Fire and Smoke - Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Chapter 95

The air is cold and fresh against my face, making my breath fog up in front of me. The little plumes of warm breath quickly dissolve into nothingness in front of my eyes, constant reminders of my physical effort. It seems as though the little bit of sleep I managed to catch on the plane helped invigorate me slightly, I note as my muscles feel slightly stronger than before. I shake off the feeling in my chest as my body recalls the feeling of Wanda's warm body next to me, her thigh grazing mine, her fingers intertwined with mine, and her head on the crook of my neck, her breath tickling the skin of my neck. I grimace, willing the sense memory to leave.

I return to the present. I do a mental check on my body. It is true; I do feel slightly less groggy than before, and a little more alert, as I trod through the deserted highlands somewhere in the northwestern States, apparently. I don't know if it was my nap or the fact that despite my protests, a small, little, easily extinguishable flicker of hope when it comes to Wanda has been lit inside my chest, but I am stepping forwards behind Natasha with some purpose instead of only dread. There might be an end to all of this. I might finally be able to retrieve that which Hydra stole, rendering their plans useless. Then, I will have paid off my debt to Wanda. She will be safe from them, at least. I try to not think of what follows, once her need for me is gone. Who am I kidding? I'm only here because... well, because they still need me. And who knows what happened to my weird powers. Am I still able to turn back time or did that mist have an expiration date?

Maybe, maybe this, right here, me marching behind Natasha and Steve, both of whom should be long gone, is the beginning to the end. I try to envision a life in which I go back to how everything was before Wanda. The mental image of returning to my cold flat makes me shiver, and a cold settles in my chest. I realize I don't want that. No matter how much I should not allow my feelings to dictate my thoughts, they return with the promise of Wanda. Her laughter echoes in my ears and it reminds me of the time we spent in the Tower, just her and me, talking in bed about god knows what. And even though that will never be my reality anymore, I am not stupid enough to think my old life could ever be a possibility either. I ran from the FBI. I know enough to know there's no going back. Maybe I could settle down in my grandparents' cabin...

We've been walking for a while, now. My muscles are warm and it feels good to move with purpose. The Glock that rests on my thigh feels just right, too. My footsteps easily follow Natasha's, matching her stride and pace. Her red hair glistens in the darkness like a little fire. Steve leads us as we march onwards on flatlands I doubt see much of humans. The silence is pressing, but I don't feel contained. I feel the opposite. I feel great, even. My lips curl up into a small smile as I think back to the jet, and who we left behind. Yelena complained the entire time we got ready. Vision and Darcy were busy looking down at the screen of the clunkiest computer I've ever seen, and Wanda, well, she hovered near me the entire time, a silent contrast to Yelena. She seemed to find excuses to help me with my gear, apparently finding the way I attached the holster to my thigh unsatisfactory, although I know it was done to standard.

My smile widens slightly as I think back to how when we were about to leave and Natasha and Steve were checking in with the rest of the team, making sure everyone was updated on the plan, Wanda pulled me slightly to the side. Her warm forest green eyes held mine in place as a small frown appeared on her face, making a few small wrinkles appear on her forehead. She clearly wanted to say something to me, but she seemed to struggle to find the right words. Instead, I carefully placed a finger in the middle of her forehead and applied a light pressure, which made her relax her soft features with a slight chuckle.

"You'll get wrinkles." I teased her with a smile.

My words made her eyes widen slightly and I swear they became slightly glassy, as if she was overcome by the emotions of a memory. Whatever happened passed quickly and silently, as when I dropped my hand from her face reluctantly, she blinked, her dark eyelashes clearing her eyes of the remnants of the unnamed emotion, replacing it with a warmth I hadn't observed in them in a while. It made my heart beat lightly.