Broken Beyond Repair

Chapter 13

When Wanda wakes up, Pietro is still fast asleep, sprawled out with an arm and leg hanging over the edge of his bed and his face jammed into his pillow. She just watches him for a few moments, amused. That really can't be comfortable.

Then she heads out the door and over to Loki's room. If she's awake, he might be, too, and she doesn't want him to be alone for too long once he's up.

The sight of the empty mattress in his room makes her heart stop.

Then she notices Loki sitting in the corner of the room with his back against the wall, and a wave of relief washes over her. So he is okay.

He's still asleep, it seems. His legs are pulled up into his chest, and his head rests on his knees, his eyes closed. He doesn't notice her standing there, and she almost wonders if she should just leave him be. If he's tired, he should sleep. She doesn't want to disrupt that.

But then Loki's eyes flutter open, and he gives Wanda a small, tired smile.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she says teasingly. "Are you ready to get up?"

Loki just looks at her, his smile unwavering.

"Okay, come here." Wanda brings the wheelchair over to him, and she hooks her arms under his own, ready to hoist him up. "One... two... three!" She pulls him up...

But he only comes a few inches off the ground before he falls back down again.

Wanda frowns. That didn't work as well as she would have liked. She slips a hand behind his knees, the other supporting his back. One... two... three! She picks him up... And he barely leaves the floor.

Wanda sighs and puts him back down on the floor. "This is not working, is it?"

Loki just looks at her.

"I will find help," she says. "Stay here."

She heads out of the room, leaving the door open for him this time. She pokes her head in her own room, but Pietro is still asleep, so he's no help. She'd feel weird checking Thor's room, so instead, she takes a walk around the tower. She has a vague idea of where the kitchen is, and she knows where a couple of the common areas are from yesterday. Those seem like good places to start.

She's on her way to the kitchen when she hears two very familiar voices down the hall.

"-- so weird," Clint is saying. "I can't even hate the guy anymore."

"Well, yeah," Natasha says, "hating a guy who can't do anything would make you the bad guy, not him."

"Oh, yeah, that's easy for you to say," Clint says. "He never mind-controlled you into helping him take over the world."

Wanda's brows shoot up. Are they talking about Loki? (Of course they're talking about Loki. She's not an idiot; she knows that. But are they really talking about Loki, because...?)

"Oh, come on," Natasha says teasingly. "Everyone gets mind-controlled every once in a while."

"No, they don't!" Clint says. "Most people go their entire lives without getting mind-controlled!"

They turn the corner just as Wanda is reaching it, and their conversation ends in an instant. She's sure it was on purpose, but they don't seem very bothered by having to cut their conversation short.

"Hey, kiddo," Clint says with a warm smile. "You sleep well?"

"I did, thank you," she says awkwardly. She's never been one for small talk — probably because the only person she's had to make small talk with for the last decade or so has been Pietro. "Could you help me get Loki up?"