Summary: You're the only Avenger who sleeps in a cell.
Mild Angst, Fluff, Sharing A Bed, Enemies to Lovers
Ship: Wanda Maximoff x Gender Neutral Reader
"You don't have to be so mean to them," Natasha tells her.
Wanda's eyes narrow as she continues to fixate on you, her glare seemingly willing the daggers to find their mark. You can sense the energy of her powers tingling in the air, but she maintains control, stopping the daggers just short of their target.
"They need to know what they're up against," Wanda retorts, her accent slipping through in a rare moment. "If they're going to be one of us, they have to prove themselves."
Natasha moves to stand between you and Wanda, her body language calm but assertive. "They will, in time. But not like this."
You can feel your heart pounding, but you refuse to let Wanda see any fear in your eyes. Your choice to leave your former life and join this team wasn't made lightly, and you won't be intimidated.
"I'm right here," you say, stepping forward. "And I'm not going anywhere. If you want to test me, do it properly."
Wanda smirks, and the daggers drop to the floor, clattering loudly in the silence. "Impressive," she says, almost as an afterthought.
Steve Rogers, observing from the sidelines, steps in to defuse the situation. His authoritative presence commands respect, and his voice is steady and even. "That's enough for today. We're a team, and we need to start acting like one."
He looks at you, his eyes filled with understanding but also a hint of caution. "However," he continues, his tone shifting, "You'll still be sleeping in the cells."
Your heart plummets, each word from Steve feeling like a blade to your chest. Being sent back to that room, devoid of windows, with only a tiny bed and a comforter too thin to ward off the chill, feels like a betrayal every time. You've spent nights there, shivering and reflecting on your decision to join this team, yet still, you find yourself confined.
"After several months of captivity, even cooking your dinner, you still don't trust me?" you ask, trying to keep the hurt out of your voice.
Steve's expression softens, but his resolve remains firm. "It's not about trust," he says quietly, his voice carrying a weight of experience and pain. "We've been crossed so many times before, mostly by former HYDRA agents."
Like you, he doesn't need to say.
You understand the logic, but it doesn't make the reality any easier to swallow. The sense of being an outsider, the cold isolation of the cells—it wears on you.
Wanda, who had been silent up to this point, suddenly speaks up. "Maybe you should just leave then. If it's so unbearable, why stay?"
The room goes quiet.
A thousand retorts spring to your mind, but you swallow them down, unwilling to escalate the situation further. The temptation to throw back that it's rich coming from her, considering she's also a former footsoldier of HYDRA, is strong, but you bite your tongue.
You look at her, stunned by the bluntness of her suggestion, but also recognizing the challenge in her eyes.
Her words strike deeper than she may realize. Leaving isn't an option you've entertained, mainly because there's nowhere for you to go. No one left in your life to turn to. This makeshift "family" despite their reservation and distance, is all you have.
