[ but that's just it, isn't it? they - their group, their team, their family - was sam's first real connections, here. it wasn't about being an avenger, not really. he latched onto steve because steve had the drive and vision and determination to get what needed to get done, done. sam went where he went. and for a lot longer, that 'went' was on the run - with wanda, with natasha, with steve. sam might have been an avenger, first, but they all became a lot more.

which also means that yeah - sure. the avengers disbanded. without the capital behind them from the stark name and an unwillingness to be a kill squad owned by any government (after what happened, no one wanted to reopen that can of worms). without a cohesiveness that actually kept them all together - yeah. the avengers fell apart. but sam should have done better. sam should have known better. grief or no grief, someone needed to put in the work, and that someone should have been him.

guilt curls at him, more so the longer he has to think about it. the longer he realizes it's really been. a few days ago she says, and sam nods. okay, okay that's good. not that long. not- ]

No, no sorry nothing's wrong. Nothing serious, at least. [ he really does not want to think about the larger rising tensions and direct focus into the war effort right now, so he won't. instead, he moves to unwind from her, his hands settling on her arms, just below her elbows. ] I know they tell you that you're supposed to stick around here, but are you okay to come back with me to the city? I have a place there.

It's been a sec. [ sam takes a beat here just to look at her, like he's reminding himself to breathe. he gives wanda a very small smile and squeezes her arms. ] Everything okay?