@master-of-magnetism cont from here
He hadn’t asked Wanda if she wanted to be involved in the siege, nor had he given her any warning. She was his daughter, yes, and a mutant--but she had seemed rather standoff-ish with integrating into the sweeping group Erik considered part of his family. It wasn’t her fault, of course. Going from years of having only her twin to suddenly having a family as big and chaotic and infamous as Erik’s was bound to be a large adjustment, especially with the added complication that the whole Pietro affair had caused.
( He wouldn’t say that that was part of keeping her at arm’s reach, too, not to anyone but himself. But if she’d so effortlessly created a false reality around him, such a realistic copy of her brother, Erik simply couldn’t afford the risk of having her interfering with his perception during the siege. That was why he’d always been leery of telepaths. That it’d been accidental only made it worse. )
But the siege was over, now, the war was won ( at what cost? ), and he had a child to go check on. She didn’t exactly look pleased to see him. But she was okay, and Erik found his hand reaching out for her cheek before he could think better of it, a mirror of the first time they’d been staring across her apartment threshold. He’d known she’d be able to take care of herself--but he’d thought the same of someone else, too.
“Wanda. I’m so glad you’re alright.”
/ -.-. / .... / .- / --- / ... /
Pietro was dead. Had always been dead. She was still struggling to understand it, but really... it wasn’t so hard to believe. She sat here, curled up in her window, and she could picture him. Racing down the street, as fast as he could, just a blue blur. Until he’d spot her in the window, and then the blur would be up the fire escape, through the window, sitting on her sofa before she could even finishing waving.
Except none of that was real. She had thought this universe called to her, thought it was where she was meant to be. Thought it was her reward after traveling to so many places, after losing everything. She was a fool. She had no universe waiting for her. No family left.
Almost no family.
Like Pietro, he was impatient, stepping inside before she could speak, reaching out to caress her cheek. Wanda slapped his hand away, stepped out of his reach. “I didn’t ask you to come,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “So why are you here? Don’t you already have everything you want?”
