#toldthatdevil fic

It was the height of summer. The worst season ever, because it meant you were always hot and always sweaty. It was the kind of hot that made all of your clothes cling to your skin and your hair feel like a sticky mess if it wasn’t tied up properly. But today your mommies were trying to make your summer a little less awful, because today they were taking you to the water park. 

The drive felt like it was taking forever. You were practically vibrating in your car seat with excitement, asking, “Are we there yet?” every five minutes, much to Natasha and Wanda’s amusement. But, finally, finally, the twisting water slides appeared in the distance, and you pressed your face against the glass, straining to get a better look.

“Someone’s excited,” Natasha smirked, catching you bouncing in the rearview mirror.

Wanda turned around in her seat, brushing your knee with her hand to get your attention. “Remember our rule, sweetheart? You stay close, and tell mommy or me if it starts to feel like too much.”

You nodded eagerly, too busy staring out the window at the water slides to answer. This was your very first time at a water park, and even though you couldn’t really swim—if at all—your mommies had promised they’d stay with you the whole time, no matter what.

Once the car was parked, Natasha helped you out of your car seat while Wanda grabbed the bags from the trunk.  Together, you joined the queue to enter the park ,then made your way to the family changing room. 

Inside, Wanda knelt down helping you out of your clothes and into your swimsuit. “Arms up,” she prompted gently. You obeyed with a giggle, delighted as she helped you wriggle into your swimsuit.

But then came the worst part. 

“Sunscreen time,” Natasha announced, kneeling in front of you with the bottle in her hand. “Hold still, lovebug,” she said, trying to smother the cold lotion onto your skin.

“Eww! It’s yucky!” you whined, trying to squirm away. You knew sunscreen was important, but did it always have to feel so cold? You felt Wanda’s hands rest gently but firmly on your shoulders to stop you squirming even more.

“Just a little more,” Wanda soothed, bending down to kiss your cheek. “We don’t want you coming home looking like a tomato, now do we?”

You sighed and gave a reluctant nod, murmuring a soft “hm” as you finally gave in.

“And done,” Natasha said with a satisfied nod, tossing the bottle back into the beach bag.

You immediately turned scrambling toward the door, your hand already on the handle. “Can we go, can we go?”

Behind you, Wanda was half naked, she hadn’t even had time to put her bikini bra on before you opened the door.

“Hey—! Wait, wait!” Wanda gasped, fumbling to cover herself before you could swing the door all the way open exposing her. “Mama’s not trying to flash the whole water park here, sweetheart.”

Natasha chuckled from where she was folding your clothes back into the bag. “Easy, tiger,” she said with a teasing glance.

Wanda smirked as she finally got the ties of her bikini top secured. 

“Ugh,” you groaned dramatically, bouncing on your heels as you waited. “Can we go now?!” 

“Hm…” Wanda drew out the sound as she looked you over thoughtfully. “I don’t know… I think something’s missing.”

You tilted your head in confusion. “What?”

She knelt down beside one of the bags on the floor and unzipped it.

“I have something for you,” she whispered, with a smile.

Your eyes widened as she revealed a pair of colourful armband floats and a floatie shaped exactly like your favourite animal.

“Mama!” you gasped, reaching out with grabby hands. “I love them!”

Natasha and Wanda chuckled, happy with your reaction.

“What do we say?” Natasha prompted gently, one eyebrow raised as she stood and slung the bag over her shoulder.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” you squealed in delight, throwing your arms around your mama and hugging her tightly.

————

The water park was… a lot.

It was bigger than you imagined. Louder too. You stood there hesitantly, unsure of what to do first. You watched as the other children darted past you, shrieking with laughter, water splashing everywhere. There were so many people and it all felt like chaos, which was exciting but also overwhelming. 

You reached for your mommies’ hands without thinking, suddenly feeling very, very small.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Wanda murmured, sensing your nervousness. “How about we start with something gentle? We could try the lazy river, hm?”

You nodded, not entirely sure what that was but trusting your mommy’s suggestion. 

You didn’t have to wait in line long before, you were settling into your brightly coloured inflatable ring. Natasha held it steady for you so you didn’t drift off, then climbed into her own once Wanda had settled into hers.

You could feel the current tugging at you gently eager to move and for a moment you were worried that as soon as Natasha let go you would be whisked away, but she didn’t. The water stayed slow and gently, carrying all three of you along.

You trailed your fingers through the warm water, watching the ripples spread. One loop around the river turned into two before you even realised, and you were secretly hoping to go around a third time but Wanda gave your ring a soft nudge.

“Alright, little fish,” she smiled, “let’s try something else?”

———

After the lazy river, you wandered through the park for a while, taking everything in from the safety of your mommies arms. They took turns giving you piggy backs when you complained that the ground was getting too hot for your bare feet. Together you looked at the wave pool, watched the bigger kids zoom down the slides that were way too tall for you, and found it particularly hilarious to watch the giant water buckets fill up and tip over, splashing water onto people’s heads.

Eventually though your tummy started to rumble.

You ate lunch with your mommies by the lagoon pool, munching on sandwiches and fruit cups. As you ate your food, you watched the other kids slide down the smaller slides nearby, eyes glued to them.

You were too small for the big slides you saw earlier,  but these ones looked smaller, something you might be able to try. 

“You wanna try it out, lovebug?” Natasha asked, following your gaze. 

You bit your lip. You really wanted to… but it was new and that made it scary. 

“I can go with you,” she offered gently. “You can sit right in my lap the whole way down.”

You looked at your mama, unsure. Wanda gave you an encouraging smile, her voice soft as she spoke. “You can do it sweetheart,” she said, her eyes warm and reassuring. 

That was all you needed to hear to convince you. You nodded, but you were only going if mommy went with you like she said she would, and if mama would wait for you in the pool below.

Taking a deep breath, you started to climb the metal stairs. Natasha’s hand found yours, steadying your nerves as you climbed, but still each step forward made your heart beat faster and butterflies flutter in your belly. Natasha’s voice was soft and low beside you so only you could hear, soothing you gently. “You’ve got this, lovebug. We’re almost there.”

When you reached the top, you realised just how high up you were. It didn’t look that tall from the ground but now you were here you were unsure if you could do it at all. 

You watched as Natasha sat down first on the slide, the water rushing past her. She reached out her arms for you but you stood there hesitantly. “Come on, squirt” she said.

Carefully you shuffled over to her and she pulled you effortlessly into her lap.

“Ready?” she asked, adjusting you slightly so you were secure. You gave her a nervous nod, and with your approval she pushed off gently, starting your descent down the slide.

You screamed the entire way down, clinging to her as you whooshed around the bends of the slide, cold water spraying your face. You had your eyes shut tight the entire way down, so the big splash into the pool took you by complete surprise. 

You felt Natasha’s grip tighten on your waist just before bringing you up above the water. 

As you wiped the water from your face and blinked your eyes open, you saw your mama waiting right where she said she’d be. In the pool, only she had a waterproof camera in hand. 

“You did it, sweetheart!” she cheered, beaming. She waded over and planted a big kiss on your cheeks, making you giggle.

“Again!!” you shouted as soon as you caught your breath.

Natasha laughed. “Could you hear her screaming the whole way down?”

“I’m pretty sure half of the park heard her,” Wanda laughed. 

—————

The rest of the afternoon consisted of waiting in line for the same exact slide, over and over again and running around in the splash pads. 

But there was only one thing left you really wanted to try: the wave pool.

Wanda frowned slightly. “I think you might be too little, sweetheart…”

Your bottom lip wobbled. “Please, Mommy?” you whispered, turning to Natasha. You knew Natasha was much easier to convince than your mama.

Natasha sighed, and looked over at Wanda. “Maybe we give her a quick swimming lesson first?”

Wanda didn’t answer right away. She glanced between the two of you, looking at your hopeful little face made her soften, just a bit.

“Okay,” she said finally, “but I want to see you swimming like a little fish before we even think about the waves.”

—————

“I can’t do it mommy,” you whimpered, your little toes curling over the edge of the pool. Even though the water was shallow and you could see the bottom, see the toys that had sunk down there waiting to be recovered. it was still so scary.

“Yes you can,” Natasha encouraged from the water, her red hair now pulled back into a ponytail, her arms wide open for you, “you’re so brave, I know you can do this.”

“And I’m right behind you,” Wanda added, rubbing small circles on your back but your heart still felt as though it was going to beat its way out from your ribcage.

“What if I sink?” you asked in a small voice, feeling yourself slipping deeper into your headspace.

Wanda knelt beside you, taking your hands gently in hers. “Watch,” her voice was soft. She waved a hand and tendrils of her red magic rippled through the water, and a toy that had sunk to the bottom of the pool floated up into her hand. “If you go under, I’ll just bring you back to me.”

You giggled. Her magic always helped and you loved watching her use it.

“Okay,” you whispered. “But do I have to jump?”

Natasha smiled. “No, silly.”

“Come sit on the steps with me,” Wanda said, guiding you down to sit on the first step. The water lapped at your waist, and Natasha waded over to come closer to you.

“Lesson Number 1,” Natasha said, slipping into what you called her "secret spy" voice, “is learning to be friends with the water. Let’s start by splashing.”

You kicked and splashed and giggled, slowly relaxing. Natasha taught you to blow bubbles with your face partially submerged.

“That’s it, just like blowing out birthday candles.”

You watched as she showed you how to use your arms to push you forward in the water. 

“Imagine you’re scooping ice cream.”

And she showed you how to float on your back without your armbands on.

Wanda sat at the edge of the pool, watching and taking pictures with her camera, occasionally giving your floatie that you had insisted on bringing with you a nudge closer with her magic, making you giggle through your nerves.

It didn’t take you long to catch on, and now you were barely holding onto Natasha. You were only using her as a guide, scared you would bump your head on the pool wall without her.

“Okay, I’m going to let go of one hand,” she warned, “but I’ll be right here.”

You nodded, determined to this. She let go and you kept going, you kept kicking and scooping and you were finally swimming!

“You’re doing it!” Wanda cheered from the side of the pool, her camera clicking rapidly.

“Mommy, I wanna try without you holding me!”

Natasha raised a brow but nodded. “Alright then squirt. Swim from me to Mama.”

You took a deep breath, scooped, kicked and swam, doing your best to go in a straight of a line as possible. You knew you’d made it when Wanda scooped you into a tight hug.

You let out a squeal.

“Now back to me!” Natasha called, her arms outstretched for you.

You felt much more confident this time, but you kicked yourself right into Natasha’s embrace.

“Mission accomplished!” she declared, giving you a big kiss on your wet cheeks and spinning you around. “Wave pool time?”

You grinned, nodding excitedly.

——————

You waded in together just at the right time. The horn blared signalling the start of the waves.  The gentle swells of the water began to rise, rolling in lazily at first before you saw them really starting to build in size. 

Wanda had one hand resting on your back, her other subtly weaving glowing red threads of her magic into the water around you. You didn’t notice what she was doing exactly, but you could tell the water felt different where you were, it was softer. Nowhere near as exciting as further out, where you wanted to be.

But then you noticed why.

“Mama,” you pouted, craning to look up at her. “You’re making the waves small!”

Wanda sighed, caught in her act. “I was just trying to keep them from being too rough for you, sweetheart.”

“I want the big ones,” you insisted, pointing further out. “The real waves,”

You could see her hesitation. She glanced at Natasha for backup, but Natasha only smiled. “She’s got her armbands on, Wanda,” Natasha said. “She’ll be fine.”

You beamed happily, and latched yourself onto Natasha’s hip as you couldn’t quite reach the bottom of the pool anymore. You wrapped your little arms and legs around her like a baby koala as she walked the two of you out into deeper water. Wanda stayed close beside you, her brows slightly knit together with concern.

You felt the water gradually lifting around you, rising and falling like it was breathing. It almost felt like you were flying. The thrill of it made your heart pound hard in your chest 

“I wanna go deeper!” You squealed.

“Are you sure, sweetheart?” Wanda asked cautiously, brushing your wet hair out of your eyes.

“Yes! Deeper!”

Your mama looked like she might say no, but Natasha was already racing ahead, stepping further in, her grip firm around your waist.

“She’s okay,” Natasha called back confidently. “I’ve got her.”

You were in the thick of it now, the waves were cresting higher than anywhere else in the pool, more violent too. You had your arms wrapped around Natasha’s neck, laughing. You were so far out you don’t even think she could touch the floor anymore but you didn’t care. You were having fun. You felt brave. You felt big.

But then it happened.

A massive wave rolled in. “Hold on-“ Natasha started, but it was too late.

She tried to hold you tighter, but the wave knocked into her full force, and for a terrifying moment, you felt yourself slip out of her arms.

You were under the water.

You tumbled with the wave, turning upside down, water burning your nose and throat. 

Before you could panic fully, you felt a familiar warmth grasp wrapping itself around you like a ribbon and pull you through the water, into the arms of your Mama. She clutched you tightly to her chest, holding the back of your head, her heart pounding against you. You were sputtering, coughing, trying to blink away the water from your eyes. 

Your chest felt tight and your face scrunched in confusion from what just happened. You weren’t crying…not yet.

“Oh my god, is she okay?” Natasha swam up, breathless and soaked, her hands hovering near you. “I’m so sorry, I had her- I didn’t mean to -shit.” 

Your head snapped toward her, still dazed by the wave, but you caught what she said.

“Bad word,” you mumbled, sniffling a little.

“What?” Natasha blinked in confusion.

“You said a bad word, mommy,” you repeated, the tiniest form of a grin breaking on your face.

Wanda huffed a soft laugh, before pressing a firm kiss to your forehead. “She’s fine,” She murmured with relief, but you could tell her voice was still tight. She looked up at Natasha with a stern frown. “No more wave pool.”

Natasha nodded immediately, the guilt written all over her face. “Agreed. I’m so sorry, lovebug.”

You didn’t answer—just wrapped your arms tightly around Wanda’s neck, pressing your cheek against her shoulder.

Wanda carried you out of the pool, not letting go for even a second. You were still a little shaky, your face pink and damp, but you stayed quiet as she wrapped a towel around you and gently patted you dry.

“Let’s get you warm,” Wanda said softly, tucking your floaties under her arm.

Natasha came back with a bottle of water and your favourite snack from the cooler bag, crouching beside your lounge chair.

“Here,” she whispered, holding it out. “Hydration mission, agent. Top priority.”

You took the bottle with both hands and drank obediently, eyes still a bit wide but your fingers curling in comfort when Wanda sat down beside you and draped another towel across your lap.

“Think we’re done with deep water for today,”Natasha said gently, brushing her knuckles against your cheek.

You nodded slowly, leaning into Wanda’s side as she wrapped her arm around you. The events of the day were beginning to catch up to you. You were warm, dry, full of snacks, and now totally tuckered out.

“Can we do lazy river again later?” you asked with a yawn, your voice small, already starting to lose your battle with sleep.

Wanda smiled and tucked your damp hair behind your ear. “Of course we can, my love.”

Natasha leaned in and kissed your temple. “But only if you promise to let me hold you extra tight.”