LATE NIGHT TALKING
CHAPTER 5: LATE NIGHT TALKING
It's been a few days since the whole training session thing happened. Ellie and Wanda hadn't really had the chance to talk that much, either Wanda was training either Ellie was on mission and she was pretty often nowadays, plus, Wanda had stopped going to the lab to get her stitches checked on once she found out Colossus was the one who would do it while Ellie was on mission and she didn't feel quite comfortable around people yet, even as nice as they were to her.
Wanda did see Ellie once though. She was coming back from a walk around the mansion with Nat when she saw the girl with Wade in the backyard. He had put a finger in her ear, well, he had tried because she looked at him with a glare and burning orange eyes, all her body looking like a bomb ready to burst and even though the man didn't appear particularly scared he backed off. The way Ellie's body channeled her power reminded Wanda so much of her power and she felt a peculiar feeling inside of her, like maybe Ellie knew what it felt like, maybe she could understand in a way no one else could no matter how they would try. But she didn't linger on this thought too long as she became fascinated looking at the girl's way to not only use fire but become it in a way. Of course Nat was there and called her back to reality not without a smile of her own however. They walked back inside and they hadn't seen each other that much until now.
Now, a few days later, in the middle of the night. Wanda had trouble sleeping. She had said that much to Nat many weeks ago. With every single nightmare appeared a fear she didn't want to face: the fear of hurting the people she loved the most and despite the nightmares being less frequent thanks to Natasha's training, she sometimes just avoided sleeping and spent a few hours just walking around the mansion until she would eventually find her way to the kitchen where she would cook something. Cooking was always a way to calm herself, she used to do it with Pietro until he died and though the few first times she had tried to cook without him the pain was almost unbearable, now it was her way to connect with him somehow. She usually just cooked breakfast and got the plates ready for when everyone would wake up but it was 1am and it was still a bit early for that so she decided to stick with tea and a few strawberries, she had a thing for them apparently. As she was about to get the tea ready, someone spoke up from the door behind her.
“Awake and cooking in the middle of the night, that's not cliche at all.” Ellie had returned from her latest mission and gifted her with a smile.
“Well who said cliché weren't good, everyone loves their old cliches don't they?” Wanda said with a smile of her own.
Ellie's smile only grew after that statement and she nodded.
“Indeed they do”. They both chuckled.
“Why are you back this late anyway?” Wanda asked finding it quite odd, she had never witnessed Ellie come back this late before.
“Long night.” she said and sighed.
It did appear as if she had had a long night indeed. Her uniform was dirty and she had black stains and what seemed like dust all over her face and in her hair.
“I can see that. Talk over tea?” Wanda kindly offered knowing some people needed to talk about this kind of things. Scratch that, everyone does at some point.
“Sure. Aren't you the chatty one all of the sudden?” Ellie said with a smirk.
Wanda smiled despite her blushing and got two cups ready for tea and while she was putting the tea in them she carefully asked.
“So, what happened tonight?”
Ellie waited a bit before answering but she did it anyway.
“Burning building, a few kids were trapped inside and the firemen couldn't reach them without getting killed. The fire was criminal and too hot for anyone to reach the higher levels where the kids were.” She explained.
“Anyone but you, you saved them.” Wanda stated.
“Well, perks of being part dire I guess.” She chuckled a bit and put her hand behind her head feeling awkwardly proud at herself after hearing Wanda say it like that.
Wanda shared her awkwardness but chuckled too and both girls smiling they looked at each other when Ellie decided to ask Wanda what she really wanted to ask when she walked in.
“Anyway, why are you up this early?”
“Who's the chatty one now?” She said still smiling. She kind of did that a lot lately. Smiling around the other girl. “I can't sleep sometimes.” She confessed her tone darkening a bit at that but never taking away the kindness in her eyes.
“Does it have anything to do with why you left the lab after our talk about the picture.” Well, that was an unexpected answer Wanda clearly didn't see coming and before she could react to it Ellie added something. “I meant to ask you about it before but I didn't get the chance. Sorry if I...you know...said something I shouldn't have.”
Wanda's mind went blank. How could Ellie think it was her fault. She hadn't meant it like that. She couldn't believe she had let Ellie, who had been kind to her despite her being kind to literally no one else, believe she had done something wrong.
“What?!, Of course you didn't say anything. I'm really sorry I made it look like you did. It just… triggered things you know, things I didn't want to think about, the reasons why I'm here making a tea you really should start drinking if you don't want it to be cold by the way.” She said, smiling at the end of her sentence and hoping she would make Ellie smile too which she did.
“You do know I can literally heat it up with my hands right?” That made the both of them laugh.
“Fair point”.
However Ellie truly wanted to know what was going on, she never really cared about anything but seeing the look in Wanda's eyes when she left the lab that day, this distress, she just never wanted to see it again.
“Hey Red, what's really going on?” She carefully asked not wanting to overstep. After all, she had no real place to ask that.
Wanda considered lying, she really did. But in a way, she was tired of lying to everyone, all the time.
“I don't want to sleep because if I do, I'm scared of the things my mind will make me see again, everything I've done, everyone I failed”. There was a single tear falling down her cheek thinking of Pietro. She had spent so many nights wishing she was the one who died that day. Pietro was happy, Pietro was good, Pietro was her everything and he would have done so much better than she did. He was a team player when she wasn't, He was fast when she was slow, he was happy when she was down and most of all he was killed and she wasn't and even now, she couldn't stop herself from thinking of all the ''what ifs'' of that day in Sokovia, her mind constantly torturing her with it. “kind of ironic how a mind reader is able to be afraid of her own mind right?” She laughed nervously at that.
“Okay, going back to the whole mind reader thing in a minute but first, you can't undo what's been done Red, believe me on this one, you have to let it go.” she raised her hand to wipe the tear on Wanda's cheek but she hesitated and drew it back. Wanda saw it and wiped it with a smile at Ellie's concerned expression. “Plus, you can't avoid sleeping forever.” She said with a genuine smile and blushing a bit. The whole helping people with emotions wasn't exactly her forte as you could say but for some reason she couldn't handle seeing Wanda like this.
“Well well what will the others think when they find out you actually care.” Wanda said trying to hide the emotion in her voice with seeing Ellie who actually cared without making her uncomfortable.
“Well they won't know so that's fine.” She said giving Wanda a pointed look clearly trying to deliver a warning but all Wanda could do was laugh. “I'm serious Red, I can't have people thinking I actually care, that would ruin my mojo.” That just made Wanda laugh harder until she stopped to ask the burning question she had had on her lips.
“By the way, are you planning on making Red a permanent nickname?” Wanda asked with a wicked smile.
“Probably.” Ellie answered smiling. “And by the way, mind-reading? Is that really one of your powers?” Ellie asked with growing curiosity which she didn't already lack when it came to the woman in front of her.
Wanda seemed uncomfortable for a minute and Ellie started to regret even asking when Wanda answered.
“Yes. I can get inside people's minds, read them or implant things I want them to see.” She paused to see Ellie's reaction but the girl hadn't moved, she was still carefully listening which make Wanda kind of happy not that she would say it...yet. “But I don't do unless it's an absolute necessity anymore.” She said firmly trying to calm a fear the other girl didn't even had.
“Why?” She simply asked.
“I used my powers against the Avengers and most of all, I've used them against one of them that has become really important to me and I don't want to hurt them or anyone else again.” She said matter-of factly.
“Natasha.” Wanda looked at her in disbelief not knowing why they were talking about Natasha so suddenly so Ellie made her sentence clearer. “Natasha is the one you hold dear, the one you don't want to hurt.” Ellie stated because this wasn't a question that needed an answer but Wanda gave one nonetheless.
“Yes, Nat. But the others too.” And she decided to add boldly. “You too.” At that Ellie smiled. And then they heard a knock on the side of the door, which was open anyway so why knock? And of course it was Wade.
“Hey Burnt Face, Am I interrupting?” He said with a grin of his own.
Ellie was quick to answer. “Wade, just act as if you're always gonna be interrupting because no one wants you here. Plus, who are you calling burnt face, like seriously you're making it too easy.”
Wanda was watching as the two of them and started laughing. Wade looked at her and asked.
“Why is the currently damaged avenger laughing right now?” He asked, just being his usual self.
She didn't even think about the whole damaged avenger thing as she explained. “You two just remind me of my brother and I before he...passed away.” She said a little saddened at the thought but mostly happy because right now she was seeing her brother in Wade's attitude and that helped, a lot actually. They both stared at her and before Wade could say anything Ellie spoke up.
“God no, It's already hard enough having him around I don't want to think of him as related to me by blood.” She said with a sharp tongue but Wade was quick to answer.
“Jeez someone has been moody since their break up with Yukio.” Wade said coming closer to Ellie to pinch her cheeks like any grand parents would. That actually made Ellie stop talking and she just glared at him. He smiled wickedly at her and exited the room with a wave of the hand and a “Goodnight ladies”.
Ellie looked at Wanda who was looking right back at her with a smile and none of them could actually figure out why Wanda was smiling. “Don't mind Wade, he's an ass.” Ellie said.
“Like I said, brother and sister” Wanda smile growing. The thought actually made Ellie smile but she was quite good at hiding it. Ellie yawned at this moment. Wanda chuckled.
“Looks like someone needs to sleep.” She said. “I guess I should go too”.
“You definitely should, being sleep deprived won't help you with training tomorrow.” Ellie said with a smirk only she could master.
“I guess it won't.” Wanda added laughing “Good night Sparky.” and she left the room after Ellie's “Goodnight Red.” reached her ears.
By the time Wanda reached her room, her smile had considerably grown. She couldn't stop thinking and as she was getting ready for bed, all she could hear were Wade's words: Break up with Yukio. She didn't know if the thought made her sad for Ellie or happy. But why would she be happy about that? It didn't make any sense. She felt something when it came to the fire girl but she couldn't think about what it was. She had had her share of relationships and hookups before any of this started but back then, she wasn't able to break the girl with her mind so she couldn't think about that anymore.
Ellie, on her part, was wondering why Wanda was smiling at her after hearing about Yukio. She could very much still have been thinking about her brother but somehow it felt different. She thought things would be awkward but it was quite the opposite. Something between them kind of shifted. Plus, Wanda had a nickname for her now, so how bad could it really be?