Fire and Smoke - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Chapter 76

My finger is steady on the trigger, having done this so many times before it should not shake me this much, and yet I feel like I suddenly have no bones left in my body and that I am entirely made of goo.

The shot echoes muffled around the room, even with the muffler on the gun it's loud, too loud. Jarring. I'm certain they now know exactly where we are, but I pray they're too busy to come right this second. I quickly lower the gun, letting it drop on the ground, forgotten, as I close the short distance between Wanda and me, my heart beating rapidly in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Wanda's eyes are round as saucers, staring at me in utter, silent shock.

"What the fuck?" She whispers, her voice quavering slightly as I near her.

"Did it work?" I match her tone, my hands coming up to examine the singed black box attached to the collar around her neck, my fingers shaking as I fumble with the contraption.

"What the fuck?" Wanda repeats again, her green eyes still staring at me, her body tense like a spring waiting to snap.

"It looks... it looks broken! Wanda, I think it worked!" I look up from the collar, my voice excited, and meet her shocked stare, a wide grin on my face.

"You think it worked!?" Wanda seems to only be stuck on repeat mode, her voice growing louder as she goggles at me. My smile nor enthusiasm do not seem to be shared by her in the slightest. "You think it worked?! What the actual fuck!"
"Wanda, shh!" I try but she's winding herself up and there's nothing I can do but grin apologetically.

She shakes her head, disbelieving. "What the fuck!"

She unexpectedly shoves me back, hard, her expression filled with outrage. I stumble backward, in shock. I don't know what reaction I was expecting, but it still takes me by surprise. I manage to remain standing though, the adrenaline in me working overtime. I look up at Wanda who looks absolutely infuriated.

"You think it worked!?" Wanda screeches, completely disregarding the fact that we are trying to hide.

"Wanda, calm -"
"If you are attempting to tell me to calm down I swear to -ugh!" Wanda slips her fingers through her disheveled hair, making it look even wilder as she turns slightly on her heels to face away from me. I silently condemn myself for admiring the way anger looks on her.

"You 'think' it worked! Oh, I have an idea to see if it worked!" Wanda's voice drops icily as she breathily speaks, and I step back from her, raising my hands up in an attempt to show her I surrender. For heaven's sake, my hands are empty, woman. But she's a woman scorned and she's definitely the wrong woman to scorn.

Wanda seems to utterly disregard my attempt at defusing the situation, her green eyes eerily shimmering red as she glares at me, her cheeks flushed and her chest heaving rapidly. I hope it's just a reflection from one of the computers nearby. Unfortunately for me, I begin to give up on my hope of Wanda's eyes just reflecting red as she summons a crackling ball of excitedly twisting and turning scarlet tendrils by her right hand. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, a small break from her anger. Unfortunately for me, this state of marvel does not last too long. She takes a slow step towards me, her mouth turned upward in a small grin. She twirls her hand, the ball of scarlet eagerly following its master.

"Looks like it worked." Wanda whispers and without warning flings the magic towards me, the magic zapping through the air and hitting me straight in the chest.

With a loud gasp, I am pushed backward with the strength of being hit by a small car. My back crashes into the hard wall of computers and wires behind me. I struggle to catch my breath, my chest burning and my lungs refusing to let any air enter them. My back seems like it's exploded in a thousand tiny shards of glass as I gasp for air, my head spinning.