Two of a Kind | Wanda Maximoff

Chapter 33: Out

After Wanda's accident and recovery in Wakanda, Claire rarely left her side, afraid that Wanda might experience another sort of attack. Steve, Sam, and even Bucky made the effort to visit her and spend time with her, with T'Challa coming occasionally. After Wanda explained to Claire what happened in the grove, she relayed it to the doctor who looked into it and diagnosed that it was some sort of PTSD attack that mixed with her anxiety (to be honest, Claire couldn't remember because of the medical jargon).

Wanda was discharged a few days later, once the doctors were sure that she was fine. The redness in her neck died down and returned to its normal color and the small cuts started to scab over. Mentally, Wanda was also doing better. In addition to spending time with Claire and the guys, she saw a therapist who helped her talk out her various traumas. Wanda made Claire and the guys promise her to not mention anything about this to Jemma saying, "When she freaks out, then I freak out." They reluctantly agreed and promised not to say anything to Jemma.

The rest of their stay was uneventful, and after what happened with Wanda, they were all thankful for that. They spent the rest of their week kicking back without the threat of running hanging over their heads, attended festivals and explored the cities. Wanda marveled at the beauty of the hand-made woven rugs, clothes, and jewelry as she walked through the stalls of the marketplace.

She paused at one stand in particular, marveling at the different rings, necklaces, bracelets, and pins that they sold, gazing a little longer than she should have. Claire crept up behind her, watching as Wanda glued her eyes to a tray of necklaces, smiling softly. She continued walking, not stopping at the stall long before she moved onto another stall, felling the fabrics of the shawls that were being sold, chatting with the old woman who ran the stall. Claire joined her a minute later, shuffling a small bag into the of her jeans, and pecked Wanda on the cheek. Wanda smiled and looked over at her as her cheeks turned a light red.

The old woman behind the stall smiled at them and picked up two small scarves, one red and the other purple, and handed them to the two young women.

"For you," she said in her thick Wakandan accent as she folded her hands and bowed slightly. Wanda and Claire looked at each other, blushing some more, and tried to hand the scarves back to her.

"Oh no, we couldn't take this," Wanda said, but the old woman shook her head, not accepting the scarves. She smiled as she pointed at them, her bony finger shaking a little bit.

"No, you keep them. May Bast bless you both with happiness and peace and may you both live long and happy lives."

"Please, we couldn't," Claire pleaded. The woman pushed the scarves back at them, giving them a stern look that quickly turned into a smile.

"Take them! As a gift. I have been around for 90 years I do not need these. Take them and humor an old woman." She reached out both her hands towards theirs, the both of them placing a gentle hand into each of her open ones. "Do not let people's fear and bigotry trample out the love you two feel. Make your love stronger, brighter and louder than their hate." She leaned down and placed a small kiss on their hands before releasing them. They thanked her for her words and the scarves and continued on their way.

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The Quinjet soared quickly through the air, hidden in stealth mode, as it flew back home to the safehouse. The three of them enjoyed their time in Wakanda and Wanda and Claire promised each other that they would go back at some point. Claire was a little sad to go because she would miss Bucky terribly, but she knew he'd be okay with T'Challa there to watch him, and she knew that she'd be okay with Wanda her to keep her from missing him too much.