#wanda vision

Chapter Six: The Girl The Universe Rejected

chapter five here

tags: @lmaximoffx @toe19

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The compound was supposed to be calm. Instead, every clock had stopped. Tony noticed first.

“…okay that’s definitely not normal.”

Every digital clock. Every wall clock. Even the timer on the coffee machine. All frozen. At the exact same second.

Bruce slowly looked up from his tablet. “That’s… not mechanical failure.”

Strange’s eyes moved between Wanda and me. Then down to our hands. Still intertwined. Red and blue energy swirled softly around our fingers like living light.

“…separate,” he said calmly.

Wanda didn’t move.

Strange sighed slightly. “Maximoff, please.”

Her eyes narrowed. “No.”

Tony leaned back in his chair. “Oh boy.”

Strange clasped his hands behind his back.“You are currently amplifying a temporal anomaly.”

“She has a name,” Wanda snapped.

I awkwardly raised a finger. “…technically he’s not wrong.”

Wanda shot me a look. “Not helping.”

Natasha smirked quietly from the wall.

Strange spoke again. “Y/N’s resurrection violated two cosmic constants.”

He raised one finger. “The Soul Stone.” A second finger. “And the timeline.”

Bruce looked up. “…that’s bad.”

Clint leaned back in his chair. “How bad?”

Strange answered simply. “The universe does not allow debts like that to remain unpaid.”

Silence filled the room. I shifted uncomfortably.

“So the universe is what…trying to kill me again?”

Strange nodded. “Yes.”

Tony pointed toward the ceiling. “Well that seems extremely rude.”

Steve crossed his arms. “We’ve fought the universe before.”

Strange gave him a look. “You fought aliens. This is reality itself correcting an error.”

My stomach sank.

Wanda’s grip tightened around my hand. “She’s not an error.”

Strange studied her carefully. “…you brought her back.”

Wanda didn’t deny it. “She died loving me.” Her voice softened slightly. “I refuse to let that be the end; You or the universe won't take her from me again.”

Strange sighed. “That is exactly the kind of emotional reasoning that destabilizes reality.”

Tony whispered to Bruce. “I think I like him.”

Bruce nodded slightly. “He’s very direct.”

Suddenly— Pain stabbed through my head again. My vision blurred, And the world vanished.

⸻

Wind roared. The red sky stretched endlessly above me. I was falling. Again. My heart slammed into my ribs. The cliff of Vormir spinning above. The moment repeating. Over. And over. And over.

⸻

“Y/N!”

The compound snapped back. I collapsed forward slightly. Wanda caught me instantly. Her arms wrapped around me before I even hit the ground. “Hey hey hey—” Her voice was soft but urgent. “Stay with me.”

My breathing was uneven. “It keeps happening,” I whispered.

Natasha stepped closer. “The fall?”

I nodded weakly.

Strange crouched slightly near us. “Temporal echo.”

Bruce looked curious despite the situation.“Meaning?”

Strange explained calmly. “Part of her still exists at the moment of sacrifice.”

Tony blinked. “So she’s both alive and… still dying.”

Strange nodded. “Correct.”

Clint grimaced. “That sounds unpleasant.”

“It is,” I muttered.

Wanda gently pushed my hair back from my face. Her touch was warm. Grounding. “You’re here,” she whispered. “Focus on me.”

I looked up at her. Green eyes. Red magic flickering softly. My chest eased slightly.

Strange watched the interaction carefully. “…fascinating.”

Natasha glanced at him. “You say that a lot.”

“The Mind Stone connection is stabilizing her.”

Everyone turned to Wanda.

Strange continued. “You are acting as an anchor.”

Wanda blinked. “…an anchor?”

“Yes.” He gestured toward us. “Your emotional and cosmic connection is preventing the timeline from collapsing her existence.”

Tony rubbed his temples. “So love is literally holding reality together.”

Strange shrugged slightly. “In this case, yes.”

Tony looked at me. “…well that’s inconveniently poetic.”

My face was turning red again.

Which Natasha immediately noticed. “Oh look,” she said dryly. “She’s blushing again.”

“Nat.”

“What?”

Wanda glanced down at me. Then smirked faintly. Blue energy flickered slightly around my hands again.

Strange noticed instantly. “Careful.”

Too late. The energy surged. The room exploded with light. Red and blue spiraled outward together. Everyone braced themselves— Then suddenly— Everything stopped. Outside the windows…Birds froze mid-flight. Cars on the distant highway stopped. The clouds themselves stood still in the sky.

Tony slowly looked around. “…did they just freeze the planet?”

Strange stepped toward the window. Studying the frozen world carefully. “…not exactly.” He turned back toward us. “They froze time.”

Wanda looked around in shock. “I didn’t mean to—”

I stared at my glowing hands. “…me neither.”

The blue energy slowly faded. Time snapped back into motion. Birds flew again. Cars moved. Wind returned.

Tony clapped slowly. “Okay. That’s officially the most terrifying couple power-up I’ve ever seen.”

My brain short-circuited. “Couple—?”

Natasha laughed. Wanda looked suspiciously pleased.

Strange, however, looked deeply concerned. He folded his arms. “If the universe notices that again…”

Steve frowned. “What happens?”

Strange answered quietly. “Something will come to correct it.”

Clint raised an eyebrow. “…like what.”

Strange looked directly at me. “Something powerful enough to erase a time anomaly.”

The room went silent again.

Then Tony sighed. “Great. Because fighting robots and aliens wasn’t stressful enough.”

Wanda squeezed my hand again. Firm. Protective. “You’re not going anywhere,” she said softly.

My heart skipped. Because there was no hesitation in her voice anymore. None.

Strange watched us carefully. Then said quietly— “…for now.”

Outside the compound— A faint ripple moved through the sky. Like reality itself had just noticed something was wrong.

CHAPTER SIX: KITCHEN, AGAIN

chapter five here

She said it like it was already decided. Like it was just another part of the house now. I followed her the rest of the way down the stairs. The kitchen looked exactly the same as it had earlier that morning. Sunlight through the windows. The quiet hum of the refrigerator. Wanda walked straight to the counter and opened the fridge.

“Let’s see what we’re working with.” She leaned slightly into the refrigerator, scanning the shelves. “Your mom keeps this thing stocked.”

“Yeah.”

Wanda pulled out a container of sliced turkey and set it on the counter. Then cheese, then a bag of lettuce.

“Well,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at me. “Looks like sandwiches.”

“Works for me.”

Wanda smiled. “Good.” She pushed the bread toward me. “You can start with that.”

I stepped up beside her at the counter. The loaf opened with a soft rustle as I pulled out two slices. Wanda moved easily around the kitchen like she already knew where everything was. She grabbed a knife, mustard from the fridge door, tomatoes from the drawer.

“You’re quiet again,” she said casually while slicing a tomato.

“I’m concentrating.”

“On bread?”

“Yes.”

Wanda laughed softly. “Sweetheart,” She nudged my elbow gently. “You’re allowed to relax.”

I spread mustard across the bread carefully. Wanda watched for a moment. Then she placed a slice of tomato on the sandwich. “Team effort,” she said.

Our shoulders brushed as we worked. The contact stayed for a second longer this time. Neither of us moved right away.

Wanda’s voice softened slightly. “You always cook for yourself when your parents are busy?”

“Sometimes.”

“You eat well?”

“Usually.”

Wanda hummed thoughtfully. “Well that’s about to improve.”

I glanced at her. “What?”

She added another slice of turkey to the sandwich. “Because I like cooking.” Her eyes flicked toward me again. “And I like taking care of people.”

The words were simple. But the way she said them made something settle warmly in my chest again.

Wanda slid the finished sandwich toward me. “There.”

I picked it up. “Thanks.”

She leaned her hip lightly against the counter again, watching me take the first bite. “Well?” she asked.

I swallowed. “It’s good.”

Wanda smiled. “Of course it is.”

She took a bite of her own sandwich. Then pointed the edge of it at me slightly. “You know something though?”

“What?”

Her eyes sparkled again. “You’re still blushing.”

I groaned quietly and rubbed my forehead. “Can you stop tracking that?”

Wanda laughed softly, settling onto the stool on the other side of the kitchen counter. “No.” She took another bite of her sandwich. “I find it very informative.”

I leaned against the counter across from her, chewing slowly. “How is that informative?”

Wanda rested her chin lightly in her hand. “Because,” she said thoughtfully, “it tells me when I’ve said something that makes you nervous.”

“That’s not helpful.”

“It is to me.”

I shook my head. Wanda smiled at the reaction. The afternoon sunlight coming through the window lit the side of her face, catching the thin necklace resting against her collarbone—the one I had just helped clasp upstairs. Her fingers touched it absently for a second. Then her gaze returned to me again.

“You’re very easy to read,” she added.

“That’s not good for someone studying business.” I retort.

Wanda chuckled. “Oh honey, in business that’s probably true.” She leaned forward slightly on the counter. “But here? I don’t mind knowing how you feel.”

My sandwich paused halfway to my mouth. Wanda noticed immediately. Her smile turned gentle again. “Relax,” she said softly. “You look like you’re about to apologize again.”

“…maybe.”

Wanda shook her head slowly. “No apologies today.” Her hand reached across the counter.

Before I could react, her fingers brushed a crumb from the front of my shirt. The contact was quick. “There,” she said.

I glanced down. “I could’ve gotten that.”

“Probably.”

Her hand rested on the counter between us for a moment longer before pulling back. “But then I wouldn’t have had an excuse.”

I blinked. Wanda’s smile widened just slightly. She leaned back in her chair again. “See?” she said. “You’re doing that thinking face again.”

I sighed. “You’re making this hard.”

Wanda tilted her head. “Making what hard?”

“Being normal.”

Wanda laughed quietly. “Oh honey.” She stood up from the stool and walked around the counter toward me.

My pulse immediately picked up. She stopped right beside me. Close, again. Her hand came up again, resting lightly on my shoulder. “You are being normal,” she said softly. Her thumb brushed the seam of my hoodie. “This is just what it looks like when someone has a crush.”

My face warmed again. Wanda squeezed my shoulder gently. Then she leaned down just slightly so we were at eye level. Her voice lowered. “And I told you already.” Her green eyes held mine steadily. “I don’t mind.”

Her hand was still resting on my shoulder. Her thumb moved slowly back and forth across the fabric of my hoodie. I didn’t know where to look. So I looked at her. Her smile softened. “There you go,” she said quietly.

“What?”

“You’re actually looking at me.”

I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand. “Trying.”

Wanda chuckled softly. “Good.”

She didn’t move away. If anything, she settled more comfortably beside me. Her hip leaned lightly against the counter next to mine.

“You know,” she said after a moment.

My stomach flipped slightly. “Yeah?”

“I think you spent years trying not to be obvious about liking me.”

I exhaled slowly. “…yeah.”

Wanda nodded like that answer made perfect sense. “That must’ve been exhausting.”

“It wasn’t that bad.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

I shrugged. “I got used to it.”

Wanda studied my face again. The quiet returned for a moment. Then she said softly,“You don’t have to hide it anymore.”

The words landed gently. I looked at her again. Wanda’s expression stayed warm. Encouraging. Her hand slid slowly down my shoulder to my upper arm. A reassuring squeeze. “Nothing scary happened when you told me,” she continued.

I huffed quietly. “That’s because you figured it out first.”

Wanda laughed. “True.” She leaned slightly closer again. “Very observant of me.” My shoulder brushed hers again. Wanda’s voice softened again. “You’re sweet, Sam.”

The way she said my name made my chest tighten slightly. Her fingers squeezed my arm again. Then she glanced toward the window. “Beautiful day outside.”

I followed her gaze; The backyard sat bright and quiet beyond the glass.

She looked back at me again. “You ever sit out on that porch swing?”

“Sometimes.”

Wanda smiled. “Well.” Her hand slid from my arm, Then she reached down and gently tugged the sleeve of my hoodie. “Come on.”

I blinked. “Where?”

“Porch.” Her eyes sparkled slightly. “If we’re going to be roommates, we should probably learn how to relax together too.” Her fingers were still lightly holding the sleeve of my hoodie. I nodded once. “Okay.”

Wanda smiled and let go, turning toward the back door. The screen door creaked softly when she pushed it open. Warm afternoon air drifted inside immediately, carrying the faint smell of cut grass and sun-warmed wood. I followed her out onto the back porch. The wooden boards beneath our feet gave a soft creak as we stepped out. The backyard stretched wide and quiet beyond the railing.

Green grass. A few scattered oak trees. The porch swing hung from two thick chains near the far end of the porch ceiling. Wanda walked straight toward it.

“Well this looks comfortable,” she said. She sat down first, the swing shifting slightly under her weight. The chains gave a soft metallic creak. Then she looked up at me. “You coming, sweetheart?”

My stomach flipped again and I sat down beside her. The swing dipped slightly again as my weight settled beside hers. For a moment neither of us moved. The backyard was mostly quiet. A small breeze stirred the leaves in the trees. Wanda rested one arm along the back of the swing. Her shoulder brushed lightly against mine. Then she pushed her foot against the porch floor. The swing began moving slowly.

Back. Forward. Back again.

The gentle motion made the chains creak softly above us. Wanda sighed quietly. “This is nice.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it is.”

She glanced sideways at me. “You do this often?”

“Sometimes when I’m studying.”

Wanda hummed thoughtfully. “That’s actually a great idea.”

The swing rocked again. Her arm shifted slightly along the backrest behind me.

“You’ve got a peaceful place here,” she said softly.

“My parents like quiet neighborhoods.”

Wanda smiled faintly. “Smart people.”

The swing slowed slightly before she pushed it again with her foot. Then her eyes drifted toward me again. Her green gaze studying my face in the sunlight. “You seem calmer out here,” she said.

“Maybe.”

Wanda chuckled. “Maybe?”

I shrugged. “It’s easier to breathe outside.”

Wanda nodded slowly. “I get that.”

Her hand lifted then; Before I could react, her fingers brushed lightly across my cheek again. The same gentle motion she’d used earlier in the kitchen. Like she's checking the warmth in my skin. Her smile returned instantly. “Well,” she murmured. “Still blushing. I like this look on you.” Her fingers lingered against my cheek for just a moment longer before lowering again.

The swing rocked softly beneath us. Back. Forward. The chains creaked above our heads in a slow rhythm.

I rubbed my face with one hand. “I feel like that’s going to be a recurring topic.”

Wanda laughed quietly. “Oh it absolutely is.”

Her arm settled again along the back of the swing; This time her fingers brushed lightly against the top of my shoulder. “You’re very expressive,” she added.

“That’s not what people usually say about me.”

Wanda tilted her head. “No?”

“No.”

“Well,” she said thoughtfully. “They probably haven’t watched you around someone you like.”

The swing moved forward again. Then back. The breeze stirred a few strands of her hair. Wanda watched me quietly for a moment. Then she nudged my shoulder gently with hers. “You’re doing better though.”

“How?”

“You’re not staring at the floor.”

I glanced down at the porch boards.

Wanda laughed again. “Well you were doing better.”

I shook my head slightly. “This is a lot.”

Wanda’s tone softened immediately. “I know.” Her hand moved slightly along my shoulder. A reassuring squeeze. “I’m not trying to overwhelm you.”

“I know.”

She studied my face again. “You’ve been very respectful about your feelings.” Her thumb brushed lightly against my shoulder through the hoodie. “I know that I mentioned it already but that means something to me.”

The words settled quietly between us. The swing continued its slow motion. Back. Forward. Wanda looked out across the backyard for a moment. Then her gaze returned to me again. “You wanna know something though?”

“What?”

Her smile turned slightly playful again. “I think you’re starting to relax.”

“…a little.”

Wanda nodded approvingly. “Good.”

Her hand slid down from my shoulder to my upper arm. A warm, gentle squeeze. “Because we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.”

My chest tightened slightly. Wanda noticed the reaction immediately. Her eyes softened again.“And that’s not a bad thing,” she added quietly. The swing rocked forward again. Her arm still resting comfortably behind me. Her voice warm and certain as she spoke. “Not for me, anyway.”

And for a second—just a second—the warmth in my chest spread outward like it didn’t know where to stop. Like something melting me from the inside out.