Natasha didn’t expect some big reaction or acknowledgement, as Steve wasn’t the type to probe or push people in that manner. It was yet another thing on the list she’d accumulated of things to respect about Steve. The time would come when she would feel more comfortable with baring her soul, but she was still easing her way into it. It was all new to her. It was one of the only things she remained guarded about even after all the time she distancing herself from it. And in a way, after what happened when she let down her walls with Bruce, she was hesitant to repeat that kind of mistake and allow the potential of hurt in again.
“That doesn’t surprise me,” she admitted, curling up in a seat opposite his. “Wanda is stubborn, which I can’t really claim I’m shocked by after everything she’s been through. It’s why I’ve kept my distance from her. She’s also still a child in many ways, mostly reaction-wise, regardless of her age and experience.” She kept her tone matter of fact, wanting to make it clear she was expressing an opinion that Steve was welcome to disagree with if he felt so inclined. She was basing her judgments on what she’d seen and her own dealings with the younger woman, and found that many of Wanda’s behaviors fell in line with that of someone who hadn’t fully emotionally matured as of yet. She paused to pass him a bottle of water. She wa aware of his inability to get drunk and as such saw no reason to waste alcohol.
“There’s nothing to thank me for, but I think you knew that before you brought it up.” She shook of the twinge of annoyance that welled up when she recognized that both he and James thanked her for things she felt innately were the right thing to do. “Still, you’re welcome.” A distinctly different reaction than the one she gave to James, for definitively differing reasons.