You put your arms around me, and I'm home

Nat's POV

I woke up to Wanda twisting and turning in her sleep but what broke my heart even more is her tears sliding against her cheek as she begged Pietro to not leave her.

I gently shake her only to make her jolt up and frantically look around the room, seconds later the realization hit her that Pietro is really gone.

"Nat." She abruptly hugged me and sobbed on my shoulder.

"I wish I had the right words malysh but just know that I'm here for you." I said stroking her back.

"I just wish he wasn't taken too soon."

"All of us didn't expect that to happen but it did."

"He left to soon." She sobbed.

"I'm still here malysh, and I promised Piet I'm not leaving you. I promised him that."

"He left without even saying goodbye." She said sadly wiping her tears.

"I know, what do you want to do?"

"Can we just lay here for a while?" She said turning around to face me.

"Of course." I smiled.

We laid there for what seemed to be like hours but to find out it was only been 5 minutes, she cuddled closer to me smelling the faint strawberry scent, she had been mainly taking most of my hoodies for quite a while now so I wouldn't be surprised if she starts to smell like me.

I slowly brought my hand up and gently traced my finger on the bridge of her nose making her scrunch it up.

"You look adorable when you scrunch up your nose." I said booping it making her scrunch it again.

"The badass Natasha Romanoff boops noses, am I dating the same girl or is this a clone?" She gasped.

"Yeah I'm totally a clone darling." I said rolling my eyes

"Now how about we eat breakfast?"

"Nat can you cook?"

"Sadly no but I do know how to make the best pancakes."

"Will there be strawberries?"

"Strawberries and syrup darling."

"You're the best."

"I tried to be."

She glanced at the unopened hair dyes placed on top of the wardrobe, she tilted her head as she scoffed at her thoughts.

"Penny for your thoughts, malysh?" 

"I forgot that we bought those." She said pointing at them.

"When are you planning to use them?"

"Can I change my hair now or after breakfast?"

"Sure malysh." 

I got off the bed walking out to the kitchen and preapared the ingredients for the pancakes. Once I made the batter I made sure that I'd put the strawberry slices in hers when I pour the batter onto the pan.

After I finished making three pieces for us each I poured the syrup and placed our plates on the table, I waited for Wanda to exit the room but she never did.

I stood up from the chair and went inside the room to see Wanda reach over the dyes.

"Hey Wands the pancakes are ready." I called out.

"Oh I'm sorry, I got distracted."

"It's okay, come on or else it's gonna be cold."

"Here." She handed me the boxes.

We ate the pancakes silently as we enjoyed each others company for the time being. After we finished we put our plates in the dishwasher and headed to the bathroom. 

I stopped by our room to get the dyes
carefully reading the instructions not planning on ruinning her hair. She went to the bathroom first as I grabbed a  pair of gloves, a bowl and a brush.

Once she was ready, she sat down on the toilet as I mixed the powder and oxidizer and began applying to her hair. I was careful not to put too much red but applied an amount that made her hair into a strawberry blonde color.

"How long does this take to set?" She worriedly asked.

"I thought you used to do this with Pietro."

"He's usually the one who sets the time and I just wait til' it alarms."

"I guess half an hour or so." I shrugged.

"I remember I used to help Pietro apply bleach on his hair." She smiled reminiscing the memory.

"What else do you remember?" 

"He tried convincing me to dye my hair blonde just like his but I never wanted to."

"What made you change your mind?"

"I never got the chance to do this with him, so I'm not wasting this chance to do this with you."

"Anything else you remember?"

"One time Fury let us stay in his home and Pietro wanted to redye his roots, instead of buying the usual silver dye he bought blue. We made a mess in Fury's bathroom which made it look like we murdered a smurf." She laughed.

"And how did Fury react when he saw?" I laughed, it's been a while since I heard her laugh like this.

"Fury was "furious" get it." She laughed at pun she made.

"But he made us scrub his whole bathroon from top to bottom." She added.

"I never knew Fury that much, but my parents knew him quite a bit." I said.

"He acted like a father-figure for both of us, without him I wouldn't have met you, Pietro wouldn't have gotten a job, and we would still be at that hellhole we with him." She sighed.

"I'm glad he did." I smiled.

"Whenever I get upset or in a bad mood Pietro would always sing a song we both heard from the radio, I fell inlove with that song so Pietro learned it for me and sang it to me every night." She said lowering her head with a sad smile appearing on her lips.

"Can you sing it for me?" I said with a half smile.

"I'll try." She said before clearing her throat.

"I never thought that You would be the one to hold my heart
But you came around
And you knocked me off the ground from the start

You put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go
You put your arms around me and I'm home" She sang.

"You really have a beautiful voice, how come you never sing that often?"

"I tried my best to never let you in to see the truth
And I've never opened up
I've never truly loved 'till you put your arms around me
And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go."  She sang again.

"You put your arms around me and I'm home"  I sang finishing the song.

"I've always despised singing after our mom left, since she used to sing us to sleep and that made me love singing so much."

"Then I'll make you love singing again."

"You already did." She smiled.

"What did you talk to Pietro about last time?" She asked.

"That's a secret for you to find out soon."

"Atleast tell me some of it." She quipped.

"Nope, not ruining that suprise." I chuckled.

"When will I find out?" 

"In about two to three years." I laughed

"What? No that's not fair he get's to know." She pouted.

"Patience is a virtue moya lyubov, trust me time will just pass by."

"I'll trust you on this one, okay?"

"You've got my word on this."

We had 30 minutes left for the dye to set and rinsing her hair thoroughly, I grabbed the blonde box dye and some scissors as I ushered her to leave the bathroom and let her dry her hair.

"Why can't I stay?" She pouted.

"You'll stop me if you knew." I chuckled.

"Not even just a peek?"

"Nope now go, it's a surprise." I laughed.

"Now I get why you hate surprises." She huffed as she closed the door behind her.

I laughed as I grabbed the scissors and began cutting. As the trimmed hair fall to the floor deciding to cut my hair shoulder length, I felt myself began to panic that maybe Wanda wouldn't like it but it was already done. 

I applied the blonde dye, and waited  this will get some time to get used to the new hair color and length.

I dried my hair with the blow drier I took from mom but she wouldn't mind it since she doesn't use it that often anymore.

I exited the bathroom seeing Wanda on the couch watching The Dick Van Dyke show with her hair fully dried and it definitely suits her more that I do.

"And here I thought red was my color." I chuckled startling her.

"No you did not just, you cut it?" She said placing the laptop on the coffee table.

"Do you not like it?" I said brushing my hand through my hair.

"I like it but it's still a shame that you cut it." She said running her hands through my hair.

"So you hate it?" I chuckled.

"I don't hate it my love." 

"Since we're both standing why don't we put on some music?"

"What are you proposing we should do?" She asked.

I took out my phone and connected it to the speaker on my laptop and put on "As the world caves in" by Matt Maltese.

"Wanda Maximoff, may I have this dance?" I said offering my hand.

"I would love to, Natalia Romanova." She said as she held my hand and placed the other on my shoulder.

"Why do you always ask to dance?"

"I just want a reason to hold you longer."

"You're such a romantic."

"Never knew I would be such a sap." I chuckled.

"I like seeing soft Natalia."

"I've always been soft when I'm around you."

I placed my other hand on her waist as we swayed through the music, hearing hum to it until the chorus.

"Oh girl, it's you that I lie with
As the atom bomb locks in
Oh, it's you I watch TV with
As the world, as the world caves in" She sang softly placing her head on my shoulder.

"I love you." I blurt out.

"I love you too." She said looking at me.

I connected our foreheads togother and we swayed til the end of the music.

"Why do you always do that?" She asked.

"Do what?" I asked confused.

"That thing you do when I'm upset."

"Huh?"

"The forehead thing, the thing you do when you touch our foreheads together."

"Oh that, I don't know I just felt like it." I shrugged.

"It's your love language." She smiled.

"My what?" I felt my lips twitch upward.

"Your love language."

"And what's yours?" 

"I always like it when you hold me, and I get to nuzzle my head on your neck it makes me feel warm and safe."

"I'm glad it does."

"I wish we could just stay like this." She said nuzzling her head on my neck.

"Me too, we're starting college soon and this feels like we've been together for years."

"It's been four years Nat." She smiled.

"I know but it felt longer than that."

"And within those past years we've already been through a lot."

"Yeah, we have." I chuckled.

"How was your applications before I called you?"

"Well three universities wanted me but I decided I'm going to Cornell."

"That's great!" She exclaimed.

"I'm still picking you up though." I smiled.

"I know then we can have dinner dates." 

"I'd love that, or we can just stay in and watch your favorite shows."

"I'm down with anything as long as I'm with you." She smiled.

"I've always seen us getting married, you in a white dress accentuating your curves, your beautiful hair flowing as you walk down the aisle." I smiled.

"And I to you, I've always thought that I'd get married to a man and grow old feeling miserable but when I met you I felt like I've seen my whole future." She said looking directly at my eyes.

"Natalia Maximoff kinda has a nice ring to it." I grinned.

"I was thinking more like Wanda Romanova-Maximoff." 

"Romanova-Maximoff huh?"

"Our kids are gonna hate us for making their names long." She chuckled.

"On to kids now huh?" I flashed a toothy grin.

"Don't you want any?"

"With you, of course I want to."

"How many do you want?"

"Maybe two or three. You?"

"About four." She laughed.

"That's a lot, are you sure we can take care of them?" I chuckled.

"With you? Of course we can handle it." She said.

"Well Ms. Maximoff we better put a ring on it first." I said.

"I'd like that idea." She smiled.

"I like this." She added looking around the room, at the dimmed lights , the empty plates on our table, the forgotten movie playing in the background then at me.

"Me too." I smiled her hand gently caressing my cheek whule the other on my waist.

I picked her feet off the floor and spin her around making her laugh out loud putting her hands on my shoulders for support. I placed her back down as she pulled me in closer kissing my lips.

"I wish we could stay like this forever." She said.

"Sadly there is no forever but in this lifetime with you there will." I said looking deep into the eyes I fell inlove with.

"Since when did you become Shakespeare?" She chuckled making me laugh.

"But yes, I want to spend forever with you too." I said.

"I promise to love you whatever it takes." She smiled.

"Whatever it takes." I said connecting our lips back together.