pylea | ( CAN'T SEE MY HEART IN THE BLENDER )

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( CAN'T SEE MY HEART IN THE BLENDER )

[ it was only a matter of time before wanda invites herself into the fight. surely, sam continuously blowing up her phone with "hello", "how are you?", "please let me know you're alive" was her invitation?

although she had been tucked away in her little hideaway in sokovia, she had begrudgingly kept up with the news. at the mere mention of a new captain america, she couldn't quite help but feel as though the world was moving on and replacing yet another person that she knew. all she wanted to do was turn off the radio and television and not keep up with the news reports via her phone, but somewhere, billy had kept them front and centre of her mind. all she could do was think about sam and bucky—and how steve's legacy was being erased, just like vision.

eventually, wanda hauls ass to the united states. it's easy to track them down—all she has to do is focus on them. even though the two of them are more foreign to her than friends, she remembers how they had both felt when she stood beside them at tony's funeral.

it takes a few days for her to be able to find them. they move around a lot—almost as quickly as birds taking flight—but it seems as though her timing, for once, is impeccable.

there's commotion inside the warehouse. wanda doesn't blast her way in. slipping through the closest door, she hides behind a shelf before she understands the scene playing out in front of her: captain america's attacking the falcon and bucky, and the emotions he feels—grief, sadness, rage—call out to her own that remain purposefully flattened and dormant.

with sam knocked unconscious on the warehouse floor, she steps out from where she's tucked herself away, running as quickly as she can as captain america bleeds guilt and anger and resentment towards bucky. the rage in his eyes is familiar; wanda feels as though she's looking in the mirror as she watches him lift the shield—strangely bloodied and now heavy—as if he's about to attack bucky whose trying to pull himself together and up off the floor.

it's with a wave of her hands that john walker stops, frozen mid-launch towards bucky. his eyes glow a bright red as he remains still.

with long strides, she comes to stand over bucky. he looks beaten up—bloodied in a way she's never seen him before and a little tired—and she knows with a glance over her shoulder that sam doesn't look any better. she holds out her hand to him. ]

I thought Captain America was meant to be your friend.

[ hey, bucky. how ya doing? ]

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[ When he looks back, the shield is gone and Sam's wings are lifting in a swirl of red. They disappear before his eyes and he thinks she must have changed them, like she did the shield. He's grateful, since he thinks Sam will want them back. ]

It's not his. [ He can't bite the words out fast enough ] It never was.

[ He leads the way through the building and back to the car. They get a few looks, considering that he's pulling Sam along, but no one stops them. He'll let the US Government take care of Walker. He's their mess after all.

By the time they get to the car, Sam's slowly coming to. He groans and blinks his eyes open as Bucky props him against the car, trying to get the back door open. ] What happened?

We got the shield. [ He knows that's all he needs to know right now. Well, maybe not everything. ] With a little help.

[ He pulls the door open and steps aside, allowing Sam to see Wanda. Sam squints against the light. ] Wanda?

[ she lifts her hand up, feeling a little sheepish. after ghosting him for so long, it seems only right—and a little comical, she supposes—that she'd be here, saving his ass just in the nick of time. ]

Hi, Sam.

[ at least he's alive. wanda's not entirely sure what she'd have done if he was dead. another person gone. that side of the column is growing bigger and bigger with all of its tally marks. but he just looks beaten up, like he's been thrown down a couple of rocks along a cliffside. better bruised and bloodied than the alternative.

with a glance over her shoulder, she compels the onlookers to find their daily tasks of walking away to be of more interest. the last thing she wants is for them to follow them. ]

You should probably get in the car before anyone asks any questions. And buckle up, too. Safety first.

[ she smiles brightly at sam before lifting her gaze to bucky. with a cock of her head, she gestures for them to get in the car.

then quietly, ] Walker's waking up.

[ Sam seems too confused or concussed to do anything but obey. Bucky moves to the front of the car as Sam climbs into the car and leans back against the seat before reaching for his seatbelt.

He'll have to take her word about Walker, though he has the unsettling thought that Wanda Maximoff can read minds. If that's the case he really, really wants her to stay out of his. He reaches across the seat and opens the door for her, pushing it open as an invitation. ]

So you can feel him? Walker?

[ wanda quietly drops into the passenger seat, pulling her door closed with a bit of a slam (sorry, sam) and buckles up. it's been a while since she's been in a car that she hasn't had to drive; a part of her feels a tad grateful she's not the driver. ]

In a way.

[ she glances over her shoulder at the warehouse and then over her other shoulder at sam. at least he's alive, if getting the rest he deserves. she wishes he was awake to break the mood with a quip, but she supposes even sam deserves a break from that.

rubbing her hands against her thighs, she glances at bucky. ]

I'm just keeping tabs on him so he doesn't surprise us. He's very angry and strong.

[ and filled with grief, but wanda doesn't say that word. it's one that she's been avoiding since westview. ]

[ Bucky glances up at the rearview mirror at Sam and wants to tell him not to go to sleep, but that had been proven to be an old wives' tale, hadn't it? He looks over at Wanda who looks strangely calm and keyed up at the same time. He doesn't know her well enough to know if this is just her, or if she's picking up things from Walker or even him. ]

He took the serum. [ This version was supposed to be better, cleaner but it's all bullshit, because all it did was amplify what had already been there - Walker teetering on the edge. The serum and Lamar's death had just pushed him over it.

As much as he hated to admit it, maybe Zemo wasn't wrong about the serum. None of them were Steve and none of them ever would be. He glances over at her.]

Are you okay?

[ wanda nods. it's a general question that she knows can have a general answer. she hasn't been okay since pietro died, but she's put on her armour every day. the only reason why today's different from the rest is that she knows who she is.

she looks at him. ]

Are you?

[ while she may look at him, it's not to try and invade his mind. wanda genuinely wants to know—and she wants to see if she can read him like he can read her: without powers and simple deduction of someone's body language. ]

[ Well, he should probably be worried about the fact that Zemo is making sense, and there's an ache in his chest where the knowledge that he should've acted on his instinct to take the shield away sooner has settled, but other than that -- ] Yeah.

I'm not. [ Sam's eyes are still closed.] What does internal bleeding feel like?

You're fine. [ He grouses it back immediately, picking up on the rhythm of back and forth that they've established over the last few days. It's surprising how easy it comes. Came. ]

I was asking, Wanda.

[ she glances at bucky before she twists in her seat to peer over at sam and smiles. ] You're fine. You're not dying—yet.

[ she winks at him before she rights herself, resting her back against the seat. sam's fine—if he wasn't, she'd be driving the car via her magic to get him to the hospital. no one else is allowed to die around her. all of them—including bucky—have promised that simply by being in her vicinity. (funnily enough, almost everyone who's an avenger seems so durable.)

looking at bucky, she mouths, ] He's fine. [ and gives him the thumbs up. ]

[ He grins, despite himself, making the last turn before their hotel and parking the car. Sam pushes himself out of the backseat with a little groan, but seems steady on his feet.

Bucky looks over at Wanda. ] You coming or do you have other people you need to save?

[ wanda's not entirely sure why she's surprised by his invitation. had she really thought she'd show up, help them out, and then return to exile? her whole point coming out here was to try and reconnect... and help them. that's what friends were for, right?

a small cluster of butterflies ignite in her chest and she smiles. ] I think they can save themselves without me.

[ she twists to look at sam who, for once, is very quiet and still—and not frighteningly so for once. ]

Did you want help getting him out of the car?

Are you going to shrink him down and put him in your pocket?

[ Because that would be impressive, though also probably not the best way to move a beat up Falcon. He glances back at him and then nods. ]

Yeah, what did you have in mind?

That's tempting, but—

[ unbuckling her seatbelt, the car door opens—but it's not her car door nor bucky's. the back door closest to the building clicks open with an invisible hand. those invisible hands extend towards sam, shining a very, very light red as he's unbuckled and tugged gently out from the car. he's held in the arms of some invisible beast. ]

I thought like that.

[ then she opens up her car door (with her hands this time) and ensures to gently turn any curious gazes away from the floating captain america. ]

[ He shrugs and gets out of the car. ]

That works too.

[ Her powers really would've come in handy over the last couple of days, but it's enough that she showed up when she did. And at least this way he doesn't have to drag Sam up the stairs of the older hotel. He leads the way, grateful for the fact that she somehow manages to keep people from staring at the odd sight in front of them.

He opens the door to the modest hotel room and pauses at the sight of Sam's wings on the bed, as if an angel just left them lying there. He looks back at her and raises an eyebrow. ]

Is there anything you can't do?

Hold a very heavy Vibranium shield.

[ easily depositing sam gently onto the couch, wanda's grateful for the little task. it means that she has a distraction from thinking about bucky's words.

plucking the phone from out of her back pocket, she holds it out to him. better he holds it than her. he's the physically strong one while she's... only capable of carrying the shield when she's reduced it into a smaller, compactable size and weight. ]

You should hold it carefully. I'll turn it back into the shield.

[ He takes the phone, not entirely sure how to hold it at her warning. The colors are all there under the disguise of a phone case and his eye catches the red. He'd almost forgotten for a moment the ugly splash of blood across the front, but he prepares himself for the sickening sight of it again.]

Okay.

[ He nods at her, ready to take on the weight of Steve's shield. As if it ever really left him. The moment Sam gave it up it's been weighing on him. He's glad to have it back, to return it to the person Steve wanted to have it, if he'll take it.

The shield appears and he quickly adjusts his arm to hold it steady, the coppery smell of blood hitting him. He moves to grab a nearby towel neatly stacked in the corner and starts rubbing it off.

He glances over at Sam on the couch.]

He really okay?

[ He figures she would know. ]

Yes.

[ wanda doesn't hesitate in answering him. she regards sam with a tilted head, knowing that he's fine. he's dreaming of… well, she doesn't particularly want to dig into that. it's better to sense that he's thinking and dreaming and experiencing than to feel something so cold and void like she had with vision. ]

He's thinking about… things.

[ she pulls a face and turns on her foot, looking around the apartment again. she doesn't want to be invading sam's privacy. knowing he's thinking is enough; she doesn't need to know what that is.

now that she's no longer on the move, somehow leading when she's never been a leader before, she finds herself feeling like an outsider. this is a space she doesn't' belong in. ]

Are you okay? Your face is all… [ she gestures to her own face. he's covered in blood. ]

[ He huffs at her answer, wondering what she saw going on in Sam's mind. He wonders if she looked into his if Sam's description of his cyborg brain would be accurate. Probably. He hadn't been lying when he'd told Sam he knew crazy when he saw it.

He sets the shield down and tosses the towel in the corner. He's sore and bruised from the fight, but it's nothing that won't heal in a day or more. Still, he realizes that he probably looks as much of as mess as Sam does. He catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror and is surprised at how worn down he looks.]

I'm fine.

[ He tells himself it doesn't need to be convincing, but feels like he fails at it all the same. He grabs another towel and dabs at his nose, settling on the edge of one of the beds. ]

So you were just in the neighborhood?

Yes.

[ that towel's not going to do it, bud. wanda doesn't want to be standing in the middle of the apartment looking around and doing nothing. it makes her stand out more like a bright spot that doesn't quite belong.

she walks over to the kitchenette and swipes herself a dishtowel, taking it to the sink to soak it. ]

I was stalking you. Or Sam… I was stalking you both.

[ with the dishtowel sufficiently wet, she wrings it out and walks over to him. she has no intentions of handing it to him. ]

Stalking? [ It's hard to tell if she's joking or if she actually means stalking.
He wonders just how long she's been following them and more importantly, how they hadn't noticed. Though, admittedly, there's been other things on their radar. ]

[ He looks at the dish towel in her hands blankly for a moment before he realizes what she wants. Realization dawns on his face and he presses his lips together, but he lowers his towel anyway, angling his face up to her. ] You've been following us with your powers?

Mhm.

[ wanda stands in front of him, but she doesn't reach for his face. not yet. bucky is a very big question mark to her. sam, she knows. bucky… she doesn't want to overstep. there's really no one left.

so, she gently wrings her fingers into the dishtowel and observes him. ]

Does that freak you out? It's okay if it does. It freaks me out sometimes.

[ He's surprised when she doesn't shove the towel in his face. Maybe he's gotten too used to Sam who is pushy about getting into his personal space. He's pleasantly surprised when she waits. He holds his hand out for the towel, not wanting to make her clean up his mess. ] Thanks.

[ His expression shifts slightly at her question, becoming a little more shuttered. But he doesn't look away. ] A little.

[ He gestures to his head. ] My head's a mess. I don't like anyone else being in it.

[ she reluctantly hands him the towel. he reminds her of pietro, stubborn and in denial that he may need a second pair of hands to help him. but she thinks it's important that he remain in control of even his own clean up. ]

I try not to go into heads without permission.

[ it would be a lie if she said she didn't go into heads without permission. she did to most of his friends—or acquaintances—and she had done so most recently with westview. but she tries not to. steve had told her trying was all that mattered. ]

I only skimmed the surface of Sam's. [ she sweeps her hand in a line, brows furrowed slightly as she tries to think of how she could ever explain it. ] It's like wanting to touch the water of a lake but without dipping your hand completely into it. You want to make sure it's cold and wet.

[ He takes up where he left off with his own towel, dabbing at his nose and wincing a little. With the serum behind his punch, Walker was able to clock him and make it count. Still, it's nothing that won't heal in a day or two.

He tries to picture his mind as a serene lake and it makes him huff at the thought. His must be more like a choppy sea in the middle of a thunderstorm. Sam's though, that he could see as a lake. ] That's good to know.

[ He pauses, lowering the towel. ] And how deep could you go if you had permission?

[ it's a good question, and one that wanda doesn't want to answer on a good day. she knows what she's capable of. if what agatha had said was true, having thousands of people beneath her thumb where she dictated when they sneezed was that of legend. she thinks there is no limit to how far she can actually go.

she knows of bucky's relationship with mind control. she also knows his relationship with lies. like her, he doesn't like them. ]

I think to the point where I could control when you blink and breathe.

[ she looks at him and impulsively picks up the edge of the towel, bringing it up to wipe at the corner of his nose. missed a spot there, buck.

with her gaze on his nose, ] I did that to everyone in Westview.

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( CAN'T SEE MY HEART IN THE BLENDER )

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