Two of a Kind | Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 42: Back to Normal, and No One Died!

They heroes, though grateful that Thanos had been defeated and that the universe was spared from his bloodlust, wished that their entire team and survived the fray. Once Claire had recovered, she and Wanda stood up and walked to where Vision was before Wanda destroyed the stone.

Wanda knelt down in the grass and lowered her head, a small whimpering cry escaped her lips. Claire lowered herself down beside her and pulled her into her arms, letting her cry into her jacket. Claire ran her fingers through Wanda's hair, gently untangling the forming knots and removing leaves and small sticks.

"I know, baby," Claire whispered to her as she planted a small kiss on her forehead. Wanda tightened her arms around Claire's waist and buried her face further into her black leather jacket. "It's okay. It'll be okay."

When Wanda had calmed down and pulled away out of Claire's embrace, Claire took off her jacket—which was too big on her since it was Bucky's that she stole—and draped it over Wanda's trembling body, offering her a small smile. Wanda returned it, and pulled the jacket over her more, letting it envelope her, and inhaled deeply, catching Claire's scent that lingered in the fabric.

"So...what do we do now?" Claire asked, turning away from Wanda and towards Steve. Wand kept her eyes down, not looking away from where she last saw Vision. She felt guilty; she shouldn't be missing him this much. She had no right to mourn him, having not seen him or been in contact with him since Germany, and even before then, she wasn't that great of a friend to him. She shut him out during her grieving and when she moved in with Jemma, she ignored him. When he tried to help her, she pushed him away and them almost immediately took control of his mind and shoved him through several floors worth of concrete. And despite this, he still held some kind of love for her—though she wasn't sure if it was strictly platonic or bridging on romantic—and he had forgiven her for everything she had ever done to him.

Even now, that she was the cause of his untimely death, Wanda felt the warmth of his forgiveness wash over her and it made her sick to her stomach. She didn't deserve his forgiveness; she deserved his hatred and condemnation. She deserved to be caged or imprisoned like the monster she—and everyone else—knew she was. She didn't deserve to mourn.

Sensing her distress, Claire placed her hand on Wanda's shoulder and her voice came through her mind, crossing over through the mental connection that she forgot they had.

"You're not a monster."

"Now...we try to live," Steve said as his heart eased and the adrenaline disappeared, leaving him tired.

The Avengers walked out of the forest and back towards the main battle ground where the Wakandans stood, shouting and cheering in victory, walking past the dead bodies of Outriders and broken Threshers. Claire walked Wanda back towards the palace, her hand on her back and her jacket still wrapped around Wanda. She had stopped crying and allowed herself to calm down and she was exhausted, physically and emotionally.

Claire directed her inside and into an empty suit and over to sit on the bed. Claire knelt down and undid the laces on Wanda's boots and took them off, placing them at the foot of the bed. She then stood up, sat next to Wanda, pulled off her jacket, and took off her own long red leather jacket, resting it on the end of the bed. Moving upwards, Claire's fingers gently brushed against Wanda's neck as she undid the clasp on her necklaces, and Wanda shivered and blinked for the first time in a few minutes.

She took the necklaces off and placed them on the little table beside the bed, Wanda's eyes following her, though she said nothing. She turned back to her and grasped her shoulders and pushed her down on the bed, resting her head against the pillows, and moved down and lifted her feet onto the bed, helping her lie down. She then grabbed a small blanket and covered the lower half of her body with it and then grabbed her black jacket and draped it over the front half of Wanda's body.