Chaos (Sequel to Agony)

Chapter 39

||"She burned too bright for this world."||

If the team was perturbed about Markus and what he planned to do, no one showed it. But Wanda noticed the stares Steve and Natasha shared; she noticed the way Tony kept to himself in his lab, working tirelessly on something she couldn't see. She noticed how Sam kept her and Nik company throughout the day, trying to take her mind off of things, making her smile and laugh.

It had worked, because by the time dinner came around, she had forgotten all about Markus.

They'd also gone around the compound numerous times, Nik finding something interesting every time, spending ten minutes admiring it, then another ten minutes talking about it. She was happy that the both of them had kept her busy.

"So you're telling me you purposely touched her hex?" Sam was amazed at the stories Nik told him, but he was even more stunned to hear that Nik—on many occasions—had touched Wanda's magic, earning him a few marks up his arms.

"I should have known something so beguiling would be hot to the touch."

Sam chuckled, sliding the door open to the dining room. "Can you control that? Whether or not it hurts someone?"

She fumbled with the sleeves of her shirt, nodding expectantly. "I cause damage when I need to, but when I do it for show, I make sure it doesn't sting."

"She never did like when I touched her magic, so by punishing me, she'd have it hurt like hell whenever I snuck a hand through a stream or a bolt." Wanda simpered, taking a seat across from Pietro, who was staring down at his empty plate, his face blank.

He'd been quiet all day, keeping to himself and staying away from Wanda. This is what he did back in Sokovia: he disappeared into himself.

Crystal and Emma strolled in after them, and Wanda was glad to see that Crystal's presence brought Pietro out of his stupor. She sat down next to him, looking up at Nik and giving him a a flirtatious smile. But Nik was too busy admiring the assortment of food to even notice.

"I feel like I haven't seen you all day," Steve said, showing up beside her and sitting down. He was dressed in all black, his t-shirt hugging his muscles in all the right places. The black sweats her wore hung loosely at his hips, and she found herself leaning into him, aching for his touch.

"If there's something you should know about Nik, it's that he finds everything interesting. I'm pretty sure I walked him around the compound three times before he finally got his fill."

Steve, to her pleasure, huffed out a low laugh. "Emma says he's a good kid," he said quietly, looking over at the White Queen, her hair unbound and curled. Wanda noticed she looked strikingly fatigued tonight. Nothing like the poised and bright woman she usually was.

"There are very few people who are brought into this world who manage to stay kind and selfless, even after experiencing an unfathomable amount of hatred and loss," Wanda said, reaching down to wrap her hand over his. "People like him—and you—are like rare stones that wash ashore every few hundred years."

His hand clutched her hand, not roughly, but amorously, and she allowed his warmth to travel up her arm, where it reached her neck, wrapping around her like a necklace made of soft silk.

"How long has Tony been working? I haven't seen him since this morning," Sam said, piling heaps of mashed potatoes onto his plate.

"I'll go get him," Natasha said, standing up from her chair, grabbing a breadstick on her way out.

"One day, that man is going to work himself to death," Emma said, removing her cloak. The claw hanging on her necklace glistened as she sat back in her seat, tapping a jeweled finger on her wine glass. "How was the one-on-one today?" she asked, her eyes focusing on Wanda.