Fire and Smoke - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Chapter 75

(it's a long one, hunny bunnnies, but it's worth the read, promise x)

Don't worry.

'Don't worry'? That's the best you can do!? Wanda sounds annoyed and her annoyance seeps through, both her voice and her emotions, thus, in turn, making me feel annoyed. Oh, the joys.

What do you want from me? I exasperatedly think as I continue to follow the tattooed man further into Stark's facility, pretending nothing is going on between Wanda and me.

For starters, don't lie to me.

Lie? When have I lied? It takes a surprising amount of self-control to not loudly retort, but I stay cool as a cucumber, like always.

I can feel you. Wanda's voice in my head takes on a different tone, losing all of its previous snakiness and a wave of badly concealed sadness washes over me. I know you're scared.

I'm not-

Don't lie, Olivia.

Fine. I huff and the tattooed guard turns his head slightly to look at me. I shoot him a look and he frowns but doesn't pursue whatever suspicion he had.

I'm scared too. It takes so much to not look back at her, but I don't. Her admission shakes me more than I like to admit. I've always viewed her as the strong one, even at her lowest she's been stronger than I've ever been, and I realize with a pang of guilt how I've used her as a sort of crutch all of these months.

The corridor takes a sudden, sharp left, and the tattooed man raises a closed fist, making our silent group come to a brusque halt. I'm trying to stay more alert to what is happening around me, and not only focused on her where I know she's standing a few steps away from me. Scared. I need to get us out of here, and soon. I don't like this at all. I'm trying to keep my emotions in check and convince myself I am feeling calm and confident, aware of how Wanda's emotions affect me when she's not careful, and how I have no idea how to shield her from mine, which means that she must be feeling what I am feeling. Cool, calm, and collected. Cucumber, baby.

"Hey." Someone taps me on the shoulder.

"Fuck!" I jump, taken by surprise, my heart racing. So much for cucumbering this, then.

I turn around to look at who just tapped me and my eyes gloss over Wanda, whose pale face looks slightly amused.

Cucumber? I hear her ask but I ignore her.

"What?" I hiss at the guilty guard, annoyed at him breaking my composure like that.

"You need to get your gun out." He indicates at my holstered gun and I make a face.

"What, why?" I look around. "I don't know who you're planning on shooting but I ain't a part of it."
"Vernut." The tattooed man's voice sounds in my ear. "You do as you're told and you shut up."
"Humph." I manage to voice before I am forced to turn back around to face the direction we were going in, feeling my hand on autopilot fumble with the holster before eventually finding the hilt of the gun and coming to rest with the gun pointed at the floor in front of me. I am so done with doing Hydra's bidding.

Stay calm. Wanda warns in my head, and I don't even feel any annoyance, knowing the old me would have. Now I only feel slightly warm. She cares. She doesn't remember but she cares enough.

Stop gushing. Comes her voice again and I feel myself blush in embarrassment. How can I still forget she can read my mind after all this time? You'd think I'd be smarter by now.