The Philanthropist and His Witch

Chapter-1

When Wanda had first joined the Avengers, it had been so in a grief-fuelled daze; even desperation, one could say, for a better life, one that would not be so lonely anymore, that would not have her forced to move from one place to another every other day to avoid the bloodthirsty authorities of a war-torn country.

When Wanda had first joined the Avengers, she had hated Stark.

She still did, be it noted, but...it was becoming increasingly difficult with every passing day to maintain the resentment for the man who had essentially taken everything from her.

And who also turned out to be the same man who gave her everything.

A roof over her head, food on the table, clothes to wear, a family to live with; and all of that in abundance and without prompt.

Objectively speaking, Stark had no reason to house her and pretty much sponsor her life, but he had still done it.

Maybe out of a right sense of guilt, or maybe it was because Steve had asked him to do so.

Either way he had given her a home and had asked for nothing in return.

Wanda hated to admit it, mainly on principle, but Stark had begun to grow on her; in the various little but significant ways that he took care of the team.

Be it upgrading their weapons just because there was space for improvement or fortifying their suits further because 'what if that bullet hadn't just grazed you, Steve, what then?'; he did it all and he did it without complaint and without being asked.

Practically speaking, he had nothing to offer to Wanda in terms of weapons (she was one herself) and she didn't get hurt in the missions as much as their other teammates for Stark to have to work on her protective gear, but every two or three weeks, her suit would disappear for one whole day and then a new one would miraculously turn up in her room.

Wanda never thanked him for that (even though she should have) and Stark never mentioned it.

It was better this way, anyway.

Stark wasn't a good man. He might have been a superhero but he wasn't good, not like Steve was. This was what Wanda had observed in her initial days with the team but as days and months slowly passed, she realised she never saw Stark around enough to form an informed opinion of the man.

She hated Stark, she really did.

Until the day Potts had cornered her one day to warn her against ever hurting Stark again. Wanda hadn't been cowed by the threat (why would she?) but she had been stupefied by one part of the other woman's monologue.

"You are not the first person to scream lawsuit with intentions rooted in fallacy."

Wanda would have ignored it but it had been spoken with such conviction, it had struck something in her heart, so she had enlisted the help of Natasha, or rather her spy and hacking skills.

Turned out, HYDRA had not only lied to her about Stark having sold those weapons to the terrorist organisation that had bombed their apartment building but also it had been HYDRA itself to have done it.

And Wanda had volunteered for that agency.

She had nearly blown up the Compound and herself with how her emotions had gained control of her rational mind.

If not for Steve and Natasha rushing in to calm her down at the right moment, she probably would have done it as well.

Wanda still hadn't gone up to Stark, the next time she had seen him, to apologise to him for the attack on him back at the base or the harsh words she had subjected him to out of what turned out to be a complete misunderstanding.