A scarlet rose in the witches garden

Chapter 4

As the sun comes up over the city Wanda's eyes flutter open. She lets out a quiet yawn and it registers that Roman is still in her arms, still asleep. A soft, fond smile appears on her face and she has to stop herself from pressing a kiss on top of his head.
She slowly shakes him awake.
"Hey Sweetheart..."
His eyes open lazily, squinting because of the sun.
She smiles down at him- she can't help but find his sleepy face endearing, the motherly affection tugging at her.
"Good morning sleepy head, it's time to get up."
He lifts his head a little, looking around; but when he realizes he fell asleep in Wanda's arms he jumps back, his face going bright red.
"Ohmygod!"
Wanda laughs when she sees his face go red with embarrassment.
"Hey, it's okay. No need to be embarrassed. You fell asleep in my lap after your nightmare, I wasn't going to wake you."
Roman covers his face with his hands and falls back on the ground.
He can admit, he has subconsciously been seeing Wanda as a bit of a mother figure, and he knows it's inappropriate saying that they're on a mission to find her real children.
Wanda stands and crouches down next to him.
"Hey, look at me." She says, gently pulling his wrists to coax his hands away from his face.
He slowly puts his hands down and looks at her sheepishly.
"There we are...don't be embarrassed, okay?"
"...okay."
"You were sleeping like a log sweetheart, I wasn't going to wake you, you needed the rest."
"Well...thank you then. You know, that was the first time in awhile I haven't had a nightmare."
A feeling of pride spreads through Wanda's chest.
"If you ever have a nightmare, you can always come to me. I'll always be here to help."
"Okay." He gives a small smile
Wanda smiles and without thinking her hand comes up to rest on Roman's cheek.
"You're a sweet kid, you know that?"
The tenderness and affection she's feeling is apparent in her voice.
Roman leans into her touch, a warmness in his chest.
Wanda's heart squeezes when he leans into her hand, it was moments like this that amplify her need to protect him, to look over him like he was hers.
Suddenly a thought hits him.
He needs to stop this. He needs to stop feeling this way. She's not his mom. She has kids. And they need their mom. He can't have her, but there are kids out there, somewhere, who need her. A sense of determination fills him.
He pulls away from her touch and stand up.
"C'mon, we godda go. Where to next?"
Wanda notices how he suddenly straightens up, distancing himself. She can see a sense of conflict in his eyes. But she chooses not to mention it.
"Of course, we've got a mission." She stands up, and continues onward.