"Learning to Live"
By darthelwig
*** I own nothing. I'm just having fun. ***
Wanda is a broken person when she is brought into the ranks of the Avengers. Unsure of herself or her place, and convinced the best part of herself had died with Pietro. She doesn't know how to be anything but the weak, sad little girl she has become.
Slowly, though, as she gets to know her new teammates, she begins to learn.
From Rhodes, Wanda learns how not to hate Tony Stark. In their interactions, she sees the humanity behind the flashy and cavalier facade Tony presents to the world. They both remind her of Pietro in a way, with their quick-witted joking and good natured banter. It hurts, at first, to realize that, but she slowly adjusts, and as she does, her entire worldview shifts bit by bit, until Tony Stark is no longer a monster to her. She doesn't know if she will ever fully truly trust him, but she sees him better now. Rhodes shows her this. It feels good to be able to let that hate go.
From Sam, she learns friendship. Wanda cannot remember a time when she had a friend who wasn't Pietro, but Sam's gentle teasing and warm smiles slowly ease her out of her shell. He teaches her to laugh again, which, after losing Pietro, she thought she would never be able to do, and laughter really is the best medicine. He helps her relearn what happiness feel like.
From Clint, she learns perseverance. He will not quit, no matter what challenges he faces. He approaches everything with a sense of determination she can only hope to one day possess. He is just a man, surrounded by the most powerful beings in the world, yet he holds his own. He refuses to be cowed. She wants that same kind of belief in herself.
From Natasha, she learns how to be strong. She has always depended on Pietro's strength, but now she has to learn to be her own person, and Natasha teaches with carefully calculated blows that leave her gasping on the floor. There are no excuses made or accepted, and Wanda is grateful for the chance to push beyond the person she was so she can find the person she wishes to be. It hurts, but Wanda considers those hurts growing pains. Natasha never backs down from a fight, and neither will she.
From Steve, she learns duty. He is their leader, ever thoughtful, ever considerate, and ever mindful of the reasons why they fight. He is the perfect example of a hero, and Wanda uses him as her compass, to help her navigate the unfamiliar waters she has found herself in. She would be lost without his light guiding her way.
From Vision, she learns how to find peace. He is soothing in ways that others are not. His mind is a comfort, and she uses the orderly nature of his thoughts as a template for her own. Little by little, she begins to pick up the pieces Pietro's death left behind. She tucks them away in her heart and mind, everything in its proper place, until she is no longer a mess on the inside, no longer made up of jagged edges that cut her to shreds when she moves wrong.
The Avengers teach her how to live again, how to be alone and still alive. She knows she would not have survived the loss of her brother without them, and she is determined never to fail her new family. She will learn to be a hero. She will be better than she was. She will be better.
She knows Pietro would be proud, and will keep that thought in her heart forever.