Fire and Smoke - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Chapter 70

(again, I am so sorry. i think i need therapy. This is not ok)

"Get Maximoff." It's Strucker. I can tell without even looking. I instantly feel my heart drop. Can't they leave us alone, now that I finally... I let my hands drop from where they've been resting on either side of Wanda's face, the motion mirroring my emotions. Wanda's eyes are wide open, staring directly at me but I doubt she's even looking at me, really. The sounds of heavy boots make me look away from her petrified eyes. I can't let them touch her. That's as much as I'm clear on. Anything that will make Wanda look that scared is something I will keep away from her at all costs.

Four guards have entered the cell and in their midst, Strucker, looking as pleased as a toad that just swallowed a huge, juicy fly. God, I hate her. She makes her face contort into a smile as her beady eyes take in the scene.

"Thank you for knocking, we're busy, fuck off." I tell her and her smile stretches out even further across her narrow face and it takes all of my willpower not to run at her and smack her. Oh, the satisfaction I would get...

Strucker doesn't reply. She keeps smiling widely as one of the guards breaks formation and marches towards us, making quick work of the short distance between Wanda and me, and him. I instinctively reach out, placing a hand out in front of Wanda, trying to push her back behind me. I glance at her. She seems absolutely frozen in place. Shit, that doesn't help. I try to move her, but she's heavy as lead, her eyes glazed over, not really seeing me. I turn my head towards the guard just in time for him to easily yank me to the side, away from Wanda. I grumble as I fumble on the ground, watching as Wanda is dragged up less than gently by another guard.

"Don't touch her!" I shout but they don't care, just as I thought they wouldn't, instead a third guard joins the second in holding Wanda up, who looks like she's about to pass out any second. I jump up to standing, my legs stiff and unhappy with sudden movements, but I ignore the feeling of needles in my muscles as I know I can't allow them to separate me from Wanda.

"Wanda, please, fight back!" I yell in a pitchy, shaky voice, seeing Wanda so gone is scaring me more than anything. I can't let her retreat into herself. Shit.

Wanda just watches me passively, her eyes huge and glassy, and I don't need to work hard in order to easily check all the boxes for trauma. I don't have the time to dwell on what set her off or what this stems from, but I can pretty easily guess it must've come from what I read in her file what feels like eons ago about her time with Hydra. If it was anything like my time with them it must have been absolutely fucking peachy.

My entire body seems to know it needs to act, for once I feel fully aligned. I know anything I do won't be for my own safety, but for hers. And so I bolt forwards with strength I didn't know I possessed, escaping from one of the guard's fumbling grip and head straight for Wanda and the two guards holding her. They seem just as mystified as I am by Wanda's sudden inability to move a muscle. For a second, they're taken aback by me and I manage to yank one of their hands off Wanda's shoulder. I struggle, not wanting to frighten Wanda but needing to use all my force seeing as the guards they hire here look like all they eat is protein, my head barely reaching their shoulders. Fuck this, I think as I twist the guard's hand backward by pulling his thumb at an odd angle.

Unfortunately quickly my guard catches up to me. He pulls me off, yanking me backward by my hair. I yelp, flailing about uselessly as Wanda doesn't bat an eyelid, her eyes round as saucers.

"Cheap fucking shot." I growl angrily as I manage to elbow the guard behind me in the gut, making him let go of my hair as he gasps.

Okay, I can do this. Come on, Liv.