Whumptober 2023 ~ Marvel Edition

'I Thought She Was With You.' - Wanda (ft. Tony & Steve)

Day 24:

"I've got a head full of chemicals, mouth full of ridicule."
Goodbye Note | Neglect | "I thought they were with you."

~~~

As Steve entered Tony's lab, he gazed around at the fancy equipment and scattered supplies and noticed that it looked exactly the same as he remembered it being a few days ago, and that Tony was in the exact same spot. He knew that he'd seen the man around the compound once or twice, but he couldn't help but wonder if he'd left the space at all in the last few days.

"Hey," Steve said, announcing his presence as he stepped into the room.

Tony picked his head up off of his palms and looked up at the captain. "Oh, hey."

"You alive in here?" Steve asked teasingly.

"No," Tony muttered. "I'm just about ready to pass out."

"Then go take a break," Steve suggested. "This'll all still be here when you get back."

"Yeah, but I'm on a roll. If I stop now I'll lose my momentum."

"You'll lose your momentum if you pass out," Steve pointed out.

"That's very true; maybe I will go take a quick siesta," Tony said. He shifted his weight like he was about to stand up, but then paused and looked back to make eye contact with Steve. "Sorry, did you come in here for something?"

"I was just looking for Wanda. Do you know where she went?" Steve asked.

Tony raised his eyebrow. "I thought she was with you."

Steve's expression contorted into one of confusion and slight worry. "I thought she was with you."

"Me?" Tony replied. "I mean, I'm not exactly her favorite person ever; why would she be with me?"

"Because that's where she told me she was going to be."

Steve and Tony shared confused looks before Tony shrugged. "I'm sure she's just in her room or something. FRIDAY, where is Wanda?"

"Wanda Maximoff is not in the building, boss," FRIDAY informed him. Tony and Steve simultaneously raised a single eyebrow.

"Did she say where she was going?" Tony asked.

"No," FRIDAY said. "But she did leave a note in her room, if that helps at all."

Tony finally stood from his seat and walked out from behind his desk. "I'd say that does. Thank you, FRIDAY."

"You're welcome, boss."

"Come on," Tony said, gesturing for Steve to follow him.

The two of them silently - save for one or two random comments along the way - made their way over to the living quarters section of the compound and went straight for Wanda's room. The door was left slightly ajar, but even though it was fairly obvious that no privacy was intended, and that they knew for a fact that Wanda wasn't in there, they both still hesitated entering her room.

After exchanging brief glances, Tony was one who finally, and gently, nudged the door open wider. As expected, the room was vacant. And, just like FRIDAY had said, they could very clearly see a folded piece of paper resting in the middle of her neatly made bed. Steve walked in first, picked up the thin sheet of computer paper, unfolded it, and began reading.

Dear everyone,

First off I want to thank Stark for his hospitality since the events in Sokovia. I do not want anyone to think I am ungrateful, because I am very grateful for everything that's been giving to me and shown to me in regards to my powers.

That being said, I think it is best if I leave. I know you all have said that my future with you all is what matters, not my past, but I cannot help but feel like my past is making more than one person uncomfortable. I don't know, maybe it is in my head, but I get the feeling that I am not to be trusted, and I can feel the stares on the back of my head when people think I am not looking.

More than that, I do not feel like I truly belong here. No one has said or done anything directly to me to make me feel unwelcome, but even if I did not have the ability to read others' minds, I would be able to tell that people feel uneasy around me, and I do not wish to live in a place where I feel I have to walk on eggshells around the people I live with because they fear me.

Again, thank you for allowing me to live in your compound for the last couple of months, but I am going to find my own way now, and I would ask that you not come after me.

I wish you all the best,

Wanda Maximoff

After they both finished reading, Tony let the note fall to his side, looked up to the ceiling, and let out a breath of air.

"So...do we just let her go?" Steve asked.

"I mean...maybe?" Tony suggested. "She is an adult. A very young one, but an adult at that."

"Yeah, but...how do we feel with an unsupervised super loose on the streets?"

"She's not 'loose' per say," Tony remarked. "And I don't know, it's not like she's unstable or anything. Sure, she's a little messed up mentally, but so are the rest of us, and we do just fine out in public. Most of the time."

Steve chuckled and crossed his arms. "Yeah, I guess so. I just hope she's okay, you know? I feel really bad; I mean, I'm sure none of us were trying to make her feel so uncomfortable. I wish she would've talked to us first instead of just taking off like that."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "But we can't force her to stay here if she doesn't want to."

Steve nodded solemnly.

"I know," he said. "Time to go break the news to the others, I guess."

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "Maybe we can have Clint reach out to her and at least check to make sure she's okay. I know they seemed to have gotten a little closer than the rest of us did with her."

"That's a good idea," Steve agreed. "Come on, let's go talk to them before everyone goes off to bed."

"Okay," Tony said. "And after, we'll see if we can track her down. Like I said, the least we can do is make sure she has a roof over her head tonight. Even if that roof isn't this one."