WAR OF HEARTS ➵ scarletfrost

five.

- CHAPTER FIVE -
"ROYALTY"

The next morning, Wanda spent mainly with Pietro in a corner. The night before, she hadn't had as much sleep as she ought to, her mind bustling with the idea that he was just back after all these years. Despite her urge to tell him everything he'd missed, every little detail of every event, he forced her to rest, assuring her they had all the time in the world.

Well clearly, considering how that went last time, they did not have all the time in the world. Although she'd surrendered, her night was spent restless, hands smoothening over the covers in an attempt to soothe her thoughts. Thoughts about Pietro, everything he'd missed, the team and how they'd become whole again, Nat, Tony, Vision-

And the infuriating prince blaming her for their deaths.

Banishing the thought of him, she redirected her focus onto anything and everything else. Even now, as she sat on the edge of a couch in the corner of the room, she refused to give him a second thought. Pietro's loud chuckle awoke her from yet another trance of staring at him, trying to gauge if he were real or not, despite knowing well that he was.

"It's like the rhyme they'd teach us in school, you know, with the bunny who-"

"-fell in a ditch, yes, I remember. Sounds a bit gruesome for children, no?" She replied thoughtfully, mind flashing back to all those days sat in school, singing along happily to rhymes her teachers fed her.

Snorting, Clint nodded in agreement, "In a country with so much war, you'd think they'd be teaching you army training."

"Children, we are stuck amongst a raging civil war, but you mustn't forget the rhyme about the bunny," Pietro drawled out, voice deepening in a mocking teacher voice. Shaking her head fondly, Wanda's eyes shot up to the door which had swung open, Thor entering and dragging his brother along.

Snapping her eyes down once again, she silently hoped no one had noticed. She didn't even want to mention their distasteful interaction, let alone have anyone else mention it to her. But as per usual, her hopes were left unsatisfied as the Valkeriye spoke up from where she sat scarfing down the remainder of her pancakes.

"Don't let him get too under your skin," she warned lightly, setting her plate aside onto the tea table. Swallowing down a scoff, Wanda felt annoyance creep into her. How was she to ignore him when he was so difficult? If he did not have a filter on what he said, she wasn't going to grant him the security of one either.

As soon as it had risen though, her annoyance fell. The woman was just trying to advise her, and to be honest, letting his words affect her and biting back was like prodding a bear, stupid.

Luckily, the conversation moved on rather smoothly after that, but it did not help in returning Wanda's appetite as she twirled her fork on the plate, a piece of uneaten egg at the bottom of it. With no interest in finishing the food, she took her plate and headed toward the dining area just behind them, fork scraping off the leftover bits of food into the bin.

"Not fond of Midgardian food? Me neither," a voice rung out from behind her, as she inhaled sharply.

"I've lost my appetite, unpleasant company often does that to a person," she snarked back, an obvious jab towards the God whom didn't flinch. Setting her plate down, she planned to make a beeline back to her previous position.