(baby), sleep well."