The relaxation sessions after training became an unspoken "bonus time" for the two of them.
It started with Natasha offering professional muscle-relaxation massages as thanks for Cloud's guidance.
But gradually, these massages took on a different flavor.
Like right now.
After training, Natasha wore a light sports tank top and shorts, kneeling on the sofa, using her perfectly-pressured delicate hands to massage Cloud's shoulders as he lay face-down.
"Mm... good... right there, a bit more pressure..." Cloud had his eyes closed, making comfortable little sounds.
Natasha's face was flushed as she felt the explosive, solid muscle beneath her palms, her heartbeat quickening.
The air was thick with a heady mixture of sweat, massage oil, and hormones.
Just as her mind began to wander—
Suddenly!
Cloud, who had been lying prone, flipped over in one swift motion!
His iron-grip hands instantly seized Natasha's wrists, and with a twist of his waist—
"Ah!"
Natasha let out a startled cry as the world spun around her!
The next second, she found herself pinned beneath Cloud on the soft sofa!
Their eyes met.
The position was extremely intimate.
Cloud's aggressive masculine presence engulfed her completely.
"Your reaction's too slow, Natasha."
A victorious, mischievous smile curved Cloud's lips.
"A top-tier operative should never let her guard down around her target—not even when he's enjoying your service."
"You... you bastard! Let me go!"
Natasha was both embarrassed and angry, struggling symbolically.
But her strength, against Cloud, was about as effective as a kitten's scratching.
"Let you go? Sure." Cloud's smile grew more playful.
He lowered his head, their noses almost touching.
"But according to our previous deal, don't you still owe me quite a few... payments?"
"As a personal lifestyle assistant, this counts as part of your overtime service, right?"
Looking into those deep eyes that seemed capable of pulling her soul in, feeling his scorching breath, Natasha felt her brain dissolving into mush.
She surrendered her resistance, closing her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly.
As if waiting for that sweet "punishment" that was about to arrive.
...
Meanwhile, as Cloud and Natasha were engaged in various "indescribable" "operative training" in the penthouse suite—
In another room of Stark Tower, specially renovated for Wanda—
A completely different kind of "soul guidance" was quietly unfolding.
Ever since she'd created her first "scarlet butterfly" under Cloud's guidance, Wanda was no longer as afraid of her power.
But she still felt lost.
Her mental state fluctuated—sometimes good, sometimes bad.
Sometimes she could act like a normal girl, watching movies with Natasha, chatting about things on her mind.
But more often, she would lock herself in her room, hugging her knees, staring blankly for an entire day.
Her mind kept involuntarily conjuring the ruins of Sokovia and her dead brother Pietro.
Whenever this happened, the chaos magic inside her would grow restless.
Cloud had naturally noticed this.
He knew that for Wanda, simple technique instruction was useless.
He had to untangle the knot at the root.
And so, one afternoon when Wanda's mood had again plummeted, Cloud pushed open her door.
The room was dark. The curtains were drawn tight.
Wanda was curled up at the foot of her bed, face buried in her knees, shoulders trembling slightly.
In the corners of the room, the air was distorting and warping uncontrollably.
Cloud didn't turn on the lights or say anything.
He simply walked over and sat down beside her bed.
"Missing him?" he asked softly.
Wanda's body jerked.
She raised her head, her red, swollen eyes looking at Cloud warily.
"Don't be afraid." Cloud's gaze was gentle and full of compassion. "I'm not here to counsel you. I just want to ask for your help with something."
"Help?" Wanda was confused.
"Yes." Cloud nodded. "I've been working on a new type of illusion technique. But I need a canvas—a completely safe space where I can paint freely. Your chaos magic happens to be the perfect material for creating that canvas."
He extended his hand toward her.
"Would you be my partner?"
Looking into his sincere eyes—completely free of pity or sympathy—Wanda hesitated for a moment before slowly placing her cold little hand in his warm palm.
The next second, Cloud activated his power.
Not the [Yata Mirror].
But the more fundamental creative force of his [Dimensional Sovereign] abilities!
Using Wanda's chaos magic as "paint" and his own "Sovereign Will" as the "brush," he opened up an entirely new mental canvas space deep within Wanda's consciousness!
This space was pure white, endless.
Here, all creation was purely imaginative and would have no effect on the real world.
"Where... is this?" Wanda looked around curiously at this strange space.
"This is your studio." Cloud smiled. "From today on, you're the creator god of this place. You can paint anything you want here."
"Any... thing?" A glimmer of longing flickered in Wanda's eyes.
"That's right, anything." Cloud nodded with certainty. He guided her gently: "For instance... your favorite strawberry cake?"
Wanda's heart stirred.
The next second, a sweet-looking strawberry cake appeared out of thin air before her.
"For instance... your childhood home in Sokovia?"
Wanda's breathing quickened.
She closed her eyes, trying hard to remember what home looked like.
The next second, a warm little wooden house full of remembered details rose from the ground.
"For instance..." Cloud's voice became even gentler.
"...the brother you miss most?"
Wanda's body began to tremble violently!
In her mind, the image of a silver-haired boy who always called her "little monster" with a smile emerged with crystal clarity!
"Pietro..."
She reached out a trembling hand.
Scarlet energy surged wildly!
A figure formed of chaos magic, identical to Quicksilver, slowly materialized before her!
"Sis..."
That Quicksilver gave her a familiar, sunny smile.
"Pietro!"
Wanda could no longer hold back her emotions. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around this illusory yet incomparably real "brother," and burst into tears!
She poured out all her longing, all her pain, all her grievances in that moment!
Cloud stood to the side, not disturbing her.
He simply watched in silence.
...
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