Safe Place

19: Confessions

Wanda's POV:

*TWO WEEKS LATER*

Everyone's sitting in the kitchen, talking and laughing. I'm perched on the counter as I nibble on a pear. Even though the Bucky tension has been pretty dissolved now, I still feel a little bit on the outside. I'm the youngest person in the house, and I'm still recovering from Sokovia. Besides, I have a lot on my mind.

Steve, the master of peaceful negotiations, managed to talk down Thor, Tony, and Maria from attacking Bucky that day he first arrived. Tony spent the rest of the day in his room, with Rhodey and Pepper visiting him occasionally. When he came out, he apologized to Bucky, but things were different for a few days.

Tony was quieter, more withdrawn, and still cold to Bucky. Maria and Pepper hung around a lot, Maria because she wanted to "make sure we were okay", and Pepper because she knew her best friend was hurting. Rhodey rarely left Tony's side.

Steve, on the other hand - what a difference. I'd always thought of him as quiet, solemn, and kind of like the team parent. He always seemed...tired, I guess. Kind of worn-out.

But when Bucky came, he lit up. He spent almost every waking moment he could with him, and he couldn't stop smiling or laughing. Steve's been in a fantastic mood, even now - cooking elaborate dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert; letting everyone off training yesterday; allowing us to have an Avengers movie night instead of his monthly team meeting. 

I know for a fact that Nat bet a handful of people fifty dollars each that Steve and Bucky - Stucky, she called them - were dating. To be honest, I agreed, but I'd never tell Nat. That's one thing that hasn't changed; she still won't talk to me.

Not even a smile.

Vision still talks to me, though. He talks to me a lot. And he kisses me, and walks with me, and generally won't leave me alone. Everything Pietro said in that dream has taken up permanent residence in my brain.

Anyway, after five or so days, Tony warmed up to Bucky. He was tentative at first, but when Bucky shared a story about tiny Steve in the 1940s trying to take on a gang of six-foot-tall men, their friendship was solidified over the one shared interest - poking fun at Captain America.

Now, it's over a week later, and the house has returned to normal. Pepper and Maria are still spending a lot of time here, although I'm not complaining. Turns out they've been dating for four years. They've kind of befriended me, I guess, and I'm glad.

With Nat avoiding me, I'd have no one else to talk to.

Pepper squeezes my arm, jerking me out of my thoughts. "Wanda, wake up!" she teases. "It's only 11 AM. There's still a lot of time to sleep today." 

"Yeah," Maria says, coming up behind her girlfriend. "We've got a lot to do." She gives Pepper a strange look.

I look between them curiously, but before I can open my mouth, Pepper grabs Maria's hand and hauls her out of the room. 

I lean back on the counter, marinating in the hum of conversation around me. Vision approaches me and places a hand on my back. I can feel myself tense.

I don't want to date Vision. I know that now. The way he makes me feel - I mean, he's nice and all, but I don't like him like that. 

But I also don't know how to tell him. 

"Everyone! Everyone!" Thor bellows from the foyer, interrupting my thoughts and making me flinch violently against Vision. "It's Game Day! Come on!"

Rhodey, Tony, Bucky, and Sam all rise in a cluster and go to meet Thor, laughing over something on Rhodes' phone. Steve's still humming and grinning to himself as he flips the last of the pancakes. Clint's probably still sleeping.