Paramore!!!

part 3 - The Moment Everything Changed

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Natasha Romanoff x Y/N Warnings: Serious injury, illness, mission-related danger, non-graphic blood, brief unconsciousness, emotional distress, fear of loss, hurt/comfort. Word Count: 1066 Summery: Still not fully recovered, Y/N insists on joining a mission despite Natasha and Wanda’s objections. During what should have been a routine extraction, her illness slows her down at a critical moment. A collapsing structure leaves her seriously injured, and for the first time, Wanda and Natasha are forced to face the terrifying possibility of losing her. The chapter focuses on fear, love, and the desperate relief of getting her home.

The mission had gone wrong long before anyone realized it. Y/N knew it the second her boots hit the ground. The exhaustion hadn’t left. The fever hadn’t completely disappeared. Her body still felt heavy, like she was dragging invisible weights behind her with every step. But she had smiled through it. Insisted she was fine. Promised Wanda. Promised Natasha. Promised everyone. And now she regretted it. The abandoned facility stretched high above them, rusted steel beams disappearing into darkness. The air smelled of dust and old machinery. Every sound echoed. Every footstep seemed unnaturally loud.

“Status?” Natasha’s voice crackled through the comm.

“Clear on my side,” Y/N answered. A cough immediately followed. She winced. There was a brief silence. Then—

“Y/N.” Natasha’s tone alone was enough to make her feel guilty.

“I’m okay.”

A pause.

“You’d better be.”

—⧗ᗢ—

The explosion came without warning. One second everything was quiet. The next, the entire building shook. The floor lurched beneath her feet. Metal screamed overhead. Y/N staggered. Dust filled the air instantly. Her ears rang. The world blurred. Then she heard shouting. Lots of shouting.

“Get out!”

“Move!”

The facility was collapsing. A support beam crashed somewhere nearby. The impact rattled the entire structure. Y/N turned. Started running. But her body wasn’t moving fast enough. Not nearly fast enough. The illness she’d been fighting all week chose that exact moment to hit her. Dizziness swept through her. Her vision doubled. The floor tilted. She stumbled. Just one step. One tiny mistake. One second. That was all it took. A deafening crash echoed above her. Y/N looked up. And saw part of the ceiling coming down.

—⧗ᗢ—

Later, Natasha would remember every detail. The dust. The noise. The panic. But most of all— The moment Y/N disappeared. One second she was there. The next she wasn’t. Buried beneath debris and smoke. “Y/N!” Natasha was moving before she’d even finished shouting. Her heart slammed painfully against her ribs.

No.

No.

No.

Not her.

Anyone but her.

Wanda’s scream echoed through the collapsing building. Raw. Terrified. The kind of sound Natasha never wanted to hear again. Red energy exploded through the air. Power crackling wildly around Wanda’s hands. Entire sections of debris lifted instantly. Concrete. Steel. Everything. Anything standing between them and Y/N.

“Find her!” Wanda’s voice broke. “Please find her.”

The plea nearly shattered Natasha. Because Wanda never begged. Not like that. Never.

—⧗ᗢ—

When they found her, everything stopped. For one horrible second, neither woman could breathe. Y/N lay trapped beneath fallen debris. Motionless. Dust covering her face. Her uniform torn. A deep cut stretched across her forehead. Blood stained the side of her sleeve. The sight alone was enough to make Wanda feel sick.

“No.” Wanda dropped beside her immediately. Shaking. Actually shaking.

“Y/N?”

No response. Natasha’s stomach dropped.

“Y/N.”

Nothing. The silence was unbearable.

Then— A tiny groan. Barely audible. But enough. Wanda almost cried from relief. Natasha closed her eyes briefly. Thank God.

—⧗ᗢ—

The ride back to the Tower felt endless. Y/N drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time her eyes opened, Wanda was there. Every time she woke up, Natasha was holding her hand. Neither woman left her side. Not for a second. Not even when the medical team tried to separate them.

“Absolutely not.” Natasha’s voice left no room for argument. “We’re staying.” And they did.

—⧗ᗢ—

Hours later, the medical wing was finally quiet. The injury wasn’t life-threatening. But it was serious. A concussion. Several broken ribs. A fractured shoulder. Enough to keep her recovering for weeks. Enough to terrify everyone who loved her. Especially Wanda. Especially Natasha. Y/N woke sometime after midnight. Everything hurt. Her head. Her shoulder. Her chest. Even breathing felt difficult. The room was dark. Peaceful. Silent. Except it wasn’t empty. Natasha sat beside the bed. One hand still wrapped around hers. Asleep. The position looked uncomfortable. Like she hadn’t moved for hours. Across the room, Wanda slept curled into an armchair. Except she wasn’t really sleeping. Even unconscious, her magic flickered softly around her fingers. As though part of her remained alert. Waiting. Protecting. Watching. Y/N stared at them for a long moment. Taking them in. The dark circles beneath Natasha’s eyes. The dried tear tracks on Wanda’s cheeks. The exhaustion both women wore. And suddenly she understood. Not just that they loved her. She’d always known that. But how deeply. How completely. How much losing her would hurt them. A lump formed in her throat. Carefully, she squeezed Natasha’s hand. The redhead woke instantly. Years of training. Always alert. Always ready. But the second she realized Y/N was awake, something in her face softened. Relief. Pure relief.

“Hey.” Her voice was rough. Like she hadn’t spoken in hours.

“Hi.” Y/N responded weakly

Natasha laughed weakly. Then, to Y/N’s surprise, rested her forehead against their joined hands. For a moment she said nothing. Just breathed. Like she needed proof Y/N was really there. Really alive. The movement woke Wanda. The witch shot upright immediately.

“Y/N?”

The fear in her voice broke Y/N’s heart.

“I’m here.”

Wanda crossed the room faster than humanly possible. One second away. The next pressed gently against her side. Tears instantly filling her eyes.

“You scared us.”

The words came out as a whisper. A confession. A wound. Y/N swallowed hard.

“I’m sorry.”

“No.” Natasha looked up.

Green eyes shining in the darkness.

“You don’t get to apologize.”

Y/N blinked.

“What?”

“You get to recover.”

The response was immediate. Firm. Certain. Then Natasha reached up and brushed a strand of hair from Y/N’s face. The touch was impossibly gentle. The kind of gentle touch reserved only for someone precious. Someone loved. Someone irreplaceable.

“That’s all you have to do.”

For the first time since the accident, Y/N felt tears sting her eyes. Not from pain. Not from fear. From love. Because even after everything-After the worry. After the panic. After the terror she’d put them through— They were still here. Still holding her hand. Still looking at her like she was the most important person in the world. And as Wanda curled carefully beside her and Natasha refused to let go of her hand, Y/N found herself surrounded by the one thing she’d nearly forgotten during the mission. Home. Not the Tower. Not the Avengers. Not the room upstairs. Home was Natasha. Home was Wanda. And for tonight, that was enough.