Chapter Text
"If you hold me without hurting me
You'll be the first who ever did"
(Lana Del Rey, Cinnamon Girl)
That she could stay as long as the possibilities exist, she was told as soon as she came.
Pepper Potts, despite of the weight she still would have to carry, showed enough sensibility to not stablish any deadline, and expanding it without taking any measures for the next days was out of question. The girl knew it better than anyone else.
And, different from the others, she was still struggling to find out what she was supposed to do after going away. Well, everyone there have their respective destinations assured by the side of a family, a new job or the continuity of their heroic activities; the team would never be the same without Stark and Romanoff, indeed, but a significant part of it would live forever within the remaining ones and would guide them in their next steps. That was my personal situation too.
Almost a week passed and many of us were already gone. After two days, Barton returned to his home and family, as well as Lang. T’Challa and his sister considered to stay for a bit longer, but chose to obey Wakanda’s calling and, because of all the political and social matters that are still to be solved, they won’t leave the country so soon. The others stayed to offer practical help, but started to go one by one: Sam Wilson, and then Bucky Barnes; James Rhodes was the last one, by his close friendship with the deceased, but his duties started to demand attention too.
However, the case seemed to be different with the Maximoff girl.
Almost a week passed, and she was no longer capable of hiding the fact that she didn’t know what to do or where to go.
Clint Barton, among all of our friends her closest one, told her she could join him because, with his family, he would help her with everything she’d need, but she refused the deal; according to what I’ve heard, she believed that Clint must respect his own recovering process and concentrate his energy on his wife and kids’, and her presence wouldn’t bring any advantage to them. Clint, as the practical man he has always been, did everything he could to refute this argument, but even he could not deny that, once someone like Wanda Maximoff opts for a line of action (despite having to pay a high cost), arguing is useless. I saw their farewell and I am sure, by the tears I noticed in her eyes, that this was the case.
In the days I stayed in the property (Wong returned to New York first after having my word that I would follow him soon), Pepper was the person with which I spent most of my time. We talked about Tony, some of the projects he left and what she would do about them in the future, considering her daughter’s growing interest in them. During this time, I observed our friends and exchanged some comments with the widow; she, who had more opportunities to talk to them than I could ever have, was aware of some of their plans, and this is how I confirmed what I’ve been thinking about Wanda: she did not hesitate to comfort Potts (which was not a difficult task if we consider her own loss, so similar to the other woman’s), but she had a hard time trying to give concrete answers when the conversation turned to what each one of them would do from now on.
Wanda appeared to be comfortable while she had Clint’s company to distract her; he’s one of these people whose manner to deal with personal crisis is centered on actions, even when these actions don’t erase the problem, and inviting others to follow this way.
To a certain extent, this method must have been good for the girl: keeping yourself occupied and not being too attached to negative feelings and thoughts has some benefits. But I believe that even for Barton was clear that Wanda needed something more, which perfectly explains her refusal in leaving with him.
Until now, I myself didn’t have more than a few minutes of conversation with her; everything I knew came from my own deductions and from what the others could tell me. Besides, she didn’t appear to need much support apart from his friend’s, so I was satisfied in just observe her.
But circumstances changed when she found herself alone.