Avengers Headquarters, June 2016
Victor Faust POV
Everyone was in the conference room except for Bruce Banner and Thor, which was not a good sign. The situation got worse as Ross opened his mouth. It's been a while since Victor wanted to punch someone that much. He called them vigilantes and showed the destruction left after their missions, which included Warsaw.
"I didn't know the street was destroyed that much." Murmured Victor in Wanda's mind.
"You were in shock, Victor. Besides, Vision helped with the reconstruction."
When his monologue reached the topic of Lagos, Wanda squeezed his hand under the table.
"Ok. That's enough." Said Steve quietly.
Ross pretty much gave an ultimatum. Either the Avengers abide by the new rules, or they will be branded criminals and prosecuted. When Victor heard the name of the accords, he could not help but snort.
"Is this funny to you, young man?"
"I find it to be extremely offensive that you would call these accords after Sokovia. Neither the USA nor the U.N never lifted a finger to help the country. Not when the bombing happened or when it started to implode. Hell, you barely lifted a finger when it came to refugees. S.H.I.E.L.D. did most of the work. You try to picture it nicely, but it has nothing to do with protection and everything to do with control. You are eager to judge us, but what have you done, Secretary of State? Other than chasing Bruce Banner throughout the country."
"Victor." Natasha gave him a warning look. Not just her, of course, but she always gave the scariest looks.
"I've done more for this country than you could ever hope to understand, boy. Not that it's possible since you aren't even an American. I do not care about your opinion. This isn't negotiable. The Avengers will be put to check, or they will cease to exist." As soon as he left, the room erupted.
"How you dare speak like that to the Secretary of State!" Rhodey turned to Victor. He felt Wanda shifting closer to him.
"Hey, back off! Vic had a point." Sam defended.
"117 countries have signed this, and you think you know better? That you two are above them all? They demand for us to take responsibility."
"Yes, because governments are always right." Responded Victor. "It's not like they act in their own interests." Wanda's green eyes moved from one person to another. In silence, she listed the arguments. "You miss a crucial point. If Avengers become sanctioned by the United Nations, we basically become weapons in the hands of politicians. Is there anyone here that would actually trust a politician?"
"117 countries will oversee your actions, which until now were out of control. How are they supposed to feel when we can just break any border as we please? Are you this arrogant to think you are above them all?" He taunted Victor and Sam.
"Bullshit. They will start to play with us like dolls. Vic is right, we will be stopped by so much red tape that we might as well twiddle our thumbs and not act at all."
"We will be run by people with agendas, and agendas change. We can't tell what will happen in a month, let alone a year." Steve said this while still moving through the documents.
"I would like to say something." Vision's voice silenced everyone. "I understand reservations that some might have; however, facts clearly indicate that since the creation of the Avengers, the number of possible world-ending events has skyrocketed. We believe in our own judgment, as we should; however, the notion of the accords should not be completely disregarded. Perhaps some form of oversight should benefit the safety of our world. That is what we all want, isn't it?"
"Exactly!" Rhodey said with a smirk.
Then Tony went on about the story of a young guy dying in Sokovia. Yes, it was tragic, like all the stories of people who lost someone back there.
"Tony, if you lose someone, you don't just give up." Said Steve calmly.
"Who says I am giving up?"
They continued to argue until Victor addressed Tony.
"Your guilt blinds you." Everyone looked at Victor.
"What did you just say?" He took a step closer. Wanda squeezed Victor's hand harder.
"You think that by shifting the responsibility to someone else, all previous mistakes will disappear. You think this stack of papers will make everything right."
"We need to be put in check. All of us are too dangerous to just run and do as we please. If we are unable to respect authorities or limitations, we aren't better than the bad guys."
"We are supposed to deal with threats that normal people are unable to handle. How can we do that when we will be tied down by people who are literally unable to deal with these threats? Their solution will just be to nuke it."
"We either agree now or they will force us next time. How will you help people then, Oz? What, will you sell your plants in some hovel, hoping no big bad agents will take them? What good will you do then?" Victor stood up, kicking his chair. He looked down at Tony and crossed his arms.
"I will certainly do more good than you, Stark. Or do I need to remind you where Ultron came from? Or whose company made the rockets that bombed Sokovia? Maybe only you should be put in check." Tony turned red. He was ready to jump on Victor, but he got separated by Steve, Sam and Wanda.
"Back off, Stark." Wanda's eye glowed red as she held Victor's arm.
"Everyone needs to calm down. Pointing fingers will get us nowhere. Whether we liked it or not, we made mistakes along the way. People got hurt. Now they are afraid of us, and that's not what we wanted. Maybe it's time to win people's trust back." The quiet voice of Natasha dropped like cold rain. "They won't ask us twice."
"They will just declare us criminals and lock us up." Snorted Sam.
"You mean they will come for me. They were very specific about who they wanted to lock up." Sighted Wanda.
"No one will touch you." Victor squeezed her hand. Wanda smiled briefly at him but whined in his mind.
"I need a break. I think we both do."
"I need to leave." Steve spoke quietly while looking at his phone and immediately left the room.
"So do we." They left the others and went back to Wanda's room. As soon as the door closed, she dropped onto the bed and covered her face with a pillow. Victor placed himself right next to her and knocked on the pillow. "Wanda, talk to me, honey, please."
"I've never seen you this angry before." Her voice was muffled. Victor sighed and closed his eyes.
"This just screams like putting collars on us, Wanda. Ross and everyone else have their agendas, and before you know it, every country will want to have Stark's suits or their own super soldiers. What do you think?"
"I agree with you on Stark and that they should not use Sokovia to name it." She threw the pillow to the ground and hid her face in Victor's shoulder.
"I sense a 'but' coming."
"But maybe they are also right? I appreciate what you said, Victor, but the fact is that I caused a lot of problems."
"Wanda please..."
"No, I mean it." She interjected and sat cross-legged, making sure to fix her skirt. "Maybe I should stop using my powers all together. Be done with all of this. That way, I at least won't hurt anyone else. People fear me enough as it is."
"You really think so?" Victor stood up and opened her wardrobe.
"I'm sorry, Victor." She involuntarily grabbed her red leather jacket.
"Honey, you don't need to apologize. You just need to get dressed. I must show you something."
"And that is?" She slowly put on the jacket when Victor waved his hands and turned invisible.
"Perspective."
Wanda Maximoff's POV
After sneaking out from the compound, Victor 'borrowed' one of the many cars from the garages. Where they were going? She had no idea. She looked through the window while gently playing with her silver bracelet.
"Are you… Disappointed in me, Victor?"
"Wanda, when my father tried to kill me, I ran. I ran until I reached Sokovia. I hid there because I thought that by helping people, I would be able to forget everything and maybe do some actual good for a change. Hell, I hoped that my father's obsession would lessen without me." Victor bit his lips as he grabbed the stair wheel. "And then he joined Hydra and started to butcher people. All because I run away and hide."
"But that was your father, Victor. How could a son deal with this. Especially all alone."
"But the thing is that I never tried Wanda, and I don't think I would, should the circumstances in Warsaw not force me. What matters is that it taught me that nothing good comes out of hiding. Ever."
"But everyone is afraid of me and my powers. Lagos… Lagos only fueled that."
"When you feel like you've done enough for this world, Wanda, you can leave the team. I will help you pack your stuff, but this needs to be done on your terms. Don't let other people's phobias bully you into giving up." Victor stopped the car. He disappeared in a puff of smoke and opened the door for her. "Besides, not everyone is afraid of you."
"And how can you be so certain?" As soon as Wanda left the car, she saw a large orange building that seemed to be buzzing with people inside.
"Do you trust me?" Victor asked, offering his hand. She did not have to think about her answer. She took his hand.
"Always."
"Good. Then let me show you a different perspective." He led her inside the building, where she saw a long hallway with walls covered in posters and pamphlets all about support groups, job applications and offers for English tutoring.
"This is some kind of shelter."
"Yes, Wanda, for everyone in need. What's more importantly, a lot of people from Sokovia get help here."
"How do you know this place?" Suddenly, from the office next to them came an older man with a big smile on his face. He spread his arms and hugged Victor.
"Victor! It is so good to see you, my boy."
"It's nice to see you, Mister Pavel." Victor returned the hug. He then pointed to Wanda.
"This is Wanda Maximoff. Wanda this old goat is Mister Pavel, he used to be my client back in Sokovia." The man beamed and hugged Wanda. She slowly patted the man's back, flabbergasted.
"It's an honor to meet you, Wanda. Thank you for defending our city."
"Oh, I… you don't need to thank me."
"Of course I need to. I have a feeling you don't hear this enough, just like Victor." On the corner of her eye, she saw Victor rolling his eyes while clearing his throat. "Come on, the others are eager to meet you."
"What others?" She asked as Victor gently patted her shoulder.
"Relax Wanda." The older man led them to a large hall filled to the brim with long tables full of people of every age. They all looked at Victor and Wanda and seemed genuinely happy to see them. This felt more and more surreal for her. They all sit at one of the free tables.
"Pavel here helps run the shelter after Ultron."
"Oh yes, I was even the one who told Victor the city was under attack. He risked his life to transport me and the rest to safety. He also delivers his herbal remedies. They do miracles on my old bones."
"You just don't like normal doctors, old man."
"How have I never heard of this?" Wanda looked around the place with wide eyes.
"Well, you always had a lot on your plate, Wanda. It just never came up in the conversation."
"Does anyone else know?"
"Natasha, because there is no way anything can be hidden from her and Vision."
"Vision?!"
"Oh yeah, I suggested that he should spend some time here to get acquainted with people."
"And that he did." Pavel laughed. "Some of the older folks love to play chess with him." Wanda felt the sleeve of her jacket being pulled. When she looked, she saw a young girl with short blonde hair and big glasses.
"Are you the red lady?"
"Um… I'm Wanda Maximoff?"
"You are the red lady!" the girl hugged. "You saved me back home! I'm Ada, by the way." Wanda couldn't help but giggle and hug her back. Soon after, a pair of adults approach their table.
"Thank you for saving us and our daughter, Wanda." The pair spoke with shaky breaths.
"You are my hero!" The girl chimed in.
This was so surreal. One minute she is deemed a danger that should be locked up, but here a family is thanking her with tears in their eyes.
"There are more people here that you saved, Wanda. They all want to express their gratitude, if that's ok with you." Said Pavel gently.
"You are serious?"
"We've heard what the media has been saying about you, Wanda." Said Ada's parents. "But we know you tried your best, just like in Sokovia."
More and more people approached her, and for the first time in her life, Wanda actually felt like a hero. She talked with these people and listened to their stories. Most were trying to start over in the US, but it's extremely hard. Most of these people visit the shelter not just for help but also to find support. Wanda felt guilty. She lives in a pretty much full luxury, while these people struggle every day. For the next two hours, she did everything she could to help. From helping serve dinner to entertaining children who were drawn to her like moths to the flame. When everything calmed down, Wanda was busy playing with Ada by levitating objects for her. The girl was ecstatic, to say the least. She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.
"We should go back, Wanda." She nodded and got a bone-crushing hug from Ada.
"I want to be a witch too when I grow up!"
"I'm sure you will be a wonderful witch, sweetie."
When they finally got into the car, Wanda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then grabbed Victor's face and kissed him deeply.
"I love you."
"I know, darling." He laughed quietly.
"No Vic. I really love you." She kissed him harder. "Thank you."
They drove back to the compound in comfortable silence.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading.
Take care :)