mediocre writer

Your knuckles were bruised like violets, suckering punching the man who fooled so many people . You cursed under your breath as you continued punching the man below you. You were never the fighter, but maybe it was your ego swinging. 

No, it wasn’t that. 

Your eyes flickered up, blinking away the red that you were seeing. The terrified blonde watched the scene unfold from in front of her. 

It was for her. This was all for her.

Flashes of the past year come back to you in a blur. 

The lovely smell of garbage, sweat, cigarettes, and the hard to classify odors assaulted your nostrils as you stepped out into the city you once called home. Yet, the smell didn’t bother you like it did most tourists. You smelt the culture in the air. The burnt meats that came from five star food carts. The “expensive” perfume that wafted through your nose as you walked through Greenwich. 

One of your old “pals” Annika, if you would even call her that, texted you when she found out you were back in the city. She mentioned how your ex-girlfriend Peach Salinger was throwing a party and you knew it was a bad idea to go. Not because Peach is your ex, but because you knew Guinevere Beck was going to be there. And honestly, that’s the only reason why you were going. 

Stepping into the familiar townhome, you noticed your usual phony crowd that you always tolerated hanging around the house. Your hands dug into your pockets as you walked deeper into the house, until the sound of heels clicking made a beeline straight towards you. 

Your eyes flickered up, looking at the brunette hair of your ex-lover. Two champagne flutes in her hand and her lovely manipulative smirk, “Y/N Y/L/N, I heard through the grapevine that you were back in town,” Peach handed you the champagne and you thanked her softly. Her pout replaced her smirk, “I’m a little hurt that you didn’t reach out to me yourself. I had to find out from Annika of all people.” 

You were about to respond when someone interrupted your train of thought, “Peach, there you-“ That beautiful familiar voice caused your eyes to glance at the blonde approaching. 

“Beckish!” Peach exclaimed, grabbing another champagne flute from someone nearby and handing it to the blonde. 

You sipped on your own flute, trying desperately hard to calm your rapid heart beat, as the two girls hugged. Her green eyes flickered to yours as they pulled apart and they widened in surprise. “Y/N, you’re back?” She says, but it comes out as more of a question. 

“I am,” you nod and you could tell by the way the corner of her lips quirk slightly, that she’s trying her hardest to fight a smile. “Hi Beck.”

The blonde wraps her arms around you to greet you in a hug. You could feel the goosebumps arise on her skin as your cool hands brush over her bare skin. Memories of the whispered phrase “are you sure?” and twisted legs in bedsheets replay in your mind. The feeling of her against you again was something you’ve longed for ever since you left the city and now you could finally have it. 

A clear of the throat brought the two of you back to your senses as you reluctantly pulled apart. A man with curly short brown hair landed next to Beck. He looked at you with his head tilted like a lost puppy dog, like he was trying to piece together who you were. Your eyes flickered to Beck’s green ones and she smiled sadly, “Y/N, this is Joe Goldberg. Joe, this is Y/N Y/L/N. She’s one of my good friends.”

You extend your hand out to shake his hand, “It’s nice to meet you.” 

He nods with a small smile, “And you.”

“Y/N just got back from London today,” Peach bragged, hooking onto your arm. You notice the small subtle way Beck’s eyes glance down to your arm, raising her eyebrow in surprise. 

“Oh! I heard London is beautiful! What were you doing there?” Joe asks, trying to make small talk. 

You shrug, “My job, there was an opportunity across the pond.” 

“Oh don’t be modest, Y/N! She is one of the head editors at Penguin Random House. She worked recently with Taylor Jenkins Reid on her new book that was published last year: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. She’s getting ravished reviews for it! I don’t know if you’ve heard of it.” Peach bragged once more and you just forced a smile on your face. 

“I have not heard of it, I’m more of a classic literature guy myself. I work at a whole book store full of them,” he shrugged. “But I’m only wondering why you don’t help get Beck published.” He jokes and you know he’s joking, but you could tell that Beck did not want that to be said. She wanted to make her own success, not have someone hand it to her. If they were really that serious, he would know that.

You force a chuckle, “No, trust me I’ve tried to convince her, but we both agreed that she achieves it on her own. That’s what she wants and honestly it’s not going to take long for her to get there. I’ve read some of her work and she’s going to be a star one day.” 

You and Beck meet each other’s eyes and her once tense body relaxes. She has a soft smile on her face to go with her softened eyes. “Thank you.” 

You nod, “Well if my detective skills are right it seems like Y/N is more excited to see my best friend, than her ex-girlfriend,” Peach snatches her arm away from yours. “If you excuse me, a hostess had duties to attend to.”

“Peach, I’m sorry. Can we-“

“No. Come up with a better apology and maybe then we’ll talk,” she stalks away furiously with her head held high. 

You let out a sigh, hanging your head low in defeat, “You must’ve missed this place so much, huh?” Beck jokes, causing your shoulder to fall and rise in small laughter. 

“I did miss this place, but not for that reason,” your eyes meet hers once more like you’re trying to express everything to her, but you quickly glance away. “I’m going to make my rounds, I’m sure Annika and Lynn will kill me if I don't say hi to them. I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

The party was what you expected. Snobby people who are born out of money and never had to work for anything. It wouldn’t have been so painful if they weren’t so suffocating. So you escaped the party just like you always did, hiding up on the balcony, sipping the expensive champagne. Your mind drifting off to simpler times.

Nursing a small glass of straight whiskey and ice was your favorite pastime. Work had been a pain in the ass, some author yelling at you for wanting to edit some things out, claiming that you didn’t know anything. Well, why would you have an editor job at one of the biggest publishing companies in the world if you didn’t know what the fuck you were talking about? But okay. Not to mention, Peach has been not-so-silently, aggressively posting stuff about you on her Twitter even though it’s been a couple months since you broke up. 

The tweet: “Ban Penguin Random House, their employees don’t know what they’re doing,” was a real shot at you for sure. 

From the barstool next to you, a familiar voice spoke up, asking for a drink. You looked to the side to see none other than Guinevere Beck. The two of you met through Peach, you always thought that she was so much more than what she forced herself to appear like in front of your ex-girlfriend and phony friends.  “Rough day?” You asked her and she turned to you surprised. She hadn’t even noticed you as she stormed in, in desperate need for a drink. 

“Y/N! Hi! I’m sorry, I didn’t even see you there!” She exclaimed as the bartender handed her her drink. “But yes, super rough day. You?” 

You shrug, “Well Peach has been coming after me on Twitter all day, so I think that’s enough of an answer for you.” 

Beck laughs at your statement, nodding, “Yeah, I saw that, but I don’t know I think the Penguin Random House tweet was about a different editor she knows,” she teased and it was your turn to laugh. Ignoring, the nerves under your skin buzz with excitement from the sound. 

“Oh for sure. It may have actually been Gary in the HR department!” you exclaimed as if coming onto a realization. Once your laughter died down, you let out a sigh, “Seriously though, I did not know that breaking up with Peach Sallinger meant getting constantly hated on Twitter.” 

“Seriously? I thought that you knew what was going to happen. Even I know that if I betray her my Twitter feed will be blown up too. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you break up with her? She really loved you, it’s actually the most I’ve seen her love anyone,” the blonde asked, sipping her drink.

You shrug, “I loved her too, even through all her faults and flaws. However, at the end of the day, I just feel like we’re meant for different paths, different people. The relationship just didn’t seem like what I want and need in my life, anymore. It’s a harsh realization for me and her, but I think one day she’ll thank me for it.” 

“Oh, so what are you looking for then?” her head tilted in amusement. 

And for some odd reason, your eyes were sucked into her, like you were a prisoner to her gaze. “I don’t know. You know, when Peach and I met we were both dumb college kids. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, we were drunk or high most nights making bad decisions. I guess I’m just looking for someone who makes me question if I really was living before. Someone who makes me feel like my life finally started when I start dating them and they will be the person who, when I’m on my deathbed, will make me feel like my life is complete.”

Her lips curled softly, nodding. Your eyes flickered her lips and you cursed yourself for how drawn you are to them. “Have you found it yet?”

“I don’t know, I think I’m waiting for it to find me,” you drop your voice down to a whisper. 

She swallowed thickly, the two of you mere inches away from each other’s lips. The magnetic force between you was so strong, but the guilty consciousness that was sitting on your shoulder was screaming at you. Yet, there was something so beautiful about it, you didn’t want to break it.

Then her lips brushed against yours and you were hooked. 

That’s what started the clandestine meetings and longing stares. You remember breaking away from Peach’s infamous parties, just like you were doing right now. You could practically feel Beck’s hand fall on your hips in the most tender way. Her soft outline of her body pressed against your back and the feeling of her breath on your neck sent a ghostly shiver down your spine.

You turn around expecting her to be there, but she wasn’t. The shiver caused by her was genuinely caused by the New York City wind. “I should’ve known I’d find you out here,” Beck’s familiar voice comes up from behind you, leaning against the railing. 

A small sparkle in her eyes made you smile, “You have always seen right through me, not that I’m complaining or anything.”

“You don’t have to be strong, Y/N. I see right through you,” Beck whispered as you stood in the middle of the airport. Her forehead rested on yours, as she cupped your face tenderly. 

By her simple statement, you blinked a couple tears, causing them to fall onto your cheeks. She was there to catch them, she was always there to catch you when you fell, “I don’t want to go,” you whisper, afraid if you raise your voice even more you’ll completely break down.

“But you have to. This opportunity only comes once in a lifetime,” she whispers. 

“What if you only come once in a lifetime?” You ask, looking up at her with glossy eyes. 

A sad smile grazed her face as she let a few tears slide down her cheeks, “Then we’ll find our way back.” 

You chuckle to yourself, “Who would’ve thought that a ‘one time thing’ would lead me to this? You’re the best thing to ever happen to me. You have made me feel like my life has finally started, Guinevere Beck. You found me,” it was her turn to chuckle, more and more tears falling down both of your faces. “So, I promise you, I’ll come back for you and we’ll make both of our lives complete.” 

“I'm sorry,” she whispers sadly.

You raise your eyebrows in surprise, “For what?”

“For Joe…I know you said that you’d come back and I-“

You set the champagne flute down and grab a hold of her hands. You shake your head, “No, no, no. None of that,” a stray piece of blonde hair falls onto her face and you hesitantly push it back. “We didn’t know when or even if I was gonna come back, so you have nothing to apologize for.  But I’m going to wait for you. It’s only a matter of time, he doesn’t seem quite like your type anyway.” 

She chuckles, shaking her head, “And why is that? Because he’s not rich, trendy, and damaged?”

“No because he’s not me,” you tease, causing her to roll her eyes playfully. You laugh at her expression, smiling widely at her, “What? We have something special, Guinevere Beck. I’m not going to let some Average Joe stop me. So, I’ll wait, because you are worth it.” 

You lean down and place a fluttering kiss on her cheek. Beck is trying to say another word, but Joe comes walking out. The two of you put some distance between you. She smiles at her boyfriend and you down the rest of your champagne, “I should probably head out. It’s getting late and Taylor Jenkins Reid is having me read her new draft for another book she’s writing. Something about a band,” you shrug, not wanting to witness the two of them together for much longer. 

“Goodnight Beck,” you turn to the brunette man, giving him your best smile. “It was lovely to meet you, Joe. I’ll see you both around.” 

As you walk out of the party and onto the lonely streets of New York City, you feel a strong stare onto your back. Your eyes flickering up to the balcony, noticing the way Joe is standing there by himself, his gaze locked on yours. And as quickly as those eyes felt on you, a smile appeared on his face, waving goodbye. Though, you couldn’t help the nauseating feeling in your stomach. 

“Y/N! He’s trying to grab the knife!” Beck yelled, bringing you back to reality. 

You noticed the way his arm was outstretched and gripped onto the knife. He tilted it up towards your neck, the tip of it nipping slightly at your throat, and you hissed as you felt slight blood trickle down. Despite the aching in your bruised hands, you tried to push the knife away from you. 

Adrenaline rushes through you. The handle is cool around your palm as you wrap around it. Your eyes flicker up to Beck’s, the pain and bruises on her face and heart left by Joe. You knew what needed to happen. He is not going to stop until he gets what he wants and that’s you out of his and her life, until it’s just him and her. 

“It’s all for her,” you mumble under your breath. In a panicked state, you use all your strength and push the knife deep into his shoulder. He cries out, loosening his grip on the handle of the knife. 

You don’t think, you act. You know this needs to end. You pull the knife out of him quickly, thrusting it once more and then another and one more time for good luck. He falls limp besides you, his eyes barely staying open. Your hand shakes as the knife clatters onto the hardwood floor. 

You look back up at Beck, who is staring at you in shock, “Beck,” you whimper, staring at your purple knuckles and blood stained palms, “I think-I think I did something really bad.”

Blood is splattered across the floor. On the ceiling. All over you and slightly on Beck. You feel tears spill from your eyes and suddenly, you feel Beck move over to you. You start sobbing and she pulls you into her chest, “I’m just like him! I didn’t mean to-I didn’t want to kill him, Beck. I did something really really bad!“ Your voice is growing more and more frantic. 

“Baby, baby, no,” her hands cup your cheeks softly, rubbing soothing circles along it. “It’s okay. He was going to kill you, it’s self defense. You are nothing like him, okay? I promise you. I’m going to call the police right now and everything is going to be okay.” 

“Beck, what did I do?”

“It’s okay,” she presses a long kiss to your lips, your lips quivering against hers. “It’s going to be okay.”

Moments later, red and blue sirens flashed off the reflections of Beck’s wide open windows. Another nauseating wave rushes over you, your ex-girlfriend’s death falling into your mind. 

“Peach, darling! you tried to exclaim, as best as you could, entering in from the garage of the Salinger Estate. A drink carrier from her favorite coffee shop balancing in one arm, a few paper bags from the farmer’s market in the other hand, and some wrapper pastries from the bakery down the street stuck in between your teeth. 

You never thought you’d get into this position. You knew Peach better than a lot of people, but one thing that’s very true to the public eye and in private is her stubbornness. After many many pre-written rehearsed apologies, she took you back. Much to yours and everyone else’s surprise. 

You put the groceries down, finally allowing your arms to breathe. You take a bite of your chocolate croissant, noticing how quiet it was. None of her favorite records were playing, Love Island wasn’t playing from the TV, it was eerily quiet. 

“Peach!” you yell. 

You walked up to her bedroom and gasped at the sight. A nauseating pit in your stomach grew wider and wider until it started eating you from the inside out. You rushed downstairs where you quickly called the police after spewing that chocolate croissant back out and into the toilet.

The red and blue flashed in your eyes through the window’s reflection.

The cops finally come.

The medics.

Joe is zipped into a bag.

-

The apartment smells like new paint and second chances.

You stand in the kitchen, barefoot, staring out the window at a palm tree swaying lazily in the California sun. Your hair’s still damp from the shower, your side aches when you stretch the wrong way or breathe, but you’re alive.

You’re not who you used to be. 

Emma, you remind yourself. Your name is Emma now.

Not Y/N. Not the girl who stabbed a monster in a crumbling apartment. Not the girl who bled in someone else’s war.

But you’d do it all over again. 

For her.

Beck hums in the living room, no, Maisy now, scribbling furiously into a battered notebook like the words will keep her grounded. Maybe they will. Maybe they already have.

“What’re you writing?” you ask, even though you already know.

Beck shrugs, all self-conscious. “Something. About…surviving.” 

You see the apology flicker behind her eyes, for dredging up memories you both should be burying, but you quickly shut it down, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her temple.

“It’s gonna be amazing,” you tell her, because it’s the truth.

And it was. 

The bookstore smells like old pages and hope. 

You sit in the front row, hands tight in your lap, watching Beck step up to the mic. She’s radiant, nervous. You’re vibrating with pride.

Her voice is steady as she reads. 

You’re still smiling when you see the way her face changes.

Still smiling when you turn your head to follow her gaze and you see him.

Or you think you do.

There’s a man at the back. Leaning against the wall, half-hidden by the crowd. Something about the slouch, the way his hat sits on his head, it punches you right in the gut.

Your body moves before your brain does.

Because you can hear Beck’s breathing, the way it keeps hitching, the way it wheezes. 

You shove out of your seat, weaving through the rows, ignoring the murmurs, the way Beck’s voice falters. 

You grab her head and feel her fingers clamp down like a vise.

You don’t look back. You don’t breathe.

Outside, under the street lights, she’s shaking so hard you have to pull her against your chest just to keep her upright.

“I thought,” she gasps. “Y/N, I thought I saw him…”

“You didn’t,” you say, fierce, even though your heart is hammering against your ribs. Even though you think you saw him too. “You didn’t. We saw him die.”

“But what if…”

You cup her cheeks softly, meeting her green eyes. 

“He’s dead,” you say, trying to convince both of you. “You’re safe. You’re safe with me.” 

Her tears soak into your shirt, and you hold her until the world stops tilting. 

You’re half asleep when your phone buzzes on the coffee table. Beck mumbles something against your shoulder but doesn’t wake. You slip out from under the blankets, careful not to jostle her.

The text is from your best friend.

You told her all about Beck’s panic attack at her reading. All about how your PTSD is affecting your day to day life. 

You blink against the screen’s brightness.

I know you guys had a rough day, I had some food delivered for you two <3

You crack the door open, noticing the takeout dropped off at the front door, but then you see him.

Only for a split second.

A flash of familiar brown eyes. A tilt of the mouth you thought was dead and buried.

You barely have time to gasp before…

SLAM!

The world blurs, tips sideways, and falls into black. 

You’re tied to a chair when the world starts following back into place.

Your wrists burn from the duct tape, the feeling of dried blood littering your face. 

You recognize where you are. The shed in your backyard. 

Panic slams into your ribs.

You twist and pull, ignoring the way the wood bites into your skin. Your writs burn, but the chair cracks with a groan. 

Across the room, Beck is unconscious on the bed. 

You breathe through the terror, fight through the dizziness, and drag yourself over.

This is for her.

It’s always been for her.

You fumble the drawer open, your fingers clumsy and shaking. You try to quickly undo the hidden compartment, where you’re hiding the pocket knife, a knife you placed in every room of the house. Even this shed the two of you barely touch.

You shove the tiny blade into Beck’s limp hand, whispering her name over and over until she stirs.

Her eyes flutter open, wild with fear as she takes in your distressed appearance.

“Wait for your moment,” you hiss.

You shove her hand under the pillow just as footsteps creak outside the door.

You barely have time to drop, playing dead, before the door swings open.

Joe steps inside like he owns the world.

Like he won.

Beck’s sobs are broken as she begs, begs him to let her go, to let you live. 

“I’m not letting you go, Beck. What don’t you understand? This is all for you!” he tries to get her to explain. 

Your eyes darken and lighten, as the world fades around you. 

No. 

NO.

You need to stay awake. Just a little bit longer.

“Benji! He was toxic, he never treated you well. He was selfish! Shallow!” He argues, “Peach! She was toxic too, a terrible friend who would ruin your life if you did her wrong. Then Y/N, poor Y/N, she didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, I think the only thing she did wrong was loving you. She would have minded her own business, she could’ve stayed with Peach and maybe Peach would be alive…maybe I wouldn’t have to kill her.” 

“No! Please! Please don’t kill her, please!” She begs, her voice scratchy and aching.

You try to slam into him with everything you have, but you’re weak, dehydrated, and dizzy. 

Hot pain blooms in your side.

You look down to see his knife in your side and he twists.

You fall back with a choked cry, clutching your ribs.

“An eye for an eye,” he sneers, like it’s a promise.

You can barely register Beck moving until it’s too late.

The blad flashes once, then Joe gasps, staggering back with a knife buried in his throat. 

Blood bubbles on his lips.

For a moment, he looks confused, betrayed, like he can’t believe this is happening to him.

Then he falls.

“Y/N!” Beck exclaims, rushing to your side, trying to apply pressure to your wound. 

But you just feel cold. 

Numb.

“You’re okay,” she sobs. “You’re okay, I’ve got you. You’ve got to be okay.” 

-

“You okay?” Beck asks you. 

Her hands adjusting the collar of your new work shirt. You smile at her softly, “I’m okay. Just feeling very lucky.” 

Beck’s hands trail up your shirt and to your side. Her bare hand, caressing your deep scar that is a constant reminder of the war you’ve endured. 

“We’re both very lucky. Have a great day at work,” she says, as you kiss her temple. 

“I love you,” you say.

Beck smiles, pure and radiant. “I love you more.” 

The trendy sign of your new job comes into view: Anavarin.

You find yourself restocking the produce, a task your odd boss Forty asked you to do, when she interrupts you.

A beautiful woman with a dazzling smile, holding a peach, “Does this peach look like a butt?” 

There’s a saying: war is a never-ending battle.

And that’s true.

The sound of clanging echoed in Pietro’s room, as Scott poured out a bag full of daggers that they brought just in case something like this were to happen. 

Pietro sat on the edge of the bed, watching as the boys hid their daggers into their clothes, “This is it boys. We are going to show these pretentious, arrogant Starks’ that they can not mess with us anymore! They say they want a fair fight, but I doubt that, when it’s time we will tear this peace treaty apart,” 

“We have the upper hand here,” Vision announced to his men on the other side of the castle, “We are bringing them a surprise tonight!” 

“They are the ones who started this mess!” Pietro told his friends.

“And we are the ones who are going to stop it once and for all!” Both Pietro and Vision said at the same time. All of the men whooped and hollered as they embarked through the woods and to the river.

While this was all going on, you were stuck in your own fairytale with Wanda, as a knock echoed from the balcony door. Wanda was leaning against the wall with the most beautiful smile on her face. Her look was simple. There was no makeup or extravagant hairstyle, but rather Wanda. And she has never looked so beautiful.

Her smile, however, quickly dropped as she noticed the red handprint that lingered on your cheek. Gently, she caressed the tips of her fingers along the wound. Concern brimming in her green eyes, “What happened darling?” she whispered.

“It is nothing,” you tried to reassure her, but you knew that her concern will not go away, “Vision and I had an argument. I angered him more than I should have,” 

“Was it about me?” she asked, stroking your cheek. 

You shook your head, “No, it was about him and he did not like what I had to say about the person he was becoming,” you kissed the palm of her hand, as you led her into your room. The concern did not fade, however, so you sat her down on the edge of the bed and reassured her one last time, “I am okay, I promise,” 

Wanda stared at you with so much sincerity in your eyes that you felt yourself shrinking. She smiled at you softly as her hands went back to cup your cheeks, you stood in the space between her legs, smiling back at her. 

Your noses gently rubbed against one another as you finally closed the distance between the two of you. Your hands wrapped around her neck as she pulled you in closer by wrapping her arms around you. 

The kiss was different than anything the two of you had ever shared. It was an outpouring of love, everything that you have been forced to hide in secret was now being expressed between the two of you. You were the one to break the kiss first, “Wanda, I want you. I want to know you, every part of you,” you whispered.

“And I want you just the same,” she breathes, her lips beginning to trail kisses down your neck and to the swell of your breasts. 

“Wanda,” you moan as your hands weave into her auburn locks, knees wobbling as her fingers trail down your body and slowly creep into your nightgown. Her light touches igniting a fire within you that you never want to put out. 

“What do you want detka?” you could hear the Sokovian accent that she has been trying so desperately to hide come to light. Just the simple hint of her native tongue caused you to let out another groan. She smirked against your collarbone as she began sucking on your sweet soft spot. 

You threw your head back, allowing her more access, “I want to feel you, my love,” 

“As you wish, my princess,” she spins you around and gently lays you down on the bed. Wanda slowly raises your nightgown higher and higher up your body until the cool air hits your naked body. She kisses your lips ever so softly, before leaving trails of kisses down your body. You felt as her fingertips grazed upon your slick slit and she chuckled softly, “I have not even touched you yet, moya lyubov,” 

“Please,” you moaned out. 

Without a second of hesitation, she pushed one finger into you, causing you to moan out in pleasure, “Detka, you feel so good around my finger,” she whispered in your ear, as she nibbled softly on your ear.

She curled her finger, moving them back and forth to touch your g spot. Her other hand was on your hip keeping you still, “Wanda, another- finger please,” you could barely form a coherent sentence. She did as you wished, adding another finger in and moving at a faster pace. 

Your nerves twitched, as your nails dug into her back. Thank God, she was still clothed or else her back would look like she was just attacked. Her touch was unlike anything you have ever felt, gentle, yet so full of passion. And with a muffled moan, you came onto her fingers. Your eyes were shut tight as you came down from your high.

You felt the other side of your bed even out, as she lay down next to you. Her hands intertwined with yours as she kissed them softly, “Are you okay?” she whispered and you nodded, trying to catch your breath.

“I am more than okay,” you cuddled into her side as she wrapped her arms around your body, lulling the both of you to sleep.

“Welcome to the river!” Vision announced as the two men faced off, “Rules are simple. Fists only and when we win you will have to sign my father’s peace treaty,” 

Pietro rolled his eyes, “How do I know you are going to keep your end of the deal when we win?” he asked.

“I guess we will never know because you are not winning,” Vision countered back with a shrug, “But I want to add something else to our deal, you keep your sister away from mine. She does not need someone like your sister infecting her mind with fantasies she will never achieve. Your sister may be a princess, but she will always be a disgrace to your kingdom and people,” 

Without warning, Pietro struck Vision in the stomach and then followed it with another quick punch to the face. He stumbled back in shock, T’Challa and Peter holding him up before she could tumble onto the ground. 

Rhodey got into Pietro’s face about to return the punches when Vision pushed him away, “Stay out of this!” 

The boys circled around one another, while the other men watched, cheering on their respective teammates. The blonde Maximoff punched Vision again with a quick jab. Every time Vis would strike back, Pietro would dodge it with outstanding speed. That was until Vision finally got the best of him. He took his leg out from under him, punching him square in the jaw. 

Clint and Bucky were ready to jump in, but Pietro put his hand up, “No! I got this!”

But Vision started striking him when he was on the ground. Each punch grew in power. And with one last punch he pulled the bloody Pietro by the shirt and whispered, “I win,” as he dropped him back into the freezing cold river, a sharp silver dagger floated to the surface of the water. 

Pietro kicked him square in the chest as he grabbed the dagger and pointed it at him. T’Challa threw Vis one of his own daggers as the two of them circled each other once more, but this time with a lot more at stake. Pietro clenched his jaw when a thick liquid hit his lips, allowing a coppery sensation to fill his taste buds. 

The two of them began swinging their daggers at one another. Each of the hits being dodged by the other. The sound of the metal swinging quickly in the air caused Peter to cower in fear. Vision tried his hardest to nip just a little blood from Pietro, but the blonde swiftly pushed him off and into Peter’s arms.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough!” Peter tried to convince him before this got too out of hand.

“Peter! Peter! Peter!” he screamed, as Peter’s grip on him tightened. T’Challa and Rhodey freed Vision from his grip, but he wasn’t letting up, “Let me go! Let me go!” 

Vision pushed off of Peter and started running back towards Pietro, but was quickly stopped in his tracks. The blonde Maximoff’s eyes widened in fear, as he quickly let go of the knife that was now sticking out of Vision’s chest. With one look at the rest of his men, Vis pulled the hidden gun out of his shirt.

Pow!

Pietro and Vision both fell onto their knees. Exasperated gasps fell from their mouths as everyone just watched in shock. Clint held Pietro in his lap as he tried his hardest to stop the bleeding.

“We need to get them to the doctor now!” T’Challa yelled, as he scooped Vision up in his arms. 

The sound of rustling caused you to wake up from your sleep. Wanda was tiptoeing around your room and towards the balcony doors, “Where are you going?” you whispered.

She froze in her place, a sheepish smile on her face, before coming back over to you. Her soft hand cupped your cheek as she pressed a kiss on your forehead, “I need to get back to my room before I accidentally sleep here and we get caught. I will see you in the morning, moya lyubov,” 

“Goodnight darling,” you whispered back, tiredly.

“Goodnight,” 

Loud knocks on King Tony’s door startled him and Queen Pepper from their sleep. King Tony swung the door open as he looked at a breathless Rhodey at his door, “Rhodey! What is the meaning of this??” 

“I am so sorry Your Majesties! It is your son, something bad has happened to him. Not only him, but Pietro, King Steve’s son,” he rambled, “They are in the infirmary right now. It is not looking good, Your Majesty. I would come quick,”

Tony and Pepper glanced at each other before following after him. When they arrived at the infirmary downstairs, Dr. Stephen Strange and Dr. Bruce Banner were working on both the boys.

“Where is my son?!” Steve yelled worriedly as he walked into the room. 

Bruce walked over to them with furrowed brows, “Your Majesty Rogers, come with me! They brought them in ten minutes ago, he has lot a lot of blood on the way over,” 

“Is he alive?” he asked, following Bruce into his office. 

“Yes, but you have to understand it is already showing signs of infection,” Bruce put his hand on Steve’s shoulder and squeezed it tightly to try and reassure him a little bit, “I am doing everything I can,”

“Stephen! What is going on?! What happened?” Tony yelled as they entered Vision’s room.

Stephen let out a sigh, “It seems like there was a fight between the two boys. I do not know who did what, but Vision is suffering a stab wound right in his chest. The boys were smart and did not pull out the knife, but that does not mean we know what damage was inflicted to any other organs, especially his heart,” 

Tony leaned down to where Vision was struggling to breathe, “What the hell is your problem?” he whispered in his ear.

“Tony!” Pepper scolded.

“You might have just thrown away your shot at becoming king. Our legacy for potentially murdering another royal! What were you thinking?!” he yelled. 

Steve and Peggy were right by Pietro’s side. Steve’s arm was wrapped around his waist, trying his best to stop the bleeding, “I am so sorry Father,” he was barely able to get out and Steve’s heart clenched. Pietro never called them mother and father, “I should have kept a strong head and not let Vision’s words get to me, but he talked about our family. I do not care if you are not my real mother and father, but you have always treated me like your son and for that I could not be more grateful” 

“Shh, I know, I know,” he whispered, running his hand over his blonde hair, “Stop talking son, save your strength, okay?” 

“Mother! Father!” Wanda’s voice rang out as she ran into the room.

“Wanda,” Peggy whispered, embracing her daughter in a hug.

Wanda quickly broke free, ending up right next to Pietro’s side, “Is he going to survive this?” No one answered her, “Father! Is he going to survive this?” 

Pietro cupped his sister’s face softly, “Sestra, I am so sorry. I know I promised you that I would never leave you like mother and father left us too soon, but I think I may have to break that promise,” he whispered.

The girl shook her head rapidly, “No, no,” she said sternly, “You do not get to leave me too,” 

“I do not care who you marry Wanda or who you fall in love with. Make an oath to me that no matter what, you will always be happy. If you are happy, sestra, I will be happy as well, even if that is with Y/N. She is nothing like her brother or father,” 

“I promise you,” she whispered.

With one last burst of strength, he smiled at her softly as his breathing stopped. Wanda let out a throaty scream, “Pietro!” she screamed as she sobbed into his chest. 

“Tony!” Pepper yelled, “Our son is dying and all you care about is your god forsaken legacy!” 

“Your Majesties!” Stephen interrupted, “He is dead,” Tony and Pepper looked back onto the table to see Vision’s gray lifeless body, staring back at them. 

The blonde started walking out of the room, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, “Darling! Where are you going?”

“Someone needs to tell your daughter that her brother is dead,” she whispered.

You felt soft hands thread through your hair, waking you up peacefully. Your eyes fluttered open, meeting your mother’s gaze. Her eyes were bloodshot as tears stained her cheeks. 

“Mother? What is wrong?” you asked, immediately sitting up. 

She smiled at you softly, more and more tears falling faster, “Your brother and Pietro were involved in a battle. Your brother was stabbed, Y/N, he did not make it,” 

“And Pietro?” She shook her head. Your heart dropped onto the floor.

You stood up from your bed, desperate to try and find Wanda, as quickly as possible. But your mother grabbed her wrist softly. Her hands found your hair once more, “I know that you and your brother had your differences, but he truly loved you, and he only wanted what was best for you. You are now the future of the Stark throne, my dear daughter, whether your father is ready for that conversation or not.” 

Small sobs started to course through your body, “I have no doubt that you will make us proud,” she whispers, quickly wiping away her tears, “Now, I need to tell Morgan about what happened, if you need anything let me know,” 

You did not know what to expect from the news. Pietro was dead. Vision was dead. She was grieving and all you wished of her was to come running back into your arms. She did not come though. Your mind wandered to the worst. That she had skipped town without saying goodbye to you.

You would understand if they had, her twin brother had just died at the hands of your own. However, the thought of not a simple goodbye kiss or a sweet promise that she would return for you. Well, that caused your heart to break right in half.

 You waited patiently up for her until the pitch black sky turned a slight blue. All hope that she was coming to you was long gone, that was until the slightest noise ran across your bedroom floor. A sound so quiet that if you had merely let out a breath you would not have heard it. But there it layed, a small envelope with your name written on the front. 

Dearest Y/N, 

I am sorry for not reaching out to you when the news broke. I had experienced the worst pain possible as I witnessed my own twin’s death rattled breathing. A sight and sound no human being should ever experience in their life. 

I needed time to process. I am not angry with you. Our brothers were too stubborn to ever stop the fight, no matter how much we convinced them not to. I am only saddened as I do not know where this leaves you, me…us. 

Now that Jarvis has unfortunately passed you are the new ascendent of the throne. Only God knows what your father will expect from you. I do know that it will never include me, no matter how much I care for you. It will not matter that I will cross the heavens and the oceans to get to you. Or burn the world down just to save you. All that will matter at the end of the day is your father’s reputation, even if that injures your own happiness. 

My family and I are leaving very soon to provide comfort to our own kingdom at the loss of their prince. However, I can not just leave without holding you in my arms, as I try to remember every single detail of you. Please meet me at our spot in the garden. 

Yours, always. 

Your legs could not move faster, as you sprinted towards the garden. Wanda spotted you, as a big smile spread across her face. “I have received your letter,” a splash of confusion filled her face, but you were speaking far too fast for her to even speak.  

“I know our families are supposed to be enemies, but look what enemies have done to our family. I love you Wanda Rogers. I love you and I will gladly run away from this dreaded place with you. Consequences be damned. I know our parents will never approve. It would put both our kingdoms in jeopardy. It may even cause a civil war, but you are far too important to even bear the thought of losing. Let us  run away together. Escape this town, escape our plans our parents have laid out for us. Let us just be us. ” 

Wanda stares at you, a pool of tears flooding in her eyes. Before she was going to speak, a slow clap emerged from the hedges, startling the both of you, “That was quite the confession you made, my daughter. I especially love the line, you would ‘put our kingdom in jeopardy.’ To think that I was going to entrust you to take over our throne, now that your brother has passed. 

“Father!” you exclaimed as you noticed him and your mother walked towards the two of you. Not only them walking towards you, but King Steve and Queen Peggy as well. A somber look on their face, not one of disappointment, but of grief. 

“However, maybe I should thank you, my dear daughter. You have given us the upper hand in getting this peace treaty signed,” your father turns to look at King Steve with a smug smile on his face, “You, Your Highness are not her biological father. You were not Pietro’s either.” 

Wanda’s eyes immediately darted to yours, “What are you talking about?” King Steve questioned, acting completely oblivious to the topic. 

“Oh did I say I would thank you Y/N? I am sorry I meant I am thanking the new heir to our throne.” Peter steps out behind the same hedge, a shy smile on his face. “Thanks to Peter here, he informed us all about the atrocious affair the two of you have been having since they arrived. He also overheard a conversation where your supposed daughter confessed that she is actually not your daughter at all.” 

“Peter, how could you?! I thought we were friends!” you exclaimed, but he just averted his eyes away from you and literally everywhere else. “I treated you better than my brother and any of your supposed friends did! This is how you repay me? By betraying me?”

“Your Highness…” Peter started. 

Your father abruptly cut him off,  “He did not betray you! You betrayed us! You betrayed our legacy! Now, Your Majesty, how about we sign the treaty? Or the entire world will hear about your convictions.” 

King Steve tried his best to keep his composure, but his voice cracked slightly as he agreed and the four walked back inside the palace together. Wanda stood there speechless. You reached for her hands, interlacing your fingers together. But she quickly pulled away, causing your heart to fall onto the floor. 

“I love you, Y/N. That is something I will never deny. However, ever since I have arrived to your kingdom I have experienced more loss than I can ever bear. My twin, the only person who ever understood and accepted me, has died. My father and mother are selling their beliefs and souls away to protect me. I can not stay here. I can not be with you. All it will do is bring me pain.” she whispered to you, her voice cracking with every word that left her mouth. “

Whispers bounced off the lockers and classrooms in East Highland High School. Ever since Maddy Perez finally and officially moved on from Nate Jacobs, rumors have been spreading about who has captivated her heart.

“Y/N, are you going to the party tonight?” Lexi asked you as you put your books in your locker.

A laugh interrupted your answer, “Y/N? Go to a party?” Kat said as she continued to laugh, “Lexi, you’re one of the smartest people I know, but that was such a dumb question,” 

“Ha ha, very funny, but as a matter of fact, I am going to the party tonight,” you answered, shutting the locker behind you. 

“Oh my gosh, is Hell freezing over?” Kat continued to tease and you rolled your eyes playfully, “If Hell is freezing over does that mean we can finally meet your new boyfriend Maddy?” 

“Yeah, I don’t understand why you won’t just tell us! We’re your best friends!” Cassie added on as all of you made your way towards the parking lot.

Maddy just shrugged with a small smirk on her face, “It’s fun keeping you all on your toes, besides, keeping it a secret makes the sex a lot hotter,” she whispered the last sentence, shooting the group a wink, “Bye girls! I’ll see you tonight!” 

As you part ways with the other girls, you pull your phone out of your pocket: Kat and Cassie are going to lose their minds because of you. 

You watched as the three dots quickly popped up without missing a beat: And? They can keep thinking all they want, it’ll make the reveal even better. 

Very true. You replied before quickly typing up another text, You think the sex is hotter because we keep it a secret?

Our sex is always hot, baby ; ) I’ll see you at midnight xxx  A warm flush appeared on your face at the simple words, as you started your car to begin your drive home. 

You and Maddy had been dating for about four months now. What started out as a drunk hookup turned into something way more.

It was different than Maddy expected. Her expectations for relationships and love in general were washed down the drain after her toxic cycle with Nate. She always believed that she wasn’t built for a normal relationship. She always thought that she had to fight and argue for a relationship to be exciting. 

That wasn’t the case with you. Maddy tried to pick a fight with you once, but you quickly shut it down. You reassured her that she doesn’t have to prove that she is something she’s not. The Maddy you knew and were falling in love with was nothing like the girl who was dating Nate Jacobs. She was worried that it would bore her, but it didn’t. Your soft touches and reassuring words made her feel like she was falling in love with you over and over again. 

You were pulled out of your homework when your phone buzzed: I’m outside xxx 

Quietly, you tiptoed out of your room and downstairs to the backdoor, making sure to keep it unlocked so you can sneak back in after. Maddy was leaning against the passenger door as her headlights were off, causing her already dark car to seem much darker.

“Is that the Maddy Perez wearing a plain white t-shirt?” you asked, smirking as she smiled at your words.

She wrapped her arms around your waist, pulling you into her, humming in response, “I love this tight little skirt you’re wearing baby,” she said before moving to whisper in your ear, “You look so gorgeous. I am debating if I should keep you all to myself tonight,” 

You bit your lip, lifting her chin up so your eyes could meet, “That would ruin the fun tonight, don’t you think? How about we make our little appearance and then you can take me home and we’ll have our own fun?” 

“Deal,” she whispered, nipping at the sweet spot on your neck. 

Maddy opened the door for you before quickly getting into her seat to drive to McKay’s. She rested her hand on your thigh, as she drove down the suburban streets. 

Her gaze lingering on your skirt or your tight crop top. The red light illuminated on the two of you as she came to a stop. You leaned over the middle console, guiding her face to look at you. Your lips brushing over hers as you spoke, “Keep your wild eyes on the road,” Maddy let out a groan as you fell back onto the passenger seat. 

“Has anyone seen Maddy? I know she loves to be fashionably late, but she’s even later than usual,” Kat asked.

“Y/N’s not here yet either,” Lexi added on. 

You smirked to yourself as you heard them talk, “Sorry I’m late guys, I was doing homework and completely lost track of time,” 

“We were starting to think that you would pull a no show again,” Kat added on with a smirk lingering her face before her jaw dropped, “Is that Maddy?”

“In a plain white t-shirt?” Cassie chimed up equally as shocked as the brunette. 

“Oh wow. I mean I’ve seen her wear my shirts before, but this is so fucking hot,” you winked at all of them before making your way towards your girlfriend. 

Maddy smirked at you before wrapping her arms around your waist. Her lips finally meeting yours in a passionate kiss. You tugged her closer to you before smiling into it. 

“Y/N and Maddy?” Cassie breathed out.

“No fucking way,” Kat whispered.

Lexi rolled her eyes at the two, “You guys really had no idea? It was obvious,” 

You and Maddy finally pulled away as you approached your friends. Cassie and Kat still needed time to pick their jaws up from off the floor, “What happened, Kat? Close your mouth, sweetheart, you’ll catch flies,” you finally tease the girl back. 

“I’m sorry, but what the fuck?” Kat admitted, “Y/N! You’re one of those good girls that everyone always talks about. You’re with Maddy Perez?!”

“Am I not a good girl, Kat?” Maddy faked pouted. 

It was strange to see the world moving on. 

Wanda lost you. The one thing she never wanted to lose you, even before the two of you had your clandestine meetings, she never wanted to lose her best friend. Now it feels as if all the air in her lungs has been taken away from her. She’s frozen, just for a moment. Frozen in shock. Frozen in loss. Her own mind slowly closing in on her until the only thought left in the air is you. 

Yet, everyone is moving so fast around her. Nat begging her to move in with her, but that also means living with you every second of every day. Your group of friends throwing extravagant parties, yet the smell of your smoke was nowhere to be found. Her professors make her write essays about love and loss, like it’s such an insensitive topic. Did they not feel her heart break and the ground shake as she sobbed when she got home that night? Can they not hear her thoughts screaming out your name? 

Apparently not. 

It’s funny how a simple smile and a fake laugh can win you an Oscar. 

Wanda needed a moment. One night where she could push you and her thoughts about you aside and just live. So, she did what anyone would do, and drowned herself in alcohol. 

Tony’s party was as lively as ever. Wanda went over to the speaker and turned up the music to maximum volume, anything to stop the stubborn thoughts that kept flooding her mind, but no matter how loud the music was it was never enough. So she started dancing around the kitchen by herself, grabbing the bottle of whiskey by the neck, cradling it against her like it was her only lifeline. 

She could still see you. She could see you walking up to her during one of these parties with a bright smile on your face. You’d tell her a dorky pick up line that she pretended to hate, but she couldn’t hate them even if she tried. You would ask her to dance before the two of you snuck up to the balcony, holding each other tightly, like the asteroid was going to hit Earth any second. 

As she was dancing, she could practically feel you. Your arms wrapped around her waist, as you swayed to the music. It reminded her of the time, you’d sneak over to her apartment, and in the mornings while she’d cook breakfast you would dance with her to the soft sounds of her favorite records. What she would do for just one more morning like that. 

“Hey pretty girl, let me just take that from you. I think you’ve had enough for tonight,” Carol’s blonde hair swooped in front of her, stealing the bottle from her hands. But Wanda’s entire body cringed, like she just heard nails digging into a chalkboard.

“Don’t call me that,” she spat, anger fuming in her body. You were the only person who could call her that. Not even Nat does. 

Carol raises her hand in defense, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, I’m not Nat, I know. It’s just a pet name I say to everyone,” Wanda stumbled slightly, as she tried to cross her arms, gripping onto the counter to stay afloat. “Wanda, do you want me to call Nat? She can pick you up. I think you need to call it a night.” 

Wanda shook her head rapidly, fast enough for her to grow dizzy, “No. I’m fine!” 

Before Carol could argue, she stumbled off and away from the crowd. She needed air, that’s what she needed. Something to make her feel like she wasn’t suffocating. The backyard was empty, but she couldn’t seem to get out there. The lights were too bright. The voices were too loud. Her clothes suddenly felt like a small t-shirt that she was struggling to get off.  

“Wanda, what’s wrong?” A familiar voice filled her ears in an echo. One of your other best friends, Gwen Stacy and her boyfriend Peter Parker aka Peter 3, came into her line of sight. The Sokovian tried to speak, but no words came out and she only shook her head. Gwen hesitantly reached her hand out to wipe the tears off her cheeks and she flinched back slightly. 

Wanda’s breathing started elevating as she felt her chest constricting. Peter looked at his girlfriend with furrowed brows and puzzled looks in his eyes. Gwen instantly grabbed Wanda’s hand at the sight of her breathing. The blonde whisking the brunette away to the balcony, your guys’ balcony, upstairs. At the feeling of fresh air, Wanda instantly fell to her knees, sitting against the wall. 

Gwen orders her boyfriend and he nods awkwardly, stumbling and running back into the house. Wanda could barely process the girl’s words due to her ears ringing and her eyes blurry with tears, “It’s okay, Wanda. You’re having a panic attack, but it’s okay. I’m here to help you through it.” The Sokovian’s chest was in pain each time due to her labored breathing and constricted chest. 

Gwen tried to get her to match her breathing and offered her soothing words, but nothing was working. Moments later, Peter came stumbling back with you right behind him. You quickly kneeled down in front of the brunette, offering her a sad smile. Wanda’s breath hitched, not because of her panic attack, but because of the sight of you. 

“Thank you for grabbing me and staying with her. I can take it from here,” you tell the couple and they both nod, giving Wanda a reassuring smile before taking leave. You hesitantly reach out for her hand, not wanting to overwhelm her even more. “I’m here, Wands. I’m right here. Just focus on your breathing, okay?” 

Wanda closed her eyes, the patio lights weren’t hurting her as much as they were before. The loud ringing noises slowly faded away as you quietly butchered one of her favorite Sokovian lullabies. Her beautiful green eyes met yours and you watched as her chest started to even out, “There you go, you’re okay,” you cup her cheeks, wiping all the tears, just like you promised you always would. After a few moments, you help her up to her feet steadily, “Let’s get you home, okay?” 

Before the two of you could leave, she grabbed your wrist gently, “I don’t want to go back to my apartment alone. Can you take me to yours please?” The exhaustion in her voice causes your heart to clench and you just nod before leading her outside. 

There the two of you were again, on the big city streets, sneaking away from a party just like you always used to do. Long gone were the nights where the two of you sang your hearts out to some random songs. Instead it was met with silence and coldness. Wanda noticed how your eyes lingered on her, making sure that you were okay. She swore you ran a red light to look at her, but that was okay. Because Wanda would die to keep your eyes on her. 

The two of you entered your unusually quiet apartment: Natasha was fast asleep after she got home from a long business trip and Yelena went out to some frat party with Kate, Peter, and America. You told Wanda you’d grab her some blankets and pillows for the couch. The two of you agreed that you did not want to bother Nat. 

Your room was drenched in the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke. Empty liquor bottles littered your room and you let out a huff at the sight. This is what you resorted to. You couldn’t go out to parties anymore without the plaguing thought that you’d see her there with your sister, madly in love. So, if that meant turning to old habits, so be it. It was only temporary anyway, the pain will eventually subside and you will be fine. 

Grabbing a couple blankets, your eyes found the makeup stained pillow. They weren’t even yours, they were Wanda’s, from one of your many rendezvous. The two of you just talked about everything: her parents, Pietro, Sokovia. Everything she lost and all you did was hold her tight, while she prayed to whatever God was out there that she wouldn’t lose you too. She didn’t tell you that though. Only tightening her arms around you and finding comfort in your scent. 

You snap back to reality, grabbing a different pillow from your bed and making your way back to her. You saw her back turned to you, staring at the curtainless window. You took the opportunity to study her, your heart leaping into your throat as you stared. “As you can tell,” you spoke up, causing her to flinch back. “Still haven’t gone shades for that window. You know, after you broke it.” 

You tried to lighten the mood, but a sad smile just brushed along her face, “You were the one who suggested dancing with the refrigerator light. You have two left feet, so I don’t even know why you thought that was a good idea,” she quipped back and you smiled back, laying the blankets over the couch. 

The Sokovian lay gently down on the couch, letting out a soft sigh. You took a seat next to her on the floor, “Are you okay, Wanda?” She opened her eyes, the green in them mixed with the red of her crying eyes. She didn’t say anything, just staring at you with a pained look deep in her eyes. You clear your throat, looking away, “I’m gonna get you some water and Advil.” 

When you reach the fridge, you let the cool air of the machine calm your nerves, inhaling a sharp breath. You hated seeing her like this and knowing you were the cause of it. But it was for the best, you knew it was for the best, or at least that’s what you were trying to convince yourself of. Sucking in one more breath and wiping away a stray together from your eyes before going back to her. 

Taking a seat back onto the floor, right next to where her head rested, you placed the water on the coffee table. “I don’t know if you want to take them now or later, but here you go,” you whispered. 

“Do you remember that night we were lying in your bed and we were just talking about anything and everything we could think of?” she asked out of nowhere. 

“We had a lot of nights like that, Wands.”

She shook her head, “The night where you told me how you would love me forever. We were curled up in your bed and I remember I tried to argue with you and tell you that you can’t promise that. But all you did was cup my cheeks and whisper it over and over and over again, with kisses in between each phrase until I smiled and told you that I loved you too,” your heart ached at her exhausted voice. “Do you remember? Because I do.” 

Your knees curled up to your chest, “Of course, I remember. But that doesn’t matter because you deserve better than me, you deserve to be with someone as perfect as my sister.” 

“That’s the problem. Natasha is perfect, but she will never be you! You said forever and I almost bought it, Y/N!  But then you go and you break my heart!” she says frantically, trying to keep her voice steady, but it was no use you could hear every crack. 

Your hands find her cheek, cupping it softly as you brush away the stray tears. Your heart drops as you feel her nuzzle into your touch. You closed your eyes tightly, the lump growing bigger in your throat. “I had to, but that doesn’t mean I ever stopped loving you.”

“What do you mean you had to? We were going to face these consequences together, but you backed out like a coward!” she spat and you knew she didn’t mean what she was saying. She was hurting and you deserved it. 

“Yelena found out about us. She scolded me for it and I didn’t want to believe she was right, but she was. Natasha has given everything up for me and I decided to have an affair with her girlfriend. So if Natasha could give up everything for me and Yelena, I could give up my everything,” you whisper, smiling at her sadly. “You are my everything, Wanda Maximoff, and you always will be.” 

She let out a quiet sob, her lips were pursed as she tried hard to stop the trembling. You let go of her cheeks, intertwining your fingers together. “We had a good run, my love, but this was always bound to happen. This is for the best.” 

“If this is for the best, why does it hurt so much?” she cried out. 

Your eyes softened, fighting your own tears, as you pushed away a loose strand of hair from her face. “I don’t know that answer, darling. Maybe one day, we could meet down the line, after all of the time and give an actual try. I don’t know if you’d give me that opportunity again, I know I’ve hurt you. But right now, I am half of myself without you. You are the best thing I have ever had in my life and you had no control over this. Please know that, there’s nothing you did wrong. This is all on me, okay?”

More tears began welling in her eyes, “I miss you,” she said, her voice broken. 

Your chest tightened as you watched her cry silently. Instinctively, you sit beside her on the couch, pulling her into your arms, holding her from behind. Her sobs muffled into your neck as she found safety in you. You press a soft kiss to her head, trying your best to comfort her as much as you can. 

“I am always here for you,” you mutter. She didn’t respond, but she slowly calmed down. Her breathing evening out once more, “I’m right here. Get some rest okay? You’ve had a long night.” 

“Y/N?” her voice was hoarse as she whispered your name. 

“Yes Wands?” 

“I still love you.” 

You sniffled, blinking away the tears in your eyes, “I still love you, pretty girl. I promise.” 

“Nat?” Wanda asks. Her phone pressed against her cheek as she stirred dinner for the rest of the team. 

She could hear the sounds of beeping and mumbling from the other line. The ex-assassin clears her throat, “Wanda something happened on the mission,” her heart dropped into the pits of her stomach. “Y/N got injured…really bad, actually. Her injuries are so severe that Fury recommended we go straight to the hospital. We had to take her to hospitall. I think you should fly out here as soon as you can.” 

There was a pause of silence. Neither of the two girls really know what to say. Wanda’s mouth opened and closed like a fish as she tried to find words. Nat cleared her throat again, “You may want to hurry. Doc said she may only have twelve hours.” Natasha’s voice cracking rings in the witch’s ears. 

All of a sudden the phone felt heavy, like she was holding the weight of five elephants in the palm of her hand. The phone crashed onto the floor with a soft thump, catching the attention of Clint and Steve who were setting up the table for dinner. Their eyes land on the distressed girl, “Wanda? What happened?” Steve asked, stepping hesitantly closer to her. His blue eyes searching her green ones, trying to read what had just happened. 

The girl couldn’t form words though. Her throat felt tight as tears started to build like towers. Clint picked the phone from off the floor, hearing Nat’s voice speak muffled against the line, “Nat? What’s going on?” His confused expression slowly turns into an urgency as he looks at his Captain. He hangs up the phone quickly, “Steve get the quinjet ready, we need to go. Now.” 

Clint wrapped the younger Avenger into his arms, holding her tighter than ever before, “She’s going to be okay.” 

It was a simple mission, really, to stake out the Hydra infested warehouse, once it's empty, get in there and steal intel.  A mission you and Nat have done countless times. You should’ve known that it would end in disaster when you thought to yourself ‘Oh this is easy! I could be home for dinner!’ Whenever someone says that, it never ends well. 

The warehouse was set up in a series of buildings, so it was hard to tell if it was fully cleared. Maybe that’s how you should’ve known it wasn’t going to end well. But honestly, during the stakeout you were falling asleep at the wheel. Your best friend’s arm nudged your side with her elbow, “Usually you’re bouncing off the walls, annoying the crap out of me. What gives?” 

You rub your eyes, pinching at the bridge of your nose, “Wanda and I had this huge fight before I left,” you let out a soft sigh, crossing your arms over your cloth and spandex mashed suit.

Natasha’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “But you never leave each other on a sour note before a mission.” 

You nod, letting out a soft sigh, “I know hence why I could not get any sleep on the way over here.”  

“Are you guys okay?” 

“No, I don’t know. I hope so. It was a pretty rough one. So rough that we didn’t even say goodbye to one another before I left. ” 

She squeezes your shoulder, “Do you want to talk about it?” Which you just merely shook your head in response. It wasn’t something you wanted ingrained in your head as you were about to fight loads of Hydra agents, “Alright, well, let’s just hope you don’t have a web block when we’re in there. I know how you get when the two of you fight. Now c’mon let’s get in, so we can get home for dinner!” 

You throw on your mask, opening your arms up for the Russian, “C’mon little spider,” she rolls her eyes at you. Muttering under her breath about how your powers are literally ones of a spider before she clung onto you, as you swung the two of you onto the roof of the warehouse.

The warehouse was huge, as you and Nat snuck in through the air ducts. You and Nat glance at each other, already discussing earlier how you want to split up the search. She extends her hand out for the two of you to do your secret handshake, in your own way telling one another to be safe, before she splits in the opposite direction from you. 

Towards the back of the building, there was one of these hallways leading you into the next building over, so you quickly made your way through. You froze in your spot, your spidey senses tingling, and you could feel someone’s presence around you. Before you could dodge out of the way, the HYDRA agent launched himself at you, tackling you into the crates behind you, pain shooting through your spine. The shock of the attack paralyzed you for a second, before your spidey senses kicked in and you dodged the punch that was coming. You kicked the agent square in the chest, lifting yourself up in the process. 

From the corner of your eye you could see a bomb strapped onto one of the SHIELD agents who recently joined, pressing your finger to your ear piece, “Nat! There’s a bomb! They knew we were coming! You need to get out of here!” 

“There is no way I am leaving you!” She shouts, “Where in the warehouse are you? I’ll get to you!” 

A sharp pain shot through your body, as the HYDRA agent pulled a knife out your side. You let out a yelp in pain before you webbed him onto the wall, “Y/N! What was that noise?!” Nat yells. 

You shook your head even though she couldn’t see you, “Never mind that! Call Fury, tell him we need someone who can disarm this. There’s an agent strapped to it,” you rushed over to the panicked agent with his mouth covered in duct tape. Inspecting the wires and the time that read 4 hours, you didn’t notice the way he was thrashing about, like he was trying to warn you about something. 

Suddenly, a loud buzzing noise filled your ears, causing you to flinch back. The red numbers, quickly turning to 30 seconds. Your eyes flickered to the trapped HYDRA agent who had the explosive trigger in his hand and a smug smirk on his face, “Hail Hydra,” he repeated, resting his head against the wall as he accepted his fate. 

“Nat! You need to go now! Run! Please!” you frantically looked at the wires, trying to figure out how to disarm it. The SHIELD agent in front of you sobbing as he shook his head, looking at the time. 

“You need to go too, Y/L/N!” Nat screamed into your ear piece., “Please, Wanda will never forgive me if you blow up right now! I will never forgive you!” 

You pulled off the agent’s duct tape, “Hey! I need you to take a breath for me!” you rushed out, trying to get his attention, “Do you know how to stop this thing?” He shook his head frantically. 

20 seconds. 

“Alright, well I’m going to get this off of you and we’re going to get out of here together!” you quickly tried to untie the ropes that surrounded his wrists, mentally cursing yourself for not bringing a weapon other than your webs. Your side became more and more painful, but you needed to get both of you out of here. 

15 seconds.

You frantically start to rip off all the duct tape that strapped the bomb to his clothing, “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” you muttered to yourself over and over again.

“Y/N! I’m coming to you! Where are you?!” Nat’s insistent screaming in your ear piece only causes your heart to race more. You rip the bomb off of him and he exhales out a sigh of relief, as he stands up next to you, but immediately falls onto the ground. 

You didn’t even notice the way his legs are bruised and broken, most likely from all the torture he endured from HYDRA. You wrap his arm around your shoulders, lifting him up with all the strength you can. 

10 seconds.

In the corner of your eye, you notice how fast the clock was trying to tick down. The pressure of him leaning against your little wound caused you to hiss out in pain. You scramble towards the hallway, desperate to try and get out of this side of the warehouse. Your vision slowly became more blurry, yet the sight of your own blood staining your torn suit was so vivid. 

4 seconds. 

You hadn’t been able to get very far, even though it felt like you were miles away from the secluded corner. You had barely made it out of the room it was trapped in. It was as if a lightbulb went off in your head, and you stopped in your tracks. “What are you doing?!” your fellow agent yells at you, “Why are we stopping?!” 

“There’s no way we can escape the bomb in time, but I can try and limit the explosion,” you tell him, trying to explain as calmly as possible. 

You turn your bodies around, extending your wrists toward the bomb in the corner. You shoot your web…but nothing comes out. You flick your wrist again and again and again. Each time growing more frantic. 

“You’re joking!” you exclaimed. 

3 seconds.

“What?! What’s going on?!” the agent yelled.

You shook your head, “Forget that idea! We need to leave now!” 

The two of you turned back around and you tried to run towards the end of the hallway as fast as you could. Ignoring the burning pain in your side and the weight of his body against yours. But it was too late. 

It was the loudest thing you had ever heard. The echoing boom rang in your ears, as you collapsed onto the other side of the warehouse, as debris started falling all around you. Everything felt too bright as a hot stinging pain ripped through your whole body.  You tried to get up, but felt a sharp sting in your leg. A piece of rubble that was on fire rested on the top of your leg, too heavy to move it out. Your eyes fluttered open and closed, slowly becoming heavier and heavier. A thick liquid pooled from underneath you. Nat’s red hair came into your blurry view.

Nat let out a soft gasp as she noticed how part of your face was burnt, “Hey Y/N, come on keep your eyes open for me, okay? The ambulance and the fire department are here. They’re gonna get you out of here,” she whispered, brushing your hair out of your face. But her rare soft voice did the exact opposite as it made your eyes grow heavier and heavier. 

When the firemen got you out of there, you were hardly alive. Your breathing could barely be seen or felt, your throat and lungs burnt that you could barely inhale any air. Your heartbeat was irregular and often skipped. Your spandex suit was burned into your flesh and it was surprising that you could even be recognized by how severe some of your burns are. 

Honestly, it was a miracle that you were still alive. Something the paramedics and firemen could barely understand. 

Nat could barely look at you, she tried her hardest to stay strong, but an overwhelming sense of fear seeped into her bloodstream. While the paramedics struggled to keep you stable on the helicopter, Nat let tears fall onto her lap, looking out at the view. Only looking at you when a deafening beeping sound could be heard, right before you landed. 

Your heart stopped beating.

Wanda’s knee bounced up and down all throughout the flight in the quinjet. Natasha hasn’t been giving them updates, there wasn’t much to give after she called you. 

They managed to stabilize you, but it was all about if you were going to survive the night. Joining the Avengers came with loads of paperwork. One of them being, what would you want if you had extreme injuries. Basically a DNR form. You were indecisive, so you wrote out what you wanted. If something were to happen to you, you give the doctors 24 hours to do all they could, and if it didn’t work, well that’s when you call it quits. 

SHIELD actually follows it very well, like the agent you saved? He wanted them to do everything they could to keep him alive. Everything. He did not want them to stop trying. So, after the doctors managed to stabilize you, they tried to take you off the ventilator to see if you would breathe on your own, but you crashed. You couldn’t do it. That’s when the countdown began, if they couldn’t get you off and breathing by yourself in 12 hours, per your request you want them to pull it.

A muffled sob escaped Wanda’s lips as she thought more about it. In 12 hours, she could lose the love of her life and the last time she saw her ended poorly. 

Wanda takes the elevator up to the tower. Her breath smelling slightly of alcohol from her spontaneous night out with Vision. The two have been on mission after mission lately, so Vision thought it would be nice to have a break. She was going to go straight to her room, but she figured it would be best to get an Advil and water in her before she regretted the drinks in the morning. The elevator dinged and she stumbled through it and to the kitchen, where she found you. You were sitting in the darkness, the only light coming from the moon through the window sill. A couple plates of food sat in front of you as you sipped slowly on a glass of wine. 

“Love? What are you doing? It’s late,” Wanda asked, snaking her hands around your neck from behind. She flinched back as you stood up, looking at her with a hard glare that she has never been on the receiving end of, “What’s wrong? What happened?” 

“Last week, you promised that we would have a date night for my birthday. You and I have been so busy with missions and training, so when you didn’t show, I just assumed that you were running late with training. Then hours ticked by, and our teammates would come in and look at me with such sympathetic eyes because they knew how much this meant to me because that was all I would talk about for the last week. Peter even came by with a cake and sad eyes because he heard about what happened,” you ranted to her and Wanda looked to the ground in shame. “Yesterday was my birthday Wanda. Yet, you go out with Vision! Of all fucking people! You didn’t wish me a happy birthday, you didn’t kiss me, you didn’t see me all day! All because you were with Vision! And we all know how much you love his attention!”

The words fell from your mouth before you could even think about what you were saying, Wanda’s shame quickly turned to defensiveness as she stared at your tear stained cheeks, “I may have forgotten your birthday and I’m sorry, but is this really about forgetting your birthday or is this about Vision? It’s like you’re jealous or something!” 

“Yes, I’m jealous Wanda! And I have every right to be! You and Vision have some sort of connection because of a fucking stone implanted into his head!” You scream. 

She shook her head, “He’s my friend, Y/N! Am I not allowed to have friends?” 

“I never fucking said that you can’t have friends! Jesus Wanda do you hear yourself?” you bring your voice down to a softer tone, realizing that a screaming match isn’t gonna help fix this, “You forgot my birthday…the Wanda I fell in love with would have never done that. I don’t ask much of you. I just want to spend a couple days with my girlfriend and for her to remember my birthday. All I wanted was a kiss from her and for her to tell me that she loves me, yet you haven’t said that to me a lot recently. Look, I’m going on a mission with Nat in a couple hours. While I’m gone, I guess just think if you really want to be with me still.” 

And you walked away without another word.

Of course, Wanda loved you. It was just the fear of the unknown that has made her put a wall up between the two of you. Everything and everyone she has loved, she has lost. Her parents, Pietro, it was only a matter of time before she lost you too. She doesn’t know what she’d do if she loses you. 

Wanda bursts into the waiting room, met by several confused eyes from the staff and patients. Steve and Clint followed right behind her, the two of them more rational than she was. They ask for your room number and as soon as she hears the answer she sprints down the hallways and straight to your room. 

Natasha sat in the corner of the cold room, watching distantly, like she was off on another planet. She didn’t even notice the Sokovian bursting in. Wanda’s eyes flash to you, your frail body lying in bed. All the color was drained from your face and a burn lingered along your cheeks. She inspected you further, noticing the burns that lingered all over your body.  The beeping from the machines echoes in her ears as a wave of nausea overcomes her at the sight of a tube stuck in your throat. All she wants is to hold you, but she’s afraid that if she does you’ll crumble. 

She took a seat next to you carefully reaching for your hand. She wanted to tell you that she loved you, that she needed you, and that she was sorry, “Hey Wanda,” Nat finally came to her senses, noticing her teammate sitting next to you.

“I didn’t know it was this bad,” her voice cracked, as hot tears blurred her vision. 

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t-“ Nat took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. “I couldn’t find her in time. I was trying to find her, to help her save the other SHIELD agent, but before I could, the bomb went off and she…I’m so sorry Wanda. I should’ve protected her. I couldn’t protect her.”

Wanda reaches for her hand, squeezing it, “It’s okay, Nat. You couldn’t have known,” Clint and Steve finally burst into the room. Clint immediately goes over to console his best friend, while Wanda turns her attention back onto you.

The doctor knocks on the door, giving all of you sympathetic smiles, “Hello everyone. Agent Y/L/N is in very critical condition. The injuries she endured have taken an enormous toll on her mental and physical health. It’s an absolute miracle that we were able to stabilize her. However, the burns and the stab wound are the least of our worries. The smoke inhalation caused her vocal chords to swell which may cause some permanent damage, but we had to do a tracheotomy to help her breathe.”

Wanda’s heart stopped, the reality and severity finally catching up to her. All of the things she dreamed of doing with you. The life you wanted to share with her. Another wave of nausea hit her like a freight train, “And per Agent Y/L/N’s paperwork with SHIELD, later tonight we’re going to try and see if she could breathe on her own and if not, she has asked us to pull the plug. If there’s anyone who’s not here, who you guys think would love to see her, I suggest calling them now,” he clears his throat, trying to stay professional. “I recommend trying to talk to her, coma induced patients tend to be more responsive when they hear their loved ones.” 

With that, he leaves the room, a tense air filling the room once more. Steve clears his throat, ignoring the tears trying to swim in his ocean eyes, “I’m going to make some calls and ask if anyone would like to see Y/N. Tony will get them here as soon as possible.”

And just like that Avengers started swarming in like wildfire. Clint called Laura and brought the kids along with her, whenever Clint and Laura needed a date night you’d be there to help babysit the kids. So, to say you were an important part of the family was an understatement. 

Tony and Pepper showed up with Peter. Tony and Bruce tried to talk to the doctor as much as they could, asking a million questions about what they’ve tried and what they haven’t tried to help your condition. Thor and Valkyrie even showed up from Asgard, just in case this was the last time they’d see you. 

Wanda took a step back, allowing everyone who came to visit you to talk to you, to possibly say their goodbyes. She couldn’t bring herself to talk to you just yet. She watched as some people weren’t afraid to shed a tear, retelling some of their favorite memories with you. While others tried their best to stay strong, demanding you that you’d breathe on your own. 

She watched as your room piled up with flowers in the worst way possible. Peter even brings you a small stuffed spider he got at the zoo. Her breathing became more uneven as she watched a usually strong Yelena shed a few tears for her chosen sister, Kate and Natasha, even having to console the younger Russian. 

Wanda needed an out, she needed to get some air. Luckily, Bucky came around, “C’mon, let’s go for a walk. I think you need it.” The witch didn’t even hesitate as she just followed him through the door and out of the hospital. As soon as the cool air hit her face, she ran as quickly as she could to the nearby bush and started to empty whatever she had in her stomach. 

Wiping the corner of her mouth, she sat next to Bucky on a nearby bench. Neither of them said anything and honestly it's what Wanda really needed. All Bucky did was rest his hand on her shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze, before they sat and watched the cars zoom by. 

They didn’t know how much time had passed before someone cleared their throat behind them. Steve had a sympathetic smile on his face, “Wanda, it’s almost time doctor said. If you wanna say something to her, now is the time.” Wanda turned to Bucky and he merely nodded in encouragement. 

The Sokovian followed back to your room. Everyone must’ve gotten the message that Wanda was coming back, so they were all waiting in the waiting room when she walked in. She took the seat next to your bed, grasping your unusually cold hand. 

“Y/N…” she trails off her voice immediately cracking, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry for everything. I should’ve remembered your birthday. If you wake up, I promise I’ll remember everything. I’ll remember your beautiful eyes looking into mine, like we have our own secret club. I’ll remember the way you turn up the music on the weekend when I’m trying to sleep in and the way you’d jump on the bed and dance to wake me up. I’ll remember the way you’d squeeze my hand three times whenever you realize how anxious I’m getting or to just tell me that you love me.” 

Her emerald eyes met the sea as tears filled them. She cupped your cold cheeks, smiling sadly, “I should’ve been honest with you and I should’ve just told you I was scared. I was scared to fall and lose you. But that does not beat how  petrified I feel right now, Y/N. I prayed, Y/N. I never pray, I prayed to a God I stopped believing in when my parents were killed. I’m not saying goodbye to you, just yet. I just need you to know that no one else could ever save me, like you did. Not Vision. Not anyone else. You. You saved me and I can’t do this on my own. So, breathe Y/N. Please. You’re my lifeline.”

Yet another knock interrupted her thoughts as the doctor walked in. He smiled sympathetically with Steve, Clint, and Natasha right behind him. “It’s time,” he walks over to your bedside, throwing on gloves as he gets ready for extubation, “Just to explain what we’re looking for, if she can breathe on her own her breathing will look like she’s just sleeping. If her oxygen levels are normal, it means she’s okay. On the other hand, if she isn’t breathing on her own, she’d be gasping for air, and her mouth will be opening and closing like a fish out of water. Her oxygen levels will also be very low.”

All four of them nod, Nat grasping on to Wanda’s free hand, squeezing it tightly. The doctor slowly starts pulling out the tube and Wanda squeezes your hand three times, muttering a quiet please under her breath. All of them hold their own breath, which is ironic. Each one of them watches your chest rise and fall in anticipation. 

For what felt like an eternity, the Sokovian felt a weak three squeezes come from your hand, causing her head to shoot up to look at your face. Your eyes flutter open as you stare into the eyes of the love of your life, “You made it,” she whispered under her breath and a tiny smile crossed your lips as you ran your thumb over the back of her hand. 

“Hi Y/N. It’s nice to finally meet you,” your doctor introduced himself. “We’re gonna recommend you can’t talk until directed to. We’re working on reducing the swelling in your vocal chords.”

You gesture for a pen and paper, your hands shaking slightly. He nodded, handing you a pen and a piece of paper before promising to check up on you later. In the scratchiest of handwriting, Wanda watched as you wrote a little note. A small gasp leaving her lips as you showed her, ‘You’re my lifeline too.’ 

Wanda rested her hand against your stomach as she cried happily into it. Your free hand that she wasn’t grasping reached for her head, running your fingers through her messy hair, in hopes to let her know that everything will be okay. 

“I love you,” Wanda whispered to you. 

The night was alive. The air was so thick and smokey. The music thrummed straight through the bodies surrounding you and into your eardrums. It mixed with a variety of conversations, half of them were high-induced philosophies and theories, while the other half were drunken confessions. Sweat flicked through the air with the start of every dance move. Tony Stark’s parties, always a rager, no matter what the occasion. 

You shimmied off the dance floor, avoiding the hormone monsters that are college students grinding on one another. You were desperate for some sort of fresh air, away from the stuffiness of the dance floor. The kitchen was somewhat empty, more sober people maintaining intelligent conversations. Grabbing a red solo cup, you filled your cup with beer, as you people watched. Thor was trying his hardest to be Valkyrie in beer pong, but by the looks of the cups, he was failing. Steve, Bucky, and Sam had their arms wrapped around one on another as they sang along to some tune. But your eyes were torn from the scene when shouts of her name rang throughout your ear. 

“Wanda!!” Clint yelled the loudest. 

Her emerald eyes found yours, like it was the most natural thing in the world, her lips quirked upwards slightly. As quick as it appeared, it faded away, like reality finally caught up to her. You let out a deep breath as you maintained eye contact, trying to slow your racing heartbeat, “Y/N! Dude!” Scott yelled and you looked down at your cup to see it spilling over the edge like Niagra Falls. 

“Fuck,” you muttered under your breath, turning off the tap, and wiping off your beer soaked hands. Your eyes filtered back up to Wanda, as the redheaded Russian appeared behind her, intertwining their fingers together. You reach for the paper towel roll, ripping off a few pieces to clean up the mess you made. 

“Wow sestra, the party started an hour ago and you’re already making a mess,” Natasha’s voice made you freeze in your spot. You turn to face your older sister wearing her infamous shit-eating smirk. 

Your eyes drifted down to their intertwined hands as you gave them your best smile, “Ouch Nat, no, how’s my favorite sister doing? Or I’m so happy to see you!” You tease and she playfully rolls her eyes. 

“Yelena would kick my ass if she heard me say that you’re my favorite sister,” Nat said, her eyes scanning the crowd. “Where is she anyway?” 

You shrug, “Last time I checked she was about to play a game with Kate. Something about shooting arrows at beer bottles that rested on top of Peter’s head,” Natasha’s eyes widen at your nonchalant tone. Her eyes once more scanning the crowd for your younger sister. “Anyway, back to the whole favorite thing. She can’t kick your ass if it’s the truth. I mean I’m your favorite sister, right?” Your sister rolls her eyes, as she starts weaving her way through the crowd in search of Yelena, “Wait! Nat! I’m your favorite, right?!” you yell over the loud music and the indistinct chatter. 

Wanda chuckles, “Are they really shooting beer bottles off of Peter’s head?” She asks with a knowing look in her eyes.

Your eyes shined back with mischief, shaking your head, “Nope! Kate and Yelena suggested the idea, but Peter quickly shot it down, despite them trying to blackmail him.” The two of you share a giggle at the thought of the best friends. 

“They’re gonna kill that poor boy one day,” she says and you nod your head in agreement. The two of you stand there in a comfortable silence, people watching.

Wanda’s hand drifts closer to yours, desperate for some sort of contact with you. Before she intertwines your fingers together, you pull away quickly, “Shit. I promised Steve I would bring him this beer. He’s probably looking for where I am, I’ll catch you later,” you smile at her before taking the red solo cup and whisking yourself away. You left so fast, you didn’t get a chance to see Wanda’s disappointed look on her face. 

The stuffy room suddenly felt suffocating, slipping out to the backyard, it was a lot less crowded. You slipped your shoes off, rolling up the cuffs of your jeans, as you dipped your legs into the pool. The cool summer night breeze brushed through your hair, drying the sweat that lingered from the dance floor. You grabbed your pack of cigarettes from your back pocket, flickering your lighter to slowly kill yourself by inhaling the small cancerous stick. 

Your mind drifted back to the brunette inside, you could marry her. You really wanted to fucking marry her. You had never felt this way about anyone before. Even though you shouldn’t, you know damn well that you shouldn’t. But that night over winter break changed everything for you. 

The winter breeze shook through your body, as your legs dipped into the freezing water. You hugged your jacket tighter against your body, pulling out the pack of cigarettes from your jacket pocket. You felt someone’s presence next to you, as they sat down, dipping their own feet into the pool. You slowly inhaled from the nicotine lit stick, as you turned your head to face the unknown presence. Wanda had a sheepish smile on her face, her brunette hair tucked back behind her ears, “Can I have a light?” she asks. 

You chuckle softly, flicking the ash onto the concrete next to you, “Wanda Maximoff, having a smoke? Since when?” 

“Since right now. I want to try one,” she said, sitting up straight, her voice sounding confident, like she knew what she was doing. 

“No, I’m not gonna give you one,” you laugh at her shocked face.

“But why not? You do it all the time!” she questioned with her eyebrows furrowed and matching pout on her face. 

God she looked so adorable, but you quickly shook that intrusive thought off, “Exactly I do it all the time, which doesn’t make it a good thing. These little guys are terrible for you, especially when you get addicted. They slowly kill you from the inside out. I mean I have one every day and you know what? It’ll probably kill me one day. At the time, I didn’t have anyone care enough about me to tell me to stop.  So no you absolutely can not have one because if I give you one my sister would probably kill me before the smoking does."

She looks at you with her eyes widened and a small smile, "Are you sure this is about Nat kicking your ass or do you not want to give me one because you care about me?" She teased in a sing songy voice as a light pink coats your cheeks.

“Definitely more about my sister kicking my ass. Speaking of my sister, I’m honestly surprised you came to this party. My sister is off on a work trip in Boston and you’re usually attached at the hip.” 

She rolls her eyes, “Well, someone was a little convincing today with the whole ‘Wanda please! We haven’t hung out together since you started dating my sister!’ begging act that you pulled today.” 

“Excuse me! I was not begging!” you bring your voice down to a whisper, leaning towards her ear, “Trust me Maximoff, when I’m begging there'll be much less clothes on,” you wink at her, causing her eyes to widen and a soft blush to dust over her cheeks. She slaps your shoulder, throwing her face in her hands before letting out a groan, “C’mon, pretty girl, let’s get you a drink!” 

You get thrown back into reality, when Thor drunkenly jumps into the pool and the cool water sprays across your face, “Sorry Y/N! Thor lost at beer pong and this was the punishment!” Valkyrie explained and you gave her a tight lipped smile before getting up and going back inside. 

You were just going to sit by the window sill away from the rest of the party, but your eyes found Natasha and Wanda’s figures on the dance floor. The two of them moved sensually to the beat and you couldn’t help, but feel the ache in your heart. You couldn’t seem to tear your eyes away until those god damn green eyes found yours and you quickly looked away, sneaking off towards the balcony. No one else really knew about it. But you knew it, all too well. 

Wanda’s breath was close to your ear, as she tried to get you to hear her over the pounding music, “Do you want to break away from all of this? I think I need a little breather.” 

You nod, “C’mon, I know the perfect place,” you extend her hand out to her and she intertwines your fingers together, not wanting to get separated in the crowd. 

Leading her through the house and to the balcony on the top floor, you opened the door for her. The rest of the party seemed to have faded away from your secluded spot. The only real noise was the muffled music coming from downstairs, but even that seemed like it was miles away. The drinks were taking effect, not too bad enough to have you spinning, but a nice little buzz in your head. 

The two of you take a seat on the little patio chairs, looking up at the bright city skyline. People like to think of the New York City skyline as one of the most beautiful views in the world, but as Wanda sits next to you with the bright city lights illuminating her face, it definitely tops the city. Once more, you fetch out your pack of cigarettes, lighting another one as it rested in between your fingers. 

“You said that when you first started smoking it felt like you had no one who cared about you, why is that?” the brunette asks, staring at you intently as you exhale a puff of smoke. 

You shrug, flicking the ash onto the ground, “I started back when we were seniors in high school, after my mom died and my dad left. Nat turned 18 not too long before my mom died and she was forced into the role of being an actual adult because when you turn 18, you’re not really an adult even though you’re labeled as one. Some 18 year olds just finished high school, and are still living with their parents, but Nat had to take care of two younger sisters. She had to put her life on hold for me and Lena. Instead of helping her and supporting her, when our mom died I kind of blew off all responsibilities. I turned rebellious, stopped playing volleyball, hung out with the wrong crowd. Nat always had the disappointed mom look and she was always angry at me, which made Yelena angry with me all the time. So, when I started smoking our relationship was so bad, that it felt like neither of them would have cared.” 

“I didn’t know that,” she whispered. It was eye opening to her, you were her best friend. Of course, she knew that your mom died and that your dad left as soon as she died. But it seemed like a new side of you was shining through. 

“Not a lot of people do. It’s one of the things I regret the most, you know? I was so selfish back then. I mean even Yelena acted like more of an adult than I did. Now every time I light one of these guys, it’s a constant reminder of what I did…or well I guess what I didn’t do. My punishment for how I acted back then,” you chuckle lightly, “I’ve never said that before, so I better not regret telling you Maximoff.” A lighthearted tone in your voice, as you try to hide the self depreciation in it. 

Her head tilts to the side and her eyes are lit up, like you just showed her the most amazing thing in the world, “You won’t.” 

A shiver ripples through her body and you quickly shrug off your jacket, placing them over her body. Your scent of smoke and subtle hints of vanilla invaded her senses, quickly becoming addicted to it. “Why didn’t you bring a jacket, Wands? My sister’s not here, so who are you trying to impress,” you quip and she smiles, shaking her head. 

“No one,” she mutters, but she desperately wishes she could say, ‘you’. 

“What’s got you so angry?” Yelena asks, plopping down next to you with her own red solo cup in her hand. The soft memory fading away from your mind as you shrug. The itch to reach for another cig was becoming too strong.

“Nothing. How’d you even know I was up here?” 

“I saw you pouting like Peter Parker when Kate and I make fun of him, so I followed you up here,” she shrugs, “So do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not really," you say pulling at the loose thread from the rips in your jeans.

She scoffs, “Let me rephrase that question, do you not want to talk to me about it because it’s about Wanda?” 

“Yelena don’t-“

“No Y/N. Look, whatever you and Wanda had going on, it needs to stop,” your younger sister scolds.

You stand up abruptly, rubbing your face with your hands, “Don’t you think I know that? You’ve already lectured me once and I’ve kept my distance from her since then. I am trying my best! Now please, just leave me here to sulk, I’ll be fine just like I always am.”

She throws the pack of cigarettes that you didn’t even know fell out of your pocket. Some of them rolling onto the ground, “You told me you quit these too! You don’t think I could smell the smoke off of you right now? I may be your little sister, but I am not stupid. So if you were lying about these, how do I know you’re really lying about stopping things with Wanda?” 

She opens the balcony door about to walk in, but she stops just as she enters the frame, “You’re supposed to be the older sister, right?” She looks at you intently like she’s waiting for an answer and you just nod. “So fucking act like it.”

Yelena slams the door shut. You collapse onto the patio chair, dropping your face into your hands as you let out a shaky breath. Your shaky hands reached for the pack of cigarettes on the floor, neatly placing it in a box, but keeping one of them out, lighting it as it rests in between your lips. 

How did everything get so fucked up?

“I’m not this type of girl,” Wanda whispers in the middle of the night. You and your sisters had your closest friends over for a small party. Everyone else seemed to have passed out from Yelena’s drinking games. But both you and Wanda were fighting dreamland and instead giving into your fantasies.

The spring breeze rippled through the two of you as you stood out on your apartment balcony. “What do you mean?” 

She shrugs, leaning in a bit closer, “I don’t sneak around in the middle of the night and secretly hope that my girlfriend's sister is awake. I don’t hug someone for longer than what is deemed friendly in a stranger’s eyes. I don’t immediately look at someone who’s not my girlfriend after anyone tells a joke just to see their smile,” she says, as the two of you just continue to get lost into each other’s eyes.

You start shrinking under her gaze, reaching for the pack of cigarettes in your hoodie pocket. You were about to light it when Wanda grabbed the lighter and the rest of the pack that you held in your hand. Your eyebrows furrowed as you stared into her beautiful green eyes, “You once told me a month ago that you felt like you had no one who cared enough to tell you to stop smoking when you first started. So, I’m telling you right now that I care about you and I don’t want you to kill yourself with these stupid sticks.”

A shy smile curled onto your face, as you let her throw your pack into the trash can. “I’m not that kind of girl either, but as I’m staring into those goddamn eyes of yours all I can think about is how much I want to kiss you.” You quip back, ignoring the guilt induced thoughts that are trying to betray what your heart is screaming at. 

She snorted at your response, a mischievous smile on her face. The pad of Wanda’s thumb gently traces over your lips and your body freezes. Her hands hesitantly move from your lips to your cheeks, as she stares into your eyes begging for approval. Without thinking, you leaned in and kissed her lips, and the brunette immediately returned the kiss gently. 

You place your hands on her chest, pressing harder against her lips. She smiles to herself as she places her hand on your waist. Your kisses become more passionate as your tongue battles for dominance. Her hands on your hips pulled you closer and your cold hands quickly slid under your shirt.

As she ran out of breath, she decided to slide down to her neck, leaving sloppy kisses. You let out a small moan in pleasure, “Wanda?” She hums in response, slightly nipping your neck, “Do you want to take this to my room?”

“Please,” she mumbled against your neck. 

When it was over, the two of you lay next to each other. The pants of your breathing filled your bedroom. Your bare chests moving in perfect rhythm to your shared heartbeat. The beautiful brunette shifts her body towards you, looking at you with droopy eyes and tired smile. 

“Hi,”  Wanda whispered shyly. 

“Hi,” you said, charmed. 

She grabs your fingers and plays with them, weaving her own fingers between them, bringing your hand up to your lips, pressing a soft kiss against it. Your hands trace figures along your hip. Her gentle hand brushes away a stray piece of hair that fell across your face, as she tucked it into place. 

“I have always wanted you,” she whispers, “It’s always been you.” 

What should’ve been the last time turned into a past time. Two best friends breaking away from a party started innocently. Gossiping in the bathrooms quickly turned into heated makeout sessions. A breather on the balcony away from your drunken peers turned into deep conversations with her head tucked into the crook of your neck as you hold onto each other.  

That one tiny spark that the two of you wouldn’t put out was slowly coming to the end of the cigarette. The cigarette stick was nothing, but a nub as it was about to disintegrate into thin air.

At first it was fun, making a million excuses just to have a simple moment alone. Until, the need for something more came to be and the realization of what the two of you had done seeped into your bloodstream like some sort of drug. A drug that you couldn’t kick. You had stopped smoking for her, but she was this new drug that you were terribly addicted to.  

Wanda’s head rested on the top of your chest, as your arms wrapped securely around her. From the curtains of your window, you could see the sun start to slowly rise, and the soft snores from her mouth filled the room. 

You kiss the top of her head gently, “Wands,” you whispered in her ear, scratching her back. A soft hum escaped her lips as she stirred in your arms, “The sun’s coming up, you should sneak out before Yelena wakes up.” 

“Just a few more minutes,” she whispers, nuzzling deeper into your neck. 

“We don’t have a few more minutes, darling,” you respond with a soft smile on your face. She lets out a soft groan before lifting herself off of you. Wanda sat up, pulling your oversized t-shirt over her, and a pair of shorts. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her tired eyes were one of the most beautiful things you’ve ever seen. “You’re a work of art, Wanda Maximoff.” 

She snorted, “That was lame,” she mumbled, leaning down to kiss you. Her lips slightly chapped, but you didn’t care, you just loved the feeling of her lips on yours. “I’ll see you at the party tomorrow night, where we are going to go through with our plan and tell Natasha together, right?”

Even though her eyes were still droopy, she looked at you intently, “Right,” you mumbled against her lips, pressing another kiss to them.

“Y/N, I need you to promise me this time. Every time we’ve made a plan to tell her the truth, you’ve backed out. We can’t keep lying to her like this. I want to be with you the right way. So, please…for me?” she whispered to you.

You let out a sigh, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before touching them together, “I promise.”

“I love you,” she whispered into the thin air. 

“I love you. I have loved you, well…definitely longer than I should have. We’ll tell her tonight and we’ll face the consequences together. I promise,” A wide smile crosses her face and how you so desperately wish you could hold onto that smile forever. She wraps her arms around your neck, pulling herself closer to you as she kisses you with so much love, you don’t know how your heart hasn’t exploded. “Now, you should probably get going before Lena wakes up. C’mon pretty girl, I’ll walk you out,” you whisper to her, kissing her quickly. 

The two of you reach your apartment door, kissing her once more before asking her to text you when she gets home. You were about to stumble back to bed, desperate for some shut eye, when you bumped into a figure. Your eyes flickered onto your little sister. 

“What are you doing up so early?” She questions.

“I needed some water, so I just chugged a glass,” you lied. “Why are you up so early?” 

“I promised Kate that I would go on a morning run with her, Peter, and Lucky this morning,” she answered, staring at you intently. 

You give her a tight lipped smile, “Well, I uh hope you have fun. I’ll see you when you get-“

“Are you sure you were just grabbing some water? Because from what I saw from here, you were just walking Wanda out of the apartment. She was wearing one of your shirts, which I thought was fishy. But I just thought that maybe she just spent the night. I don’t know why you wouldn’t tell me, but that’s cool. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, I didn't want to jump to conclusions. But all of that benefit of the doubt bullshit I told myself flew out my head when I saw you kiss her goodbye. What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Lena, look-“

“How long?” She interrogated you and your eyes drift down to your hands as you fiddled with them. Your little sister looked down to meet your gaze, forcing you to look her in the eyes, “How long, Y/N?”

“For the last three months, but we’re planning to tell her the truth  tomorrow night at Stark’s party.” 

“I need you to listen to me very carefully, Y/N. Nat has sacrificed everything for us! Everything! She declined her top college on the west coast to stay home and take care of us. She took crappy jobs that she didn’t want just to make ends meet when she was just 18 years old! She wasn’t like you. She didn’t throw away her volleyball scholarships. She gave them up. She sacrificed and lost everything! For me,” she took a dangerous step closer to you, pushing her finger into your chest. “And you! Natasha wanted us to have the best life that mom had always promised us, even if that meant putting her life on hold. And this is how you’re going to repay her for that? You're going to repay her by sneaking around with her girlfriend?!”

“That is not fair, Lena!” you scold her. 

She scoffs, “Not fair? Do you know what’s not fair, Y/N? The money she saved in her savings account all throughout high school quickly drained, because she had to bail you out of jail more than once. You were lucky that Steve’s dad was the sheriff so it never touched a sliver of your record, but Nat still had to pay the fines. It’s not fair that when I was a sophomore in high school, I couldn’t go to any football games or dances because I had to grow up and cover all of your shifts while you were off getting shit faced somewhere else!”

“My mom died-“ you were about to argue.

“So did ours, Y/N!” she screamed at you. “Yet, Natasha and I were picking up the pieces and you kept destroying everything in sight. So, I want you to think about this when you and Wanda tell Natasha all about your relationship tomorrow night, she has given everything she loves up for you and me. Wanda is just going to be one more thing she loses because of you.”

The two of you stayed there in a tense silence, just staring at one another with tear filled eyes. Until the front door swung open. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched as your older sister wheeled in her suitcase from her latest business trip. 

A low whistle left her lips as she saw the standoff between the two of you, “Is everything okay?” 

Yelena was first to break her gaze, forcing a smile on her face, something she has gotten far too good at. “Yeah, welcome home, sestra. I’m about to head out to go on a morning run with Kate and Peter, I'll see you guys later.”

“What was that about?” Nat asked as your younger sister left. 

You shrug, “No idea,” you clear your throat, subtly wiping away at your eyes while she starts brewing some coffee. “How was the trip?”

The balcony door creaked open as you lit another cigarette. “Detka? What are you doing?” Wanda’s voice filled the thick air, grabbing the cigarette from your lips and throwing it out. “You haven’t smoked for the last three months, when’d you even get a pack? What happened?”

Your eyes were bloodshot from holding back the tears that you were so desperately trying to keep in. You know what has to happen. 

The drug that is Wanda Maximoff gave you such a high. You were so addicted to the illusions of the love between you and her. A love that never was and never will be. The worst part about any addiction is that it’s so intimate. You become so close with your addictions that leaving them behind is like killing a part of you that taught you how to survive. And all that’s left of you is pain and misery. 

“Y/N, why have you been avoiding me?” Wanda questions, her voice shaking just a little bit. 

You shrug, “You seem a little preoccupied. I didn’t want to intrude,” you look out at the skyline, desperately avoiding her gaze. 

“Oh okay. So this has nothing to do with what we’re going to tell Nat tonight?”

You shook your head, “There’s nothing to tell. There’s nothing going on between us, Wanda. There can’t be anything going on,” you look at her, the tears that you were trying to hold back were falling like droplets of rain against your car window. “You’re my best friend and you’re my sister’s girlfriend. That’s all.”

“You’re not just my best friend, Y/N, and you know it. You can’t pretend like we never happened because it did, it happened. And I don’t regret it, not one bit. I am in love with you, Y/N, and I know what we did wasn’t right, but I can’t help but love you,” she explains to you, trying to wrap her arms around you, but you shake your head once more as you step away from her. 

“This can’t happen. We need to pretend like none of this happened-“ you begged her. You didn’t want to make this harder than it needed to be. 

“We have been sneaking around for months! Even if she doesn’t know it, we have already hurt her! If we tell her together, we are doing right by Natasha. She’s going to be heartbroken and angry, but she’s going to realize one day that this was the right thing to do. She deserves better than someone who’s in love with her sister.” 

There was a silence that followed, as you just continued to stare at her speechless, “I can’t-“ your voice breaks, as you look down at your hands. 

Wanda’s arms wrapped around your waist and you weren’t fighting it anymore. She placed her forehead against yours, her voice pleading, “I’ll fix it please, I’ll do anything. We don’t have to tell Nat until you’re ready, just please don’t do this.” 

“You can’t fix this, Wands. The only person who can fix this is me. You’re right, Nat deserves better, and after all the shit I put her through the last five years, I'm going to give that to her. I’m going to be the sister she should’ve had by her side when our mom died. So that means letting you go,” you whispered, biting your lip to stop the sobs that are trying to escape. “You deserve better than me anyway, Wands. Someone like my sister,” 

You kiss her forehead, before pulling away from her embrace, “I’m sorry,” you whisper to her. 

You avoided her tear stained cheeks and glossy eyes, as you continued to sit out and stare at the city before you. You destroyed everything in sight, but this time you were going to be the one to pick up all the pieces. Suddenly, her gaze wasn’t on you anymore and the balcony door was being slammed shut. 

Your eyes drift to the voices at the front of the house, “Wanda, what happened?” Nat’s voice rings in your ear and you can see them from where you’re sitting. 

“Nothing, it was just too crowded and everything was too overwhelming. I think I just need to go home,” she says and you hate how her tears are because of you. Your older sister wrapped her strong arms around the distressed girl, holding her tighter. 

Fishing out your pack, you lit the small cigarette, enjoying the way it made your head feel. Wanda’s eyes flickered up towards the balcony, noticing the smoke emitting off of it. You let out a sigh, staring at the girl in front of you. All that the two of you were was all you were ever going to be because she always had someone waiting at home.

“C’mon, let’s go home,” Nat whispered to her, intertwining their fingers together, and leading her to the car.

The soft sound of your phone buzzing on your bedside table snapped you out of the author’s words. It was late, almost three in the morning, but tonight was one of those nights where being six months pregnant was the cause of your insomnia. And with Wanda not by your side, it didn’t make dozing off into dreamland any easier. You smiled softly as Wanda’s goofy smile flashed on your phone screen.

“Hey Y/N.” 

She sounded exhausted. Wanda wiped her tears aways quickly, even though you couldn’t see them, you could tell she had been crying, “You okay?”  

She was shipped off to Budapest for about a week now with Steve and Natasha. Day in and day out they fight multiple threats to the planet, even seeing the worst possible things imaginable. Yet, this one shook her to the core. She watched as Hydra agents kidnapped their target’s wife, a woman who had no idea her husband had been selling illegal weapons, who was also pregnant. They were too late to save her. She was shot to death before they had even arrived. The mission wasn’t a total fail, they’d managed to find the husband and put him under SHIELD protection, as they gathered information from him.

Yet, Wanda still felt nauseous, needing some air and some space from Steve and Natasha.  All she thought about was you. Her line of work was dangerous, she knew it, and you knew it too. Despite easing her insecurities, she still couldn’t help but feel like you’d never get to live a normal life with her in your life. You were just a teacher, only to have gotten lucky to meet her and the rest of the team when you were invited to one of Tony Stark’s parties by your best friend Laura Barton. You shouldn’t be getting caught up in all of this. 

She couldn’t stop the tears from falling, nor shake the thought of the woman's lifeless body. Her cruel imagination, replacing her face with yours, as she imagined you and your unborn daughter dead on an abandoned warehouse floor. That’s how her fingers ended up hitting your contact as soon as she stepped onto the quinjet, not even thinking about how late it must be at home.

“No, yeah I’m fine. I just uh I needed to hear your voice,” Wanda whispered, placing her head in her hands. 

You smiled to yourself, shaking your head, “You’re a terrible liar, my love,” Wanda lets out a sad chuckle, sniffling back the rest of her tears. “Rough mission?” 

“Yeah, very rough. Is it okay if we don’t talk about it right now?” She asked. 

The two of you would always talk about her mission when she’d come back home. It was an unspoken promise that the two of you shared together. 

It all started right after the infamous mission in Lagos. The two of you were dating for almost a year at that point. You hadn’t heard from her for days, despite the countless texts and phone calls you shot her. You saw what had happened, of course you did, it was sprayed all over the news, but that didn’t matter to you. All that mattered was that she was okay. You knew she wasn't and your assumptions were only confirmed when Clint called you asking to come to the tower. He said she wasn’t eating or sleeping. She wouldn’t talk to anyone, and apparently, no amount of wise words from Steve or sitcom marathons with Natasha could help her. 

You sped to the tower as fast as you could, Clint leading you as quickly as possible to her room. Bursting the door open, you saw her figure buried deep in blankets and dark circles around her eyes as she stared at the now open door.

“Wanda-“ 

Without saying another word, she shot out of bed and wrapped her arms tightly around you. Her head nuzzled into your neck and within seconds, tears fell onto your neck as she sobbed in your arms. 

“It’s okay now. Everything’s okay,” you tightened your arms around her, soothing her as she cried. 

When her cries turned into soft sniffles, you pulled away from the hug, wiping the stray tears that were falling from her beautiful green eyes. You pressed a kiss to her forehead, “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? You can call me anytime you’re on your way home from a mission. It doesn’t matter the time. Or whenever you’re feeling low, or wanna just say ‘hi’. Tell me about anything, okay? I'm always here, Wands.”

“What if my mind is just a mess? Sometimes I feel like I should just run away and hide from everyone. You don’t deserve this.” She confesses, pulling her head down in shame.

You tilt her chin up, smiling at her softly, “Darling, call me always, especially when your mind is a mess. I always wonder if you’re safe and sound. If you need me, I’ll be around. Just always call me. You’re never alone.” 

From that day forward, she always called you, and you always answered. You knew that if she didn’t talk about what happened, it would eventually kill her from the inside out. She shouldn’t have to hold the weight alone. And you made sure she always knew that. 

“Of course, darling. What did you wanna talk about?” You asked, closing your book, and giving her your full attention. 

Wanda didn’t know. Honestly, she didn’t really care what you talked about. She thought you were goodness in its pure form. The light she never knew she needed. And she wanted some light, some goodness, after what she had just witnessed. 

“How are my favorite girls doing?” She asked, smiling to herself. 

“She’s doing great. However, I think she’s a little troublemaker like you, she never lets me sleep,” you chuckled into the phone, causing her smile to widen. “Seriously, pregnancy insomnia is no joke and having my favorite person here isn’t helping either.” 

“I’m on my way home, detka. I will be with you real soon. I’ll run you a bath and cook you some of your favorite foods,” Wanda promised. 

“Darling! I’m supposed to be taking care of you, especially since you had a rough case and have been gone for over a week,” you explained to her.

She shook her head, even though you couldn’t see her on the other line, “My beautiful beautiful wife, you should know that I will always spoil you no matter what happened throughout the day.” 

“You’re too good to me.”

“No Y/N, you are too good for me. I’m only trying to get you to stay with me,” she joked, causing both of you to laugh. 

A melodic sound filled Wanda’s ears, as the light and goodness overcame the dark. It was what she needed. You were exactly what she needed. You were always exactly what she needed. “Hey detka?” she asks, as you hum in response. “Do you think you could put me on speaker next to your belly?”

A wide smile crossed your face, as you placed the phone on speaker, holding it next to your little baby bump, “You’re on speaker.” 

“Hi baby girl,” Wanda says and you didn’t think your smile could widen larger than it already was. “I need you to let your mama rest, sweet girl. I am the only person who could keep her up all night long, and unlike you it actually pleasures her,” she teases, causing your face to flush.

“Wanda! She’s not even born yet and you’re already making these jokes to her!” You exclaimed through fits of laughter, causing Wanda to break out into her own fit. Steve and Natasha look back at where she was sitting, smiling to themselves softly at her change in mood. 

“I’m just saying, if we were to have a competition, I’d win for sure,” the two of you laugh again, finally dying down when Wanda speaks up again. “But seriously, I think your mama deserves some sleep, don’t you think?”

A soft little fluttery feeling moved around in your stomach. With eyebrows furrow you place a hand on your belly, a soft gasp falls from your lips, as she kicks. “Darling, our sweet girl kicked!” You exclaimed. 

“What?! No way!” 

“Yes she did! For the very first time to your voice, Wands,” a soft smile grazes over the red head’s features. “She is going to be so in love with you.” 

“And I am going to love her endlessly, just like how I love you, detka,” Wanda whispers and you feel the baby kick once again. “Try and get some rest, okay? I love you, both of you.” 

“I love you. Call me when you land?” 

Your location was off…why was your location off? Your location was never off. Love swiped out the app, only to re enter it seconds later. It had to be some kind of tech issue right? Your location wasn’t actually off…right? Wrong. Sure enough your location was still off. 

Love let out a huff, as she shut off her phone, throwing it onto the metal counter in the kitchen of Anavrin. The brunette closed her eyes, resting her head on the cool metal door of the fridge, as she took deep breaths. ‘I trust her’ she repeats to herself over and over in her head, like a troubled school child writing ‘I’m sorry’ on their paper repeatedly. It was odd to her. It was Valentine’s Day, the day of love, and you were completely ignoring her. Only sending a ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ text to start off her morning. 

Everything seemed fine then, so what changed? 

You were stressed, like really stressed. It was your first actual Valentine’s Day with someone you truly love. You wanted to make something perfect for the first time. The only problem? You can’t cook to save your life, despite Love teaching you her favorite recipes. 

“Oh for fucks sake!” You yell, opening your apartment door to let all the smoke out of your house before you set off the fire alarm. You take a deep breath, resting your head against the cool metal rail, as you try to get your shit together. This needs to be perfect. Everything needs to be perfect. 

Your head snaps up, as someone’s voice calls your attention. “Hey Gordon Ramsey, I see cooking is going super well for you. A solid five Michelin Stars!” your sometimes favorite 15 year old teases from right next to you. 

“Not now, Ellie. I keep fucking up the recipe and Love gets off work in like 3 hours and nothing is ready,” you vent to the brunette, as you begin to pace the small pathway between apartments. 

She rolls her eyes at you, “Dude, chill out. You’re stressing out about this way too much.”

“I’m sorry, I just want everything to be perfect.”

“And that’s the problem,” she shows herself into your apartment. 

You scoff, rolling your eyes, “Sure Ellie, you can come in,” you say before mocking her voice. “Oh gee thanks Y/N. You’re the best.” 

You follow in after her, a fearful expression on her face as she looks at the steak you attempted to cook. The entire piece burnt to a crisp, she cuts into it, nibbling a tiny piece out of the corner. Her mouth immediately opens, dropping the tiny piece onto the dirty counter. “I didn’t think anyone could be this bad at cooking,” she admits, grabbing a glass of water to wash down the taste. “Like, I actually think you used sugar to season the steak and not salt.”

“Ellie, if you’re just gonna sit here and tell me how shit I am, you can just leave. I already know all of that,” you swing the front door open, gesturing for her to leave.

“Oh stop that ‘poor me’ bullshit,” she tells you, causing your eyebrows to furrow at her sudden tone. “This is why nothing is working out. You’re trying to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be perfect. For some odd reason that I don’t understand, Love is madly in love with you, and no amount of shit steak can change that. So shut the fuck up and just stop trying so hard!” 

Then it all clicks in your head. One of your first dates, she mentioned the simplicity, yet perfect bite of roasted chicken. Nothing too extravagant or special, but a dish that is strong with flavor, yet still feels like it's made by someone who cares. You snap your fingers together, “That’s it, Ellie! You’re a genius! C’mon, we gotta stop at the store!” 

“We?” 

You smile at her, a cockiness written all over it, “Yes we, you just got hired to be my sous chef,” you grabbed your keys, immediately ushering her out of the apartment, and to your car. 

“Oh fuck me,” she mumbled. 

Cooking for Love was supposed to be therapeutic, a way to ease her mind. Unfortunately, for the vegetables she’s cutting right now, it means that they’re receiving a brutal chop. Especially since you left her text message on read, asking what your plans were for tonight. 

A low whistle fills the kitchen as Forty walks in, eyeing his twin, “What did those poor poor celeries do to you?” She shot him a glare without another response, causing him to nod, “Don’t want to talk about it, got it. Let’s talk about something else then. What did Y/N get you for Valentine’s Day? I know she’s got her gift-giving science down to perfection. I told her multiple times to start a business doing that, I’d invest in it, she would make some serious money! I mean can you imagine all the lousy excuses for husbands going to her to buy a gift for their-” 

Forty was abruptly cut off when Love’s knife slammed down onto the metal counter. His eyes wide as he stared at his fuming sister, “It’s 8, I’m off now. I’ll see you later,” she responded in a monotone voice, storming out towards her car with one destination in mind. Your apartment. Whether you were home or not, she’ll let herself in and wait for her, so you could explain yourself to her. 

“God, I hate that you dragged me into this,” Ellie speaks up, through the soft music playing from your speaker. She wiped down the counter, as you set the table with cheesy decorations. 

You shrugged, smirking at her, “If I remember correctly, you butt in yourself. I think it was something about a five Michelin Star rating?” 

She was about to retort when your front door burst open and a seething Love stepped foot into your apartment. You and Ellie stood there wide eyed, not quite sure what happened to make the sometimes intimidating brunette mad. The two of you were bracing yourself for the burst of anger, but it never came. The girl’s frown slowly turned upward into a soft smile. 

“Surprise?” You said, smiling sheepishly at her. You interlock your fingers together, guiding her to her seat at the table. “I made some roasted chicken, and I know you could tell a lot about a chef by their roasted chicken. I just want to say, my roasted chicken will probably tell you I’m a shit chef. But uh, I tried to follow it exactly like you make it, with the potatoes and carrots and reduction, whatever that is. You’ve made it a few times, so I tried to copy from memory.”

Love smiled softly, as you pulled out her chair. “I was trying to make everything perfect, you know? I mean I even turned off my location to go to your favorite donut shop, but they were sold within like ten minutes of opening, and as soon as I got to the front of the line they were closing. So, that threw out the idea of surprising you at work. I almost set fire to my apartment a few times. But I think it turned out okay,” you drift over towards the kitchen, nervously rambling, as you pull out a small little plate of banana pancakes. “I know these aren’t super fancy pastries that you usually bake, but I remember you telling me that you and Forty would make these all the time when your mom was on this no sugar kick. You said it used to be your favorite breakfast and dessert when your were younger, so-” 

You’re immediately cut off when Love grabs the hem of your shirt, attaching her lips deeply onto yours. Your hands fly to the back of her neck, fingers lacing into her hair.

“I’m gonna throw up,” Ellie says, blowing her cheeks up to mock the vomit. The two of you back away from each other, chuckling. 

You let go of Love, walking over towards the kitchen to find a few small plastic containers. You start packing some food into the containers, before handing it to Ellie, “Thank you my sous chef. It was lovely working with you,” you chuckle as she rolls her eyes, trying to fight off a small smile on her face. “I packed enough for both you and Deliliah. Thank you again, really.” 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get all sappy on me, Chef Ramsey,” she takes the containers from you gratefully, as she bids a goodnight to Love. 

“I love you Ellie!” You exclaim before she leaves. She raises her middle finger towards you without another response. You turn back to Love with a wide smile, “That means she loves me.”

Love chuckles, shaking her head, at your goofy antics with the young girl. “Sure it does,” a fake pout crosses your face as you stand in front of her with your arms crossed. Her hands find your waist pulling you to sit in her lap, “It’s okay though because I love you. Very very much…this was really thoughtful of you Y/N, really.” 

You smile softly, kissing her gently, “I love you more,” you cut a piece of the chicken, giving her a piece with skin, potatoes, carrots, and dipped into the reduction. Just like how she would always tell you to eat it, “Here, try.” 

You watched in her anticipation, biting your bottom lip. Her eyes were neutral as she chewed on what she usually calls the perfect bite. 

“So?” You ask as she finishes chewing. 

The brisk Christmas wind flushed against your face, causing your nose to turn as red as Rudolph’s. You sat on the snow cladded ground, criss crossed, right in front of your dad’s headstone. Your thumb grazed over his name and you let out a shaky breath. 

“Hi Dad.” You whispered. You sat there in silence just staring at his headstone, when you heard boots crunch against the snow and you felt them sit down next to you. “You know, I haven’t been here since he died.” 

“I know, sweetie.” Your mom whispered. 

“How’d you know I’d be here?” 

She smiled at you sadly, gripping onto your hand, “Despite how much it annoyed me, whenever you needed someone to talk to or some advice you’d always go to your dad. Even though I was right there and he was never good with words,” she teased, causing a soft sniffled chuckle to fall from your lips. “So, I just thought that whatever made you run out of the house, like a mad man, meant you may have needed a little advice from your dad.” 

“I just wish he could talk back right now,” you told her, playing with the snow. “I wish he was here to tell me what to do. I wish he could tell me how to fix what I broke, how to get back the one person who has been there for me through everything.” 

“I think he’d tell you to fight, sweetheart. Dad would’ve done anything for me and you, he kept that promise to the very end, remember?” She asked and you nodded, your eyes stinging with tears. “He’d want you to do the same for Wanda.”

“I’m so sorry, Mom,” your voice cracked, as you picked the grass from off the ground. “I couldn’t come back here. First Dad died, and then everything between me and Wanda happened, and it all became too much. Everything here reminded me of everything I lost. And it was selfish of me,” you cried out, as your mom wrapped her arm around you, pulling you into her side. “I was so selfish. I didn’t realize how much it hurt you and everyone else when I never came back home. You lost me and Dad in the span of two years, all because I was too much of a coward to face what I had done. ” 

“Sweetie,” your mom squeezes you tighter, as your eyes lift up to look at her. Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “I forgive you, okay? Everyone forgives you. The stuff you went through, the blame you put onto yourself from your dad’s death to what happened with Wanda, the person you hurt the most was yourself. And you need to forgive yourself. It wasn’t your fault what happened to Dad. You made a mistake with Wanda, you realized that, and now you need to forgive yourself. That’s another thing Dad would tell you if he was here right now.”

You rub your tears off with your sweatshirt covered arms and you smell at her softly before nodding. The two of you sit there in a comfortable silence before a clearing of the throat interrupts it. The auburn haired girl smiled sadly. “Y/N, do you mind coming with me on a little drive? There’s something I want to show you.” You froze, thinking back to all the people at your house, waiting for you to come back for Christmas dinner. “Don’t worry about being a good host. After you left, Jarvis stormed out, and Pietro asked everyone if they wanted to go to the bar for a drink. Seemed like the party was over.” Nodding, you followed her, saying a quick goodbye to your mom. You’d follow her wherever she went.

The car ride is quiet, besides the sounds of music filling the car. You watch the snow fall gently from the sky. The minimal town lights allow the stars to shine brighter than they ever did back in New York. Only then do you truly realize how much you’ve missed this place. How beautiful this place truly is. You don’t know how you ever ran away from this place.

You were so enamored by the small town, you didn’t even realize the car had come to a stop and Wanda’s voice filled the empty silence. “This is a project I’m working on. It’s nearly finished, but I just thought I’d show you. It’s the one piece I’m truly proud of.” 

She exits the car and before you could follow her out, your passenger door swings open, as Wanda holds it open for you. You mumble a thank you to the beautiful girl, and follow her out of the car. You look out at the house in front of you and you are in awe of all its beauty. The front of the house has stone columns contrasting with dark wood elements. The porch littered with rocking chairs and small coffee tables between each one. 

You follow after Wanda, taking in the beautiful exterior of the house, as she puts a pin into the door to let the two of you in. Flicking on the lights, you felt like a kid in the candy shop. The white furniture and walls matched perfectly with the rustic look of the dark stained wood floors and decorations. Just when you couldn’t be more in love with the house, she guided you into the kitchen. A two tone kitchen with white marble countertops and backsplashes with beautiful green cabinets. 

For the first time since you visited the house, Wanda speaks up, “When I started fixing up this house, there was no inspiration. I just laid out some designs for the exterior and then the interior, I just followed my heart. I didn’t realize what I was building until I looked back at the kitchen and the cabinets were green. A two story house with a front porch to enjoy the snowy mornings, a kitchen with forest green cabinets, and a backyard big enough for our kids to play in.” 

“Our dream home,” you whisper, looking around the kitchen in awe. “Are you going to live here?” 

She shoved her hands into her gray coat, shaking her head. “You know, I’ve always wanted to get out here, Y/N. After I graduated, my dad got sick. I stayed here and took care of him with Pietro. Now that he’s gone, well, there’s no point in me staying anymore,” her enticing eyes, staring back at you, and for a second it seems like they’re pleading with you. They’re begging for you to ask her to stay. You drift your eyes downward, “I’m just waiting to hear back from this company in London.  Once I hear a yes, I’m out of here, it’s always been my dream, you know? And if I live here until I hear back, I don’t think I will ever leave.” 

“Where did you hear about the London company?” 

Wanda shrugs, digging her hands deeper into her coat. “Jarvis knows a few people out there and he put in a good word for me.” 

“Oh.” Her eyes are still pleading with you, begging you to say something. But this is her dream. Life already pulled a hold on her dream once. Maybe Jarvis is right. He’s her way out of here and who are you to put her dream on hold again? “I hope you get that job Wands. You deserve everything that this world has to offer.” Without another word, you kiss her forehead softly, lingering. And you walk out of the house and take the cool walk home.

The next few days go by in a blink of an eye as your trip slowly comes to an end. You didn’t go out often, only leaving the house to accompany Yelena, Kate, and Peter to Pietro’s bar every so often. You were stuck in the basement with your guitar in your hand, writing down words that you can’t say out loud. 

The New Year’s Eve ball was in full swing when the four of you arrived. An event where you have a notoriously bad track record and this year was no different. Jarvis was going to go through with his plan tonight and you weren’t going to stop. You were just gonna sit on the sideline. Wanda deserves the world, you knew that the moment you met her. You just tricked yourself into thinking that you could give it to her. 

Kate’s arms were interlocked with Yelena’s, the two of them looking absolutely stunning. Peter walked in step with you, a simple black and white suit hugging his body. And there you were in a Kate Bishop designed outfit. A white turtleneck underneath a lavender pantsuit. 

Scott ran over to you as soon as he saw you. “Oh my God. You look stunning!”

“All thanks to me!” Kate flipped her hair over her shoulder.

Scott lifted his hand giving her a high five. “Anyway, Y/N, we need a plan now,” your eyebrows furrowed, looking at him in anticipation. “Jarvis asked me to stop the music later tonight, so he can propose in front of the whole town to Wanda. What do you want me to do? I can mute his microphone and you’ll walk onto the stage and steal it from him, expressing your undying love for Wanda.” He suggests.

You shake your head, smiling at him sadly, “We’re not gonna do anything, Bud. Wanda deserves to be happy, even if it’s not with me.” 

“But she’s not happy with him, Y/N. She’s happy with you-” 

“We’re not going to ruin this for her. She had a proposal ruined for her six, no, now seven years ago at this very ball. Let’s not ruin another one for her.” You squeeze his shoulder, walking away from him, and towards the bar.

That’s where you spent most of the night, sitting and drinking your sorrows away. Occasionally, your friends would join you, trying to get you to go on the dance floor with them. Despite their best efforts, you stayed put, watching Wanda from afar as she wore a scarlet dress that hugged her body in all the right places. A bright smile lingered on her face as she danced around with all of your friends. She didn’t greet you or anything and maybe that was for the best. It would make watching this a whole lot easier.

“You’ve been staring at her all night. Are you going to make a move?” Daisy’s familiar voice rang throughout your ear, as you felt her presence sit on the barstool next to you. 

You look at the glass in your hands, shaking your head, “It’s nice to see you, Daisy. But no, that wouldn’t be fair to her, now would it? She’s with Jarvis now and you know, she’s happy with him. He could give her everything she wants in life. It would just be cruel.” 

“Jarvis can’t give her everything, Y/N. He can’t give her the one thing she really wants, you,” she says, nudging your shoulder. “And I will tell you right now, despite the materialistic things he’s offering her, nothing can compare to you. I know how you feel about her and I know how she feels about you. I don’t know why I thought I could get in the way of it back then.” She smiles sadly, looking down at her own glass. 

You’re about to respond when the music abruptly comes to an end. Jarvis’ tall figure climbs up onto the stage, as a single spotlight from the clock tower shined right upon him, “Wanda, darling? Where are you?” The crowd parts like the red sea to stare at Wanda. You stay frozen on the sideline, nursing your glass. The condensation of the glass dripping onto your hand, like the tears that were about to fall down your face. 

“Some people meet their best friends, fall in love, and never let them go, and I think that’s so cliche,” Jarvis’ eyes find yours in the crowd, glancing at you quickly, before looking back at Wanda. “We’re forgetting about a different type of love. The love that you meet later in your life, the one that is stable and allows the other to succeed in more ways deemed possible. Wanda Maximoff, you are my later in life.” 

His words echo in your head as Jarvis goes on and on about how he can provide for her, never once mentioning anything about how wonderful she is. You glance over at Peter, who’s already looking at you with a worried glance. 

“Fight for her Y/N. Do something.” His words linger in your mind, completely tuning Jarvis out. 

You spot Pietro’s platinum hair shining in the crowd, his knuckles white against the beer bottle that he was currently downing, as the speech went on. This isn’t what he wanted for his twin, this is the last thing he wanted. “I just hope she fights harder this time or someone else will.”

It’s not a wedding, but in your head you could practically hear the preacher say, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” 

You down the rest of your drink, abruptly getting up from your seat. Daisy’s brown eyes widen, staring at you wildly, bringing her voice down to a whisper, “Y/N, what are you doing?” Scott notices you walking towards the side of the stage with a determined look on your face. The alcohol in your system brings you all the courage you need. Without a second thought, he hands you a microphone. 

Jarvis’ microphone goes deathly silent. There’s a silence. This is your last chance. You step up on the stage with shaky hands, everyone in the crowd stares at you. 

“Don’t marry him, Wanda. Don’t even say yes,” you speak and you could feel the horrified looks from everyone in the town, but your focus was on the beautiful auburn haired girl who stole your heart when you were fourteen years old. “This last week has been one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I thought you would’ve killed me when you found out I was here, but I should’ve known. You’ve always been so good, Wands. So much better than me and anyone else in this town. My biggest regret seven years ago was walking away and never looking back. I walked away from the only place that I’ve ever called home, and I’m not talking about my house, or Westview, I’m talking about you. You are my home Wanda. I’m never going to walk away from you again.” 

You extend your hand up, gesturing for you to come up to the stage with you. Jarvis stands behind you with clenched fists. He’s staring daggers into Scott. All of your friends and your mom smile at you widely, as Wanda comes onto the stage with watery eyes. 

You take her hand in yours, smiling at her softly. “Some people meet their best friend, fall in love, and never let them go. My parents’ movie was cut short, your parent’s movie was cut short, and I’m not going to stand by and watch the love of my life create a crappy movie with a guy who does not deserve her. You and me, Wands, we’re going to be different. We’re going to create the greatest film that this town has ever seen. If you allow me the greatest honor and be yours, I will not leave you ever,” you pull a necklace from your pants suit pocket, the necklace she gave you all those years ago. You place it in her hands, “I swear.” 

“When I showed you the house I built I was hoping you’d ask me to stay with you, why didn’t you?” She asks. 

You shrug, “Your dream was to leave this town, I thought that Jarvis was your ticket out. And I didn’t want to get in the way of your dream,” she chuckles at you, shaking her head, “I know, I’m an idiot.” 

“Y/N, leaving Westview was my old dream,” her hands cup your cheeks, caressing them softly, as tears drip onto her cheeks. “That changed when I met you. You were my new dream. You’ve always been my new dream.” 

“Swear?” 

She lets out a wet chuckle with a wide smile on her face, “I swear.” All the while she doesn't take her eyes off your lips. She pulls you closer and you could feel her warm breath on your lips. At this point you were sure your heart had stopped. Her lips were warm and soft like her voice. The rest of the world seemed to fade away at that point, your hands wrapping around her waist pulling her unbelievably closer.

“Woo! Get it Y/L/N!” Yelena’s voice echoes throughout the shocked crowd. 

As the two of you pull away, the crowd roars. Wanda rests her forehead against yours, holding you close. You place your lips against her forehead, “You took Taylor Swift’s Speak Now literally.” She teased, her smile never leaving her face.

You shook your head, “It’s our favorite album for a reason,” you wink at her. The crowd gets even louder as Scott and Pietro start chanting your guys’ names. Suddenly, you dip Wanda, and you didn’t think your smile could get even wider as you heard her beautiful giggles fall from her lips. “I love you.” 

“I love you,” she whispers and you press your lips onto hers. Drowning out the crowd and focusing on the girl in your arms.