Vices & Virtues ✴ W.Maximoff ✓

⭐ W A N D A ⭐

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Always | Chapter 21
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Every day was almost the same. Wanda would try to work Vivian through her guilt and Vivian would try to cooperate before getting frustrated and shutting down. It was a little tedious, but Wanda really wanted to help Vivian. It was her job to help others.

She felt more like a mother lately than a girlfriend, always having to push Vivian to do things for herself rather than rely on her. It seemed like the only time Wanda had to herself was when she was training. She could pour out all of her pent up frustrations, which there were a lot of.

Today was no different. Wanda found herself in the training room, multiple hexes swirling around the room as she tried to strengthen her telekinesis. Wanda and Steve were trying a new skill where she hoists someone up with her hex and while she had the strength, she lacked the focus to move a person. She could handle her own weight, but she still had to get used to others.

Wanda lost her focus as she heard the training room door open, the boxes and light equipment falling noisily around her. She swears under her breath before turning to see who had just walked in; it was Steve, a punching bag resting on his shoulder.

"Good morning Steve." Wanda mutters, hexes swirling around the items as she put them back. She was still a little uneasy from being surprised earlier, but she tried her best not to show it.

"Wanda." he replies, nodding in her direction. He hooks up his punching bag and starts to wrap up his hands. "What brings you here so early?"

It was a valid question. It was currently 6:30 and she was already training. The team had gotten so used to Wanda spending her days with Vivian all this time that seeing her come back to the compound more frequently was a little worrisome, no matter how early she got there. No one ever asked her if everything was fine and she never told, but she could tell that they were thinking it. Even if it was a little immoral, telepathy was useful. Especially now, when the question was so heavy on Steve's mind that it was practically calling to the Sokovian woman.

"Did you come here to train or to ask me about my love life?" Wanda asks instead of answering Steve's question. He looks up at Wanda to see that her hands are on her hips and he laughs softly, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

"I guess you caught me." he says, crossing his arms over his chest. Wanda could sense that he was gearing up for a Talk™ and was trying to think of an out. She didn't come here at the ass-crack of dawn to talk it out with the resident dad of the team, she wanted to be by herself. That's why she left the apartment in the first place.

"That's not any of your business, Captain." Wanda says. "I don't need to have a talk just because I've been training a little harder. Don't you want me to be ready in case we find this man that you've been looking for?"

It's quiet for a moment, and Wanda can tell that Steve is thinking, but this time she doesn't poke around in his head. Guess she picked the right excuse.

"Well then let's work on this skill." Steve suggests. "I don't think lifting boxes and weights is gonna be much help."

Wanda sighs quietly in relief, glad that Steve didn't push and harder. "You don't know that, Captain."

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After a few hours, Wanda was able to lift Steve up a few floors without dropping him. They decided to call it a day after that, so Wanda showered and went to her room. She was currently sitting on her bed, aimlessly strumming at her guitar. It was a gift from Vivian, something to keep her distracted and occupied when her mind was racing. It wasn't doing its job very well at this time though, because her brain was more focused on Vivian than chords.

She just didn't know what to do anymore. At first, she was sure that Vivian was going to try to be very protective of her, and she was fine with that. Wanda kind of missed having someone try to be her knight in shining armor - no matter how independent she was - rather than just protect her out of fear, because that's how the team felt. Fearful. They were afraid of Wanda's abilities, afraid of Wanda herself, and afraid that she would hurt someone. And she knew why.

No matter how hard Wanda tries to make up for what she did with Ultron, it still stands that she hurt the Avengers. She hurt her team before, brought painful memories to surface, and for what? To get her revenge? Was it worth it when her decisions ultimately led to the death of her brother?

Wanda stopped strumming abruptly, right in the middle of the song she was playing. This was not going to turn into another pity party with her playing sad songs for Pietro. Taking a deep breath to change her train of thought, she started to play a different song, her mind drifting back to Vivian.

She wasn't sure how to feel about her anymore, and that made her feel terrible. These last few months were great, but she wasn't sure that her feelings were still there; at least, not as strong as they were at the bar. Of course she cared for the blonde - she's her best friend after all - but maybe Wanda was only holding on because of what Vivian symbolized; Vivian was Wanda's last link to Novi Grad, to Sokovia, and losing her felt like Wanda was losing everything significant to her past. It felt like she was losing her past, like Vivian leaving marked the end of the old Wanda.

Of course it wasn't fair to project that much on one person without them knowing. It's not fair to give so much emotional significance to someone who has her own shit to figure out. It wasn't Vivian's job to do anything but love and respect Wanda. But she couldn't even do that the right way.

Throwing fits was not respect, shutting Wanda out was not respect, treating anyone poorly because you're hurting is not respect, and that was something that Wanda herself had to learn. And it's something that Vivian needs to learn too.

Wanda sighs, laying back on her bed, the guitar sitting in her lap. Her mind was nearly made up; she was going to have to do something that she was dreading for weeks.

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Last week's chapter was published hours before we got the news, so now I can coherently say: Rest in Peace Stan Lee. Without you this fanfic - let alone this account - would not exist.