Agony (Wanda Maximoff)

Chapter 62

||It's our paradise and it's our war zone.||

They dressed quietly, sneaking looks at one another—grinning when their eyes would meet.

Wanda could still feel the weight of him on top of her as she zipped her uniform up; her face growing hot at the very thought. The way he felt against her skin, and how euphoric it was, made her want to do it again.

"Are you feeling okay?" Steve asked her, holding his helmet between his fingers. She combed her fingers through her hair and nodded. "Good," he came up to her and kissed her forehead. His lips were warm against her skin, and she leaned into him, comforted, relaxed.

The moment ended too soon, a knock at the door forcing them both to pull away.

Steve unlocked the door and opened it, revealing Natasha's bright hair. She began to speak, but froze when she noticed Wanda. After a second, she grinned, holding her hand out for Wanda to grab. "We'll wait for you upstairs, Rogers," she said, and Wanda followed Natasha out of his room, feeling embarrassed.

"Are we leaving?" Wanda asked, trying her best to keep the conversation away from herself. They walked down the hall towards the elevator, passing a few employees who worked for Tony.

"Thor just got back, and he says we're good to go." They stepped into the elevator, and the silence that soon followed felt thick enough to cut. Both girls stood quietly, but Wanda kept fidgeting, waiting for Natasha to say something. If it were one of the others who had knocked on Steve's door, then Wanda would have been sure that they didn't pick up on anything between Steve and her, but this was Natasha—the woman who was smart and knew how to read people.

But she didn't say anything, and the moment the elevator doors opened up to Tony's apartment floor, Wanda released the nerves building up in her legs.

Natasha walked off without saying a word, and Wanda trudged over to her brother, who was standing near the windows in the corner. His body was faced out towards the city, and when she reached him, she locked her arm with his.

"You ever been down there?" he asked, his eyes focused on the city below. Instantly, she thought back to when Steve spent the day with her, walking around the city and showing her everything. She remembered that day perfectly, not just because of Steve, but because it was a day she felt happy, even with the pain of Pietro still consuming her.

It was that day that gave her hope.

"I went a while back, and it was... amazing."

"Do they have fruit stands?" he asked, and she laughed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Of course they do, Pietro."

She looked up at him, but her eyes fell onto his shirt.

It was a replica of the one he wore the day they battled with Ultron. The same long-sleeved shirt that she loathed. It all brought back the pain she hated feeling, and as a result, she pulled away from him.

"Why are you wearing that?" she asked, crossing her arms. He looked down at the shirt and shrugged, as if it meant nothing.

"It is the only one that fits," he answered. She turned away, looking back out the window. That pain—the pain she hated—slept in her spine, only awaking when she was reminded of it. Seeing Pietro in that shirt didn't just remind her, it brought her back. She knew those feelings would make her even more determined to fight, but there, standing beside him, all it did was make her want to hide in the darkness and cry.

Just like she used to.

"Wanda... I can go change if—"

"No," she cut him off, blinking away the tears. "Keep it on."