Sometimes you just have no idea what Zayne is thinking.
“You’re wearing my shirt.”
His tone gives nothing away. It’s merely a statement of a fact, one that makes you blink in surprise.
“I…yeah. It’s comfier than all my clothes.” It’s not the only reason, and you’re sure Zayne knows that.
You slip into bed, but when you turn to look over at him he’s no longer reading him book. Instead, he’s staring at you.
In a way that you definitely know what he’s thinking.
“Are you tired?” He murmurs as he leans down to kiss you, softly at first, but then grows a little needy.
“Nope. But I have to ask…is it the shirt?” You smile a little into the kiss, the expression only growing when the curve of his ears begins to grow red.
“It looks good on you.” He admits, shifting so he can settle between your legs. His hands run over your body, slowly inching the shirt up.
“I wear it when I miss you. Your trip was so long this time.” You can’t stop the longing in your voice, and it makes Zayne pause his actions.
“I know. I’m sorry I was away. Perhaps I should take one of your shirts with me the next time I go.” His thumb rubs the skin of your thigh, leaving his true meaning unspoken.
“I can spray one of my plushies with my perfume? Then you can cuddle it and pretend it’s me.” You smile to lighten the mood, and it clearly works given the quiet huff of laughter. Zayne leans closer, suddenly squeezing you in a hug.
Sometimes you just have no idea what Zayne is thinking.
“You’re wearing my shirt.”
His tone gives nothing away. It’s merely a statement of a fact, one that makes you blink in surprise.
“I…yeah. It’s comfier than all my clothes.” It’s not the only reason, and you’re sure Zayne knows that.
You slip into bed, but when you turn to look over at him he’s no longer reading him book. Instead, he’s staring at you.
In a way that you definitely know what he’s thinking.
“Are you tired?” He murmurs as he leans down to kiss you, softly at first, but then grows a little needy.
“Nope. But I have to ask…is it the shirt?” You smile a little into the kiss, the expression only growing when the curve of his ears begins to grow red.
“It looks good on you.” He admits, shifting so he can settle between your legs. His hands run over your body, slowly inching the shirt up.
“I wear it when I miss you. Your trip was so long this time.” You can’t stop the longing in your voice, and it makes Zayne pause his actions.
“I know. I’m sorry I was away. Perhaps I should take one of your shirts with me the next time I go.” His thumb rubs the skin of your thigh, leaving his true meaning unspoken.
“I can spray one of my plushies with my perfume? Then you can cuddle it and pretend it’s me.” You smile to lighten the mood, and it clearly works given the quiet huff of laughter. Zayne leans closer, suddenly squeezing you in a hug.
Zayne’s evol hadn’t acted up in a long time. At least not since before your daughter was born. It’s why this moment is so terrifying.
“Papa?” Just barely aware of what’s going on, she rises on unsteady feet and begins to make her way over. Fear clenches around Zayne’s heart, crawling up his throat and preventing him from speaking.
Black ice coats his hands and crawls up with forearms. He tries to turn away from his daughter’s small, fragile form. But it’s too late, and a little hand rests on his shoulder.
“Papa? Don’t cry papa.” She peers over his shoulder, trying to see his face and what’s going on. He clenches his fist, doing everything in his power to keep the ice at bay. He wishes you were here, with your calming presence and evol capable of healing him.
“I help!” She presses both hands to his arm, but before he can get her to move away, he feels it.
A warm feeling begins to encompass him, the light of a resonance evol illuminating the room as the ice slowly begins to recede. He looks over in amazement, the concentrated look on her toddler face so similar to your own.
“Papa better?” Her eyes are wide, completely innocent to what has just occurred.
“Y-yes. Yes sweetheart. I’m better.” He hesitates for a moment, then slowly reaches out to pull her into a hug, kissing her cheek. She giggles, patting his back with her little hand.
“Papa silly!” She laughs as Zayne releases her, unable to resist tickling her to hear her laughter. The fear in his heart quickly dissipates at the sound.
It’s a laugh just like yours, and it’s the best sound in the world.
Zayne is immediately intrigued by your words over the phone. You're an incredible cook, he knows this, so his mouth waters ever so slightly as he nearly races home.
When he opens the door, he's expecting a more savoury smell in the air. But he doesn't have time to be disappointed. You peak out quickly, wearing an apron covered in...
Icing?
"You're home! Come on, you'll love this." You smell like pure sugar as you tug him to the kitchen, barely giving him a moment to kick off his shoes.
"Ta-da! Happy national donut day!" You throw your arms up, grinning with pride as you show him a large plate stacked with donuts, each a different colour and seemingly flavour.
"Wow. You...did all this by yourself?" Zayne does his best to tear his eyes away from the tempting treats, focusing in on your bright grin. He brushes some stray flour from your cheek as you slip your apron off, grabbing a plate and carefully choosing a donut for him.
"You've had a busy week. I wanted to cheer you up a little! Plus, it really is national donut day." You hold up the plate to him, but he holds the donut to your mouth first.
"You should try it first, you did all the work after all." You shoot him an amused look, but bite into the fluffy treat anyways.
"They came out good! You'll like it!" Zayne doesn't bother taking a bite, preferring instead to lean in and kiss the sugar off your lips.
"I think we have to celebrate like this every year."
"Just tell me you don't love me anymore." Zayne freezes mid removing his shoes. His head turns slowly to your figure standing in the hallway, arms crossed and practically vibrating with something that looked perilously close to actual fury.
Did he forget something? What day is it?
He sets his shoe down carefully. "I'm sorry, love. Did I do something wrong?”
He reaches for you but you step back before he could. "Don't touch me."
He's confused. He ran through the day in his mind for possible mistakes he might have made, but couldn’t find any. He remembered waking up with you this morning, you had been in a perfectly good mood.
You even laughed at something over breakfast and nearly choked on your coffee, then he had dropped you at the hunter association on his way to work. You had stolen a couple of kisses before saying goodbye.
And today wasn't a special day he could have missed. Then what did he do? “Talk to me, darling. Tell me what I did wrong."
"Tell you what you did wrong? Do you even see what time it is?" His eyes snapped to the clock on the wall— 6 minutes past his usual time, he won't consider that late so he doesn't understand why.
"You never come home on time. You left me on seen for twenty minutes. You rearranged the mugs, why did you rearrange the mugs? And you.. you… you forgot to close the window yesterday, i was -”
"Did you eat today, love?"
"That's- no, I didn't because I was waiting for my husband to come home so we could eat together but apparently my husband has forgotten he has a wife waiting at home.”
Oh now he knows what’s wrong. He is already walking to the kitchen.
"Wow, are you ignoring me, Dr Zayne Li?” You follow him. "Very mature, very-"
He comes back with a slice of cake on a plate. You looked at it. "I'm not hungry."
He holds a bite out to you. "I said I'm not hungry" you said, but your stomach growled immediately after. Embarrassed, you took the bite to distract him from the sound.
You let him feed you, arms still crossed stubbornly while trying to maintain the pissed off look.
"Feeling better?"
"Mmmhm." You finish the last bite and your expression softens. "I'm sorry. You weren't even late."
"I know."
You look down. "I didn't eat lunch either."
He sets the plate aside and pulls you into him, tucking your face against his chest. "You could have just said you were hungry."
"You could have just come home on time.”
He presses a kiss on top of your head. "I'll be 6 minutes early tomorrow."
You rest your chin on his chest to look up at him. "Promise?"
"Promise.”
“I love you” you tuck your face back into his chest and pull him closer.
the kitchen is completely dark and freezing at four in the morning. you’re sitting flat on the cold counter, bare feet dangling in the air. you’re wearing sylus’s giant grey sweater, the one he wears often. the sleeves are long enough to cover your palms. you’re too tired to speak and stare blankly into the dark room. you hear heavy steps in the tile.
sylus walks over. he’s in a silk night shirt, sleep evident on his face. he stops right between your thighs, crowding your space completely. he does not say a word. he just reaches out and wraps his hand around your bare ankle, his touch instantly melting the chill on your skin.
“can’t sleep?” he asks, voice a low rumble.
“my brain won’t shut up,” you whisper, voice small and tired.
sylus lets out a soft breathy sigh. he steps even closer, until his sides are pressed up against your knees. he reaches up and grabs you by the waist, his strong fingers effortlessly lifting you off the counter. you let out a tiny gasp, hands flying out to grip his broad shoulders.
instead of putting you on the floor, sylus just holds you up against him. your feet are completely off the ground. he wraps his massive arms around your back, burying his face into your neck. your heart does a sudden flip. you wrap your legs tightly around his waist to keep from falling.
“sylus,” you say, face flushed. “i didn’t say you could kidnap me off the counter.”
“you’re in my house, sweetie” he mutters against your skin, a smile evident. “everything here belongs to me.”
you smack his chest. he only hums. but sylus keeps holding you against him. he presses a slow and warm kiss under your ear. his soft silver hair tickles your jaw and his warmm breath makes a sweet shiver run down your spine.
and you do it. you relax completely, leaning your forehead against his temple, fingers tangling in his soft hair, melting against him. he’s so big, so solid, so incredibly warm and absolutely yours.
sylus lets out a low happy chuckle against your neck when he feels you give in. he shifts his head, nose brushing a slow, lazy path up your jawline until his lips are resting against the corner of your mouth. he holds you tighter, grip filled with affection and fondness.
“go back to sleep, sweetie” he whispers against your lips, voice cozy and thick with love. “i’ll carry you.”
I would love a little fic about MC sitting on Zaynes lap for the first time in the beginning of them dating each other, like him being shocked or caught of guard at first or something like that 🤔. I'm so sorry if this request sounds weird it's been on my mind for months 🤣😭 I suck at writing, and your fics are just chefs kiss!
my shaylaaa, he would be so cute trying to hide that he's flustered 😭 ohh i will eat him alive
p.s. not proofread
You hadn’t meant anything by it.
That’s what you told yourself anyway as you crossed Zayne’s living room with the throw blanket in your arms and your socks whispering against the hardwood. He was on the couch, glasses low on his nose, reading something dense and medical-looking.
The sight of him there, soft and home-clothed and yours in this new, breakable way, made your stomach flip the way it had been flipping for weeks now.
Months, really. If you were being honest. Possibly years, if you wanted to spiral about it.
Which was the problem with dating your childhood friend.
You’d known Zayne since you were six. You’d fallen asleep on his shoulder during long car rides, pressed bandaids onto his scraped knees, swiped macarons off his plate without asking. Touching him had never been a thing you had to think about.
Until nineteen days ago, when he mustered up the courage and kissed you on his front porch and politely, devastatingly asked if you’d consider being his girlfriend.
Now, every gesture had a different gravity and weight behind it.
You’d been keeping count of the kisses like a fool. Four. You knew you were ridiculous for doing so, but you simply didn’t care.
So when you reached the couch and he looked up at you with that half-soft, half-questioning expression, the blanket felt like a flimsy excuse for what your body had clearly already decided to do.
You climbed into his lap.
Zayne went perfectly, completely still.
You felt it instantly, the way every muscle in him locked, the page frozen between his fingers. You settled your weight against his thighs, draped the blanket over both of you, and tucked your head under his chin like you’d done this a thousand times before, even though you hadn’t.
You daydreamed about it, though. Wanting to finally take matters into your own hands before you could chicken out.
“...Hello,” he managed to say after a long beat of silence, voice a full octave lower than usual.
You tilted your head back to look at him. His ears were red. The tips of them, just barely, but you saw it. His glasses had slid down further on his nose. His hand, the one not holding the book, was hovering in the air beside your hip like he wasn’t sure what he was allowed to do, or if he was even allowed to touch.
Oh.
The realization slid down your spine warm and slow. He was flustered. Doctor Zayne, ice-cold composure, hands-steady-in-surgery Zayne, was sitting beneath you with his entire body locked up like you’d hit pause on him.
You felt yourself smile slowly, a little bit wickedly and delighted at the outcome.
“Comfortable?” you asked sweetly, settling your weight a little more deliberately into his lap.
His jaw worked, voice dry as bone, “Was the couch full?”
You bit the inside of your cheek. There he was. Even flushed and short-circuiting, his timing was unfairly good.
“Mhm. Didn’t seem to be as comfortable.”
You bit the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing.
“I see.” His hand set the book down on the armrest with the precision of a man defusing a bomb. Maybe for him it really was that serious. You, on the other hand, couldn’t stop but find him utterly adorable. Red as a tomato, he might as well be the bomb in question.
His hand finally landed on your hip, warm and a little too gentle, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed yet. “And the rest of the house?”
“Hostile environment.”
“Naturally.” his thumb stroked once, experimental, against your hipbone. You felt his exhale against the top of your head. “Then I suppose I can allow this. I can’t have you feel uncomfortable in my house, now can I?”
You laughed into his throat, and felt him relax beneath you in increments, the tension melting out of his shoulders, his arm sliding properly around your back to pull you flush against his chest. His heart was beating slightly too fast under your ear. So was yours.
“Zayne,” you murmured, fingers playing with the seam of his collar.
“Hm.”
“You know,” you said softly, tracing slow patterns over the fabric, “you could’ve just told me to come over here. You don’t need to be embarrassed if you want to hold me, Zayne. I am your girlfriend after all, am I not?”
He was quiet for a moment before you felt his hand spread warm across your back, certain now, no more hovering.
“I’m aware,” he murmured into your hair. “I was working up to it.”
“For how long?”
“...Approximately nineteen days.”
You smiled into his throat, warm all the way through.
You had a feeling it won’t be the last time you find yourself in your boyfriend’s warm embrace.
summary — you invite carol over to spend the night with you after she came back from a space mission, carol being carol accepts your invite without hesitation.
pairing: carol danvers x reader
contains: silent crushing, sharing a bed, cuddling, carol is super clingy, you play with carols hair, one ‘i love you’ each
a/n: haii hello i am BACK with a carol one shot !! so sorry if this is short, i just wanted to write for carol because she’s literally my baby my cutie pie 🤏🤏 Enjoy mwa
word count: 1.2k
it doesn’t take long for you to hear a knock on your door. a few hours ago, you heard from maria that carol had made her way back home from another long space mission, and you were so glad.
you and carol had always been close since you joined the avengers, she’d help you train early in the morning, and make you laugh with her jokes late at night.
so it was like second nature for you invite her over for the night.
you walk up to your door, having just lit a candle, a huge smile on your face when you open the door to carol. she immediately extends her arms out and you fall into a hug with her. “carol! i’m so glad you’re back and safe.” you murmur into her shoulder and she laughs. “now why would i not be safe?! you know i’m the best of the best!”
carol places her hands on her hips proudly after pulling away from your hug. you chuckle at her demeanor, it was very endearing.
“come on in, i made us some tea. your favorite!” you invite her in, taking one of her bags from her hand and setting it down on the small entrance table, shutting the door afterwards.
carol sits on the stool by the countertop, holding her head up with her hands. you walk around the countertop to the other side of the kitchen, grabbing the kettle you were boiling water in and pouring it into two mugs. you turn the oven heat off and place two tea bags into the mugs.
“herbal, right?” you make sure. carol nods and you continue pouring water until it reaches the top of the mug. you let it sit.
you walk over to carol, leaning against the counter. she was sat on the other side, playing with left over candle wax from another candle that burnt out. “i also got your favorite chips!” you chirp, carol smiles wide. “oh my gosh— you are the best. i could use some of those right now.” she groans. you hand them over to her, carol opens it almost immediately.
she munches on the chips contentedly, you walk back to the steeping mugs of tea and take the now drained tea bags out of them and into the trash. you wash your hands before picking up the cups and slide carols over to her, and make your way to the stool beside her.
“i’m so glad you’re back, i finally have someone to watch horror movies with me. you know, someone i can jump on in case i get scared.” you comment, picking up your mug. carol throws her head back, laughing. “hey! that’s not fair, i get scared too!” she nudges you. you both giggle together.
you chatter for a while, sipping intently on your teas until you’re both on the couch, letting a movie roll. “i’m so tired, i could sleep for weeks.” carol murmurs, sinking into the sofa.
you chuckle, knowing this side of carol will do whatever she says. “you wanna sleep?” you hum, looking over at her. carol shakes her head, looking intently at the screen. you sneak a hand to her hair, playing with the ends of her blonde locks. carol smiles, softly. it seemed she enjoyed the small act of kindness.
as much as you didn’t want to admit it, you were always so grateful the blonde took you training everyday when you didn’t even feel like it. you were thankful for the moments you were just sat by her, saying nothing. just staring into each others eyes. like right now.
carol smiles a little, “what’s got you thinking so hard?” she mumbles, her focus shifted to you. “it’s like a catastrophe waiting to begin in that brain of yours.” carol pokes a finger gently at your temple, causing you to laugh.
“nothing,” you yawn. carol raises an eyebrow, as if not believing a word you said. “just a little sleepy. tea always puts me in a mood to chillax..” you mumble. she nods. “me too.”
carol lets her head fall onto your shoulder, huffing out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. your stomach fluttered, smiling unpredictably. another thing you liked about training with carol was her. just her.
“i reaaally need a bed right now.” carol groans, stretching herself out after she sits up. you chuckle and get up, “off to my room we go!”
you lead her through your house to your bedroom, flopping back into your bed after carol closes the door. you hum contently into your pillows and carol laughs. “hey, i’ve got my pjs, i’m gonna go change, aight?” she points to your bathroom and you wave a hand, allowing her to leave. you separate a pillow for her while she does so.
carol returns to your room after a bit, sitting at the edge of your bed. you pat the empty space next to you and she smiles, moving closer to you. you reach over to your nightstand and turn your star projector on.
“you still have that?!” carol gasps. you giggle, “of course! i use it almost every day.”
you drag the covers over yourself after settling down, carol does the same. it wasn’t strange for you both to sleep in the same bed, after all, on missions it got pretty easy to get used to.
this time felt different. you turn to face her, chatting to her about what was up on earth while she was up in space. carol listened intently, hugging the covers under her arms. you gossip about what was going on in the tower, on the news and whatnot.
after a while of your rambling, you started getting sleepier, yawning during your realization when you missed something. carol chuckled, finding your tired state endearing.
“mm, i give up. i can tell you more in the morning..” you hum. carol nods, caressing your shoulder. “yeah, it’s probably for the best for you to get some rest, sleepyhead.”
“you cannot be talking! you’re the one who said you could hibernate with the bears!” you furrow your brows playfully, both of you simultaneously laughing afterwards.
you both sigh out in sync, causing a couple more laughs to escape you again. you turn around to sleep better, and feel her shift closer to you, seeking warmth. you didn’t dare to back away from a cuddle from carol.
“i missed you, space girl.” you smile softly. carol hums, “i missed you too. a lot.” a comfortable silence fell between you both, accompanied with the warmth of your blanket and chirping of the crickets outside.
“…i love you.” you mumble out before you could stop yourself. it seems your unconscious was ready to say stuff you weren’t yet.
silence continued, one you weren’t liking as much. you could tell carol was still there and hasn’t tried escaping by the soft sound of her breath. you curse yourself internally.
“…i love you too.” carol whispers out, her voice humming near your ear. you could’ve sworn your heart stopped for a second, but instead your eyes closed faster and you let out a small breath you didn’t know you were holding.
you felt warmer, whether it was from her body temperature or your blanket, you don’t know. what you do know is you slept through the whole night with a smile on your face for the first time in years.
Warnings: angst and fluff, running from your past angst
Summary: Once a witch reaches a certain age, they must go through a ceremony to prove to the coven’s elders that they can wield their magic and absolutely control it. Time and time again, you’ve proven that you can’t control your magic, so you flee in search of the one witch who might be able to help you. The only issue is she’s still grieving the life she lost in Westview, and you’re not so sure she’ll agree to teach you everything she knows.
Square Filled: “You are so cute.” for @scarletwitchbingo
Author’s Note: Any and all comments are greatly appreciated! <3
x
This is the part you’re nervous about. You’ve been thinking about this for the past week, and no matter how much you practiced, it never went your way. The elder witches of the coven need heirs and successors to take over after they’ve died. Young witches who were chosen by the elders have to prove their worth by showing them just how much they’ve learned. Witches who can use their magic to their demands were in. Witches who couldn't were banished and never heard from again.
This is the ceremony to prove your worth.
You’ve heard rumors about the people who have been banished. Rumor is that they don’t just vanish. They’re killed, and their remains are used for something with a purpose so that no one can trace where they are.
Young witches spend months learning what they can through the elders, and that usually includes a lot of reading and light practice. While small spells come very easily to you, it’s the big ones that worry you.
If someone were to tell you to heal a wound, you could easily do that. You’ve gotten hurt too many times practicing the big spells, and you’ve healed yourself more than once. If someone told you to do a simple telekinesis spell, that’d be no problem.
Now, if someone told you to fight with your magic and use it as a weapon, you’d end up dying. It’s not that you can’t use your magic, it’s that you can’t control it. No one taught you how. You try to use it, and it ends up going haywire. Before you know it, things are exploding, and you end up with more than one cut to mend.
Your coven is going to kill you, you just know it.
All of the young witches line up in a single line, and the elders go through them one by one. The first girl is tasked to create whips out of her magic and strike one of the trees with three whips. The attacks must be precise and not overlap. She successfully does it, and the elder moves on to the next person.
The closer the elder gets to you, the more you sweat. Your heart is pounding in your chest so hard that you think they can hear it. The palms of your hands are damp with sweat. Your thoughts are running a mile a minute.
Each girl they ask to perform does so perfectly, pleasing the elders. Finally, they get to you. Mother Vivienne isn’t too happy to see you in line. Before, while you were practicing, things hadn’t always gone too well. Young witches are expected to make mistakes, so the elders didn’t give up on you when you failed.
And failed.
And failed.
“Y/N.”
“Mother Vivienne.”
Disappointment swirls in her eyes, and you try not to shrink from intimidation. This is going to go so badly, you already know.
“Focus your magic on the branches of the trees above us. Slice off five branches so cleanly and place them over there,” she says and points to the place she wants.
Fuck me. I am so getting killed. No. Now is not the time to stop believing in yourself. While you don’t have complete control over your magic, you have been practicing a lot. You can do this. Mother Vivienne steps back to allow you to do your thing, and you notice everyone is staring at you. Every Elder. Every young witch.
Yeah, I’m gonna die.
You look at the tall trees that tower over everyone, and you take several deep breaths to calm yourself. Every witch’s magic is different, and they all look different. One might look likeexplosions like fireworks, while another will flow smoothly like water. Yours is the only one you know of.
“Is there a problem?” Mother Vivienne asks, breaking your concentration.
“No, ma’am.”
It’s now or never. Blue magic swirls around your hands in preparation. Please don’t crap out. Please don’t crap out. All of your fears and anxieties are enough to ruin your concentration. Your magic flies high in the sky and starts to transform into two very sharp and long swords. Mother Vivienne looks annoyed to feel so impressed.
Just as you think everything is going good, shit hits the fan.
You’re about to slice through the branches when your magic flickers like it’s losing power, and it goes haywire. Parts of the sword explode, sending magic slamming into the surrounding areas. Whatever it hits also explodes, and that’s when the screaming starts. The young witches scramble to try to find shelter, but the elders don’t move.
They’re disappointed.
Mother Vivienne is smirking because this is going exactly how she thought it would go. The remainder of your magic trickles down until it fades, and the entire group is silent. The young witches are huddled in groups, scared of your power, and Mother Vivienne walks slowly over to you.
“You are such a disappointment to this coven.” Shame covers your entire body. “It seems like no matter how much you train or how much we instill in you, you do not want to be part of this coven.”
“I do. I’m sorry. I promise, I’ll get better. I’m trying my best here,” you plead with her.
“Not enough, apparently. You are not fit to be in this coven. If you can’t wield your power, then you don’t deserve to have it. You are to return to your cottage and await your punishment.” You look around at the other young witches. The ones you thought were your friends refuse to look at you, and some of them have the audacity to look smug. “Now, Y/N.”
There is no point in changing her mind. What’s done is done. So as not to cause any more damage, you turn and leave the sacred circle. They are going to kill you. They are going to banish you and make it look like you disappeared.
If you don’t do something, your time as a witch will be cut short.
Mother Vivienne said that if you can’t wield your power, then you don’t deserve it. Do they have the means to steal your power before they kill you? Will they steal it and send you off on your way? You love magic. You can’t imagine your life without it.
You have to do something.
The ceremony has to finish, so you have some time to figure out a plan before they come for you. Instead of wasting time, you grab your laptop off the table and start to do some research. Your cottage is one of the only ones that has modern technology inside it. The elders heavily believe that the coven can survive on as little as possible. If they can grow it, they can eat it. If they can make it, they can wear or use it.
It’s primitive, but it sets them apart from the rest of the world. They rely on nature to help them evolve, not technology.
Not you. You need your laptop, internet, phone, and other modern technology. If they come here and see all of this, you’re dead anyway, so you don’t bother to hide any of the stuff. You should want to leave the coven, but it’s all you know. You were recruited when you were a little girl, and you’ve been here ever since.
It’s not the coven that’s the issue; it’s the Elders. Some of the young witches love to talk about what plans they have once they become Elders themselves, and none of it involves living off the land. It’s the rules now that are killing you, not the rules you know will be in place once the new generation takes over.
There has to be something online that can help you. There has to be someone somewhere who knows how to help you become the witch you want to be. This world is filled with magical beings such as Thor, Captain America, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man. With the amount of knowledge this planet has, there has to be someone who can help you.
And there is.
Once you know what to look for, reports of all kinds of magical activity come up. Iron Man is too technical for you. Captain America and Hulk are too close to science. Spider-Man is an anomaly. Thor is too much of an alien. Loki is too slippery to catch. Dr. Strange is too mystic.
Then you come across Wanda Maximoff.
The Scarlet Witch.
A witch, just like you.
Wanda hasn’t been in the public eye for very long, but she has been involved in lots of shit with the Avengers. Sokovia nearly took out the entire planet when it came crashing down to Earth. She’s the reason why the Sokovia Accords are in place. She even fought alongside the Avengers in their fight against Thanos. Most recently, she was involved in a huge scandal in Westview, New Jersey. She has so much control over her powers that she enslaved an entire town without blinking.
If you want to be able to control your powers, you have to seek her out.
The ceremony must be nearly done by now, so if you’re going to leave, you have to leave now. You slam your laptop closed and pack up what you think are essential items. You sneak out of your house with a small suitcase in hand, and you flee in the night. Will the Elders come after you? Most certainly. Will they want to kill you? Absolutely. However, you hope you’ll have enough control over your powers to prove to them you’re worthy to be in the coven.
No one even notices you fleeing because the ceremony is going on. It’s the perfect opportunity to hop on a bus and get the hell out of dodge. The first place you need to look at is Westview, so you’re on a bus heading in that direction. While on the bus, you decide to look into the Westview incident to know more about it.
After what happened, Wanda just disappeared. No one has been able to find her. They’re pissed at her for what she did, but you don’t care about her reasoning. It’s enough to know she has that control over her own power. Plus, it helps that your magic is like hers, just a different color.
The journey to New Jersey by bus takes three days, but you finally arrive at the small town. The place is still crawling with officers and SWORD agents. They’re still trying to figure out how the hell she was able to enslave a whole town. People are still recovering from her mental magic.
Most of the residents are hiding in their homes as they process what happened to their town, but some of them are giving statements to the police and trying their best to help with the search.
“Excuse me?” A woman stops when you call for her. “Do you know where Wanda Maximoff went?”
“That bitch better stay away from this town. If you knew what was good for you, you’d stay the hell away from her.”
Looks like the locals hold a grudge over her, as they should, so you don’t think you’ll have much luck from them. In the center of the town are a bunch of SWORD trucks and tents pitched everywhere. Some agents have equipment that looks like it’s used for ground scanning. Could Wanda’s magic have been absorbed into the ground? Anything is possible, you guess.
“Excuse me? Do you know where Wanda went?”
“I’m looking for Wanda Maximoff. Do you know where she is?”
“Do you know anyone who knows where Wanda is?”
No one is answering your questions. The ones that pay you any attention look at you like you’re the gum on the bottom of their shoe. Why would an outsider come to this town looking for the witch who ruined it?
“Are you looking for Wanda?” You turn to see a black woman in a SWORD uniform approaching you. “I’m Agent Monica Rambeau. Who are you?”
“Do you know where she is?”
“No, I don’t. Who are you?”
“My name is Y/N. Look, it’s important that I find her. I’m not trying to hurt her. I don’t live in this town. I just need her help.”
Monica sighs and takes you off to the side where prying ears aren’t. “When she freed the town, she fled. She lost everything. She didn’t say much when she left.”
This isn’t happening. Without her, you’ll die. “There has to be something she said. Anything to lead where she was going. I don’t mean to be dramatic, but this is life or death.”
Monica knows she can’t trust you, but Wanda is no longer her business. She has other things to worry about, and it’s clear Wanda can take care of herself if you’re a threat to her.
“All she told me was that she needed to go back home, where it all began. That she needed to be alone, where she couldn’t hurt anyone. That’s it. I’m sorry that it’s not a location.”
You can work with that. “Thank you, Monica. I was telling the truth before. I don’t want to hurt her.”
“I don’t think she’d let you even if you wanted to. Good luck.”
There is a library in town that you can go to, so you can do some more research on Wanda. You sit at an empty table and open your laptop. Wanda needed to go back home. Where is home? Is it the Avengers compound? That’s the place she went to as soon as she came to the States. They’d rip her a new one if she went back there. It’s unlikely she’d want to be around them, so that’s out of the question.
Where else could home be? A quick internet search tells you that she was born in Sokovia with her twin, Pietro. The same Sokovia where the battle against Ultron took place. That’s also where she first got her powers when she and Pietro volunteered to be HYDRA’s experiments. That’s home, and that’s where it all began. That place also has a lot of farm land and isolated areas where one could hide out.
So, she’s in Sokovia. Looks like that’s where you’re headed next.
The Elders are powerful witches who can track, so you don’t stay in New Jersey long. You couldn’t save much when you were with the coven, but you did save enough for a plane ticket to Sokovia. It might deplete almost all of your savings, but you won’t need it if Wanda is all alone.
The weather is beautiful in Sokovia when you arrive. The city is still trying to recover from the attack by Ultron, but the citizens seem to be doing a good job of picking up the pieces. You had no idea such a tragedy occurred here, nor did you know about the Sokovia Accords. You only knew about what Thanos did when half of your coven disappeared in the snap.
If Wanda wants to be left alone, then she’s certainly not in the city. While you were on the plane, you studied maps of the region and the surrounding area. If Wanda wants to be alone, she’d be far enough away from the city not to need them but close enough that she can travel there if she needs anything.
There are a few places where one could hide, so it’s on foot from here. You can only eliminate areas if you go there physically to see if she’s there or not.
After hours, you still haven’t found her. You have one more place that she could be. If she isn’t here, you’ll have to go to the drawing board. Maybe she’s not in Sokovia. This new place is a little bit further than where you’ve been looking, but it’s extremely isolated.
A lone cabin sits on the edge of a shimmering lake. It’s beautiful. Breathtaking, actually. Please be here. You walk up the steps of the cabin and knock on the door three times. While you wait for her, you admire the view. Damn. That’s gorgeous. The door opens ad Wanda stands there with shock written on her face. Duh, she’s not expecting me.
“Wanda, I need your help.”
“Who are you? Where did you come from?”
“My name is Y/N, and I flew from the States in search of you. I need your help. Like you, I have magic.” Magic that’s like hers rises from your hands. Magic that is blue, not red. “Magic that I can’t seem to control. I need you to help me learn how to use it.”
“I don’t know who you are, but you need to leave. I do not want to help you. Get off my porch.”
“No, Wanda, please!” She closes the door before you can finish talking. You slap the door lightly in hopes she reconsiders. “Wanda, please! I’m scared. I don’t know how to control these powers. I’m afraid of hurting someone. If I can’t do this, they’re going to take my power away and kill me. I don’t know what else to do. Wanda, please!”
She doesn’t answer the door. You can’t break in because she will hurt you in order to protect herself. Plus, you’re not the kind of witch or woman who will force someone to do something they don’t want to do.
You step away from the door and sit on the top step of the porch. What am I going to do now? Maybe you can try Dr. Strange. Kamar Taj might be able to help you if Wanda can’t, but your power isn’t like theirs. The Elders will come after you, and you have no more money to fly to Kamar Taj or New York. Your forearms rest on your knees, and you hang your head in defeat.
You shouldn’t have left in the first place.
The cabin door creaks open, and Wanda’s feet come into view. She sits next to you, and you look at her with hope simmering in your eyes.
“I was scared of my powers, too.”
“Does that mean you’ll help me?”
“It’s not going to be easy.”
“That doesn’t scare me.”
She nods in thought and sighs. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you!” You surprise her by pulling her in for a hug. She is tense as she hugs you back, but you’re already pulling away from her. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“We’ll start in the morning.” She stands up. “You should get some rest.”
Before you can ask her if you’ll be sleeping here or not, she walks back into the cabin. She leaves the door open, though, so you take that as a sign of good faith.
The sunlight is nature’s alarm clock, so you’re up when the light starts shining through the window the next morning. Today is the start of a new chapter of your life. You’re finally going to learn how to use your powers from someone who has the same kind as you. The Elders taught one way, and it worked for most people. Not you. They didn’t care if you were different. All they wanted was obedience, and they hated you when they figured out you couldn’t give them that.
Wanda is in the kitchen making some coffee when you walk in, and she hands you a mug. “If this is going to work, you’ll need to do what I say. I can’t teach you if you’re not willing to learn.”
“I understand. Where are we going to start?”
“With the basics. The first step is concentration. With magic like ours, it’s important that you concentrate on what you’re doing. If you don’t, then so much can go wrong in such little time.”
The event in Nigeria right before the Sokovia Accords happened come to mind. She was still learning how to use her powers, and she ended up taking someone’s life because of it.
“Okay.”
Wanda walks over to the living room and sits down with her coffee in hand. “I want you to levitate me. Concentrate, and keep me in the air for five minutes.”
Easy enough, right? Blue magic surrounds the legs of the chair, and Wanda sips her coffee with ease. You lift her several inches in the air, but your mind is racing a million miles a minute. It’s hard to concentrate when all you can think about is your coven finding you and killing you. The chair tips, and Wanda’s coffee nearly spills on her thigh.
“Y/N, concentrate.”
“I’m sorry,” you whisper.
You straighten her back up, but it doesn‘t last long. This time, your magic disappears from one side of the chair, tipping Wanda to the side. She drops her coffee in shock, and it shatters on the ground.
“Okay, put me down.”
You do, but it’s not a smooth ride for her. “I’m sorry, Wanda. It’s hard for me to concentrate. IT’s like my head is all jumbled. I can’t turn off my thoughts.”
“Then we need to start somewhere else. Clean this up.”
It’s the least you can do, so you do so without complaint. When the shards of ceramic and coffee are gone from the floor, you join Wanda back in the living room. She has moved the furniture out of the way, allowing for an open space. Two yoga mats lie on the floor, and she is already sitting on one.
“Sit. We will be doing yoga to help loosen the body.”
“Is this necessary?”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Right. Sorry.” You sit down on the yoga mat, grateful you’re already wearing leggings and a loose shirt. “I’m ready.”
“Just follow what I do and relax.”
Wanda starts with the downward dog position, and you do a double-take. The first time you saw her picture online, you thought she was beautiful, but damn. Seeing her in person has your heart racing for an entirely different reason. You shake these thoughts out of your head and copy her pose.
Every time Wanda switches to a different position, you can’t help but admire her form. She looks really good. How the hell are you supposed to concentrate now? You’ve always found both genders attractive, and this time is no different.
Two hours of doing yoga go by, and you have to admit you’re feeling a little looser than before. It relaxes your body, but your mind is still racing. It’s very hard to turn it off.
“How do you feel?” Wanda asks.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. What’s next?”
“Now we work on clearing the mind. I could practically hear your thoughts from here.”
You chuckle nervously as Wanda puts on some relaxing music. You two sit across from each other, cross-legged, and all talking eases immediately. This is doing nothing for you. Your thoughts are still racing, and you’re thinking of every possible way this can go wrong. You’re getting restless.
“What is this supposed to do?” Wanda shushes you, and you snap your mouth shut. She still has her eyes closed, so you try to do that. All you can see is the Elders killing you. You open your eyes and say, “Seriously, I don’t--” Wanda shushes you again, but harsher. You roll your eyes and remain silent. That only lasts another five minutes. “Wanda--”
She sighs and opens her eyes. “Look, if you want to control your magic, you need to learn how to get rid of all those distractions in your head. In order to do that, you need a clear mind. This won’t work if you don’t let it, so shush.”
“Sorry,” you whisper.
This is how you two spend the entire day. Just sitting here and meditating. It was torture, and you don’t think it was very effective. Some of your thoughts disappeared with the calming music, but not all.
The next day is spent the same, with a morning yoga routine followed by an hour of meditating. Now, Wanda is sitting in the same chair as yesterday, watching as you try to levitate her. You can’t keep her in the air for long, but you don’t tip her over. Her coffee is saved for today.
“Set me down gently.” This time, you do, and she grins beautifully. “See what a bit of meditation can do for the mind?”
Wanda had no one to teach her about her powers, so she learned through trial and error. HYDRA kept her locked up, free to explore her powers within the confines of glass walls for observation. When she joined the Avengers at the compound, she was much like you. Natasha is the one who taught her how to clear her mind and fight. Fighting is key. It doesn’t matter if someone has magic or not. If they can’t fight, then they won’t know how to wield the magic correctly.
A few weeks go by, and the meditation is actually helping a lot. You can concentrate a lot more than when you first arrived. You’re shocked the Elders haven’t found you yet, but you have a feeling that Wanda’s magic is keeping people from finding her. Therefore, you’re protected as long as you stick with her.
This day, however, you’re not doing yoga or meditation. Learning hand-to-hand combat is imperative because you might not always get a chance to use your magic. You have always relied on your magic, even in the coven, so your skills at fighting are shit.
Wanda doesn’t care. She’s happy to kick your ass.
You huff out in pain when your back hits the forest floor. Wanda grins as she leans over you; even sweaty, she is gorgeous. The more you stay with her, the more your attraction for her grows. Luckily, she doesn’t notice. If she does, then she doesn’t bring it up. Either way, you’re fucked.
“You know, I don’t think this is fair.”
Wanda grabs your hand and helps you to your feet. “Your enemy won’t care if the situation is fair or not. They will be trying to kill you. You need to learn how to protect yourself.”
“But I have magic. Why do I need to know how to fight?”
“You’re so cute,” she says, shaking her head. “Fighting helps you learn how to be agile. On Earth, you might get away with using magic to fight, but what if you’re not on Earth? What if some alien race attacks Earth and has powers more powerful than yours? What if their technology can dampen your power? What then?”
She has a point. “Fine, I get it.”
“Good. Let’s go again. This time, don’t let my fist touch your body.”
Wanda gives no warning as she attacks, and you do your best to try to dodge everything she throws at you. It doesn’t work. You keep falling on your back over and over again. It’s kind of pissing you off, and your attraction for her isn’t helping. If you’re not flat on your back, then you’re pinned in her arms.
If she doesn’t feel the sexual tension between you two, then she is very dense. Either way, it’s distracting you.
By the time dinner rolls around, your entire body is sore. There are a few bruises where she hit you too hard, but they don’t bother you. She offered to heal them, but you need them as a reminder of what she’s capable of. Plus, you like the thought of her marks on your body. Seriously? Are you really thinking of that now? Cut it out. You ignore your inner voice as you walk into the kitchen.
Wanda is finishing making dinner, and she plates the delicious-smelling stew into two bowls. You two sit across from each other at the kitchen table, and you eat in silence.
“You’re making progress,” Wanda finally says.
“Barely,” you mutter.
“It’s still progress. You’re getting better at yoga, and you can levitate with ease. I’d say that’s a good thing.”
“Yet I’m shit at fighting.”
“That will become better with time. I had a very good teacher, and I have faith you’ll get it in no time.”
Wanda often misses being with the Avengers. She misses gossiping with Natasha or chatting with Steve. She thought she finally had a place in this world until Thanos ruined everything. She lost her brother and her lover, so she left to try to chase that dream again. She got it, and then it was taken from her yet again. It’s better now that she’s alone, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less.
You watch her from across the table. The despair is evident on her face. You don’t want to make it worse, but you’re too curious not to ask.
“So, what exactly happened in Westview?”
She immediately stiffens at your question, and she puts up walls that you won’t be able to penetrate. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
You feel bad, but you’re just so curious. Still, you don’t push the issue. “Sorry.” Maybe she might open up if you open up to her first. She might not feel it, but you consider her a friend. “Thank you for helping me. I know you’re taking a risk.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was part of this coven. I was recruited at a young age. This coven practices all kinds of magic that is used to better the world. The most powerful witches in the coven, the Elders, have us practice magic to become better. They teach us kind of like what you’re doing with me. Except, I never did well. My head gets in the way all the time, and I end up fucking everything up.
“I’m the only one with magic like this, and I don’t think they knew how to teach me.” You take a small break to eat as you think of your next words. “When witches reach a certain age, there is a ceremony to prove that they can use their magic as the Elders taught us. I failed.”
“What happens when one fails?”
“Every rumor is different, but the outcome is the same. One day they’re there and the next, they’re gone. No trace of them is left behind. While every rumor is different about what happens to them, they all have one thing in common. They take your power from them. I can only assume they’ll kill afterwards. I can’t imagine they’ll just let them go.
“If they find me, they’ll take my power and kill me.” You pick at your food. “I wish I could leave it, you know? Find my own path.”
“I understand,” she says quietly. “I wanted to find my own path after HYDRA.”
You think she is going to elaborate, but she goes back to eating. That night, it takes you a long time to fall asleep because you’re thinking about your coven and wondering if they’re close to catching up to you or if they have no idea where you are. You just have to hope Wanda’s magic is strong enough to protect you both.
It must be because the next few months go by in a flash. Every day, you’re either doing yoga, meditating, using magic, or fighting. Natasha taught her well because you’re picking up things you didn’t before, and you’re more agile thanks to the yoga. Wanda even introduces you to ruins and what they’re meant for. Agatha was the one to teach her that, and it’s interesting to know that they have enough power to derail even the most powerful of witches.
Instead of using only your hands to fight, you’ve been gifted a sword. Wanda has one, and your task is to pin her down before she can pin you down.
Wanda swings her sword like she is going to cut your head off, but you bend backward to dodge her attempt. You swat her sword away with the blade of your own and make a slicing motion with the sword. The sounds of metal hitting metal echo throughout the forest as you two spar. You’re putting up a damn good fight without your magic.
Wanda raises her sword to strike you, but you hit her sword with your sso hard that it goes tumbling out of her hand. She barely has time to react before you’re pinning her to the ground. Her red hair splays out all around her like a golden sun.
“You’re getting better,” she smiles.
“Or you’re getting weaker.”
Now it’s your turn to get caught off guard. She wraps her legs around your waist and flips you so fast that you don’t see it coming. A grunt leaves your mouth when you land on your stomach, and she flips you over with ease. Her magic pins your wrists to the ground, leaving you at her mercy.
“Never get cocky unless you have the power to back it up.”
“That’s hot,” you whisper.
A pink blush dusts her cheeks, and she pulls away from you. She offers you her hand to help you up, and you take it. “We’re done for the night. Tomorrow, we practice magic.”
You’re kind of nervous but excited to see how far you’ve come. Tiredness numbs your body, but you can’t sleep. You’re staring at the ceiling fan, just watching it go round and round. Maybe a glass of water might help. You get out of bed and tiptoe to the kitchen so as not to wake Wanda. However, movement catches your attention from the outside.
Wanda is sitting on the porch swing and staring at the edge of the forest in thought. Forget the glass of water. Hopefully, she’ll want company. You open the front door slowly, and she barely looks your way.
“Want some company?” you ask in a soft voice.
All she does is scoot closer to the edge of the porch swing, and you take that as an invitation to sit down. The swing groans under your weight, but then you two find a steady pace. The forest is alive with chirping crickets and bright-eyed owls. The silence between you is nice. Not awkward at all, but comforting.
“When my brother died, I came to the States with people I didn’t know.” You look at Wanda, but she doesn’t look at you. You are curious to hear about her story, so you don’t interrupt. “I felt lost, and I didn’t know how to move on. It’s like I was stuck in time.
“One of the new recruits, as Steve liked to call us,” she chuckles at the memory of Steve, “was Vision. It was like we connected almost immediately. He didn’t know how I was feeling, but he made me feel seen in a way no one else had.” She takes a shuddering breath. “We grew close, and I fell in love with him. We had plans to move to Westview, but then Thanos happened.”
She’s telling you what happened in Westview. This is clearly a big deal for her, and you don’t dare speak out in any way. You’re curious to hear this, yes, but you can tell she needs to get this off her chest.
“I had to kill the love of my life to destroy the stone, and Thanos brought him back only to kill him all over again. I died in the snap, and when I was brought back, Vision was still dead. I went to Westview alone because I thought I’d feel some sort of comfort from seeing where Vision and I were going to start the rest of our lives together.
“That’s when I created the Hex. I didn’t know I was doing it. All I wanted was to have him back, and suddenly, he was. We had two beautiful children,” she whispers painfully. “I was finally happy, but it was all a lie. I hurt a lot of people doing what I did, and I had to give up my family to fix it. I lost everything.”
She ends the story there, even though there is clearly more. This was hard for her to say; that’s why she hasn’t looked at you since you sat down.
“Your sadness won’t last forever, Wanda,” you say when you find the words.
She scoffs lightly and shakes her head. “How do you know?”
“Life can’t be all bad, can it? I lost my parents when I was young, and I thought it was the end of the world. I am by no means saying that what I went through is the same as what you went through, but all that grief just weighed me down.” You look at her and shift so you’re facing her more. “But what is grief, if not love persevering?”
Wanda snaps her head to you when you say those words. How could you…? Vision told her those exact words when she was at her lowest. Tears brim on the surface of her eyes, but they don’t fall. She looks like she’s in disbelief.
“I know they’re gone, but they’re alive in your heart. They know that they’ve been loved by you, and sometimes, that’s all someone needs in order to move on.”
You look away first, but Wanda continues to stare at you. Eventually, she looks back at the forest. Your words swirl in her head, and it’s making her emotional. She hesitantly rests her head on your shoulder, and you grab her hand gently.
That’s how you two sit for the next hour, just enjoying each other’s company.
The next morning, you and Wanda are back outside to practice fighting with your magic. Using all of the skills she’s taught you over the last handful of months, you’re able to wield your magic in a way you never could before. Both of your magic work together, hers red and yours blue. You’re putting up a good fight, and you’re not even overthinking anything.
“You’ve come a long way,” Wanda praises when you two stop fighting. “I’m proud of you.”
In a moment of pure joy, you fling yourself at her and pull her in for a hug. She’s a bit taken aback, but this time, she hugs you. Still in your joy, you pull away only to bring her in for a kiss. She is shocked, to say the least. She has never even considered kissing a woman, but she doesn’t hate it. Before she can kiss you back, you pull away in horror.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”
“No, it’s okay.” You look at her with uncertainty. “I liked it.”
Your shoulder relaxes with relief. “You’re a good teacher, Wanda. Whoever taught you knew what they were doing.”
Just when you think you’re safe from your coven, you have a nightmare that night chills you to the bone. The coven is coming close; you can feel them. Their magic pulsates around you, only getting thicker the closer they get. They know you’re here, and they want you to know they’re coming. The nightmare isn’t just one thing; it’s more of a dreading feeling. That takes the form of shadows biting at you. They want to bring you into the dark where they can feed on your fear and misery.
You wake up with a gasp, and you look around frantically. “They’re coming…”
They’re coming to kill you, you just know it. Even if you can prove that you’re worthy of magic, they’ll kill you for fleeing. You have to get out of here. If not for you, for Wanda. You get up and grab your suitcase from underneath your bed. You don’t care about being quiet. You just need to pack as fast as you can and run.
In your rush, Wanda wakes up when drawers start slamming open and closed. She opens your door and frowns when she sees your frantic state.
“Y/N? What’s going on?”
“I have to leave.”
“No, you can’t.” Wanda likes you, too much for her to admit. It’s been nice living here with someone. She’s starting to feel the hope she felt when she first met Vision. “What is going on?”
“They’re coming to kill me. I can feel them.”
“Not on my watch.” Wanda walks over to you and grabs your hands. “I’m not letting you get hurt.”
“And I can’t let you get hurt because of me. You don’t know what they’re capable of. They don’t care who you are. They will kill you to get to me. I’m sorry, Wanda, but I have to leave.”
“Y/N!” Fear rolls through your body when you hear your name being called. It’s coming from outside. “We know you’re in there. Don’t let this be hard. Come outside.”
Wanda walks to the window and pushes back the curtain. Right in front of the house are five women. “Looks like you can’t run after all.”
“Wanda, I’m scared of them.”
“I know. You might be, but I’m not.”
“You should be.”
Wanda smirks as her eyes turn deep red. “I’m the Scarlet Witch. I don’t have anything to be afraid of.” Wanda takes your hand and leads you out of the cabin despite your fear. The Elders don’t look shocked to see Wanda, probably because they knew you were with her. “I’m only going to say this once. Leave and don’t return.”
“You have something of ours. We want it back. Return it, and we’ll never bother you again.”
Wanda once gave the SWORD agents that same offer, and look where it got her. She won’t make that same mistake again.
“Have it your way.”
Red magic explodes all around Wanda, and she fires five shots at each woman. Not all of them can dodge her attack, but one of them can. Mother Vivienne is the strongest out of all of them, and it’s going to take a lot for her to be defeated.
“Just come back with us, Y/N, and no one has to get hurt,” Mother Vivienne says. “You belong with us!”
“I belong to no one! Wanda has taught me more than you ever did! I hate it took me this long, but now I can see the error of your ways. The coven isn’t good, not as long as you’re in charge.”
Mother Vivienne laughs as if you told her a joke, and she stands in front of her fellow elders. The other four put their hands on her arms and shoulders, and green magic zips through them and into Mother Vivienne. They’re transferring their power to her. They must have known it would take more than normal to defeat Wanda.
“Wanda, I don’t know about this,” you whisper.
“I do.”
One by one, each of the elders drops to the floor. Mother Vivienne glows with the magic of five witches, and she grins maliciously at you and Wanda.
“I tried to play nice, Y/N, but you’ve forced my hand. Just know that what’s about to happen, it is all your undoing.”
“You have to go through me first,” Wanda glares.
“As you wish, my dear.”
Wanda and Mother Vivienne attack each other in an explosion of magic. You’re flown back from the impact, and you watch in horror as Wanda fights your battle for you.
“Wanda! Don’t!”
She doesn’t hear you, or she doesn’t want to listen. This is your mess. You have to be the one to fix it. You’ve come a long way, and while you can’t beat Mother Vivienne on your own, you can help bring her down in your own way. You stand up and put your hands together tightly. Magic forms at your fingertips, and as you pull your hands apart, a ball of magic grows bigger. It crackles with energy and power, and you fling it at Mother Vivienne. It hits her square in the abdomen, and she goes flying into the nearest tree so hard that it causes a crater on the trunk.
“Well, well, look whose gotten stronger,” she glares. “Not enough to beat me, I’m afraid.”
“I guess we’ll see.”
You conjure another ball of magic in your hand, and you send it flying toward her. Instead of actually hitting her, it hits the tree behind her. You do it again, and the same result happens.
“You must not be very smart. You’re not even trying to hit me.”
Mother Vivienne flies at you to attack, but Wanda smashes into her side, and the two of them slam to the ground. Wanda knows exactly what you’re doing. She could stop pulling her punches, but this is your fight. You need to overcome the elders. She can’t fight your battles for you.
In a blur of green and red magic, you focus on your task. With the power of five witches added to Mother Vivienne, Wanda is having to put more effort into keeping her at bay than she originally thought. It makes you work faster as you hit each tree that you can, sending balls of blue magic into the bark.
Mother Vivienne conjures up as much magic as she can and slams her fist into Wanda’s chest. Wanda goes flying toward the cabin, and she slides across the ground painfully.
“ENOUGH!” Mother Vivienne yells. She ducks when a final blue ball of magic is thrown at her. It slams into the tree behind her. Mother Vivienne glares at you as she slowly stalks toward you. “The other elders have tried to convince me not to give up on you, but I knew from the start you’d be a problem. I mean this from the bottom of my heart when I say,” Mother Vivienne grabs the sides of your face and grins, “I will enjoy the hell out of this.”
A few seconds pass with nothing happening. Mother Vivienne glares at you and squeezes her hands tighter on either side of your face. Still, nothing happens. She looks confused, and she pulls her hands away from your face slowly.
“What the hell is happening?”
“Having issues?” you smirk.
“What the fuck did you do?”
The spots where you hit each tree glow bright blue. What is left shining are symbols, the ones Wanda taught you about. Runes. Wanda gets up and walks over to you without taking her eyes off Mother Vivienne.
“Do you know what those are?” Mother Vivienne looks around in shock. “They’re called Runes, Vivienne. In a given space, only the witch who casts the runes can use her magic. You steal power for the sake of the coven, but you don’t really care about it. All you want is to use it for yourself. Do you know what I say to that?” Vivienne has the audacity to look scared as you approach her slowly. “I hope you rot in Hell.”
You grab both sides of her face, much like what she did to you. Her eyes go wide when you start sucking the magic out of her. Green magic fights to stay inside Vivienne, but your magic is stronger. Well, not the magic itself, but your will is stronger than hers. For the first time in years, your head is finally clear.
As Vivienne’s magic is slowly sucked from her body, her skin rapidly ages. The light starts to die in her eyes until it’s gone completely. The last of her magic flows into your mouth, and Vivienne drops to the ground, nearly a skeleton. You step back and stumble, but Wanda is there to catch you. The runes on the trees flicker on and off before disappearing completely.
“You did it,” Wanda smiles.
“I can’t fucking believe I did. Is this real life?”
Wanda turns you around in her arms, and she smiles beautifully. “Does this feel real?” She leans in and kisses you slowly, at first, before deepening it. She slides her fingers into your hair and tilts your head back. “You’re free…”
She’s right. You are. Those were all the elders because they knew they would be dealing with Wanda.
“I am,” you smile.
“What are you going to do now? You can go anywhere.”
“I’d rather stay here with you, if you’d like some company.”
Wanda smiles, feeling like her old self again. The pain of losing Vision and her kids will always be there, but she’s no longer alone. She can finally move on, too.
“I’d love that.”
You kiss her once more, eager to start this new chapter in your life.
x
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"When did you get a cat?" Zayne glances warily at the small animal resting on Sylus's chest. It perks up at his voice, meowing what seems to be a greeting.
"Oh, we've always had this one. Isn't that right, kitten?" He smirks as he pats the animals head, while it meows in an annoyed tone so similar to yours that Zayne absentmindedly thinks about how alike you two ar-
Oh shit.
"Are you alright?" Zayne hurries over, a frown on his face as he gently inspects your animal form. You purr under his touch, trying to show him you're doing fine.
"It's just an...unfortunate side effect. It should wear off soon." Sylus comforts him, while you do the same by butting your soft head against his hand. With his pounding heart starting to calm, Zayne allows himself to gently pet you.
"Most cats run away when they see me." Zayne muses as you climb into his lap, settling down. Sylus chuckles, leaning over to pet you.
"Well, we have that in common. However, I believe this one feels differently." Sylus can't hide his grin as you clamber all over Zayne, trying to show him your usual level of affection despite your current predicament.
"Hello." The doctor murmurs with a smile when you perch on his shoulder, nuzzling the side of his head.
Feeling overwhelmed at just how adorable this form of yours is, neither can help themselves from leaning in to press a soft kiss on your fur at the same time. In the blink of an eye, there's no longer a cat sitting in Zayne's lap.
"Well, that was great timing. I'm starving, and I am not eating that tin of tuna."
The taste in your mouth is coppery, and the bruises littering your body ache unbearably. Still, you're not worried. It was only a matter of time.
The explosion outside the building rattles the ground. It makes you grin despite your bloody teeth, already feeling that familiar pull of the other half of your soul closing in.
"Told you."
The words have barely left your mouth when the room is lit with the crackling of energy, red tendrils restraining each unfortunate soul who'd marred your skin.
"You've looked better, kitten." He drawls, though his eyes carry an intensity he's unable to hide. Your shackles are easily snapped, and one of the twins emerges from the shadows to help you stand.
"Well, I've been better." You shrug, unable to stop the flicker of pain from showing on your face. Sylus's face hardens in an instant, focusing his attention back on the men he'd been holding still, each more terrified then the last.
Their screams echo through the halls as Luke and Keiran help you out of the abandoned building. They're quieter than usual, which you're a little grateful for. Still, they let out subdued cheers when the building explodes into a pile of rubble behind Sylus's approaching figure.
The cries of pain haven't ceased with the explosion. Clearly, there was no mercy shown.
"Are you alright?" The ruthless leader of Onychinus kneels in the dirt next to you, carefully checking you over with a featherlight touch. You hum, running a hand through his pristine silver hair just like you'd spent the last few days dreaming about.
"I'm fine, Sylus. I knew you'd come." You smile despite the pain, relaxing into his strong arms as he picks you up carefully, red eyes soft with worry.
"There's no place in this galaxy I wouldn't go to find you."
"Sylus Sylus! Are you in there?" You knocked on the wooden door of his bedroom. Sylus and you had plans to go new arcade that had just opened up. When you texted him that you were on your way, he never replied back. He usually never canceled a date without letting you know.
Something very bad must have happened, you immediately thought. Filled with worry you rushed over to the N109 zone. Your anxiety only grew when the twins avoided your questions about where Sylus was.
You could hear agitated moans from the other side of the door. "Sylus I can hear you. You're really scaring me. Please let me in." The lock on the door clicks open. You rush inside to find him sitting up on his bed, wearing nothing but his boxers. His eyes were closed and he was shivering.
"Sylus what's wrong?" You sat down on the bed and placed the back of your hand against his forehead. He was warm to the touch. "You have a fever."
"I'll be fine."
"You should have told me so I could help you." You place your palm against his cheek. He let the warmth of your hand soothe him .
"You don't need to worry about me. I can handle it myself."
"You're so stubborn Sy. Did you take some medicine already?" He nods. You pat his bare chest. "I'll get you some water to drink."
He grabs your hand before you can pull it away from his chest. "Keep it there. It feels warm."
"You have the chills and you’re practically naked. You need to cover up and stay warm." You grab a blanket and warp it around his shoulders. "You don't need to fuss over me. I said I'll be fine sweetie."
You huff in irritation. "I guess I'll leave you alone then." You pull out your phone and pretend to text someone. "I'll ask Caleb if he wants to hang out or maybe I can ask my neighbor Xavier."
You feel a force pull you forward. Your face lands right on his chest. Sylus possessively wraps his arms around you. "I changed my mind. I need you to stay with me to keep me warm."
You smile to yourself and snuggle your entire body against him. "I'll stay with you until you feel all better."
AN: This is the first thing I have ever written for Sylus. So I’m a little a nervous to post. I apologize if he’s ooc.
"There's a saying," you poke zayne's cheek, "that if you work on your only day off in a month your heart turns to stone."
"There's no such saying." he remarked.
"I heard it somewhere so someone must've said it." You were a good friend and you wouldn't let your beloved doctor's beautiful nose stay buried in reports that could've easily gone to someone else if he had just asked.
"I'll be done in a few minutes."
"Few minutes is too long."
He doesn't answer, just lets out a sigh.
You poke his cheek again. It was surprisingly soft for a man who looked like he rarely had time to shave. Another poke followed his nonchalance, then another. Your fingers move again but he tilts his head back, dodging your attack and catches your finger with his hand, bringing it to his lips and biting down on it with his canines.
"Ow ow ow why would you do that?" You retract your finger, blowing air on it.
"You were warned."
"I was not warned. You're so mean, Dr Zayne.” You turn away from him with your best wounded expression. “Hmph”
He shuts his laptop. "Show me. Does it hurt?"
"It hurts here." You point to your chest, slightly to the right.
He reaches over and moves your hand gently to the left, pressing his own palm flat over yours. "Your heart is here."
The proximity made your heartbeat pick up immediately, heat blooming in your cheeks and igniting sparks somewhere lower.
You flicked his forehead with the same finger he bit. "All that studying and you're still so dense about matters of the heart."
He grip tightens. "Perhaps you could teach me then." he whispered close to your face, his gaze drifting to your lips for a few agonizing seconds.
How does one even answer that? So you did the most logical thing—you bit his cheek and muttered stupid under your breath.
Zayne has just barely collapsed on the couch, still in his work clothes and tie tugged loose around his neck. So, you take your chance.
"Will you make me a cup of tea?"
He's already almost half asleep. His eyes open with a clear strain as he looks at you, curled up under the blanket with a book.
You're messing with him, of course. You expect him to catch on, to toss a cheeky remark at you like usual. You're not expecting him to wordlessly lift himself off the couch and begin trudging to the kitchen.
"Wh-Zayne! No no I was kidding!" He doesn't pay your words any mind as you struggle to kick aside the blanket, hurriedly trying to follow him.
"Chamomile, yes?" Of course, he already knows what flavour you prefer for your nightly reading. He pulls a bag from the drawer, but you grasp his wrist.
"I was just joking! Please go sit back down, you're exhausted and you've been on your feet all day." Now that you've gotten a closer look at him, the joke sits heavy in your stomach. The bags under his eyes have gotten worse, and his cheeks look more sunken in than usual.
"Let me make your tea." He mumbles, though he doesn't protest when you pull the bag from his fingers, setting it aside in favour of undoing his tie.
"I don't feel like tea anymore. Let's head up to bed, yeah?" His hands move from the counter to your waist, his whole body sinking into the embrace as his forehead rests on your shoulder. You hug him back, one hand stroking his back and the other sinking into the hair at the back of his head.
"Bed is a good idea." He whispers, voice already thick with exhaustion. You kiss his cheek, nudging him up just enough to have him follow you upstairs.
You’d fallen asleep at your usual time. And yet somehow you’d opened your eyes in the middle of the night and simply can’t go back to sleep.
Zayne on the other hand, is sleeping peacefully. For a moment, you're almost grateful for the sudden awakening, if only to spend a few peaceful minutes admiring your handsome boyfriend.
"Is everything alright?" Zayne's words make you jump, his eyes still closed and face still serene. It almost has you thinking he's talking in his sleep, but then his eyes flutter open and find you easily.
"Did I wake you?" You do feel a little bad as your gaze traces the bags under his eyes. He shakes his head a little, pulling you closer until his nose brushes yours.
"Not entirely. I don't sleep well if you're not resting." His hand slips up the back of your shirt, the motions already starting to relax you.
"I just can't seem to go back to sleep." You mumble, resigned to staying up for another hour or two and grabbing a large coffee tomorrow morning.
"I know of something that might help your hypothalamus signal sleep?" Zayne offers. You hum in curiosity, but he doesn't go on. Instead, he kisses you.
His hands gently cradle your face, holding you close as his mouth seals against yours. It's such a sweet kiss, just like everything about Zayne. You can feel yourself relaxing against the bed as he moves closer, the weight of him calming you.
When he pulls away, he nuzzles against your cheek, letting you catch your breath.
