The Quinjet doors slid open with a soft hiss as the Avengers filed into the compoundâs hangar. Everyone was talking quietlyâplanning, strategizing, worrying.
But you werenât listening.
Your eyes were fixed on her.
Wanda stood beside Vision, her red coat brushing against his arm as they talked softly. She smiled at something he said. That same smile that once belonged to you during late-night movie marathons and stolen kitchen snacks.
You forced a small smile and looked away.
Because loving your best friend was easy.
Watching her love someone else⌠wasnât.
âCome on, detka, one more game!â you laughed, grabbing Wandaâs wrist and pulling her back toward the couch.
Wanda collapsed beside you, breathless from laughing.
âYou cheat,â she accused, pointing at the controller.
You leaned closer with a teasing grin. âOnly because I want to beat you.â
Her green eyes sparkled as she nudged your shoulder.
âYou are impossible.â
Natasha, leaning against the kitchen counter, smirked.
âJust kiss already. This flirting is exhausting.â
Both you and Wanda froze.
Your face turned red immediately.
Wanda chuckled nervously. âNatasha.â
And neither of you said what you really felt.
Vision appeared more often.
âWanna watch a movie tonight?â you asked one evening.
Wanda glanced up from her phone.
âOh⌠I promised Vision weâd go over some data with Bruce.â
âRight,â you said quietly.
âI canât tonight. Maybe tomorrow?â
The team gathered around the table.
But Wanda wasnât listening.
You sat between Natasha and Bucky, shoulders slumped, staring blankly at the table.
Your hand rested loosely in Natashaâs grasp.
Buckyâs fingers squeezed your other hand comfortingly.
Wandaâs chest tightened.
Like the light she loved in you had dimmed.
âY/Nâare you okay bub?â
Her words died in her throat.
You walked down the hallway with Natasha and Bucky.
Natasha sighed. âYouâve said that for three months.â
âDoll, you look like you havenât slept in a week.â
âI just⌠I thought if I waited long enough maybe the feeling would go away.â
Natashaâs voice softened.
âHow long have you loved her?â
âSince the day she arrived at the compound.â
Behind the corner of the hallwayâ
Your voice cracked slightly.
âI knew she liked Vision. I just thought⌠maybe if I stayed close enoughâŚâ
Bucky squeezed your shoulder.
âYou deserve someone who looks at you like youâre their whole world.â
âAnd Wanda clearly doesnât see what she has.â
âIâm trying to move on. Thatâs why I stopped⌠bothering her.â
Wanda felt like the air had been ripped from her lungs.
And she hadnât seen it.
Hadnât realized the way your eyes softened when you looked at her.
Hadnât noticed the way you always stayed up late when she had nightmares.
Hadnât understood why you always chose her in every mission pairing.
Her heart pounded painfully.
Because the person she missed laughing withâŚ
The person she missed huggingâŚ
The person whose absence made her chest acheâŚ
The Night Before the Mission
The Infinity Stones had to be retrieved.
You sat quietly on your bed.
A small letter rested in your hands.
You stared at it for a long time.
Then you placed it carefully on Wandaâs bedside table.
If youâre reading this⌠it means I didnât come back.
You were the best thing that ever happened to me.
Loving you was never a burden. Even if you never loved me back.
You made my life brighter just by existing.
And please⌠keep smiling.
Before leaving the compound, you stood outside alone.
Your phone trembled slightly in your hand.
âI guess youâre busy preparing.â
âI just wanted to say something I shouldâve said a long time ago.â
The wind howled across the cliffs.
Natashaâs boots crunched against the stone.
âThis place gives me a bad feeling.â
You stared out over the endless drop.
The Red Skullâs voice echoed behind you.
âTo obtain the Soul Stone⌠one must lose that which they love.â
Natashaâs eyes widened.
You understood instantly.
But a strange calm settled over you.
Natasha shook her head violently.
âNo. No, weâll figure something else out.â
âThere isnât anything else.â
She grabbed your shoulders.
âWeâll find another way!â
âYou think Iâm letting you die?!â
You cupped her face gently.
âWanda loves you too much to lose you.â
Natashaâs breath hitched.
You shook your head softly.
âNo, she loves Vision.â
âThatâs not what I see.â
Natashaâs grip tightened.
Your voice trembled slightly.
âTell her⌠I meant it.â
Natasha realized what you were about to do.
The wind whipped around you.
âThank you for being my family Natty.â
Natasha lunged forwardâ
But you were already falling.
Her scream tore through the sky.
Blue light filled the room as the team returned.
Wanda rushed forward immediately.
Her eyes searched the group.
Natasha stood in the center of the room.
âNat⌠whereâs Y/N?â
Tears slid down her cheeks.
âShe sacrificed herself.â
âFor the Soul Stone.â
Wanda staggered backward.
âNo, she wouldnâtâshe wouldn't...â
Natasha pulled the letter from her pocket.
âShe left this for you.â
Wandaâs hands trembled violently as she opened it.
Then collapsed to her knees.
A broken sob escaped her chest.
âI was going to tell herâŚâ
âI was going to tell her I love her. That she's my only one.â
Your room still smelled like you.
She held your phone in shaking hands.
And played the voicemail.
Your voice filled the room.
Tears streamed down her face.
âI just wanted to say something I shouldâve said a long time ago.â
Her chest tightened painfully.
Wanda pressed the phone to her chest.
A sob ripped from her throat.
âI love you too, so so much.â she whispered into the empty room.
And the words had come too late.
The battlefield was chaos.
Smoke curled into the sky.
Explosions echoed across the ruined earth outside the compound.
But Wanda Maximoff barely noticed any of it.
Because all she could seeâŚ
The man standing in the middle of the battlefield holding a blade bigger than most men.
The man responsible for half the universe dying.
The man responsible for you never coming back.
The Avengers stood together as Bruce snapped his fingers with the gauntlet.
Energy surged through the room.
Everyone held their breath.
Bruce collapsed with a scream.
Natasha gripped Wandaâs arm tightly.
âTheyâre back,â she whispered hoarsely.
But Wanda wasnât smiling.
Her eyes slowly scanned the room.
Everyone who had been dustedâŚ
Your seat in the room remained empty.
Your room upstairs remained silent.
Your laugh never echoed through the halls again.
Wanda felt the hole in her chest tear wider.
Natashaâs voice cracked.
âShe gave her life for the Soul Stone⌠they canât bring her back Wanda.â
Because something inside her had already broken.
Sirens screamed through the compound.
Missiles tore the building apart.
The Avengers rushed into the battlefield.
Wanda walked slowly behind them.
Her red energy crackled violently around her fingers.
She wasnât here to save the world.
The Titan stood tall, confident.
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
Scarlet energy exploded across the field.
Thanos turned just in time to see Wanda floating above the ground.
Her hair whipped violently in the wind.
Her eyes glowed red with fury.
âYou took everything from me.â
Thanos studied her calmly.
âI donât even know who you are.â
Wandaâs voice dropped to a whisper filled with pure rage.
The ground beneath Thanos cracked as invisible force slammed him backward.
He crashed through rubble.
Each step shaking the ground.
She lifted him effortlessly into the air with her magic.
His armor groaned under the pressure.
âAnd because of youâŚâ
She had never heard Wanda say your name like that.
Like it was carved into her soul.
Thanos struggled against the magic.
âYou are not the only one cursed with loss.â
Red energy exploded outward.
âI DIDNâT EVEN GET TO TELL HER THAT I LOVED HER!â
Her magic crushed Thanos against invisible walls.
The battlefield fell silent as everyone watched.
Even the Titanâs army hesitated.
Wandaâs tears streamed down her face.
âShe died thinking I loved someone else.â
Her voice shook violently.
âShe died thinking she wasnât enough.â
âAnd now Iâll never fix that.â
âYou would destroy yourself for one life?â
Wandaâs eyes burned with grief.
Blood dripped from Thanosâs mouth.
The Mad Titan looked afraid.
âIâve never seen her like thisâŚâ
Natasha whispered beside them.
âThatâs heartbreak.â
Wanda slowly descended until she stood face to face with the Titan suspended in the air.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
âShe loved me⌠for years.â
âAnd I never saw it.â
But Wanda closed her fist.
A deafening crack echoed across the battlefield.
Scarlet energy ripped through his body.
And in one violent explosionâ
The battlefield went silent.
Wanda collapsed to her knees.
Her shoulders shook with silent sobs.
Natasha ran to her immediately, wrapping her arms around her.
âItâs over, it's okay Wanda.â Nat whispered.
But Wanda shook her head weakly.
Her voice broke completely.
She looked toward the sky.
Toward the place you had fallen.
âIâd trade everything to bring her back.â
Her whisper was barely audible.
âIâd trade the whole universe.â
Natasha held her tighter as Wanda cried into her shoulder.
Because everyone had come back.
Everyone had another chance.
And the love Wanda realized too late.
The Avengers compound was quiet for the first time in weeks.
Because someone was missing.
Wanda sat curled on the couch, staring blankly at the floor.
Thor leaned against the wall with a drink he hadnât touched.
Bucky sat in the armchair, elbows on his knees.
The silence had become normal now.
Because every conversation somehow circled back to the same thing.
She wouldâve loved this peace.â
Nat looked at her gently.
âI know what you meant.â
Wandaâs voice was tired.
âShe should be here.â
Her fingers twisted together.
âShe should be sitting right there making fun of Thor.â
âShe did enjoy that.â
Bucky gave a faint smile.
âShe called me âgrumpy grandpa.ââ
Wandaâs lips twitched for half a second.
Then the sadness returned.
âI was going to tell her.â
The room fell silent again.
Steve Rogers stood at the edge of the cliff, holding the Soul Stone.
The wind howled across the rocks.
Red Skull stood nearby, silent as always.
Steve looked down at the glowing stone in his palm.
âFunny thing,â he muttered.
âYou ask people to make sacrifices.â
He stared out at the endless drop where you had fallen.
âBut sometimes⌠you get the chance to fix one.â
Red Skullâs hollow voice echoed.
âThe stone cannot undo what has been paid.â
âBut Iâm returning it.â
The stone glowed brighter.
âAnd I want the soul that paid for it to come home with me.â
Then a bright flash of orange light exploded across the cliff.
Someone was lying on the ground a few feet away.
You slowly sat up, rubbing your head.
âDid I hit every rock on the way down orââ
You froze when you saw him.
He crossed his arms casually.
âWelcome back, kiddo.â
Steve tossed the Soul Stone lightly in his hand.
Relief flooded your face.
âAnd youâre coming home.â
The front door opened quietly.
Sam, Clint, Bruce, and the others were standing in the hallway when Steve walked in.
But they froze immediately.
Because someone was walking beside him.
Steve lifted a finger to his lips.
Clint slapped a hand over his mouth.
âThatâs impossible.â
âTell that to the magic rock.â
Sam pointed toward the living room.
âSheâs been in there all day.â
ââŚand I told the rabbit that if he touches my hammer againââ
Then Steveâs voice echoed from behind them.
âYouâre back already?â
Then he leaned casually against the doorway.
She didnât turn around.
âIâm not in the mood for pep talks, Steve.â
Because a voice spoke from behind him.
A voice she knew better than her own heartbeat.
âI didnât know you missed me that much.â
The room went completely silent.
âI guess Iâll just leave again.â
Her entire body went rigid.
Her voice barely came out.
She launched off the couch.
Before you could even reactâ
Your head snapped sideways as her hand hit your cheek.
She grabbed your face immediately.
Her hands shaking violently.
Her eyes were full of tears.
âYou idiotâyou fucking idiotâ
Like sheâd been drowning for months and you were air.
Your brain completely short-circuited.
When she finally pulled backâ
Wanda grabbed your shirt, pulling you closer as she started yelling through tears.
âWHY DID YOU DO THAT?!â
âWHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?!â
Tears streamed down her face.
âYou thought I wouldnât care?!â
Her hands were gripping you so tightly you could barely breathe.
âYou thought Iâd just MOVE ON?!â
Her voice broke completely.
âI loved you and you just⌠justâŚâ
She buried her face against your chest.
Your arms slowly wrapped around her.
She hit your chest weakly.
âI killed Thanos for YOU.â
Natasha coughed awkwardly from the couch.
Wanda pulled back, still holding your shirt.
âYou donât get to leave me again.â
You raised your hands in surrender.
Her voice softened slightly.
You looked into her green eyes.
She stared at you for another second.
Then pulled you into another kiss.
Thor leaned toward Bucky.
ââŚShould we leave?â
âThey owe us the show after months of misery.â
Steve smiled, muttering quietly from the doorway.
The living room of the compound felt warmer than it had in months.
For the first time since the battle⌠Wanda was smiling.
Not a small, polite smile.
She was practically glued to you on the couch, curled against your side with her legs thrown over yours and her head tucked under your chin. One of your arms rested around her waist while the other lazily played with strands of her hair.
Thor sat across from you, watching with a pleased grin.
âIt is good to see the witch happy again,â he said, lifting his drink.
Bucky nodded from the armchair.
âWas getting tired of the death stares.â
Wanda groaned softly into your chest.
âI did not death stare.â
Natasha snorted from the counter.
âYou absolutely did.â
You chuckled quietly, rubbing Wandaâs back.
âShe looked at me like that once when I ate the last slice of pizza.â
Wanda lifted her head immediately.
âYou did eat the last slice.â
Before you could say anything else, Wanda suddenly grabbed your face with both hands and pulled you into a kiss.
Your words died instantly as she kissed you like she had been waiting months to do it.
Natasha grinned like a menace.
âDonât mind me,â she said casually, pulling out her phone.
Pictures were taken rapidly.
You pulled back slightly, laughing breathlessly.
âHistorical documentation,â she said.
Wanda ignored all of them, turning her attention right back to you. She leaned in again, kissing you slower this time before moving down to press soft kisses along your jaw.
Your hands tightened slightly around her waist.
She hummed against your skin, clearly not listening.
Then she reached your neck.
And started leaving small kisses there too.
You felt your face heat up immediately.
Across the room Thor looked absolutely delighted.
Bucky leaned toward Natasha.
âShould we stop this?â
Wanda pulled back just enough to whisper against your ear.
âLetâs go upstairs.â
Your brain short-circuited slightly.
She stood up, grabbing your hand immediately and pulling you off the couch.
Natasha called after you.
âDonât break anything!â
Wanda didnât even look back.
The second the door closed behind youâ
You barely had time to turn around before she gently pushed you back against the door, her hands grabbing the front of your shirt.
âHi,â you said softly.
She just kissed you again.
Like she was making up for every second she had missed you.
Your hands slid around her waist, pulling her closer as the kiss continued.
Neither of you keeping track of time.
Eventually you both pulled back, slightly breathless.
âYou know everyone downstairs is probably losing their minds.â
Then she leaned in again.
You kissed her once more before gently guiding her toward the bed.
She fell back onto the mattress with a quiet laugh as you followed, pressing a few soft kisses against her lips.
After a moment, the intensity faded into something softer.
You lay down beside her, pulling the blanket over both of you.
Wanda immediately curled into your chest again, her arm wrapping around you like she was afraid you might disappear.
Your fingers brushed through her hair.
âYouâre really here.â
Her hand rested over your heart.
âI thought I lost you forever.â
You kissed her forehead gently.
She relaxed against you, eyes finally closing.
The tension sheâd carried for months finally gone.
Downstairs the Avengers were still talking.
Natasha was definitely showing the photos.
Wanda snuggled closer, her voice sleepy.
You held her a little tighter.
âI love you too my love.â
