Fire and Smoke - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Chapter 63

"Thank you, Olivia. Seriously. If this helps him-" Steve begins, his sincerity making me feel slightly uncomfortable as we're walking back towards the elevators, leaving Barnes behind.

"It's not me you should be thanking." I tell him and he nods.

"Sure, but I know she wouldn't even consider were you not to-"
"Look, I appreciate it, but I don't tell her what to do, I don't even know if she will-" I interrupt Steve only to get interrupted by him in return.

"I know you don't, but I know she would do anything you asked of her." He says and my stomach turns slightly. We stop in front of the elevators and Natasha presses the call button, silently observing our conversation.

"Well, I'm still not sure if this is the right thing to try, I mean she really isn't okay with-"
"I know she doesn't like looking into peoples' minds, but surely she'll be glad to do something good with her powers, no?" Steve asks with a small smile.

How clueless some people can be. I sigh and cross my arms over my chest protectively. I guess I acted a little... irrationally, telling Barnes to let Wanda try to help him. The shock of hearing that I actually haven't been helped, that there's still a part of me that can be activated without my knowledge, a part of me I have no control over... if I can help him not have to fear himself, shouldn't I try?

You should probably have talked to Wanda first, though, before going and making promises. That small, annoying voice in my head says -the one I assume is my conscience. Don't you remember how glad she was when she thought you understood how much she struggles with her powers? And now you've gone behind her back and forced her hand, forcing her to use the thing she hates most?

"Olivia, you coming?" Natasha's voice breaks through to me and I blink a couple of times, returning to the present.

"Sorry?" I mutter.

"Getting on the elevator or you gonna stand there?" Natasha says and I realize both she and Steve are standing inside the elevator, Natasha holding one hand out on the open doors, preventing them from closing in front of me.

"Shit, sorry." I say and quickly join them.

"Don't worry too much." Natasha says next to me and I look over at her. She's looking at me with a soft smile on her face.

"Not much to worry about." I sarcastically answer. "Just might turn into a murderous machine at any given moment."
"It's flattering you worry about our safety, but babe, we could all take you on." Natasha says, and I want to both laugh with her and argue. I could definitely take them on. Maybe not Wanda, but the rest...

"Natasha's right, Olivia." Steve says on my other side and I feel him pat my shoulder. "You know, they might not ever activate whatever it is they put in you. As long as you just stay honest with us about how you're feeling, we'll all be fine."
As much as I appreciate their trying to cheer me up, I can't help the gloom inside of me from growing. The more they act like it's not a big deal, the more I feel like it is. When you're on the receiving end of one of Captain America's fake smiles, you'll feel it too.

"Yeah." I manage to croak out with a matching half-smile of my own.

"And if you're worried about Wanda, well, don't be." Natasha says as if it is the simplest thing in the world, and leans against the wall of the elevator, studying me with that smirk she always seems to sport when she looks at me. "She's not worried."
"Well, I have both shot her and stabbed her, so she might have a reason for being worried." I mutter and Natasha huffs.

"Well, she's still here, isn't she?"
As I cannot argue with that, all I do is shrug and Natasha seems pleased with my answer. As if on cue, the elevator doors open up and the three of us step back out onto the same floor Natasha and I left about twenty minutes ago.