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Chapter 9: Chapter 9

Summary:

In which Wanda makes a very small breakthrough with her magic, Clint comforts her through a panic attack, she is able to go outside again for a bit and confides something that’s been bothering her to Nat...and Vision finally shows up.

Notes:

she is cautiously happy that Vision shows up lol. The two of them are so sweet and I was excited to make him appear in this fic xD I'm usually not into ships much but c'mon let's let the two powerful cinnamon rolls be happy together please and thank you! I say this and then put poor Wanda through the wringer but hey, I am giving her an actual support system to help deal with things, thank you very much. Lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Natasha returned to find her teammates simply sitting and staring out at the landscape again. "Laura's feeding Nate, and Cooper and Lila are waiting for us in that big rec room."

Wanda didn't bother protesting at being carried downstairs, since she really did want to save her very limited energy for practicing, even if it was more just playing with Lila and Cooper than anything else. The children looked so excited when the three Avengers came in that she instantly felt a bit excited herself. Practice or not, having Cooper and Lila around made her feel like a big sister, which was different but in a good way. Wanda was quite used to being the younger one; goodness knew Pietro never let her forget he was twelve minutes older. He could be so annoying, too! I don't care, I wish he would come back and annoy me again. I miss him.

"We want to have teams!" Cooper announced, quite pleased with himself. "Dad, you and me against Lila and Auntie Nat. We decided we want to play to ten points and each hit is a point."

"And if Wanda catches a dart then she gets a point," Lila added.

"Remember what I told you, kids: do not aim at her, not today," Natasha said firmly. "She's sitting on the sidelines and playing from there. This is not the monkey-in-the-middle version you two played last time I visited."

Wanda thought it would be fine if they did. Getting hit by a silly Nerf dart wasn't going to harm her, but she kept this to herself. Mostly she was just happy to be somewhere else and actively engaging in some kind of activity, even if she was just chilling in the soft chair her friends had set up on the side for her. This huge rectangular rec room seemed fancy; the floor was thickly carpeted except for some shiny ivory tiles on one end leading to a pair of tall mahogany double doors. There was also a pool table on the other end of the room, a large selection of Nerf weapons all hung up on a wall, and a pile of pool toys all over by those big double doors. "...Pool outside?" she asked now.

"Yeah, it even has a slide," Cooper said happily. "Not a huge one, but still!"

Wanda was not a particularly good swimmer, not having had a chance to learn when she was little, and obviously Hydra had not been concerned with teaching her and Pietro such a thing, so she had never learned until last year at the Compound, where there was a huge pool. She liked being in the water now, even if swimming was not a strong skill of hers. If there was a pool here at the safe house, she wanted to go in it. Maybe it would help her relax a little.

"Do you want to go out to the pool instead of doing this?" Nat asked, thinking that Wanda was not going to have enough energy to do both today; she already looked tired, though it was also obvious she was happy to be somewhere else besides the same cozy bedroom she had been resting in the past few days, and to be doing something.

Wanda shook her head. "Maybe tomorrow, please."

"Okay."

The Nerf mini battle commenced, and soon everyone was laughing. Wanda couldn't help just watching the others for a few minutes. Simply seeing them happy made her feel a little better. Another microscopic bit of power floated free from its mental prison, and Wanda finally looked down at her hand, drawing the little bits into a scarlet haze around her fingers. Like upstairs, it only felt a little achy-tired, not painfully ripped free like before. There is nothing wrong with it. I think I just have to wait. Though she didn't truly have any proof of that, her gut told her that her magic was not broken at all. Maybe she had torn it up and locked it down subconsciously, but practicing here with friends wasn't going to 'make it stronger'...practicing with friends would help because it made her feel better, to help those drowning broken pieces of her inside.

The scarlet haze seemed to respond to this realization and the tired achy feeling dissipated. Wanda knew if she yanked any more power than that tiny bit free at once, it would hurt again, but this little bit no longer did.

"She isn't doing anything, Auntie Nat," Lila was saying now, yanking Wanda out of her reverie. "I thought she was going to play too. Is Wanda's magic still sick?"

Natasha glanced at Wanda and could easily tell there was nothing to be concerned about. If Wanda wanted to sit there and twirl wisps of her power in her hand while thinking, then fine. At least she seemed content, and she was consciously controlling those scarlet wisps, too. "Let her be. Yes, her magic is 'sick'. That's why we're only doing this for practicing right now."

"I'm just thinking...sorry." I'll do what I was supposed to be doing.

Lila didn't look entirely convinced, but she came over to give Wanda a hug. Then she started laughing when she heard her father jokingly saying "no fair!" A single foam dart held in Wanda's magic floated about six inches from a distracted Natasha, and Wanda herself looked rather pleased. "Daddyyyy! Why are you aiming at Auntie Nat while we're talking?" Lila protested.

"'Cause you two didn't call a time-out."

"I'm okay, Lila. Really," Wanda told the little girl, and let the dart drop into Lila's waiting hand. "Extra point, yes?"

"That's no fair!" Cooper called, "you can't just give points away!"

"She just did!" Lila shouted gleefully, waving the dart in the air. "You wanted to play boys against girls before. She's a girl!"

Cooper made a face and aimed at his little sister. Wanda easily caught this dart too, which made Lila dance around squealing that Cooper couldn't get her. Cooper continued his Nerf assault only on Lila, who continued squealing and shouting that she had a magic shield, so there. Clint and Natasha traded glances and then shrugged. The children were not angry anymore, anyway, and soon there were a good twenty or so foam darts littering the floor around Wanda.

"Game's over, kids," Clint announced, laughing himself now. It might have devolved into silliness quickly, but its purpose was successful: Wanda could use tiny bits of her power effectively, at least, even right now, and knowing that made a bit of her usual spark reappear. Once she had joined the game, she had not missed any of the darts that would have landed on their target, and only missed a few of the ones that went wide. Prioritizing which ones to catch and successfully doing so the first time was good. She did look exhausted, but she had been tired before they started anyway. "Do you want to play another round?"

Wanda shook her head, but she was looking down at her hand and smiling now. I did something. This was barely anything at all, but it worked correctly and I could think clearly enough in the moment to react properly. I'll be fine. She knew Clint had been right when he told her before they could not risk her overdoing things. Playing-practicing-more right now was not a good idea. Her magic felt pretty much the same as when they had started, but she had twisted her body too quickly and made her ribs hurt worse, and she wanted to put her injured arm on a pillow for a little while because it also hurt worse simply from resting awkwardly in her lap. "But I'm okay," she clarified quickly, because she didn't want them to think coming down here had hurt her.

"You're sure you're okay?"

"Very." The part that is near impossible to fix feels better. My stupid anxious head and the broken enhancements. Something about just being included in some simple group activity made Wanda feel more at peace. Forget the reason why, or that she had really just wanted to practice, or anything else; she was not lonely here. They had not left her behind in that prison even though it would be much, much easier to stay hidden without her. They had not even just rescued her from the Raft and abandoned her somewhere with some supplies to fend for herself. No, she was safe in a huge vacation house and for once she let herself truly feel content. Pietro would be happy here too. She would be happy for him since he was not here to enjoy it, as much as she wanted to pretend otherwise.

"Can we all go swimming?" Lila asked now.

"Wanda doesn't want to swim today, so no. You and Cooper may swim though if one of us is watching you, so go find your swimsuits and get a snack while you wait," Clint told her.

The children looked at each other, nodded, and then ran off eagerly.

"I don't mind...being alone for a bit," Wanda said. I just want to nap a little. I can do that by myself. Y-O-U C-A-N S-W-I-M T-H-E-N. She frowned at the silent conversation held in the traded glance between the two older Avengers. "I'm fine."

"You can pick whether you want Laura, Clint, or me to stay with you, but being alone isn't an option," Natasha said firmly. "We won't talk to you if you want quiet, but you can't be alone in the house while everyone else goes outside to the pool."

"I'm fine. I...I'm not...I want..." I don't know how to explain. Wanda did not want to inconvenience them by having to watch her, but she also inexplicably thought she wanted to be by herself for a little while. This felt illogical considering all that time on the Raft feeling horribly lonely and that a bit of her still worried the others would not want her around anymore in the first place.

"If you'd like some me time, then we can come check on you every few minutes instead, but we're not leaving you alone in the house entirely. Would that be better?"

Wanda blinked, staring at Nat. She immediately nodded, surprised that Natasha knew what she wanted even though she hadn't explained. However, she still didn't answer right away when asked to pick one of them. Natasha had spent so much time with her over the past few days, Clint should get to spend time with his children, and Laura didn't need to get roped into repeatedly checking on an injured Avenger. Finally, she pointed at Clint, thinking that at the very least, Nat would get a break from staying with her nearly the entire time since the rescue. Taking care of her must be exhausting.

 

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Once she was back upstairs in the bedroom, Wanda immediately thought she would fall back asleep again.

"I'll be back in about five minutes or so," Clint assured her.

Wanda thought that he did not need to literally check on her every five minutes, but she didn't argue. Knowing he would do so meant she didn't have to be nervous about being alone, anyway. Then she thought that was stupid; she wanted to be alone for a little while, so why was the idea of being alone also making her stomach churn? I told them I'd be fine. What is wrong with me? I was happy just a few minutes ago. “Okay."

Clint saw something in Wanda's gaze that concerned him. She was staring at the wall, her green eyes unfocused, as if she were somewhere else entirely. The contentment that had been wafting from her in waves downstairs had vanished. "You're absolutely sure you want me to leave and come back?" he questioned.

"Yes." If she continued letting herself rely on one of them not to get scared or lost in her own head, that would be bad. They were not going to be watching over her forever. She was fine while Clint set the TV remote on the nightstand. She was fine while he put a few books within reach. She was fine while he said again that he would be back soon. The problem was when he turned off the light on his way out. Almost immediately she was somewhere else, back in that pitch-black room alone on that freezing table with rough straps holding her down. She needed to turn that light on.

Curtains. It was not even particularly dark in here; it was daytime outside, just cloudy. Open the curtains. That would help. She should open the curtains immediately. In a second she was out of bed, standing on shaky legs and ignoring the increased pain moving quickly caused.

Waiting right outside the room because he still thought leaving Wanda alone was a bad idea, Clint heard a thump and then a stifled pained yelp. It was the exact same noise he had heard Wanda make so many times on the Raft. I knew this was a bad idea. Without waiting any longer, he reentered the bedroom to find her crumpled on the floor a couple steps from the bed. "What the hell? What's wrong, what are you trying to do?" he demanded.

Wanda only registered angry voice, and she instinctively scooted backwards, giving the voice the same scathing look of defense that she had done countless times before. Except, now she had one hand free, even if she still couldn't move the other one, and she held the free one up threateningly, scarlet crackling around her fingers. Get away from me. I don't know what happened, I don't know why my arm is free, but-

I'm using my magic. I didn't get shocked for it. I messed up before, my escape failed, I couldn't get out, why is it off again now?

"Hey, I'm sorry I spoke harshly. You know me, Wanda, remember? It's okay, you're safe now." Clint wondered how many times a crying, terrified Wanda had pulled out that angry scathing glance as a defense mechanism on the Raft. Seeing it directed at him now didn't disturb him in the least; he just wanted to give Wanda a much-deserved hug, help her calm down, and make her understand nobody was going to hurt her any further.

It still hurts. Why does it still hurt if I am safe? Wanda felt a gentle hand on her own and wanted to yank herself away again, but some instinct prevented her from doing so. The hand guided her shaky one to her neck, putting a feather-light touch there. It made her flinch in pain, but she could tell that horrendous torture device wasn't locked around her neck anymore, at least. I'm not there. Not there. I just... Wanda closed her eyes, still feeling tense and panicky.

"See, nothing there. You're okay. We're in New York, in the vacation house." Clint still wasn't sure what had set Wanda off, but obviously something had sent her spiraling into some sort of flashback or panic attack. She was stiff as a board and shaking, breathing quickly, though at least she wasn't pulling away now.

”I can't move...my arm. It still hurts. If...safe...why does it...still hurt...so bad?"

Clint was startled to receive the telepathic message, because Wanda had not done that since days before the rescue. Clearly she didn't believe yet that they were, in fact, safe, and thought that someone would punish her again for speaking out loud. She's still in emergency mode. Clint gently pulled her closer. "Because it's broken, kid. Look. You can move your hand. Arm too. You just can't bend that elbow or wrist right now. You're not restrained in that jacket again or strapped to a chair or whatever else. There's a splint on it. It just hurts because it's not healed yet."

Wanda felt her good hand touching the hurt one, and relaxed a tiny bit, though she kept her eyes squeezed shut. "I'm sorry I...can't talk. I know...not an emergency...now. I can stop."

"No, that's fine. You can keep emergency-messaging as long as you need to." It was not fine, Clint thought sourly, and he wondered how many episodes like this over the past few days Natasha hadn't told him about. "Do you know what's happening now?"

Wanda nodded a tiny bit, her face buried in her friend's shoulder. I am in a safe place, and Clint is helping me to calm down. I am fine.

"Okay, good." Clint was very relieved she seemed to be a little better now, though she was still shaking. "Are you cold?" There was another tiny nod, so he quickly leaned her against the side of the bed, saying he was just going to grab a blanket.

Wanda finally opened her eyes when she felt something soft and fluffy wrapped around her shoulders. She didn't speak yet, but she did sign 'thank you'. This was exactly why she still worried sometimes the others would not want her around any longer. How could she be useful if her mind kept betraying her like that? What if this happened on a mission again? There was nothing to fear here, no bomb she couldn't contain, no Raft, no Hydra, no Ultron...and no Pietro either. I want him back. I miss him. I'd rather be scared forever than Pietro be dead. That hole in her heart where Pietro should be was never going to go away.

"Do you know what triggered this?" Clint was asking now. "If we know, maybe we can prevent it from happening again by either avoiding it or desensitizing you to it."

D-A-R-K. Wanda felt a warm arm around her shoulders, and she tensed briefly, but then relaxed. They are not going to send me away or not want me around anymore, she reminded herself, that is me being paranoid.

"Because I turned the light off? It's...not dark in here, kid." Clint was glad Wanda seemed to relax a little further as she began signing again. Her hand was still trembling, but her signed letters were clear and deliberate.

I K-N-O-W.

"You've been sleeping at night with all of the lights off, haven't you?"

A nod.

"But you had Nat in here with you, and once you had Lila too," Clint said quietly. "This is why we didn't want to leave you alone yet. What were you trying to do?"

Wanda debated with herself, wanting to answer aloud, but any words feeling trapped inside all the same. I don't need to be silent. I am fine. "C...cur...tains," she whispered.

Oh. “You wanted to open the curtains." Clint wondered why Wanda hadn't simply used her magic to flick them open if that had been all she wanted to do, especially after seeing her easily catch all of those Nerf darts earlier. "Were you anxious with the abrupt dimmer lighting while being alone, but tried to remedy that yourself by opening the curtains?"

Wanda nodded again, but didn't offer further explanation. Then I fell, and it hurt, and I thought I was back there again.

"That was a good idea, but I think you should have just used your magic to do it. I'm guessing you fell, and that scared you because it hurt. Did you injure yourself more doing that?"

Wanda nodded in agreement that yes, that was exactly what had happened, but then realized Clint would probably think she was saying yes to hurting herself falling, because that had been the actual question. "I'm okay," she blurted hurriedly, "I just...scared myself."

Clint pulled away, studying Wanda's face. Other than the tears streaking her cheeks, she seemed the same as before. "You didn't land on your arm or anything like that?"

"No." Mostly the fall had just really, really hurt her ribs; Wanda thought she was fine now, other than maybe an extra bruise or two, which wasn't a concern to her at this point. Heck, she had gotten plenty of those and worse while training, so who cared?

Clint studied the adjustable device splinting the young Avenger's injured arm anyway, but everything seemed to still be in place as it should be. Wanda was staring at it herself curiously now, and Clint was happy to see that expression on her face rather than the terrified one from a few minutes ago. "Right now this is functioning to completely immobilize it, but once your arm heals more, you can adjust the hinge lock so you can use your arm a bit, okay?"

Wanda was familiar with how the thing worked now that she was studying it; this was like an upgraded version of the ones that were always on an Avengers quinjet in case of emergencies during missions. You needed a different one for arms and legs obviously, but they were adjustable to fit pretty much anyone and easily protected an injured limb until they could get back to the Compound, and usually after that, too, even after someone like Helen double checked it. She'd had one before and it irked her a bit now that it was another Stark-created device on her, but that was dumb. Nat and Clint were literally just using our regular mission supplies to help me. I am being ridiculous.

"I think I'll get you some ice. I can either help you downstairs to get some, or I can open the curtains and you can stay here for a minute. You feel free to use your telepathic talking trick if you feel panicky again. Feeling like that counts as an emergency, do you understand?"

"...What?" That is not an emergency.

"I said that counts as an emergency. The condition I gave you was simply if you couldn't communicate another way. It counts. If that makes it easier to explain what set you off, that is fine. Would you like me to tell Nat too? She wouldn't mind if you did the same with her."

"No, it...scares her. I'd rather...respect that, please." Wanda knew quite well that one reason Clint didn't mind her bending the 'no mind tricks' rule with him was because he had not experienced her shoving his worst nightmares into his head. The others had, including Nat. Natasha trusted her, she was like a big sister to her, but that was not something Wanda wanted to put her friend through reliving again, even though it wasn't the same thing at all.

"She wouldn't tell you not to use your power to communicate with her when you're upset, Wanda," Clint said.

Wanda pulled herself back on the bed with only a little help, unsure how to answer that. Last year, Natasha had flat out told her right after arriving at the Avengers Compound that what she had done was unacceptable and made it difficult to trust that she would not do it again despite promising not to. And snapped "stay out of my head." Except then five minutes later, the older Avenger had also told her she was a friend, Wanda should not beat herself up for what she had done-just not do it again-and that if she needed anything or had questions, she should come ask. At the time, Wanda had been utterly baffled, but she'd quickly realized Natasha was disturbed by what she had done to her, but she understood, and wasn't going to hold it against her. "I know. But I won't...anyway."

"You don't want me to just talk to her about it?"

"No."

"Okay, I won't." Clint opened the curtains, revealing the cloudy sky outside. "I'm going to get the ice. I will be right back. You feel crappy again, you tell me, and keep talking until I get back, just like you did in that hellhole to stay calm. That's a helpful coping skill you have, and it's a healthy one, so use it."

Wanda watched her friend leave, and...it was fine. She felt mildly anxious being by herself, but simply looking outside at the sky was enough to calm her down. I'll dig in my duffel bag later. I'm tired.

Clint returned to find her asleep, curled up in a ball with her broken arm awkwardly flung over a pillow. But at least Wanda did not seem upset anymore. Rather than wake her up, he simply arranged the ice packs on her arm and ankle, figuring they could just get more for the ribs when she woke up.

Wanda shifted a bit and abruptly opened her eyes. There was something cold on her, but it also...felt nice? Oh. Clint was bringing ice upstairs. I'm fine. “Thank you," she mumbled, eyes drifting closed again.

"You tell me if you want anything else."

"...Okay."

 

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The next afternoon, Wanda did go out to the pool with everyone else, though Nat made sure she knew she did not have to stay any longer than she felt up to staying. Wanda remained resting at the poolside in a chair, mostly just content to be outside watching Cooper and Lila play.

"Do you want to at least dip your feet in?" Natasha suggested. "It might help your ankle feel better, anyway."

"...Okay." Wanda swished her feet back and forth in the water a bit once Nat had helped her sit on the edge of the pool. This was nice and relaxing, and it did help her sore ankle feel better, just like Natasha said. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sun shining and the outdoor sounds. The pool deck cement was warm but not hot under her fingers. This is not going to last. It just can't. I should stop thinking about that and enjoy being here while I can. Everything always gets ruined when I am involved.

...I'm relaxing in some fancy vacation house and those people in Lagos are dead. What about their families? Wanda wished she could at least send the victims' families some kind of help package and an apology. It would not undo her mistake, but she wanted to tell them she was sorry and do something small to help them now. Certainly they would not want to see her, and that was fine, but she wanted the survivors to be safe. Especially those children. I don't even have anything I could send there. I have nothing except what's in that duffel bag. Sam had told her there was a little money in there for her, but objectively she knew Nat, Clint, and Laura would all tell her she couldn't simply send that to Lagos. It wasn't like she knew where those poor children lived either-they are probably on the street like me and Pietro were, she thought-and she didn't even know their names so she could ask Nat to find them.

Well, since stupid Ross had wanted to make the trash that was the Accords look good by sending Team Iron Man to Lagos to help, maybe there was at least one good thing: the heroes that signed had certainly helped people like those kids. This thought made her feel a little better; she still absolutely hated Ross with a fiery passion, but at least some good must have come from his behavior to further his own agenda. "Nat...?"

"Yeah?"

Wanda slowly signed to ask if Natasha had seen any pictures from Lagos that matched the description of the one she had seen with the two children next to the tarp-covered body. "I, um...if I could...know what happened to them?"

"Yes, I have seen that, actually. You want me to try to find out who they are and if they're safe now?" Natasha asked. "That photo wasn't circulating the internet yet before the airport-I suppose it might've been out there somewhere, but not on TV or any of the common news sites. Were you watching the news yesterday when you were chilling in the bedroom by yourself?" Nat sounded suspicious now.

"No, um...it was...shoved in my face...on the...Raft." I W-A-S S-T-U-P-I-D. I C-R-I-E-D. Wanda didn't even want to look at Nat now, because it was ridiculous and she hated that she had let that photo make her cry. Crying was not going to help those kids at all and she had reacted the way Ross had wanted her to besides. I shouldn't have told the truth. Is it selfish to want to know? If those children are safe now, I would feel better. I know I would.

"That is not stupid," Natasha said firmly.

"Reacted like I was...supposed to."

"Clearly not, because you still didn't tell Ross anything."

Wanda stared into the pool, watching the water ripple. "I didn't know anything anyway," she muttered finally. She did not think it was a big deal to not say anything when she didn't have the information in the first place.

"Yes, you did. You just didn't have confirmed information. And I know you wouldn't have broken and told him anything anyway. You're stubborn." Natasha was honestly surprised Wanda was talking about this when it was very clear seeing this particular picture was a very big deal to her, but it seemed like another good sign. "I'll see what I can do to find out about the kids in that photo."

Wanda didn't volunteer any further information, but she seemed to be a little more at ease hearing that. "Thank you."

 

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Wanda was sitting downstairs in the big living room playing Go Fish with everyone else the next afternoon just after lunchtime when they all heard a light knock on the front door. Wanda's first thought was that it was someone coming to take her and the other rogue Avengers away, but then why was the knock so pleasant? Still, the idea of anyone knocking on the door freaked her out. Even if it was just a delivery person, if someone saw her... Wait. I sense something.

"I'll check," Laura said quickly. "Lila, Cooper, go upstairs, please."

"Don't answer it!" Clint hissed.

"If it is anyone suspicious, it's weird if we don't since it's obvious someone's here. Take Nate."

Natasha followed Laura to the door. "Any trouble, I'm here. I have the least to lose if caught. Clint has you and the children, and we can't risk Wanda being taken again." She had no intentions of letting anything happen, but just in case, she wasn't going to let the other two be caught.

"Nat, you're our family too. Don't-"

"I'm not handing myself over," Natasha interrupted, "I'm merely saying if I get captured, I don't have three little kids at home that need me, and I don't have Wanda's enhancements, either. I might get hurt, sure, but not like what happened to her." Both Yelena and Wanda would be horribly upset, but better that than getting one or both of those two stubborn younger girls into trouble. Truth be told, she knew the others would find her and get her back anyway, so she was not as concerned about the prospect as she might have been otherwise.

Laura didn't argue; she simply whispered to stay out of sight.

"I am here to fulfill a request for plumbing repair," Wanda heard a new voice say, and instantly her expression lit up. That is Vis, she thought happily, though what on earth he was talking about plumbing for, she had no clue. A cover for visiting? "I think it's Vision. I...I sense him."

Clint scowled now, not liking that turn of events at all. If it really was Vision, what was he doing here pretending to be a plumber? If it was innocuous, why not tell Laura the truth? Wanda was much stronger than she had been a few days ago, but she was still badly injured. If that robot did decide to turn them in, he and Natasha wouldn't be able to protect her. Placing Nate in his playpen, he padded out of the room, telling Wanda to please stay put.

Wanda did stay put, listening to the exchange as Laura made it clear they didn't need any plumbing fixed, and then Vision saying yes, he knew this, it was a cover, it was Vision from the Avengers in disguise and could he please see Wanda? He had brought some things for her and would like to visit her very much. He was not going to betray their location to anyone, period.

Laura glanced at Natasha, still hidden from sight behind the door. She nodded. Though this man appeared to be a normal human, not a bright purplish red synthezoid, the mannerisms and voice matched too well.

Also, one of the man's hands had phased right through the door. It was definitely Vision.

"You can come in, but you may not see her unless she wants to," Laura said firmly. "If she says no, you leave immediately, fake plumber or not."

Natasha appeared from behind the front door with a raised eyebrow. "Also, what kind of plumber wears a suit?"

"The heck, what are we letting him in for?!" Clint protested. "You should have flown off with that girl in the airport if you care so much about her."

"Yes, I should have."

"You left her behind. You had the power to get her out of there, you have no right to waltz in here now and ask to see her. Why should she want to see you now?"

"She should not, but I would like to hear it directly from her, please," Vision said politely.

”I can feel you," Wanda said mentally from a room very nearby. "You are not going to...take me back to that place, are you?"

”Of course not, though I would understand if you prefer me to leave."

”No! I just...I don't want to go back there. I'd rather die first."

”Never. I will never let you be taken to that prison again, Wanda. I promise."

"Don't you dare get in her head. You're not taking her away from here," Clint said snappishly.

"I will not talk to her telepathically any longer, then." Vision watched the archer for a few seconds, unsure what would convince him he had no plans to turn any of them in, let alone the dark-haired girl he cared for very, very much who was also connected to the mind stone. That prison had been torturing her for weeks; he had seen a bit of the security footage from the cells, and he knew there was much, much more that there was no video of, even if he had wanted to watch the rest of the footage, which he didn't. "I have only come to visit. If she does not wish to see me, then I will leave immediately."

"Suppose she does say no," Natasha said carefully, knowing Wanda would not do that, but needing to know.

"Then I would be...quite disappointed, but leave her safe here. I will not harass her."

”Please don't leave. I'm around the corner, in the living room," Wanda sent, not wanting to wait much longer. Maybe it was stupid, but all she wanted right now was launch herself into his arms and give him a hug. If he did want to hurt her, well...then she would do her best to kick him out with her powers. I don't think I can right now...certainly not easily or painlessly, but I won't go without a fight, at least. Vis is already here. I did not contact him and ask him to come. Wanda was still thinking when she saw him wander into the living room, her friends right behind. Clint still looked genuinely mad, but Laura and Nat were just watching him warily.

Vision looked quite different in his new human disguise, but she did not care; she instantly knew him, she could feel him, she could sense that mind stone and the strangely organized but deeply caring emotions that were only his. In a second, she had struggled to her feet and stumbled a few limping steps toward him, her good hand on the wall unsuccessfully trying to balance herself. The next thing she knew, he looked like his normal red synthezoid self again and had her in his arms. Wanda felt a gentle touch on the butterfly bandage protecting a cut on her forehead, another on her temple, and then the same touch across the slowly fading bruises and scrapes on the rest of her face. ”I'm okay, I promise." It was clear Vision was concerned and upset, and somehow that gentle reaction made her want to cry. He was not either going to hurt her, and he didn't not care anymore, either. She still had no idea why he hadn't done anything else sooner, but for now, this was enough. "I'm sorry I didn't...get ready. For you visiting. I look ugly," she blurted, and then thought this was a dumb thing to say, because she knew Vision didn't care what she looked like, or what she was wearing, or that there were "ugly" cuts and bruises all over her, or anything else of that nature. He just didn't like seeing her hurt.

"You are not ugly. The people that hurt you are ugly. Why would you think that?" Vision looked so confused, and then was more confused when Wanda simply smiled at him through her tears. He had expected to find her scared or angry or both, but instead she just seemed...sad. Even her smile seemed sad, as if she didn't quite believe what she was hearing, but then again, she gave him a sad smile a lot, even before all of this mess with the Accords had happened. And there was some deeply pained thing flickering in her green eyes that made his synthetic stomach clench in an unfamiliar, unpleasant way. He still did not understand humans fully, but he did know he wanted to protect complicated, chaotic Wanda, who tended to make a mess of things including herself a lot, and he had completely failed in this venture. This human was special; he was supposed to protect all humans, but then he had seen her hurt in the airport and messed up himself, hurting Rhodey.

Maybe messing up was inherent to being human. He had also left her alone there-she had sent him away, but he should have disobeyed this and stayed with her anyway-and bad humans were in charge of enforcing the Accords. Those same Accords he had signed. That should have been a good thing, but because the wrong people were in charge, someone he cared about deeply had been hurt in an irreversible way. "I am so sorry I did not take you out of the airport, and that you were harmed so much in that place. I never thought that would happen."

”I'm not angry with you anymore. I'll live, I'm okay." Wanda wasn't sure how much she wanted to share just yet. As happy as she was to see Vis, there was still this knot of fear inside that said she should keep the worst of her pain inside for now, emotional or otherwise, because if he knew, then he might break her somehow. She could not live broken into even more pieces inside. There were already too many, like small shattered things you would just sweep up and throw out because it wasn't worth wasting time trying to fix. That's not right either. None of them are going to do that. Even little Lila helps put those pieces together every time she sees me, and she doesn't even know everything that's wrong.

"Sit down," Clint said gruffly, still not trusting Vision by any means, but it was clear that Wanda did not want him to go away, and to be fair, Vision had not done anything to make them believe he meant ill by coming here.

"Very well. Thank you." Vision sat on the sofa with Wanda still held protectively in his arms, her good arm looped around his neck.

The three older adults all traded glances. If Vision wanted to simply sit there holding Wanda, that was harmless, but it didn't make any of them trust him more, either. Clint couldn't help being worried that the girl would fall asleep there and Vision would just carry her off out of the house, and they couldn't physically stop such a thing from happening.

"If it is acceptable, I should like to stay for an hour or two. The plumbing issue might have been serious. But if necessary, I can leave sooner."

"Can I talk to him alone?" Wanda asked quietly. Please. I have questions I need answered.

"No, but two of us will leave," Natasha said, gesturing for Laura and Clint to go. "I'll stay and I won't interrupt unless it seems like you're in danger in some way. Clint, it'll be fine. She's not stupid."

"No, she isn't, but love makes you stupid," Clint muttered, but he did leave the room.

Wanda knew they could just hold the entire conversation telepathically, but didn't bother pointing this out. "Did you track me? I...did you know what...happened there?" she asked slowly. "On the Raft."

"I tracked your location with the mind stone. I saw you sitting in the cell, on a bit of the security footage Mr. Stark had access to. Secretary Ross would not provide any more. I believe I saw enough, though I know there was...much worse occurring there." Vision had only seen her restrained with that torture device and straitjacket looking drugged and dejected, and the collar shocking her once, nothing more. That was bad enough. "What happened?"

Wanda's first instinct was to just say she didn't want to talk about it, but maybe she should share, because if Vision knew just how bad it was, it might help because she was sure he was more concerned with protecting humans than obeying laws, whether he was 'programmed' to listen to orders or not. Torturing people, herself or otherwise, was not protecting. Instead she glanced at Natasha, hoping she would explain instead. I don't want to talk about it. I really, really don't.

"You want me to tell him?" Natasha asked in surprise. At Wanda's silent nod, Nat frowned. "I don't know everything, you know. If there's anything you want to add, interrupt."

Vision grew more and more horrified the more he heard. He supposed he should have known simply from seeing Wanda now, especially knowing it had already been about a week since the rescue, and she was still in such bad physical shape. The human girl was weak and injured, and because of their connection with the infinity stone in his own head, he felt like her mind was hurt too, something he could not quite process or describe but was there all the same. It was like she had wrapped the sad, sensitive parts of her in a shell of red chaos in an effort to protect herself and her enhancements. Vision found it disheartening and extremely strange, but had an odd human inclination not to ask Wanda about it even though he wanted to very badly. Asking would hurt her more, asking would be cruel, asking would most likely chase her away. "I am so sorry," he kept saying, over and over.

"Why did you not get her out of that hellish place yourself if you knew what was happening to her? You are clearly capable of breaking laws, because you're here now," Natasha pointed out.

Vision looked down at the injured girl cradled in his arms, blinked a few times, and then looked back at the Black Widow. "I do not know. I thought I had to follow my programming. The rules. I signed. Then I discovered Wanda was being mistreated almost immediately. That was wrong also. Breaking a law to protect her and get them all out was far less wrong than breaking that I am made to protect humans." Then he looked down at Wanda again, holding her closer, "Moreover, this one is different. She inexplicably makes me feel...human, though I am not. I care about her very much. I enjoy her company tremendously. She is special."

Nat decided not to ask for any more information, since quite frankly Vision probably wouldn't be able to explain, despite his articulate, formal English. "Do you understand that your choosing not to help immediately meant she was hurt far more than necessary?"

"Yes. I thought assisting from the side of the law and remaining behind the scenes for the rescue would help long term for her and other enhanced humans, but...I am not sure it was worth it. Wanda, would you like me to leave? If so, that is understandable."

"No. I missed you," Wanda said softly. Vision's logic did make sense. It sounded like he had believed leaving the physical rescue to Steve and Natasha was the right thing to do, so that he remained on the "correct" side of the law and could continue trying to assist from there. Steve and Nat were already on the run, so breaking the team out of the Raft didn't affect them as much. If Vision had rescued her and the others, he would be labeled a criminal too and would not be able to advocate for anyone, let alone her. And someone would probably want to take him apart for it, Wanda thought darkly, knowing quite well a lot of people did not think of Vision as his own person, just some fancy robot tech Tony had made. That was not fair either. With all of this logic in mind, she could definitely understand why Vision had not come for her, even if he knew she was being severely harmed in that place.

Natasha sighed. All of this seemed fine, but the synthezoid's presence still made her a little uneasy. It was clear he made Wanda happy-she was still curled up in his lap, her expression rather content, but still. This was not being very careful. If Vision did change his mind, he could just whisk Wanda away easily. She certainly didn't seem inclined to use her magic on him. Because he hasn't done anything, Nat reminded herself. If he does, she would at least try.

Vision knew quite well no one else besides Wanda wanted him there, but unless she told him to go away, he wasn't going to leave, either. He also rather wondered why she had said she looked ugly, when she was the same Wanda he always knew. Humans were confusing. Did she mean because she wasn't dressed up in one of her usual outfits? Or was it because she thought her injuries made her ugly? She never cared before. "Why did you say you looked ugly?" he asked earnestly. "It makes no sense."

Natasha resisted the urge to roll her eyes or snap at hearing that question. Wanda appeared nonplussed, so she could just answer herself. Wanda looked down at herself and then just found herself holding in laughter, because laughing hurt her ribs and she didn't want to hurt Vision's feelings for asking. "Vis, I am wearing lounge clothes. I have bruises, cuts, whatever else, all over. Look at me. I'm a mess." Then she realized speaking that much at once out loud didn't hurt. If she wanted to sign or something else, it would be because she wanted to be quiet or was scared to talk, not because it still hurt her throat to do so.

"Those things are not a 'mess'. You are still just you," Vision said matter-of-factly. "I do not like seeing you in pain, but you are not ugly for being hurt. Besides, would that not be hypocritical? I am not even human. I have red vibranium skin."

Wanda had known already that he didn't care what she looked like-or if he did, he liked what he saw-but it still felt nice to hear such sentiments anyway. "I don't care, you are human to me." You treat me like one. I'm not just...something to be feared. Like maybe I could just be a normal, ordinary girl. That seemed an odd way to think, considering they were both unusual, but maybe the unusualness canceled out or something. If Pietro was here, he would tease me, and I would fuss at him, and he would just laugh at me and then apologize if I was really upset.

Natasha found watching the two together to be quite entertaining, if Vision wasn't going to turn them in. It was hilarious that Vision only used phrases like 'enjoyed her company tremendously' and 'this one is different' when watching him made it exceedingly clear he loved Wanda very much, and wasn't just fascinated with her little idiosyncrasies. He was still holding her close, but also gently stroking her hair now. "You two have an audience," she commented, spying Lila and Cooper peeking into the living room.

"That is PDA, ew," Cooper announced, realizing he and his sister had been spotted, even though he didn't really mind and the two weren't really doing anything. He just felt like teasing.

Lila thought it was sweet; she marched right into the living room up to Vision and said, "I think you are Wanda's alien prince and she's a magical princess."

"I am a synthezoid." Vision looked down at Wanda again. "She is not a princess, but I will treat her like one, if she allows it."

"Get fancy outfits and go to a fancy dinner," Lila suggested, clearly pleased with herself.

"Okay, that's enough for now, Lila, Cooper, please go upstairs," Natasha told the children, ushering them out.

Wanda thought she would not mind something like Lila's idea one bit, but obviously even if Vision also wanted to do such a thing with her, it was impossible and unsafe right now. Instead she closed her eyes and snuggled closer. She didn't particularly want her hair touched at all, because Vision was not Natasha and someone besides Nat messing with her hair reminded her of those guards on the Raft grabbing at it to inject things into her neck. But she did not want to chase him away, either, though she supposed Natasha would scold her for not expressing her own boundaries. I should say something. I really should say something.

"She doesn't want her hair touched," Nat said sharply. It was easy enough for her to tell, and she knew why, too, even though Wanda had not explained anything about it. After seeing the security footage, she knew exactly why Wanda had gotten all emotional about her hair when she'd let Nat braid it right after the escape in the Norway safe house. Because the only time anyone touched it for three weeks was someone yanking it to inject drugs into her. Nat wasn't sure why Wanda didn't mind her messing with her hair, since she had willingly allowed Natasha to take care of it for her every day since with no problem whatsoever, but the girl clearly wasn't comfortable right now.

Wanda immediately felt Vision's hand move from her hair to her shoulder, and she knew Nat was going to question her later why she didn't say anything herself. I don't know. I felt like it was mean to say it, I guess. I don't want him to leave, and I know he's not going to pull it or drug me. I'm being stupid. Again.

"Is this better?" Vision sounded entirely unbothered; if Wanda did not want him to touch her hair, then he would not do so. It just puzzled him since previously she did not mind and actually said it made her happy when he did ask. But he did not want to make her upset in any way or hurt her further.

Wanda only nodded and didn't say anything, something about the simple question and being held making any words she wanted to say choke up inside. There was a small sliver of her that worried all of this kindness Vis was willing to give her now was just some ploy to make her trust him so he could take her away from the house without a fuss. After all, maybe her power still wasn't functioning normally, but under ordinary circumstances, she could literally put him through the floor. He might just logically assume he could not take her anywhere by force. That it would be easier to make her trust him because goodness knew she was stupid and broken and the only truly vulnerable part of her was the mess that was her head. He couldn't possibly want her. What did the kind, protective red synthezoid want with an enhanced human girl that had done the things she had? Stop it, just stop. I would know if he lied to me. He's not lying, he came here because he cares, not to take me, dump me back in the Raft. I know that. She didn't want him to go away; she liked him holding her.

"Would you prefer not to be held at all?" Vision's concerned voice broke into Wanda's mixed-up musings. Usually there were some thoughts Wanda let him see from her without even trying to share them, but all he could feel from her right now was that she was mostly happy but some undercurrent of fear and pain lay beneath. She felt closed off to him, her power, her magic, all stuffed down something darkly smothering her. It was not what Wanda normally felt like to him, even when she was feeling depressed or scared.

"No, this is nice." I'm sorry. I like him here, I just...I'm having trouble thinking clearly.

"You feel...smothered. Is there something I can do to help you feel better?" Vision asked cautiously.

Wanda instinctively glanced over at Natasha, who only gave her an encouraging smile but said nothing. I don't want to explain. Vis feels my magic not...functioning properly. I'm sure of it. "I don't know," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I like you holding me very much, but I don't want to talk. Not...right now. Can we just...sit?" There. That was the truth. Nat would be pleased she had told the truth, and Vision certainly did not want her to lie. I know he would be hurt if I did. I have nothing to fear here. It's okay to relax, it's okay to be happy Vis came to see me. I am safe.

"Of course."

Notes:

Okay so I absolutely despise the “romance fixes everything” trope, so that is not happening here. She loves Vision, but I felt like Wanda has so much trouble trusting people that I didn’t think she would automatically trust him implicitly without question even though she’s genuinely happy he is there. Not yet.

Also imma be honest, this is my first time attempting to actually capture a romantic relationship for my MC so I am really sorry if it doesn’t...come through properly. I will do my best! xD

(For anyone reading my other fic I’m sharing here currently, ch3 is in progress, but it was making me sad to work on/edit due to some dark/depressing content Absolutely Necessary to move the story forward, so uhhh...yeah, it’ll be up soon hopefully. Just not yet!)