( it does do something when natasha reaches over again, forces her to turn around to face her, to look her in the eyes. natasha knows better than the rest of the people here what wanda can perceive, and it's this flow of emotions, so freely, that lets her know what the older woman intends.

to feel the bare truth, to see it, hear it—make her own assessment of it.

and... it hurts, because despite choosing stark's side and not steve's (wanda always thought natasha liked steve better, but it was never such a childish concept), natasha has always done her best for wanda; to make her feel welcome, to teach her these important skills that would keep her busy, help her grow. and even if all wanda wants to be is contrarian, petulant at the idea of ever being a 'light' when the world would use her name to talk about dangerous people, she wants to believe natasha so badly.

she swallows hard, shoulders slumping.

wanda is so tired. )

You chose Stark. ( there's no fight in these words, just something that she can't stop thinking about. that it hurt her, even if there's no reason to think in such a childish way, but it will never not be easy for her to heal the wound left behind by 'stark industries' weaponry killing her parents, destroying her home.

she shakes her head. ) I'm not... anything. Without Pietro, I'm — constantly drowning. ( her voice quiets as emotion tightens her throat. ) And I'm here, now, and I've never felt more alone.

( she's barely holding the motorcycle upright; this contraption between them, a comfortable barrier for wanda right now, to keep some distance, when she feels so vulnerable. )

I just don't want anyone to know. ( here ) What I'm capable of.

( she's scared. )