How To Save A Life | Wanda Maximoff & Natasha Romanoff

11.

Wanda is no stranger to the pain of the flame on her skin, some would even call her an ally.

It's her innate response to do anything she can to make herself feel better after doing something she claims as 'not allowed'. Even if that means hurting herself until every last bit of pain and hurt and anger is taken away.

She just wants a drink. She wants a drink so bad. So much alcohol that she can numb the experience and forget everything bad that ever happened.

She doesn't want to feel.

And she knows she can't go out and buy alcohol, not at seven o'clock in the evening, when both of her so-called caregivers are wide awake and chatting about something downstairs.

Wanda has been through this enough times to know that she shouldn't deal with it on her own. She has people now, and all she wanted was people, but it's a lot harder to talk to them than she thought it would be.

Knowing that she can't keep in the fact that she's hurt herself yet again, Wanda quickly wipes the tears from her eyes and brings her lighter downstairs with her, sheathed inside her hoodie pocket safely.

When she reaches the living room, Natasha and Yelena are having some sort of sister squabble, something about whether Fanny should be allowed to sleep on the bed or not.

It ends up being the dog's gaze changing that lets the siblings know someone else has joined the room.

Natasha is first to turn around, followed by Yelena, who immediately asks, "Are you okay?" in a worried tone. It's not very often that Wanda is the one to approach them, it's usually the other way around.

The witch shuffles uncomfortably, fiddling with her fingers as if they weren't just clutching the lighter a mere two minutes ago.

"Wanda?" Nat tries, startling Wanda out of her thoughts.

"Um... I-I did something," she tells the two in a quiet voice, Yelena is the first to ask a follow up 'what'. "Nat knows," she feebly answers.

"You've hurt yourself?" the oldest in the room questions in a way that comes out apathetically, but really all she wants to do is scoop up Wanda and hold her until all is good in this world.

Shutting down, Wanda nods and moves to sit down on the floor beside Fanny, who moves her head onto Wanda's lap.

"Why did you do it, honey?" Nat asks, keeping a close eye on Wanda and her movements.

But she doesn't answer, she can't. She's too caught up in her thoughts.

Until finally, a small path of clearance appears in her brain, enough that she can give her response.

"I can't believe I let myself eat so easily," she whispers just loud enough so that the others can hear.

The racing thoughts and guilt quickly turns into anger.

And it's not anger she can physically wield, she needs to out it.

What other way to do that than to blame the person who's fault it is that you're still alive?

"Why did you let me?!" she yells at Nat and in order to stop what could turn into a big fight, Yelena feels the need to step in and defend her big sister.

"Woah, let's not shift blame here."

Nat doesn't agree.

"No, Yelena, let her," she says, then turns to the witch. "Let me take it from you, Wanda, give me all that pain. I can take it, I promise."

For a minute, just for a minute, the two Russians think Wanda will take Nat up on the offer.

But she doesn't. She simply walks swiftly back to her bedroom and slams her door shut before pulling the lighter back out.