Wandas POV

I had watched her turn in slow motion, watched her eyes turn to ice as she looked at me. I saw her whole body stiffen.

I saw the smirk tug at her lips. She knows she still has some power over me. And not even just because I'm working for her (technically?).

And she's enjoying the fact that all she had to do was look at me to stop my words dead in their tracks.

Then her small smirk turns into something more sinister, "you aren't sorry, or you wouldn't have done it."

I'm a fish. I'm a fish gasping for water, begging to be thrown back into the water, wanting to dive back into the depths to disappear.

But I'm not a fish. And although she does have me caught in her grasp or gaze or whatever, she isn't letting me go.

"Um.. I.. I'm sorry.." I'm apologizing again. For what? "I was just trying to find someone that could tell me what I'm suppose to do.."

And just like that it went from sinister to devious.

"Oh, princess. I know you like being told what to do, but this is hardly the place."

Can I turn myself into a fish?

Or just maybe get my body to actually function.

I don't.. how does she do it? Switch from being two seconds away from tearing me to shreds to just about bringing me to my knees, a feeling washing over me that I wish I had control over.

Okay. So I like it when she has control.

Damn it. Just speak!

"I can just go find someone else," I thank all of the stars and planets and whatever that my voice doesn't come out as a whimper and I'm actually able to form words.

"We both know you don't actually want anyone else."

Why? Why does she do this. Fuck.

I really am just going to walk away..

"Wanda, perfect. I'd like you over on the left, that's where most of the damage was done," thankfully I don't have to go far as Alex's chief Ruby gives me some direction.

"Thank you, Ruby," I give her a smile and small nod before turning for the side of the building she needs me at.

I catch the smirk still plastered on Alex's face as she stands there with her arms crossed.

"What are you doing, Blue?" I have to laugh at the fact that her chief is calling her out, but I'm quickly shut down once again, "Don't just stand there, go help, Wanda."

Well, shit.

"Chief, I.." Alex starts.

"Go," She doesn't let her continue.

"I don't get to see her true reaction as I'm still walking away from her and toward the building. But it was a sort of win to have her reprimanded.

Then I'm reminded that I actually have to work with her.

——————

It's been half an hour. Or, I think it has. It honestly feels like it's been more like hours, but I know that's not possible by the sun still showing off it's light.

It's been silent.

Besides the sounds of us moving stuff around and cleaning up. (I'm quieter. Just saying.)

My only thoughts are to get this done as soon as possible so I can get back home, clean this gunk off of me and have a glass of wine with my friends.

What? Oh. Yeah, I'm not really sure how I got so messy either. You'd think with the powers that that wouldn't really happen, but here I am.

Oooh. Not what you were talking about either.

Fine. Those aren't my only thoughts.

She's in them. She infects them, takes them over and controls them.

Like she personally has a hand in what goes through my mind and it's a joke to see how many times shes the center of them.

She's the puppeteer pulling at my strings.

It's annoying as all hell and I wish I could make it stop. But that makes it worse. And shes over there throwing pieces of brick into the garbage bin, grunts leaving her mouth every so often and I'm not sure if she's doing it on purpose or not.

See! This is what I mean.

And.. I'm hoping she sparks a conversation.

Because I know that I could easily clean all of this up in one fail swoop and be done with it. But I don't want to rush away from her, not really. I want there to be time, to give her a chance.

A chance that she'll talk to me about anything, something. Not just because the silence is slowly driving me into madness and my thoughts are too loud for me to speak on my own.

I don't trust myself to say anything remotely appropriate or in a way that would make sense.

I want her to want to talk to me. To make an effort.

I am so close to just.. reaching out for her thoughts..

"So did you finally realize that the cameras need to see you out in the field?" She bites. And not in the way I want her to.

But I guess the silence was slowly driving her to the edge, too.

I got what I wanted, she talked.

It was still with anger and venom, but she talked.

Her attitude only brought out my own.

Right now, I feel like biting back.

"Oh, I'm sorry. And where do you see cameras?" I look over to her as I ask, eyebrow raised and waiting.

It did not help the situation.

"It's cute that you pretend not to see the cameras that follow you," she spits.

So aggressive.

But I love that she always has so much passion. It's like she has fire coursing through her at all times, begging to be let out.

I notice it when she's working, laughing, talking. She always has that fire behind her movements and words. And she uses it however she wants, manipulates it for the situation she's in and wants to create.

Right, the conversation.

"I actually haven't noticed them," I'm being honest.

She scoffs, "yeah right. Let's just pretend that your little tin can leader didn't plan it all out."

I actually take a moment to look around for a lens, but fall short.

"He didn't. If there have been any paparazzi around, it's only because they found us on their own accord," I'm fighting, but not with the same intent she has; there's no malice. I actually want her to believe me.

"Ya right, they just found you. Save the shitty fake story for someone who might actually believe you," she continues to pick up the bricks and debris littered on the ground.

I roll my eyes, entirely frustrated that she's so pigheaded about this, "we didn't tell the press! We wanted to actually help clean up the messes we made. We want to make a difference for this community and the people that live here. We're trying to help!"

My words combined with the fierceness behind them stop her in her tracks and she turns to me.

And we just.. stare at each other.

I have the feeling that she's inspecting me, trying to size up my words and see if they amount to anything.

"You are really doing this just to help?" She finally speaks, and her gentle voice is such a contrast to her previous anger riddled one that I almost forget to answer.

"Yes," I should probably say more, but I kind of expected her to yell something else at me.

She nods her head a few times, "and what made you care all of a sudden?"

Is it just me.. or was there some strain to her voice? Like.. like she might actually be holding back tears?

I must be hearing things.

"You did," I tell her simply, shrugging my shoulders.

We've both stopped our work, standing only feet away from each other now.

"What?" And if we weren't so close, I would have missed it.

"Yeah. I know you think I'm some annoying, dumb, selfish, bitch with no worries, but I actually listened to what you'd yell at me. When you'd tell me about the destruction we left behind. When you told me about the people that were impacted and how they needed help. How we got to go home to our cushy lives with no worries about how we're going to make it till next week. How we could be doing more. I heard you."

I hear her swallow before she speaks, "so you.. you really got the avengers to help us rebuild the city.. because of what I.. yelled at you?"

"Yeah. Believe it or not, what you said really impacted me. You weren't wrong. We did have a lot to go back to when we left many others without. It wasn't right. We're trying to fix that. Although I could have done without the yelling," I say playfully, taking a chance on her change in attitude.

It works. She smiles. A real one.

"I don't know. I think the yelling must have worked.. and you can't tell me you didn't like it," she banters.

I allow myself to relax a little, smiling as well.

"I wouldn't say I liked it.."

"You did. You liked the fire between us, it fueled you just as much as it did me."

Did she just.. she.. she did.

Before I'm able to respond, if I even could have, she speaks even softer somehow, "I don't think you're a dumb selfish bitch."

"You forgot annoying," I tease.

"I know," and there's that smirk.