It's so Easy... to fall in love

The Road to Recovery (WM) pt.1

"You're defending the mass murderer." Steve grumbled, glaring at me, clearly not happy with me defending Wanda.

"I know what I'm doing Steve. She made a few mistakes so what. We've all fucked up-" 

"Fucking up? You call kidnapping an entire town of innocent people, murdering at least 10 people in an hour, and living in a fake reality for a year is fucking up? What she just slipped? Made a few mistakes?" Steve yelled, pushing my shoulder lightly. 

"Her parents were taken from her, she lost her brother, she lost her family, her friends, she lost everything, she lost Natasha, she lost Vision, she lost children she didn't even have, she is so fucking traumatized by her own life, so broken, that how could we not expect her to need help Steve. She needs help, not criticism and isolation. 

Do you want her to get worse? 

Why don't you just try loving her instead of breaking her down and telling her she can never be anything other than the monster you make her out to be." I snapped, Steve and I now eye to eye. 

Arguing over what to do with Wanda was not how I expected my morning to go but here we are. Steve, the guy that always wanted to see the good in everyone now cannot even think about Wanda without associating her with her mistakes. My older brother is not someone to immediately turn someone into a monster. I know she fucked up. I know she made mistakes. I know what she's done. But we're just as much at fault as she is. 

"You love her enough for the both of us then." Steve huffed. 

"I do and I will. She's our responsibility Steve, she needs someone to love her. Even if I'm the only one in the entire multiverse to love her. Then I will. She was the Avengers responsibility, and we failed her. We failed her when she needed us most. You could at least TRY to make it right." I huffed back, glaring up at Steve and standing my ground. Seeing this was going nowhere Steve slowly backed down. "She's coming to the hideaway cabin with me." I decided. 

"What? But what if she-" "She is not a monster. She's Wanda. Sweet, caring, loving, Wanda. Wanda is not a monster, no matter how badly we broke her, she's not a monster." I said firmly. "I never said that." Steve scoffed. 

"You were thinking it. Maybe you forgot but she can hear what you're thinking Steve. She knows what you're thinking. That just hurts her more. We're leaving now. Be back whenever she's better." I grumbled, pushing past Steve. 

I went into the main room and sighed, seeing Wanda between Bruce and Thor in handcuffs. "Take the handcuffs off." I said, swiftly walking over. Wanda was silently crying, her head down as tears streamed down her face, suitcase at her feet stained with tears. "(Y/N) we can't. It's a risk-" 

"Well she's leaving with me. So if you can't take them off give me the keys." I ordered. 

Thor and Bruce looked at each other, quietly talking it over before handing over the keys and leaving me alone with Wanda. Once I was sure we were alone I crouched down and gently reached out to hold Wanda's hands. Wanda yanked her hands away from mine, and even though I could tell it was hurting her she refused to let me get close to the handcuffs. 

"Wanda sweetheart I need to take those cuffs off." I said softly, frowning when she sniffles and shook her head. 

"Why not? I know they hurt." I said, speaking from experience I've been in those cuffs before. 

Those things hurt like hell no matter what.

Wanda shook her head, everytime I reached out she pulled her hands away. "Okay.. well can I at least loosen them a bit? Please? I know they're too tight. They didn't double lock them, right? Come on give me your hands, I just want you to be not in pain. Starting with the cuffs." I said calmly gently scooting closer to hold out my hands. I sat there for an unknown amount of time until Wanda realized I wasn't going to let this go and slowly gave me her hands. I smiled, gently kissing the crown of her head before I carefully unlocked the cuffs and made sure to loosen them a lot. I noticed the bright red marks around her wrists and frowned. God damn it Bruce.