Hi :) hru? It's been a while since you posted something here :)
Hey anon!
So I'm doing well, I moved from one state to another several months ago and it has been quite an adjustment. I miss writing and posting, I promise. I think the constant use of Character A.I. has fried my brain from being creative. So yeah. A.I. is bad news y'all. Yes it's fun and games until you set it down to do anything else and ya brain goes blank! I hope you are doing well! I miss it here!
Hope ur doing well. Don’t mean to be a bother but r u still going to be putting out new podcasts episodes
Hey anon,
So interesting that you asked this, I do have episodes I recorded with Miranda back in 2024 and early 2025. I believe it's about five or six. And I was recently editing them. It's just a little difficult to release them because they are so time specific because we did plan out a timeline, (I dropped the ball on editing then CapCut got banned for months and then I just lost motivation). We did an episode on Gossip Girl that was supposed to be released on Thanksgiving. So the holiday is mentioned is a lot. I would like to release those episodes. We're all just going to have to collectively agree to accept the timing is off. If that is okay.
Summary: A collection of moments as Wanda and Y/n build their life together after their impromptu wedding.
A/n: This is crazy! I can't believe we're finally at our last chapter with this story. It was such a long journey to get here and I can't express my gratitude enough to those who stuck by every step of the way. I love you guys! Until the next one. Enjoy!
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“Woah! Don't point that thing at me! It's loaded!” Darcy shouts causing a few people to hide their smiles at her panic. You were having a nice dinner with Darcy and her wife when Wanda went into labor. She is currently in a wheelchair as the three of you rush through the hospital. Darcy’s wife is with Tommy, Billy, and Rachel parking the car. You laugh as you push Wanda around Darcy to follow the nurse to the delivery room.
It turned out to be a long stressful delivery for Wanda, but it was all worth it in the end as she held her new daughter in her arms. “She's beautiful,” you say as you lean over Wanda to gaze at your daughter. Wanda has tears streaming down her cheeks as her daughter grips your finger.
“She's perfect,” Wanda says through a sob. She cannot believe this is real. So many years ago, this same scenario was a nightmare. So many years ago, Vision was telling her that it's because she worked too much that her body failed them. But she's not falling into herself right now. No, right now she's with you and her new daughter and nothing could take this moment from her.
You press a kiss to Wanda's temple and whisper how grateful you are and how much you love her. When it came to deciding if the two of you wanted another baby with the kids you do have entering high school, it wasn't just a simple decision. Especially with the previous debacle with your ex-wife. However, while the two of you were deciding whether or not to intentionally get pregnant, Wanda found out she was pregnant.
The two of you talked for days when she tested positive. Discussing the pros and cons about whether or not to continue with the pregnancy. In the end, the both of you decided that each of you wanted to have another baby.
~~~~
“Watch your step,” you say as you guide Wanda up the stairs of the front porch while she holds the baby in her arms. You were glad that you built an extra room when you found out the news. Wanda initially wasn't keen on having a spare room beyond the ones she had planned. But you told her that one day it will be useful. And today is that day.
“Welcome home babygirl,” Wanda whispers to the baby in her arms as she walks through the front door. Rachel and Billy are anxiously waiting in the living room to welcome their little sister home. “Your Baba and I made this. Just like we made you,” she continues to talk to the baby as she sits on the rocking chair with the baby in the sunroom.
You admire the decorations that Rachel and Billy had put together. “Very pink,” you say as you glance at the banner, balloons, streamers, and hanging stars. “This is great guys,” you compliment them as you hug each of them. “Where's your brother?” You ask as you look around the open space for the missing twin.
Billy tightens his lips and looks away. Rachel claps her hands and moves to grab the bags you left by the front door. “You must be exhausted. Let me take these for you, Baba.” You release your hold, grateful for the help. Billy joins in and the two disappear up the stairs as they bicker together.
You walk into the sunroom and find Wanda rocking gently in the chair you made for her. “Something is up with the kids,” you say as you lean against the door frame and cross your arms.
“Something is always up with them. They're teenagers,” Wanda says distractedly. Her eyes never leave the sleeping baby in her arms.
“Yeah, I don't know. This feels different,” you say as you step towards her and crouch beside her. “They won't tell me where Tommy is.” You adjust the blanket so that you can get a better view of the baby's face. She is one adorable sleeper.
“He's probably visiting his father,” she says with a frown. Ever since he found out that you and Wanda got married, he became a better presence in Tommy and Billy’s lives. Which was a good thing but since the boys are older, they don't have to live in the old structure of one week on one week off. So Tommy will go over to Vision’s house whenever he wants. Wanda doesn't like it because one time Tommy got drunk while at Vision's and ever since, she hasn't trusted that Vision has changed as much as he claims he has. The only reason she still lets the boys go over there is because when Vision lost Tommy, he called her instead of keeping her in the dark. Something the old him would have never done.
“I don't think it's that,” you say with your thumb rubbing Wanda's arm. “They would have told me that if it was the truth.”
“You could call him,” Wanda suggests as she continues to watch the sleeping baby in her arms. She is so peaceful. So innocent and new. She hasn’t been a difficult baby so far in her few days of life. Wanda feels incredibly lucky to have such a peaceful baby.
You rise and kiss Wanda's temple. She is living in a blissful bubble and you weren't going to burst it. You can find Tommy on your own. You leave the sun room and admire the house you built with your family and friends.
After the accident, you, Pietro, and Bucky started a lawsuit against the company that rented out the faulty crane. The other men involved in the accident couldn't join for some reason or another but Pietro made sure to take care of them with his share of the winnings. You wanted to contribute in spreading around your share of the winnings since you received a larger sum than Pietro. Wanda felt that sacrificing yourself had done enough to help them when you expressed your growing guilt to her.
You felt selfish about keeping the money for yourself until you learned that Bucky kept all of his money so he could take care of his family. The family that convinced him to get the best prosthetic arm money could buy. Then it didn't seem so bad to keep all of your winnings and put it towards the dream house. Of course though, Wanda wouldn't let you pay for it on your own so once you could she sold her house and the family put the majority of their belongings into storage. The five of you lived out of two trailers on Wanda's land while the house was being built.
There is still work to be done in the backyard and the front yard but there is time for that. For now, this is the dream house and you couldn't be prouder.
~~~~
“What park? You're where? Tommy? Hello? Hello?” As Rachel struggles to hear Tommy, Billy is frantically tapping her shoulder to warn her that they aren't alone. “What Billy?” She asks with an annoyed tone as she looks at him.
You give your daughter a half wave. “Where is Tommy?” You ask in a firmer tone than earlier.
Billy's eyes are wide as he sits frozen next to Rachel on her bed. Rachel opens and closes her mouth as she tries to come up with a lie but she can't. “I'm being totally serious right now, all I know is he's at some park.”
You nod with a frown as you step further into the room and hold your hand out for her to hand over her phone. She reluctantly does and drops her hand to nervously pet Karma. A grey and white fluffy cat with bright blue eyes that wandered in the backyard a year or so ago as a kitten that the kids convinced you and Wanda to keep because of some mystical cat distribution system that had gone viral at the time.
You go to her Snapchat to look through the map and locate Tommy. When they got their new phones, you and Wanda asked that if they were to go out and do something dumb alone and decided to shut off the parental tracking, that they'd at least allow their siblings to track them so they could be found. Should they ever find themselves in any kind of trouble. When you find Tommy's animated character at a nearby park that is about an hour walk from the house you take a screenshot and send it to yourself.
“Why is he at the park?” You ask as you hand your daughter her phone. Rachel and Billy exchange looks and you shake your head. “The truth, now,” you demand.
The pair sigh and it's Billy who speaks next.
“He's on a date,” he admits and you get ready to remind them that Tommy is still grounded but Billy holds his hand up to stop you. “I know that he's grounded but come on, Baba. Lisa is really good for him. His grades have improved significantly since they started dating.”
Rachel nods, “It's true, and he is so much nicer to be around. Besides, he was supposed to come home before you guys did but I guess he got lost? I don't know, his signal is terrible.”
“Alright, tell him to stay put and that I'm on my way,” you say as you rub your eyes.
You return to the sunroom to warn Wanda that you're going to go looking for her son but when you find her, she and the baby are fast asleep. You gently take the baby out of her arms and walk her to the nursery. You gently set the baby in her brand new crib and adjust the camera on the baby monitor so that it is just right. You take the mobile monitor and set it on Wanda’s lap as she continues to sleep.
You drive to the park that looks like where Tommy had been stuck at and find him sitting on the swings by himself. You sigh as you park your truck and walk out to sit with him. “I know what you’re gonna say,” Tommy mutters.
“Oh yeah?” You say as you sit on the swing next to him.
“You can save your punishments,” he says as he wipes his tears with the back of his hand. “My heart is so broken I don’t think I want to ever leave the house again.”
You frown as you look over at him. Tommy wasn’t in good shape. He wasn’t being a cocky teenager, upset that he didn’t get away with sneaking out of the house. He was a heart broken boy. You know what it’s like to be young and in love and the pain of your first heart break. You feel it now as you look at your son. And your heart breaks for him. “What happened Tommy?” you calmly ask.
“She dumped me,” he pouts. “No reason for it. Other than she needs to focus on school. Which is probably a load of crap.” He kicks the woodchips under his feet and you nod as you look out to see the sun setting. He is going to be a changed boy after this. He won’t be the same. He won’t love the same as he tries to figure out what he did wrong.
You rise and offer your hand to Tommy. The teenage boy reluctantly takes it and when you remove him from the swing, you pull him in for a hug. “It’s going to be okay,” you tell him as you hold him. Something you hated hearing when you were his age and in this state. But knowing deep down, it’s the only thing you can say. It causes more tears to fall as he sobs against you. It takes quite some time for Tommy to calm down. It’s not until the sun has gone down and Wanda is calling your cell that he settles enough to get in the truck. The first heart break is always the toughest. But it gets easier.
~~~~
“How’s your mom doing? I haven’t heard from her lately. Not since…” you trail off as you sit with Rachel at her favorite brunch spot. After you married, you and Wanda agreed that Sundays would be to spend special time with the kids. To make sure that they know that they are loved and to provide your sole focus on them. It was easy in the beginning because the boys wanted to spend time with their mom and Rachel needed a break from sharing your attention. She began to resent having siblings until the new tradition started. It was a simple enough task to allocate the time to spend with the teenagers. However, recently Wanda has had a bit of a challenge since having the baby. She doesn’t ever want to leave her with anyone but you. So Saturdays, she spends with Tommy or Billy, whoever is around and willing to spend time with her. While you take care of the baby. And Sundays, you get to give your time and attention to Rachel.
“Since her marriage blew up?” Rachel asks with a laugh as she sips her water.
“You don’t have to put it like that,” you murmur as your eyes scan the menu, in the mood to try something different.
Rachel shrugs, “Why? It’s what happened. Besides, Anna changed. I don’t know why or what happened exactly but I’m glad she’s out of our lives.”
You make a face, “You wanted her out of your life? Sweetie, you know that she has rights to you. Don’t you?”
Rachel shakes her head, “Not according to mom. Anna signed her rights away along with the marriage.” You frown as you reach across the table to hold her hand. You hadn’t realized she was going through so much at her mom’s house. You can’t believe she has waited months to even bring this up. You remember how close she used to be with Anna. How happy she was to tell everyone she had three parents. No, she would flaunt it as three people who love her. She still has three people, but it breaks your heart to know she lost her fourth parent.
“Sweetheart, you never told me that,” you say softly as you watch her carefully.
Rachel shrugs, “You’ve had a lot going on with the house and the baby. Who I adore by the way. You and Wanda really made a special little girl, I’d be jealous if I didn’t love my mom as much as I do.”
“And I’m glad that you do. You know that I never wanted to come between that right? Even with how difficult my relationship with her can be,” you say as you rub the back of her hand gently, hoping to provide some comfort. Rachel gives a small smile and a nod before pulling her hand away.
“Can I order something sweet? I think I want to do a dessert with this,” Rachel says as she changes the subject back to the menu. You nod and agree to pay for whatever she wants to get.
~~~~
Billy walks into the house in the middle of the day with a bloody nose and a scrape on his face. He ordered a ride from the school once he'd had enough of the cruelty of the boys at school. He can't believe they get away with such abuse on school grounds. “Zero tolerance policy on bullying,” his ass. He can't take it anymore. Something has to be done.
“Babe?” You call out, assuming your wife was home early because there was no way it was one of the kids. You lift your little girl in your arms to move out of her room where you were playing with her to walk around the house.
Billy freezes at the sound of your voice. Does he hide? No, he can't. He needs to talk to someone. He needs to talk to you. “It's me, Baba,” he calls out from the kitchen where he was rinsing off the blood and dirt.
You frown as you check your watch. It definitely was not time for the kids to come home yet. You sigh, if you hadn't become a stay at home parent, these kids would be skipping school like crazy. “How the hell are you here?” You ask as you adjust your daughter on your hip. Billy turns around with tears in his eyes, the scrape on his cheek and the blood running down his nostrils.
You set your daughter down in her playpen in the living room before fretting over your son. “What happened? Who did this to you? I want names.” You demand as you look for the first aid kit through the cabinets.
“It won't make a difference,” Billy mutters as he holds a fresh paper towel to his nose. “This was the backlash for reporting them on the cyber bullying thing. They got suspended for the next four games. I don't want to know what will happen if they get suspended from school.”
You frown since there is nothing worse than a group of guys with nothing to lose. You take the first aid kit over to him and you clean him up properly. “I'm sorry kid,” you say as you bandage the scrape. I don't want you to have to meet violence with violence, because Tommy will want to get involved, then Rachel will feel like she was left out for being a girl and I don't need all three of you in trouble.” Billy lets out a short humorless laugh at the thought. He might be unlucky at school but he is fortunate to have the siblings that he does. He knows that they will always have his back, no matter what they are going through at the time. “What do you think we should do? Because I can’t send you back to that school now that things have become physical.” You ask, desperately out of your depths and open to any suggestions he might have.
Billy looks down at the bloody paper towel in his hands. He readjusts his jaw as he thinks. The last thing he wants to do is return to that environment but what if the next place is just as bad or worse? “Is home schooling out of the question?”
You frown, you know how important human interaction is for a kid his age. Though, you haven’t heard much in terms of friends from him in some time. You almost wonder if he came out online or something which has opened this witch hunt for him. “Not entirely, but I have to warn you our theatre program is abysmal.” This makes Billy crack a smile.
“I could look into local theatre programs,” he suggests and that makes you feel a lot better about the possibility of homeschooling your son.
“Well kiddo, if you’re serious we can talk with mom and your dad. I’ll do some research before we do. Until then, don’t just ditch school. Please? Go to the office and call me first,” you request before pulling him in for a hug. He’s more than happy to accept. Billy agrees to go through the proper channels before leaving school early from now on. Especially after you get a call from a frantic Wanda about the school calling to inform her that he is missing.
~~~~
“You have no idea how lost I was before you,” Wanda whispers as she holds you while the two of you are in bed one night. “I love you so much,” her voice cracks, which causes you to look up at her from where your head lays against her chest. “The life that we’re building is so beautiful. And it’s just the beginning,” you reach up and wipe her fallen tear with the pad of your thumb.
When I say I'm hurt I missed the vote lol I definitely would have voted for more! I have fallen in love with Wonderstruck! They sure took their time getting it together, I didn't think the stars were ever going to align in their favor. I think my favorite chapter has been their first date lmao what a hilarious disaster, I'm glad they made it through in one piece 🤣 I'm glad yn woke up and really hope she gets to see her dream come true! sad to see them go but looking forward to the epilogue!
Hey there!
I'm very sorry that you missed the vote too! And I appreciate your kind words about Wonderstruck. I'm very proud of this story. It was a great two year journey and I'm glad that my friends (that includes everyone that reads my stories) encouraged me and challenged me to do a longer and fluffier story. Of course, drama had to sneak its way throughout the story. What can I say? I'm dramatic and I grew up on teen dramas. I'm simply a product of my time.
The first date was one of my favorites to write. I'm glad you found it funny, I was worried when writing it that no one would laugh. I'm actually worried my sense of humor gets lost in the writing a lot haha. But thank you for highlighting your thoughts on that particular chapter.
I will say, I am sad to end this story but I believe it chose it's time to end so that I could continue with other stories. I have several ideas that I've been trying to find time to develop for some time that I hope become a suitable replacement for Wonderstruck.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you have a wonderful day!
So with this last chapter there was a sense of finality when writing, I kind of feel as though writing more might feel like I'm dragging it out. I do have ideas for what I could do for future chapters but after I finished writing chapter 30, those ideas can be condensed into an epilogue. But also the story can just end where its at now. I don't know, I've been warring with this for days. Let me know what y'all think!
So with this last chapter there was a sense of finality when writing, I kind of feel as though writing more might feel like I'm dragging it out. I do have ideas for what I could do for future chapters but after I finished writing chapter 30, those ideas can be condensed into an epilogue. But also the story can just end where its at now. I don't know, I've been warring with this for days. Let me know what y'all think!
If you are done with wonder struck then I would say end it here however it is my favorite story of all time and I will miss it but I think that as soon as you’re not feeling it it’ll lose what makes it so great.
Hey anon,
Thank you for your understanding! I really appreciate it 🫶
When I started writing this last chapter I had every intention of writing more for the story but something about chapter 30 has a finality to it. Then the ideas for future chapters started to feel like they could either be used for other stories or put into an Epilogue. So I'm just conflicted because I do love writing this story but I felt the cut I typically feel when I finish a story 😭 This time is weird because it wasn't planned.
A/n: Hello!! So I'm considering making a poll about continuing this story because of this chapter. I wrote and rewrote it and this seems to be the way the story wanted to go. Thank you all for continuing this journey with me. I love you guys! Enjoy!
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Your heart beat is steady, that’s what Wanda hangs onto as she sits by your side. The steady beat of your heart and the positive readings from your brain activity. That's what she chooses to focus on. Not the casts on your body, one on your right leg the other one your right arm. Not the tubes connected to you to maintain your breathing, nutrition, and body output. She focuses on the fact that as of now, you are steady.
Wanda is so furious with you because of what you did. Furious that you didn't consider your family. Furious that you just had to be a hero. At the same time she is incredibly grateful. You saved so many people. You saved her brother. How could she possibly be mad at you for that?
Because you didn’t save yourself. For that, she wants to scream at you. She wants to fight with you about how stupid it was to not focus on getting yourself out the way many others did. She wants to know what you were thinking. She has so many questions for you. So many you can’t answer. So many that you can, if you'd just wake up already.
She was with her brother when he got the official incident report and she still doesn’t understand how the crane collapsed. She still doesn’t get how it took several sturdy floors with it. She doesn't understand how you managed to get Pietro and Bucky and countless other people to safety but you couldn't get yourself to safety. None of it makes sense to her. With every story she is given it makes less and less sense to her.
Pietro won't talk to her about it. He just tells her that you love her anytime she asks. As if knowing your last words for her makes it any better. She wants the truth. She needs to know every detail. But Pietro continues to avoid her. Which means he feels guilty about something. That there might’ve been a choice that had to be made. The result being that he made it out and you didn't.
She visits Bucky in his room when she can after the first time he asked to see her. Bucky apologized profusely. He told her what you did for him. How there was a beam crushing his arm. How most of his arm was dead by the time you found him. The life saving decision you had to make before getting him free. How you supported him until you got him out and found him help. He told her that because of you, he was lucky that all he lost was his forearm.
That story nearly broke her.
You escaped and you went back in. That’s all she could think about. You stupid, stupid, person. She can't believe she fell in love with someone like you. Someone so brave and selfless. You risked your life for others that might not have done the same. You didn't think about her or the kids. You didn't think about what you would leave behind.
Wanda was so unbelievably angry with you that she couldn't help but fall even more in love with you. So, even though she is upset with you, she continues to visit you at the hospital. She sits by your side and maintains your appearance to give her hands something to do. She only leaves to shower and eat but during that time your family is visiting you. She never wants you to be alone. So your family takes turns. Kate has to wear a disguise because she's still on a ban list which no one knew a hospital could have until Kate.
When Wanda returns to your side she'll read a book to you or she will tell you about her day. They are uneventful since your parents keep the boys preoccupied to give Wanda the space she needs. Your mom and stepfather are staying with her while you are in the hospital. They are a great help. They get the kids ready in the morning, take them to school, and pick them up. They help with homework and studying for finals. They even make the kids dinner.
Initially, Wanda assumed her mother would be helping her so that she and your parents can be focused on you but when your parents arrived they said they needed the distraction. Wanda's mom was happy that she didn't have to choose between her children because she also wanted to be there for her son. He was still healing so he needed the extra hands around the house.
She hasn't seen much of her friends since the accident. They treat her exactly the way her family treated her back when she miscarried and lost her father. It upsets her because she's not fragile. She's not grieving. You are still alive, she hasn't lost you for good. You are still here. She holds your hand everyday. She talks to you everyday. Sure, you don't squeeze her hand back or respond to her. But she knows deep down that you will do those things again.
Someday soon, you will wake up, you will kiss her and you will tell her how much you love her. That's all she needs to keep herself strong. To feel like her world isn't caving in on her.
~~~~
You wake up with a start. You try to catch your breath as you take in your surroundings. You are in the middle of a destroyed building. How did you get here?
You groan as you struggle to rise from the ground. “Hello?” You call out into the distance. “Anyone there?” You ask as you manage to stand up. You rub your eyes as you try to fix your blurry vision. The building doesn't look familiar, yet it does. You can't place it. The memory is just at the front of your brain. You can feel it coming to you but as you try to chase it, your surroundings change and you stumble and fall into the living room.
“Ouch! What did I say about the toys?” You say as you hold your foot in your hands. The sun blinds your eyes as you lay on the rug in the living room. But wait. Wanda's living room doesn't get this much light. You blink as you look around. This isn't her house. It certainly isn't your first house with Jean.
You look at the toy you tripped on and it's not a toy any of the kids would play with. That's a baby toy. You shake your head and dismiss it. Must be Emma's toy, you think to yourself. Maybe this is Pietro’s house. No. Not Pietro. You groan as you sit up and find Rachel's gift to Wanda sitting on the mantle. This is your home. But it shouldn't exist. It should be nothing but a flat piece of land.
As you hold the photo in your hand you grow to miss everyone. You saw them just this morning. Why do you miss them so much? It feels like an impossible amount of time has passed. But that's just not true. It can't be. Can it? The frame crumbles into dust in your hands as the light streaming through the windows brightens. A door opens and more light floods into the room. It's almost blinding. Yet there's an inviting quality to it. Then a basement door opens as you step towards the light.
You move away from the light. You move to the basement instead. Except it's not a basement. It leads you to an empty pub with a tray of shots sitting on the bar. This isn't where you want to be.
You want to be with them. Your family. You turn around and leave, when you do, this time you are standing in a cemetery.
You look at the tombstone and your heart drops. The grave beneath your feet is your own.
No.
Not yet. No.
It's not time.
~~~~
It took you four weeks to wake up after the accident. Four of the longest weeks of Wanda's life. It took her four weeks to hate you, miss you, love you, forgive you.
It took twenty eight days for Wanda to realize that she doesn't want to keep living in this limbo of “what if we don't work out” because there's no telling what the world has in store for the two of you. She just wants you and nothing else matters. You are a good person. You love her in ways she’s never been loved before. You love her boys. There isn’t anything else she needs from you. She wants to commit to you fully. She is done being hesitant and afraid that the other shoe is going to drop. It’s not going to. If it was, that would have happened some time ago. She loves you and nothing else matters.
So, after a dramatic moment of finding out you were awake and rushing the doctors into the room to run their tests and clear your health screenings, Wanda holds your hand in hers. The words on the tip of her tongue.
“I'm sorry,” you struggle to say. You don't remember a lot about the accident but you do recall some of your decisions and they were not wise decisions. Not for a person with a family. Maybe for someone with nothing to lose. Or a superhero that is indestructible.
Wanda smiles as she rubs her hand over the back of your fingers. “You should be,” she says softly as she embraces the moment. She grabs the water bottle they brought in the room for you. The bottle is made from a squishy material with a long thin straw so that you don't have to work so hard to drink the water. “Here, this might help you a little,” she says as she tries her best to take care of you.
You happily drink the water and turn your head away from her when you finish. She takes the signal and sets the bottle aside. “What do you know?” You ask, not just to gauge how upset she is but to fill in some of the gaps for yourself.
Wanda sighs as she moves your hair around with her delicate touch. She frowns a bit as she tries to summarize the stories she's heard since the incident. So many people have stopped by her house to bring a grief casserole with a story about how you saved their lives. Most left with hardly a scratch which annoyed her more than the grief casseroles. But a few lost more than you did. Like Bucky, a few others are without a limb. You lost four weeks of your life but somehow managed to keep all fingers, all toes, both legs and arms. She didn't want you to feel guilty for managing to get yourself out in one piece.
“You're braver than I knew,” she starts as her smile returns. “And dumber,” she adds and it gets a resemblance of a laugh from you. She removes her hand from your hair and lays it on your chest. She wanted to feel your heartbeat but instead all she feels is the ECG patches for the machine to monitor your cardiac function. She licks her lips as she gazes into the pair of eyes that she has longed for twenty eight days to gaze into. “I love you,” she says just above a whisper.
You manage a smile as you place your hand over hers. You run the back of her hand back and forth with your thumb. “I love you more,” you say truthfully.
“Yeah?” She says with a challenging glint in her eyes. You nod slightly to confirm. “Prove it,” she states with a light playful tone.
“Okay, how?” You ask, finding her energy to be infectious.
“Marry me,” she says as her cheeks redden.
You freeze for a second. Your heart skips a beat on the monitor causing Wanda's eyes to shift to the screen. “Okay,” you state.
Wanda's eyes fall back to you with tears springing to them. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” you say before she practically lunges onto you and kisses you on the lips. Oh how she has missed your lips.
As soon as you're released from the hospital, the two of you do not waste any time. Since there is no time like the present, you and Wanda made an appointment to get married while you were in the hospital. The engagement was announced as people came to visit you. No one felt like arguing when you or Wanda explained how quickly the wedding was going to happen. Your parents extended their stay to take you to the courthouse. Wanda’s mom and Pietro brought Wanda to the courthouse on the day of your appointment and the two of you got married. Your mom was a little upset that you, once again, avoided a large ceremony but she was happy to at least attend this one. Because who needs some flashy wedding when any day can be the last?
In the end, all you needed was to be surrounded by those that love you. Even with your injuries you've never felt luckier in your life.
I just wanted to let you know that I REALLY love wonderstruck!!! It's such an amazing story (1 of my fav fan fics), and i can't wait for the next chapter🤗
Have a nice day/night
Hey anon,
Thank you for reading and supporting my content! It means a lot. I hope you have a great day/night as well and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!
All good. Thanks for smashing out these latest chapters. We love this story ❤️ how many chapters do you think it will have?
Hey anon,
I have ideas for maybe another ten chapters for Wonderstruck but we shall see how it will play out since my stories often derail from my plans.
And it's been amazing to be able to write again, I have truly missed it every day. So thank you for returning and reading 💜💜💜 It means the world to me.
So happy that ur back. Hope ur time away was both relaxing and refreshing for ur mental and physical health.
Patiently waiting for that notification from Spotify.
Hey anon,
Thank you, my time away was definitely a mix of healing and not but on the bright side, I have lost about 50lbs since January so THAT has been fantastic.
Also thank you for bringing up the podcast. It's been my fault for the hold up because I lost some motivation after the election. But, even though everything still sucks, I am determined to get those episodes out and hopefully revive the podcast!
Summary: Wanda is rethinking the plans for her dream house. Darcy returns from Germany. Reader reaches out to Vision.
A/n: Hey again! Sorry for the confusion of accidentally posting before it was ready. Hope y'all enjoy!
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Wanda is sitting in her office on her tablet going over the design again and again. Looking through blueprints of houses she has liked in the past. Trying to decide on the kind of style she wants to go with but she can’t make up her mind. Now she feels kind of dumb for not buying a house with good bones. At least then some of the decisions would have already been made for her. She deletes yet another file of her potential house. She runs her fingers through her hair as she remembers how inspired she was with the first design. But that was before you, now she is trying to make an entire house that matches her personality with yours and it’s not as simple as she thought it would be.
As if you could sense her frustrations from the other room, you knock on the door before walking in with a warm cup of tea. Wanda smiles at the gesture as she accepts the mug. “The kids say you’ve been holed up in here since you picked them up. What’s going on?” You ask as you sit across from her. She frowns as she looks at the time and realizes that it’s well past dinner time.
“Shoot, I didn’t realize how late it was!” She says as she moves to get up but you quickly wave her down and she remains in her seat.
“They’re fine, I made spaghetti. I can make you a plate in a little bit if you’re hungry,” you say as you rest your chin on the heel of your hand. Wanda nods and thanks you for the offer as she tries to fix her hair. You smile as you watch her for a moment. Then you ask again. “What’s going on?”
Wanda takes a deep breath and flashes you her tablet screen for a moment. “I’m trying to make our house,” she says with a slight blush.
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. You still have that land right?” You say as you take her tablet and flip through her digital inspiration folder. You nod as you see what she’s going for until the houses start to get a little too…unique. “I thought you already had a pretty solid layout for the house,” you say as you set the tablet on the desk between the two of you.
“Yeah but that was before,” she says as she massages her temples.
You make a face as you look at her not getting what she’s alluding to. “Before what?” She opens her eyes, surprised she has to spell it out for you. But when you still don’t get it she tilts her head to the side and raises her eyebrows. “Oh, right,” you say with a short laugh. “Well, we could work on it together if you’d like. It might help with some of your blocks but I already told you I want to build your dream house. It doesn’t have to be our dream house.”
She frowns as she finds her physical folder of her original ideas and bites her lips as she flips through it. Then she shakes her head. “No, I couldn’t exclude you from the decision making. You’ll be living in it too and I already took so much from you with this move.” She says as she deflates against her seat. “It could be the house our grandkids come to visit and I want it to be perfect.”
You smile at the thought, she’s taking you into careful consideration even though you aren’t married or even engaged for that matter. You stand up with a sigh as you make your way around the desk and stand behind her chair. You kiss her cheek. “Well I am flattered you want to include me. I can start thinking about what I’ve always dreamt of and we can collaborate from there. But for now, let's set all of this aside, and head downstairs and get some food into you. Yeah?” You suggest as you massage her shoulders. She closes her eyes as she relaxes into your touch.
“I can do that, thank you,” she mutters as she places her right hand over yours.
So that’s what you and Wanda do. You walk downstairs and serve her a plate. She eats as you put the remaining salad and pasta away for someone to enjoy later. When she’s done eating, she kicks you out of the kitchen so that she can do the dishes on her own. She won’t even let you dry them. You laugh as you walk off to watch some television while you wait for her to be ready to go to bed. As you do, you find your attention being pulled from the flat screen to your phone screen as you start to really consider what you want your dream house to look like and make your own digital file. Somehow images of engagement rings start to find their way into the mix.
On a Friday night you are waiting at a bar with Wanda, Steve, and Bucky. Waiting to welcome Darcy home from Germany. You hadn’t realized that a year has passed since she left and you were so happy to hear that she couldn’t wait to come back. So you tried to organize as many people as possible to welcome her back home. But Carol and Valkyrie are in D.C. for a major conference and Agatha already had plans for the night. She, of course, sends her best. Which is what you mention to Darcy as you greet her with a hug.
She is happy to see you put your arm around Wanda’s waist and then she smacks your arm. “I told you I expected a wedding invite by the time I got home,” she reminds you as you rub your arm. Wanda laughs before she sips her wine.
“We missed you too Darcy,” she says as she sets her glass down to give Darcy a hug as well. Darcy welcomes the hug as she expresses how much she missed being here which was a first for her since she usually can’t wait to get out of town.
She orders a drink and the five of you find a booth to sit and catch up. She was so excited to talk about her research and what she was able to accomplish in her time in Germany. “I almost signed on for another year but I hadn’t received my invite to the biggest wedding of the century so I thought I had to come back and knock some sense into the two of you!” She jokes and you shake your head.
“You act like a year is enough time to just be ready to get married,” you state defensively because you don’t want to let anyone think you’re planning on proposing soon.
“Um I think it’s plenty of time,” Darcy stresses as she leans forward on the table. You take a sip of your beer as you continue to shake your head. “You better not be wasting my girl Wanda’s time here. I will find someone to propose to her if you are!”
“First of all, you were my friend first,” you start with a laugh as you use your fingers to keep track of your points.
“I like her better,” she says as she sips her beer, Steve and Bucky nod in agreement and you try not to take offense.
“Secondly, we moved in together and it’s been a major adjustment period for the kids,” you continue your list as Wanda watches with amusement. “We want to take some time to slow down so we’re not just bombarding the kids with so much all at once.” You say as you rest your arm around Wanda’s shoulders. “Right, honey?”
Wanda laughs as she nods, “Right, it’s too soon. We’ll get there eventually. Besides, we’re trying to build a house. Even if we won the lottery, in this economy we can’t afford both a house and a wedding.”
Bucky’s ears perk up, “We’re building a house?” He asks you and you realize that you might have to ask more than Pietro to help you with this project. You didn’t think Bucky would be interested.
You nod as you set your bottle down, “Yeah, we’re making the plans. There’s a couple of drafts up in the air right now.” You rub Wanda’s shoulder as you talk about the plans. She smiles at how highly you speak of her. She hasn’t been with someone who praises her so openly. She loves every second of it. “And anyway, enough about us. We’re old news. Steve and Bucky have some exciting news themselves.”
They nod as they turn to Darcy, “Natasha is pregnant, we’re going to be dads!” They say in unison.
Darcy’s eyes go wide as she looks at you and Wanda for a second and you shrug with a grin as Wanda nods. “Wow, do you guys know who?” Is her first question and the guys shake their heads as Bucky states that it doesn’t matter, they’re excited to raise him or her or them. Darcy nods and hugs both of them. “Well congratulations! I can’t wait to meet this lucky kid,” she says. Then when she stands up to get another drink she hits you upside the head. “A year is plenty of time,” she reminds you as you rub the back of your head.
“Germany made her abusive,” you mutter, causing a collective laugh from the table.
A few weeks later you are pacing back and forth outside of a restaurant as you wait for Vision. You aren’t even sure if he’s going to show but just the potential is terrifying enough. Every time someone pulls up and exits their vehicle your heart stops in fear for half a second until you are filled with the relief of not seeing Vision amongst them. You try to tell yourself that you are better than this and that you aren’t afraid. But if this fails this could result in your boys getting hurt further and you would hate to be the cause of any of their pain.
Eventually, one of those cars that pulls up to the restaurant does hold Vision inside. He steps out and straightens his outfit out. He looks clean which is a major contrast to how he describes himself to the boys. He is wearing dark sunglasses to hide his eyes in an attempt to appear intimidating. You hold back a scoff because part of you is intimidated by him but not because of his ridiculous shades. You hold your hand out to him as a form of breaking the tension.
“Thank you for meeting with me,” you say when he walks past your outstretched hand. You nod as he sets the tone for this meeting. You don’t let his dismissal discourage you. This was bigger than you and him.
Once the two of you are seated he orders a drink that you remember Wanda holding in her hand the day you met her. You remember telling her that her taste buds deserved something better than that bitter beverage. Who knew you’d turn out to be right in so many ways? You decide to stick with water so that you keep your temper just in case he tries to push your buttons.
“Let’s cut to the chase,” Vision says once his drink has been brought to him. “I don’t want you to teach my children that people like you are natural. Because you’re not,” he says bitterly.
You smirk, “You kiss your mistress with that mouth?”
Vision glares at you as he sips his alcoholic beverage. “They are young and impressional boys. Make no mistake, they are my boys. I don’t want them thinking they can start running around in tutus.”
You nod with a frown as you squeeze your lemon into your water and stick it further into your cup. “I know that they are your boys. It’s why I asked you here. Why haven’t you tried to spend any time with them in almost eight months? You couldn’t even be bothered to show up for your family’s Christmas party. They were expecting you to be there. They miss you.”
Vision clenches his jaw. “A party with my family of traitors and two of my ex-wives? That doesn’t exactly put anyone in a holly jolly mood,” he grumbles.
“It’s not about them, it’s about the kids,” you firmly state, growing increasingly disgusted with his attitude.
Vision scoffs, “It’s always about the kids. I have been going through hell and all anyone can talk about is those damn kids.”
You take a slow breath as you look down at the table. Trying your best to keep your cool. “What have you been going through, Vision?” You ask with a careful tone as you play with the wrapper of the straw.
“Like you care,” he mutters as he sips his drink.
You shrug, “It doesn't matter, I'm asking. You can choose to talk or not talk about it with me. But is anyone else in your life asking you?”
Vision goes quiet, his fingers tap on his glass as he stares into beverage for a moment. He takes a breath and looks like he just might crack that tough exterior but it doesn't crack enough. Vision tenses up as he looks around the restaurant and sighs. “You couldn't have picked a more private setting?” He grumbles and you can tell he's avoiding the subject.
You have to avoid rolling your eyes at his sudden discomfort. “Don't worry Vision, no one is going to think you're queer just because we're sharing a table. Besides, I'm very cis-gender presenting right now.”
He makes a noise in disgust. “Gosh, why do you have to say it like that? Why can't you just be normal? I'd feel a lot better about you being around my kids if you'd just be normal! I mean look at your nails! What grown man in his right mind paints his nails?”
You look at your nails with a smile. Wanda picked out the polish color and Rachel painted them. You shrug as you set them back on the table. “My daughter did them. Plenty of men paint their nails. It's just a thing to do. It doesn't make a man gay or whatever it is you're so terrified of it doing.” You mentally laugh at the thought. The image of a caveman suddenly turning gay after one nail got painted.
Vision sets his jaw as he narrows his eyes at you. “Why can't you just be a normal man?”
You shrug and ask, “Why can't you be a better dad?” This gets Vision's face turning red and you sigh as you pinch the bridge of your nose. “I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. But look at it from my point of view. All your boys want is your approval and a better, more consistent relationship with you. Why can't you give them that?”
“My relationship with my boys is just fine,” Vision states as he takes a long drink this time.
“Vision, I have only been in their lives for two, almost three years. You are hardly around. I'd love it if you proved me wrong. Hell, I encourage it. So why can't you get over yourself and just show up for the boys more often?” You ask, your frustrations only growing the more he denies his mistakes and makes the conversation about you.
“When I saw you with her, I knew I lost her for good,” Vision says as he looks away. “I know that I had already lost her but it didn't feel real until you. It's only a matter of time that I lose my boys too so they might as well get used to the idea of having a life without me.” You are impressed by his admission. You can understand that kind of insecurity. You felt in the first years of your divorce, but that was a different situation. Jean had every legal right to keep Rachel away from you if she so chose to since you practically lost all parental rights at the time. But you couldn't ever imagine losing time with your daughter over a fear like that.
“That's not what Wanda wants. She wants you to be a father to those boys. As frustrating as you can be, she never wants to take you away from them,” you state as you stir the ice around your water. “So stop pulling away from them and stop feeding them lies about us.” You plead with him, hoping that you're making some progress here.
“I live in a one bedroom condo right now, I don't exactly have the space for them for an entire week,” he says as he avoids eye contact.
“Then take them for a weekend, you can make it an adventure in a way. Set up the living room with sleeping bags or something creative. Just, try. That's all they want from you,” you suggest. You can see Vision working out ways to reject your idea. Then he shrugs and finishes his drink. He rises and tosses some cash onto the table.
“I'll think about it. This was not a total waste of my time. I have to go,” he says as he looks at his watch. Suddenly in a huge hurry for something probably made up. You sigh and nod as you leave some cash on the table as well and get ready to leave. You did the best you could, but it'll take more than meeting to get Vision to change his ways.
When you get home, Wanda gives you a warning expression as she points to the shed in the backyard. It was serious, she definitely didn't want the kids to hear whatever the two of you were about to get into. You nod as you take a second to greet each of the kids. Each of them tries to tell you about their days but you politely cut them short by claiming you have a big project to finish in the shed. You stand out there for a bit before Wanda is able to make up some reason to go out there herself.
You roll up your sleeves and get to work since you actually do have a couple of orders that you're behind on while you imagine how the conversation is going to go. Trying to plan out what you want to say. How you want to say it. What you should say to defend your actions. But all of it goes out the window the second Wanda slams the door shut behind her.
“You went behind my back and met with Vision?” She asks, her voice raising in volume. “What the hell were you thinking?”
You set the tools in your hand aside and try to gesture for her to settle down. “Okay, technically it wasn't behind your back. I talked about this with you a few months ago, remember? It was right around your birthday.”
“Oh, I remember telling you not to do it,” she snaps at you and you nod.
“Well, yeah, but then I had that emotional day with the boys and you know what, someone needed to do something,” you state as calmly as you can but a little bit of attitude slips through and you know you're screwed.
“You think I wasn't trying to do something about this? My boys have been a mess about this. Of course I was trying!” Wanda’s eyes are wild and wide and you only have yourself to blame.
“You're right, I'm sorry. I overstepped. But did it at least work a little bit? Otherwise, why else do you know about what I did today?” You ask as you lean against the work bench.
Wanda huffs as she crosses her arms over her chest. “Fine, yes. He called to set up a weekend with them,” she grumbles through her frown.
You take careful steps towards her and place your hands on her shoulders. “That's great, right? The boys will probably be ecstatic,” you say with a fake enthusiasm because as much as you want to see the twins happy, you still don't like or trust Vision.
Wanda rolls her eyes and wipes your hands off of her shoulders. “That doesn't make what you did right. Especially after I explicitly told you not to do it!”
You cringe as you remember that she agreed under the condition that you waited until after her birthday but now's not the time to correct her. So you just do what every partner does. You nod and apologize. “You're right, I'm sorry. I won't do something like that ever again. Please forgive me?”
Wanda holds her pointer finger up at you with a slight glare in her eyes, “Thin. Ice.” Then she walks out of the shed. You sigh and shake your head. Of course Vision gloated to her about your meeting with him today. But you don't see what the big deal is. He agreed to spend time with the kids. That's the greatest outcome either of you could have hoped for.
You stay in the shed for a couple more hours as you continue to work. By the time you head inside, the house is pretty much shut down. The lights are off and everyone seems to be in their rooms. You make sure all of the doors are locked before you wash your hands and make yourself a quick sandwich. After you've scarfed the sandwich down, you make your way to your bedroom with your fingers crossed that she doesn't make you sleep on the couch tonight.
Luckily, she's already fast asleep. You are quiet as can be as you get ready for bed. When you climb in, Wanda wraps herself around you. She mutters something resembling an apology and you accept it as you shut your eyes and relax in her arms.
Thursday morning doesn't have the best start. There was a power outage at some point in the night which led to none of the alarm clocks working. You were running late with getting the kids to school and getting yourself to work. There wasn’t time for you to have your morning kiss and departing “I love you” with Wanda as you rushed the kids out of the house. The kids complain and complain about missing out on breakfast at home and at school on the drive so you risk making them even later and stop by the nearest donut shop to get them each a donut. While you’re there you figure you can bring a couple dozen to the job site. You can’t afford to have both Maximoff twins upset with you today.
When you arrive at the school the kids explain the late arrival policy and you try not to overreact as you find a parking spot since you have to sign in each of the kids and provide a sufficient excuse as to why you were late dropping them off. You figure it will be a quick in and out since you were extra late with the donut detour. Turns out, your family wasn't the only ones affected by the power outage as there are at least five families ahead of you in line to sign their kids in. Billy bounces anxiously that he's missing home room and ruining his perfect attendance record, he was so close to having a school year without absences and tardies. Whereas Tommy and Rachel could care less as they munch on their donut holes.
Finally after waiting for what feels like an eternity you are able to sign in each of the kids and wish them all a good day. “I love you guys!” You say as they run off to their classes. You sigh because there was a time when at least Rachel would turn around and run back for one last hug. As it was, you didn’t have the time to hold her anyway. You check your phone as you see multiple messages from Pietro asking where you are. You call him as you start your car to explain away your tardiness and mention the donuts to him to try to smooth things over.
Meanwhile, Wanda is yawning as she stands in front of her coffee machine. She looks at the clock on the stove and shakes her head. She is going to have to spend the entire morning resetting every clock in the house. She considers waiting for when you get home but then again, it will give her something mindless to do while she considers some design options she has been considering for a project at work. So after she finishes drinking her coffee, she gets to work on any of the clocks on the first floor that require power and haven’t fixed themselves.
After fixing three of them, she gets inspired and makes her way to her office. She gets lost in her work. Time seems to fly as she works on her sketches for the newest building that her firm has been hired to design. She doesn’t even hear her phone go off as she continues to work tirelessly on the draft. Then she feels something daunting. Her heart drops into her stomach as she pulls away from her desk. She shakes off the odd feeling as she heads downstairs to drink some water. She was probably feeling anxious about Vision taking the boys for a weekend. It’s been a while since they have been away from her.
Yes, that’s it. She doesn’t trust Vision to spend a weekend with her boys. They’ll probably end up sleeping on the floor in his living room while Vision is out all night with some poor girl. The thought gets her blood boiling. Making her kids sleep on the hard ground when they could easily share Vision’s unused bed. He would probably lock his bedroom door before he left too. Oh she wouldn’t just be pissed with Vision if she got a bad report from her boys. She expects him to disappoint her boys. But this time would be all your fault. And she will remind you for weeks about it.
Wanda sighs as she isn’t getting any closer to calming herself down and losing this awful feeling about something happening. So she decides to turn on the television for something distracting. She ends up on the news where the top story is about some kid younger than her own who started some sort of charity. She is slightly impressed and slightly annoyed at the kid’s parents for selling the story to the local news. She sighs as she continues to watch while drinking her water. They mention the power outages that were happening sporadically throughout the state because of the record breaking heat wave. Wanda was shocked to find out that it was still happening throughout the day.
She rises to grab more water after she finishes her glass but she doesn’t make it to the kitchen. Her glass slips out of her hand and crashes onto the floor. The sound doesn’t startle her nearly as much as the footage of a crane that burst into flames and collapsed on a fresh structure. She blinks a few times as she tries to make sense of the information. There is no way that’s the same jobsite where her brother and partner are working. No. The universe isn’t that cruel. It can’t be.
Out of shock and denial, Wanda changes the channel and carefully steps around the mess she made with the broken glass. She operates on autopilot as she moves to sweep up the broken glass. She knows how upset you would get if one of the kids accidentally stepped on a shard. You probably would forgive her the second she explains what happened but there’s no reason any of the kids needs to get injured. Her phone starts ringing again but since it’s on silent, it vibrates incessantly in her pocket.
Dread fills her, if she doesn’t answer the call then she doesn’t have to know. Then her world can’t fall apart. But she could answer and your voice could be on the other end. It’s almost lunch time, isn’t it? You sometimes call her on your lunch breaks if you can’t get away long enough to visit her. Sometimes the traffic can be risky and take up most of your lunch break. Sometimes there’s a big inspection and you can’t get away. Wasn’t today one of those big inspections? That’s it. You have a big inspection today.
You are calling her to tell her you’ll be late coming home. Right? Oh she hopes that’s who is calling her. Then the phone goes still. Wanda took too long to contemplate. She mentally curses herself. What if that was the only call you could make? What if she missed her last chance to talk to you? That’s when she remembers that a morning routine was missed because of the rush of everything. She quickly pulls her phone out of her pocket to see the dozens of missed calls and notifications of messages. Her heart drops further. Her phone doesn’t look like this on a normal day. Not even on a great day.
She quickly slips on shoes, grabs her purse and keys as she answers her sister-in-law's phone call. “Wanda! Finally! Have you heard anything? Do you know anything?” She speaks frantically and Wanda’s heart breaks.
“I saw the news but I… It’s not… Right?” She hesitates and fails to complete a sentence as she feels her throat tighten.
“Wanda, I am going to text you the address and you are going to race your ass there because I can’t leave the baby and I don’t have a sitter to call. Do you understand me,” Crystalia demands over the phone. Wanda agrees because she needs to find out for herself. She needs to know whether or not you are okay. She waits for the message while sitting in her car and once she receives it, she taps the directions link and follows the blue line all the way to the job site. Every bit of her hoping that she is on her way to you.
Hi :) just curious if you plan to eventually continue Benefits of Car Troubles? No pressure.
Hey anon,
I don't know how to answer this question exactly because my feelings about that story go back and forth. As of right now, I haven't touched that file since my last posting of it. So we shall see. I didn't realize that people liked that story but I do miss writing for Leigh. Have a wonderful day!
Summary: Y/n and Wanda are adjusting to living together.
Warning: A tad smutty
A/n: Hello again! So happy to be able to get another chapter out to you all. I have been so excited to see notifications from a lot of familiar usernames. I really can't thank you all enough for sticking by me as long as you have. I hope everyone is doing well in these trying times. Much love to you all! Enjoy!
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Living with Wanda was not exactly what you were dreaming it to be. Because she already has furniture, there wasn't really a place for you to put any of your stuff. So you sold your bedframe and your dresser. You were able to keep your couch and a couple of your bookshelves in her basement. You even put your television down there. Most everything else had to go.
The kitchen table you made along with the chairs had to be sold. Your dishes clashed too much with hers since you had either bought yours when they were on sale or were gifted by someone. Whereas Wanda had a complete set. It wasn't “aesthetically pleasing” to add your dishes with hers. So you gave most of those away and kept a few things that were gifted to you. Of course they went to the highest shelf in the cabinet so no one could see them.
It was certainly an adjustment to move in with Wanda and have to lose as much as you did but it's something you should have expected. She was pretty much set on her own and so were you. At the end of the day you weren't moving into a place together at the beginning of your adult lives. You moved into her house.
She was, however, very lenient when it came to Rachel. The guest room was completely torn down in a week. She sold that bed frame along with anything else Rachel rudely turned her nose up at. Rachel, who wanted nothing else but for this to happen in the first place was being quite difficult in the transition. Nevertheless, Wanda complied completely and was beyond patient with your daughter every step of the way. Then, naturally, because Rachel's room was getting a remodel, the boys wanted one too. So you and Wanda agreed to revamp both rooms.
You were working overtime to make three personalized bed frames. Finding the right paints for their walls. Staining the wood for their beds. Painting on the delicate designs they wanted, even with a stencil it was a pain in the ass. Then the boys want custom desks like Rachel has. Then Rachel wanted a new one. Then there were new shelves that had to happen.
The rooms weren't finished until the first week of February. You moved into the house at the beginning of October.
The boys still don't hear much from their father and haven't seen him at all. They live with Wanda full time at this point. Rachel, however, is still being traded every week. Wanda insists on dropping her off at Jean's house. She wants to make it clear that you are with her now and that you aren't talking to Jean until she can be a reasonable person again. You don't think that will be until Anna is out of the picture. You used to think that Anna was great for her but you hardly recognize Jean anymore.
Other than the growing pains of learning how to live with someone again, living with Wanda is great. You get to wake up every morning next to her. You get to come home to her everyday. You get to kiss her freely. You get to hold her whenever you or she feels like it. Living with her has its dreamlike moments that you enjoy every second of when they occur.
The way she whispers a joke in your ear during movie time with the kids. The way she looks at you from across the dinner table. The way she runs her fingers through your hair as you lay your head in her lap and unwind from a bad day. It's the little things that make every day that much more enjoyable.
You are laying in bed with Wanda on a Saturday morning with your head in her lap, your legs are dangling off the bed but this is becoming one of your favorite positions. She is lightly scratching your scalp while she watches the news and you scroll through your phone.
“Hey, your birthday is coming up,” you say when your photo app reminds you of this time last year celebrating her birthday.
“Oh, already?” Wanda asks as she looks down at you.
“Yeah, it's in a few days,” you state as you look up at her with an amused smile. “You didn't know?”
Wanda shrugs, “We've been busy, I'm lucky enough to know what day of the week I'm on.” You chuckle softly as you agree, it has been a hectic time.
“We should do something to celebrate,” you say as you adjust your position on the bed to face her better.
Wanda shakes her head. “I'm not really into celebrating my birthday. I'm fine with a simple dinner. Or what we did last year. We can just go out for some drinks.”
You frown as you move to sit next to her. “You really don't want a party?”
Wanda shakes her head, “I've had plenty of those for myself. I'm just happy keeping things simple. Besides, we have plenty of gatherings as it is with the kids' birthdays and the holidays. I really don’t need to have everyone here to sing me happy birthday. I just want to be with you and our kids and have a nice dinner.” She says as she snuggles up to you. She kisses your cheek and wraps her arms around your arm.
“That does sound nice. Of course it'd be nicer if the kids were getting along the way they used to,” you say with a frown as you rest your head on top of hers.
Wanda takes a deep breath, she nods in agreement. “It's a tough time for them. They're going through a lot. And Vision isn't helping. I overheard a call between him and Tommy and he was just nasty. I have never heard him be so vile. I really don't understand what happened to him.”
You frown, you know what's been happening to Jean. Anna wasn't the person she married anymore. She used to be so kind but something changed within her that caused her to change Jean. Although you see this only being a phase for Jean until Anna inevitably leaves, you're not so certain that Vision will ever change for the better.
“Maybe I should reach out to him,” you say as you rub her thigh.
Wanda snaps her head as she looks up at you. “Are you crazy!”
“Crazy about you and our family. It might do us some good if I reach out to Vision and have a meal with him,” you state as your thumb starts to rub her knee back and forth.
“Babe, you do not have to do that. Okay? Whatever is going on with Vision, it's on him to figure it out. Not us.” Wanda sighs as she shakes her head, her grip on your arm tightening as she tenses up.
“Honey, he is your children's father. Whether we like it or not, he will always be a presence in our lives and it will always affect our boys. I need to make him realize that I'm not going anywhere,” you do what you can to convince Wanda that it could be a good idea to meet with Vision. “Besides, he probably won't even accept my invite. So we might not even have anything to worry about.”
Wanda fights a smile as her attention hangs on one phrase, “our boys.” Something in her loved any time you claimed her kids as your own. She hadn't realized it was an insecurity until you made her feel secure about it. It hadn't crossed her mind how terrifying it can be to date as a parent that someone else might not be accepting of her children. But she doesn't have to worry about that now. She has you.
“Okay, just not until after my birthday. That's my only request,” she says as she leans up to kiss your cheek.
You smile, “Alright, I promise. After your birthday.” You lean in and kiss her lips, feeling your entire body activate. You love this woman fiercely. You just hope you can remember to do something every day that shows her that.
The kiss lasts longer than intended, as Wanda holds you closer with her hand on your cheek. That's when you think you both realize it's been some time. With the kids and hectic work schedules, there hasn't been a lot of energy at night. The two of you get ready for bed and end up snuggling and falling asleep. It's not from the lack of wants or needs, there just hasn't been enough energy to spare.
Wanda starts to move to sit on your lap when there's a knock on the bedroom door. Wanda quickly snaps herself out of her haze and you excuse yourself to the bathroom before she allows whoever is at the door to come in. You shut your eyes to calm yourself down and breathe a sigh of relief when you're successful. You flush the toilet and wash your hands so as not to create suspicion and walk back into the bedroom.
“Okay, sweetie. Not a problem,” Wanda says as she moves out of the bed while rubbing your daughters shoulders.
“Good morning sweetheart,” you grin at your daughter and are met with a glare. “What's going on?” You ask as you read the energy in the room.
“It's nothing, Y/n, I'm just…” Wanda looks for a way out without lying to you and without breaking Rachel's trust. “We are going to have a day together as possible step-mom and stepdaughter. Just, okay?”
You recognize Wanda’s “do not ask me right now,” tone. You just nod and play dumb. “Okay, I guess I can do something with the boys. Or at least Billy.” You say sheepishly as Wanda escorts Rachel out of the room. You're confused about what had to be so secret. But eventually something clicks in your mind. It's that time of the month. Wanda slips back into the room to grab something from the bathroom.
“Look away, look away,” she says as she shoos you away. You laugh with your hands covering your eyes.
“I know what's going on,” you say with a small laugh in your voice.
“No you don't! You know nothing,” she shouts in a whisper. “Just be cool,” she says before running off to help Rachel with her first menstrual cycle. You shut off the television and walk into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.
Later that day you are walking around the mall with Billy and Tommy, enjoying a cup of frozen yogurt. Billy is happy to be out but Tommy is dragging his feet with a scowl on his face. “Why do we have to be at the mall? This place is so dead, why couldn't we just order whatever online?” Tommy grumbles as he pushes the gummy worms around in his cup.
“Because it's a gift for your mom and there's a good chance she'll open the package before any of us can stop her,” you explain as you look around at the various shops that are still operating in the mostly deserted mall.
“Why are we buying mom a gift? It's not Mother’s Day yet. Right?” Tommy says with a scrunched up face.
“No dummy, it's for Valentine's Day! Right, Y/n?” Billy chimes in and you freeze. Well shit. This is probably why Wanda doesn't make a big deal about her birthday because it's so close to a romantic holiday.
“Right, that too. But come on guys, it's her birthday after that,” you say as you try to inspire some enthusiasm. The boys look confused at each other and blink.
“Mom has a birthday?” Tommy asks first and Billy shrugs.
You are confused, surely she has celebrated her birthday with her kids before. There's no way that they don't know. Then you think back to her birthday last year, you asked if the boys did anything and she changed the subject. Does she not like to celebrate her birthday or is it something more?
“We all have birthday’s, and your mom's is February 16th so we're getting her double gifts alright? We're not going home until we have a Valentine’s gift and a birthday gift. Alright?” You state as you toss the frozen yogurt cup in a nearby trashcan.
Tommy scowls at you, clearly unhappy about the idea. “I could go home if I claim you kidnapped me,” he threatens through gritted teeth.
Billy sighs, “Why can't you do anything nice for mom? She does everything for us.”
“She's keeping us away from dad!” Tommy shouts and you're thankful for the lack of people around.
“Hey, that's not true,” you state calmly. “Look, I know things are complicated but you have to know your mom loves you and she knows how important your dad is to you guys. She would never keep you away from him. Besides legally speaking, she can't.”
“Then why haven't we seen him in months?” Tommy challenges.
You sigh as you try to level with him but there isn't an answer that won't hurt him. “I don't know,” you state honestly. Tommy, in a fit of frustration, tosses his melted frozen yogurt in your face. Then he freezes in fear. Billy is frozen with shock as well. He's seen his brother throw his fits with their father and it never ended well for either of them. You sigh and pick up the cup and spoon and toss it in the nearby trashcan.
You spot a janitor and ask for his help to clean up the mess that was made and he hands you some paper towels for your face. You thank him and clean up the mess then return the supplies to him. Then you return to the boys that have a matching expression of terror on their faces.
“Alright, so let's start looking for those gifts,” you say as you wave them to follow you. Billy throws away his cup and taps his brother to follow. Tommy is still stunned by your lack of reaction but he numbly follows his twin, fearing that you will teach him a lesson later. His dad would've at least warned him what to expect when they got home so it scares him more that you don't say anything. Tommy and Billy are on their best behavior while going through the stores.
You mistake their good behavior of getting through to them and not realizing they are afraid of what you'll do to them. But neither utters a word of the miscommunication. At the end of the shopping trip, you have gotten Wanda all kinds of gifts. A gift card to her favorite book store. A necklace with a matching bracelet. A cozy new robe. A couple of candles. Then the boys grabbed stuffed animals and a makeup gift card for her. Then you grabbed six cards, three Valentine's and three birthday cards for each of you to sign.
You bought things to set it all up in a gift bag and then when you got home you helped the boys hide the gifts so that Wanda couldn't find them.
“See? Wasn't that fun?” You ask them as you place your hand on Billy's shoulder. The boy flinches as you do and you frown at the action. “What's wrong?” You ask as you quickly remove your hand from him.
“Aren't you going to punish us for what I did earlier?” Tommy asks in a small voice. Your eyebrows shoot up as it connects and your eyes widen as you quickly shake your head.
“Woah, no, no. Of course not! Why would you think… nevermind, I can't know. Just. No. I can't ever if… sorry, that's not,” you take a deep breath and scratch your head. “I don't like what you did and I do think you owe me an apology but it has to come from you when you're ready. Okay? But no, I'm not going to punish you for it. Just, don't do it again.”
Tommy blinks as he nods. “I promise, never again. I swear. And I am sorry. I'm so sorry,” he says as tears spring to his eyes and he falls into you, holding you tightly. Billy joins in and hugs both you and his brother. You pat them both on the back as you wait for them to settle down.
“It's okay, it's okay,” you say as you try to soothe them. It makes them cry even harder. Now it makes you second guess reaching out to Vision because maybe they are better off with him gone.
That night, Wanda is moisturizing in the bathroom and you are sitting in bed debating on whether or not you should tell her what transpired with the boys earlier. You can't pay attention to the television with the gears in your head spinning.
Wanda finishes up in the bathroom and she is ready to resume what got cut off in the morning. She is wearing a thin robe with a loose camisole and sleep shorts. She locks the bedroom door before crawling on the bed. It takes her moment to realize you're a bit distracted but she hopes she can change that as she crawls onto your lap. She pries your arms that are crossed over your chest apart and places them on her hips.
You look at her and you try to get in the mood so that you don't rat out the boys to her. But you can't get their tears and obvious problems out of your mind. Even when she kisses you on the lips. You can't remember if they are in therapy or not but you really think they should be. But is it really your place to suggest such a thing? You're not married yet, you haven't adopted them. It's not something you can do yet. Right?
Wanda sighs and pulls away from kissing you. “What is keeping you away from me?”
“I'm sorry, it was just a weird day with Tommy and Billy,” you explain as your thumb plays with the fabric on her robe.
“Oh, uh, okay,” she pulls her robe closed and moves off of you.
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” you say as you try to pull her closer. Wanda shakes her head.
“No, it's okay. Tell me what happened. What's going on with them?” She asks as she sits next to you and takes your hand in hers. You sigh as you explain Tommy's outburst. You tell her about their behavior and then you go into their hour-long breakdown. She nods as she listens to every detail you give her. Her love for you only grows with how you handled the situation and how you treat her kids. “I knew Tommy was struggling but my goodness, I didn't think he would do something like that.”
“Neither did I,” you say as your fingers lace with Wanda's. “You have to promise me that you're not going to say anything about this to them.” Wanda nods as she runs her fingers up and down your arm. “And you can tell me off for suggesting this but I think they should start seeing a therapist,” you suggest hesitantly.
Wanda makes a face. “It's not as simple as signing them up and you know it. Vision will fight it once he finds out. Then there's convincing them that it'll be good for them. Billy might be easier to convince but Tommy worships his father. He won't do it without his approval.” She doesn't necessarily reject the idea but she makes some great points as to why it won't just happen. You nod as you accept her point of view.
“I know, I just don't think I'd be able to sleep if I didn't say something,” you say with a frown. Wanda continues to rub your arm and you can tell that she still wants to continue where you'd left off previously. You shake your head as a smirk tugs on your lips. “Really? Still?”
“After knowing what you know about my past you cannot blame me. You are a really great partner and parent. It does something to me,” she says as she inches closer and closer to you. It doesn't take much after that to get you in the mood. She tosses her robe to the floor and you pull her onto your lap this time. Your fingers dipping past the elastic band of her sleep shorts. Wanda rolls her hips against you as your lips find her neck and she lets out a low moan which you quickly shush her. She giggles as you do but promises to keep quiet.
You don't know if she can but you still take the risk because it really has been too long. Besides, her birthday is soon. It's practically an early celebration. Which is why you spend a good fifteen minutes with your head between her thighs to give more than take. Wanda nearly suffocates herself with her pillow to keep any noises she might not be able to contain muffled. Then when the two of you get to connect, you are biting your pillow to keep from making any noises yourself until Wanda brings your lips to hers.
Once you're both panting and satisfied, Wanda snuggles into your side and holds you close. You kiss the top of her head as you accept her loving touch and fall fast asleep. This was something you definitely could get used to.
On her birthday, you surprise her with breakfast in bed with help from her boys, it was a Sunday so Rachel wasn’t going to be around until you picked her up later. The topic of getting the boys into therapy has been dropped for the time being because you wanted a fight free weekend. On Friday, you surprised her with dinner at a nice restaurant after dropping Tommy and Billy off with her mom. She had a full house with all four of her grandkids. After the romantic evening at the restaurant, she surprised you with a lingerie set and you shook your head as you made a comment that she didn’t need to do that for you to want her. She rolled her eyes and told you to shut up and enjoy the show. You really couldn’t believe that she had practiced a strip tease routine for you for Valentines.
Then on Saturday morning, you woke her up with a surprise that you definitely couldn’t do if any of the kids were home and wished her an early happy birthday as you had her for breakfast. Now with the kids home, you decided to serve her breakfast in bed with their help since they felt guilty for not doing anything special for their mom in the past. Tommy was really lightening up with both of you since his breakdown a week previous, and he even suggested that the three of you should make her a birthday cake. You were more than happy to agree to pick up the supplies when you had to pick up Rachel.
The boys couldn’t wait to give Wanda the gifts they picked out for her while you were out so when you came home, she pulled you aside and kissed you deeply. You pull away with a grin as you rub her back.
“What was that for?” You ask with a slightly lost expression.
“You are amazing that’s what,” she says with her hand resting over your heart. “They gave me the gifts you helped them get me. You really didn’t have to spoil me twice, you know. I’m used to combining the holiday with my birthday,” she says as she looks into your eyes with gratitude and love behind her gaze.
You smile and shake your head, “Too bad, you’re going to have to get used to being spoiled a lot more from now on. I love you and I’m going to show you just how much as often as I can.” You kiss her on the lips again. “You deserve to feel special everyday, gorgeous. Happy birthday.” You kiss her cheek and pull away. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a cake to bake. It was Tommy’s idea.”
Wanda shakes her head as she wipes a couple of tears away, growing overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude. She doesn’t feel deserving of this kind of love and treatment. But she is willing to accept it. In the past, she might’ve done something to self sabotage but she is grateful to be past those days so that she can avoid hurting you and herself.
While you get started on baking the cake, Rachel reveals a gift that she had gotten for Wanda on her own when she was out with her mom a few weeks prior. “I saw it just thought of you,” she says sheepishly as she presents the gift to Wanda while they sit on the couch. Wanda is unbelievably touched by the gesture. Things haven’t been as smooth as they used to be between them. Wanda hadn’t expected a single thing from any of her children but especially not from Rachel.
“Wow,” she says as she opens the gift. It’s a picture frame that has “Blended & Blessed” with a picture that was taken of the five of them at their first Christmas together as a somewhat family. She can’t believe it. This is all she needed to confirm that despite Rachel’s attitude lately, deep down she’s still that little girl that devised a scheme to bring you and her together. “It’s beautiful,” she says as she sets the frame on the coffee table. “Can I hug you?” She asks, waiting for Rachel to give her consent. When the girl nods, Wanda pulls the girl in a warm embrace. She knows there will be growing pains as they find their groove as a family, but the best gift she was given for her birthday was the notion that her kids were embracing the reality of their situation.
After dinner is over and everyone is sitting around the living room enjoying a slice of cake while watching a movie, Wanda excuses her for a moment to take a phone call from Pietro on the deck in the backyard.
“Happy birthday,” he says happily.
“Happy birthday, Pietro,” she says with the same energy.
“Did you get everything you wished for last year?” He asks. It’s a question he has been asking since they were kids. Back then it was about material gifts like toys, clothes, money, etc. Somewhere along the line it became about what they wished for their lives. She looks back into the house with you and her children laughing along to some comedic scene in a movie and she sighs with content.
“More,” she says simply. “And you?”
He nods on his end of the phone as he looks down at his sleeping children that surround him, “Same here. Here’s to another year,” he says quietly.
