——

Your little sister always wanted to keep you included, because she loved having you around, and well, you made her feel safe. Instead of saying this, she'd get you to go by telling you that staying home with your books and studies made you too boring like Natasha and she couldn't stand to have another her.

You knew, without a shadow of doubt, that Yelena would not approve of this date, she is a fan of vetting your potential suitors—all one of them that you've had, and she's good at the job. She expressly warned you just how bad news that devilish woman was. You brushed her off though, and by the following weekend you were ugly sobbing over a pint of ice cream with your sisters. Natasha held you, and Yelena held a smug grin until the redhead swatted it away.

Doubling down, the blonde had sworn you off from her Rugby teammates, she knew how they got down, and she'd warned you of their severe inability to commit to a game plan most days, let alone to another human being. So trusting the woman tonight was a gamble, you'd always been told that that was what love was. It was meant to, hypothetically, be well worth the risk. Your mother Melina's lengthy divorce an example of the potential fallout, but even with the odds stacked against you, you're gonna try.

Which is probably why you don't gamble much.

Then there's the problem of Wanda Maximoff, the woman that makes your heart beat wildly in your chest. Like now, just the thought of her gets you excited beyond words, but you've got no right to feel this way, she wasn't yours. At least not the way you want, you were merely friends with exponential benefits, like sex. 

You trust her wholly, you've known her since middle school, she was Nat's best friend, so the unwelcome feelings of love sadly made sense.

You'd always been just as close as you were all in the same grade, but where their relationship was a strong platonic field of friendship that was oh so easy to navigate, the two of yours was more like a shakily crafted dance, there was an obvious mutual attraction, but it was usually disregarded for the sake of peace. Nat was fiercely protective of you along with Lena, and truth be told so was Wanda, you were too nice, so they always had to look out for you.

It was exactly why when you set off for college, instead of the military like Natasha, that you'd ended up with the woman as a dorm mate. Nat had pleaded with the school to make it happen, and though Wanda was nonchalant about the whole making it happen part, she was ecstatic when move in day came. After the first set of frat parties you'd all attended there was a shift between the two of you, it was as if with your minds clouded that invisible barrier fell away.

The following morning came with headaches, and before you could express how happy you were that this finally happened Wanda spoke up first, and made you grateful you never did.

It was well known to you that she enjoyed her freedom, and that included being able to sleep with whomever, whenever she pleased. You also knew that no one else got to cuddle her afterwards, so you took that as a win, she clearly loved you, she just didn't know how to.

She came from a broken family too, her father died when she was younger, and her mother eventually remarried an asshole for his surplus of money, she couldn't fathom finding love if it was so easily lost, and the way her mother tried to replace her dad left a bitterness in her heart.

So for a little over two years now the two of you've been sleeping together casually, well as casual as two people can be when ignoring the glaring truth. The feelings you have for her continue to grow by the day, but you expertly keep them locked away in a vault located beneath your heart. Ignorance is bliss right?

Most importantly though, neither of your sisters know about the sex. They loved Wanda, but they loved you a hell of a lot more. You knew if your sisters figured it out the whole thing would come crashing down, and you couldn't risk that. You'll take Wanda in whatever way she presents herself to you.

The only problem you face here though is the brunette's jealousy, she tries to mask it when she sees you swiping on apps, but you see it. Every time without fail she'd find a way to wave off the people on the app, "They're too ugly for a pretty girl like you Y/N," or "I know them, trust me, you're not missing much," and her favorite is, "Aren't we having enough fun?"

It was usually then that you'd lock your phone and leave the dorm in a hurry. The last thing you wanted was to blow up on her, but it also hurt to be treated this way by the one you love.

As if you were meant to rely on her for all your affection, but she could seek it out elsewhere.

Wanda was good at making you forget the hurt when you'd return, she'd pout at you as soon as you entered the dorm, then without words she would apologize. Usually with dinner, and a movie that led to you beneath her, her plans of one sided exclusivity working once again. But in this scenario she wasn't able to stop the ball from rolling as your majors were opposite.

Wanda couldn't keep Valkyrie from getting to you when she was unaware of her interest, and as you told her about it in a rush to get ready she was left stunned on her lumpy mattress.

"Y/N/N," she whined, "I had a movie set up, and all the junk food in the world for us!"

Wanda was missing you like crazy as of late, you'd been neglecting her insatiable need for you without intending to as midterm season set in. Nearly every day now you'd stumble in a little after midnight truly exhausted, and she'd have to watch you slump into your bed with hardly a mumble of good night before snores filled the dreadfully boring room, she hated it.

She hated the way you overworked yourself, but she found she hated this much more. Val knew, hell, majority of the campus knew you were logistically unspoken for, but you were not, you were Wanda's. "I love you Wands, but I am not skipping a date for the Barbie movie."

"I'll have you know this is part of a feminist movement!" She gasped as she threw a pack of little bites at your head, it was her last chance to reel you in, but it failed as you set it back on her tray of snacks. You offered her a sad smile, "I'll be back around 12am if I don't get lucky, if that's the case we can gorge out and watch it."

Wanda watched you leave with a scowl, you most certainly wouldn't be getting lucky tonight if she had anything to do with it, there's not a chance in hell someone else gets to have you when you fit so perfectly in her arms.

—

Wanda didn't have much to worry about it turned out, as not even fifteen minutes into the party did you find yourself all alone. Nobody paid you any mind as they brushed by, except for the few sleazy guys sizing you up, probably determining if you'd give it up or were a prude.

After a few more moments of solitude you left the table of drinks Valkyrie left you at, and awkwardly went in search of her only to find out Yelena was right. Valkyrie wasn't to be trusted, and you learned that as you witnessed her tongue down the throat of an innocent bystander, Darcy Lewis, while sat in the lap of her smirking ex girlfriend Carol Danvers lap.

"Um, can you tell me where you left my coat?"

Valkyrie turned to you with a dazed expression, clearly she held no regrets. But it just as soon morphed into one of terror at the unconsidered realization when she'd asked you out, the idea of Yelena finding out was a tad worrisome.

Val had every intention of showing you a good time, then she saw Carol flirting with Darcy and left you at the table in a jealous rage.

"Y/N, I," she lazily began to defend herself as she clamored off her tumultuous lovers lap, and you watched with pity as the science nerd from your Wednesday course scrambled off.

"Save it Valkyrie, I knew you were a sleaze, but I needed the distraction so I accepted the date," you spat, "What a shame I didn't get any head."

"There's still time," Carol offered, chuckling softly to herself when you only flipped her off.

"Please, don't tell Yelena," she tried to appeal to you, she knew from high school experience that you were the more gentle of your sisters.

You snorted, "We both know it doesn't matter, she always finds out, you're already doomed."

"You have to have some pull," Carol tried, she appeared calm, but you could see the sweat on her brows. "Cute, how much of a pushover do you take me to be Danvers? I'll let her find out, and I'll make sure to cry really good for her."

Before the jocks could catch you by the arm to try and plead their case you'd slipped through the crowd of sweaty bodies, and out the front door. Aimless as you were the day you were born as you quickly left the fraternity house.

You sniffled as you walked across the dimly lit football field of your campus, an after effect of streaming tears that had since dried up under the influence of the brisk winter wind. Dread filled you at the prospect of going home, you knew that if you went to Mama Melina's your sisters would be at the frat house in seconds.

That made you grimace just at the thought, sure they hurt you, however your heart will mend in due time, but you fear that if your sisters got to the jocks their bones wouldn't.

You also knew that if you returned to your dorm before two am, the one you share with your sometimes lover, she'd still be awake. Then she would be doing much of the same.

Neither option suited your fancy, so after you used the sleeve of your worn down hoodie to wipe at your raw to the touch nose you pulled out your phone to try for Kate. But as if fate had a funny way of working its magic you met not only the aforementioned woman, but also the grassy ground as you tumbled over her.

"Sestra, what's happened? Why are you crying? Why are you out wandering all alone this late?! Do you have no sense of safety? Hello??"

Great, Yelena was here too, you found out as she now hovered over you. It was hard to make out her features as her curled hair shielded her face from the stadium lights, but you could see her bright eyes full of concern. "I-I," you tried to give her some excuse, but when you saw her pouting down at you empathetically you lost your resolve; the shifty dam broke once more.

Yelena looked to Kate in a panic, the archer jumped into gear when she heard your sobs. The couple rearranged you so that Yelena could sit down and hold you tightly from behind, one of the few fond memories you held close to your heart from your time in the orphanage.

Kate sat down beside you two, settling down to the left of your bodies. Ever the prepared one she had reached into her bag and pulled out some tissues, water, and some chewing gum.

After you practically melted into your sister, you felt Kate dabbing away the tears and snot that now dripped down your face, and neck. The embarrassment you felt was immense, but as if she knew—she always did, she shushed you like a mother hen does her hoard of chicks.

"Shhh honey, it's okay, trust me, I've dealt with so much worse when your little sister is sick," Kate coo'd softly with a silly smirk following her words, and to both of the women's delight you giggled hoarsely.

"I'm not little."

Your sisters serious grumbling from behind you caused you to cackle brokenly, as funny as she was your throat was far too parched to produce the proper sounds. Kate took that as her sign to lift the bottle to your lips, and you gulped it down appreciatively, and so she tilted it with you to ensure you got every last dribble.

"All better?" Yelena asked concernedly from behind to which you nodded while smiling at her girlfriend who extended you a piece of gum, "Can you tell us what happened sestra?"

Kate sent her lover a glare as she watched your lip wobble again, tears once again brimmed, and you spun in your sisters arms to try and offer her an explanation, but she could see by the guilty look in your eyes you'd broken rules.

"Who did it?" her voice was level, there was a lilt of danger to it though, and you shivered.

You nearly said Wanda, because though it was Valkyrie who set you off tonight, it was Wanda that you saw with every intrusive thought.

"Valkyrie," you hiccup, "a-and Carol."

"Ya ub'yu ikh," the blonde growled, her arms now significantly tighter around you. "Net."

(I will kill them / No)

"What do you mean no? They knew better!"

"So did I," you remind her with a heavy sigh, "You warned me, and I still accepted the date."

Yelena didn't plan on fully letting this go, but for the sake of your happiness she dropped it for now and with the help of Kate she got you back on your feet, "Where were you going?"

You shrugged, and the blonde was perplexed. This obviously wasn't the way to your dorm, she once again brushed passed the unknown though, and instead she pulled you in close to keep you warm, "We'll go to mama's then, I know how much you have missed Natasha."

"Okay," you smiled softly as you agreed with her, Natasha only just returned from her tour in Germany, and you were all going home next weekend to see her, but sooner sounded better.

You quietly walked in the middle of the couple, both of them holding your hand in a protective manner that made you feel so warm that the frigid cold air stopped bothering you as much.

Natasha was posted at the front door, her arms opened a mile away and you sprinted up the driveway until you were sobbing into her chest.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Yelena groaned, but she smiled at your older sister who nodded to her that she was safe to take Kate to bed.

Their plans of partying long over, and as Kate had always wanted, they were cuddled up watching cheap reality television while you were right next door in Natasha's bed.

"Wanna talk about it krolick?" You nodded against her arm, moving to sit up so you could properly look at her as you poured your heart out. "I just want someone to love me Natty."

Natasha instantly frowned. "Lena, Mama, Kate, Wanda, and I all love you Y/N. Like, a lot!"

You wanted to scoff, to tell your sister that the only reason this mess exists is because the one person you wish loved you didn't. The same one she listed off, but that wasn't fair to the redhead who was just trying to comfort you.

"I know you guys do Natty, but I want more."

"Well, there's no rush on that," Natasha tried to reason with you. "Love takes time, and I think college frat parties are the worst place to go looking for the real thing. Let it find you."

"That's easy enough for you to say Nat," you sighed. "Lena has Kate, and you found Maria. There's always been someone waiting for you guys, I've never had that, nobody wants me."

"That isn't true Y/N, you're wanted."

"By my family, sure." You grimaced at the thought of seeming so pathetic. "When does someone want me for more than sex? When am I someones person to come home to, huh? To tell about their day? To miss? To love!!!"

"I don't know Y/N," Natasha confessed as she shrugged, then she pulled you back down onto her bed, and you instinctively tucked into her warm side. She smiled with the offer of hope as she went on, "All I do know is that they'll find you when it's the right time. Not everyone falls in love in their twenties, and that's okay."

"I sure hope you're right Natty, because I'm tired of longing for someone who'll never want me the same way that I've always wanted her."

The redhead's brows furrowed, but you were gone before she could seek clarity. As far as she'd been concerned this was the first attempt on the dating scene since Riley Thompson, that retched strawberry blonde from your first year. She knows that's a foolish train of thought, but still, it also makes no sense for you to be this torn up over Valkyrie, who'd been a grade A douche ever since she won the puberty lottery.

Once she knew you were out, in true protective big sister (by three months) fashion, she found a way to make it better as she called the uni cops on the jocks. Mutual friends of yours on social media began to post snippets of flashing lights and she beamed at the mess she made.

If she couldn't knock their lights out she'd introduce them to an array of red and blue.

Feeling content with the situation she settled her phone down, along with her glasses before clapping to get the bedside lamp to turn off.

"Goodnight krolick," she whispered, the sweet release of sleep had nearly consumed her too, but then a loud knocking came from the front door and she figured it was the jocks with silly plans of retaliation. So she gently left your side, grabbed her high tech taser batons she built in high school, then swung the front door open.

"Wanda?" Natasha stepped out into the cold winter night with a deep scowl at the sight of her distraught friend, "Why are you here knocking so loudly at three in the morning?"

"Where is she Nat? She didn't come home, then she left me on delivered, an-and I-I saw the." Wanda paused suddenly as she tried to refrain from leaving and punching the jocks again. Natasha saw the way her bruising hands reflexively fisted, and she knew what'd likely happened here. "You know what happened?"

Wanda nods, "Yeah, and I handled them."

"You could lose your scholarship Wanda," Natasha scolds the girl halfheartedly, she knew that you'd say the same, so she mentioned it.

"I couldn't give a fuck less Natasha."

Natasha nodded in understanding, she too was one sob of yours away from knocking their teeth in, but she couldn't risk losing her job.

"I need to see her, please," Wanda grabbed her best friends shoulders in a panic, their eyes met and in a flash Natasha saw the secrets unfolding, and for a moment she felt betrayed.

Why would you both keep this a secret?

Then she saw the love the woman held for you, and part of her wonders if your groveling over heartache was rooted in your clearly hidden relationship with the brunette more so than it had been any of Valkyrie and Carol's doing.

Natasha was about to speak, to deny her access to you, at least for tonight in her frazzled state, because you didn't need anymore grief tonight. She however didn't get the chance as the front door opened and cast a light upon her back. Your soft sniffles an indicator on who it was, and Wanda wasted no time shoving passed her to get to you. The sight of you so sad broke her, but she didn't give that away, you needed her.

So with shaky hands she cupped your cheeks, she continuously wiped away the tears that ran from an unending well, she smiled so softly at you that you momentarily forgot the audience.

It reminded you of all the times she'd held you as you cried in your dorm. When you were overwhelmed with your classes, and she'd spend the entire day trying to make it better. Cracking lame jokes, and holding you extra close just to hopefully make you smile.

So for a fleeting moment you leaned into her touch as you slipped into your delusional fantasy that this was more than sex, then you looked at your gobsmacked sister and took a step back as you remembered the harsh truth.

"What are you doing here Wanda?"

The question came off almost accusingly, as if she were a stranger, but she paid it no mind, you had every right to feel the way you did.

"I had to see you, I was worried sick detka," she rushed forward to bridge the gap, and wrapped her arms around you to hug you close to her, "You didn't come home, or answer my calls."

"It was late, and I didn't want to disturb you."

Wanda stiffened as you lied, you'd never lied to her before, and she can't understand why now.

"You could never disturb me Y/N, I promise you that much," she instantly moved to squash the intrusive thought that kept you away, "You should also know better than to lie to me."

"Wa—."

"No, I saw the party Y/N, I went through story after story looking for a sign of you, and I grew worried when there was none; after awhile I stumbled upon your date locking lips with that skank ex girlfriend of hers, your absence there made sense, but it didn't back at home. Why?"

"It was embarrassing, okay?" You practically shouted as you ripped yourself out of her hold, "My first date since Riley and I couldn't even manage to keep this dates attention either."

Wanda instantly frowned at your outburst, she desperately tried to reach for you but you held her away with a firm grip on her shoulders.

"Do you know what it's like Wanda?" You stared right into her soul, "To be the girl everyone is down to fuck, but never to love?"

Wanda's eyes filled with tears, because sure you were speaking in generalizations with Nat stood only a few paces away, but she knew you were speaking to her directly at this juncture.

"Who am I kidding, of course you don't," you shook your head with incredulous laughter, "When you walk in a room everyone's eyes are on you, they want a shot with you, they want to win your affection, and that's where we differ."

Your hold on her fell as you picked up the blanket to rewrap it around you, you were about to ask her to leave, loud enough so that Nat would make her, then your eyes fell to her clenched fists and you gasped, your face etched with concern, "Wanda, what did you do?"

"What needed to be done," she replied with a venom in her tone you were unfamiliar with, "Nobody hurts you without consequence."

The brunette lifted her gaze to send you a soft smile, but when you peered into her eyes all you saw was guilt. Something you now felt sorry for causing. "I'll see you back at home."

Wanda walked away too fast for you to even say anything, let alone stop her, but Natasha saw the panic steadily building in your gaze.

"How did you get here Wan?" Natasha asks as she gently placed a hand on her to stop her.

"I walked here," she shrugs the redhead off, and once again she tries to walk away, but Natasha grabs her shirt from behind and pulls her towards the house, "You'll have the couch."

Natasha lightly shoved Wanda passed the threshold, the animosity clear in her gesture, then she pulled your stunned form indoors and into her much warmer body for a brief hug, "Go back to bed krolick," she kissed your cheek, then silently ushered you up the stairs.

As soon as you were gone the redhead sat across from her best friend with a stern glare, "How long have you been fucking my sister?"

Wanda grimaced, it sounded so dirty when she said it like that, and you were anything but. Engaging with you sinfully was never a dirty experience, it was always a heartwarming one.

"Don't say it like that," she spat, and met her glare with one of her own, "It's not like that."

"How is it not?" Natasha pressed, "People don't let their girlfriend go on dates with other girls."

"She's not my girlfriend," Wanda's tone was much quieter now, she was clearly ashamed, and that was enough to settle Nat's worries.

"Fix this mess Wanda. You're my bestfriend, but Y/N is." Wanda cut her off, "Everything."

"Da," Natasha nodded as she stood, glad they could come to such an agreement. Nat quietly moved towards a chest near the stairs and pulled a blanket from it to give to the brunette, "Get some rest Wanda, tomorrow's a new day."

Natasha returned to her room, and upon seeing it empty of you she couldn't help but to smile. Of course you couldn't just wait for tomorrow.

You initially did return to her bed, but you were restless the more you thought about the way this night had played out. As much as you tried to remember your agreement, you could not shake the fact that Wanda was here for you. She walked here in the dead of night just to get to you, she recklessly paid no mind to her future's stability when she punched those girls, nor to her safety when she walked here alone.

The image of her busted hands is what made you leave the comfort of your sister's bed as you went to collect the first aid kit, and once you heard Natasha's door close you descended to make your way to the living room. With a cautious step you entered to see Wanda with her eyes closed, but you knew she was awake. You'd spent too many mornings trapped in her arms to not know when she's merely resting.

"Wands," you lightly brushed your fingers over the arm that now laid over her closed eyes, "You need to sit up for me." She slid her arm up so that she could peak up at you, "Why?"

You sighed through your nose as you held up the kit, she softened her eyes, but she didn't move, she felt too undeserving, "I'm okay Y/N, you should go to sleep, you must be tired."

"I'm not," you relayed a half truth, because you were truly exhausted, but you couldn't sleep, not with her hurting just a floor below you.

When Wanda realized you weren't going to give up she sat up, pulling her legs to her chest in a protective position and you settled down next to her and began to unpack what you needed.

After her hands were disinfected and wrapped you looked into her eyes, and momentarily melted. Then, under the dim lighting in the living room you finally noticed Wanda's busted lip, and the deep cut overlaying her eyebrow.

It infuriated you to think that they'd retaliated so brutally, "They look worse detka," Wanda cockily muttered, her green eyes had yet to leave your face, so she easily read your troubled thoughts. You rolled your eyes at the sight of her smug, ego inflating smile.

"Doesn't help," you grumbled, with a clenched jaw you reached up to trace a soaked gauze pad over her brow, her eyes fluttered shut, and your heart broke further at the soft breath she sucked between her teeth. She was trying to downplay the hurt, but it wasn't working.

"I'm sorry," you whispered, and her eyes shot open within an instant. It was easy enough to believe you meant it over the first aid, but she knew you well enough to know it went deeper.

"Don't," she warned, "You have no reason to be. I never should've let you go out with her."

"Wanda," you sighed softly, "I'm not yours."

Her lip wobbled as you spoke the truth, it was her biggest regret to date. "Do you want to be?"

"Goodnight Wanda," you easily deflected, standing up to retreat, you suddenly felt overexposed under her gaze, but she rounded the couch and blocked you from leaving. Far too desperate to let you just slip away again.

"Y/N," she pleaded, "Don't run, I'm begging."

"Wanda please move, I'm tired."

"You just said you weren't," she challenged, and you whined in frustration, "Now I am."

"Y/N.."

"People can change their minds Wanda," you spat while brushing passed her, as guilty as you felt over her physical state, you weren't going to just give her a pass for her transgressions.

"Yeah, I know, that's what I'm trying to do."

"Until the next pretty girl traipses passed you in a skirt at a party, then you'll go fuck her."

"No," Wanda rejected, dulled eyes now glazed over, it's true what they say, the truth hurts.

You scoffed, "Oh, sorry, does she fuck you?"

Wanda looked up at you in disbelief, you were getting bold here, and as much as she deserved it that one especially hurt. Because the truth was no, she never let anyone but you touch her.

"Of course not, Y/N, I-I," she tried to tell you, but it was proving hard. Vulnerability wasn't exactly her strong suit, not romantically that is.

"I can't do it anymore Wands," you admitted, the fury in your tone replaced with exhaustion.

"Wait, what are you saying?"

"I talked to Mama, she said I can move back in, my old room is still the same," you smiled at her sadly, "I think this is best for us both."

"No," she was now clinging to your shirt, you saw the way she winced while gripping your shirt and it hurt you to see her so broken. It was all your doing, she was truly better off.

"I love you," the words flew out of her mouth desperately, she clung to you even harder, and continued to whisper the hypnotizing words.

"Wanda, I love you too, but—."

"No, I mean it in the sickening way in which I wake up before our alarms go off just to watch you sleep," she rushed the words out in a panic, failing to see the slight twitch at the corner of your lips. "An-and sometimes I want to dance with you in the middle of the street, like after one of Lena's games because you just always look so damn pretty under the street lights."

You cut her off with a kiss, it was fleeting, and earned you whimpers of disappointment as you pulled away, "Do you mean it Wanda? This isn't just some weird way to get me to stay?"

She instantly shook her head, "I've never meant anything like I do this Y/N, I want you."

"Ask me again." Your lips ghosted dangerously over hers, teasing her with the possibility for more if she'd just speak her heart. "Marry me?"

"Woah, Wanda chill," you cackled in a whisper, "You're skipping like so many of the steps."

The brunette smirked at you, "Why play by the fixed rules when I know how it ends detka?"

"Oh, so you are a fortune teller now?" She nodded. "Yeah, let me tell you how this goes." Her smile was wicked as she lowered her tone, "Tonight, you're going to take me to bed, and hopefully you'll make the wedding bells ring."

Wanda squealed quietly when you lunged forward and attached your lips to hers. Convenience was on your side tonight as you walked Wanda back until she met a door, you opened it with ease, and she stumbled as she lost the support of the wood as you pushed her passed the threshold and onto your mattress.

Wanda giggled maniacally, effectively breaking the kiss. "What's so funny?" You questioned with a smirk as you stared down at her, you very much understood her amused expression.

"Barney is staring into my soul," she mused, truth be told the idea of you making love to her in your childhood room wasn't a fantasy she ever indulged in back in high school, but it was one she repeatedly had, especially after one of your softball games. It always got her heated.

"He'd approve," you reasoned and she quirked a brow at you, "What? I love you, and you love me, and that's like his entire monologue."

She slapped your shoulder and gasped, "Y/N!"

"Shall I stop then?" You began to lift off of her but she shook her head in the negatory so fast you moved your lips to the soft skin of her neck instead. "Good, because I didn't want to."

"Never do," she whimpered, her body shaking with excitement as you lightly touched her.

Wanda was wearing a zip up jacket, as you marked up the sensitive skin of her throat your hand wandered up to the zipper. She clasped her hand over yours in a pleading manner, her not so subtle attempt to urge you on quicker. She guided your hand down, unzipping the grey jacket that you now recognize to be your own only to reveal her bare chest to you.

A wave of arousal surged through you seeing that she wore nothing beneath your jacket. "Fucking hell Wanda," you groaned a moment later as you removed a pair of your sweats to find the same reality. You realize now that she must've been waiting for you to return to your dorm in only one of her many oversized shirts.

You chuckled, "Oh you are such a fucking slut." Wanda whimpered affectedly, you always knew just how to get the brunette going with your taunts, as well as your touches. She squirmed as you focused in on her breasts with your mouth. Swirling your hot tongue around the cooled metal that pierced through her extremely sensitive nubs, all while your hands were feather light as they roamed her body.

"Please," Wanda hadn't even been a prisoner to your teasing touches for a minute before she was canting her hips up and begging for more. "I need you detka, please! No one else can touch me like you do Y/N... Only you..."

Wanda smiled insecurely as you stared at her a bit dumbfounded. The answer to your question was in her glistening eyes, she's being honest.

A new wave of pride surged through your chest at the knowledge. Something almost feral took over your mind at the idea that only you've had Wanda beneath you. Nobody else will ever get to see her like this, a total beauty to marvel at with her hair splayed across the sheets as she desperately sought your touch. They'll never know what it's like to kiss her breathless, or to taste her divined nectar, or get to masterfully bring her over that edge of bliss like you do.

Wanda's body trembled with delight as you sloppily kissed down it, you were moving at a speed she wasn't accustomed to. Normally you were slow, and teasing, but it was as if a switch went off and you lost control of your urges.

You stopped just as you reached her cunt, hot breaths fanning over her mound from your nose after each stuttered inhale you took in. Saliva slowly accumulated in your mouth as you breathed her aromatic arousal in. It was like second nature the way you moved, surging forward and licking up her juices, trailing your tongue up the entirety of her slit with a moan.

You used your tongue to part her folds, exposing her stuttering entrance to you, it amused you to no end to see her this desperate.

Wanda Maximoff, the campuses notoriously known player has fallen for you. Even with her endless supply of girls to fuck she chose you. It doesn't sound all that romantic to an outsider, but to you, someone who knew Wanda wholly, you knew this was the best possible outcome.

Thoughts tumbled around your head as you worked out what to do next, you took a deep breath, and upon release you bit your lip as Wanda's back arched at the cool sensation.

"Y/N, detka, please stop teasing me..."

After a brief moment of silence you shocked her as you entered her with three fingers, there was no resistance either as she was slicked up.

Wanda rocked her hips in unison with your fingers thrusts, she was dripping down your palm in only a matter of seconds. Had you not had her feeling so euphoric she might've even been embarrassed, but she admittedly wasn't.

All she felt was bliss, and she expressed as such when she screamed your name aloud as you sucked her clit between your lips. You began softly nibbling the bundle of raging nerves to urge her release on. Wanda absolutely lost her mind, frantically thrusting off the bed to meet your fingers, which is something you'd usually control with a hand on her hip, but tonight you felt generous, her desperation was welcomed.

Her slick smeared across your lower face as you continued to shower her clit with attention as your fingers pace picked up. Wanda's tears and drool soaked through your pillowcases as she lost herself to the building pleasure inside.

"Is my precious little slut close?" You asked the question, but with the way her walls gripped you into a state of near stillness was already enough of an answer. Still, you wanted her reply, but she was a bit too lost in the pleasure so you slapped her thigh. "Answer me slut!"

Wanda mewled shakily, "Fuck, yes, 'm so close, please detka." You couldn't deny how much her breathless pleadings turned you on, it was so damn hot and you were consequently dripping.

"Go on then baby, let go for me like the whore we both know you are," you commanded this right above her clit, offering a subtle vibration that drove her up the wall. Her thighs tensed, and she gushed around your fingers as they curled within her just right, her back arched off the bed, and the two of you moaned in unison.

No amount of sex with Wanda would ever leave you bored, the sight of her with those hazy eyes and mouth agape as you continued to thrust into her was a sight worthy of the Louvre.

"You taste so good baby," At the sight of your glistening smirk, the brunette smiled wide, Wanda absolutely adored your cockier side.

"Come here please," she rasped, her hands lazily reached for you, and you obliged. Leaving love bites on her sweaty skin before you were kissing her languidly. Wanda sighed, "Perfect."

"Yeah?" You chuckled, effectively breaking the kiss to show her your amusement with a smile. Wanda nodded, her hands quickly fell to rest atop of your ass, and that's when she frowned.

So lost in the throes of pleasure she'd never gotten you out of your clothes. Her greatest joy is to feel your skin against hers, your warmth grounding her as she gives into pleasure, and it was taken away by her overtly needy nature.

"Take it off detka!" She commanded, her hands harshly gripped your ass cheeks, softly wincing as it caused her injured hands pain, but she ignored that ache because you moaned, she only continued to massage the covered skin.

"Now," the low, domineering grumble of her voice shook you, it felt like your wetness was seeping through your sleep shorts, and as you stood up you saw it did as her thigh glistened.

Wanda leaned up on her elbows, watching you with lust blown eyes as you hastily slid out of your bottoms. A raspy cackle came from her as you nearly fell flat on your face, "Careful love."

"Bite me," you grumbled as you slowly pulled the fabric from your body, in part because you wanted to tease her. “Oh sweetheart, I will.”

She threw her had back with laughter, her abs more defined as she tensed with each inhale. Your face was priceless, you might be topping right now, but she always had to remind you just how easily the script could be flipped.

Then she fell silent when she looked back at you, her chest rose unsteadily as the light of the moon casted over your bareness. Fuck, nobody would ever compare to you, you were the woman of her every fantasy. Her body and mind craved you in different ways, something that had never happened to her before you.

"Come on detka, I want to feel you up."

“Nope.” Wanda scowled as you told her she couldn't use her hands, you’d informed her of as you crawled up to hover her. She went to protest, but it died on her tongue as she felt your pert nipples brush over her hot skin. It became apparent that it didn't matter how she had you when she needed you this bad; more than a man stranded in a desert needed water.

"Then ride my face instead," she panted, clearly affected by the feel of your slicked cunt. She found herself feeling a bit too impatient to have to wait to have you another moment longer with your warmth all over her milky thigh.

She nearly melted into a puddle when she saw your concerned orbs staring into hers, "I don't want to hurt you Wan, maybe we wait for you to heal, and until then I'll tend to your needs."

"Y/N, I need you," she sternly stated, "I might combust if I can't taste you, please detka?!"

"Okay," you acquiesced easily, it wasn't like you weren't equally as desperate for the relief.

Wanda licked her lips once your cunt hovered over her mouth, as if she'd been served a five star Michelin meal. Traces of your slick befell her lips, and she breathed a sigh through her nose as she finally got a taste of you. In her expert opinion your divined essence exceeds such notorious perfection. Wagyu steak, and stuffed lobster could never compare here.

Now that you hovered over her you worried about her overall safety. This was like a godsend to the brunette, the one who's begged you for months to try this, but you always had an excuse. Primarily being the twin mattress.

You both always knew it was more than that, but you never had to voice that before. But as you knelt on your queen size mattress with the squeaky boxsprings you found you were still nervous. Riding her felt like an exhilarating idea, but you weren’t ever really one for an adrenaline rush. You liked to play it safe.

Wanda’s never been safe. You loved her for who she was, but who she was, was a mess. With that chaos though came new experiences. New, pleasure filled worlds. Taking your vanilla experience and leaving it in your past. Just to bring you to nirvana almost every night.

Obviously you could say no, but disappointing Wanda was the last thing you wanted to do. It also appeared disappointing to you as well.

You didn’t want to hurt her. You’d never forgive yourself. You knew she would.

"Don't be scared," she whispers against the skin of your tense thigh, "Just lower yourself onto my face and I'll make you feel so good." Wanda saw hesitation flicker in your eyes, and she smiled softly upwards. "Please detka."

Wanda sighed in defeat, "It's okay." She tapped your thigh tenderly, waving her metaphorical white flag so you didn't feel any pressure. That made you panic though, "No, I-I can do it."

"Only if you want to," Wanda reaffirmed. "I'd love for you to ride my face, using me for your pleasure, but I can eat you regardless. I'd never want you to do something you didn't want to." She looked deeply into your curious eyes, her honest disposition settled most of the doubt.

"I do want to," you whimpered, "Just, promise me you'll tell me if I'm too much, I—."

"None of that," Wanda tutted, "You'll never be too much of anything detka." Her arms looped around your thighs, and she grinned. "God, you smell so delicious," she groaned as the scent of your arousal increased as she tugged you down.

"Feel free to suffocate me darling," she teased with an attractive wink before she pulled you down the rest of the way and plunged her tongue right on in to your pulsing heat.

Wanda was dripping unendingly onto the mattress as you moaned, and took over almost instantly. She wanted to be in control, but she was far too thrilled to see your fears had faded with the pleasure she offered you to take it.

With every hurried thrust of your hips the tip of Wanda's nose would brush your clit, and you'd mewl, she felt like she was in a porno. It became apparent you were close, handling Wanda earlier had left you teetering. Your hips would still at random now, usually spurred on by a swish of her tongue. Her expertise left you immobilized by a blinding pleasure, it pooled low in your abdomen, you were at the edge.

Wanda's tongue slid from within you, she ran it up your slit, flicking over your clit teasingly. You pressed down, hopeful for more relief, and the brunette appeased you with a hum. The vibration sending you crashing into your orgasm hard. You'd instantly lost your balance, falling into the oak headboard with a deep moan as your slick trickled down her throat.

A deep growl of dissatisfaction left your lovers lips as you fell beside her on the mattress. She wasn't done with you, not even in the slightest. However, she knew neither of your bodies had much left to give after such a draining day.

Still, she found the strength to hold herself up with an elbow on either side of your head. You were so lost in the haze of your afterglow that you couldn’t even hear her. You saw a blurry mouth moving, but didn’t come to until you felt her barely pressing her pelvis into yours.

Wanda pleaded with crazy eyes, “Fuck, detka, can I try something?" You blinked up at her, trying to see through your bleary eyes as you were definitely still coming back down. "I just," she paused, unable to stop herself from kissing the pout that formed on your face. "I know you're tired, but can I rub our pussies together, please? I’ll be quick" Her eyes darkened as she saw the flicker of desire return to your eyes.

"Yes." Wanda smirked. "Such a smart girl, this will feel so damn good, I promise you detka."

Wanda pressed her cunt into yours with more force, you watched her mouth fall agape with rapt attention. She always looked so gorgeous when she was coming close. It turned you on to think that this had been a fantasy of hers. Just like the one you’d had floating in your mind.

“Shit,” you breathed, “Mommy please…”

Wanda’s hips stuttered, “Fuck,” she felt a gush of wetness on her thighs, your Freudian slip aroused her beyond normalcy. “You’re such a good girl,” she coo’d, “Letting your mommy use you likes this.” She sighed, “You’re so pretty.”

“Thank you mommy,” you beamed, genuinely flattered at her tenderness. You’d barely got the words out before her lips slammed into yours.

With her tongue down your throat you went mindless. Hips moving on autopilot against your lovers as you got closer to bliss. Wanda was meeting you with the same fervor. Her lips had moved to your throat now as she’d needed something to bite, her teeth sunk into the juncture between your throat and collarbone.

“Need to cum,” you choked out, “Mommy you feel so good, please, can I cum for you?”

Wanda’s breath hitched, she wasn’t used to it yet, but fuck, it was growing on her fast.

“Go on, be a good girl and cum with me,” she groaned, the vibration against your throat made you feel exponentially dizzy. “Mommy!”

“Oh shit,” she brokenly sobbed, “Mommy’s good girl,” her lips laid a trembling kiss over the bruising juncture, “So fucking beautiful…”

“Don’t stop,” you cried. She wheezed, “I won’t.”

The both of you cried from the overstimulation, but neither of you stopped as you lazily spread your wetnesses around. Wanda’s hot tongue soothed your new indents, the taste of copper telling her just how deeply she’d claimed you.

Her lips softened their intent, gentle kisses being left behind on your face. Feeling as your cheek shook beneath her lips as you tried to stifle a laugh. Then you lost your resolved and giggled as she continued subtly tickling you.

Wanda loved your laugh, so she kept it up for a few minutes before her tired arms gave out. Her body collapsed into yours, and she just spent the next five minutes breathing heavily against your neck. Her hair boxing her in, and leaving behind a sparing layer of condensation.

With your eyes closed, and body still you began to drift into a state of mid-sleep. Then you felt a not so gentle tug of your skin between teeth.

Your girlfriend was insatiable… Girlfriend?

Wanda leaned back up with reinvigorated strength. Her wrapped hand lay awkwardly against your throat as she began to ramble, “As soon as these bruises yellow I'm grabbing you by the throat and fucking you against the wall of our dorm." Her eyes were wild with lust, there was no doubt that she was being honest. "Gotta consummate the fact that you're mine."

You’re sure that confirms you’re girlfriends.

Your heart fluttered joyously. She was yours.

Arousal that lingered in your belly pulsated as her eyes filled with possession. You are hers. All she wants is to claim you wholly. "If I wasn't so tired I'd slip the harness on now and fuck you dumb." You felt your pussy throb, body lightly writhing and catching her attention as it jolted her numb pussy back to life. She was considering powering through, then she turned to check the time and saw the morning sun was filtering through the sides of the curtains.

Distorted, bright red lines flashed: 6:00AM.

On a Monday, both of your busiest school day.

Wanda chuckled tiredly against your shoulder, “This is why you don’t party on Sunday’s silly girl.” She turned back to face you after seeing the time. "Mr. Coulson is going to throw a fit."

"Oh shit, I can't miss another Biology lecture," you groaned in realization and the beauty on your chest laughed shortly. "Mrs. Potts will understand detka, I was her TA last semester, and I'll just tell her that I gave you the flu."

"Dishonesty is grounds for expulsion Wanda."

Wanda snorted, "Then let's hope we don't get caught." You frowned further, hand holding her wrapped one. "What if they tell on you?"

"They won't," she murmured with confidence. "They got their licks in too, if anything, the assholes probably found the fight arousing."

"I sure did," you breathlessly say, regretting it just as soon as her smirking face hovers yours, warm lips pressed into yours gently, starkly contradicting her tongues electrifying touch.

The kiss ends with a soft pop, Wanda gazes at you with sparkling eyes, and an adoring smile.

"You still shouldn't have done it," you remind her, and she merely shakes her head. "Listen close Y/N. I will never let anyone disrespect what I hold dear to my heart. Defending you against creeps is the easiest decision ever."

"Our future depends upon you graduating."

Wanda beams at your words. "Is this you accepting my proposal?" You giggled softly when her face fell as you shook your head.

"Conditionally," you decide. "If you want to marry me, then you have to show me that you're serious about our future. Less partying, no more other people, and no more violence."

Wanda sighs with perceptible conviction, "I promise you Y/N, there's no way in hell I'm ever watching you leave. We're endgame." Then after she watches understanding flash through your gaze she kisses your lips once more before burrowing into your chest.

"I'm all in then." Wanda's body relaxed as you followed your words with a kiss to her cheek.

Then in a blink she was fast asleep.

Just as you were about to fall asleep, drooping eyes trained on Wanda's beautiful face your phone dinged, and you picked it up, only to see your group chat with your sisters was active.

*Natasha, make it stop! My ears are bleeding*

*Yelena, turn on some music like I did every time you and Kate did this in HS and sleep.*

*You're lucky Mama's out of town,* Natasha wrote, directed at you, *Good problem solving skills, glad you're learning something in school, but please, leave sex for your dorm.*

*Tell Wanda to sleep with one eye open!*

Yelena's message wasn't as cordial, it was a clear threat, and enough to make you snort. Somehow Wanda remained asleep, soft snores blowing across your chest a direct reassurance.

You were thankful for that, the poor girl was wiped, and didn't need the embarrassment, you'd save that for the awkward breakfast.

*I love you guys. I’ll buy donuts, okay, bye.*

*2 dozen! Mostly maple bars, obviously! 👀*

*We love you too. (Cherry danish please) ❤️*

You smiled, shaking your head free of any surges of embarrassment. For now you’d decided to close your eyes, forget all the noise, and slip into a world of endless possibilities.

Snoring in tandem with your girlfriend.

Wanda Maximoff was your girlfriend.

If only teenage you could see you now. She’d be so excited, she’d likely faint. Then wake up hours later concussed, wearing a dopy smile with a thumbs up. You finally took the risk.

It paid off—you won the lottery.

Your fingers were colder than normal, but she didn’t mind. All that mattered was your hands on her body — one gripping just below her jaw, the other beginning to explore her folds.

“Please, detka…” she whispered, eyes clamped shut like she’d shatter if she dared to open them.

“Shhh.” Your breath ghosted over her cheek as two fingers dipped into her cunt, crooking in that familiar way that drove her mad.

She was panting, grinding her hips into every thrust and curl of your fingers, the thinnest string of spit leaking from the corner of her mouth. Your thumb found her swollen clit, massaging it in a circle-eight as your hand sped up.

“You feel so fucking good, baby. I’ve missed you,” you murmured into her ear, the tips of your fingers finding that perfect, sweet spot inside her pussy.

A stray tear fell from the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t respond, too lost in the feeling of your touch. Hips jerking erratically as she chased the sensations.

“That’s it, princess. Cum for me.”

The words were so fucking soft, almost lost beneath the sound of her moans as her body locked up, shuddering as her cunt clenched around the fingers buried inside. Her hips jumped forward, once, twice, before she slumped backward in exhaustion —

Her back landing softly on the sheets of her bed, her own hand still trapped between her thighs.

As the tears finally began to fall, the sounds that filled the room were no longer ones of pleasure. These were a dam breaking open.

“…please, come back,” she whispered up to the ceiling, eyes refusing to open. Because if she opened them, she’d have to accept the truth. “I miss you.”

And the truth was something she couldn’t handle.

You lift your hand to her cheek and her breath hitches just for a moment before she leans into your touch. Soft wind blows around you, amplifying Wanda’s addicting cherry blossom scent. Wanda looks up at you through her lashes and you swallow around the lump in your throat.

You press your other hand to Wanda’s other cheek, wanting to frame her face in your hands. But suddenly, your sense of touch has grown weaker and she doesn’t feel real.

Tears prick your eyes and the wetness of Wanda’s eyes mirror yours.

“Wanda…” you manage around the thickness of your throat. “Why can’t I…why can’t I feel you?”

Wanda shakes her head and a single tear slips down her left cheek, gleaming in the setting sunlight. “I’m sorry,” she says.

“Sorry? For what? Why—“ but you cut off as the field begins to dissolve around you. Colors blur. The sky melts. Wanda’s eyes flash red and then everything goes dark.

And then, you wake up. Bolt awake is more like it as you sit up quickly in your bed, gasping for breath. The room comes into focus slowly. Morning light spills through your blinds. Your heart is still pounding against your ribs. For several seconds, you just stare into the middle distance, trying to get your breath back to normal.

You try to shake off the remnants of your last dream, but the waking world isn’t much better. Your bedroom feels charged, staticky, like the air before an impending thunderstorm. A faint prickling sensation still dances across your skin.

You rub a hand down your face and groan. Another incredibly vivid dream to add to the tally. Since your breakup with the other woman three months prior, it seemed to be the only thing you were dreaming about, and to say it was driving you crazy would be an understatement.

They’ve become impossible to ignore, the dreams. Sometimes, they’re simple: you and Wanda merely standing across from one another, a silent standoff. Other nights, they’re far worse. Wanda crying, collapsing into your arms, begging you not to leave her, begging you to forgive her. Dreams so vivid that they leave you emotionally exhausted for your entire day.

You sigh heavily. Your apartment was quiet except for the ticking of the analog clock on your wall. You hated that silence. It was times like these that you wish you’d insisted on Glitch staying with you. Glitch was the calico that you and Wanda had adopted together soon after your one-year anniversary. Glitch had immediately stood out to you because of his heterochromia—one gray eye and one brown eye.

Wanda has sort of gotten custody of Glitch in the breakup. You figured it was for the best since you were actually just the slightest bit allergic to the little guy. But man, what you wouldn’t give for Glitch’s company right about now.

Dragging yourself from your bed, you pad down the hallway toward your kitchen, your stomach growling the entire way. The moment you open your refrigerator, you groan. There wasn’t much in the way of sustenance aside from half a carton of milk and one container of meatballs that have probably since gone bad. Fantastic.

The pantry isn’t much better: a single pack of ramen and what’s left of a family size bag of tortilla chips (that might’ve been your salty snack of choice when your breakup was fresh). You stare at your shelves, then at your reflection in the microwave, and once again back at your shelves. You hadn’t intended to leave the house today, but a grocery errand would need to be made soon unless you wanted to starve. With a sigh, you head back to your room to grab your keys.

***

The grocery store is packed, which you suppose you should’ve anticipated for a Saturday morning. You maneuver your cart through the store, avoiding the cereal aisle altogether where three young children are wreaking havoc with their parents or guardians nowhere insight. You remember just how much you hate grocery shopping, and grocery stores in general. And with a pang, you realize that Wanda used to do the shopping. Not because she had to, but because she genuinely liked it, and she knew you dreaded it.

You remember the detailed lists she used to make, the snacks and foods that she knew to be your favorites always at the top of the list. You shove the thought away and head toward the pasta aisle. But then, you freeze, your heart stuttering painfully in your chest. There, standing halfway down the aisle, was the very woman who’d been haunting all your dreams. Wanda.

For one terrifying second, you think you must be dreaming again. As if sensing your stare, Wanda looks up, and her gaze zeroes on you. That look. The same one she’d given you in last night’s dream. You swallow hard, your pulse roaring in your ears. You have every inclination of ditching your cart altogether and making a break for it. But you can’t move your feet.

You see Wanda’s lips part, as if maybe she wants to say something. But then, a man pushes a shopping cart between you. The interruption lasts maybe two seconds, three at most. But after he passes, Wanda is gone.

You blink, turning a full 360, glimpsing your surroundings for any sign of the auburn-haired woman. But there’s no sign of her. Just more strangers everywhere you look.

A small, disbelieving laugh escapes you. “Okay,” you say to yourself. “So, there is a very real possibility that I’m losing my fucking mind,” Maybe dreaming about your ex-girlfriend every night has officially broken your brain. Maybe you’d just seen Wanda in a random woman, and from her perspective, you were just some creep in Hello Kitty pajama pants staring her down and freaking her out. That would explain how quickly she disappeared. She’d probably never feel safe shopping here again, and it would be your fault. Whatever the answer is, it doesn’t stop your hands from trembling for the rest of your shopping trip.

By evening, you’re no closer to convincing yourself that you imagined it, so instead, you’ve switched tactics, which is to say doing anything you can to push the weirdness of the day out of your mind. You finally clean your apartment, which includes scrubbing the baseboards. (Here, you hear Wanda’s voice in your head saying, “You know your house is clean if even the baseboards are spotless,”). You make yourself a home-cooked meal so you wouldn’t fall on your crutch of ordering in. And finally, you put on a movie.

Finding a movie to watch isn’t easy, though. You’re in the mood for a comfort movie, but it’s hard to find one that you haven’t also watched with Wanda. So you finally settle on a silly buddy-cop movie that will be easy to turn your mind off to. Eventually, exhaustion wins, and the film becomes background noise as your eyes drift shut.

~

You’re at home. Not in your current apartment, but your old one. The one you shared with Wanda. The realization hits immediately. The walls, the furniture, the photographs, everything is exactly as it used to be. Except the apartment is a mess. Books litter the floor, cabinets hang open, blankets spill from the couch. Red motes of magic drift through the air.

You startle as you feel something brush up against your legs, and you look down to find Glitch staring up at you with one gray eye and one brown eye. He meows at you.

“Hey guy,” you say, reaching down to brush the knuckle of your index finger against his tiny, furry head. Glitch purrs, leaning into the touch. It’s only for a few seconds though and then he dashes away as if he’d just spotted a mouse or a bird.

You watch Glitch go, but then a voice comes back to you in reverb. Wanda’s voice saying your name, “Y/n…”

Your stomach twists. “Wanda?” You call. No answer.

You move deeper into the apartment, feeling the magic dust thickening around you. There’s a familiar hum in your ears, Wanda’s voice again, you know, but now you can’t make out what she’s saying.

And then, you find her. She’s sitting on the edge of the bed the two of you used to share, her head bowed and her hands clasped tightly together. Your heart breaks for her immediately because she looks so vulnerable like that. Like someone who’s been carrying the weight of the world for too long. Probably just as emotionally spent as you’ve been feeling for weeks on end.

“Wanda?”

Slowly, she lifts her head. Her eyes find yours, and the relief on her face is immediate. “Hi,” she says.

You swallow. “…Hi,” You don’t know why tears are suddenly burning behind your eyes. Maybe because this is the most real, the most lucid that these dreams have ever felt. Maybe because you’ve just missed her. Maybe because you still love her and you know you’ve never stopped.

“I saw you today,” Wanda says quietly.

You blink at her.

“In the grocery store,” Wanda explains.

Your breath catches. “So, that was you,”

A shaky laugh escapes her. “I thought maybe I’d imagined you,”

The admission pulls a reluctant smile from you. “Funny. I thought the same thing, actually,”

Wanda smiles back, but it wanes just as fast. Neither of you look away.

“I miss you,” The words leave your mouth before you can stop them.

Wanda’s eyes immediately fill with tears. “I miss you too,” her voice cracks halfway through her sentence. The sound nearly destroys you.

Wanda stands slowly, crosses the room, and stops directly in front of you. Close enough to touch. Her hands reach up to frame your face, mirroring your actions from last night’s dream. Your breath catches and you lean into the touch, placing your hands over hers. You close your eyes as your forehead presses gently against hers.

Wanda’s thumb strokes your cheekbone, and then she pulls back, far before you’re ready for her to. “Wake up,” she says softly.

“Wanda—“

“Shhh,” she squeezes your hand. “Wake up. I’ll see you soon,”

~

Your eyes snap open and you bolt upright on the couch, heart racing. On the TV, the ending credits for the movie you’d put on roll across a black screen. You stare at the credits, trying to process what just happened. You weren’t sure how you didn’t put the prices together before, but now you knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that that wasn’t just a normal dream. And the hundreds you’d had before weren’t normal either. Wanda had infiltrated your dreams. She’d been trying to talk to you, trying to find you.

You exhale heavily and rise from the couch, and despite the late hour, you needed to go for a jog. You needed to think.

The air outside is cool, perfect jogging whether. You typically liked your jogs during daylight hours, but this would have to suffice. You needed literally anything wise from your own thoughts. Halfway through your run, your phone rings. You fish it out of your pocket, taking note of Natasha’s contact name.

You slow to a stop and accept Natasha’s call. “Hi,” you greet her, slightly winded from the run.

“How bad is it?” Natasha asks by way of a greeting.

You blink. “Huh? How bad is what?”

“The breakup.”

You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Nat, please don’t—“

“You deflecting tells me everything I need to know.”

“Why are you even asking, Nat?” you huff, defensive.

“Wanda talked to me.”

You shed your defenses immediately like a chrysalis. Of course Wanda spoke to her, you didn’t blame her. Natasha had somehow become the unofficial mediator for every relationship within the Avengers.

When you don’t reply immediately, Natasha goes on to say, “She’s hanging on by a thread, y/n,”

Your chest tightens. But of course, you didn’t need to be told this. Wanda manipulating all your dreams was proof enough of that.

“I’m guessing you’re not doing much better, no offense,” Natasha says.

“Well, that’s offensive,” you huff. “What would you say if I said the opposite? If I said that I’m actually doing okay right now?”

“Then I’d strongly advise you not to bullshit me because you know I have a low tolerance for it.” Natasha counters.

You let out a dry chuckle. “Right.”

“Look, I know you’re a grown adult and I don’t run your life. But I’m also your friend and I don’t want you to suffer, so…just consider it, alright?” Natasha says.

You feel that telltale prickle in the back of your eyes. God, you were so sick of crying. “Okay,” you sigh. “Okay, yeah, I will,”

The call ends and you continue jogging, but if you think there’s any hope of clearing your mind now, you’re sorely mistaken.

The last thing you’re expecting to find when you return from your jog is someone standing outside your apartment door. You slow immediately, on edge. The figure turns, and startles at the sight of you, and suddenly your heart is trying to escape your chest. “Wanda?”

Wanda looks equally shocked. You approach carefully. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,”

“It’s okay, I just…thought you were inside. I just rang the doorbell,” Wanda says, her words coming out a little breathless.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, though you think it’s fair to say that’s a dumb question.

“I was hoping we could talk,” Wanda replies. “Can we? Please? I’ll even be quick,”

You smile and step past Wanda to unlock your door. “Of course. Come on in,”

Several minutes later, you’re sitting on opposite ends of your couch. The irony isn’t lost on either of you. There was a time when sitting this far apart would’ve been blasphemy. Wanda was a snuggler, and so were you.

Wanda fidgets with her hands. “I did want to see you, but first, I wanted to apologize for…the dreams. I’m sure you’ve picked up on the fact that—“

“You’ve been causing them,” you fill in the blanks.

“Yeah,” Wanda breathes. She looks up, meeting your eyes. “I’m so sorry, I’m sure it freaked you out. At first, I was just trying to cope. I told myself I’d only do it once, just once to make sure you were okay. But then…I sort of got addicted. I wanted to see you and I couldn’t stop.”

The confession hangs between you. Wanda studied your face, her shoulders hun he’d like she’s waiting for you to yell, to throw her out, to say how violated you felt. But the truth was that you weren’t surprised. You’d already figured it out. It would be hard not to know after that last dream you had. But moreover, you weren’t mad. You were honestly sort of relieved. Shaken, but relieved.

“It’s okay,” you say finally.

“You’re really not mad?” The question comes out so small. So uncertain.

You shake your head, a small huff escaping you. “How could I be?” you say, searching Wanda’s face too. “Knowing that you missed me just as damn much as I missed you,”

Tears immediately gather in Wanda’s eyes and in a flash, you closed the distance, scooting closer until your thigh brushed hers. You reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind Wanda’s ear.

“You don’t hate me?” She asks, her voice catching.

“God Wanda, no,” you reply, your own voice catching now. “I could never hate you,”

Wanda sniffles as tears begin to chase each other down her cheeks. “I could never hate you either,”

Your chest aches because of course she couldn’t. If either of you hated the other, moving on would’ve been easy. Instead, you spent months loving each other from separate apartments, separate beds, separate lives. Both remaining miserable the entire time.

A watery laugh escapes Wanda and she finally lets her head drop on your shoulder. Your wrap your arms around her, pressing a kiss into the crown of her head.

“Can we try again?” Wanda asks. The question is barely audible.

You don’t answer immediately, but you know what you’ll say. You’ve known for months what you’d say if faced with this decision.

You take Wanda’s hand in yours, lacing your fingers together before bringing your joined hands to your lips to kiss her knuckles. “Only if we’re both honest this time,”

She nods quickly. “Always.”

“And we actually lean on each other,” you add. “No more suffering in silence,”

“No more,” Wanda parrots.

You smile at her. “In that case, I’d love to,”

You sit at your desk near the window, fingers curled around the edge, eyes fixed on the trees outside.

It’s easier that way.

“Y/N?”

Your shoulders tense.

You know that voice.

Soft.

Careful.

Like it doesn’t want to scare you.

You turn your head just a little. Your teacher, Ms. Maximoff, is kneeling beside your desk now.

Her red hair falls forward slightly as she tilts her head, studying you with gentle concern.

“You’ve been awfully quiet today,” she says. “Is everything okay?”

You nod immediately.

Her expression doesn’t change much, but something in her eyes softens even more, like she doesn’t believe you, but she won’t push. Not yet, at least.

“That’s alright,” she murmurs. “If you ever want to talk about anything, I’m here.”

You look back at the window, not wanting to continue the conversation.

Wanda notices patterns. It’s something she’s always been good at. Like, small shifts, quiet changes, the things other people overlook.

It’s part of what makes her such a good teacher.

And you… You don’t fit.

Not in the way the other children do. You don’t laugh loudly. You don’t raise your hand. You flinch when someone moves too fast near you. You freeze when voices get too sharp.

And sometimes—this is what unsettles her the most—you look tired.

Not sleepy.

Tired.

That deep, bone-heavy kind of tired no child should carry.

She tries again a few days later.

“Y/N,” she says gently after class, when the other students have left.

You pause at the door, your small backpack hanging off one shoulder.

“Can you stay for a moment?”

You hesitate.

Then nod.

You step closer, but you don’t meet her eyes.

Wanda keeps her voice soft. “I just wanted to check in. I’ve noticed you’ve been a little… quiet lately.”

Silence.

Your fingers tighten around your sleeve.

“You know,” she continues, “sometimes when something is bothering us, it can help to talk about it. Even a little.”

You shake your head.

Still not looking at her.

“I’m okay,” you whisper.

The words sound practiced.

Rehearsed.

Wanda feels her chest tighten.

“Alright,” she says, just as gently. “You can go.”

You leave quickly.

Too quickly.

-///-

That night, Wanda doesn’t stop thinking about you.

Her wife, Natasha, notices.

She always does, too.

“You’re doing that thing again,” Natasha says from the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a mug in her hand.

Wanda looks up from the couch. “What thing?”

“The ‘I’m worried but trying not to say it out loud’ thing.”

Wanda exhales softly, rubbing her hands together. “There’s a student in my class.”

Natasha raises an eyebrow. “Only one?”

Wanda almost smiles, patting the seat next to her.

“She’s… different. Quiet. Withdrawn. But it’s more than that.” She hesitates, meeting Natasha’s eyes as she moves towards the couch. “She flinches. A lot. And she looks… exhausted.”

Natasha’s expression shifts instantly. Sharper now. Focused.

She sits down next to Wanda, knees touching her thigh as she tucks her legs underneath herself.

“How old?”

“Six.”

Natasha sets her mug down.

“Has she said anything?”

Wanda shakes her head. “Every time I ask, she shuts down. It’s like she’s… afraid of saying the wrong thing.”

That’s what does it.

Natasha straightens slightly, something cold and precise settling behind her eyes.

“Tomorrow,” she says, “I’m coming with you.”

Wanda blinks. “Nat—”

"Wands, I work in children's welfare. What you said is reason enough for me to look into it,” Natasha says calmly. “And if something’s wrong…” She trails off, but she doesn’t need to finish.

Wanda nods.

She trusts her.

Always has.

-///-

The next day, you notice her immediately.

She doesn’t belong in a classroom.

Not like Ms. Maximoff does.

This woman is… different.

She stands near the doorway at first, speaking quietly with your teacher.

She’s dressed simply, but there’s something about the way she holds herself, straight, alert, like she’s always watching.

Her eyes scan the room.

And then they land on you.

You look away quickly.

But it’s too late.

She’s already noticed.

Natasha takes her time.

She doesn’t approach you right away.

Instead, she observes.

The way you sit too stiff in your chair. The way your gaze flickers toward the door every few minutes. The way you hesitate before answering even the simplest question.

And then—

A boy runs past your desk too fast, and a chair scrapes loudly.

You flinch.

Not a small reaction.

Not subtle.

A full-body recoil, like you were expecting something worse.

Natasha’s jaw tightens.

Yeah.

Something’s wrong.

Later, during lunch break, Wanda sits beside you on the bench.

Natasha lingers a few steps away, pretending to check something on her phone.

“You remember my wife, Ms. Romanoff?” Wanda asks gently.

You nod.

“She works with children, too,” Wanda continues. “She just wants to make sure everyone is safe and happy.”

Safe.

The word makes your stomach twist.

Natasha steps closer, crouching down so she’s at your level.

Her voice is calm and steady.

“Hi, Y/N. I’m Natasha.”

You don’t answer.

“You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”

You glance at her.

Just for a second.

Her eyes are different from everyone else’s.

They’re not soft like Wanda’s.

But they’re not harsh either.

They’re… certain.

As if she already knows something.

“Can I ask you something?” she says.

You hesitate.

Then shrug slightly.

It’s not quite a yes.

But it’s not a no.

Natasha nods once, like that’s enough.

“Do you feel safe at home?”

Your heart stops.

The world goes very, very quiet.

You stare at the ground.

You don’t respond.

You can’t.

Because if you say the wrong thing—

If you say anything—

Your fingers curl tightly into your sleeves.

Natasha watches the silence stretch.

The way your shoulders tense.

The way your breathing changes.

And that’s all she needs.

She doesn’t ask again.

Instead, her voice softens—just slightly.

“You’re not in trouble,” she says. “And whatever is going on… it’s not your fault.”

Your throat tightens.

You blink hard.

Still, you say nothing.

But Natasha doesn’t push.

She stands slowly, exchanging a look with Wanda.

A silent understanding passes between them.

This isn’t nothing.

This is something.

And they’re not going to ignore it.

-///-

That afternoon, as you sit by the window again, the classroom feels a little different.

Not louder.

Not quieter.

Just… different.

Because now, someone has seen you.

Even if you didn’t say a word.

And for the first time in a long while, you’re not completely invisible anymore.

The man introduces himself as Steve.

He doesn’t stand over you like most adults do when they want something. Instead, he pulls a chair out slowly and turns it so he’s sitting across from you—not too close, not too far.

Just enough that you know he’s there, but not enough to make you feel trapped.

“Hi,” he says, offering a small, careful smile. “I’m Steve.”

You don’t answer.

You keep your eyes on the desk, tracing a faint scratch in the wood with your fingertip. You’ve already counted it before—three fingers long, slightly curved—but counting it again feels easier than looking up.

“That’s okay,” Steve says gently, like he expected the silence. “You don’t have to say anything right away.”

The room is quiet. Too quiet.

Outside the classroom, you can hear the distant noise of other students—chairs moving, someone laughing, a teacher calling out instructions. It feels far away. Like it belongs to a different world.

“I heard you like sitting by the window,” Steve continues after a moment.

Your finger stills.

He notices things.

You don’t like that.

“It’s a good spot,” he adds. “Lots of light. And you can see outside.”

You don’t respond.

But you don’t move away either.

Steve shifts slightly in his chair, resting his forearms on his knees. He doesn’t take out a notebook. Doesn’t write anything down.

He just… sits.

“I work with kids sometimes,” he says. “Mostly I just make sure they’re okay.”

Okay.

You swallow.

“I talk to teachers. Sometimes parents. Sometimes kids, if they want to.” He pauses. “But only if they want to.”

Silence stretches again.

Your shoulders feel tight.

Your chest feels tight.

“Do you feel safe at home?”

There it is.

The question.

It drops into the room like something heavy.

Your heart starts beating faster. You can feel it in your throat, in your ears, and in your fingertips.

You nod.

Too fast.

Too automatic.

Steve doesn’t react right away.

He just watches you.

Not in a scary way.

Not like he’s angry.

But like he’s… thinking.

Like he’s trying to understand something you didn’t say.

“Okay,” he says finally.

That’s it.

No follow-up.

No pressure.

But somehow that makes it worse.

-///-

He comes to your house two days later.

You know it’s him before anyone says his name.

There’s something about the knock, firm but not aggressive.

Steady.

Your stomach twists so hard it almost hurts.

“Stay in your room,” your parent says sharply, already moving toward the door.

You don’t argue.

You never argue.

You close your door quietly and sit on the floor, your back pressed against the side of your bed. It feels safer down here. Smaller. Like, if you make yourself small enough, you won’t be noticed.

Voices drift through the house.

Muffled at first.

Then clearer.

“…just a routine check…”

“…she’s a quiet child…”

“…always been sensitive…”

You pull your knees to your chest and wrap your arms around them, pressing your face down.

You try to make yourself even smaller.

“…we would never…”

“…of course, we understand your concern…”

Their voices sound normal.

You know that tone.

You’ve heard it before.

It’s the voice they use for other people.

Not for you.

You squeeze your eyes shut.

If you don’t move, if you don’t make a sound, maybe he won’t come up here.

Maybe he’ll just leave.

Maybe everything will stay the same.

You don’t know if that’s what you want.

But it’s what you’re used to.

After a while, the voices fade.

The door opens.

Closes.

Footsteps.

Silence.

He’s gone.

Nothing changes.

At first.

Then everything does.

You don’t go to school the next day.

Or the day after that.

At first, you think you’re sick without knowing you were.

Or maybe in trouble.

You don’t ask.

You’ve learned not to ask.

“There’s no need,” your parent says when you linger near the door on the third morning, your backpack hanging loosely from your shoulder. “You’ll stay home for a while.”

“For how long?” you whisper.

They look at you.

Just look.

Your throat closes.

“…okay,” you say quickly.

Your backpack stays by the door.

You go back to your room.

-///-

Days blur together.

You lose track of time.

Morning feels like evening. Evening feels like nothing.

The window doesn’t help anymore.

You stop looking outside.

There’s no point.

No one is coming.

-///-

Wanda notices on the first day.

The empty chair.

Your chair.

She pauses in the middle of attendance, her eyes lingering just a second longer than they should.

“Y/N?” she calls out automatically.

Silence answers.

A student shifts in their seat.

“She’s not here,” someone says.

Wanda nods slowly, marking it down.

Absent.

It happens.

Kids get sick.

But something about it doesn’t sit right.

On the second day, she asks the office.

“No call or note,” they tell her.

Her concern sharpens.

On the third day, she calls.

No answer.

By the fourth day, she’s pacing.

“You’re wearing a path into the floor,” Natasha says from the kitchen, watching her with quiet focus.

Wanda doesn’t stop. “She hasn’t been in school all week.”

Natasha sets her mug down. “Did the office hear anything?”

“No. No call. No email. Nothing.” Wanda runs a hand through her hair, frustration and worry tangled together. “That’s not normal.”

“No,” Natasha agrees. “It’s not.”

Wanda turns to her. “What if something happened?”

Natasha doesn’t answer right away.

Because they’re both thinking the same thing.

“What if we missed something?” Wanda whispers.

Natasha’s gaze softens slightly. “You didn’t miss anything.”

“But she wouldn’t talk to me,” Wanda says, her voice tightening. “She wouldn’t talk to Steve either, and now she’s just—gone.”

Natasha straightens. “Then we go find her.”

Wanda blinks. “Nat—”

“I mean it,” Natasha says. “This doesn’t feel right. Not after what we saw.”

Wanda hesitates.

Then nods.

“I’m going there,” she says.

Natasha doesn’t argue.

“I’m coming with you.”

The house looks normal.

That’s the first thing Wanda notices, and it makes something deep in her chest twist uncomfortably.

The curtains are neat. The garden is trimmed. The front step is clean.

Everything looks… fine.

Too fine.

“She lives here,” Wanda says quietly.

Natasha stands beside her, eyes already scanning windows, corners, and small details most people would miss.

“Okay,” she replies.

Wanda steps forward and knocks.

The sound echoes too loudly in the still air.

They wait.

Nothing.

Wanda knocks again, harder this time. “Y/N? It’s Ms. Maximoff.”

Silence.

It presses in from all sides, heavy and wrong.

Natasha’s gaze flicks upward. “Second floor. Curtain moved.”

Wanda’s heart stutters. “She’s here.”

“Yeah,” Natasha says, already moving. “She is.”

The door is locked.

Of course it is.

Wanda’s hands are shaking now, panic rising fast and sharp. “Nat—”

“We saw movement,” Natasha says, calm but firm. “We’re not leaving.”

That’s all it takes.

Upstairs, you freeze.

You didn’t mean to make a sound.

You were trying to be quiet.

You’re always quiet.

But when you heard her voice—

When you heard your name—

Something slipped.

Now your heart is pounding so loud it feels like it might give you away.

They’re here.

They came.

You press your hand over your mouth, trying to silence your breathing.

Maybe if you stay still—

Maybe if you don’t move—

They’ll leave.

Like everyone always does.

The door downstairs opens.

Footsteps.

Voices.

Your stomach drops.

They didn’t leave.

Wanda barely registers how they get inside. The house feels too still, too empty in a way that doesn’t make sense.

“Y/N?” she calls, stepping forward.

No answer.

Natasha moves ahead of her slightly. “Upstairs.”

They climb quickly.

Each step creaks.

Wanda winces at the sound, like she’s afraid it might scare you.

At the top of the stairs—three doors.

Two open quickly.

Empty.

The third stays closed.

Wanda’s chest tightens. “This one.”

Her hand trembles on the handle.

“Wanda,” Natasha says quietly behind her.

Wanda pauses.

“Whatever’s on the other side,” Natasha adds, “we handle it together.”

Wanda nods.

Then she opens the door; the room is dim.

Curtains drawn tight.

Air stale.

And there in the corner.

You.

Small.

Curled in on yourself like you’re trying to disappear.

Wanda’s breath catches.

“Y/N…”

You don’t move at first.

Then slowly, your head lifts.

Your eyes find hers.

And something in her chest breaks instantly.

“Hey, sweetheart,” she says softly, stepping closer. “It’s okay. It’s me.”

You flinch.

Even at her voice.

Natasha steps in behind her, taking in everything in one sharp glance—the room, the stillness, you.

Her jaw tightens.

But when she speaks, her voice is gentle.

“Hi, Y/N.”

Your lips part.

“I didn’t say anything,” you blurt out suddenly, panic cracking through your voice. “I didn’t tell him anything, I promise, I didn’t—”

Wanda drops to her knees in front of you. “Oh, honey—”

“I didn’t—” Your voice shakes harder. “I didn’t say anything—”

“Hey,” Natasha says, crouching down in front of you. “You’re okay.”

“I didn’t tell—”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she says, firm and steady.

You freeze.

Your breathing stutters.

“I promise,” she adds, softer now.

Wanda’s hand settles carefully against your arm.

“You haven’t been at school,” she says gently. “We were worried.”

“I’m not supposed to go,” you whisper.

The words are small.

Fragile.

But they hit like something heavy.

Natasha’s expression sharpens slightly. “Who told you that?”

You shake your head quickly. “I just—I’m not—I don’t—”

The words won’t come.

Your chest feels too tight.

Everything feels too big.

And then—

The front door downstairs opens.

The sound is loud.

Final.

Your entire body goes rigid.

You try to pull away instantly, panic flooding through you.

“They’re back,” you whisper, your voice breaking. “They’re back—”

Footsteps.

Voices.

Getting closer.

“No, no—” you start, trying to move, trying to make yourself small again, trying to get away—

Natasha doesn’t let you.

Her hand steadies you immediately.

“Hey,” she says, low and firm. “Stay with me.”

You shake your head frantically. “I can’t—”

“You can,” she says.

And then she shifts.

Just slightly.

But enough.

Enough that she’s between you and the door.

Solid.

Unmovable.

Wanda moves closer to your other side, one hand on your back, grounding.

“You’re okay,” she murmurs. “We’re right here.”

The footsteps reach the stairs.

Each step is louder than the last.

Your hands are tight in Natasha’s shirt.

You can’t breathe.

The hallway creaks.

Then—

The doorway fills.

“What is going on?”

The voice is sharp.

Demanding.

Wrong.

You flinch hard.

Instinct.

Natasha notices.

Of course she does.

She rises slowly to her full height, placing herself fully between you and them.

Her posture is calm.

Controlled.

But there’s something underneath it.

Something dangerous.

“We came to check on Y/N,” she says evenly.

“You can’t just break into our house,” your parent snaps, stepping forward.

Natasha doesn’t move.

Doesn’t give an inch.

“You left a minor alone,” she replies, voice still calm—but colder now. “No school. No contact. No supervision.”

“That’s none of your business—”

“It is now.”

The words land hard.

Final.

Wanda feels you shaking beside her. She pulls you gently closer, one arm wrapping around you protectively.

“It’s okay,” she whispers. “You’re okay.”

“I didn’t say anything,” you whisper again, clinging tighter. “I didn’t tell—”

Wanda’s heart cracks all over again. “I know, sweetheart. I know.”

“Don’t talk to her,” your parent says sharply.

You flinch.

Natasha sees it.

And that’s it.

Something in her expression settles completely.

Decision made.

“She’s coming with us,” Natasha says.

“No, she’s not.”

Natasha steps slightly forward.

Just enough.

“You can argue that with child services,” she says, voice low and controlled. “But right now? She’s not staying here.”

There’s a beat of silence.

Tense.

Heavy.

Your parent hesitates.

And that hesitation is everything.

Natasha turns slightly, her voice softening instantly when she looks back at you.

“Hey,” she says gently. “Come on.”

You don’t hesitate.

You move straight into her, clinging tightly, your fingers gripping her shirt like it’s the only solid thing in the world.

“I’ve got you,” she murmurs.

Wanda stays close, her hand never leaving your back.

“You’re safe,” she whispers again.

And this time—

You believe her.

-///-

The car ride is quiet.

You sit in the back at first.

For all of thirty seconds.

Then—

“No.”

Your voice is small.

Panicked.

“I don’t—I don’t want to sit back here—”

Wanda turns immediately. “Okay. That’s okay.”

Natasha has already pulled the car over.

“Come here,” Wanda says softly, opening the door.

You move quickly, climbing out and into the front, into her side, before you even realize what you’re doing.

You cling to her.

Hard.

Your face pressed into her shoulder.

Your hands gripping her sleeve.

She wraps both arms around you instantly.

“I’ve got you,” she murmurs, pressing her cheek gently against your hair.

Natasha glances over.

Something in her gaze softens.

Then she starts driving again.

Slow.

Careful.

Like she’s carrying something fragile.

Like she knows she is.

-///-

Their home is warm.

That’s the first thing you notice.

Not just the temperature.

The feeling.

It’s quiet—but not empty. Soft—but not suffocating.

Wanda guides you inside, her hand never leaving you.

“You’re okay,” she murmurs again.

Natasha locks the door behind you, quick and automatic. Then she looks at you.

Really looks.

Her gaze lingers, taking in your face, your hands, and the way you’re standing.

“Hey,” she says gently, crouching slightly so she’s closer to your level. “When was the last time you ate?”

You blink at her.

You don’t know.

Or maybe you do.

But it feels too far away to explain.

Your shoulders lift in a small shrug.

That’s enough.

Natasha glances at Wanda.

Wanda’s expression softens immediately. “Okay. Food first.”

You sit at the kitchen table, feet dangling slightly above the floor.

The chair feels too big.

Everything does.

But the kitchen smells warm.

Safe.

Natasha sets a plate down in front of you.

Dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.

You stare at them.

Really stare.

“Don’t worry, it’s chicken, not dinosaur,” Wanda says softly, a small smile tugging at her lips as she folds laundry at the end of the table.

Your eyes flick up to her.

Then back to the plate.

“Mm,” Natasha hums, settling into the chair beside you. “You say that, but you also insisted heart-shaped pasta tastes better.”

Wanda glances at her. “It does taste better.”

“It’s the same pasta.”

“It’s not the same experience.”

Natasha huffs quietly, something almost like a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. “Right. Of course.”

You let out a small sound before you can stop it.

A soft, surprised giggle.

Your hand flies to your mouth immediately, like you need to hide it.

But it’s already there.

They both look at you.

Not sharply.

Not suddenly.

Just… gently.

Wanda’s smile softens.

Natasha’s expression shifts—something warmer, quieter.

Neither of them makes a big deal out of it.

They just… let it exist.

And then Wanda goes back to folding.

Natasha stays beside you.

Like nothing’s changed.

Like everything has.

Your hand moves slowly toward the plate.

Careful.

Uncertain.

You pick one up.

Take a bite.

You try to go slow at first.

You really do.

But your hands move faster than you mean them to.

Bite after bite.

Like if you don’t eat it now, it might disappear.

Natasha doesn’t interrupt.

Doesn’t reach in.

Doesn’t tell you to slow down.

She just shifts slightly closer.

Grounding.

Present.

Wanda notices next.

Her hands still for just a second before she quietly reaches for a napkin, placing it within your reach without a word.

No pressure.

No attention drawn.

Just… there.

“Hey,” Natasha murmurs after a moment, her voice low and steady. “It’s okay.”

You freeze for a second.

Still chewing.

“There’s more,” she adds gently. “You don’t have to rush.”

You nod quickly.

A little too quickly.

She doesn’t comment.

Just stands, moving back to the counter.

There’s a quiet clink of a plate.

The soft sound of more food being set down.

No hesitation.

No questions.

When she sets it beside you, her hand lingers for half a second near your shoulder.

Not touching.

Just close.

“I’ve got you,” she says quietly.

Something in your chest tightens.

But it’s not sharp.

Not like before.

Wanda glances up at Natasha, then at you.

And there’s something unspoken in the look she gives her.

Something soft.

Something certain.

Wanda steps closer, brushing lightly past Natasha as she moves.

Her hand rests briefly against Natasha’s side—familiar, absent-minded.

“You’re hovering,” she murmurs.

Natasha exhales softly. “I’m not hovering.”

“You are a little,” Wanda says, but not unkindly.

A pause.

“…it’s okay, though,” she adds quietly.

Natasha doesn’t answer.

But she stays right where she is.

Close.

And you keep eating.

Slower now.

Because for the first time—

You believe it won’t be taken away.

It’s only after you’ve finished eating that Natasha notices.

The smudge of something on your cheek.

The dirt still caught under your nails.

The way your sleeves hang stiff.

Natasha moves to look at Wanda, only to find Wanda already watching her.

“Okay,” Wanda says gently, stepping closer. “How about we get you cleaned up a little?”

You hesitate.

Just a second.

Then nod.

-///-

The bathroom fills with steam.

Warm.

Soft.

You sit in the tub, water wrapping around you, and for a moment you just… stay still.

Let it happen.

Wanda kneels nearby, her voice soft and steady as she talks about nothing—about school, about flowers, about things that don’t hurt.

Natasha moves quietly in and out, grabbing what she needs.

Towel.

Cream.

At one point, she pauses, watching you for a second.

Making sure you’re okay.

You glance at her.

She gives you a small smile.

It stays.

After, everything feels… lighter.

Not fixed.

But softer.

You stand in the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, while Wanda gently helps you into one of Natasha’s shirts.

It’s huge.

It swallows your form.

You glance down at yourself, unsure.

Wanda smiles. “Looks perfect.”

“Alright,” Natasha says, leaning lightly against the counter. “Come here a second.”

You step closer.

She holds up a toothbrush.

You hesitate.

Then step closer anyway.

“Open,” she says gently.

You do.

And then—

She starts brushing your teeth.

Carefully.

Slowly.

And—unexpectedly—

She starts humming.

Then quietly singing.

“Brush, brush, make them shine, Top and bottom, take your time…”

Your eyes widen slightly.

You weren’t expecting that.

“…little circles, nice and neat— Gotta take good care of teeth.”

A small sound escapes you before you can stop it.

A giggle.

It surprises you.

It surprises her too because she pauses for half a second, then—she smiles.

Really smiles.

Soft. Warm. A little amused.

“There it is,” she murmurs. “Knew you had more of those.”

Your face feels warm.

But not in a bad way.

-///-

Afterwards, stand awkwardly in the hallway.

“There’s a room you can use,” Wanda says gently, opening a door.

You look inside.

The bed.

The space.

The quiet.

Your chest tightens.

Too quiet.

Too alone.

You take a small step back.

“I—”

Your voice shakes.

“I don’t want to be by myself.”

The words come out barely above a whisper.

But they’re clear.

Wanda doesn’t hesitate.

“Okay,” she says immediately.

Natasha nods once. “That’s okay.”

They don’t question it.

Don’t push.

Just… accept it.

-///-

You find yourself in their bed, full and clean.

Your legs are tucked under you while you absently play with the wedding ring on Natasha’s finger as she sits beside you.

You twist it gently, careful, like you’re not sure you’re allowed but hoping you are.

She doesn’t stop you.

Doesn’t even comment.

Just lets you.

Wanda stands behind you, gently brushing your hair.

Slow strokes.

Working through tangles without pulling.

“You’re being very patient,” she says softly.

You nod a little.

Your focus is on the ring.

The way it catches the light.

The way it spins.

Natasha and Wanda talk quietly above you.

Low voices.

Calm.

You don’t understand all of it.

Something about calls. Paperwork. Tomorrow.

But their voices are steady.

Not sharp.

Not scary.

Just… there.

Wanda’s fingers begin to braid your hair, movements careful and rhythmic.

You lean slightly into the feeling without realizing it.

Into the warmth.

Into them.

And for the first time, everything feels slow.

Safe.

Yours.

Even if just for tonight.

-///-

The cake is a little uneven.

You notice that first.

The frosting swirls aren’t perfect, and one side dips slightly like it leaned too long, but it’s still the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen.

Because it’s yours.

“Okay,” Wanda says softly, setting it down in front of you, a small smile on her face. “Ready?”

You nod, even though your chest feels full in a way you don’t completely understand.

Natasha stands just behind you, one hand resting lightly on your shoulder.

“Make a wish, baby,” she murmurs.

You close your eyes.

You don’t even have to think about it.

Then you blow out the candles.

Wanda claps softly, laughing a little. Natasha’s hand squeezes your shoulder once, and when you look up at her, she’s smiling—small, but real.

“Presents?” Wanda asks.

You nod again, a little more excited this time.

There aren’t many.

But that doesn’t matter.

Wanda hands you a small box first. Inside is something soft, a sweater in your favourite colour.

You smile, hugging it close.

“Thank you, Mom,” you say quietly.

Her eyes soften instantly.

Natasha hands you the last one.

It’s not wrapped like the others.

Just a folder.

You tilt your head slightly. “What’s this?”

“Open it,” she says gently.

You do.

At first, the words don’t make sense.

They’re too big. Too official.

Then you see it.

Your name.

Their names.

Together.

Something shifts.

Something settles.

You look up, your hands tightening slightly on the paper.

“…Mama?” you whisper.

Natasha’s expression softens completely. “Yeah.”

You turn to Wanda, your voice smaller now but steady.

“…Mom?”

She nods, her eyes shining. “Yeah, sweetheart.”

Your grip on the paper loosens as you move forward without thinking, wrapping your arms around both of them.

And this time—

You know you’re not going anywhere.

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.

Wanda ignores the pleading voices calling after her as she leaves the house, leaving her enforcers to deal with the dirty work. It’s not that Wanda is afraid of violence; she’s just not in the mood today. Besides, she just got her nails done ready for her club visit tonight; she doesn’t feel like getting her hands dirty. Sure enough she soon hears the sounds of panicked cries from inside. Well, who borrows money that they know they can’t pay back? All the terms and conditions were laid out to them before they borrowed anything. It wasn’t like Wanda was being unfair.

Her phone beeps in her pocket as she heads towards her car, and she takes it with an irritated sigh. Why does everyone need her input on absolutely everything? Is it so difficult for people to just make decisions themselves? Honestly, things would fall apart without her. Wanda fires off several messages, pausing outside her car so she can type.

 As she goes to slip her phone back into her pocket, she feels a strong arm wrap around her, trapping her arms to her sides. Just as she opens her mouth to cry out or ask what the hell they think they’re doing, a cloth goes over her mouth and nose. She struggles, panic overwhelming her as she reaches blindly for the gun she keeps holstered on her thigh. Whoever’s got her grabs her hand, holding it tightly so she has no choice but to wait for the chloroform to overtake her, dragging her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Time must pass though Wanda isn’t sure how much when she wakes up. Her head feels heavy and she groans, looking around the room blearily. Part of her had expected to wake up in a basement, probably beneath one of the rival gangs’ houses, quiet and secluded, so no one would hear her scream. She’s surprised to find herself in what appears to be in an ordinary living room. Wanda’s seated on a dining chair, pulled away from the small table in the corner of the room. When she goes to stand up, she finds herself tied to the chair – her wrists bound behind her back, and her ankles tied to the legs of the chair.

Her fingers scrabble for her knife, only to find someone’s already removed it, along with her gun and her phone. All of them are placed carefully on the table where Wanda can see them and she squirms, trying to move the chair closer to her belongings. Whoever’s bound her has done an expert job - no matter how much she twists and wriggles, the ropes don’t loosen at all. She groans in frustration, tugging harder on the rope around her wrists but they still don’t give.

Instead, Wanda begins to study the room she’s in. The curtains are drawn shut, ensuring she can’t see out, and that no one can see in. It’s an expensively furnished room, with plush couches, a large TV, and framed photos. Wanda’s taken by surprise when she spots a photo of herself sitting on the mantel piece and she squints. Is that-

“Hey baby.”

Wanda turns her head and spots you in the doorway, her whole body instantly relaxing. “You- I thought I’d been kidnapped! What were you thinking?”

You grin, crossing the room to squat down in front of her, your fingers dancing over her knee teasingly. “But you have been kidnapped.”

Wanda rolls her eyes, but she’s unable to keep the smile off her face. God, you’re so annoying. This must be your living room, and sure enough when Wanda glances towards the mantel piece, the photo is of the two of you, your arm slung loosely around Wanda’s shoulders.

Wanda had recruited you to her empire personally. She’d learnt about the Widows from Natasha Romanoff, one of her other trusted recruits, and she’d made a point of recruiting as many ex-Widows as possible. At first you hadn’t been keen but Wanda had come to meet with you, outlining your position in her gang, how much you’d be paid, and the protection she could offer you. Wanda had always assumed those were the selling points, but you’d later confessed it was your attraction to Wanda herself that had convinced you to take the job.

Most of her Widow recruits were assassins, taking out people who were getting in Wanda’s way or posing any kind of threat. Your work was more specialised though – you kidnapped people. On more than one occasion if someone was unable to pay back their bills to Wanda, you would kidnap someone important to them, giving Wanda leverage to incentivise any stragglers to gather the money for their loved ones release.

“I have work to do,” Wanda protests though her voice is low, her objections sounding pretty weak. “And you tied these too tightly-”

“I tied them just right, and you don’t have any work to do right now other than sit there and look pretty for me.”

Wanda hates how your hand sliding up to her thigh, and your cocky voice, affects her so much. Her wrists twist in the ropes again but it’s useless, she’s not getting free by herself. “Do you wanna tell me why I’m here?”

You meet her gaze and grin, “Oh come on… This is your fantasy, isn’t it baby?”

Her cheeks flush. She’d kind of hoped you’d forgotten about that.

You’d been working for her for around a year when the two of you had finally gotten together. Both of you were taking it slow – Wanda was incredibly busy running her empire, and you were busy carrying out all of her orders. Besides, she didn’t really want the others to know that you were dating the boss, so you’d mostly met in secret. You never made it easy, turning up at her office just to steal kisses or leave her little presents. During meetings you’d rub your foot against her leg beneath the table, smirking to yourself whenever you saw Wanda swallow hard to compose herself. Any opportunity you got to wind her up, you took it.

Date nights were rare but one time Wanda turned up at your apartment in the middle of the night, having had too much to drink in one of her clubs, and now she needed a place to crash. She insisted your apartment was the closest place but you knew for a fact it wasn’t, not that you called her out on it. Wanda had been in a cuddly mood, something you didn’t see often because she only acted like this when she was certain you were alone. It was hard to get Wanda to relax, she always assumed someone would come in and catch you. Being drunk only heightened her clinginess and she’d curled up right next to you in your bed, wearing one of your oversized shirts as pyjamas.

“You know, if you sleep in my bed, you have to tell me a secret first,” You’d said.

“I don’t have any secrets from you,” Wanda had mumbled back, nuzzling into your chest.

You’d kissed the top of her head, “Bullshit. You gotta tell me something.”

“I don’t know. I wanna sleep. Can you rub my feet in the morning?”

“You can only sleep if-”

“Play with my hair, Y/N, please-”

“Baby, you gotta tell me a secret. Literally anything. Or I won’t play with your hair.”

She’d groaned, “Fine! Fine. You can ask me any question and I’ll answer it truthfully.”

You’d thought for a long moment before asking quietly, “Okay. Tell me… Your secret fantasy.”

“I don’t have one.”

“Bullshit! Everyone has one.”

Wanda had groaned, realising she wasn’t going to get you to either drop the subject or play with her hair until she offered you something, “Okay, fine. I think… Well… I’ve never been tied up before. And I guess that would be kinda hot.”

“Oh yeah? You’d like someone to kidnap you and tie you up?”

“In theory, yeah,” Wanda had mumbled back. “Only if that someone was you though.”

“Hmm. I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Play with my hair!”

You’d grinned, kissing her forehead and relenting, running your fingers through her soft hair. Wanda had practically purred like a cat, pressing a kiss to your chest before nodding off. In the morning she’d gotten her promised foot rub whilst she’d sipped tea and ate the breakfast you’d made her. Neither of you mentioned the conversation you’d had last night. Wanda hadn’t been so drunk she’d forgotten any of it, and her cheeks burned whenever she remembered confessing to her fantasy. That conversation had taken place months ago, and Wanda had hoped it had slipped your mind.

Of course it hadn’t.

“I thought you’d forgotten!” Wanda says, her wrists struggling in the ropes again.

You smirk, squeezing her thigh. “Nope. I just let enough time pass so you’d think I forgot and then I could truly surprise you.”

“You really knocked me out with chloroform? What were you thinking?”

“You were perfectly safe. It’ll give you a bit more of an insight into what happens to all those people you order me to kidnap.” Wanda rolls her eyes, having to bite her lip when you squeeze her thigh again. “How does it feel? Being at my mercy?”

“I- I’m not at your mercy. I could break free whenever I want.”

Wanda’s voice is breathless and you can’t help grinning, moving your hand to run your fingers gently against her cheek, “Oh is that so? In that case, I’m sorry baby; I thought I’d secured you enough. Don’t worry though, I’ll fix it.”

Wanda is helpless to do anything as you get another rope, wrapping it around her torso and pulling her back tightly against the chair. As soon as you’re done, you begin wrapping rope around her thighs as Wanda whimpers, the scary mafia boss reduced to a trembling mess beneath your knots. You kiss her cheek and ask in a singsong voice, “Is that better, baby?”

Wanda groans, tilting her head back, trying her best to look annoyed even though it’s obvious to both of you that she’s loving this. “I- I could still get free…”

“Okay. Get free then.”

Wanda’s cheeks flush and she mumbles irritably, “No. Not while you’re watching.”

You laugh, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, “I could leave you alone to struggle for a little while, if you want.”

“You- You need to untie me, I have so much work to do and I-”

“Natasha’s checking up on that club tonight, and everything else will have to wait. Because…” You whisper directly into her ear, “You’re not going anywhere.”

Wanda bites her lip again, “Y/N, it- You- You need to untie me. That’s an order.”

“Oh, an order, huh?” You grin, completely unfazed by her demand. “It’s okay baby, I’m just showing you what you pay for, right? If you can’t get free… That must be because I’m pretty good at my job…”

“God, you’re insufferable.”

You smirk, nipping at her ear, then laughing when she whines. You’re the only person who ever gets to see this vulnerable side of her, and you love it. You check the ropes, making sure they’re still tight and then you kiss her cheek, “I have an idea.”

“Does it involve untying me?”

“Good question! No, it doesn’t. In fact, rather the opposite. I think I am going to leave you to squirm until you’re absolutely desperate for my touch. Does that sound fun?”

“What? You- You wouldn’t!”

“I think we both know that I’m going to.”

Your hands move down to her thighs again, giving them both a teasing squeeze before straightening up. Wanda squirms in the ropes, “Y/N-”

“Oh, thank you baby, I nearly forgot.”

“Forgot wh- Mmphm!”

You pull a cloth out of your back pocket, pushing it into Wanda’s mouth and tying it tightly at the back of her head. Her eyes are wide, a whole new wave of helplessness washing over her. She’s never experienced complete helplessness before but… She can’t deny how much she’s enjoying it, especially when you look at her like that. So confident, so cocky… You are good at your job. And you’re so hot when you get like this, it drives Wanda wild.