This is unbeta'ed. All mistakes are mine. Please review.
Bucky woke up the next morning with his head resting on Wanda's chest. One of her arms was around his back and her hand resting on his hair. His hand apparently went wandering last night because right now it was inside her upper thigh, literally gripping her leg. It took him a moment to wake up enough to know how he woke up wrapped around a woman. Not that he was complaining by any means. But now that he's awake, he was aroused. He tried to think of something horrible, but his view was too appealing. Wanda made a soft sleepy sound while he was deciding whether it would be better to move now or stay here and explain. Then she stretched and rolled slightly into him, her hip brushing against his crotch, turning his inconvenience into a situation. He wondered if they knew each other well enough for him to wake her up with his mouth?
Hearing someone coming out of the house, he pulled the blanket up to cover himself and sat up. Wanda, likely seeking his heat, snuggled into his side, wrapping her arm across him. Bucky grabbed his shirt and pulled it on in just enough time before Natasha peeked in. The former spy was far enough away to not see anything but him sitting up, so he detangled Wanda from him and stood.
Natasha smirked at him but said nothing. "Was she okay for the rest of the night?"
"Yes. No issues with her powers. She's just exhausted," Bucky answered, glancing down at Wanda.
As if she realized they were talking about her, she stretched, then opened her eyes. Natasha tapped Wanda's leg lightly with her foot. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty. I figured you wanted to get in the house before 'Dad' gets out of the shower."
Wanda sat up with a sigh. "I have to tell him, anyway. I mean, I think it would be dangerous for everyone if I tried to keep this quiet. But I'm glad you guys gave me last night to deal with it mentally before I told him."
"It seems like Bucky took good care of you when it happened." Nat winked at Wanda. "So, I'm going to get some coffee if you guys want to talk before you come inside. Bucky, if you want to take a shower after Steve, I think there's a vacancy on the list before Wanda uses all the hot water. I can't believe we have a safe house with one shower. How is that safe for any of us? And who puts a half-bath in a master bedroom?"
Wanda grinned and watched Nat walk out of the barn. Glancing up at Bucky, she seemed more subdued with him when she said, "Good morning. Did you sleep okay?"
"Yes. I did actually. No nightmares." He sat beside her, running his fingers through her hair. "It was nice not waking up alone." Wanda's cheeks turned a light pink, and she glanced away. "For the first time," he added.
Bucky felt the need to stress to her how different this was for him. After teasing him about being a womanizer last night, he hoped she didn't really think that. She turned and studied him, but seemed hesitant to ask him anything and Bucky had said enough for now.
It seemed hard for her to accept that he was nothing like men her age. He didn't know how to explain or even assure her he didn't have nefarious intent for the attention he paid to her. Bucky couldn't help but study her with a slight grin. He would have chased a woman like her relentlessly before the war.
Steve referred to Wanda as being a kid and Bucky corrected him, but now, he realized Steve may have meant her naivete, not her age. While she had been through a lot in her life that forced her to grow up fast, including the deaths of her parents and hell with HYDRA, her brother had always been there for her. Then, Steve and Clint looked after her after he died. Even now, Natasha acted like a big sister to her. So, she hasn't had a lot of normal relationships with people, like Bucky for the last seventy years. From what he'd seen, she came across as tough and strong, but now he saw her innocence and fragility. Maybe those traits drew him to her because she was unlike other women in modern days. Her kindness appealed to him most, but she didn't hide that with people she knew. He imagined it took a lot to know her completely. But her deepest sadness, her true weakness, was missing her other half.
Bucky remembered she asked for her brother last night. "Do you remember asking about Pietro in the woods last night?"
Wanda glanced away quickly and remained quiet for a few moments. She seemed struck and told him she better go. Bucky instantly regretted asking her. He'd set off her defenses and he could see her close off to him. Unable to resist, he stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers and Wanda closed her eyes for a moment. He watched in fascination when she opened her eyes and every ounce of vulnerability disappeared behind a mask. "Thanks for last night, Bucky. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there."
"I'm glad I could help." Bucky smiled as she stood up. Respecting her boundaries, he didn't attempt to kiss her or say more. She hesitated a moment before smiling and leaving.
Bucky put his face in his hands, rubbing his stubbled cheeks and attempting to wake up. He didn't understand modern women. But he knew enough to know that yesterday either Wanda was completely different because of the crisis with her power, so possibly their connection wasn't real or letting down her guard and being vulnerable terrified her. Bucky wasn't sure which one was true. He couldn't deny that he hoped it was the latter, because she had awakened something in him. Everything told him it was the latter.
But Bucky didn't know how to proceed with her. It's another case of him not understanding how relationships work anymore. Steve knew a little more, but this wasn't something he felt comfortable asking Steve about this. Plus, he worried Steve would tell him to stay away from Wanda.
In Romania, Bucky didn't have anyone to help him navigate the world that he 'woke up' to. No one to tell him about computers, the new color TVs, cell phones, or self-checkout and ATMs. He had to observe others many times before he attempted some things. The only thing he attempted to learn about, that went against everything he believed, was having sex twice with Romanian prostitutes. And it really hadn't been his effort as much as their effort. If the first woman hadn't approached him almost nightly when he walked back to his apartment, he wouldn't have let her come home with him. She wasn't very attractive and seemed like she had been doing that job for far too long. Plus, he didn't like the aggressive way she was with him. But finally, the loneliness got to him and he accepted her offer. He wanted desperately to feel something. Unfortunately, all he felt was awkward and uneasy around her. Not to mention being a virgin, so it was over rather quickly. Her dirty talk was more than a little jarring to him. He didn't know half of the things she was even talking about. Almost immediately after, she dressed and held her hand out for her money. He didn't think she'd even kissed him. At least, not on the mouth. The minor physical relief it gave him didn't make up for the humiliation and more loneliness.
The second prostitute had been unlike the first one. She was about ten years younger than the other, lovely in her own way, and she was coy, not aggressive. Like a fool, Bucky bought into her shy act and, once more, he had sex with no intimacy or affection, which is what he really needed. That was the last time he attempted sex with strangers. He wasn't sure what he would have done if Steve hadn't come after him, because Bucky supposedly bombed the UN.
When he went to Wakanda, he finally started making connections with people. He really liked King T'Challa and his sister Shuri. In fact, Shuri had gone above and beyond to help him. At first Bucky spent a lot of time with T'Challa and Steve, but when Shuri started helping him, he spent more of his time with her. She taught him a little about computers, smart phones, and other modern technology. He'd been very grateful that she'd introduced him to some books he could read to tell him more about history. She'd even given him something she called a tablet for him to read on and introduced him to Wikipedia, which he loved. It touched him that she helped him out of sheer kindness and desire to make his life easier. Few people did that for him. He would take a bullet for that girl.
In Wakanda, he also gained more understanding of how his relationship with Steve was before the war. Bucky had never minded protecting and helping his friend, but Steve continually tried to handle things on his own. Now their roles were reversed and Bucky had a hard time even letting Steve know when he didn't know something or needed help. He'd always been smart and capable at a minimum, but usually he was highly skilled in what he did. Now, almost daily, things were asked of him that he didn't know and he felt out of his depth. And his pride made him hide that from Steve. Thankfully, Shuri just knew he would need the help without humiliating him by asking. Wanda had done the same once or twice. Bucky knew he probably shouldn't be humiliated by it, but he was.
Some of the guards at the lab and the Dora Milaje had been friendly with him as well, especially Ayo. That was a whole different story.
A few men living near where he and Steve were staying had let him help out on their farm, teaching him things as they went. Bucky enjoyed working, working so hard that he was sore and sweaty, but his body forced his brain to shut down and he didn't have nightmares for one night. He needed to find something to do here.
Bucky withdrew from Steve in some ways and he wasn't sure how to fix that. Steve had become a prominent leader long ago in the war, but had returned from the ice rising to the leader of the Avengers. And he sacrificed everything for Bucky, making him feel like he was just a weight on Steve's neck. Not to mention losing his friend Tony Stark. It was understandable that Stark wanted him dead. Bucky would have felt the same.
Natasha and the others were kind to him, likely because of his friendship with Steve. But he knew they merely tolerated his presence. He didn't blame them. He had shot Natasha twice, Steve once, and also tried to kill Sam. How do you really apologize for shooting someone? Or in Stark's case, for killing his parents.
Wanda had been the only one to make a genuine effort. And she seemed to understand when he got quiet and withdrew from the others. Last night, she had insisted he join her and the others for cards, then willingly spent time with him talking and watching TV. Plus, she didn't treat him strangely when he didn't know something. She had made him feel as he once did with women long ago; charming and happy. Wanda was exactly the type of woman that had attracted to in the past and now. She was sweet, funny, smart, and kind, not to mention her being beautiful. Stunning actually. She was a lady with some morals, which weren't as important these days to others, but they still were to him. Unlike Natasha, who seemed to be constantly the spy, Bucky thought he could read and have faith in his thoughts on Wanda most of the time. Despite being skittish, she was genuine and authentic. Unless he had been completely wrong about her.
Not having many answers about the woman who was on his mind, Bucky knew he had to be patient and see how things went today. Plus, tonight she'd start working with his mind control problems.
x0x0x
Wanda jammed her foot into a running shoe, when there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Steve, looking very concerned. She let him in, then sat down, putting on her other shoe and lacing them up. Steve sat beside her on the bed.
"Are you okay?" he asked and she nodded. "Bucky just explained what happened last night. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."
"It's not your fault. And considering he had to use his vibranium arm to handle the energy, it could have been terrible if you had been there." Lowering her feet to the floor, she took a deep, shaky breath.
Realizing she avoided his eyes; Steve caught her chin and raised her face. "Wanda, tell me the truth. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." She pulled away quickly. "It's scary to think what would have happened if Bucky hadn't realized to get me away from the house. Maybe we need to keep separate quarters. You know? Keep the people that can blow shit up away from the normal people. Oh wait. I'm the only one that blows shit up."
She reminded him so much of the way she was when he first brought her to the compound after Pietro's death. It broke his heart when he found out from Maria Hill that she and Pietro had been sleeping in abandoned buildings after leaving HYDRA. Half the time they weren't eating because Ultron never thought to give the humans time to find food. And when they got food, Pietro had stolen it, or she had tricked someone out of the money to buy it. It had amazed Wanda when she found out that they had hot watered for the showers. After seeing how nice the compound was and her own bedroom, with a bed, she had almost left. She felt certain that they wanted something from her she wasn't willing to give.
No one knew he had slept with her for more than a couple of weeks because she had been so used to her brother being with her. They had kept it a secret because Steve knew the others, especially the men, would assume it was a sexual thing. He held her, but it was far from sexual. It had been the only way she trusted him, because he hadn't done what she feared he'd do and take advantage of her. He couldn't remember how long it took her to lower her guard completely around all of them, but she certainly was shutting Steve out now. He decided he'd have a word with Clint and Natasha. Maybe they could get through to her. After yesterday, he and Wanda might be in a weird place, anyway. He really felt like he had let her down last night, no matter how 'fine' she was. He was glad Bucky had been there for her.
"If you planned to train, you should probably just not use your powers. I think Clint said something about going hunting, if you want to go. Even if you don't hunt it might be fun for you to get out in nature." She snorted when he mentioned hunting then walked to the mirror to brush her hair.
"Steve, you're treating me like I'm a child. Last night was scary, yes. But I'm a big girl and I'll handle my shit myself." Realizing her tone was a bit harsh, she looked down for a moment before adding, "I'm sorry. I just don't need to be coddled."
The last thing he wanted to do was push her. He'll try later or just see how her day went. "Understood." He stood up and walked to the door, then paused. It felt foreign to him, walking away with things up in the air, especially between them. He hoped her standoffishness had nothing to do with him kissing her last night. "I'll see you downstairs."
After he left, Wanda felt terrible. He was trying to help, but she felt too exposed right now. She needed time on her own. She wondered if Steve had picked up anything about her and Bucky. Then she wondered if there was anything to pick up. Waking this morning with Bucky, Wanda felt… something… about it, about him. She didn't have enough experience to read his intentions and she wouldn't read his mind for answers. No, she was going to assume that he was being a good guy and caring for her when she experienced something traumatic. If he kissed her, it was probably just because she was one of only two women around and he… she shook her head, not really believing that Bucky planned on seducing her for a piece of ass. Like Steve, he was an old fashion guy still even if he was a 'bad guy' for seventy years.
Not really wanting to be around the others, she decided to go running. She ran downstairs and smiled at Clint and Scott. "Good morning."
"How are you feeling?" Clint asked, taking a long drink of his coffee, studying her over the rim of his mug.
Wanda grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. "I'm fine. I'm going to go for a run. I'll see you guys later."
"Wait, Wanda," Steve said, from where he and Bucky were eating at the island. "I'm not sure it's for the best if you go running alone."
Wanda barely looked at him before saying, "I guess it's good I didn't ask your permission."
After she left, slamming the door behind her, Sam whistled low. "Who put her in cryofreeze?"
"She had a rough night, Sam. Leave her alone," Clint said, but he watched Bucky. He really hoped the guy hadn't hurt Wanda. But he couldn't help noticing that Bucky seemed more concerned about her coldness than anyone else. Clint was going to corner him later.
x0x0x
Wanda avoided everyone well enough that no one got any discussion out of her. They were already eating when she appeared for dinner and she sat beside Clint on the wooden bench. She didn't talk, except to answer questions shortly. Steve and Natasha shared concerned looks. Bucky finally caught her eye and she gave him a slight smile.
"So, are you and Bucky working on the mind control thing?" Scott asked him, clueless about her subdued behavior. "Is it weird that I want to see it?"
Wanda raised her hand and shot a tiny harmless energy line to Bucky's forehead. "That's what it's going to look like. Not going to be too exciting except maybe in his head." She lowered her hand and Scott gave a shrug. "Sorry."
"Can you tell my future?" he continued.
"I can. You're going to annoy her, and she's going to fling you out of your chair," Clint warned. He and Sam started talking about something and Wanda tuned out everything.
After dinner, Sam and her were on cleanup and he kept trying to make her laugh but she missed all the cues. Clint came in and jumped up on the counter to talk. "Did Nat tell you that Maria Hill is working on some kind of deal for Scott and I so we can go home?"
"That's great Clint." She smiled. "Although I was having fun with you here. I guess I still have Sam for entertainment. When do you leave?"
"Hopefully it will be within a week. Steve is going to fly us back. Nat's going too."
"Isn't that kind of risky for them?" Wanda finished putting away the dishes and grabbed her and Clint a beer. "Or are you all getting a deal?"
"No. No." Clint suddenly laughed. "I don't think Steve could get a deal or would take one. Scott and I are going to 'retire' and be on house arrest. But how could the government leave their only super soldier out of action? And Steve won't sign the accords. I don't think Nat will either, but they have a few things they need to take care of before we leave Germany. They'll just stay out of the public eye."
"Steve's not their only super soldier now."
"Okay, he's their only super soldier that isn't a former assassin who they think bombed the UN."
"Tell Laura and the kids, I said hi. I miss Nathaniel." Wanda smiled. "I didn't even get my pictures of your kids or Pietro since we couldn't go back to the compound." She had met Laura three or four times over the last few years. Laura knew Pietro died saving Clint, so she had always been extremely friendly to Wanda. Their son Nathaniel's middle name was Pietro in honor of her brother and they had made her and Natasha his godmothers. Naturally. she was very fond of Nathaniel.
"Laura will send you some again. I think we also have one you gave us of Pietro."
When Wanda fell silent again, he studied her for a long time. "You going to be okay, kid?" She turned to him, surprised, but nodded. "I don't mean just last night. I mean working with Bucky and being on the run."
"Being on the run isn't much different from being orphans in Sokovia. We moved around a lot, stayed off the radar, avoided law enforcement, and all that before HYDRA. In most ways, life at the Avengers compound was the most different for me." Wanda replied, trying to look cheerful. But Clint wasn't buying it.
"You didn't answer about Bucky. Did something happen last night that makes you uncomfortable with him?"
Wanda shook her head before saying, "I don't know why you think that. Bucky and I are fine. Nothing happened except him helping me when I had that problem. That was it."
"They call me Hawkeye for a reason. You were out there pretty late last night with him and Steve before your episode. And today you're icing out both of them," Clint pointed out. He didn't really suspect the two super soldiers had done anything to her together or Steve alone. He worried about Bucky more than Steve. He could see she was getting angry, but he just wanted her to be honest.
"I'm not icing anyone out. Can't I have a bad day and want to be quiet every once in a while? It's like everyone expects me to always be so Goddamn happy, for fuck's sake." She turned and almost ran over Natasha as she stormed outside.
Natasha watched her leave, then looked at Clint. "What did you do?"
"She's clearly not okay. I don't know if it's what happened last night or her and Bucky aren't getting along or what. You don't think he'd hurt her?" He grew very anxious about the situation and he knew he'd be leaving soon. "Do you trust him alone with her?"
"Yes," Nat replied simply. "He took wonderful care of her last night. Clint, I think he cares for her. It's clear that he protected her last night. He wouldn't do that if he didn't have some feelings or he's just a decent guy. Either way is good. Maybe what happened between them in Siberia made them closer strangely. She's been in his mind before. We don't know what lasting effects that has. Or maybe he's just like Steve and you. You all sense something in her that makes you want to protect her."
Clint thought about it. He didn't know what made him want to help Wanda in Sokovia. But after Pietro died saving him, he had to. He felt guilty about talking her into helping Steve in Germany, then seeing her caged like an animal. Typical that Wanda had received the worst treatment. It was Bucky that released her from the cell and removed that collar. The same night he found out Wanda had helped HYDRA and took care of her through a terrifying ordeal. Suddenly their lives had gotten extremely tangled together. "Then why is she being so cold to both him and Steve?"
Natasha walked over and filled her glass with water. "You haven't been around Wanda every day for the last year or so. She still has some very dark periods. But doesn't everyone have dark periods? Just give her space. I know you're worried, but I'll watch out for her. Steve has plenty of experience with her…"
Clint watched Bucky and Steve in a very animated debate. "I don't think Steve is focusing much on her right now. He's too busy trying to fix everything. Are you going to take over making sure this team remains functional, keeping it together?"
Natasha glanced over at the two men, then back at Clint. "He has a lot on his plate, but Steve is still on top of things. And he's already worried about Wanda. You also need to realize that she isn't a child and she hates being coddled. It gets her extremely defensive about it. If you were treating her like a child, then that is why she ran out of here. We've learned to support her in more subtle ways. I don't remember you ever being this hard on Steve for his decisions before."
"You guys are in a situation that Steve hasn't had to deal with before. He's always had the government on his side, always been a law-abiding citizen. I guess it makes me nervous." Clint watched Bucky get up and walk past them to go outside.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. was trying to assassinate us both a few years ago, Clint." Natasha watched his eyes follow the other man and asked, "Clint, Bucky's not a bad guy. You said yourself he and the Winter Soldier are different people, so don't blame Bucky for his alter ego. Can you just give him the benefit of the doubt?"
Clint hopped down to the floor and thought about going after Bucky to warn him away. The look on Natasha's face changed his mind. "Just monitor the two of them. I don't want him hurting you or Wanda. And I'm not just talking violence. You call me if you need me. House arrest or not, I'll do whatever I can."
x0x0x
The full moon shone so bright that it was safe to walk around outside without a flashlight so Wanda decided to walk to the lake. Worst case scenario is that she used her own power to light the way back. She wondered if the lake was deep enough to swim in. It was bigger than it had looked from the jet. She could hear frogs really loudly so she ended up throwing some light before her feet so she didn't step on anything.
Today had been really warm, but the night had turned chilly. She had one of Steve's hoodies tied around her waist, but didn't feel like putting it on. She only had a few pieces of clothes because they had been at the Raft before here and Steve couldn't exactly go by the compound to get anything. Luckily she and Natasha were close to the same size and Nat had loaned her things, but she raided Steve's hoodies no matter where they were. They were supposed to go shopping in the next day or so.
She was only out there a short time before Bucky found her. "Are you following me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't really mind as long as she didn't have to answer whether she was okay or not fifty times.
"There might be bears or wolves in these woods. You could need protection," he said with a shrug.
"There only appears to be frogs and you. Which one is more dangerous?"
He was quiet for a long time before pointing out frogs can't bite. "I heard once if you kiss a frog, he'll turn into a prince."
"Why does everything you 'hear' always have to do with kissing?" Wanda smiled, shaking her head.
There was a strange pull to him that felt almost physical. She clearly could not have adult relationships with normal feelings. He was extremely sweet and good-looking, but it made no sense that she should throw herself at him or accidentally make him want her like last night with Steve. But she realized Bucky had been the one to instigate things with her, so she couldn't have manipulated his emotions. She cut her eyes at him and found him watching her. Twirling his knife around, he seemed uneasy too.
"Will you teach me?" she asked, nodding to the knife. "I saw you earlier with Steve and you're fantastic at it."
"If you want. But do you have a lot of need for knife fighting? Considering what you can do with your powers, it seems rather weak."
"Can't be too careful. Besides, what happens if my powers stop working suddenly? I enjoy being able to work with the team. Nat and I work together a lot, like you and Steve do. I'll never be as good as you guys at the kicking and punching but it's a handy alternative," she explained.
Bucky nodded, then asked, "Why don't you think you could be as good as us in fighting?"
Wanda laughed and said, "Well, the KGB trained Nat and you and Steve have a lot of years' experiences on me. Even Sam is great at fighting. But then you guys can't do what I can do, so I guess it's fair."
"There are some advantages to not having to kick and punch your way through things. Like not getting bruised and cut all the time." He pulled up his sleeve and show her some bruises that he had gotten recently.
Walking over to him, Wanda took his hand and lifted his arm and ran her energy along his skin a few times. Bucky said nothing, just watched her. When she finished, he saw his bruises were completely gone. "Handier that knife fighting." She let go of his arm, but he caught her hand, bringing it to his mouth, and kissed it.
Without saying a word, they looked at each other intently for a few moments. Bucky put his hand on her neck and rubbed her jaw with his thumb. 'Fuck it!' she thought and reached up, putting her hands on either side of his face. Bucky bent to kiss her, even as he wrapped his other arm around her. The kiss was much more passionate than she intended, their tongues battling for dominance before she surrendered with a moan. Her hands rubbed his back, and she enjoyed his firm body. She had to admit, there was a benefit to the superhero life. Bucky's body differed from Steve's. Steve could easily be a football player. But Bucky was more of a wrestler or an MMA fighter type of body. Muscles galore but also willing to use his body in many ways to guarantee a win. That thought made her blush.
When they finally came up for air, he smiled and said, "I was hoping you'd do that."
"You could have kissed me," she pointed out.
"You obviously needed space today, so I was trying not to be pushy. But if you don't mind," he answered before kissing her again. It was a slow kiss, where he spent a lot of time teasing and exploring her mouth. The intensity of their kisses surprised him, considering they were both fully dressed and not attempting to seduce each other. At least he didn't think she was. He loved the way she allowed him to hold her close. They continued kissing until he heard Steve calling for them from the house.
"We probably should go back. We're supposed to start working on our little project tonight," she pointed out. Suddenly amused, she asked, "Is there anything I'm going to see that will make me blush?"
Bucky glanced up with a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I never even thought about that. How easily do you blush?"
Eyes widening, she laughed. "What? Is there something I need to know beforehand?"
"This is completely unfair," he pointed out. "I can't read your mind." He whispered in her ear, "If I could, would I blush?"
Goosebumps raised on her arms and she teased, "Horribly" He chuckled and she said, "Do you want to see one of my memories or something? I mean, that would be fair. But don't feel obligated too either." He looked surprised, then he nodded. "What do you want to see?"
Bucky thought for a long time before saying, "If it won't upset you, I'd like to see your brother." He trailed his hand down her arm before grasping her hand.
Wanda's breath caught in her throat. The fact that he said that instead of something that meant nothing to her like her first kiss or the most embarrassing thing that happened to her, made her chest feel tight. She often wondered if he planned to be so sweet and charming or if it just came naturally. She dared hoping it was natural.
The memory she chose was one before they joined Ultron, but after they were freed from HYDRA. They'd been sleeping in vacant buildings, trying to escape the freezing cold. The only way they could eat was Wanda using mind control to get money or Pietro stole it. That night they were in the back rooms of an bombed out day care. Pietro had grabbed all the mattresses from the cribs and put them together. Because of his increased metabolism power, he rarely was cold, but he worried about Wanda. By the time he returned with food for the night, she was wearing two layers of clothing and covered with multiple baby blankets.
"What happened to your face?" she asked, sitting up.
Pietro had a deep purple bruise on his cheek and eye. "Do you remember that man at the church that threatened us when he caught us there at night?"
"He hit you?"
"That would be impossible." Pietro laughed. "No, I was trying to avoid him and ran by that girl, Sonia. I wanted to impress her and intended to pick her up when I went by. But she moved at the last second and it knocked me off center. I don't know what I hit, it just felt like my face exploded. But I didn't want her to see me so I jumped up and ran off."
Wanda looked at him for a long time before saying, "I am at a loss how I ended up with all the brains."
He almost handed her the food he had gotten, but he pulled it away. "Because I ended up with all the looks and charm." He held it over her head like he planned to keep it away from her. Naturally, he forgot her powers and she just grabbed it in the air.
As they were eating, she grew quiet and Pietro asked her if she was too cold. "No. I'm trying to figure out what we're going to do. We can't stay here freezing every night and begging or stealing food. Eventually, the police will catch us. And how will we ever get our revenge on Stark? I shouldn't have let him go."
"You could have killed another," Pietro pointed out.
Wanda shook her head. "I only came into contact with Captain America. And I don't really want to kill him or the others. Just Stark. He's the one we have to kill."
"I'm not saying I want to kill Captain America either. But that would have forced them to stay in Sokovia where we'd kill Stark." He sighed. "Wanda, I don't know that I believe you'll kill someone. You have no attachment to Steve Rogers and you basically only pushed him down the stairs. Pardon me for thinking that hardly threatened him. If you want to forget this, we will. Travel someplace warm and start over. We don't have to kill anyone. I don't want you to end up with a messed up mind like the guy in Siberia."
Wanda glared at him, her eyes turning red. "I told you to never mention him again, Pietro. If we are ever around the Avengers again, I will kill one of them if I have to. But I can hurt them without killing them. I just think our parents wouldn't be proud of us for resorting to murder to avenge them."
Pietro turned to her and cradled her face in his hands, kissing her on the forehead. "And I told you to stop feeling guilty about that guy. You had no choice. That is the real reason you didn't kill Captain America, whether you'll admit it."
Wanda lowered her hand and he was simply speechless for a few minutes. "You didn't kill Steve because of me?"
"I told you I saw Steve in your memories." She avoided his eyes. "It's not like I did something honorable or anything. I just didn't commit murder, which most people manage to not do daily."
Bucky felt a tightness in his chest and he wasn't certain what to say. That happened a few years after she had been in Siberia and she still felt strongly about it. He knew now that she had truly felt remorse. But he also wondered if that was all it was. "Wanda, did anything else happen in Siberia that I don't remember? Between us?"
Before she could answer, Wanda heard Steve calling for them again. "We need to go." He waited for her answer, but he still tried to make sense of it himself. When Bucky looked down at her, she gave him a little smile. "If you want to kiss me again, you better do it now. Well, unless you want Steve to watch. I know you two are close but…"
He didn't let her finish the sentence as he kissed her, then he smiled. "Come on before Steve gets uptight. You know he hates people being late."
As they walked to the house, he looked at her with concern and asked, "Are you hiding…whatever this is from Steve?"
Wanda was quiet for a minute before looking at him sheepishly. "Have you not noticed how they all treat me? I just don't want to deal with everyone thinking they have a say in what happens." He nodded before she rushed to say, "I mean, what is this anyway?"
Bucky chuckled before saying, "I thought you knew." When she frowned, he quickly added, "Maybe we don't have to name it. I don't care either way. We don't have to tell anyone either, if you don't want to. But I still worry about Steve's feelings for you."
"There is nothing to worry about. He's a friend who frequently thinks he's my big brother and tries to coddle me," she explained dismissively.
"A big brother who kisses you? That's a little disturbing," he pointed out with a grin.
"Bucky!" She hit him in the metal arm without thinking and shaking her hand in pain, making him laugh.
Seeing Steve coming their direction, they both stopped talking. But as they followed him towards the barn, Bucky took her hand and squeezed it. Wanda felt a warmth filling her as she smiled in his direction.