||"Gold and silver line my heart, but burned into my brain are these stolen images."||
When she awoke that morning, she realized she was still in Bucky's apartment, and her heart paused for a beat as her mind raced to Pietro.
But she felt familiar arms wrapped around her, cuddling her—holding her close.
It was Steve, and he was still asleep and still warm, and she lay her head back down on the pillow and watched him for a moment.
His lips were parted, and his breathing was deep and even. Waking up to him was the one thing she missed the most.
Wanda's nose twitched when the smell of oatmeal wafted into the bedroom. Her stomach grumbled in reaction, and she could hear Bucky walking around in the kitchen from where she lay. Wanda slipped out of bed without waking Steve, and grabbed a sweater from the chair beside the bed and put it on. She was sure it was Bucky's, but it was freezing, and she hoped he wouldn't mind.
When she opened the bedroom door, she noticed the pillow and blanket on the couch, and her shoulders hunched as she stepped into the kitchen.
Bucky was pouring oatmeal into three glass bowls, his hair sweeping over his forehead as he leaned over the kitchen table. He was wearing a sweater similar to the one she had on, and she began to take it off when he finally looked up.
"I forgot to turn up the heat last night before bed; keep that on, or else you'll freeze. Here," he pushed her bowl towards her, and she tied her hair up and sat down. The bowl warmed her hands up as she grabbed it, and Bucky sat down beside her and handed her a spoon. "Did you sleep well?"
"I could have slept on the couch, it really wasn't a problem."
He smiled, filling his cup with milk. "Usually when I have ladies over, I don't let them sleep on my couch." Her eyebrows lifted, and he shook his head, smiling softly. "I'm kidding."
She blushed, resting her chin on her palm as she waited for her oatmeal to cool down. And as she waited, she thought.
It was hard to sit beside him and know that the memories she took away from him would no longer haunt him. But would now, in fact, haunt her. She didn't mind it—no, she was willing to carry those memories with pride because it meant she did good. Having someone like Bucky—a man who suffered years and years of trauma and abuse—look at her and smile meant that he was getting to a good place.
She didn't know him well, but then again...she did. Those memories she saw the day before, the ones of him as a young boy and of the ones with him and Steve, those memories gave her a piece of who he was.
And as they ate their breakfast together, she felt the urge to ask him more. Looking at a memory and being told one was a completely different experience, and she wanted Bucky to tell her—to tell her about his life and about Steve. She wanted to know what it was like back then, before things changed.
But before she could ask, the bedroom door opened, and Steve stepped out, his hair a disheveled mess. Her lips lifted in a smile, and he walked up to them and grabbed a spoon from the middle of the table. Before sitting down, his hand came up and brushed along Wanda's shoulder, and she looked up at him, her eyes dark with want.
"Oatmeal it is," Steve stated, pulling his plate towards him.
"Yeah, and you better eat it all," Bucky said, filling Wanda's cup with milk, along with Steve's. "It's my specialty."
"Remember that time, when you slept over," Steve started laughing, his cheeks growing red with nostalgia. "When you grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge, and then accidentally dropped it? It got everywhere," he leaned back, his eyes scrunching at the memory. Bucky joined his laughter, covering his eyes. Wanda watched them, unclear of the particular memory, but laughing anyway, specifically at their childish giggles.
"Your mom almost killed me," Bucky said, grinning.
"And me!" Steve exclaimed. "Thanks for that."
"Think of this five star breakfast as my way of saying sorry," Bucky said, smiling, and Steve looked over at Wanda, his eyes still full of glee. The joy on his face was contagious, and she found herself smiling back at him with the same excitement and love. Seeing him like this—happy and content—made her realize how empty and lonely she actually was these past seven months. With Nik, it always about training and working to get better. If they weren't doing that, they were out exploring and talking about things that didn't involve powers or magic. Being with Nik took her mind away from the one person who she desperately loved and missed. And that person was Steve.
After breakfast, her and Steve left Bucky's apartment, promising him that they'd return later on in the week. Then they headed back to the tower, the sound of the city making their commute comfortable. They exchanged looks every few minutes, glancing at each other and grinning. Wanda wasn't sure why, but they kept doing it the entire way back to Tony's place, and by the time they got out of the car, they were leaning into each other and laughing at something neither of them understood.
"Thank you," he finally said, the elevator doors closing in front of them. "What you did for Bucky, it was...incredibly brave and risky, but..you did it. So thank you."
She turned, resting her chin on his chest as she stared up at him, and his hand ran through her hair, pulling lightly as he got to the edges. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and she nuzzled into him and breathed him in.
They stood like this until the elevator doors opened up on Tony's floor, and when she pulled away from him, she felt something tug at her. It wasn't physical, but she still felt it. Cautiously, she stepped out of the elevator, her eyes darting from one corner of the apartment to the next. And then she felt the tug again.
"Miss Wanda," she heard him say, his voice swirling inside of her like it always did whenever he spoke to her. "I am so glad to see you."
___
Pietro paced in his room as he waited for Wanda, trying to make himself busy. But his thoughts were going from one place to another, driving him insane.
Every time he left Wanda to go do something, he was okay, but whenever she left and whenever she was gone for too long, he began to worry.
Steve had called him the night before, telling him that Wanda had already fallen asleep, and that it'd be best that they stay over Bucky's, and Pietro had to bite his tongue, because in all honesty, he would have ran over to Brooklyn and gotten his sister himself, but he knew that Wanda was fine and that she didn't need him there.
He was just being overprotective, as per usual.
When he heard a faint conversation happening up above on Tony's floor, he sped to the elevator, pressing the "up" button numerous times. He was already half way out of the elevator when it opened up, and when he realized that it wasn't his sister, or even Steve, he paused, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.
Vision and Tony were near the bar, talking, and they turned to look at him, their faces blank.
"I thought my sister was back," he said, crossing his arms.
"Nope. Twin numero dos isn't here yet, but he is," Tony smacked Vision's arm and walked over to Pietro, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Now all were missing is...everyone else."
"Isn't Natasha here?" Pietro asked.
"I haven't seen her since yesterday, but I'm sure she's around. Ooh, maybe I'll call Barton."
"Are you hosting a reunion?" Pietro asked, looking back at Vision.
"Kid, if I was hosting a reunion, the party would have started hours ago. Trust me when I say that."
"Oh, I do. No doubt."
Vision joined them, his hand holding a glass of water. It looked weird in his hand, but Pietro didn't say anything. Tony continued on, talking about a party he threw years ago, and how it turned out to be a total disaster. Pietro was half-listening, and half-watching Vision, glancing every so often at the yellow stone in his head.
"As much as I love the company, can I ask why you've made the long trip back?" Tony asked, and Pietro blinked, clearing his head.
Vision took a step, handing Tony the glass of water. "For the two of you, of course."
"Me and Wanda?" Pietro asked, surprised.
"The two of you have been away for seven months, two weeks, and three days."
"Someone knows his facts," Tony remarked, drinking the water. "Not judging or anything..."
Pietro huffed, letting his arms drop at his sides. "Wanda should be on her way."
"It's no rush at all, really. I don't have any plans to attend to."
"That's not surprising," Tony said, turning away from the both of them with a smirk. "I'll be up there if you need me," he pointed up to his lab, and then he briskly walked up the staircase and left Pietro behind.
Luckily, there was no need for conversation, because a minute later, the elevator pinged, and Pietro felt his sister's presence before the doors even opened.
He smiled at her when she stepped out, but he could see the unexpected expression on her face when her eyes found Vision. It only lasted a second--that expression of hers--but he knew it meant something. Uncertainty? Curiosity? He didn't know, but Wanda had worn the expression many times for Pietro to know it meant something more.
___
Emma sat in her study, her fingers running over the scattered papers across her desk.
Pretty soon she'd have to go out with Crystal and start her training, but for the time being, she was alone.
One of the papers on her desk held the name of someone she was meaning to contact. Though, Emma wouldn't call Agatha Harkness just yet, not until Charles spoke with Wanda alone. She didn't want to bring the witch here unless her presence was vital. Until then though, she'd keep Agatha's contact information hidden, and hoped when the time came, Agatha would be willing to meet with Wanda and help her.
Maybe with real magic, Wanda's abilities could prosper without putting her in danger.
But she hoped that it wouldn't come down to that. Emma had faith in Charles, and she knew he'd find a way to help Wanda if she were to ever need it.
Perhaps the bad feeling Charles had about Wanda was nothing more than a misconception. She wanted it to be, because she didn't want to face what was really there--what she too felt whenever she was around Wanda.
That magic in her could only be tamed for so long.
"Emma!" Crystal yelled from the foyer. "I'll be outside!"
Emma pulled her hair up in a ponytail, and organized the mess on her desk before heading out of her study. As she made her way down the grand staircase, she reminded herself to stop by Tony's, so that she could speak with Wanda alone...before Charles could.
*************************
A/N: Vision is back bitches!
So I've been super sick these last five days (throwing up, sleepless nights, nausea, etc.) and today I finally felt good enough to sit myself down and write. This stomach bug has drained all of my energy and I'm so happy it's out of my system!
SPOILERS!!!
I've got some upsetting news: It has been confirmed that in the newest Captain America Comic, Steve is a "Hydra" member, and I'm incredibly annoyed. It's such an idiotic concept, like who thought that was a good idea? Steve Rogers a Nazi? Marvel, are you okay? Ugh, I'm annoyed.