Chapter Text
Wanda was prepared to die, had steeled herself in preparation to join her brother after ripping out Ultron’s cold, unyielding metal heart. She had nothing left to live for; the last of her family killed by the metal monstrosity whose existence she had a hand in creating.
Dropping the cold, weeping heart to the ground Wanda closed her eyes and tilted her head skyward, waiting for Sokovia’s demise and thusly her own. When strong arms lifted her from the ground, Wanda’s eyes flew open and flicked up to Vision as he flew up.
Shoving at his shoulder Wanda shook her head frantically, she didn’t want to be saved, she wanted to rejoin her brother. Giving up her struggles after several long minutes Wanda slumped in Vision’s arms and curled in on herself to silently weep.
She lost track of how long they were flying; in fact she only came back to her senses when she was laid down upon cool, slightly coarse metal. Turning her head away from her so-called savior Wanda was met by familiar silver hair. Hastily pushing herself up Wanda crawled, heedless of the coarse metal cutting into the flesh of her knees through the stockings she wore with her boots.
Situating herself by Pietro’s side, Wanda sat back on her heels, her fingers brushing Pietro’s hair out of his eyes as she got her first look at the injuries that had torn her brother from her so violently. Collapsing forward over Pietro’s body Wanda rested her head on her brother’s stomach in an attempt to muffle the anguished sobs she could no longer hold back.
Wanda was pulled back from succumbing to her grief by the brush of fingers through her slightly tangled hair, her head only lifted slightly from her brother’s bloody shirt at the sudden thud and pained groan. Her blurry eyes locked with pained blue-grey ones as Clint tried and failed to push himself up off the metal decking, his second attempt fared slightly better than his first as he got his knees beneath him before grunting and doubling over Pietro’s chest.
Turning her head to rest her cheek on Pietro’s stomach Wanda found herself face to face with Clint, her mouth twisted into a frown as Clint’s thoughts screamed in her head of grief and regret, thoughts of self sacrifice and doubt. Lifting her hand over the top of Clint’s head she settled it to his cheek, seeing the way he flinched at her touch Wanda let her hand drop to rest on Pietro’s chest between their heads, her voice heavily accented in her grief as she murmured “Do not do that to yourself, Hawkeye. Pietro made his choice, do not undermine his sacrifice by thoughts of what ifs or should have beens.”
“Can’t help it, your brother had his whole life ahead of him, instead he pulled a reckless, stupid stunt to save my life. I was going to sacrifice myself to save the child; your brother didn’t need to risk himself,” Clint groaned. Curling his arm tightly around his side he realised belatedly that Wanda was in his head and growled “You know it’s not polite to go poking around in other people’s heads uninvited, and I’m speaking from first-hand experience here.”
“I am sorry, it was not intentional. Sometimes I can’t control what I pick up from people’s thoughts, some things come through loudly and right now your thoughts about Pietro are screaming,” the confused look on Clint’s face had Wanda pondering the best way to clarify what she meant, it took a minute or so of consideration before she finally continued quietly “Picture walking into a room and in that room Thor is in the middle of a private conversation and speaking loudly, you honestly can’t help but overhear parts of it. Right now that’s what I’m getting from everybody; I can filter the majority of everyone’s thoughts out except yours.”
“And for the record . . . you still have a whole life ahead of you. You have a wife, two kids and another on the way.” Wanda stated simply, a sad smile curving her lips. “Pietro and I . . . we saw you looking at the picture of your family before disembarking the quinjet. We grew up without our parents, Pietro wouldn’t wish our childhood on any child.”
“How’d you know about the one on the way then?” Clint grunted as he tried to push himself up into a seated position.
“It flashed through your head . . . with a burst of excitement and a tinge of grief that you could have missed his arrival,” Wanda explained quietly, her eyes closing briefly as she fought to throw up her barriers.