ᴡᴀɴᴅᴀ (scarletwitch) wrote in avengers_logs, @ 2020-07-03 11:40:00 |
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There was a saying that went something like this: ‘It was always tea time somewhere in the world.’ This left it open for anyone wondering if it was the proper hour to indulge without concern, as anytime was acceptable. For Nebula, the time for tea was now, at Wanda’s. With cake, apparently. It was a chance to say a proper ‘hello’ that wasn’t over the network and to meet her sons. Raising children was something the Luphomoid had never considered. She hadn’t even taken responsibility for a pet or a plant; her life hadn’t left her with time to devote to such pursuits. As she walked the corridor of the Avengers Tower to the quarters of Wanda Maximoff, Nebula couldn’t imagine having children, never mind raising them. Would it even be a possibility, given the changes Thanos had forced upon her body? Shutting those thoughts in a secure mental box with several locks upon it, she paused outside Wanda’s rooms. Nebula had worn jeans, a floral top and little ballet slippers for the visit. No jewelry or make-up had been applied to her redheaded illusion, which Wanda was likely to see as they hadn’t much contact previously. Those very familiar with her saw the blue skin, the metal left arm, the augmentations to her hairless head instead of Loki’s spell. To everyone else, she was Nebula Miller, a random Human hanging out with superheroes. A paper bag in one hand, she lifted the other to knock on the door. Baby bouncers were lifesavers, in Wanda’s view - they were fun for Billy and Tommy to, yes, literally bounce in, and play with their toys in. But they also were safe and let Wanda do things like use the bathroom, cook, or even take a shower as long as she had the space to keep an eye on them - she knew they were fine entertaining themselves for those few minutes. Baby bouncers also meant she could go answer the door when there was a knock (and rarely were there knocks). She’d just finished frosting a batch of chocolate cupcakes - they were sweet and delicious, invoking feelings of childhood innocence (or at least, that was the goal), though the ganache frosting was a lot more grown-up. Bringing the platter of cupcakes to the living room, she set them on the coffee table before going to answer the door. “Hi, come on in,” she smiled, showing Nebula inside. Billy and Tommy bopped and cooed, with Billy gnawing on one of his toys - the twins hadn’t started teething yet, but Wanda had a feeling it was just around the corner. Nebula crossed the threshold to the Land of Bouncing Babies. The twins made happy noises as they pronged like new-born deer, each within the safety of a snug but comfy-looking harness. She had never seen the like. Turning to look at Wanda, she said, “It is good to see you.” She extended her hand with the paper bag. “This is for you. I’ve read that hostess gifts are considered appropriate on occasions such as tea.” Nebula hadn’t brought baked goods - that would be silly, considering Wanda was known to be very capable of baking delicious treats - or scented candles - though suggested on a number of gift sites, they annoyed Nebula’s senses - but instead she had brought something for the twins. A plain paper bag seemed sufficient to conceal the contents until her host opened it. She didn’t wait for Wanda to say anything or accept the bag, but kept her arm in place as she turned to regard the babies again. “Human progeny are more energetic than I expected. I thought they might be dormant.” Whether they would wear the booties she had purchased or eat them, she wasn’t sure. Her dinner with Barnes at the Chinese restaurant had inspired her choice. “Oh!” Wanda opened the bag with an exclamation of delight. She wasn’t expecting a gift, but was pleasantly surprised. “These are adorable, thank you so much,” she grinned happily, her expression bright and open. She hadn’t spent much time with Nebula though was glad she was getting to do so now - if she tried, and gave a little mental push, she could probably see past the illusion (it had a familiar aroma to it, Loki’s magic, the crispness of winter and the cold and woodsmoke) but she didn’t attempt it. Or do much mind reading at all, not when she didn’t have to. Before, she used to just poke whenever she felt like it, but she would not disrespect her teammates and friends that way anymore. The babies continued to burble and coo, and Wanda headed for the kitchen to put the kettle on. For tea. “Please, have a seat anywhere. Make yourself comfortable,” she encouraged. “But yes, um - human progeny are very lively,” she chuckled; the way her accent curled around the words made them sound foreign (literally). “Have you ever held a baby before?” Nebula crossed to a sofa and sat on the edge, her eyes taking in everything from the decor to the bouncing baby boys to the chocolate confections on the coffee table. She kept her back straight, knees together and hands folded on her thighs, as she imagined a proper guest in someone’s Human home should sit. Wanda’s voice floated from the kitchen and Nebula tilted her head slightly to one side, surprised by the question. At least the answer was simple. “No,” she said and let her eyes drift to the twins again. “Are they teething? Do they bite much?” She knew they weren’t little carnivorous monsters - or, at least, she hoped they weren’t - but it never hurt to ask and be sure when encountering a new form of life. The sink shut off, and Wanda placed the now-filled kettle on the stove to heat the water. “No, they’re not teething yet - almost,” she said, bringing dessert plates and napkins into the living room. “They kind of like to put things on their gums and gnaw, which tells me that it’s coming soon. Plus babies are curious anyway.” If it could go into their mouths, they’d try - it was a source of worry, of course, because the last thing Wanda wanted was for one of her boys to choke on something (she knew baby Heimlich maneuver just in case though). But they just weren’t old enough to understand that not everything was edible. She eased Billy from his bouncy seat, and cradled him in her arms - but just briefly, because she offered him to Nebula a second later; the cradling was just to demonstrate how he should be held. “Want to give it a try? I swear baby cuddles make for good medicine, if you’re ever sad about something,” she laughed. No teeth yet, no biting. That was good to know, especially when Wanda offered one of her sons to Nebula for a ‘cuddle’. Nebula didn’t do ‘cuddle’, or at the very least, she didn’t think she had ever tried. It would be disappointing if she tried now and failed. She hated failure. It was some small comfort to know that if she didn’t achieve the ‘cuddle’, a part of her wouldn’t be removed as punishment. “I - Of course.” She remained seated and held out her hands for the small Human, checking for weapons and places to hide them out of habit before copying Wanda and cradling the boy in her arms. She let her right hand rest on her thighs under his bottom and shifted until his head seemed comfortable on her left elbow. There was a pause as they regarded one another. “Well. Do you drink tea?” She looked up at Wanda. “Do they drink tea?” It was actually pretty sweet, watching Nebula with the baby. Billy looked up at her with big blue eyes - they were the shade of glittering sapphires now, and Wanda hoped they stayed that way. Tommy had blue eyes too, but they were tinged with a lot more green than Billy’s - he also had lighter hair, and it reminded Wanda of Pietro quite a bit. Even if she was sure their hair and eyes would continue to shift and change, until they finally settled. “No, they drink milk,” she said. “It’s good for them, so they learn and grow.” Breastmilk, to be exact - she still pumped enough to store and fill bottles to take places. But she wasn’t sure if Nebula wanted her to go into details about that. “Here, you can give him his bottle if you want - “ She went to fetch it from the warmer in the kitchen, coming back to hand it over. “He loves to eat.” That gave her hands free to feed Tommy as well, so that was nice. Then once the babies were fed and burped, they’d probably nap and the adults could scarf down cupcakes. Nebula wasn’t sure if she was comfortable feeding a Human baby. What if she did something wrong? Held him too tightly, didn’t hold the bottle properly, let him eat too quickly so that he became ill and redecorated Wanda’s sofa? She had been reading a little about babies and was aware of the abundance of mess they produced that was unavoidable. It wasn’t that she was ignorant of the processes: what goes in must come out. It was that way, in some form or other, with all living things, but babies had no control over when and how they produced mess. Nebula didn’t remember anything about being this young, but she, doubtless, was also equally without control of her bodily functions. She didn’t like being out of control. She accepted the bottle, though, and inserted it into the tiny mouth and watched while he fed. Wanda was doing the same for Tommy, but Nebula was drawn to Billy’s eyes and could only stare in wonder. Wanda was all set to take Billy back, if Nebula was truly uncomfortable feeding a baby - she wasn’t out to force anyone to do anything - but then she caught the look on her face, and her caged heart softened a little. “You’re good with him,” she smiled, as Tommy fed too, scarfing it down. She made sure to hold him somewhat upright so he wouldn’t end up with some kind of reflux later. That was always awkward, for both her and the twins. “I also appreciate the help - it’s hard to do two things at once, though admittedly I have mastered it more than I thought I would.” And she had developed her arm muscles even more so too, from balancing a baby in each. Rawr. Nebula glanced over at Wanda and adjusted her hold on Billy to reflect the way she was holding Tommy, a little more upright. She nodded to acknowledge her host’s observation, but kept her eyes on Billy. He continued to consume the milk with the enthusiasm of someone who didn’t know when the next meal would be, which was silly. His mother would be there for him and his twin, assuming nothing cataclysmic happened, but babies didn’t know that. They didn’t know too much of anything at this age, except how to eat, sleep and excrete. Her eyes watching Billy’s tiny fingers as they flexed, she said, “I don’t know how you do it, keeping control of them while maintaining a schedule to ensure they survive and still function with your work.” “It is...somewhat difficult,” Wanda agreed, shifting Tommy in her arms again - he was about done with the bottle, and he actually let her take the nipple from his mouth without protest; in fact, he was already tumbling into a milk coma, eyelids flagging. But she set the bottle down on the side table and held him so she could pat his back gently, all until - yep, there it went. He was burped, making these tired little snuffling noises so she began rocking him gently in order to fully lull him to sleep. “But I have my friends to help me and I have been looking into getting a nanny too,” she added. It was something Christine mentioned awhile ago and it seemed like a good idea. Wanda was an Avenger, and a powerful one at that, but doing everything all at once was pretty much impossible. “He’ll sleep now,” she said, right as the tea kettle went off. Good timing. “Let me just put him down and I’ll get us some tea. Do you like anything in yours? Milk, sugar?” Was she supposed to do that, too? Nebula removed the bottle, placed it on the same coffee table, and held him so his head was resting on her shoulder, near her right ear. He smelled of warm milk and clean linen and made these little noises, as if he was trying to communicate. She doubted he was at this stage, but it was… interesting. And vaguely soothing. As Wanda headed for another area of her quarters, Nebula wondered if she should follow or wait for Billy to do whatever it was he was expected to do. She hadn’t quite caught that part. She remained seated and called out, “I don’t know. Is it usual to have milk or sugar? Or both?” Trying not to be flustered as she continued to gently rock this small Human, she added, almost to herself, “Should I know what I want in my tea?” Turning her head slightly to press her nose into Billy’s blanket, she whispered, “What should I have in my tea, little one?” She wasn’t going soft, she decided. She was just learning to appreciate that there was more to life than being an assassin. It was all part of the learning curve in this place. Ha. Wanda could hear the question posed to the baby (it’s not like she was poking, but thoughts sometimes floated toward her) and it made her smile to herself. With Tommy in the cradle, she had hands free to bring in cups of tea on a tray, along with a little pitcher of milk and a canister of sugar (tiny silver spoon included). “Here, I’ll trade you,” she offered, setting down the tray and holding out her arms for Billy. “And I brought milk and sugar so you can see if you like it in your tea. This tea is Earl Grey, and personally I think some additions go best with it. But you can decide for yourself.” Nebula was almost reluctant to let Billy go, as she had become accustomed to his warm weight on her shoulder. She passed him to Wanda, careful to hold onto him until she was certain that his mother had him safely in her grasp. She smiled a little. “Your progeny are very well behaved,” she said and glanced at the tray. Milk or sugar? Or both? Billy hadn’t provided any opinion or insight into the matter, so she was still on her own there. She leaned closer and sniffed the tea pot. It was a faint but pleasant aroma. Perhaps she would wait and see what Wanda put in her tea before she decided. Her eyes slid to the platter of chocolate cupcakes - the promised treat from their ‘conversation’ on the network. They did look good. Don’t drool. You’re not some backward runt with more digestive juices than brain matter. Well, if she did say so herself, Wanda’s cupcakes were delicious and drool-worthy. Billy was placed into his cradle for a nap, Tommy was already asleep. “Thank you - they’re on a schedule these days, so I just make sure not to deviate from that,” she said. Eat, sleep, diaper change, play, repeat cycle. That was all it was. “Help yourself,” she encouraged - and, to get the ball rolling, she even took two of the dessert plates (one for her, one for Nebula) and placed a cupcake on each. For her tea, she added a splash of milk and a little spoonful of sugar - sometimes she put lemon and sugar in her tea (that was the British way) but she’d become accustomed to the American method of tea consumption. Then she settled on the sofa, unpeeling the wrapper from her cupcake. “Now we can catch up,” she grinned. “How are things with you?” She watched intently as Wanda set out the plates with cupcakes and chose the items she added to her Earl Grey. Nebula pulled one of the dessert plates toward her then added a splash of milk and a little spoonful of sugar to her cup of tea. She stirred, tapped the small spoon on the side of the cup and set it on the tray. Then she picked up the cup with her right hand, sticking her pinky finger out like the Internet had instructed. “Things?” she echoed. Things. How were things? “Fine,” she said, deciding that was true enough. “I’m working security for Stark here at the Tower and sparring with some of the team.” By that, she meant the Avengers. It was still strange to refer to them as if she belonged, but that had been made clear to her and encouraged. She should probably ask Quill and Drax if they wanted to spar, too. “I have experienced many different foods and explored the city.” Nebula paused to have a sip of tea, which was hot and a little sweet, but not unpleasant. She placed the cup on the coffee table and picked up the cupcake, holding it over the plate as she removed the wrapper as Wanda had done. She didn’t want to waste any crumbs to a fate on the carpet. “Oh? I miss sparring,” Wanda sighed, sinking teeth into her cupcake. She’d been trained by Natasha and Steve, so by now she was pretty good at hand-to-hand combat. It was just that she hadn’t really gotten a chance to practice in awhile; after having the twins, she’d been benched from any missions that required intense physicality. Which made sense of course - she needed the time to recover from the ordeal of childbirth, and plus with such young babies at home it wasn’t a good idea to go running straight into danger. They had already lost their father, when Vision was blipped out of this world. No way would Wanda risk being taken from their sons now. She sipped her tea, soothed by the warm liquid that rolled down her throat. “Maybe we could try sometime?” she suggested. “Most everyone else would go easy on me but I do not want that.” Nebula had a mouth full of chocolate cupcake and some crumbs had managed to spread above her upper lip. She nodded and chewed a little faster, making a noise generally associated with agreement. Once she’d swallowed, wiped her mouth with a napkin and had a sip of tea, she said, “Absolutely. We can spar whenever you want. I won’t go easy on you, but I will expect you to know when you’ve endured sufficient exercise and need to stop.” Given Wanda was the only parent for two very young Humans, Nebula would likely call it if she decided the session was done. She also figured Wanda would know that was a possibility and understand if it occurred. It was a fair approach to physical activity. Neither woman wore blinkers to the need for safety and common sense, though Nebula would be the first to agree that she tended to live her life as if nothing could ever stop her. “That’s fair,” Wanda nodded. If she needed to stop, she would definitely say something - and appreciated that Nebula was mindful of her personal needs and requirements. She just missed the physicality of it, the sweat and tears (good tears) and the way it felt to work off all that pent-up energy. Her smile was warm, and obviously pleased - she didn’t have too many close friends (that happened, when most were afraid of her) but had been steadily collecting them ever since she found herself as a part of this universe. She hoped that she could add Nebula to the list; she wouldn’t trade her friends for the world. There was a gentle clink, as she touched her teacup to Nebula’s. “Cheers to that.” Maybe it wasn’t proper protocol, to toast with teacups, but folks did what they wanted in this house. |