Work This Out

Chapter 39 ~ Work this out

1 month later

Avengers Indictment?

World Reaction to Violence

"...eleven Wakandans were among those killed during a confrontation between the Avengers and a group of mercenaries in Lagos, Nigeria, last month. The traditionally reclusive Wakandans were on an outreach mission in Lagos when the attack occurred." The newswoman on the computer screen says.

Dad and I are watching the news in his room. He's sitting in a computer seat while I'm sitting in his lap. We made up the day after the events at Lagos happened. He tries to make me talk about it, but I don't want to because it just reminds me of all the people I failed to save.

King T'Chaka of Wakanda

Demands Accountability from Avengers

"Our people's blood is spilled on foreign soil. Not only because of the actions of criminals but by the indifference of those pledged to stop them. Victory at the expense of the innocent is no victory at all." The king of Wakanda says.

"The Wakanda king went on to..." The newswoman says, but Dad takes the remote and turns the TV off.

I huff and lean back against Dad's chest. He has his arms around my stomach, holding me close to him. "Do they not realize that that mission affected us too," I say to him.

"Some people believe that it doesn't." Dad sighs and rests his chin on my head.

"I should've been faster," I mumble.

"Stop beating yourself over it. All that matters is you tried your best. Sometimes you can't save everyone."

I sigh. "Yeah, well tell that to Wanda then," I say as I hear the TV still going on in someone else's room, most likely Wanda's.

Dad moves his chin from my head and his arms from around my stomach. He taps my leg, indicating me to get up. I get up and Dad leads the way to Wanda's room. She needs more reassurance than the both of us right now.

We walk into her room to see her watching the news intently. Dad looks for the remote quietly. Wanda didn't notice us yet. She's sitting on her bed curled up in a ball with her head in her hand. Dad finds the remote and turns the TV off, setting it on the table next to the doorway.

A few seconds go by before she whispers, "It's my fault."

"That's not true," Dad argues.

"Turn the TV back on. They're being very specific." Wanda says as she turns her head to look at us.

"I should have been faster. If I was then we wouldn't be in this mess." I say as I look at the ground.

"I told you to stop blaming yourself for that," Dad says softly to me.

"It's hard not to." I scoff a little.

He turns his attention to Wanda. "I should've clocked that bomb vest long before you had to deal with it." He walks over to her bed and sits on her left while I sit on her right. I lay back on the bed, hands behind my head. They copy my movements and we all stare at the ceiling. "Rumlow said 'Bucky' and... all of a sudden I was a 16-year-old kid again, in Brooklyn. And people died. It's on me."

"It's on all of us," Wanda says.

"This job... we try to save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time... maybe nobody gets saved." Dad says and Wanda and I look at him as he looks back at us.

Just then Vision phases through the wall to Wanda's room, startling Dad and I. We all sit up on the bed.

"Now I see how Tony felt when he first saw me do that," I mutter.