It was hard to hide anything from Wanda; you could feel her eyes on you from across a room full of partygoers no matter where you stood. She had vowed to the team that she would never go into their minds without permission, but apparently, that vow was valid only until she chose to break it under the guise of 'only wanting to help'. When the conversation around you shifted to business and finances at Stark Enterprises, you took your leave of the stuffy old men that surrounded your dad and seized the opportunity to find out what was going on in Wanda's head for a change.

"Excuse me, dad," you interrupted, "I'll be back."

Tony turned to you and grabbed your arm softly, leaning in for a whisper, "no, don't you dare leave me with these guys. Take me with you."

"You're such a big baby, I'll be back in a minute," you quietly replied with a smirk. "You're the one who invited them, so deal."

"Ungrateful child," he mumbled and turned back to his guest with a forced smile. "So, tell me more about your self-cooking hot dog..."

"Well, there's basically a chemical detonator embedded in the meat shaft..."

You heard the start of the conversation and only moved away faster, laughing at your dad and the hole he had dug for himself. The various conversations amongst the mix of his employees, civilians and Avengers were intriguing as you passed by, with several of them piquing your interest enough that you considered stopping. But when you met eyes with Wanda again, she saw you making your way closer and turned to make a run for it.

"Maximoff!" you hollered over the crowd and loud music, quickening your steps. "Don't you dare!"

Wanda stopped, frozen in place as she waited for you. She was about to be found out for knowing something that she shouldn't, and she had no idea what to say. As her heart raced and her fear built, she considered tricking you into forgetting that you had seen her watching you, but that would only be a further violation.

"Hello, (Y/N)."

"Don't hello, (Y/N) me, Wanda. What are you up to?"

"It was only out of concern, I swear."

You stopped and took a step back, aghast at what you realized that she meant. She wasn't supposed to know; no one was. "Whatever you think that you know, Wanda, please forget it."

"That would be impossible, (Y/N). The things that I've seen in your mind are unforgivable, and I don't understand why you are still with him. No one deserves to be treated the way he treats you." She paused and looked at you in earnest, hoping that you would agree, dropping her voice to a whisper. "No one more than you. I have to tell Tony," she nodded in steady resolve. She dodged your grip and ducked around you to get to him before you, moving much faster than you expected.

"No! No, no, no, Wanda, you can't!" you called out after her, chasing her through the crowd. "Wanda, come back!"

"Tony, I have to talk to you," she panted, stopping abruptly at his side, "it's urgent, please, come with me."

"No, you stay right there," you warned, taking his other side. "Dad, don't listen to her, this is between us. Nothing to drag you into."

"Tony, it's a matter of safety that I talk to you."

"Dad, she's exaggerating."

"Your daughter is at risk."

"No I'm not!"

"She's not thinking clearly."

"You're sticking your nose in things that aren't your business."

"Really, (Y/N)?" she pressed with a raised voice that silenced the room around her, her eyes beginning to take on a red glow with her building anger. "What if the day comes when he loses control again and kills you? Do you think I'll be able to live with myself if I had known and didn't say anything?"

"Wanda...stop..." you whispered, mortified now and standing frozen in place.

"Young lady?" Tony interrupted. "What the hell is she talking about?"

"I...I don't know." Your eyes darted around the room at the people you barely knew staring back at you; you felt vulnerable and exposed unlike anything you had ever experienced, but your body wouldn't let you move. "I think I should go."

Tony's jaw set firmly and a fire grew inside of him, with a white-hot anger that scared even himself. He jumped up on a small table and pointed at the door, calling out over the group in a tone that dared anyone to argue with him, "everyone out. Party's over." As the crowd dissipated and the room cleared, he hopped down next to you and took your arm, leading you towards the conference room. "Romanoff, with us."

"Dad, don't drag Natasha into this, please."

"She'll get the job done and get out without a trace."

With Wanda and Natasha following behind, Tony waited as you sat in a chair as far from him as you could get, watching you with eyes that were growing sadder as his mind allowed himself to realize what he had heard. With gentle steps, he made his way towards you with the other two held their places at the door; when he finally sat down, he kept a distance, reading your body language that made him wonder if you would even talk to him now.

"Sweetheart, why didn't you say anything to me?"

"Are you surprised?" you replied quietly. "Look at how you're acting."

"How else should I act?" he snapped, leaning in towards you. "What the hell did you think would happen?"

In an involuntary reflex, you pushed the chair back from him and squeezed your eyes shut at his anger, cowering away. The panic built from your chest and racing pulse, leaving your hands shaking and a wave of nausea in your stomach. You tried to will it away and hide it from him, but dammit if one of the worst traits to receive from him was his anxiety; it made it so much easier for him to recognize.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he backed away with his voice much softer, "honey, I'm sorry. I'm...I'm so sorry." His voice was trembling in his throat at his words and their new meaning; he was apologizing for more than just his tone, but in that he hadn't protected you well enough. He always knew that he would fail you someday, that he wasn't made for parenting after having such inconsistent role models himself, and now that the moment was here it was too much.

"It's not your fault, dad."

Tony sighed and leaned an elbow on the dark tabletop, resting his head wearily in his hand as he watched you, thinking about how terrible he was at this. With a subtle nod towards the door, Natasha returned the gesture and left; you saw her leave, knowing what she was about to do, but you didn't have the strength to stop her. Now that she knew what was happening to you, and once she had made up her mind, your boyfriend was as good as gone and there was nothing that you or anyone could do about it.

"I have to go," you muttered, standing to leave but stopping when Tony matched your action and stood before you. When he reached out to touch you, you reflexively pulled back. "Please."

"Don't go home."

"Why? So I don't see when Nat kills him?"

"Because it's not safe...yet."

"Right," you replied and turned away, "like she isn't already done, it's been a whole minute since she left. You forget who you're talking about, dad." When you passed Wanda, who had been sitting still and silent, you didn't so much as acknowledge her, but you could feel that she wanted to say something. Yes, she meant well and she was only looking out for you as her friend, but it hurt that she didn't trust you to deal with the situation on your own by running straight to Tony first. If she wanted to talk, you would make her work for it. "I'll be in a guest room for the night."

~~~

"(Y/N), wait!" Wanda called out after you, but you gave her no response. "(Y/N), please, stop so I can talk to you!"

"Go to hell, Wanda," you spat, turning back to face her, charging forward to meet her, "you had no business telling my dad anything. You were in my head after you promised us all that you would never do that! How do you expect me to ever trust you again?"

"What would you expect me to do then?" she yelled back, raising her voice to match yours. It was terribly uncharacteristic for her to take the tone and it froze you in place for a moment, unsure of how to process and react to it. You kept an eye on her hands, just in case you should see any hint of red emanating from them.

"I would expect you to stay out of it."

"I can't do that," she quieted with a shake of her head, reaching out to take your hand only to stop as you withdrew. "I can't just sit by and watch someone that I love get hurt. What kind of person would that make me?"

"Oh, so you love me now?" you hissed in return. "Is that the excuse that you're using to tell yourself that this is all okay? Well too bad, Wanda. Fall out of it."

Wanda took a small step back at your anger, but stopped and held her place, not willing to back down over something that she found to be so important and someone that meant so much to her. She had loved you since she first met you, and she wasn't about to let that go now. "I can't do that. It's been too long for me, and you mean too much."

All you could do was stare at her, allowing the words to sink in through the wall of anger that you had built up around yourself. She was being genuine and honest, and the way she was looking at you was hopeful that she would be able to break through. Wanda had been your best friend and had never wavered when you needed her, and you finally realized that this was no different; she was only doing what she would do in any other situation if it was to protect you.

"Okay, listen," you replied, much calmer and quieter, "I understand why you did what you did, but it still doesn't make it alright. I have to be able to trust you if you think that there would ever be anything between us, and this just pushed that trust away."

"I understand," she whispered, now casting her gaze to her feet, "but (Y/N), tell me, would there ever have been anything? If this hadn't have happened and if I would have stayed clear of it all?"

"Wanda, I'll be thankful for this, I promise," you reassured her, taking one of her hands, "but it's a lot for me to take right now. I will need someone with me now that I'll never get dad off of my back, and I probably have a funeral to attend thanks to Nat. I'll be a little messed up for a while, but if you're willing to help me, I think I could be okay."

"Of course, anything for you."

"As far as you and I go," you finally smiled, "never say never."