Loving a Maximoff

Chapter 21: Steve's pep talk

A/n: This is the first update of many today because I won't be active in the next week.
I'm also thinking about changing the upload schedule, what would your preference be?

Pov y/n

It's hard to cheer Wanda up, I'm gonna be honest.
I totally understand, that this is hard for her and she needs time to process.
I do my best to assure her, she isn't a murderer and that she did what she did to protect Steve and the people around them. Sometimes that seems to make her feel better but other times it doesn't.

She sits on our bed a lot, caught up in her own mind and I accepted that there isn't much more I can do.
I will still assure her whenever she needs it but I can't take this burden off her. She has to process it herself and come to terms with what she did.
It hurts me a little to see her like this because it's not how she usually behaves.

All her happiness and joy seems to be buried under the weight of her thoughts and I don't like it.
I cuddle with her whenever she wants or needs it and give her everything she needs and that's all I can do for now. Mom offered to call our therapist but Wanda declined that, not wanting to talk to someone outside of the Avengers about it.

I can tell that she beats herself up about what happened and maybe I could say more if I was there but I wasn't, so I only know what Wanda told me and what the media says.
Wanda started to watch them a lot those past two days and sometimes I join her, just holding her and letting her know I'm there for her. We don't need to talk, I just want her to know, she is not alone and I am not afraid of her or her powers. She gently brushes her fingers over my arms then, showing me, she is thankful for what I am doing.

Wanda hasn't talked a lot since the afternoon they came back and I am not forcing her to. I know it can be hard to talk about things you're not sure of yourself.
One time I saw her writing something on a paper but I didn't look further because it's her privacy.
But I am hoping, that writing down what she's feeling and what's going on in her head, will help her, to clear her thoughts and eventually be able to work past this.

She didn't have to go to school or training since they came back. Steve excused her at school with some reason I couldn't find out. We only had training once in the past two days but Wanda didn't have to be there. Which is unusual, since we barely are allowed to skip training but I get that she isn't in the right condition for training right now.

It's Wednesday afternoon and Wanda sits on our bed, watching the TV, one leg pulled up, resting her head on it.
I am sitting next to her, one arm around her shoulder and she has her fingers intertwined with mine, showing me some form of love.
It's those small things that let me know that she isn't mad at me or anything, she just needs some time to think about everything.

In the news, they are talking about what happened in Lagos and as much as I want to switch it off, I know it wouldn't help because Wanda already thinks what the world thinks of her.
I stare at the screen, watching as something explodes and sets a side of a building on fire. People are running around in a panic and there are some first responders helping people. All of it is overshadowed by the voice of the news lady.

Suddenly, the TV goes black and I look to the door, to see Steve standing there, looking worried. I scoot back a little, offering Wanda to take my hand if she needs to but this feels like a conversation between them. Wanda takes my hand and fiddles a little with her rings, pulling one off and putting it on my finger, allowing her to play with it. I let her do that and watch Steve walking a step closer to us.

"It's my fault." Wanda says, her voice a little bit raspy from not using it much. It hurts me to hear those words and even though I know it's not true, she doesn't believe me, too focused on what the media says.