Chapter 8
Sokovia burns in her dreams again. There's a fire burning in the sky, that's dark and gray, and it bleeds red into her dreams. Wanda wakes alone in her bed, with the covers pulled up to her neck. She wakes feeling warm, a little sweaty, and her head aches faintly. There's a glass of water on the stand by her bed with an aspirin that she is immediately thankful for. Her gaze pulls away from the water and aspirin a minute later, and over to her door that's cracked open just enough for Wanda to hear the music playing in the kitchen.
It's sounds like someone's singing along with the music too, and usually it doesn't bother her to wake up to it. It never bothers her, it's just that today the music is making her migraine much worse. Wanda kicks the blankets off and pulls herself to the edge of the bed, determined to take the aspirin and get rid of her migraine. She sits there for a minute then takes the aspirin with her water.
Then she retreats to her shower, stripping off her clothes and stepping under the cool stream of water. It always helps her feel better. She tips her head back under the water and leaves the cold stream to run down over her. It trickles down slowly, and when she feels better she steps under it completely and allows it to wash away last night. It washes away the words, the alcohol, and all of those other little thoughts that linger in the mornings. She scrubs herself until she feels better, until she feels clean, and then steps back into her room to dress for the morning.
Wanda slides on a red skirt, tugging it up to her hips and tying it in a knot around her waist, and she wears it with a black shirt that is long, old, and covered by spots of paint in a few places, but it's still a favorite of hers. She combs out her hair by the mirror after she's dressed, and then leaves her face (bruises, and marks, and all) as they are, not applying any make-up to them. She doesn't feel like she needs it today, and not because the bruises and marks aren't still there because they are. Most remain, even if many are fading slowly.
She doesn't want to care about the bruises today, she doesn't want to have to cover them. She never feels like she has to cover them around Pietro and Clint, so she doesn't. She leaves them as they and steps out of her bedroom a moment later to find the two of them in the kitchen, singing to an upbeat song on the radio. Clint's making breakfast in the kitchen, while Pietro is reclined back in one of the chairs by the table.
They glance up when she enters, walking into the space slowly. Pietro's got a piece of toast stuffed into his mouth but he still waves her over. Then there's Clint cooking breakfast, with a lit cigarette dangling between his lips before he puts it out and smiles.
"Hey, Wanda. How'd you sleep?
"We didn't mean to wake you, sorry." Pietro adds. "Did you rest well?"
"Yes, I slept fine." Wanda nods, as she pours herself a cup of coffee. "Thank you for not waking me so early."
There's a pause between them that isn't tense or awkward, or really anything at all. It's just a pause, only there for a moment before it's gone again. Pietro gestures over to the seat next to him, then clears a space for Wanda at the table. She pulls out the chair and looks at him closely, realizing a moment later that his smile is very uncertain and filled with the regrets of last night. Wanda smiles a little, only stopping to drink some coffee because she really needs some today.
"So are you both excited for this party tonight?" Wanda asks, glancing between the two of them. "You know what you will wear, yes?"
Over by the bench, Clint makes a low noise that sounds like a scoff. He finishes what he's doing and joins them, placing three plates down on the table and quickly sitting down to join them.
"Your brother plans every outfit he wears." Clint smiles. "Of course he knows. He always knows what to wear, and how to wear it."
Pietro shrugs, swiftly picking up a glass of orange juice. "What can I say? Except I like to look nice and I know how to."
"You always look nice, babe." Clint answers, between bites of breakfast. "And you know that."
There's a quiet hum from Pietro, who gives another shrug and continues to eat his food. It leaves Wanda to her thoughts, of the party and what it will be like, and then she looks up and finds Pietro's curious gaze set on her like he's trying to read her and she knows that he can't. She smiles to reassure him, to let him feel better about their talk yesterday, and she sees it work almost right away. His shoulders sort of relax and then his smile brightens, and she knows he's feeling better about it all now. She wants to feel better about it too, she wants to let it go and move on.
Wanda knows his words only came from his frustrations, she knows they weren't true because she knows him. It doesn't change how Wanda feels about this job, and the risk of him working there, but she's not sure there's anything that could change the way she feels about it. She knows that her fears only come from the place inside of her that's afraid to lose her brother. Wanda fears what losing him would do to her. She knows she couldn't survive it. She also knows that she can't stop him from doing what he wants, and that if this is what will make him happy then she doesn't want to take it from him.
"So tell me about this job." Wanda says, sliding her mug of coffee away for the moment. "When do you start?"
The two of them share a look, then quickly turn to her.
"Whenever he's up to you, you know?" Clint answers. "It just depends on things."
"Things, like what?" she asks.
"Like if when quits, or if he's still interested. That's all I meant."
Wanda nods, turning to her brother. "If you are leaving, you have to tell your work. You can't just leave them. It wouldn't be fair." she pauses, resting her elbows forward on the table. "I am only concerned about this job now because I do not think you are so good at sitting in an office. You can barely sit still here at home, unless you are watching something very good or Clint is here with you. But that is all I will say about it."
"I want us to be happy, Wanda. I want us all to be. And to have money." Pietro tells her. "You work too much. You have always worked too much. I want to take some of this stress from you. I want to work and earn more money for this reason. I will think about it, but I appreciate what you are saying now."
She smiles. "I understand. You will tell me when you make a decision?"
"Of course." Pietro says, and then squeezes her hand. "Now, tell me you are decided on what to wear tonight. Yes?"
"Yes, of course."
"I knew you would be. Clint is still fussing." Pietro smiles, relaxing more. "What time do we leave again?"
"How's 6 sound?" Clint answers belatedly, after thinking on it. "Gives us time to get there and look around. And time for me to..Keep fussing. You know me. Apparently I fuss."
It sounds nice, she decides, and like a welcomed distraction. It's not that she hasn't been looking forward to the party, it's more that she hasn't really felt anything towards it. She hasn't felt excited or anxious, she's been somewhere in between until now where she feels like it could be the kind of distraction she needs.
She smiles, picking up her coffee again. "Yes, this sounds good."
"What will you do today, before the party?" Pietro asks, half a minute later. "The park, or something at home?"
There's a moment where Clint pauses. Then he clears his throat, drinks a little coffee, and looks back up at the two of them like he's searching for a silent confirmation that Pietro knows about the training. It's more than that. Clint's looking to know what Wanda has told Pietro, and he knows from a look at Wanda that she hasn't told him yet. She will tell him the whole story, she just needs time.
"So you two talked about that training thing?" Clint asks casually.
"Yes, Wanda told me. She is training with your friend." Pietro pauses, smiling more. "You know the one with the blue eyes. The, uh—the pretty one yes? With the muscles, and the nice body. It is Steve, yes?"
Clint turns to Pietro, hiding a smile. "Really? That's what you're going with? The 'pretty one?' That's how you talk about him?"
He shrugs, smiling. "What? He is very pretty. Isn't he, Wanda?"
"Nope. Wrong answer, babe." Clint nudges his arm. "That is—yep, that is not the right answer."
Pietro's smile turns into a grin. "He is cute when is jealous, isn't he?" he sighs, glancing between them. "And I have only said this for Wanda. He is pretty to you, isn't he?"
"Oh, oh. Uh, no. Steve's taken, remember? He's with Nat. So they're dating, and they have been for a long time." Clint quickly clears it up. "I think it's real sweet you're trying to set your sister up with our pretty friend Steve, but he's good."
"And so am I." Wanda adds in, half-smiling. "I am more than good, thank you."
"I am just saying this because they seem like they would make a good couple."
"Yeah I know, bud. Your intentions are fine." Clint smiles, patting him on the back. "But I'm sure your sister doesn't need you to set her up. I'm sure she can handle that side of her life just fine."
"Mm, yes. She can. And she really doesn't want to discuss this anymore." Wanda says soon, smiling. "And I think I will just stay home today. What will you two do today?"
They both speak at the same time, talking over each other.
"Maybe go for a run to feel better." Pietro says.
"Stay in and rest." comes Clint's reply. "Always makes me feel a little less shitty."
"Well, I'm sure you will both have fun together. And I will see you sometime tonight for the party." Wanda says, leaving to carry her coffee to the sink. "Thank you for breakfast. It was very nice, thank you. If you need me I will be in my room."
"No problem, Wanda. See you later."
She clears her plate off, rinses it, and leaves it to dry, and then she's on the way back to her room. It's just as she almost gets there that she sees the little pink sticky note stuck to the railing of the fire-escape. It catches Wanda's attention, even though it somehow missed theirs. She steps over to the window, sticks her head out of it and picks the note off the glass. Then she leans back inside the window and reads it over.
so last night was LOTS of fun, thank you again (for all of it)
Would love to do it again soon. Let me know? - Darcy XOXO
Wanda tucks the note away and carries it back to her room, and there she places it in the drawer by her bed, where she often leaves little notes and things she doesn't want to lose. It goes away with her other letters and little trinkets she keeps in there. After she puts it away, Wanda starts to think about the fun they had last night and she finds herself smiling without even realizing it right away. She tidies up her room and takes care of the washing, still happy, still smiling thinking about last night, and then thinking about having drinks and chocolate with Darcy again.
Once Wanda finishes up sorting and hanging out the washing, she passes the kitchen and finds Pietro and Clint throwing soap bubbles from the sink at each other. She leaves them to it, closing the door to her room and turning to the now tidied, large space. She turns on the radio in there and starts to pull together her outfit for the night. She wants to feel comfortable and to look nice, and at the same time she wants to conceal the bruises and grazes still lingering on her skin.
She only realizes how much she's avoided looking at her body, at the marks and bruises, until now. She turns to her mirror in the bedroom, removes her clothes, and steps up to look at her body in the bright, warm daylight of this Friday morning. She knows she shouldn't really be surprised to see that they're still there, but she is. Wanda notices that many are faded, but others bruises on her body are only darker now.
Her eyes wander down to the graze on her right thigh, and it's mostly just a scab healing over now. She hates the way it looks so raw against her skin. Wanda quickly pulls her clothes back on and ends up perched on the seat by the vanity, staring at the bruises on her wrist. In some places her skin is marked yellow, and in others it's spotted black or purple from the bruises. For a while she is lost staring at the bruises, until she pulls herself away from the mirror and over to her art books and paint brushes.
It's a distraction that she needs. It's messy and a little unclear, and really it's just like a blur of color, but she enjoys the distraction and the break from her thoughts. She paints a shadow that almost turns into a face. Then she paints a sky again and it's dark, and faintly red, and there are pieces of green and a dull blue scattered through it. She leaves both paintings to dry after she finishes and washes her hands at the sink in the bathroom, watching the paint and the color run from her palms and away with the water.
Then she returns and begins the task of choosing her clothes for the night. This takes a while, it takes longer than she expects it to. Wanda goes through several outfit changes, picking different shoes to match a dress, or changing the outfit completely to match the earrings she might wear. She throws it all away and back on the bed and starts over again. She settles on a dress, changes her mind one last time, then she finds the right one.
A strapless, lace black dress that fits well, and is long and trails behind her just a little. The front plunges subtly, and it curves around her body in a way that feels close and wavy, and not tight at all. It needs something to go with it, so she pairs it with a thin, dark shawl that is patterned with intricate details and beads. She puts it over her arms and adjusts it, until the shawl hangs over her forearms and wraps loosely around her back.
Wanda picks out jewellery after all of this. There's a row of bracelets on her dresser that she picks up and slips on. Then she tries on four different necklaces, and ends up going with the fifth choice. The first is a loose, silver choker like chain, that wraps around her neck twice, and isn't actually a choker but it looks like one. The next is a pendant hanging off a silver chain, which doesn't really go even though she wishes it would. Her third option is a gold necklace with a curved moon, but it also doesn't go with her outfit. The fourth is a simple silver chain with a stone hanging from it that also doesn't work with the outfit, and that's how she ends up trying on the black choker necklace. It's lace, and curves down at the front like a tear-drop around her neck. It works, it goes with the outfit, and she's glad that it does. She leaves it with the dress, removes everything, and pulls on her old clothes again.
She focuses on the accessories again after she's done picking out the rest of her things for the night. She only focuses on them when she can't stop her mind from wandering. It doesn't wander to thoughts of Sokovia, or to her brother. It wanders to something else, to someone else. She focuses on her rings. She pulls out rings of gold and silver, dropping them on the bed next to black bands and silver rings with gemstones in them. She adds several more rings to the pile, then pulls out two lipsticks to choose between. After all of this, she picks a perfume for the night and pulls out her little black clutch from a box under her bed.
And then she's done, until she realizes she needs to pick her shoes. She's glad everything else is sorted, like her mask and make-up. She picked out her mask earlier in the week, and she's happy enough with it. It's a thin, black mask that curves up over her face. It's wiry and elegant, and makes her eyes stand out when she's wearing it. There's a black ribbon to tie it on with, and the mask is covered with tiny little red gemstones shaped like circles.
She tries a pair of red velvet boots to go with the red gemstones in her mask but it doesn't work, it needs something simpler. That's how she ends up trying on a pair of her thick black heels, with straps around the ankles and a silver buckle to clip them in with. She's flooded with a small relief after this, to know it's over now and it's sorted, and now she can spend the rest of the day getting lost in her art and in the dark sky she starts to paint on an empty canvas.
* * * *
6PM rolls around too quickly.
Wanda's at the vanity, fixing a few stray pieces of her hair and applying a thin layer of lipstick when she hears a knock at the door. She knows it's Clint before he even speaks, because Pietro always knocks loudly or barges in after calling out that he's coming in. Clint always waits. She leans back on the seat, listening as Clint's voice echoes through the wooden door a few seconds later.
"Hey, sweetheart. Just waiting for your brother to finish up, then we're good to go." Clint calls out soon. "We can take a cab, maybe get some a few drinks before the party. Catch up with some people and all of that. Listen, I promise you won't like most of them at first. Actually, I guarantee it. But Nat is really easy to like, and you know Steve already. So it's gonna be a fun, fun night."
It lingers in the quiet after, before Wanda clears her throat and turns back to the mirror.
"Thank you, Clint. I'll be out soon."
It sounds like he hangs around for a minute, then steps away. "No problem, Wanda. It's gonna take me some time to wrangle your brother out of his room, he's having trouble picking the right cologne. We'll hit the road as soon as you two are ready, so just take all the time you need."
Her eyes stay on her reflection once Clint leaves, to pull Pietro from his room where she imagines him struggling to pick out a cologne to wear for the night. It gives her a moment to finish getting ready and she's glad for it. There's not much left for her to do anyway, but she still needs a minute. Her eyes scan over her reflection in the mirror and her first thought is that she looks different. It's not that she doesn't look like herself, it's not that at all. It's just more that now with her make-up on, all of the bruises and scratches on her skin are covered up. Most have healed well but some linger, and right now they're covered and it's like it never happened at all and she looks different. She looks like herself.
She looks at her face closely in the mirror and feels relieved that there are no signs on her skin of what happened. Wanda only feels so relieved by it because she knows tonight will be trying enough, and to have to wonder if anyone was staring at her bruises would have been too much. Now she doesn't have to worry about it, so she feels much better about it all. She's still a little stressed about it all, and it's not because she doesn't love to party because she does.
Wanda loves parties in the cities. She loves going to new clubs, losing herself to the music, and trying new drinks. She's just never been to a party like this before, and she already knows what it will be like and this is why it's stressing her. Pietro will love everything about tonight. He will fall in love with all the bright, shiny, neon things at the Stark party, and it will be an amazing night for him. But for her? She doesn't know what it will be like and she doesn't know how she will feel being there, and this is what gets to her now.
The only thing that she can do is try to enjoy it, so that's what she decides to do. She closes her eyes, breaths out slowly, then looks back to the mirror and takes a longer look at her outfit. Her eyes soon flicker down to the bracelets she's wearing, one is silver and curves down to her fingers, the other is golden with a red gemstone in it. She likes the way it looks with her outfit. It goes with her rings, too. She loves her rings, she always wears them. She loves any reason to wear more of them. Tonight most of them are long and deeply detailed, but there are also simple silver bands and darkly colored rings scattered across her fingers that sparkle under the light.
Her eyes wander over herself after this, stopping on her lips and the shade of lipstick she's wearing tonight. It's a dark shade that's so dark it almost looks like red tinted black in certain lights. She wears it with eyeliner, a dark eye-shadow, and mascara. She applies a little more lipstick then leaves to retrieve her shawl on the bed, where she left it next to her keys and phone. Wanda pulls the shawl on slowly and then waits, as the sound of footsteps moving around outside of her bedroom lets her know that they're ready to go. She takes one last look at herself in the mirror, to fix her hair before she leaves. Her long, curly hair hangs out over her back tonight, while a few wavy strands hanging forward over her shoulders. There's also a messy braid at the back of her hair that she fixed up earlier. It looks nice and it's not her worst attempt at a braid. She's happy enough with it all, so she turns off the lights and leaves without looking back.
Outside of her bedroom, Wanda finds Clint and Pietro waiting near the door together. She quickly checks she's got everything before she joins them. Her mask is in her clutch, along with her keys, lipstick, and phone. Satisfied that she has all that she needs, Wanda adjusts her shawl to hang over her arms and cover the little bruises left on her skin. Then she looks up at the two of them and takes a moment to remember it, and to think about how nice and how happy they look together.
For a moment they don't notice her and she's glad that they don't see her yet. They're less guarded now, and it lets her see them for a moment. She takes it in, watching as Clint fixes up Pietro's tie while Pietro reaches out and tries to fix Clint's hair at the front. It's a sweet little moment, and it feels good to see the two of them so happy.
Pietro's suit is purple but it isn't a bright shade. It's ashy and dark, and he wears it with sleek black shoes and a thin black tie. He's also wearing his favorite pair of black sunglasses. Clint's suit is a nice in-between of dark and light blue. It's almost gray, and she finds it sweet that they're matching in very subtle ways. Clint's shirt, under the suit coat, is pale blue and striped, while Pietro's tie is blue to match Clint's suit. It's very sweet and she finds herself smiling as she watches them. Clint finishes fixing Pietro's tie up soon, and as soon as he's done he smacks Pietro's hand away, the hand that's still trying to get into his hair to fix it up.
"You know that those are not masks, yes?" she calls out.
Now they both turn to her, quickly smiling when they see her. Pietro's grin widens as he makes a point of glancing Wanda's outfit over. Then his smile turns sweeter and it feels good to see him this happy, and she finds that she suddenly forgets about her stresses about the night. She only wants for them all to be happy, and to see that they are relaxes her. Wanda joins them soon, walking over slowly to her brother's side.
"Wanda, you look lovely." Clint smiles, swatting Pietro's hand away from his hair one last time. "You really do."
"For once, he is right about something." Pietro steps over, smiling. "You look very, very beautiful. As always, sister."
"You both look very nice, too."
Pietro's smile grows, turning softer and wider. "Izgledaš lijepo." he tells her sweetly. "Uvijek je tako."
It makes Wanda smile. He's always been the charmer. "Laskaš mi."
There's a small, effortless shrug from Pietro. "Ja samo govorim istinu."
Her brother's smile stays and grows, as he walks over to reach out and touch the fabric of Wanda's shawl. He takes a look at her rings next, and is mostly interested in the ones with gems and stones. He spends a moment looking at the rings he likes the most, and while he's doing that Clint picks up their keys, phones, and wallets. The last thing he gets, the one thing he almost forgets, are their masks for the night. He joins them by the door soon, smiling again.
"This is gonna be fun." Clint promises. "Just you wait and see."
Pietro agrees. "It will be. And I am so glad you are coming with us, Wanda." he leaves now, walking over to the door a little. "We will have a fun night, you will see. I will make sure we all have a fun time."
She nods, smiling slowly. "I am sure we will have lots of fun."
After they check one last time that they have everything they need, they leave to get a cab downstairs. Wanda locks up, while Clint and Pietro run outside to call a cab. She joins them there after locking up the apartment, and she soon finds them waiting outside a cab, bickering a little about Clint's hair and Pietro's tie. It's only sweet, playful bickering. It stops when she joins them, and Clint opens up the door for Wanda. She climbs in first, then Pietro and Clint follow. Pietro wedges into the middle between them, fidgeting with the corners of his mask. Clint gives the cab driver their destination once he's settled and then they're off, and Wanda is left with a quiet feeling about how she's actually looking forward to this, if only for the free alcohol and the distraction the night will surely give them all.
"Just have to swing by and pick a friend up. He's a couple blocks away, and his thing ran late. So we might as well help him out." Clint explains soon, peering past Pietro to look at Wanda. "He's an alright guy. Listen, he can be full on. He's very chatty. Don't get me wrong, he's still a really good guy. He's just super chatty, and I know that's not always your thing. And no, Pietro. before you ask, he's not single. He's happily committed, okay?"
Pietro flips out his phone after this, as he scoffs quietly.
"Don't worry, I am mostly happy with my pretty boyfriend. He is cranky sometimes, but I am fine. Thank you for asking though."
"Hoćeš li prestati?" Wanda whispers, nudging Pietro hard in the ribs. "Dobro sam. Molim te, prestani."
He tugs away from her and leans into Clint, pretending to look shocked.
"Za što je to bilo? Ne radim ništa."
Wanda rolls her eyes, looking away. "Yes, but you were before. Weren't you?"
Now he leans into her, sighing. "Samo sam se pitao o Steveu prije. Obecajem da necu više. Sada razumijem. U redu?" he smiles, kissing her cheek. "Ti trebaš naci svoju srecu. I jednog dana hoceš."
It's the last part that stays with her, out of everything her brother says. You need to find your happiness. And one day you will. She knows what he means by it. He is genuine and soft, and it all comes from a good place in his heart. Pietro only cares about her, he only wants her to be happy like he is, and like she was once. She doesn't want to talk about that, about any of this, but she also doesn't want to upset her brother. So Wanda just smiles at him, accepts it, and leaves it. Or she tries to leave it, but Clint's curious and he's getting better at learning Sokovian.
"Yeah, so I'm a bit rusty but I think I picked up a couple things." Clint says, smacking his lips together. "You guys crushing on Steve together or something?"
Pietro smiles but tries to hide it. "On je sladak kad je ljubomoran, zar ne?"
It leaves Wanda smiling a little, to see her brother so happy and so playful. He is only being sweet, and after this he turns to Clint and whispers a few small, muttered words just for him. She leaves them to this. She leaves them to their moment, to their little bubble of happiness, and it stays this way for a while. She doesn't know how long it lasts, or how long they're in the cab for, before it stops again. She's distracted by songs on the radio and the city around them. She's so distracted that she doesn't realize the cab stops until the door opens and a man climbs in, wearing a black jacket over a red shirt, and a tie that's covered in some kind of yellow pattern.
"Hey, guys. Hey. How's it going? Thanks so much." he calls back, fixing his tie as the taxi takes off again. "You're a legend, Clint. Really man, you're my hero. Thank you, man. You're the best."
"It's alright, anytime. It's just a cab." Clint calls back. "Guys, this is Scott Lang. And Scott, you know Pietro. This is his sister Wanda."
Once Scott is all finished fixing up his tie, he looks at the three of them over the back-seat and smiles. His face is kind for a stranger, and his smile is so warm and friendly that it feels comfortable right away. It almost makes Wanda smile just to see his smile, and to see how kind he looks already. Scott glances over them and grins, stretching out to shake Pietro's hand. He doesn't reach it over the seat, so Pietro leans forward to shake his hand. Pietro seems amused, but she knows it's because he must like Scott. He seems like he does. Scott tries to reach Wanda's hand but she's too far away, so he just waves at her and smiles again.
"Nice to meet you. Both of you. And Clint, it's always great to see you, buddy." Scott says, turning to face them a little more. "You know how much I can't stand Stark. So coming to this thing with you will make me feel less like a fish out of water."
Pietro speaks up first. "If you don't like him, why come to his party?"
He laughs a little, then gives a look that says 'this guy? am I right?'. Then Scott turns back to Pietro, suddenly a little more serious when he realizes that he doesn't understand what he's laughing about, or what he's talking about.
"Well, you know, he's a Stark. Also Hank Pym always said you could never trust a Stark." Scott tells them soon. "The only reason I'm going is because Hope will be there. She's my girlfriend. Her name is Hope. I wasn't saying like that kind of hope will be there. I meant Hope, as in—well, you get it. So I heard they have appetizers? And I'm down for that. I love all that little food. Kinda makes me feel like a giant."
Wanda feels a little curious, a little bored, and in need of a distraction. She finds one in this.
"Why can't you trust a Stark?" she asks.
Pietro's curious, too. "And why would you be like a fish out of water? Why would the fish be out of the water?"
"Yeah, so just—let me sum it up on Scott's behalf. Fish out of water is just a saying." Clint clears up soon, leaning forward to look at the two of them. "It's a phrase. If you feel like a fish out of water then that's not a good thing. Okay? And the Stark thing is complicated. Tony is a dick. But he also does a lot of good things. So it's complicated."
"You know what? My bad. You guys should totally make up your own opinions of that ass-hat." Scott smiles. "And the fish out of water thing? I'm probably just being dramatic. I'm obviously not going to die at the Stark thing, like a fish out of water would. Maybe it's more like I'll feel like a frog out of water. Maybe that's better?"
It makes Wanda smile again—the way it so clearly irritates Clint, and how Pietro seems amused by him. She turns away to keep her smile to herself, and listens distantly as the conversation goes on for a while. Clint argues that this saying makes even less sense, and it's only to be expected that Pietro agrees with Scott and his new saying just to piss Clint off a little more. It feels nice to be here, to be smiling with them and to feel like she's so far away from everything else. It just feels like in her life, with the way things have been going for her lately, that it's only to be expected that it would never last.
"Hey, I know you."
Scott's voice brings her back. She looks up at him, uncertain at first.
"Yeah, I probably mentioned Wanda before." Clint says, after a moment. "I'm pretty sure you met Pietro, that one time. But not Wanda."
"No, no that. It's not that. I think I know you from somewhere else. Do you know Luis? I think we saw you with this guy his cousin knows. His cousins friend—whose name I always forget, by the way. Is it Teddy? Or Theodore?—anyway, his cousins friend sells things on the side and I think I remember you from a party that Teddy had at his place once."
It's then that Wanda realizes it. She recognizes him from a party months ago, one she went to just to buy weed. She stops at the mention of it all, and for the next five seconds things are painfully quiet. It's not that she thinks Pietro doesn't know what she does, it's just that she likes to tell herself he doesn't know about it. She doesn't want him on drugs and she knows how it would look to him, that she gets high but doesn't want him to. Her life is just so messy sometimes, and she needs it to help with the dreams. She knows her brother is coping just fine without it and she doesn't want that to change, or to lead to an argument. She also really doesn't want to talk about her dealer right now.
"What do you mean?" Pietro asks, curious. He puts his phone down. "What things does he sell?"
She looks to Clint and knows that he gets it, and that he wants to push things away from this topic and on to anything else.
"Uh, just like..Just second hand things, right? That's all. Nothing special."
It's now that Scott gets it. He gets that it's not something to talk about right now, so he spits out a few, incoherent words but by then it feels like too much stalling has been done and too many bad excuses have been made. Somehow it only gets worse when Scott opens his mouth again. Wanda sinks deeper into her seat, not really looking at anyone. She's just glad that Pietro doesn't really seem interested, he's only a little curious now.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, things like—second hand things, that are refurbished. Like boxes, and sports gear—"
"Nope, not that. He doesn't refurbish sports gear because that would be weird." Clint cuts in abruptly. "Just shit like Scott said. Refurbished things. Like that easel Wanda got a while back. Right?"
"Yes! Right. That art stuff. Oh, man. How could I forget how Wanda here is into all that art stuff?" Scott smiles warmly. "Remember just the other week, you sent me that cute picture of the little bird? The chicken, for Cassie. Remember? It was all fluffy and yellow. It was adorable. Cassie loved it, by the way. I'm sure she'd love a print of it, or something in a frame. So yeah it's basically just that kind of stuff. And his name is Tom, I remember now. Tom. Yep. That's—I'm glad we worked that one out."
"Mmm, alright. Whatever." Pietro hums, bored again. "Are we close yet?"
Clint sighs, glancing out of the car. "Yeah, soon. Real soon, babe."
She shares a small look with Clint then looks away, over to Scott who smiles and nods in a way that she knows is supposed to mean 'that was smooth, we handled that'. She doesn't see how it was handled but she leaves it, knowing there's nothing she can do about it now. It doesn't really matter if Pietro learns about her habit, she just hopes he doesn't bring it up again tonight.
She leaves him to lean into Clint, who is arguing with Scott about a game that was on last week, and she starts to think about other things like the last time she wore a dress like this. She starts to get lost in her thoughts and for a while it helps her to forget where she is and where they're going. It happens again though, it happens too quickly. It all rolls by and soon she hears Clint telling them that they're almost there, and then everything is different when she looks up at them again.
Scott isn't facing them anymore, he's looking out of the front window while strumming his hands along the window and seat to the song playing on the radio. Then there's Pietro, who is leaning into Clint's side in a way that won't ruin his suit. They're holding hands and talking quietly, and Wanda leaves them to it and looks outside again. She sees that the sky is darker now, and when her vision focuses on it she notices that it's so busy now. And then she gets why it's so busy on the streets and the building around them.
It's the Stark party, and she knows this from the look at the lines of people outside, waiting and trying to get in. Their cab pulls away from the crowds at Clint's request and drives up little to the left, where it stops and Clint pays for the ride. He refuses to take anyone's money and just insists they owe him a drink someday. Then they pile out of the cab, and Clint and Pietro climb out of one side, leaving Wanda to gather her things and then get out. Scott jumps out on their side too, after he compliments the cab driver on his taste in music.
On the other side of the taxi, Wanda gets out, shuts the door, and steps away from the cab. It's as she steps away and as the car pulls out on to the road that she hears a loud noise. A distinctive rip. It's her shawl, half-caught in the closed taxi door. It rips loudly and slips from her grasp as the taxi drives away slowly. Her gaze quickly moves to Clint and Scott, who are in awe of the shawl being ripped in half and then away from her. It's mostly Clint, who looks like he can't believe that just happened. She looks to her brother and sees that he isn't even looking up, he's too invested in whatever he's reading on his phone to realize what's just happened.
Half a second later, Scott's off running after the taxi. She tries to stop him but he runs after it, soon reaching it and trying to pull it from the door.
"Hey, dude! Hey, taxi dude! My friend's blanket thing is caught in your door!"
When Scott reaches the cab, he bangs on the door and gets the driver to stop. She looks away after this and back to Clint, who still looks like he really has no idea how that happened or what he's supposed to do next. It's because he knows what it means to her, it's because he can see the little bruises and marks on her skin. She looks to Scott again, to find him running back over to her with the shawl in his hands. It's not important, it's only a shawl. She can buy it again. It's just that tonight she needed it. Now she has nothing to cover herself up with and it leaves her feeling a little vulnerable again.
Her eyes scan the shawl over before Scott reaches her, triumphantly holding it out to her. It's ripped badly and it's dirty from the ground, there's no salvaging it, but she takes it from Scott anyway. He still looks pleased, and if it weren't for the situation she finds herself in she might dwell on how kind it was for him to do that. It's something to think on later.
For now, she focuses on what she's going to do about tonight. She doesn't want to go all the way back to her apartment, and she really doesn't want to leave to find something new to buy. They're here now and she just wants to go inside, and it's almost like the universe still has other plans for her. It feels like it always does.
"That was close. Phew. There you go." Scott sighs, fixing his hair. "Don't worry, I'm sure you can just like roll it up. Or twist it to hide the rip. It'll look neat, don't worry. You look great."
Wanda looks up to him, fixing a small smile on her lips. "Thank you." she pauses. "Do you have a cigarette, Scott?"
"Nope, sorry. Non-smoker. I've got mints, if anyone wants one? What about a tic-tac?"
"I think we're good, thanks." Clint cuts in, clapping Scott on the shoulder. "Why don't you two go line up? We'll meet you there."
When Clint starts to guide Pietro and Scott in the direction of the stairs, Pietro looks away from his phone and down to the dirty shawl in her hands.
"What happened?" he frowns, confused. "Why is that so dirty now? It doesn't look so good like that. I think—"
"Go inside, babe. Go wait for us." Clint plants a kiss to his cheek, then steps away. "We'll be up in a minute."
Once they're gone, it falls silent between the two of them and Wanda leaves it. She takes a step up on the curb, over to where Clint is standing. She looks away from him and down to the ripped shawl hanging loosely between her hands, and then her gaze pulls up to where they are and she realizes she was so focused on the shawl being ruined that she didn't look up.
Now she sees what a Stark party looks like, and it's almost what she imagined it would be. The building is large, and has an old style exterior with a modern twist. It's a Stark twist, she guesses. She remembers Clint saying something about Tony owning the building. It stands out tall, high above the others wedged into the street. It doesn't stand out too much really, it just stands tall above them. Her eyes pull to the guests and then to Clint. He takes the shawl and examines it like he knows how to fix it.
Wanda takes another look at the building, still curious despite the way things are now. There are black iron gates on the doors, and it's only now that she realizes how much security there is. Soon her gaze shifts away from this and moves up to all the different levels of Stark's building. She doesn't know what tonight will bring her, but she hopes it will provide her with a long and bright distraction
"Sorry, sweetheart. There's not much I can do unless you've got a sewing kit somewhere in that clutch." Clint sighs, then folds the shawl up in defeat. "What do you want me to do with it? Want me to keep it or throw it away?"
She considers it for a moment. "You can sew?"
Clint half-smiles, stepping closer. "Yeah, but not without a kit. So what are we gonna do? You want my jacket? You can have it, it's yours if you want it. I'm sure it'll look real cute with that dress."
"I can't."
His smile softens. "Why not? You'll still look great. Come on, here you go. Wear it, 'till I find you something else."
"No, don't. I don't want that. Please, don't." Wanda stops him, placing a hand to his shoulder. "Don't you see what will happen if I go into this party wearing your coat?"
"Want to fill me in?" he asks, not getting it. "Something bad gonna happen if you wear my coat?"
"They will look at me and think I am covering something up, and they will be right."
Something on Clint's face softens even more. He still smiles but it's different. He reaches out, placing a hand to Wanda's arm now that she's dropped her hand away from him. She wants to tell him that she doesn't know if it's worse to have their gazes on her bruises, or to have them wonder what she's hiding under a coat. It's not even that she cares what anyone thinks about her, it's just that she feels vulnerable again and she hates the way it feels.
"Who exactly are we talking about here? Listen, I never took you as the type to give a shit about what anyone thought." Clint tells her, stepping closer. "If you want my coat? Great, it's yours. I look good without it, and you'd look good in it. But if you don't want it? That's fine, too. There's no pressure, kid."
"This is just different. You don't understand—"
"Okay, I don't. I know that, I do. But listen to me? It doesn't matter that you have bruises. There's nothing wrong with that. We all get 'em, at some point in our lives, okay? No one's gonna look at them, I promise. And if they do? Then just give them that same look you give me sometimes. You know that one. It's the starey one. I know you know what I'm talking about, it'll send them running scared."
Wanda looks back at him. "It didn't do that to you. It didn't send you running."
He smiles again. "Yeah, you know why?"
"My brother?"
"Yes, but not just him. I stuck around because I looked at what was underneath it. You're brave, and kind, and good." Clint says, rubbing her shoulder gently. "So you ready to go inside? Because I feel like your brother is gonna run in there, start slamming shots, and then disappear and we'll never seen him again. So we better go keep an eye on him."
She agrees, nodding slowly. "Fine. Let's see if tonight can get worse."
"Yeah, that's not—well, that's not exactly the spirit. But you're close." Clint says, fixing his jacket back on. "Hey, there's already one positive from all of this: your dress didn't get caught in the door. I imagine that would have been much harder to deal with, so there's that. Now let's just go and see what else tonight brings us. And instead of thinking about how much worse it could get, let's look on the bright-side and think about how much better it will get once we get inside."