Chapter Two

Steve had hoped that whatever he was feeling towards Wanda would have gone in the week they were in Tokyo. However, every little thing she did only kept adding to it. There was the wonder in her face when they saw a kabuki puppet show in the middle of the street. Then there was the way she slept, her mouth slightly open and her hair partly covering her face. It sent his heart racing every time.

Wanda seemed completely oblivious. She seemed to be enjoying Tokyo so much that taking notice of Steve's longing stares was not on her radar. Natasha had noticed. Sam had also noticed, though was of the mind that if he left it then whatever Steve was feeling would fizzle out. Natasha on the other hand…

"You know that there are farmers in Peru who can notice your sad little puppy look," she commented as she and Steve were shopping for a laptop they were going to need in able to go on the run in other countries.

Steve felt sweat on the back of his neck and his cheeks went pink, "I don't know what you are on about Nat."

"You have feelings for Wanda. I've noticed the way you have been looking at her for the last few weeks. It's quite pathetic really." Steve sighed and rubbed the corner of his eyes. "Steve, I am only going to tell you this once: be careful. We're in close proximity and we can blow up at one another at any moment, and Wanda's probably not emotionally ready to handle it if it all goes wrong."

Steve knew Natasha was right. He still was not entirely sure what he felt, so telling Wanda how he felt would only be playing with her emotions if they ended up fading over time. Once they had found a laptop powerful enough for what they need, it was time to leave Tokyo. Wanda did seem down about it but only because she loved the city so much. However, they had to keep on the move or else people would get suspicious.

The flight to Seoul was only two and a half hours but the wait in the airport seemed three times as long. They managed to get past the check-in desk with their fake passports, and then through security. Despite the fact that there were posters on the walls, no one seemed to notice who they were.

"Wow, I guess these disguises are better than we thought," Natasha commented.

"You think?" Wanda asked. "I still feel like I am being stared at."

"Don't look so worried and everything will be okay."

"So what are we going to do for two hours?"

"Duty-free?"

"What do you need to get from duty-free?"

"Saké. One of the best drinks in the world."

"I can't really drink alcohol since I am more likely to misuse it."

"Seriously?"

"Alcohol abuse is a symptom of mania."

"Huh, maybe we should get you some Japanese chocolate." Wanda snorted a little. "You know, you should smile more often. It suits you."

Wanda looked down at her feet, "I guess I have never had much to smile about."

"Do you still miss Pietro?"

"Every day." Wanda felt her heart sink. She had not spoken about her brother for a long time, given everything that had happened in the last month and a half. She wished he was there with her; he always was after their parents' deaths. "If I could turn back time, I would not have played with Stark's head. No Ultron. No Battle of Sokovia. No Pietro dying. No Sokovia Accords."

"You know that Tony and Bruce had the plans for Ultron long before you even messed with Tony's head? If it wasn't you then it would have been something else. Ultron probably would have gone rogue anyway."

Wanda tried to work what Natasha told her within the narrative she had told herself. Ultron was her fault; if she had not messed with Tony's mind then Pietro would still be alive. What goes around comes around. It had been such a horrific consequence of her actions that Wanda refused to use any of her telepathic powers around the team since she felt like she could not be trusted. She barely understood what her psionic powers were let alone her telepathic. She'd taken out a whole bunch of Ultron bots in the anguish over feeling Pietro die, but that was about as far as she knew the full strength of her powers. She had managed to take control over the Mind Stone when escaping the Compound; everyone assumed that Vision was the most powerful so the fact she could overpower him scared her.

"Do you honestly think that?" Wanda asked eventually.

"Bruce told me about Ultron long before we even knew that Loki's sceptre was in Sokovia. You cannot blame yourself for everything Wanda. Sure you had a part in what happened with Ultron, but you only prompted Tony to push forward with the creation. You had no control over what happened next."

"I could have walked away from that church though. I would not have messed with your head and exposed that wound."

Natasha sighed heavily. She had to admit that the nerve Wanda exposed back in South Africa hit her like a ton of bricks. The way she was dehumanised. The way her right to choose had been taken away. She had felt a lot of bile and anger towards the younger woman, even going as far as to almost outright rejecting her during the Battle of Sokovia. Then she saw how broken Wanda was on the Helicarrier and it did soften her anger towards her a little. When Natasha presented Wanda with the booking confirmation for her therapy sessions, it was less so out of anger and more down to frustration.

"You know, I debate with myself sometimes as to whether I really wanted kids if I had the choice," Natasha told. "Sometimes I think I do, but I'm not exactly the most maternal person. I'm much better at being Aunty Nat."

Wanda nodded in understanding, then responded, "I think I do want children, but with everything that has happened, I don't know how I would be able to take care of myself let alone a child."

"You seem much better than you were when we left Wakanda."

"It's not just that. I am a fugitive at the end of the day; being on the run with a baby is not a good idea."

In the meantime, Steve and Sam were waiting with their bags and keeping their heads low in case anyone would recognise them. Steve was trying to hack into the old S.H.I.E.L.D Intel, mostly in a bid to track down some old safe houses that the authorities would not have thought of checking.

"There's one in London that has just been checked out," Steve told. "Should be clear by the time we get there."

"Should we be going to a place like London where they are on high alert for us?"

"Well, we're not exactly making our way there in a hurry so hopefully the search will have died down."

"You say that."

"I know, but given that Natasha managed to get to us under their nose, I think we're in a good position."

"Yeah but Nat is Nat. The woman once swiped a piece of steak off me to prove a point while I cutting the damn thing up."

"What point was she proving?"

"That I am not as quick-witted as she is." Steve blinked and returned to the computer. "So, you still thinking about Wanda?"

"I don't know what you mean," Steve lied.

"Dude, every night for the last week you've been making googly eyes at her. Steve, I'm your best friend, and I want to see you happy. However, you have to be sure about your feelings because if you lead Wanda on then it is going to reverberate onto all of us and we can't turn on one another."

"Exactly. I don't know what this is so I am not going to pursue it."

"So you admit there is something." Steve then glared at Sam. "Look, a few weeks ago you were kissing Sharon Carter. Now, you have needed some action, and I am proud of you for it, but it's a little weird. She's your dead ex's niece. It's not healthy."

Steve had no idea why he had kissed Sharon. In a sick twisted way, it was probably trying to get on last bit of closure but that was not fair on Sharon. He would always be looking at what he could have had with Peggy. Sharon did not seem to mind but the look on her face knew that they could never be anything because, at the end of the day, he could have very easily been her uncle. However, Steve was unsure why Sam was bringing Sharon up in the first place.

"I'm not sure what your point is Sam," Steve commented.

"You lost your first love, you probably deflected some regrets onto Sharon, you may be doing the same to Wanda," Sam answered. "Look, if you two want to be together, great. I'm just saying that Wanda-"

"Is still emotionally all over the place. I know Nat as already given this talk to me, as has my conscience."

"So are you not going to do anything?"

"Not until I know it's genuine."

Sam nodded and said, "Good."

"Hey," Natasha announced her presence while holding up a duty-free bag, "anyone for saké ?"

Steve looked at Wanda standing beside Natasha and the back of his neck felt sweaty. She had a small smile on her face and when she pushed some of her hair behind her ears, Steve could only think, "I am so screwed."

Eventually, he spat out, "I'm good thanks, Natasha."

Sam rubbed his eye and shook his head at his friend's awkwardness. He said, "I think I may need it on the flight."

It was only when they got to the gate that Steve realised that he and Wanda would be sitting together, and he had a sense that someone - possibly Natasha - was messing with him. Wanda, on the other hand, seemed happy to sit by him. With Natasha and Sam sitting in the seats behind them, Steve shook his head at them and sat in the aisle seat. Wanda was looking out of the window as the plane began taxiing and she quickly grabbed his hand.

"Sorry, I just don't do well with take-offs," she said.

As much as his pulse was racing, Steve was not going to let her hand go if it caused her distress. Instead, he stroked his thumb over her knuckles and attempted to give her a reassuring smile.

"It's a just a couple of hours," he said, mostly to himself.