Fire and Smoke - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Chapter 81

Darcy brings me home, the car unusually quiet, devoid of her talkative mood. The lulling motions make me grow weary, the warmth of the heating of the set not helping ease my tiredness the slightest, and so I sit there, struggling to keep my eyes open. Neither one of us breaks the pressing, heavy silence that has grown between us. I don't know if she's also mulling over our conversation. I lean my head against the cool window, tiredly watching the city flash by. Darcy mutters a few select curse words under her breath as she swerves cars I bet she would swear are driving badly. I don't bother keeping an eye on her driving as I did on the way to Ihop, not too bothered with whether we make it to our destination or not. My mind seems to be too tired to be able to do anything but repeat our conversation from earlier on a loop. As much as I hate admitting being wrong, I can't help the new, gnawing feeling deep, deep down within me, which grows stronger with each time I replay the conversation. A small, little nugget of doubt has sprouted in me, slowly growing, spreading its roots through my veins. Did I in fact make the wrong choice when I left Wanda alone outside of that cabin? Did I abandon her at a time she needed me most?

Once we make it to my apartment block, Darcy quietly tells me she's following me all the way home, just to be sure I make it. She doesn't blink an eye when told that, as an FBI agent, I am certain I can make the journey to my flat in one piece. Instead, all I get from her is a soft scoff and a 'let's go'. So, we quietly ride the rickety elevator in silence until we get to the 8th floor. Darcy watches me unlock the 5 locks on my door, and I can tell she really wants to make a joke about the number of locks I have installed, but she doesn't.

"Alright, I can take it from here, Darcy. Thanks." I turn around to face her as I push the door open to my dark flat.

"Somehow, I really doubt that." Darcy tells me, softening her comment with a small smile.

"Darcy-"
"What were you doing when I knocked? Cause I doubt you were sleeping." Darcy narrows her eyes at me and I sigh, giving in, knowing when I've been bested.

I step aside to let her in and she walks past confidently. I wonder where she gets her energy from as I follow her into the flat, feet dragging from exhaustion. Darcy flicks the light on in the kitchen as she starts putting away the pancakes.

"Brush your teeth and shower, thank you." Darcy loudly orders from the kitchen. "You look like you've been dug up from a grave."
"Thanks." I mutter sarcastically, without being able to help the small smile that spreads on my face.

I do as I'm told though, and the warm water of the shower rushes down my cold body and I brush my teeth as I slowly warm up, too tired to separate showering and brushing my teeth. I stand in the shower for a while, silently staring at the familiar tiles on the wall. I'm too tired to do any actual cleaning, hoping the water and some soap might be enough. The room quickly steams up, unknotting some of the tense muscles in my body. As much as the shower is making me feel cleaner, I still feel dirty, guilty. The feeling won't rinse away.

When I decide I must be clean enough for Darcy's taste, I wrap my gray towel around me, ignoring the dripping of my hair that falls past my shoulders. I glance at myself in the mirror on the way out. I'm thankful for the fogginess of it because my stomach turns slightly at the sight of the various degrees of healed bruises on my body. My face looks slightly gaunter than it used to, my cheekbones protruding more. I haven't looked in a mirror in a while, and the sight of me makes me instantly reminded of the way I would worry for Wanda, my current state reminding me of how she would look. She wore the worn down look much better than I do, though. I shake my head and step out of the bathroom, clearing my head of her.

"Oh, wow." Darcy turns around as I silently walk out of the bthroom. I don't fil to notice how her eyes skim over my bruises, her eyes quickly going up and down my body, taking it all in. I hug the towel slightly tighter, feeling too self-conscious to make a joke about them, and she diverts her eyes, looking slightly guilty herself.